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Garmin Etrex Legend GPS

While a handheld Global Positioning System unit isn't a computer, we thought we'd review it.

We often find ourselves driving in suburbia at night going to and from client locations. Many of the street signs are high above the ground to deter theft and vandalism. Unfortunately, that also makes them nearly impossible to see and read at night. The purpose build GPS units for vehicles cost from $500 upwards. We wanted a less expensive solution.

We purchased a handheld Garman Etrex Legend for about $160. We had a leftover cell phone holder that fits into the cigar lighter or our Ford Explorer. GPS needs a line of site to satellites. The sunroof of the explorer helps provide additional visibility. The GPS can see through the glass. This unit is really designed more for hikers, hunters and boaters than for locating specific addresses. It does not provide for turn by turn directions. 

The Garmin is a very compact unit that runs on 2 AA batteries. We keep a spare set and a charger that plugs into our cigar lighter. Batteries last about 18 hours with a full charge. We also purchased a 12V adapter for the unit.  This plugs into the cigarette lighter and will provide continuous power to the unit without using batteries.  The only minor gripe is that the connection to the unit is a little loose and sometimes the unit will shut down. 

The unit takes a little practice to get used to. When you turn it on, it will take a couple of minutes to track the necessary three satellites. It seems that if you are moving, it takes a little longer to lock in.

The Etrex comes with a built in base map that has most major roads in North America. This isn't just interstates but most state and quite a few county roads as well. The base map does not list all of the towns in the area but there are enough that you can interpolate your destination with a little practice.

There is an optional software package that will allow you to better manage your waypoints and has almost every street and town listed. That runs a little over $100 and is on our 'to do' list. The following discussion is based on using the unit with just the installed base map.

If you are simply looking for a town and it is in the base map, you can choose waypoints, find, towns and cities. If you want to get a little more precise, you can go to the map page and choose the pan map option. The black and white screen isn't the easiest to read but with a little practice, you can interpolate pretty close to your position.

The unit is amazingly accurate with it's arrival time predictions. We keep destinations where we regularly have to visit at a certain time in our favorites. The unit will show an estimated ETA based on how you are closing the distance. The ETA is not based on an analysis of the streets you will take nor will the unit show you routes. You will need to make some mental allowances if you are traveling on a highway and then will be traveling in an urban, congested environment.

We found that for nighttime use, it is better to set the light timer to 30 seconds instead of the default 15 seconds. If you have that will fold adapter plugged in you can set the backlight to stay on continuously . When we are not in the car we do tap to switch to shut the back light off so that the unit is not as conspicuous. 

Summary - The Garmin Etrex Legend GPS is a great low cost unit for suburban navigation. For safety's sake you should set up your destination before you start driving.

Last modified:  11/10/06