Garmin eTrex H Handheld GPS Navigator
Amazon.com Product Description
Perfect for outdoor enthusiasts on a budget, the Garmin eTrex H GPS navigator helps you navigate your way through the toughest terrain. The unit is equipped with a high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, which 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 traipsing through thick woods or strolling near tall buildings and trees, you can count on the eTrex H to help you find your way when you need it the most. And just like the original eTrex, this little yellow wonder is intuitive and rugged, with a lightweight housing that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.
The eTrex H is a breeze to use, with five buttons on either side of the navigator facilitating one-handed operation. The four-level gray LCD display, meanwhile, is easy to read in a shade or daylight. And you needn’t fret should the weather turn, as the eTrex H is IPX7 waterproof, so it can withstand an accidental splash or dunk in the water and still continue to perform.
Functionally, the navigator stores up to 500 waypoints in its memory for easy retrieval, with names and graphic symbols to highlight the selections. Users will also appreciate Garmin’s exclusive TrackBack feature, which lets you reverse your track (up to 20 reversible routes) and navigate back to your starting point. And the automatic track log offers 10 saved tracks (with 10,000 points), along with the ability to retrace your path in both directions. Other details include a hunting and fishing calculator, sun and moon information, and a serial PC interface.
The eTrex H, which runs for up to 17 hours on a pair of AA batteries (not included), measures 2.0 by 4.4 by 1.2 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a one-year warranty.
What’s in the Box
eTrex H navigator, wrist strap, quick start guide, user’s manual.
Product Description
GARMIN eTrex H Hand Held Receiver with Built in GPS Patch Antenna. New high sensitivity GPS receiver. WAAS enabled, 12 parallel channel GPS receiver. Built in patch antenna. Display: /128×64 pixels, FSTN, 4 level gray scale. Electro luminescent backlighting. Battery life: up to 22 hours using two AA, alkaline batteries. Permanent user data storage; no memory battery required. Water resistant, IEC 529, IPX7 /Submersible 1 meter at 30 minutes. Dedicated zoom in/out keys for map page. 500 user waypoints with name and graphic symbol. 20 reversible routes with up to 124 waypoints. Hunting and fishing calculator to plan for optimal times of day. Resettable trip computer. Automatic track log; 10 saved tracks let you retrace your path in both directions. Waterproof, IEC 60529 IPX7, /Submersible 1 meter at 30 minutes.
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July 21st, 2009 at 12:38 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fast!!!
The big plus of this gadget is the sensitivity and speed. I’ve been using an old Magellan Pioneer and it’s a snail by comparison.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:29 am
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.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:32 am
As an avid Geocacher and teacher, I had to find out what all the buzz was about the H models. (I own a dozen regular ones that I use for instructional purposes) Everything is the same with features except that it is supposed to be able to get signals in heavy tree cover or in places with steep walls (like buildings) or in valleys, etc. When I used it for the first time, it took forever to catch the first satellite even though I reset the time zone right away. It comes with a central Asia time zone so be sure to change that. It lost power and shut off while trying to boot. It was becoming very frustrating. Took about 15 minutes. However, once it was able to find the local sats, it worked fine. Haven’t tried in dense woods or valleys yest, but kept a good signal in woods regular park woods and gave me accuracies to less that 20 feet. The price is the same as a standard E-trex 100 but you get better reception. The down side is that you lose 5 hours of battery life (17 vs 22). I don’t see this as a problem at all. And there is no cool globe logo on the front. I will buy more eventually.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:06 am
I definitely had problems with my original eTrex-H. First-time startup could not detect a navigable satellite signal; failed 6 times. I went so far as to climb on my roof; still no navigable signal detected. It eventually detected a navigable signal inside my house, at my desk (go figure), while I was searching for the software version needed by Garmin Customer Support online.
On two short hikes, less than 4 hours, my original eTrex-H shut itself off at some point during the hike. The “Backtrack” feature was obviously of no value.
The Garmin website is less than friendly; especially for customer support. Garmin online Windows open undersized from Amazon product links with no option to maximize or scroll. And, Garmin online has been unresponsive to my emails for customer support. I see this more as a website (webmaster) problem.
Ultimately, I connected with Garmin product support. Garmin authorized return of my etrex-H within the warranty period. It still cost me $13.00+ for shipping, and a couple weeks time getting Garmin repair authorization. Garmin finally replaced my etrex-H, with no explanation of what was wrong with the original etrex-H.
I have not tested my newest etrex-H on the trail, but it encountered no difficulty acquiring a navigable signal on first-time startup. (gp)
July 21st, 2009 at 6:01 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
basic model
i bought it for my friend 3 months ago. he said he really like it and want one more for another friend. it s a basic model and not complicated.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:49 am
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for NMEA
The eTrex H is the least expensive of the lot. However, it will output NMEA via its serial port to devices such as a DSC enabled VHF.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:06 pm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy enough for a child
I bought the original etrex several years ago, then we had bought another gps system for about $300 to take with us on vacation. What a mistake!!!
July 21st, 2009 at 7:12 pm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garmin eTrex H Handheld for basic geocaching
Purchased the Garmin eTrex H to start some simple geocaching with my kids. We have really enjoyed it so far!
July 21st, 2009 at 7:38 pm
5.0 out of 5 stars
etrex is a great GPS unit
I bought the eTrex GPS unit to take on a bear hunt in Canada. This unit is extremely easy to use and works great in the mountains.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:34 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works for me
I am a trail hiker, no cross country. Where trails have mile markers I want to know how far I have gone and how long on the trail. Altitude is also nice to know.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:30 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to use
I wanted a simple GPS to mark way points and know latitude and longitude. It is easy to use and easy to see.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
3.0 out of 5 stars
Question
I would like to know if this unit will be dependable to get from Point A to Point B and back to Point A on a lake.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fine basic unit
I use this unit for introducing students to GPS. With none of the distractions associated with many other units, it performs flawlessly in both terrestrial and marine…