Garmin Vista Cx Review
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For more current recommendations, please refer to our handheld GPS buyers guide or our Garmin handheld GPS comparison chart.
The Garmin eTrex Vista Cx updates the very popular eTrex Vista C, adding expandable memory via a micro-SD card, which will provide plenty of room for optional highway and/or topo maps. This is a nice compact unit, ideal for use in the great outdoors and for navigating city streets.
updates the very popular
This receiver is identical to the Legend Cx, except that the Vista Cx adds an electronic compass and barometric altimeter.
Compare prices on the Garmin eTrex Vista Cx
The only caution I want to provide is that, like all members of the eTrex x-series, the Vista Cx does not include the hot new SiRFstar III chipset. For that (in a unit with comparable features) you'll have to step up to the GPSMAP 60CSx. Of course, you'll pay a price for that in several ways — a less compact unit, shorter battery life and a $160 difference in the suggested retail price.
Before we hear from others, here is an excerpt from Amazon's Garmin eTrex Vista Cx review:
|
|
"…You can use the Vista Cx's memory card slot with preprogrammed microSD cards from Garmin (sold separately) that provide topographic maps, city streets, and nautical charts. In fact, the unit is compatible with most Garmin MapSource products including BlueChart, City Navigator, U.S. Topo 24K, and U.S. Topo and Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots. The unit comes preloaded with an Americas autoroute basemap that provides automatic routing capabilities including highways, exits and tide data. You can even get turn-by-turn directions when you're driving and an integrated trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed and more…"
More Garmin eTrex Vista Cx reviews
- Garmin Vista Cx reviews are starting to show up at Amazon.
- Trailspace.com reviews the Vista Cx.
I'll be posting more hands on reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some other helpful resources:
- A PDF version of the eTrex Vista Cx owners manual.
- Want to see how the Vista Cx stacks up against other units? Try this Garmin handheld GPS comparison tool.
- There is an active eTrex Legend / Vista message forum at Yahoo.
- Here is a Garmin eTrex Vista Cx FAQ page.
Compare prices on the Garmin eTrex Vista Cx at these merchants:
- Find the low price for a Vista Cx at GPS Now.com, where shipping is free on orders over $99 (and the upgrade to overnight
shipping is dirt cheap!). Order by 5 p.m. Central Time for same day
shipment. - Check the current eTrex Vista Cx price at Amazon.com.
- Find the Garmin eTrex Vista Cx for an amazing price at eBay.
- Check the deals on Garmin GPS receivers at REI.com.
From the official Garmin eTrex Vista Cx web page:
Pack more detail into your adventure with the eTrex Vista Cx and eTrex Legend ® Cx. Garmin has added removable memory to these pocket handhelds, making it easy to pack light and add maps on the go.
The eTrex Vista Cx is loaded with the same popular features found in the eTrex Vista C, including barometric altimeter, electronic compass, sunlight-readable color and advanced GPS routing capabilities — all in a waterproof design. In addition, it comes with a blank 32 MB microSD card for storage of optional map detail. Download maps directly to the card or purchase microSD cards preloaded with MapSource® Topo and inland lake maps, BlueChart® marine cartography, and City Navigator™ street maps.
eTrex Vista Cx's features make it a mainstay among outdoor enthusiasts:
- 32 MB microSD card for MapSource data gives you the versatility of adding highly detailed maps
- Barometric altimeter provides extremely accurate elevation for hikers and climbers
- Electronic compass so you can get a heading when standing still
- 256-color, sunlight-readable display makes it easy to distinguish map details and see where you’re going
- Support for English, Spanish, Portugese, and French languages.
- 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
You won’t miss a thing when you take this rugged, lightweight, easy-to-use handheld out hiking, biking, boating or even geocaching.
Recommended accessories:
- Garmin TOPO U.S. 2008
- Eneloop rechargeable batteries
- invisibleSHIELD screen protector
- SanDisk 2 GB MicroSD card
Related posts:
Hello, I have a garmin 60CSx. When I use MapSource on the computer (with a Topo map for my area), the contour lines are displayed. However, the topo lines do not show on my gps at all, nor when I download a saved track with waypoints. I’ve looked through my entire manual but can’t find anything. do you know if this model shows topo lines on the handheld? Thanks.
Shantal,
You have to transfer the maps to the unit. Connect your 60CSx and click the “Map Tool” button. Then click on the map. The portion to be transfered will turn pink. Add more sections if so desired. Then click “Send to device.”
Hi,
I’ve got the vista Cx and GB topo maps. Do you know what zoom I need to match 1:25K paper maps?
Also, do you know of any other maps that give better detail in the countryside for the UK as I tend to use it for walking. So features such as forests, walls, fences etc are an important thing.
Thanks,
Mash
Mash,
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the pleasure of trying the GB topo maps. Maybe Garmin will foot the bill for a trip for me!
Ahem, anyway… a better place to ask may be http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=34220
Sorry about that.
I have a Garmin eTrex Vista C that has been wonderful to date, but recently started doing something strange. While in the Altimeter display, with Total Ascent and Max Elevation selected as the two displayed data fields, both displays continually read “0″, regardless of actual elevation changes. I’ve tried resetting and restoring defaults, but it does not change. Hint- I know that these fields used to work in the past, and this situation may be related to using the unit on a commercial flight where I was having problems getting the altitude to show the actual elevation (~29K feet) where I had to force it to accept the GPS elevation. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
That’s bizarre. Is it recording the elevation? If you choose elevation as a field on the map screen, will it display there?
Do you have the latest firmware? Maybe a firmware upgrade would “reset” it and get those fields working again.
Sir,
I use the Legend Cx with a 1:50 000 Topo Pro map of my area. I experience minimal problems with my GPS, but one major problem remain: I am unable to mark a waypoint by moving the cursor to a position on the map. I move the cursor, press and hold the “joystick” and select OK (also tried MAP)… it then make a waypoint at my current location. So, I have to create the waypoint on my MapSource PC software and then transfer to the GPS. Is this a fault or is it just me not understanding the manual?
Don’t press and hold the joystick. Press and release, then hit Save. At that point, you can edit the waypoint name, etc.
I have a problem with my Etrax Vista Legend Cx, probably after an upgrade of the software to latest V2.6. I have several waypoints stored. When I make Find Waypoint, a purple route line is drawn from my current location to the waypoint. The fault is that now, when I move away from the waypoint, the purple line is not rendered from my location to the waypoint, but it remains jammed and shiftes with the map drawing/waypoint if I move further off track. It seems nobody experienced this problem.
The links below gives illustrations of the fault in live.
http://www.marz-kreations.com/P/Garmin_Fault2.JPG
http://www.marz-kreations.com/P/Garmin_Fault1.JPG
I have a problem with my Etrax Vista Legend Cx, probably after an upgrade of the software to latest V2.6. I have several waypoints stored. When I make Find Waypoint, a purple route line is drawn from my current location to the waypoint. The fault is that now, when I move away from the waypoint, the purple line is not rendered from my location to the waypoint, but it remains jammed and shiftes with the map drawing/waypoint if I move further off track. It seems nobody experienced this problem.
The links below gives illustrations of the fault in live.
http://www.marz-kreations.com/P/Garmin_Fault2.JPG
http://www.marz-kreations.com/P/Garmin_Fault1.JPG
I have a problem with my Etrax Vista Legend Cx, probably after an upgrade of the software to latest V2.6. I have several waypoints stored. When I make Find Waypoint, a purple route line is drawn from my current location to the waypoint. The fault is that now, when I move away from the waypoint, the purple line is not rendered from my location to the waypoint, but it remains jammed and shiftes with the map drawing/waypoint if I move further off track. It seems nobody experienced this problem.
The links below gives illustrations of the fault in live.
http://www.marz-kreations.com/P/Garmin_Fault2.JPG
http://www.marz-kreations.com/P/Garmin_Fault1.JPG
I recently bought a Cx, updated my, um.. er ver 4.something MapSouce to the ver 6.something.. uploaded my maps to the Cx, but the indicated location of my position as shown on the GPS is a couple of streets off of where I actualy live.. any clues as to how or why the GPS is not showing my location acurately?
Which map software are you using? Topo? It has some registration problems, but isn’t usually that far off. Does this happen in other locations? What is the accuracy of your GPS when this happens?
I am using an older US Roads & Recreation progam… I contact Garmin and they said that with older programs, such as Roads & recreation, the program does not have the “lock to road” feature as with the newer mapsour City Navigator programs. So the Garmin rep told me I needed to purchase a newer map program (ala City Navigatory North America) so help solve this apparent mapping offset problem.
Now come to find out that the newer City Nav program does not show the level of detail that the older Roads & rec program did!! ARGH!!! So I can either live with an offset map and keep the better detailed maps, or upgrade to the newer map program, hopefully solve the offset problem, and lose detailed maps.
Any other suggestions? Would uploading garmin topo maps provide more detail that what is available with the City Nav product?
Rockdog,
I don’t believe that Topo will lock to road either. Topo 2008 does have more road detail than previous versions, but you’ll be missing CN’s POIs. You can use the Map Viewer on the Topo 2008 page to check out the detail at any location on the map…
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/topous.jsp
i have vista cx and topo national parks. routes as transferred from mapsource do not follow trails on the hand unit, only see indirect routes. doesn’t seem to change with any “follow road” options. what am i doing wrong. also, cannot get unit to hold more than one map on my 2 gig memory card. if transfer from say topo 2008, erases the maps from the topo national parks, please help. thanks
Kevin,
The routes should work. Do they follow trails in MapSource? Have you tried it in the field, in parks where it should be auto-routing? Did you have Topo 24K loaded to the device when this happened?
I can be more help at this point with the other question. In MapSource, use the drop down box in the upper left to select a map product. Then select the maps to load to the unit. Before transferring them, switch to another map product and select more maps. Only then should you transfer them; they must all be transferred at once. Each time you transfer maps, it will erase any other maps on the device.
I have a legend 60 cx. It does a great job but I was loading a map onto it from the internet and now I can’t get the thing to turn on….no, it isn’t the batteries
thanks for any advice
Is it a Legend or a 60Cx? If the map is on a micro-SD card, pull the card and try to turn it on. Does it do anything? Do you get a splash screen, etc.?
saya mau servis kalao ada di kirimkan harga barang garmin vista cx
garmin vista Hcx
I don’t sell anything. I just link to people who do.