Customer Reviews

Bushnell 363500 Onix 350 GPS with sensors

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I got the Onix350 during a wootoff for about $65. The hardware is excellent. The software is incredibly bad. The pros and cons are below:

Pros:

The GPS system is extremely sensitive and unlike the majority of GPS systems, can acquire satellite signals below deep forest canopies. I had read about this capability before I bought the unit, and choose it for that reason. I live in the middle of the woods and wanted a unit that would work while hiking in the heavily wooded areas near my home. In fact, the unit acquires signals inside my house which is surrounded by trees. I am writing this review in my living room, and the unit has acquired seven satellites with three in the green (strong signal). My garmin unit cannot acquire a single satellite when I am inside the house. I do not know whether this is due to the electronics or a good antennae, but it matters not ... this unit has superb signal acquisition.

The display is very good but not outstanding. It is plenty bright, but the resolution is only medium. But the color is excellent and the ability to overlay either topographic maps or aerial maps is a very nice feature. But you will have to pay for these maps, and you should count on adding at least another $20 to collect enough maps to make this unit useful (see below).

Cons:

The web software is terrible. The Bushnell web site is disorganized and seemingly designed to prevent the user from getting to where they want to be. For simply registering the product, you get four free downloads which is enough to get you around your neighborhood, and thats it. The maps are small in area coverage, and hard to download. You will need to use trial and error to get what you want, so only having four free downloads is a tease and an insult.

If you are running Vista, then I recommend you buy another GPS. The combination of Vista paranoia and the Bushnell web site makes it nearly impossible to download maps. There is no Mac support, so forget about that as well. But I was able to download maps using Windows XP, although the process was convoluted and tiresome. The instructions are obscure, and often incorrect. Downloading maps to the GPS is a three or four step process, involves multiple windows, great patience and adequate karma. You will be cussing out the software engineers who designed this junk well before you have achieved success. I am guessing the software development was farmed out to Siberian potato farmers without access to computers or heat.

Summary:

Great hardware, terrible software. Count on adding another $20 for map downloads. This will give you unlimited downloads for 90 days. I paid $30 for one year of "free" map downloads, but in retrospect, the extra $10 may have been a mistake. I will lose patience long before 90 days are up. Nevertheless, after you suffer the indignation of dealing with the obscure and obscenely incompetent map download system, you will have an excellent GPS that works well in the deep forest. I know of no other GPS with comparable signal acquisition capabilities.

I've had the Onix 350 for a month now. I have read some pretty bad reviews on this unit which had me worried until I bought this unit and tried it myself (the price was too tempting). It takes a little bit of savvy to figure it out but once you've done that it is MOSTLY completely functional and quite usable.

I'll just give a few tips:
Donwloading maps:
Go to the Bushnell website, register your unit, get to the download maps page, go into the "New Users Start Here" link. Scroll to the bottom of the page and get the PDF files. Follow them to the letter and save yourself a ton of time fooling around. I have had to use I-Explorer for downloading maps due to some activeX thing. You can get rather large areas of topo maps using the "grab area" function on their page. Buying maps there? Get a years worth of unlimited downloads for $29. Maybe it hurts to pay that for you but it is not a bad deal really. The topo maps are USGS and not updated frequently. The satellite images that I have seen are less than a year old as far as I can tell. Resolution is not that good it is true but I found them to be MUCH easier to follow than on the Garmin Etrex I was working with the other night. Of course there is the fact that you can get free topos for Garmins on [...]. Nothing seems to exist like that for he Bushnell ... yet. Another hint, after downloading maps copy them directly to the SD card. Using the software "PC Companion" will take much longer and add no value to the process.
Waypoints and GEOCACHING:

I'll give 2 scenarios:
1st scenario, get a GPX file from something like [...] or get a .LOC file ([...]'s native format) Get GPSBABEL (the latest version 1.3.7-beta20100116 or later) You can convert directly from any of the other formats to the Bushnell WPT format. I found this to be rather easy... but again it takes a little bit of work to get started. You can copy the WPT files directly to the waypoint folder in the unit's SD card... no need for the PC Companion and it is much faster. OK this requires linking to a computer... what will you do while sitting next to your friend in the woods who is using a Garmin and he wants to share a waypoint?

2nd scenario: Look at the coordinates of his waypoint, zoom into the map page on your Bushnell and move the cursor until the coordinates match or nearly match those of his waypoint. Set a waypoint on the Bushnell unit at that cursor location. On the Onix 400 I could not find a way to actually enter numeric coordinates and then set a waypoint. I can enter coordinates and FIND the location, but not set a waypoint when in the 'enter coordinates' mode.... But the cursor movement method is nearly as accurate.

It is not NMEA compatible (proprietary) in case anybody is wondering.

Satellite acquisition: I found it to work quite well. Sometimes even on the 1st floor of a 2 story building ... but of course it works better outside as do they all.

Bigger SD card? This thing is supposed to come with a 512 meg. Probably you won't find a larger card to be all that useful. I had loaded a large portion of northern Los Angeles county in topo maps on my unit that took up almost 400MB. It took 6 minutes to boot up. So I carry fewer topo maps now. It boots in about 45 seconds now when I am carrying just the Angeles National Forest.

Battery life: not bad. I can run it almost all day before the battery indicator turns red. (using 10% backlight which is plenty brigh I think) But I have not tried seeing how long it will run in the "safetrack" mode. I'm sure it is longer. Batteries are proprietery and rechargable. I'd recommend the car charger and extra battery accessory kit. Yeah it would be nice if it used AAs.

Visibility of the screen in bright sunlight? I've heard that it is hard to see when using polarized sunglasses. Maybe that is true; I don't know. I have also heard that it is hard to see when in bright sunlight even without sunglasses.. definitely NOT true. The display is some sort of reflective LCD which I have found to display excellent resolution and to have very good visibility in bright sunlight. The screen is larger than most... I think that makes it easier to read.

Poor data port covers? Yeah they should have put more thought into that design. The data port cover was not attached. Once removed it does not want to snap back into place and stay there and it is not attached. So its like a loose cork in a way... A poor design there. I just leave mine out or I'll lose it altogether.

I think the entire user interface is easier to use than the Garmin Etrex. Others may have a different opinion.

It is not very good for highway navigation but it was not meant to be.

All in all: I love it for hiking and geocaching, rather easy to use and rugged. I did not find most of the complaints to have a lot of merit but it takes a little effort to get everything lined out. But this unit had lots of promise. If Bushnell avoided proprietary map format and did a little more work to improve their web-site for downloading maps, a couple of improvements in port cover design and an alternate battery: they would have given the competition a run for their money.

I bought this particular GPS mainly for hikes in some of Colorado's national forests, and some of the 14ers. I'll reiterate almost all of the other comments thus far regarding satellite acquisition, screen appearance, etc. It seems to be top notch from a hardware standpoint. As for the little rubber cover for the battery charger and USB port, just hold the unit over a garbage can, and shake a couple times. That way, you'll know where you lost the cover, rather than wondering. It wasn't going to keep out water, anyway. Maybe dirt, but that's about it. From a price standpoint, I chose this unit because I figured I would spend over $100 for a map CD from one of the other GPS manufacturers, and with this unit, I could have a relatively cheap GPS, and at $30 a year for unlimited map downloads, it would be years to equal the cost of a m,ore expensive GPS, and map CD, which is true. Note that in a lot of the things I purchase, I figure there's a cost involved in convenience, so I went ahead and bought anyway, even after seeing the horrendous software and website reviews, because I'll sacrifice some convenience for the sake of a buck. The map website is a real spirit-breaker, though, and it really pushes that philosophy the the brink.

All that said, here are a couple of suggestions that might help alleviate some of the map download headaches. These are by no means comprehensive, just a couple of things I've picked up. First off, if you're at all savvy, don't install their software. There's a file structure on the Micro SD card that you can easily figure out and manually dump Aerial and Topos into the unit. If you want to save waypoints, trails and routes, you may have to install their software. But I don't plan on needing those features, and would rather steer clear of installing software that may have been written by the same people that wrote the website. Besides, that's why I got a GPS, so I don't need to need to save my trails! Note the unit just shows up as an external USB drive when you plug it into your computer, so there aren't any extra drivers needed to make it work. (Windows XP) As for the website, it's ActiveX driven, so yes, you're locked into Windows, and Internet Explorer. For best results on the website, just assume you're going to have to close your browser after doing anything successfully, and then log in again. I found that if I used the Area Grabber, it would work once. After that, I couldn't select another area until I closed the browser. If you get any sort of error message at all, close your browser. Whatever you think it's doing, it probably isn't at that point, and you'll wait a long time to find out you've got nothing. Limit your map downloads to about 9 at a time. Any more than that, expect error messages. When you select maps for download the site says "Finalizing". That takes forever, even with a small number of maps. Once you start the actual download though, they drop in quickly. I'm just on DSL, and the DSL seems to be the speed limitation, not the Bushnell site. That said, there doesn't seem to be a sure fire way to determine just what you've already downloaded and what you haven't. Under "My Folders", some maps are grayed out, others aren't. But I've wound up downloading a lot of maps multiple times, because I can't figure out what reality is half the time. Once you've achieved a download, don't look at the download log. That caused my browser to crash every time. If you accidentally attempt to download a map twice, select "overwrite". If you select "Skip", your browser will crash. Also, I'd suggest downloading to your hard drive first, and then just copying the maps, etc. to the GPS unit. Note that the Bushnell site must look for the serial number of your registered unit, because I couldn't download anything without the unit being plugged into my computer, even to my hard drive. On a brighter note, the USB appears to charge the unit, which is nice.

Overall, the unit works well once you get the maps into it. I'd suggest whenever you have some spare time, sit down with a beer and Google Earth for reference and download a few megs of maps and aerials. I'm expecting that over the course of a year's worth of unlimited downloads, I'm going to accumulate maps for just about everywhere I ever go. Just keep in mind you need to close your browser after anything that's successful, because the next thing you do won't be, unless you shut it down. And don't kill yourself for hours trying to accomplish a multitude of maps. Do a few a day, definitely not the night before a hike, and you'll be fine. Maybe some day someone from Bushnell will read the reviews and get the map site converted to Silverlight, or Java, or something more reliable.

The gps unit is big and clunky, but that's not too bad. I've been trying to download the maps but have had nothing but problems. First, they give you only 4 credits for downloading, so if you want more than just a map of your neighborhood, you have to buy more credits. I bought unlimited 3-months of downloading for $19.95. I'm on the phone now trying to get my money back for the downloads.
The website is worthless. When I finally got my maps selected and dragged them to the download box, I was told I had too many maps to download, but there is no way of taking them out of the download box or deleting them. I had to log out and log back in again. When I got my maps ready to download, the dialogue box did not match what was pictured in the manual. I had to download the zip files, but there's no explanation of how to get the zip files from my computer to the gps unit. [I'm trying to get help on that now... I've been on hold for 13 minutes already!]

This thing is a piece of ... crap.

If you want a $100 compass then buy this GPS. If you want a GPS for using maps. Get something else.
This is the most complicated GPS I have ever used. I bought it for hiking. You get 4 free downloads. Good luck getting this to work. I was on the phone for almost an hour with Bushnell talking me through the download. (The included software is terrible.)
After and hour with Bushnell I finally download one map for hiking. Took me another half hour to find the map on the GPS. And when I did finally find it good luck actually using it. I did not buy this from Amazon. If I did it would have diffidently been returned.

Don't waste your money on the ONIX350 unless you just want an over-priced electronic compass. (and one that is quite large!) The Bushnell Website is absolutely next to impossible to get to the free download site to get the free maps you get for registering the unit. When you sign up for an account and receive a confirmation email back saying you have registered, good luck getting signed back in. The fact of the matter is, they have a nice marketing ad on how easy and functional this unit is, but you get the impression when you actually buy one, it is almost a classic case of "bait and switch." It's worthless with out being able to load maps onto it. I have several other GPS units by Garmin, Magellan, and Delorme and I felt like I got what I paid for with these various companies as well as I had no problems on any of their websites. The ONIX350 is a nice "compass"!


Update: I purchased this unit June 6, 2010. It is now August 15 and I still have not been able to load one map on this GPS unit. I have spent many hours trying, following the instructions exactly as they are written but with no luck. I really don't know how other people have been able to actually get it to work. If you try to email using the Bushnell customer service link it always says that the server is not located. I have tried several times over the last two months, always with the same results. Nothing in this day and age of technology should be this difficult. I highly recommend against buying a Bushnell GPS unit. Buy a Garmin or a Magellan and you will have no problems loading maps and you will be able to be out in the mountains enjoying you GPS.

Let me start with that I am extremely tech savy. I have a B.S. in Technology and have worked in technolgy for 20 years. I can honestly say that I cannot believe a company would sell a product that has the worst web software. It is next to impossible to get this thing to download maps from their website. I have put countless hours trying to get this device to download maps, and I'm throwing in the towel and throwing it away. You would think after the other user complaints here and on the web they would redesign the website to actually make it work and not be so complicated. Don't waste you money and time. Buy from a company that knows GPS like Garmin.

I received the unit and the initial charging would not work. I never got the unit charged to even try it out. I tried to order another battery pack; it takes a special pack. This model has been discontinued and appearently so have any parts been discontinued. No one is carrying any replacement battery packs for it. I ultimately sent it back to J&R Music. J&R took 4 days and 3 contacts from me to get a return label via email to me. They are currently in possession of the unit and I rec'd an email stating they are finalizing my return. I will rate them as soon as the return is completed and I get credit for the bad purchase. I wish I had not purchased this unit as it is always a headache to send something back and wait/hope for a credit.I'd be careful of the onix 400 as they appear to have the same doom to them. Bushnell Onix400 Waterproof Hiking GPS

My first gps. Got it for xmas. Love it so far. It wasn't immediately intuitive and the website for aerial and topo images is quite involved but once both parts are figured out it's pretty cool. And thankfully I haven't had the browser issues others have using either IE or Firefox.

Really like:

- sharp graphics
- easy to read screen in daylight
- aerial images (great way to reference while hiking on decommissioned logging roads)
- wide variety of info options available to display (or hide)
- almanac (sun rise/set, moon overhead/underfoot)
- weather (1st use on a nasty day said it would clear up and did - couldn't believe it)
- different profiles for different user settings.
- feels good in the hand, easy one hand operation.

Don't like:

- slow (aerial/topo) image regeneration on zoom or scroll
- five way switch feels like a future problem
- no ability to export track (path taken) to gpx format
- protective rubber port cover just doesn't stay put - I'm using paint masking tape to secure
- no ability to enter waypoints using co-ord's. You have to use pc software or move the cursor.
- batt life (~4hrs w/out backlight. Figured out today should have been using 'SafeTrack' sleep mode. Position updates 1,2 or 5 minutes, hotkey for a quick view/waypoint check. Supposedly up to 30hrs - we'll see *update: not even close to 30hrs. Just left the unit in 'SafeTrack' mode, activated once and tried again after 20hrs-dead so no idea how long it will last but 30hrs is a pipe dream on Bushnell's part)
- website app for area (aerials/topos) selection/downloading is a pain. Two selection options: a small or wide area grab. The small 3x3 grab area works fine but is a very slow way to acquire aerials/topos. The wide 15x12 grab area crashed but works fine now (previous web app crash problems were probably due to the holidays). The d/l'g process is tedious but doable. I would recommend the year option ($1/credit, $20 unlimited for 3mo, $30 unlimited for 1yr) so you don't have to wear yourself out d/l'g images.

Not having ever used a similar gps I have nothing to compare it to (hence my 4/5) but for my application I'm really pleased with it. Having Google Earth style images really helped me in the maze of old logging roads (Koksilah Valley, Vancouver Island, BC) when my waypoints were too far apart to help w/ forks.

Okay with this product while yes the product is cheap and provides some really nice features that are similar or better then some highend products you need to add a extra twenty to thirty dollars depending on the map download package you choose to buy. Also the other downfall is getting the maps to work on your GPS. Follow the directions to the T it is still kinda tricky. But if you aren't a little computer savy then dont buy this GPS. Other then that it is a solid and I like it.

Pros:
Durable, I drop it a lot not on purpose it just happens.
Screen and display, it is really nice the screen is big and very clear.
Controls, really simple to operate no trouble there.

Cons:
Big, its not like giant, but with the bigger screen its a little big but thats not a huge deal.
Battery life, it does go fast so use the Safe Track mode then it extends battery life a lot
Map Downloads, as I said above sort of a pain in the ACE

Those are the main things I'm sure everybody will find there own pros and cons about it but thats what I found, I am currently in school and I don't get to go on long hikes with it maybe only three days and with the safetrack mode I can go the whole time with one battery. But also with that said this next summer I will upgrade to a Garmin GPS honestly while this one is good Garmin is better and there is a lot more stuff avaliable to the garmins. Well I hope this helped have a good day.