Customer Reviews

Garmin eMap Hiking GPS

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I love this GPS. For me a city boy, this thing is great. However, that being said, there are LOTS of extras you will need, to make this thing work the way you'd like. First off, the base map that comes with it is good only for medium to long trips. So right off the bat if you plan to use it in the metropolitan area and want any kind of detail you need to buy $160 bucks worth of maps, and $100 of extra RAM to hold the maps you download to the unit. Now anyone in their right mind would assume after having paid $180 for the GPS and $160 for the maps and $100 for the extra RAM that you might get a PC to GPS cable right? Wrong. You get to pay another $30 to $60 for the data cable. Want a cigarette adapter? Take out your already shrinking wallet and flop down another $30 to $60. After having shelled out over half a thousand bucks, I still dont have a case. Eh, whats another $20 for a nice leather case. After saying all that I am happy with the product, it is very nice and suits my needs to a tee. I just wish I knew I would have to spend over $560 to get the functionality I thought I was getting for $180.

I am very happy with my unit. I took it on a 6000 mile trip and was delighted with its performance. A couple of negative comments. I agree that the manual is user unfriendly. I had to figure out most of the features myself, and some did not become evident until I was on the road. Secondly, the many features seem to be a closely guarded secret. I defy anyone to tell me the difference between the $189 base model and the delux $299 model. Amazon says the delux model includes a computer cord and an 8 meg memory chip. It seems a little overpriced. Have not been able to get any info on availability or prices for car plug adapters, 16 meg cards, down loadable maps, etc. Finally, don't take this unit along if you are driving alone! It is so fantastic, its hard to keep your eye on the road. I found the map is constantly being updated as you cruise down the interstate. I recommend it highly for people who take long trips on the interstate system. It has only scant info on local roads.

I switched to this from the GPS-III+ which is a more advanced unit that this. However, this unit accepts cartridges that can be upgraded from CD. You can download 2 different levels of detail into the cartridges depending on which CD you get from Garmin (Metroguide, high; Roads & Recreation, low - computer and cable required). That is why some people say local road coverage is week, that is not really true. It is true overseas, because the detailed CD's are not available. Garmin is releasing new cd's all the time (Garmin.com). I have the one for UK and I have used this unit internationaly having pre-programmed a couple of cartridges with great sucess. This is a good unit for the money, but the accessories do add up (CD's, cables, covers, etc.) Get used to using a GPS before you bother with the add-on stuff.

If you are looking for a navigation tool to go driving, flying, or boating with, the eMAP is perfect for just about anyone. There are many features such as a trip computer which gives you average, max, and current speed as well as a odometer. Other features include an altimeter, satellite status page, and a very nice moving map. The map is very crisp and accurate! The only major down side to the unit is that you cannot update the basemap! This means that you cannot update the frequently changing roads throughout america. I would also strongly recommend getting the leather carring case for it. It is a very nice, sturdy case and will keep your GPS from getting scratched.

I bought my E-map specifically for use in the car and I've been very happy with its performance. I purchased the dashboard mount and the 12volt cord to go with the E-Map. The base map includes almost all of the major and not-so-major roads in my area so I've not yet upgraded to the Metro CD. The base map has suited my purposes well. I especially like the E-Map's ability to give directional driving information to specific map points (can be waypoints or points entered on the base map). The E-Map gives vehicle speed in MPH, a trip odometer, and will give you time-to-waypoint information based on speed and distance. All very fun to use on trips. E-Map also has exit info (food, fuel, lodging) but I've not yet used that much.

The E-Map can be a bit tedious -- entering waypoint info and place names can be difficult using the small paddle switch. Warmup takes a few minutes cold but reacquiring your location is very quick. I have had no trouble maintaining satellite reception with the unit on the dashboard of my two cars.

This product is great. It's the cheapest mapping GPS on the market for the amount of features it has. There are also many accessories out there for it like a car adapter so you can run it off your car battery, 8 and 16 megabyte storage disks, PC connector plug, mapping CD's for the computer to load higher detailed maps onto storage disks. The basemap is good enough for the US but if your going out of the country, the CD's are a must and you might want to look into the deluxe version. The Emap will not work under a roof; you will have to be outside for it to work. It will work in a car or bus but the signal is stronger in the open. All in all it fits my needs. It's the best if you're not looking for something fancy.

I received the standard Garmin eMap for my birthday and from the moment I turned it on I have been amazed by it. The eMap, which fits quite comfortably in either hand, took less than 30 minutes to figure out how to use most functions without consulting the manual. During the short time I have had the eMap it has gone with me on airplanes, trains, and of course in cars. The eMap worked flawlessly everytime except that on the plane the eMap must be held up to the window constantly for it to work. On both the train and plane I was able to place the eMap on a table or in a cup holder on the dash board for it to work.

I cannot say enough good things about the eMap. The features are excellent and extremely easy to use. There is only one complaint I have about the eMap: the buttons. Because the buttons are at the very bottom of the device it is a bit awkward to hold in one hand and press the buttons. Also, while the screen is backlit the buttons are not. But once you start using the eMap you should remember where all the buttons are. There are only 6 buttons and a rocker pad to select menu items and move the cursor around. Very simple!

Overall I highly recommend the eMap.

I regret to say that the instruction manual was so user unfriendly that I was unable understand how to make the unit perform simple functions such as entering route waypoints, etc. While not exactly a natural electronics whiz, I am also not technologically illiterate. I have a science-oriented masters, have spent 5 years using computers to plan search and rescue missions for the Coast Guard, and, being a military officer, am pretty good at following directions. Despite this, after two days of fiddling around, I could not even plan and execute a route from my home to work - perhaps my fault, perhaps the fault of a poorly designed user manual. Regardless, I decided to waste no more time. I wish to return this and get an APS camera instead.

The idea of a hand-held GPS seemed pretty cool. When I get a chance I may look into trying another, hopefully easier to use model.

The unit works so very well in simple tracking of where you are, where you are driving, have driven. But, then try to use tthe other features and it could take a long trial and error time to figure out how to start and end data for a separate trip, how to set a "waypoint" on the go, as when driving, and how to retrieve what you have done. I was lost and eMap showed me where to go to find the onramp to Rte 95.in the Bronx, New York, so I've gotta love it and learn the tricks somehow. Anyone know any good guideboks for using eMap?

I purchased the emap before we took a road trip to New Hampshire and Vermont and was surprised at how useful it was even without the mapsource data. The basemap has all interstate highways and exit information and virtually 99 % of all state highways. It was specially useful at keeping us on track when we were travelling on state roads in Vermont. On a few occasions we made wrong turns when the road signs were not clear, but were immediately able to correct ourselves since the emap would show that we were travelling in the wrong direction, or we were not on the right road anymore. The unit fits easily in a pocket and is very easy to use. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the product and plan to buy the additional 8MB card and metroguide CD. Even my wife was impressed with it and no longer thinks it is just a toy !