MnGCA

Marsha and Silent Bob · Past MnGCA President Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 6261

http://www.garmin.com/products/etrexLegendc/

Outdoor enthusiasts will love the latest improvements made to the eTrex Legend C:

256-color, sunlight-readable display makes it easy to distinguish map details and see where you’re going
Automatic route generation, off-route recalculation, turn-by-turn directions with alert tones, and icon-driven menus for finding points of interest (when combined with Garmin’s optional MapSource® CDs) navigate you safely to your destination
Longer battery life for more hours of outdoor enjoyment
Mini-USB port for fast, convenient download of map data from Garmin’s entire library of optional MapSource CDs using a PC
24 MB of internal memory for lots of map storage

http://www.garmin.com/products/etrexVistac/

In addition to its distinguishing features — barometric altimeter and electronic compass — outdoor enthusiasts will love the latest improvements made to the eTrex Vista C:

256-color, sunlight-readable display makes it easy to distinguish map details and see where you’re going
Automatic route generation, off-route recalculation, turn-by-turn directions with alert tones, and icon-driven menus for finding points of interest (when combined with Garmin’s optional MapSource® CDs) navigate you safely to your destination
Longer battery life for more hours of outdoor enjoyment
Mini-USB port for fast, convenient download of map data from Garmin’s entire library of optional MapSource CDs using a PC

It's pretty nice that both units have auto-routing as well as the color screen.
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Sad state of affairs.

DigiFerret · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 7:37 pm Post subject:

This is my luck, something better always comes along shortly after I buy the previous model. I really like my Legend, but if I upgrade, I want something with a quad-helix antenna.
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Former weasel...

15Tango · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 11:21 pm Post subject:

I'm with DigiFerret on this one--I'm happy with my etrex, but it would take something other than just color to get me to shell out the bucks for a different GPS--I like the hand-held convenience and the durability (I don't know how many times my cat Reuben had seen the lanyard for my Vista hanging over the counter and think it was something he could play with, thus dragging the GPS off the counter and onto the floor, and to where-ever he wants to go with the thing). If Garmin was willing to make a color unit with the durability of their etrex line with a quad-helix antenna, then I would be willing to upgrade. BTW, with my lap-top and Mapsource topo and my etrex plugged in, I get everything on my laptop in real time and in the same colors available on the color units.
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There comes a time in every young boy's life when he gets an irresistible urge to seek buried treasure.--Mark Twain

DigiFerret · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 3:57 pm Post subject:

That would be a pretty sweet unit if they could put a quad-helix in something the size of the eTrex. I wouldn't mind having a 60c, but it seems pretty bulky(not to mention pricy). I like the fact that I can slip the Legend in my pocket, but a bigger screen WOULD be nice.
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Former weasel...

robertlipe · Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 10:48 pm Post subject:

The 60's are indeed a little larger than the etrex mutant but you do get a wider screen and a keypad instead of a clickstick (you're free to consider that good or bad. Smile

Sort of like a nextel fone, they'll fit in a shirt pocket but you'll know it's there.

The VistaC and SummitC allegedly have the exact same feature set as the 60CS/60C & 76CS/76C families, so they'll have the geocaching modes, etc.

I can't vouch for the reception on the VistaC and the SummitC, but I ran a 60CS and a Platinum side by side this weekend. Even with the helix, on pure sensitivity, the 60CS still couldn't hold a lock where the Magellan could. The 2D compass was more annoying. But in non-contrived cases (in my house, in the van, etc.) the 60CS was "good enough" on this trip and the geocaching mode was WAY less annoying than that of the Plat. But the 2D compass was more annoying and the color screen had compromises.

Neither color, bigger memory, or USB (two of which I've had with a Magellan for years) would make me replace an existing unit, but they'd probably influence my next one.

I've been considering writing up a shootout of the two for my web pages as reviews from power cachers with hands-on experience are pretty rare, but I'd like to log a few thousand miles and couple hundred caches with it first.