Garmin 010-00970-00 eTrex 10, Worldwide

I ordered this unit just as it became available on Amazon after conducting assessments of several units. Works just as expected. It takes a little getting used to the menu system, but after playing with it on two different occasions for about an hour total, I've figured out the more advanced items. Worked great right out of the box, quickly acquiring a full complement of satellites while I sat inside the house (accuracy within 10-14 feet inside). Screen has good color and is clear to read. I like the paperless feature and easily loaded a gpx file from geocaching.com. I find the the ability to read all of the logs very helpful. UPDATE: Used it to search and find severla nearby caches, and it worked great! It was very accurate and brought me to within a few feet of each cache. The receiver allows me to mark a cache found and to include comments. When I returned home, I easily uploadedd my finds and comments to geocaching.com. I am very pleased with my purchase.

Presumably atypically I use eTrex units nearly exclusively for road navigation and often calculate long routes.

I've used a Legend Cx extensively and it's showing its age so I was glad to see the introduction of the 20. I toyed with buying a Nuvi but don't care for the design as it lacks configurability and water resistance, uses a touchscreen, doesn't lend itself well to a motorcycle or kayak or walking when you want to walk.

The Legend Cx routinely takes several minutes to calculate in addition to slow map `drawing' times and I'm pleased to note Garmin improved calculating speed significantly. I've been running the two side by side for quite a while and the 20 calculates in roughly 1/3 the time (still noticeably slower than the Nuvis I've used). Additionally the map drawing time is much reduced.

Satellite acquisition and retention is quite a bit better: if you turn on both simultaneously the 20 will acquire enough signal to navigate in a fraction of the time; if you compare the 'Satellite' pages there are usually at least half again as many 'bars' on the 20 (and that's all before the GLONASS thingy is turned on).

The former mushiness of the perimeter buttons has been replaced by buttons which 'click' and the notorious rubber gasket (prone to eventual loosening) is gone.

The various menu screens are changed: previously you had 12 options to select on the `Find' page - now there are 6. They are more legible and you can arrange them in the order you prefer.

I'm still disappointed Garmin makes you cough up $80ish for a functional (read: turn by turn directions) road map but they're making progress on that front - you can now buy `lifetime' maps instead of having to purchase `updates'. And I guess I can't blame them for capitalizing on what they can capitalize on, while they can.

Plus I have to admit: Garmin's phone customer service is usually well above average (thanks, Rocky!) and that costs something.

They changed the mounting connector design so you can no longer use your old car/bike/whatever mount. The new design is an improvement, though: more secure and not a piece you have to screw on.

And they took the `Exits' category out of the `Find' menu: why, Garmin? Such a useful tool it was.

To sum: if you're an eTrex fan this incarnation is IMO an impressive advance RE processing and map drawing speed. The maps more closely resemble the Nuvis.

I have no reason to believe it won't be as reliable (IME close to bulletproof) as previous units. And the rustish/red/orange color is cool.

I like mine a lot.

*****

Update: one VERY useful feature for travellers the old eTrex units didn't have is now you can 'Search Near' a 'A Recent Find'.

I also discovered if you 'Review Point' the phone number if available is provided - nice, although the microscopic font errs on the side of 'white space'. :)

It crashes occasionally (I reckon I'm asking more of it than it was designed for); less often after I updated the software but there's no apparent rhyme or reason.

Still and all after using mine for many scores of thousands of miles I remain well pleased with the improvements.

*****

Another update: after spending some time (Garmin's customer service came through again) downloading NT South America City Navigator and flying to Chile my 20 has been indispensable: it would be virtually impossible for me (ignorante el norte Americano) to navigate around Santiago specifically and the country generally without electronic help from the sky.

The first review of this unit lamented that, while listed on Amazon, it wasn't actually available yet. That has changed. It's now available, and I have it within arm's reach as I'm typing this.

I liked the features listed for the eTrex 20, and awaited the late September release date before upgrading from my old Magellan handheld GPS. The eTrex 20 has so far proven to be everything it was advertised to be - lightweight, easy to use, and with a sensitive receiver. One of the factors that motivated me to upgrade was how fast the Garmins that my wife and son have were to lock on to the satellites, versus how much longer it took the old Magellan - this one took less than a minute to find, lock-on, and determine position, while the older unit would still have been searching for satellites.

One of the first things I noticed when using the eTrex 20, was the number of satellites it tracked. This new eTrex series has incorporated the Russian GLONASS system, along with the current GPS satellites. By tracking both systems, the device has more points of data to better calculate position.

The micro SD slot is a nice feature, giving the user the ability to expand the memory, although the built-in 1.7 Gb is nothing to sneeze at. For about ten bucks, enough memory can be added to store more than enough waypoints for an extended trip away from the computer. The micro SD slot is located under the batteries, and thereby protected from the elements.

I'm still learning all the features, and looking forward to putting it through some paces on our next Geocaching adventure. The only drawback I've found so far is that this model line is so new, that GSAK (a utility program used for Geocaching) doesn't have a specific protocol for interfacing with it. This is a relatively minor inconvenience, and one I suspect will be remedied in one of the next revisions of GSAK. Until then, I can load Cache information a couple of other ways.

For a bit more money, you can get the eTrex 30 with more features, or for less, you can buy the base-model eTrex 10. The 20 is a nice balance between them, and I think it's going to suit my needs quite nicely.