Reviews

Garmin Etrex 30
Francis Cooke

The New Series

The Etrex 20 and 30 are the long-awaited Etrex replacements, the
last Garmin to get their new OS and looknfeel. I knew before hacking
open the blister pack that this was going to be much more Dakota
than old Etrex - would it have enough to offer, to overcome my
doubts? Here Ive reviewed the Etrex 30, which is the top-range
model equivalent to the old Vista - the model 20 is similar, missing a
few non-essential features, like the old Legend, and arguably better
value. The Etrex 10 is very different and is basically a modern take on
the old Gekos. They are all very neat on the bike, smaller and a bit
more svelte than the older models, though still clunky and dim by
contrast with a smartphone.
The bottom line is that just like the Dakota two years ago, here we
have a mix of good and bad. However this time there is enough on
balance, to make this new GPS a safe recommendation.

Full of eastern promise

Garmin continue to refresh their wide range of GPS
receivers, with several types that are broadly suitable for
cycling use - that is, they are compact and lightweight,
weatherproof, replace all the essential cyclecomputer
functions, can be mounted on handlebars and/or stem,
will record a tracklog, and support multi-point Routes.
As I write, current types consist of the Edge, Oregon,
Dakota, GPSMap 62, and Etrex (old and new) ranges,
several models in each. There are also one or two other
models such as the Montana and Forerunner, that could
be used by a cyclist who is determined to be different.
Add in several very capable discontinued models and the
choice can seem bewildering.
Its important to know that Garmin performance, usability
and capability is really much the same across the board,
so the fundamental decisions are simply touchscreen or
not? and bigger screen or smaller box?.
Most units are now map types, designed for use with
Garmins own maps or with OS maps (remixed by Garmin).
The maps are always an extra expense (apart from
bundled deals) so its worth remembering that these
types still function perfectly adequately without any
maps installed, or there is the option of using free maps
from OpenStreetMap which are pretty good in the UK.
The Edge is Garmins range of cycle-specific GPSs. They are the
smallest and neatest-looking units, rather obviously taking their DNA
from cyclecomputers, and I think this above everything else is
enough to sway many buyers. Their principal disadvantage (shared
with smartphones and the wristwatch-style Forerunners) relates to
limited battery runtime, enough for a day-ride only. This leads many
Edge owners down the path of an external battery pack and curly
cable, to get them through the longer events. A bit like front lights,
for some people this is a non-issue, for others it would be a dealbreaker.
The Oregon, Dakota, 62, and Etrex are principally aimed at
walkers - however they all have optional handlebar mounts and some
have optional Cadence and HRM sensors if so desired. Crucially, they
have longer runtime and use easily-replaceable AA batteries. The
Oregon and Dakota are the touch-screen models (large and small),
while the 62 and Etrex are their button-driven equivalents.
Taking everything into account, the (old) Etrex C models, such as the
top-of-the-range Etrex Vista HCx, have long ruled the roost as the
most recommendable GPS for randonneurs. Theyve been looking
old-fashioned for a while now, and 2 years ago in Arrivee 107 I
reviewed the then-new Dakota which I assumed would replace the
Etrex. I found it a frustrating mixture of good and bad, and on balance
not enough to knock the older model off its perch. That review is
available here: www.aukadia.net/gps/dakota20.pdf
Arrive February 2012

Opening the box and powering it up for the first time, I was expecting
something a bit special - and it found a fix within two minutes indoors! (Normally a brand-new GPS takes 10 minutes or more to
find itself.) This new Etrex is the first leisure GPS able to use signals
from the Russian GLONASS system, alongside the US-provided GPS.
There is a menu option to use GPS only, or GPS plus GLONASS (but
not, sadly, GLONASS only). At the top of this page is a screenshot
showing 22 satellites being monitored at once (a normal GPS typically
shows 6-10 bars). Using more satellites should result in much better
performance in difficult reception areas such as forests and canyons
(natural and urban). It will be a genuine plus for off-roaders who ride
in woodland, and for city cyclists especially in central London. This
picture from my basement windowsill shows the Vista HCx really
struggling, and the new E30 alongside it seeing far more satellites in a
postage-stamp of sky.

As I write these new Etrexes are truly cutting edge, but this will soon
change because all future models are likely to include the same
capability as standard, and its possible that Galileo (the long-delayed
European GPS system) could be added in future as well. I must
emphasise though that for normal road cycling out of town this
doesnt make any practical difference, as the present system already
works more than well enough.
Heres a run-down of other differences, good first, then bad, between
the E30 (and E20) and the older models.

Whats Good
* Sleeker styling, fractionally smaller and lighter - see photo. The
replacement for the infamous rubber band is much more rigid and
inspires confidence, though it does make the side-mounted buttons
feel rather stiff.
* Shares Garmins newer, rather ugly, bike mount system (extra) which
is very secure and has the option for stem-mounting.
* Like all the newer Garmins, screen has much greater colour depth
which means it can display photos, ie aerial views, and can also
handle OS or IGN maps (available through Garmin at a price). Though
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I would suggest OS on a screen this tiny is never really going to work the Oregon is probably the better GPS for this purpose.
The colour depth has encouraged Garmin to apply font smoothing,
which just makes text blurry to my eyes. However the font itself is
nicer than the awful Dakota font - compare these three Trip Computer
pages for readability (Dakota, new Etrex, old Etrex).

on this GPS there is no option to do that. Most of the vehicle type

options have gone as well, its just car, bicycle or walking. I think,
when using it in autorouting mode, it would probably be wise to
include a few more intermediate points - which in some peoples eyes
rather defeats the whole object!
* Turn preview popup has been lost.
* The font size for text in the data fields is far too small. For my eyes
anyway. Numeric fields are fine though.
* The Page key is - or seems to be - lost, replaced by a rather less
functional Back key. So you dont have the useful toggling between
favourite screens, you are forever revisiting your page of 6 favourites
and going from there. It is possible, but not at all obvious from the
manual, to restore the old-style Page key way of doing things. Ive
written a web tutorial on how to do this at:
www.aukadia.net/gps/lw3_4.htm
* Unlike all the previous GPSs Ive tried, the E30 doesnt play well with
Mapsource - most transfer options simply dont work. If you use
Mapsource, you have to save your work as GPX then copy that file
across using a file manager.

* Shares Garmins new-style OS and UI - which means:

** Can handle multiple map files, which can then be switched on and
off individually in the menus. These can be stored either/or in
memory or on the micro-SD card.
** File import/export is GPX-led, just copy files to/from the GPS as
external disk drive. Especially welcome for Mac and Linux users.
** Storage capacity is much increased - for example 2000 waypoints,
200 Tracks of up to 10000 points each. (Route capacity is unchanged
though, at 50 x 250/50 points - but that is ample.)
** Easy and logical menu navigation, including the Where To button
which is the 1-stop shop for the start of your ride, be it Track or Route
or Find-and-go. You can re-arrange the menu icons to taste, which is
very necessary to get your personal 6 favourites onto the front page.
Although this UI works much better on the touchscreen models, even
here it is an improvement on the old Etrex style.
** Track navigation is much improved
and very usable, compared with the
older models. You can add named
waypoints along a Track and these will
be picked up and shown with a
Distance to Next.
** Up to 10 data fields at a time, on the
Trip Computer page. Or if you prefer
the Compass page, this is beautifully
styled and rendered, with room for 4
data fields. The on-board electronic
compass (E30 only) is very functional
and really doesnt need calibration for
randonneuring purposes. If you prefer the Map page, the rendering
is very clear and the background is now almost white which improves
the contrast and general readability.
** User profile switching. My tip - give each profile a different
colourway, so you can easily see which mode youre in.
** Much better backlight implementation - you dont have to reenergize it every time you switch on.
** On the E30 only, useful options to add HRM and cadence
monitoring, and wireless transfer of files between like-minded GPSs.
* Battery runtime seems good to me - but the extra satellites, the
compass, the backlight, are all things that will be a battery hit - and all
can be turned off if you need the
maximum runtime.

Whats bad
* A few deep settings have been lost,
though not as many as with the Dakota.
In particular the Routing Setup is very
dumbed down, with some important
options missing altogether. In particular
there is no control over off-route
recalculate, which is something I usually
recommend to have switched off 2

* Theres a particular bug which I also found on the Dakota, 2 years

ago. With such a long history, I suppose Id better regard it as a
feature! The Next Waypoint data field doesnt display the waypoint
name - instead it shows the waypoint comment field, which usually
defaults to a road name. So waypoint naming to include directional
hints - L, R and so on - doesnt work on this unit. Its possible to turn
this to your advantage once you know about it, Ive written a web
tutorial at www.aukadia.net/gps/lwg21.htm
* My unit has 2 or 3 other bugs, nothing terribly serious - the worst is
that the User Profiles switching sometimes doesnt work - but then,
the older models didnt have this facility at all, so its not the end of
the world. Garmin have a quite a reputation for releasing stuff to
market before its quite ready, and the E30 I have was one of the very
first ones in the country. Its always safer to wait a few months before
leaping in, with any new Garmin model. Firmware upgrades may fix
the bugs eventually.
* Too easy to Reset All and end up with an out-of-the-box GPS. I
found several ways to do this. Also, too easy to damage the memory
when connected to a PC - because the GPS is not write-protected. I
would strongly recommend backing up the internal memory of the
GPS to hard disk (just open it like an external disk drive, and copy
everything to HD) - do this as new, and again (to a different backup)
when you have it set up the way you like it.
* A disappointment is that the screen is
no bigger than before - the single
screenshots on this page are actual
size. Smoothed screen fonts - you
probably either like them or loathe
them, they look a bit blurry to my eyes.
Street names on the map view are
particularly bad, and just add clutter
on such a small screen.
* Theres absolutely no software
provided in the box, and even the
manual is obscurely hidden, in .pdf
form, in the memory of the GPS itself.
None of this is helpful to the new adopter.
* Also not provided - a lanyard. To use a GPS without a lanyard,
whether walking or on the bike, is just a recipe for disaster.
Despite these niggles, on balance I think the new Etrex 30 or 20 can
be recommended for anyone looking for a small but full-featured
GPS. I also think it has more to offer than the Dakota (which is exactly
the same size and weight) - though of course the Dakota/Etrex choice
is fundamentally one of touchscreen or not.
For new adopters either of the above is now preferable to the older
Legend and Vista models - however if you already have an older Etrex
and are happy with the way it works for you - and especially if you use
the many Routing setup options - then take note that all this now
going the way of the dodo - you may want to pick up an
end-of-line bargain while you can.
Arrive February 2012