Garmin Etrex Venture and Mariner GPS Reciever Unit:
Overview:
 This is an amazing unit I must admit. The Etrex Venture is the same exact unit as the Etrex
Mariner (available only at West Marine), only difference is that the Mariner has some marine Navaids programmed into it that the Venture doesn't. Otherwise it is the same unit only the
Mariner is 10 bucks more and is white instead of translucent green. And personally the green is much nicer, then again I am partial to green. [Please note that testing was done in
Santa Cruz, California and that "your milage may vary"]. The Etrex Venture GPS unit has a parallel patch antenna that can pick up 12 satellites
simultaneously with WAAS accuracy (where available). My main concern is that the antenna is a bit on the weenie side and this affects performance when not out in the open.
The Etrex Venture retails for about 168 USD and the Etrex Mariner retails for about 178 USD. These units
include the PC data cable that uses a Serial port connection (this accessory alone costs 28 USD if
purchased separately). For it's price and the things that it offers, I consider the Etrex Venture a bargain
when it comes to GPS units. The Venture was made for Geocaching. Access the official Garmin Etrex Venture site here.
Overall Ratings ::::: Scale: Unparalleled, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Poor, Piss-poor, Bloody Shame.
Excellent accuracy with open sky view. Poor to piss-poor accuracy with any overhead cover. Bloody
Shame accuracy in a Redwood forest. Very Good value. Excellent features. Excellent feature navigation.
Very Good data entry capability/speed/method. Overall, this is the best Garmin unit that you can buy if you are looking to spend less than 200 USD for a good GPS unit.
If you spend time in the woods... this is not your unit unfortunately, you may be better off assessing sub-200 USD Magellans which have a much better antenna. Accuracy:
I must confess that sometimes I wonder about the accuracy of the unit, but I have found that if you turn the unit off for a few minutes and then turn it back on and let it sit in one place for a
few minutes then it sometimes gets a better reading. Also, I don't know why WAAS isn't enabled when the
unit is first activated, but turn it on once you get it! It helps with accuracy after it has been locked on to a sat
for a few minutes (this is represented by a "D" in the middle of that sat's signal strength bar although the
users guide doesn't say what the "D" means). Granted, WAAS doesn't necessarily make the reading that
much more accurate when you don't have continuous line-of-sight with sats 35 or 47 (the WAAS birds),
but it does help narrow your search a bit for something like Geocaching. WAAS Sats are located low on
the horizon so if you are in a valley or in some trees don't count on WAAS to fine-tune your reading. Also
important to note is that the Altitude is derived from your position relative to the GPS satellites in space so it
should not be taken literally. I have been on the top of coastal mountains before and had the Venture tell me
that I was at 354 feet below sea level, yet other times it can be very accurate. Use your head when trying to
figure out whether or not the number is right. Also remember that if the error reading is 20 feet, that the
reading is not just around you but above you too. The error reading should be understood to be 20 foot
radius sphere around the unit (think 3D since this error is horizontal and vertical). Adjust your altitude
accordingly. The Etrex Summit has an altimeter and electronic compass built into the unit which is really
cool. If you need both of those features to be accurate then you should consider upping your investment and getting the Etrex Summit which retails for about 260 USD.
Unit Display:
The screen on the Venture is beautiful! Garmin upped the resolution for this unit which made everything a
bit better (160x288 pixels FSTN with 4 levels of greyscale and backlighting). All the graphics are clear,
maps are sharper, text is easier to read even when it is small. There are five basic screens that the Venture
can display (one at a time of course) that contain the basics for GPS navigation: Satellite; Map; Navigation;
Trip Computer; and Main Menu. Although it is only five screens (Magellan units typically have more), the
amount of information displayed on each of those screens is immense and usually customizable. Especially
notable is the Trip Computer screen where you have 8 customizable fields to display whatever info you want
it to. The only disappointing thing is that you can only get a readout of your actual location from the Satellite
screen, but this is just fine for Geocaching since you will primarily be using the Navigation and Map screens.
The backlight is great on this unit as it is bright enough to use at night and be useful unlike some other GPS units that the Chef has examined.
Using the Unit's Features:
As for comfort of use, I would have to rate the Etrex Venture a five out of five stars since it is so damn
comfortable. It fits nicely in your hands, even if you have big hands. And is easy to operate from your left
hand even if you arn't a lefty which is nice since it frees your right hand for other stuff. Overall I would have
to say that one handed operation of the unit is one of the major pluses. And the navigation stick thing on the
front of the Etrex is a well needed feature too. I don't know how people ever entered data into other Etrex
models without the NavStick (I just call it that for lack of a better term). With the NavStick, getting around
the various features and info screens of the Venture is no problem at all. Entering in waypoints is easy and quickly done. "Pan and Scan" feature is included in the Map screen of the Venture which is much needed! This feature
alone makes the upgrade from Etrex to Etrex Venture worth it since it helps you to see what you have
around you (waypoint wise) on the map without having to zoom. Absolutely great feature! Another
fantastic feature incorporated with Pan and Scan is when you are panning the map it shows the location that
the pointer is at and the distance and bearing from your last known good location that the pointer is at. A
great help if you need to estimate some distances. Also if you highlight a waypoint on a waypoint riddled
screen the Venture will show you what the point's name and symbol is. The Map screen also has another
feature which is fairly nice to have. If you zoom in as far as you can on your current location it will show a
circle around where it thinks you are, this is your error circle. So in a way the Venture helps you to
understand how big of an error you are looking at. Also, the Venture comes pre-loaded with many of the
cities in the USA (cities with a population of 25000+ for the most part). It doesn't show every city, but may
be useful someday. Keep in mind that it does not have roads at all, only the location of cities.
The Navigation screen is nice in that it includes a compass (also derived from the GPS signal, it only works
when you are moving though), but just to be safe keep a real compass handy since you should not rely on it
solely. The compass that it displays is derived by computing your location and your speed into a bearing
based on previous coordinates. So in essence you need to be moving at 2.5+ mph to make this useful and
somewhat accurate. Remember thought that if your accuracy is bad then the compass may not be thinking it is where it really is and as such the arrow may not be pointing in the right direction. Unit Durability:
The thing is solid as a rock. Hard rubber casing around most of the unit and a tough plastic everywhere else
make the unit very tough. Unlike the Magellan units, the Garmin Etrex units don't float in water, but they are
waterproof for a certain amount of time (30 mins) at a depth of 1 meter. Essentially its OK if you drop it in
a stream if you pick it up right away. Do not try to use the unit underwater. When I got mine, I was
concerned about how durable the NavStick would be and so I got the silly little Mariner Protection Plan in case it breaks due to use (it is the most delicate and yet most widely used button on the unit).
Battery Life:
It sucks. The box says 22 hours... but that seems only possible if you use it with the GPS feature off.
Realistically you are looking at about 10-12 hours of uptime on a pair of AA batteries. So it's best to break
out your Costco card and get one of the big 24-packs of Duracells to power this baby. Always keep at
least one extra pair of new batteries handy! And of course don't use partially used batteries in the unit. The
actual battery life meter that is on the "Main Menu" screen is fairly accurate, but don't replace the battery
until the unit says so. Garmin made the unit a little conservative when it comes to telling you how close to empty you really are. Weather Concerns:
I was out Geocaching one day along Highway 1 on the California Central Coast and there was a thick low
fog... bad bad reception. This, along with when you are in a dense Redwood forest, is one of those times
when you wish you had an external antenna or a Quadhelix antenna (featured on more expensive Garmins
and on most Magellan units). The weather was playing havoc with my signal which was essentially reduced
to crap and as such navigation by the Venture became impossible. Keep in mind that this was very heavy
cloud/fog cover and there is no problem with operation of the Venture if the weather condition is anything less than moderate to strong. Accessories:
Car Cigarette Power Adapter: Retailing for 36 USD at West Marine the power adapter is well worth the
investment. There is one generic power adapter for all the Etrex models. This thing pays for itself if you like
to leave your GPS on while driving to a distant Geocache or while on a long trip. Saves you from having to deal with batteries as often as you otherwise might be.
Warnings:
I have had a problem with the stability of my unit. It seems to crash sometimes and just turns off. But there
seems to be no big problem with it. You can just turn the unit back on and it works fine. Closing:
This is an impartial review of the Garmin Etrex Venture/Mariner GPS Unit. I was as honest as I could be
about the various features of this unit. When I selected this GPS for my own personal use I picked the unit
that I felt to be the best value for what I was willing to spend. I looked at all units in the sub-200 USD price
range and felt the Venture to be a bargain considering everything that it offered. I bought my Venture at
West Marine's flagship store in Santa Cruz, California. If you think that I missed something (which is entirely possible) then feel free to e-mail me. Update 5 July 2001: Honestly, After a few months of using the unit, I think I am ready to upgrade as the
Venture is better suited to an area where there are no redwood trees. From what I have seen the Garmin
GPS-III+ and the Magellan Map330 are both outstanding choices for better tree reception, in part due to
their beefy Quadhelix antenna. I was also thinking about the Garmin GPS Map76, but wasn't too terribly
impressed with the screen's brightness as it is kinda dark and Garmin considers it to be a marine unit and
therefore not really made for forests. I will most likely just wait until I can get a Garmin GPS-V which looks
like it will be a killer unit both in preformance and in my wallet (which will be empty afterwards *grins*).
Now that the Map330 has the WAAS firmware upgrade released it seems to be a good choice for an upgrade from what I currently have, I just wish the UI for the Magellans wasn't so damn ugly and clunky.
Update 27 August 2001: I've done some testing in San Diego during the past month and I must say that
the Venture has done much better under these conditions. I still have some of the same reception problems
that have plagued me up north, but the general lack of forests (the really tall kind) makes it pretty easy to get
at least a low end signal. If your area of general use will be an area similar to that of San Diego (primarily
low semi-arid desert brush) then raise the ratings of this unit by one for reception and signal stuff. The unit
still has some basic flaws in it, but it preforms a bit more admirably under these conditions than it does with 300 foot trees getting in the way. -IC
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