Garmin ETrex Venture HC Review

The Garmin eTrex Venture HC is a hand held GPS unit designed with the outdoor enthusiast in mind. If you are wondering if this is the right hand held GPS for you, read on to learn more about this unit’s features and capabilities.

The eTrex features a WAAS-enabled GPS receiver that is highly sensitive even if your travels take you inside deep canyons or thick overhead cover. In fact, no matter what the terrain, this unit can get a signal. Using the eTrex is easy thanks to the intuitive menu and side button design. Mapping capabilities are good and users are able to create up to 500 waypoints and track 10 track logs. The basemap that is included with the eTrex is detailed for a default map and you can optionally load more maps with the 25 MB of memory that this unit features. This device is compatible with all of Garmin’s MapSource line of products.

The display on the eTrex Venture HC is a 256 color TFT display that is bright enough to be easily read even in direct sunlight. The screen size is generous thanks to the design of the unit. The Garmin eTrex Venture retails for $199 from the Garmin site, but deals can be found online that will get you the unit for about $130. Compared to similar hand held navigators, this Garmin model is very reasonably priced for the features and quality. For beginners and general users who don’t require the additional features of more advanced units, this model is a good value.

Geocachers to the ETrex Venture HC GPS

Is hiking or geocaching your thing? Do you just love meandering about outdoors, exploring new countryside and wandering through rough terrain? If you do, then you’re going to love the handheld eTrex Venture HC GPS which was designed especially for people like you. Loaded with all the latest Garmin technology, this unit comes complete with a high-sensitivity chip (HC) which will pick up satellite signals even under heavy tree cover. You can be hiking through the rugged bottom of the deepest canyon, and your Venture will be dependable enough to keep right on working. It is truly the most user-friendly, accurate GPS available for hikers which can be purchased at such a modest price.

It’s possible that you’ve tried an earlier model of the eTrex and weren’t favorably impressed. Rest assured that Garmin has improved the technology in making the new lines of hiking GPS systems so that they are perfect for use by anyone who loves the outdoors. If you try to use the eTrex Venture for driving, you’re sure to be disappointed. It was designed for people who like to travel on foot or by bicycle. The extremely basic basemap gives you the information you will need about lakes, rivers, and coastlines, state and national highways along with a little exit information, and railways. This unit was designed to be small, lightweight, easily-transportable, and handheld which makes it perfect for hikers and geocachers.

Hikers, geocachers, and bicyclists are going to appreciate the fact that the eTrex allows them one-handed accessibility for easy use. It contains a high sensitivity chip (thus, the HC), so it will continue to pick up signals despite heavy tree cover.

Check also GPS Rating.

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Best GPS hiking

The Best GPS for Hiking

Hiking is an adventure sport that requires serious preparation for safety and care. Many people love hiking, not only because it provides exercise and satisfaction, but also because it involves a feeling of freedom and one-ness with nature; hiking is one of the best ways to experience nature and the outdoors.

Until recently, hiking was done with the help of indigenous ways of orientation, and with the help of local guides who knew how to read the signs on the hiking trails. Hiking was a common way of moving from one place to another and it developed into a well-documented science.

Modern technology often replaces man with a machine. In hiking, the tracker or guide has been replaced with the GPS. The best GPS for hiking will be determined by the functions it can fulfill during your hiking trip. A GPS (Global Positioning System) will be able to guide you with maps, chalk and indicate route capability and show you waypoints. The best GPS for hiking would be having information pertinent to the area you are going to hike in. In case you are planning to hike in rather secluded areas or in an unmapped section of a remote country, then chances are even the best GPS will not be of any use to you. The area needs to be pre-mapped so that the maps can be installed into your GPS.

Remember that a hiking GPS can widely differ from a GPS used for flying, marine navigation, or for driving. The GPS that you will be looking for needs to be handheld, extremely durable (most GPS cases are not), shock and water resistant, and preferably have constant updates with the various maps and territories that you will be hiking in. Brands such as Garmin and Magellan are two of the better known GPS system, but while a specific model is difficult to pinpoint, keep in mind that your GPS system needs to suit your exact needs (whether you are an extreme hiker, or just a weekend camper).

At the end of the day the best GPS for hiking will be one which packs the most features, and has a high accuracy of mapping the area you are planning to hike. The shape, color and size are not important but sturdiness and weight are; look at the features and what they offers for your specific needs. Pack your handheld GPS with your hiking boots and head to the outdoors!

 Tips to Consider While Buying Hiking GPS

There are a whole lot of GPS devices in the market for you to choose from, however, getting the right one for your needs and budget may take a bit of research. Selecting the perfect hiking GPS product will benefit you in many ways, so consider the following points when selecting your hiking GPS device from out of the scores available in the market.

In order to ensure you get quality of money when you purchase your hiking GPS equipment look for the following features in your GPS pack:

1. Select a GPS product that can display on-screen maps.

2. Ensure that the GPS equipment is water resistant.

3. Check how long the power supply, the batteries, will last.

4. Ensure that the GPS is compatible with hand-held battery chargers. You might need to recharge the batteries of the GPS in a place that has no power source.

5. Does the GPS you are considering to buy have built-in maps? 6. Are the in-built maps in the GPS system upgradeable?

7. Don’t go in for a GPS gadget that is too bulky. The right size is also important. The screen must be big enough to display maps efficiently and small enough not to make the whole gadget bulky.

You don’t buy a GPS everyday, so, having a few additional features can be good, but if you don’t need them, why pay out the extra bucks? Research many manufacturers and don’t let the salesman talk you into buying something you don’t need. This will save you a lot of time and money.

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Tips For Buying a Garmin GPS Unit

A few tips on buying a Garmin GPS unit can be quite helpful. The first thing to know about Garmin is that they sell almost half of the GPS units sold in the United States. They do this by offering quality products at a wide variety of price points.

The nuvi is their newer line of GPS devices. You can get a Garmin nuvi for anywhere from $150 to almost $900. That depth of product is great, but it does make selection a little hard sometimes.

In this article, I’m going to concentrate of their newer nuvi line, instead of their older StreetPilot line. The StreetPilots are great devices, it’s just that they’re being pushed aside by the sleeker, more feature-packed nuvis.

Okay, let’s divide the marketplace into three areas, low, medium, and high.

The nuvi 200 is Garmin’s entry level device. And, if you’re just interested in getting from point A to point B, the nuvi 200 might easily be the right one for you.

It’s got maps of the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. It can also double as a digital photo viewer.

If you want more features, you can spring for the nuvi 350. It does everything the nuvi 200 does and also adds maps of Canada. It can also actually tell you the street names of the streets you’re turning on. If you really want to pack on the features, consider the nuvi 660. All that leaves as far as your main features is multiple point routing. If you’re interested in this feature, the nuvi 760 is the one for you.

Or, if you want what is truly the most advanced, feature-laden Garmin GPS unit on the market, then spring for the nuvi 880.

The new hand portable navigation, Oregon 300, from GARMIN.

Garmin release the new hand portable navigation, Oregon 300. The next generation equipped with basemap shaded relief, high-sensitive receiver, barometric altimeter and compass. To store files this garmin’s combined with microSD for save pictures. You can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly to other Oregon users.

Garmin Oregon 300 also supports Geochacing, GPX files for downloading geocaches and details straight to your unit. Through high sensitivity GPS receiver and HotFix satellite, this gps will lead your position quick and high precisely.

With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix^TM satellite prediction, Oregon 300 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. Completed with plug in features to update your maps like streets or path (land or water) that will provide the best experience for user. This GPS will available on 3rd Quarter, 2008

Check also GPS for cars

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