I am really attracted to the small size of the Vista Cx. I'm not worried about the small screen. Does anyone here have one? How is your reception in different locations? I've been looking at the 60Csx too and it looks nice but is it worth the extra money over the Vista? Also it is bigger. Yea it has a quad helix antenna and some other things but how much better can it be than the Cx ya know? They both seem good right? I'll use whatever unit I get on both my streetbike and dual sport. We have alot of open area here but I suppose I'll be in the forest some of the time too.
I don't own either,but I sell both. I am sure I would get used to the Etrex,but I do not like demostrating those side buttons. I recomend anyone operating a car,boat or motorcycle to not get one. As far as reception,to Garmin users are in the thick woods.An old vista will not get a fix and the 60csx gets it in an instant. A Dr. told me of this account and will upgrade if he can sell his vista on Ebay(what is with rich guys who can't justify giving up a few bucks)
Never used the Vista CX, had the plain old B/W vista before (2 Years of use). Have since upgraded to 76c. I wanted Autorouting, a better antenna, and more memory (and the Cx version wasn't yet available). 2 of the three are taken care of with the new Vista Cx. (My old vista would lose signal a lot in the mountains) I would still wonder about the processor of the Vista being able to keep up bigger route calcs/recalcs, and screen refreshes. I also like the button layout on the 76 much more than the vista. The buttons on the side of the unit are a bit difficult to use while riding. little thumb button requires you to click in in center for "enter" selections while the 60/76 units have a dedicated "enter" button, again making that center select of the vista difficult with gloves. The size of the screen does matter, especially if you plan to use the unit in a car. Once it's on the dash, the Vista is damn near impossible to see. The size of the unit on the other hand is very nice especially when hiking as you can very easily stuff it in a pocket. I'd personally go with the 60csx (if it was me the 76csx). That said I don't feel the sensor option of the units is worth the price. The barometric pressure readout of the Vista was more of a novelty than a real benefit. The electronic compass may be use full (used it a few times to shoot a bearing line so I could see the names of mountain peaks that I was looking at), but I'm rarely still long enough to not know which way I'm going anyhow.. As a note, for the electronic compass of the vista to function properly the unit had to be flat. When held upright (like it would be when mounted to the handlebars), then laid flat the compass spins quite a bit. Though, honestly, I never did compare it to a real compass to see which reading was closer. I say the 76 over the 60 because I think the button layout of the 76 is more conducive/comfortable for one handed use, and don't believe what anyone else says, you don't block the screen when pushing buttons on the 76 while riding. ymmv!
I bought it for using on my mountainbike. I can use it in as both a GPS and trip computer. I really like it. I got the Vista Cx because i could download topo maps to it. The only drawback is the small screen. Ride Safe, Vettster
I love mine. The reception blows away the old e-trex line and beats my older 3 plus model. The power supply is different though, not 12v.
I reckon this to be useful. http://gpsinformation.us/vistacolor/etrexvistacolor.html I think that to use it as a on-board nav aid is rather inpractical cos' of small screen size. I'm thinking of using it as a in-pocket device that I use as a back-up to maps and (the Vista) compass. The Zumo is really impressive; touch-screen and waterproofing; makes it really idea for riding and navigating at the same time. Hope that the above helped. Cheers Cat
i have one too, with a 1gb micro sd card. i love mine. no reception problems ever, and it works perfectly on my bike. even the small screen isn't an issue - i have it mounted on a ram mount so that it is a foot and a half from my face, and at that distance you can see it clearly. plus, you can put it in your pocket when you visit out of town, or go hiking. two thumbs up.
Have to agree w/ horsey. The RAM mount puts the unit close enough for me to see it. The turn by turn instructions are plenty visible, even in bright sunlight. It's small enough to throw in a pocket during gas and lunch stops in dodgy backwoods towns. However, IMO, the cx is completely useless without Mapsource. I use City Navigator NT, and with 1gb card, can load it all.
Hey folks thanks for all the input. Well I got a little bonus at work and decided to spring for the Csx, City Nav, and a 1 gig card. Man is this thing cool. Although you hear about it all the time, one just isn't prepared until one of these things starts telling you where to turn and stuff. Incredible. Now I just need to learn more about how to use it. Thanks again for the help.