Comments on: Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver

By: Bobo

Bobo — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:52:39 +0000

I purchased this item in hopes of using it on my bicycle to travel down many different country roads in my area. The explanations for what this unit does were not clear and the unit did not live up to my expectations. It comes with a base map that tells you basically that you are in North America. I already know this and wanted more detail so I ordered the Maps on DVD recommended by Garmin. These cost an extra $100. I recieved them and found I wasn’t able to put them on my unit because it doesn’t have enough internal memory. Of course Garmin never mentioned this.I finally called the manufacturer who told me that the unit just doesn’t do what I want it to do, mainly, show me detailed road maps for when I bike around my area. I don’t know if I can return this useless item but I’m going to try. I’ll never buy any Garmin product again.
Rating: 1 / 5

By: B. Kelley

B. Kelley — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:06:19 +0000

Well, this item is pretty typical of a bottom end electronic gadget these days. Extremely user hostile without the slightest attention paid to the interface or usability. Yes it is a GPS, and yes it can tell you your coordinates from satellite signals. But thats as far as it goes. First off you cant see the display unless its lit which you have to set each time you turn it on (by memory since you cant navigate to the setting because its dark!) Then you need the thick manual to find out how to navigate all the screens to get at what you need. Put simply – this is a cludgey $10.00 digital gadget, that like cell phones, is WAY overpriced for the quality you receive. BTW – you have to buy maps separate – how cheezy is that.
Rating: 2 / 5

By: R. sweeney

R. sweeney — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:45:04 +0000

This is a good product, but for a little more money you can get a better model.
Rating: 3 / 5

By: B. Green

B. Green — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:19:11 +0000

Don’t bother reading the product description – it’s more than a tad misleading. In order to make it function as described you need to purchase a more advanced design and m ore than $100 in additional software. If you really want a GPS that can give you more than a “home’s that way”, step up a notch or three and plan on another $100 in software. This product will serve the most basic of functions, but little more.
Rating: 2 / 5

By: Geraldine Weiner

Geraldine Weiner — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:42:54 +0000

The description of this was very different than what received. I think this might work for hiking GPS but I wanted one for cities and everywhere…so I returned it.
Rating: 1 / 5