Perfect for outdoor enthusiasts on a budget, eTrex H comes with a high-sensitivity GPS receiver that locks onto satellite signals quickly and maintains accuracy even in the toughest conditions. And just like the popular eTrex, this little yellow wonder combines an intuitive interface and a rugged exterior into a lightweight handheld that fits in the palm of your hand. Enjoy Clear Reception. With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex H 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 in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on eTrex H to help you find your way when you need it the most. Built for Adventure. You can operate your eTrex H with just one hand using five buttons, which are located on either side of eTrex H within easy reach of your fingers. Thanks to its bright yellow case, eTrex H is easy to find in your boat or backpack. And, eTrex H is IPX7 waterproof, so it can take an accidental splash or dunk in the water and still continue to perform. Find It and Go. With eTrex H, your adventure can last and last up to 17 hours on just 2 AA batteries. While you roam, you can store up to 500 waypoints in memory for easy retrieval. Just enter the point you want to go to, and eTrex H points you to your destination (no street or terrain maps). To get home, use Garmin's exclusive TrackBack feature to reverse your track log and help you navigate back to your starting point.
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
This is my primary Geocaching GPS. The high sensitivity chip has the same strong processing power, and thus signal sensitivity and position resolution, as any of the more expensive units. It gives me excellent accuracy in areas where my older GPS units just give up, even dense forest cover. The software that drives the unit is the same as the older Yellow model (see below) and has stood the test of time.
If you're only interested in point to point navigation (geocaching, trail tracks or just finding your way back to the car or the ski chalet), then this unit will do a great job for a no-regrets price. If you're looking for road network navigation, then this isn't for you.
Be aware that this is the 'H', for 'High Sensitivity' unit, introduced in 2007. It's appearance is almost identical to older Yellow Etrex units, the difference being "High Sensitivity" in red letters just above the screen. Although the older units do work and may still be found, their worth is significantly lessened by the availability of this unit. That's something to keep in mind when looking at used or "new old stock" units at other venues.
One thing that other reviews mention is true - straight out of the box it takes a long time (hours) to acquire it's almanac (a digital description of where satellites are in the sky which is transmitted periodically) and then it's satellite signals. Mine took at least 3 hours and had me thinking it was defective until it finally locked in. Don't despair, this is a one-time thing - once accomplished, start-up time is about 5 seconds.
