Garmin Etrex 10

[Banjo]

Looking for a cheap GPS and this one looks good.

Anyone used the Etrex 10 ?

My main question is How useable is the world wide base map that it comes pre loaded with?Will probably only use in UK .

 

[rb58]

I read somewhere that the Etrex 10 isn't much good for cyclists - you'll need the 20 or the 30. Better still, go on eBay and get yourself an Etrex Vista. I sold my 705 (and my Forerunner 205) and went down the eTrex route and found it much better. Either way, the base maps are not really usable, so you'll need to either buy maps, or use the opensource ones. Plenty of tips on CycleChat on how to do that.

 

[marinyork]

The etrex 10 isn't much good for cyclists. The 10 is really a replacement for the very basic one in the eTrex previous range - the eTrex H.

In my opinion at the price point garmin were aiming for, it wasn't worth them 'replacing' the more basic models with the 10. They shouldn't have bothered. The 10 looks ridiculously overpriced and stingy. However there may be some person in the world who has a H or one of the similar models that 'wants' an update in which case they may be happy. Again in my opinion until a while ago the eTrex 20 and 30 were too expensive, but have now fallen in price. Nobody seems interested in them much though. I have to say when I bought my Dakota in fairness I wasn't tempted by the the obvious large advantage the 20 and 30 have over other garmin units - so fair dos. If you don't want to spend much look at the dakota 10 (and please buy it somewhere with a warranty and please don't listen to some bloke down the pub who reckons that it's 'not for cyclists') or the etrex 20/30/something else. The Dakotas (two models) and etrex 10/20/30s replaced the multitude of eTrex models.

The basemaps are smegging awful. Don't use them.

 

[Banjo]

Thanks for the replies.Sounds like the "10" is a non starter. Will look into the Vista or Dakota and have a word with Santa.

 

[marinyork]

Banjo, although I got much useful service out of my Vista HCx and there is an incredibly large fan club on here and other cycling forums, I wouldn't buy a eTrex Vista now. Unless you get a really good offer or some kind person on here or elsewhere. I've listed some of the important specs. I believe that you can see that the eTrex 10 is really a replacement for the very basic garmin eTrex H. If you did buy one of the old eTrexes sure they are very rugged and even with the 'limitations' of 256 colours (C means colour in the letters) they are useful.

eTrex Vista HCx
256 colours
display 3.3x4.3cm and 176x220 pixels
20 saved tracks
no built in memory
microSD slot
barometric altimeter

eTrex 10 vs eTrex H
monochrome vs monochrome
128x160 pixels vs 64x128
basemap only vs not even basemap on the H
no built in memory in either
no microSD slot in either
100 saved tracks vs 10 saved tracks
no barometric altimeter
garmin connect (the H doesn't even use USB let alone connect)
The 10 also has GLONASS which for some of the people who might have used the H for particular things (let alone the original basic etrex with no letters after its name) would be a fairly big advantage to put it mildly.

eTrex 20
65k colours
176x220 pixels
1.7GB inbuilt memory
microSD slot
200 saved tracks
no barometric altimeter
garmin connect
GLONASS

 

[Banjo]

Banjo, although I got much useful service out of my Vista HCx and there is an incredibly large fan club on here and other cycling forums, I wouldn't buy a eTrex Vista now. Unless you get a really good offer or some kind person on here or elsewhere. I've listed some of the important specs. I believe that you can see that the eTrex 10 is really a replacement for the very basic garmin eTrex H. If you did buy one of the old eTrexes sure they are very rugged and even with the 'limitations' of 256 colours (C means colour in the letters) they are useful.

eTrex Vista HCx
256 colours
display 3.3x4.3cm and 176x220 pixels
20 saved tracks
no built in memory
microSD slot
barometric altimeter

eTrex 10 vs eTrex H
monochrome vs monochrome
128x160 pixels vs 64x128
basemap only vs not even basemap on the H
no built in memory in either
no microSD slot in either
100 saved tracks vs 10 saved tracks
no barometric altimeter
garmin connect (the H doesn't even use USB let alone connect)
The 10 also has GLONASS which for some of the people who might have used the H for particular things (let alone the original basic etrex with no letters after its name) would be a fairly big advantage to put it mildly.

eTrex 20
65k colours
176x220 pixels
1.7GB inbuilt memory
microSD slot
200 saved tracks
no barometric altimeter
garmin connect
GLONASS

Thanks for that ,usefull to see the specs laid out for comparison.The 20 seems a big jump ahead spec wise.

 

[Banjo]

Just discovered that if you buy a Garmin 20 or 30 to add full uk mapping costs an extra £199 ouch.Rules those out then it would end up costing more than the garmin 800

 

[marinyork]

Just discovered that if you buy a Garmin 20 or 30 to add full uk mapping costs an extra £199 ouch.Rules those out then it would end up costing more than the garmin 800

When you say full uk mapping, have you been eyeing up the MTB style maps lukesdad has on his device?

 

[Banjo]

Never really looked at L D s gps. It was just a casual enquiry at a Go Outdoors shop. I think that was for the full set of ordnance survey maps.As a roadie I would be quite happy with something similar to google maps.

 

[tubbycyclist]

If you do get a Garmin GPS and need mapping a much cheaper (ie free!) option is to use open source mapping - there are pre-made images for the UK that are pretty complete. These can be installed into the Garmin mapping programmes as well as the GPS units.

More information at talkytoaster and there are several other sites that provide a similar service.

 

[berty bassett]

Just discovered that if you buy a Garmin 20 or 30 to add full uk mapping costs an extra £199 ouch.Rules those out then it would end up costing more than the garmin 800

there are free maps on internet nearly as good

 

[Banjo]

there are free maps on internet nearly as good

Thats true but its the waterproofing and battery life of internet phones that make it difficult.Or are there free maps you can load onto a Garmin GPS?

I have a gps enabled phone with google maps loaded on.It has got me out of a mess a couple of times but especially in wet weather can be awkward to use .

I have shelved the GPS plan for now,had a few big expenses hit us lately and its not vital.May have a look again in the new year.

 

[Noodley]

Banj, I have been looking at getting a GPS for audaxes next year, and I reckon the eTrex20 is what I am going to get after speaking to a few of the Audax Ecosse guys. I cannae remember all the ins and outs of what they said but it all pointed towards the 20 being the best choice for what I was looking for. Now all I have to do is carry out a bit of stealth purchasing...

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes, I can recommend the Etrex 20. The 10 is so defeatured as to make it very expensive, but the extra features of the 30 aren't really worth paying extra for.

As has been indicated above, no need at all to pay extra for maps, especially in the UK.

If you do go for one noodley, be prepared to spend ages figuring it out and definitely wait some time before using it on a major trip. The manual/instructions are virtually non existent. Combined with the useless supplied base map you might wonder initially just what the thing actually does. But you will get there - it's very good.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Just discovered that if you buy a Garmin 20 or 30 to add full uk mapping costs an extra £199 ouch.Rules those out then it would end up costing more than the garmin 800

Opencyclemaps on SD card for sixteen quid. Pop it in, turn the Etrex on, ride off down the road. Sorted. I'm of the view you only really need OS maps if you're a map fetishist or ride off-road. I've used these maps for a couple of years now in my Visdta HCx and apart from a few strange minutes on LonJOG when the map knew not where we were, I've had no problems. They are even pretty good for off road if you are doing something established like an IMBA TransCambrian.

If you're of a techie bent you can of course download them for free.

I bagged a cheap Etrex 20 at the weekend as part of Amazon's Black Friday nonsense. I'll be using BirdsEye to get selected 1:25000 mapping for places where I ride off road often enough to make the £20 for a 600 km2 chunk worthwhile.