Hello, I'm using an Etrek Legend. Bought from Sportsmart for $169 less the $50 rebate - bought online, no tax. They sent me a special promotional email. Pretty good deal. It comes with the computer connections (PC only). I have used the USA-Topo map. I returned it. I thought the detail was weak. I think I need the Bluecharts. I think I'll try the USA roadmaps for driving. Main reason to get it *with my VHF radio* was to be able to tell the coast guard where I am - and know myself. This was motivated by a fog cover that took less than 20 minutes to swamp us offshore - less than 15 foot visibility very quickly. It was a beautiful clear day when we left.... The water is cold here. So far, the main advantage of this unit has been tracking my routes. I set my own waypoints and save them to PC. It's cool to have your own waypoint set on shore and tell the gps to get you back there. That's very nice on a return heading in a swell. It also tells you how far you have to go to 1/10th of a mile. The directional dial for this function can be quite big. Otherwise.... I do find it a pain to consult while paddling. It's small and hard to read - particularly in the clear dry-bag in which I sometimes carry it. I can't read it very well with my sunglasses on either. Imagine, paddling, remove sunglasses, pick up gps, read/set/whatever, replace sunglasses, resume paddling. I imagine it'll be most useful while I'm beached. One set of rechargeable batteries last about a day. It does take a bit of time to get a reading. You have to be moving to get a heading. (I know that sounds dumb or obvious, but it means the the gps does not replace a compass.) Waterproof - yes, so far. I rinse it off at the end of the day. One thing that gets under my skin is the cost of the maps software. It seems like you could easily spend double the cost of the unit on maps. Hint: find someone with which to share software. Overall satisfaction? Now it's at about 75%-80%. I do have the piece of mind for that next foggy day. I expect to take better advantage of the maps in the future - so the downlaod capability is a good thing. But it is not a "super cure" for those who get lost - for the most part, you will still need to do a good job when you read landmarks - unless you are retracing your path. That's all for now. John *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Dec 05 2002 - 04:53:42 PST
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