| Brand: | Garmin | ||
| Average Rating |
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Perfect for outdoor enthusiasts on a budget, the Garmin eTrex H GPS navigator helps you navigate your way through the toughest terrain. The unit is equipped with a high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, which locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear: whether you’re traipsing through thick woods or strolling near tall buildings and trees, you can count on the eTrex H to help you find your way when you need it the most. And just like the original eTrex, this little yellow wonder is intuitive and rugged, with a lightweight housing that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.
The eTrex H is a breeze to use, with five buttons on either side of the navigator facilitating one-handed operation. The four-level gray LCD display, meanwhile, is easy to read in a shade or daylight. And you needn’t fret should the weather turn, as the eTrex H is IPX7 waterproof, so it can withstand an accidental splash or dunk in the water and still continue to perform.
Functionally, the navigator stores up to 500 waypoints in its memory for easy retrieval, with names and graphic symbols to highlight the selections. Users will also appreciate Garmin’s exclusive TrackBack feature, which lets you reverse your track (up to 20 reversible routes) and navigate back to your starting point. And the automatic track log offers 10 saved tracks (with 10,000 points), along with the ability to retrace your path in both directions. Other details include a hunting and fishing calculator, sun and moon information, and a serial PC interface.
The eTrex H, which runs for up to 17 hours on a pair of AA batteries (not included), measures 2.0 by 4.4 by 1.2 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a one-year warranty.
What’s in the Box
eTrex H navigator, wrist strap, quick start guide, user’s manual. more info
Popularity: 9% [?]
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Handy Garmin
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Have used the Unit in my kayaks and found it to be convenient, accurate, and useful..Recommend to anyone needing to keep track of their position and/or details of their trip.
Fast!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The big plus of this gadget is the sensitivity and speed. I’ve been using an old Magellan Pioneer and it’s a snail by comparison.
The etrex h is so fast that when you are walking to or from a waypoint – you get a real-time update on bearing, distance as well as your walking speed. I paid a visit once to the bridge on a Holland America cruise ship and the etrex h works just like theirs – real time read-out.
The manual is just a teaser, though. You will learn how to use it primarily by using it. The Garmin website has a couple of dozen “faq’s” on their website at garmin.com.
so easy a caveman can use it!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
very good product for the money.I was able to use it in just a few minutes after reading the instuctions which are not all that good.I use it for huntingand was recently in the up of michigan.It never lost its signal under some heavy canopy.
basic model
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
i bought it for my friend 3 months ago. he said he really like it and want one more for another friend. it s a basic model and not complicated.
Simple…but, that’s the point.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Context:
This is my first GPS. I am no luddite, I have built my own PC more than once, and am generally excited by technology — when it works (don’t get me started on the awful disappointment that is every mobile phone and mobile phone network on the planet). I am an avid mostly car camper/day hiker, though I have aspirations of weekend-long hikes (crowds do tend to chafe). In the Marine Corps, I was trained to actually use a map and compass (as in, “find the tree with an orange spot on it in the dense forests of North Carolina”). Though I’m a little rusty, I do exercise that skill once in a while, and philosophically, I prefer it. I’m a bargain-hunter. I hope to use this on hiking trails or in wilderness as a tool to keep me from becoming hopelessly lost, and I don’t geocache.
The Pros:
1) Ease of Use. I’ve never had a GPS before, but it only took the short walk from the parking lot at Disneyland to the front gate to figure out how to mark waypoints, use GOTO and Trackback without the benefit of the manual or any quickstart guide. Button purpose was easy to intuit. Poking around randomly is an effective learning tool (the same can’t be said for my mobile phone).
2) Accuracy. On said initial use, the device told me that I had returned to the front gate of Disneyland (waypoint #2), and when I had returned to my car (waypoint #1). In “Normal” mode, the “Skyview” screen normally displays an accuracy of between 14′ – 20′ indoors or in a car. I have yet to try to hide myself from the Sattelites in dense jungle (maybe a later review).
3) Ease of Use. Worth saying twice.
4) Durability. It appears that it will take a short drop or two, though I prefer not to test this personally, and there’s no official statement of it’s comparison to known standards (i.e., IEC 2060529). Garmin’s website does state that the eTrex H is waterproof to IPX7 (within the aforementioned IEC 2060529), which means it is protected against temporary immersion in up to 1 meter of water.
The Cons:
1) There are no maps, though this could be said to be a “pro”. I anticipate having a physical (most likely paper) map (as I usually do for use with a compass), so this isn’t a big deal to me. If you expect a map you would be in for an awful surprise. Having no maps, however, isn’t a torturous idea; you can successfully use waypoints, routes, and trackbacks to prevent you from getting lost, and your indicated lat/long (or grid coord.s) to let someone else know where you were if you needed to.
2) The screen is a little difficult to read without the backlight indoors or under cloudy conditions. There is a contrast adjustment, but there is apparently no adjustment for brightness. The resolution is fine (text and numbers are clear enough), but could be better given the small screen (some lines are too pixelated to be clear).
Overall, I’m very happy with it and I look forward to trying to get lost. I, unlike some others who’ve reviewed here, did not see the hours-long delay in acquiring an initial sattelite array; I was up and running in about ten minutes. I will not be transferring data to or from my PC, nor will I be geocaching, so the lack of a data cable or maps is in no way disappointing. I need it to work simply (which it does) and accurately (which it also does) in potentially adverse conditions (which I believe it will do).
Defective unit? I’m afraid to try again…
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Well, after finally getting the hang of this not-very-intuitive unit to do some geocaching with my son, I have become increasingly frustrated with its unreliable accuracy. Sometimes we are 20+ feet from a cache, according to the GPS, when we manage to find the cache on our own. The worst thing that I’ve noticed, though, is that we can be standing completely motionless and the directional arrow will wave in all directions and the distance to destination will change by as much as 10 or 12 feet. Is this common? Why does this happen?
Others’ reviews have been much more positive and I’m wondering whether I’m expecting too much from such an inexpensive GPS. I am returning but not exchanging. Bummer…
Perfect for price! Mac users will also be happy!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had spent weeks researching what type of GPS I was going to get. I was new to Geocaching but wanted something that would help teach me the simplicities and ease me into it. I have been pleasantly surprised! I had read so many reviews on this GPS that I pretty much new the little tricks since the manual is totally worthless. There is a multitude of info on the web since this Garmin has been around for so long. Here are some helpful items (free or cheap) to help any Mac users out there…
-Purchase USB & PC data Cable for Garmin Etrex H GPS from KAWA on ebay. It was $[...] for shipping. Had it here in a flash and have been really happy with it. So if anyone tells you that you can’t use a USB, they’re full of it….
- Next go to [...] and download their manager. Neat little application.
The only thing to note is that you will need to download this: [...]
driver in order for it to work with MacCaching as they provided a different driver that didn’t work. The one on apple’s website does work though.
Again, I have been really happy with this little device. I like that it doesn’t show you all the maps because then it makes it that much more fun and teaches you the fundamentals of navigation!
Good GPS
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This GPS is cheap a decent. very accurate. HOWEVER is doesn’t come with links cable, that another $25.00 and god forbid you have a new computer without 9 pin serial port watch out the USB converter costs 55.00, so might as well buy upgraded version.
Good starter GPS
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is our first GPS. Got to try out Geocaching. Since we didn’t know if we’d like it or not, we didn’t want to spend the money on a more expensive unit. All in all – we love it. It is accurate in our are up to (about) 15 feet, would be nice to have a more accurate unit, but we knew about this when we bought it. I would recommend for anyone who wants to try out a GPS unit.
A Great Point-to-Point GPS
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this primarily for hikes into backcountry so I could follow my “breadcrumb trail” and find my way back. For this it is perfect. I also will use this in conjunction with map and compass, the H will give me my exact location and I can orient myself to where I want to go. Having a GPS with the maps in it is great, but I would never totally depend on a mapping GPS alone; it is still electronics and dependent on batteries and it can go down on you when you need it. You go out into unknown wilderness areas often, you better learn how to use map and compass; it isn’t difficult.
Figure out your real needs; either spend the $$$ and get a complete GPS or get the basic H; the models in between are mostly garmin product differentation strategy…
Great for beginning geocacher
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this unit a little over a month ago and it’s great! I bought it to start geocaching and use it to mark the coordinates of the location I leave my car when hiking. Easy to use right out of the box, took only 20 minutes to locate satellites, I’ve heard of some taking hours but it wasn’t true for me. I just placed it in my kitchen window. The battery life is great for geocaching, I haven’t had to replace them in the month I’ve been caching.
I would recommend this product for geocaching, it’s “cheap” enough to allow children to take the lead on a hunt and rugged enough to roll around the back the car or at the bottom of a bag/purse/tote bag.
WARNING! THIS UNIT DOES NOT ACCEPT MAPS!!!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Warning to all who do not know what to look for in the ‘fine print.’
This unit does not accept Garmin maps. It will download waypoints, tracks, routes from the Garmin map programs, but will not accept the map.
The result is that all one sees is a waypoint on a gray screen, without reference to a street name, or other map feature like a lake. It’s almost like traveling in the dark, not seeing or knowing what surronds you.
Without the ability to display maps, this unit is a TOY if one wants to use it to accurately navigate to NEW locations. Test your ability to self-determine what one true coordinate is beforehand. If you can do it, this is for you. If you can’t figure out coordinates from a map, then you’ll understand the problem and have your answer about this unit.
I use DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteers, which use the same grids as Garmin (WGS 84) and can come to within about a block or two of true coordinates. Hiking, or in the woods, this can mean disaster. Are you 2 blocks to the left, or 2 blocks to the right of where you want to be? Are you 2 blocks too far, or are you 2 blocks too short. Point is that you may be 4 blocks left or right, or 4 blocks too far or too short of where you planned on going!
Without reference images, the waypoints are basically for ‘survival’, and not navigating to a new destination as no new destination can be seen on the screen.
It is good for survival if lost in the woods or ocean and one needs help. You can call for rescue with the current coordinates. One can track back and one can also plug in coordinates to Go To, but the problem of it is, is: That one needs to use it in conjunction with a paper map, or other external map and plug in the coordinates BEFORE reaching it, to intentionally navigate to a new location.
This is good for geocaching when you can plug in the coordinates prior to going out. This is good for young children as an introductory training tool, BUT you will feel the need to upgrade immediately.
As far as other criticisms about taking a while to boot: Garmin says it will boot in 39 seconds from a ‘cold boot’, and shorter if it’s a warm boot. This is not a serious problem.
Also, as other criticisms noted, Garmin is NOT USER FRIENDLY at all. They make everything difficult to get assistance. Their map programs are not that good with functionality. The search terms are a nightmare to overcome. Garmin apparently decides names for locations that LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DO NOT USE. In other words if the USPS and city, county, and state call a road by one name, Garmin will distort it somehow and a large percentage of names you search for will not show up under the true name.
I suggest that this product be passed-up for a better one. Save your money and purchase one that will display a map. And, by the way, check out what it costs for cables to hook to your PC, and what the Garmin Map program costs.
Hope this helps.
Great starter unit. Does not accept maps
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a great starter unit. Great for camping, fishing, or hunting. I use mine for Geocaching. Under ideal conditions I’ve received reliability of 7 feet, usually I am between 10-15 feet accuracy.
There are many nifty features such as waypoints, built in clock that will show you sunrise and sunset, elevation, compass, bearing and heading.
The options are highly customizable so you can set the menu features and displays to suit what you need the best.
This will not guide you down streets and does not show maps. But if you just want to be pointed in a general direction and find where you were or where you want to go, this unit is ideal; easy to use an inexpensive.
eTrex H: eTrex Over Again
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Perhaps 10 years ago I bought the prior eTrex GPS and used it for several years. Eventually it suffered an unfortunate event and had to be retired.
I bought a new eTrex H model to replace the old one and the “H” model is great. Quicker signal acquisition, same simple to use, easy to understand interface, and now it has a lighted display.
Great product!
Great Simple GPS
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve used many GPS’s, But this one is 100% faster in acquiring the signal. And battery life is pretty good and the waterproof thing is amazing while i mostly use it for fishing.
Highly recommended ..