Saturday, February 4, 2012

Garmin eTrex Venture HC review

August 27, 2007 by  

Etrex_venture_hc_review

The Garmin eTrex Venture HC is the entry-level mapping receiver in Garmin's eTrex H-series lineup. With a high-sensitivity receiver for superior reception under canopy, a bright color screen, and the ability to load topo maps (purchased separately), this is an excellent backcountry GPS.

The Venture HC has 24 MB of memory, and will accommodate 500 waypoints, 50 routes and 10 saved tracks.

Related units

  • The Summit HC is identical except that it adds a barometric altimeter and electronic compass
  • The primary differences between the Venture HC and the Legend HCx are twofold — the Legend HCx has an expandable micro-SD memory card slot instead of on-board memory; it is also routable, allowing you to generate turn-by-turn directions when optional highway maps are loaded
  • Going the other direction in features, the monochrome Garmin eTrex H cannot accept maps and, unlike other eTrex units, doesn't come with a cable for transferring data between the GPS and your computer; it also lacks the click-stick of the other H-series models, making for a less user-friendly interface
  • To see how the Venture HC stands up against other Garmin models, check out my Garmin handheld GPS comparison chart

More Garmin eTrex Venture HC reviews

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Comments

45 Responses to “Garmin eTrex Venture HC review”
  1. Larry says:

    I’m thinking of getting the Venture HC and was wondering whether you could please clarify a couple points for me. First, to load and read free trail maps, such as those available at TrailsNW, do I need any software except MapSource? In other words, if I’m fine with just trail maps, do I need Topo 2008?

    The next question is a little harder. On your model comparison chart, you say that you can’t load custom maps. Does this include software I’ve obtained from another source? The source I’m thinking of is a Windows folder I customized with my own itinerary using Georando Liberte, a DVD from the French National Institute of Geography. (If you’ve never seen this, and you plan to hike in France, don’t miss it–the whole country is mapped on one DVD, and you can zoom in, plot trails, get trail reports, and export sections of it.) They push the $450 Evadeo GPS as compatible, but who needs all that just to load one intinerary? You might also wonder why I don’t ask Georando, but customer service isn’t their best feature. So I was hoping you could tell me whether–in theory–there should or shouldn’t be any earthly reason I can’t transfer my folder from Georando to the Venture HC. Or does this qualify as a “custom map,” and therefore impossible?

    Many, many thanks.

    Larry

  2. Larry says:

    Sorry, forgot to ask for notification of your reply.

  3. Krissy says:

    Say — does anyone know of a way to capture screenshots of the eTrex Venture HC? Unfortunately the screen shot feature in DNR Garmin is not supported on this model. I’m in desperate need to be able to capture some screen shots of this unit!

    Thanks!

  4. Ben says:

    im fairly new to backpacking and I was debating between getting this Venture HC or the vista HCx. Which would be better for backpacking/hiking? I just want good reception (in thick tree cover seeing as how I live in the southeast) and fairly detailed maps. Or is there another gps I should be looking at?

  5. DSullivn says:

    I just bought the eTrex to take to Africa to record GPS and Altimeter readings in Uganda.. do I need a special ‘map’ downloaded before I go?

  6. Richard says:

    Quite possibly one of the worst buys I’ve ever made. This thing has terrible maps and is overly complicated to use. Find that my iphone GPS is more user friendly. Are the Garmin folks trying to be obtuse?

    • Rich Owings says:

      You can get free, detailed maps at http://gpsfiledepot.com. The basemap is indeed very basic. Handheld GPS are by their very nature complex beasts. The newer models, such as the eTrex 20, have improved significantly in terms of the interface. You may indeed be better off with your iPhone for simple GPS-related tasks, but then your iPhone isn’t ruggedized or waterproof, nor did it cost only a little over $100 like the Venture HC.

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