Garmin eTrex Venture HC review
August 27, 2007 by Rich Owings
The Garmin eTrex Venture HC
Quick links
More Garmin eTrex Venture HC reviews
Garmin eTrex Venture HC resources
How much does it cost?
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
- Hands on Garmin eTrex Venture HC reviews have been posted by buyers at GPSNow.
- Numerous consumer-authored Garmin eTrex Venture HC review
- Consumer Reports reviews the Venture HC.
- There is also a Garmin eTrex Venture HC Color Hand Held GPS Receiver
review posted at Tiger GPS.
- A brief Venture HC review
- Geocacher reviews of the Garmin eTrex Venture HC
- Using the Venture HC for GIS data collection
- I'll be posting more hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…
Other Garmin eTrex Venture HC resources
- The Garmin eTrex Venture HC owners manual in the language of your choice.
- Compare the Venture HC to other Garmin mapping handheld GPS receivers.
- There is a dedicated Garmin eTrex message forum on Yahoo Groups.
- The official Garmin eTrex Venture HC web page
- Check out my Legend HCx review for a more detailed look at the eTrex interface.
- SPECIAL NOTE TO BUYERS: Don't confuse the Venture HC with the discontinued Venture or the Venture Cx, which does not have the high-sensitivity chipset.
- Find the low price on a Garmin eTrex Venture HC at GPS Now, 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 Garmin eTrex Venture HC
- Get a great deal on the Garmin eTrex Venture HC Color Hand Held GPS Receiver
- Buy the Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver
at REI.com, where satisfaction is guaranteed and members get 10% back on eligible purchases.
- Get the Garmin eTrex Venture HC for an amazing price on eBay.
Maybe you should start here…
http://gpstracklog.com/handheld-sport-gps/handheld-gps-101
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
MapSource should load NW Trails fine. You don’t need Topo 2008. There are plenty of free maps at http://gpsfiledepot.com. Be aware that the Venture has limited space for maps though. I don’t believe you could transfer maps from Georando Liberte to the unit, just waypoints, etc. You may be able to use some of these maps though…
http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?cnt=73&rgn=&cat=4
Sorry, forgot to ask for notification of your reply.
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!
It’s been awhile since I used one of the eTrex H series, but I think xImage will work. I know I got screenshots for my Legend HCx review some way, and unless there is a built-in screenshot facility (and I don’t think there is), I must have used xImage…
http://www8.garmin.com/support/agree.jsp?id=545
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?
I’d seriously consider the newly released eTrex 20 over one of those. Here’s why…
http://gpstracklog.com/2011/04/five-reasons-to-upgrade-your-garmin-handheld.html
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?
No, but you may find it helpful. Here’s some free ones…
http://downloads.cloudmade.com/africa/eastern_africa/uganda#downloads_breadcrumbs
Let the GPS sit out under open sky, stationary and on for 30 minutes once you arrive, so it can lock satellites.
Wonderful… what a great list. Which map should I use for an island in the middle of Lake Victoria.
Uganda uganda.administrative.osm.bz2 (305.5K)
uganda.ai.zip (2.1M)
uganda.coastline.osm.bz2 (347.7K)
uganda.highway.osm.bz2 (1.6M)
uganda.img.zip (628.9K)
uganda.navit.bin.zip (832.9K)
uganda.osm.bz2 (2.9M)
uganda.poi.gpx.zip (39.6K)
uganda.poi.tomtom.zip (25.1K)
uganda.poly (112K)
uganda.shapefiles.zip (2.3M)
I don’t know if there will be any coverage there. You could try the coastline, highway and POI files.
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?
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.