The perfect Christmas gift for use on land and sea.
At just the right size to slip into a Christmas stocking, the Garmin eTrex Venture HC is a rugged and waterproof hand-held GPS weighing a mere 156 grams (5.5oz) whilst packing a sharp, 256-colour TFT display. Powered by two AA batteries giving 14-hours of continuous use, the highly sensitive GPS receiver quickly acquires a fix for optimum performance, even in areas of poor reception.
As with all Garmin handhelds, the eTrex Venture HC is WAAS/EGNOS enabled, locating your position with an accuracy of down to 3 metres, perfect for the new treasure-hunting craze of ‘geocaching.’
The 24MB memory can hold 50 routes, 500 waypoints and a massive 10,000 tracklog points. The colour screen is backlit, with a crisp resolution of 176 x 200 pixels, so it can be easily read in bright sunshine or in the depth of night. Waterproofing is to the IXP7 standard, meaning the unit can withstand a dunking down to 1 metre for up to half an hour.
Each Venture HC is supplied with a base map, which covers the UK, as well as the huge area from latitude N75 to S60, and longitude W30 to E60. This takes in Europe, extreme western Russia, Africa and the Middle East. There is also a ‘high level’ global map included, with political boundaries and major cities, and an almanac of the rising and setting times of the sun and moon.
Additional BlueChart marine cartography can be downloaded from a PC via a CD-ROM using the units’ built-in USB port. BlueChart software has been designed by Garmin to give the detail and precision of a paper chart when viewed on a compatible plotter, and features depth contours, inter-tidal zones, wrecks and navaids. There is also a ‘Tides and Marine Services’ section which lists fuelling berths, marina facilities and contact details.
The Venture HC is one of five models in the Garmin eTrex range, where even the entry-level devices now have the upgraded high-sensitivity receiver. The other models include the eTrex H, Summit HC, Legend HCx and the Vista HCx.
Recommended Retail Price