Just back from a 9-day hiking holiday in France. Together with a dutch hiking friend, we guided a group of 6 hikers. One of them had a brandnew eTrex 20, so I had a chance to "play" a bit with it. Here are the points that caught my attention.
- The device came without any form of paper manual, the lady said. The on-device help (in the form of HTML files stored in main memory) was worthless. It told what anyone would know without consulting the manual, but it did not tell what I was looking for, like (a) how will the device make use of an additional SD card, (b) can you setup the feature "record every single trackpoint to an unmodifiable gpx file" and how, (c) what is the suggested way to exchange waypoints, routes and tracks between a PC and the device, (d) what exactly is the functionality of each of the different "USB interface" settings, and so on... I managed to find some answers by trying things out (I had no internet access whatsoever), but one expects to find this in a manual, no?
- Contrary to what I feared, the display was very clear and very readable. It seems to me that it are only the menu screens which look less clear than on the old eTrex HCx.
- When you are used to an "old" eTrex you will have no problems switching to the new eTrex -- except maybe for the fact that Garmin placed that joystick-like button at the top-right of the device, which I do not like (I usually hold my satnav in my left hand).
- It received the same (number of) GPS satellites as my eTrex, plus an additional number of GLONASS satellites. Nonetheless, it's (in)accuracy never read less than 3 meters. I believe that Lyle already commented on this (you would need a military device to get less than 3 meters inaccuracy?).
- Although the carabiner clip looks the same as for the old eTrex series, it is far more difficult to slide the satnav on and off that clip. Personally I find this a real drawback. Today (with my eTrex HCx) I can very easily slide the satnav out of the carabiner clip, handle the device as needed, and slide it back on the clip with one hand -- and without the need to give my full attention to these handlings. With the new fitting, that looks impossible. Maybe it is a question of getting used to it? I doubt it.
On another note: while talking about satnav devices with the group, I was surprised by the fact that several people believed that the satnav was kind of infallible. As an example: they were convinced that, at the end of a day-hike, their satnav told them exactly which distance they had walked. Weird huh?
Best regards,
Chris.