Author Topic: Etrex 20 or Etrex 20x..any real world difference looking at the screens ..  (Read 2922 times)

GnP

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I think that once you have got to grips with an etrex10 ,which was my first unit and i had several as they improved then you have most of what you need for most versions of Garmin  gps units.

I agree with that . It being like pared down version of all the more sophisticated ones but still having the all important information on board .I bought my very first etrex10 just so I would know my exact position at any time from coordinates and that was it . I knew nothing about GPX files and plotting routes . I thought I would still have an OS map tucked into my craghopper trousers map pocket until I popped my clogs ..... ;)
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

GnP

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I have bought a number of gps units online from Facebook gear exchange sites and never had a problem.
I believe you have some comeback anyway on E bay, but i am sure it will be a genuinely good sale. Let us know how you get on with it.

Slowcoach , it duly arrived and it still had the original packaging on it . I am getting to grips with it and as you said knowledge of previous Garmin GPS`s helps using any later Garmin models .

It really is superb to hold and navigate around the menus , and yet it is a model brought out around ten years ago . It picks up the GPS signal very fast as most of the Garmins do and it has a nice big screen compared to my Etrex 20x .

On the Garmin web site it states the 550 although not made any more , is still supported . That is good to know .  O0
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

Slowcoach

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GaP, good to hear. Sounds like you have bagged yourself a real bargain. Enjoy it.
It's all uphill from here.

Eyelet

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Hear! Hear! O0

GnP

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Something I have noticed is the screen brightness on the Garmin 550 is not what I had hoped for , compared to the Etrex 20x , This is more an observation than a complaint .  :angel:


The transflective screen technology works well but in dull weather there is not a lot to reflect .  ???


It seems a decade ago when the 550 was designed , it was a trade off between battery life , screen brightness and using  the relatively new resistive touch technology , and maybe still is .

To create a screen that was both touch sensitive , and bright enough , was very power hungry .
A friend told me they have a Garmin 600 , but they prefer to use their gmap 64s over it as the 600 eats batteries .
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

Eyelet

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The power consumption data on GPSrChive suggests that if you can keep the screen backlight value below 50% and use power save mode with the backlight timeout, the battery life should be okay for long day walks - I'm sure you take spare batteries anyway. 8)  Do you use 2500mAh black Panasonic Eneloop or equivalent cells?

Hopefully using <50% backlighting will be enough for you to easily see the screen in dull conditions. But I think that using 100% screen backlight and no power saving will eat batteries in all devices (including phones), but of course I don't know what settings or batteries your friend was using with their 600.
« Last Edit: 13:30:53, 03/03/21 by Eyelet »

GnP

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The power consumption data on GPSrChive suggests that if you can keep the screen backlight value below 50% and use power save mode with the backlight timeout, the battery life should be okay for long day walks - I'm sure you take spare batteries anyway. 8)  Do you use 2500mAh black Panasonic Eneloop or equivalent cells?

I think that 100% screen backlight and no power saving will eat batteries in all devices (including phones).

I tend to max everything out and turn the backlight up for my tired eyes . I have eneloop 1900 mAh . Always take two spare if Im toting the etrex . Now I best get used to taking four spare . I forgot one time and also assumed wrongly that the batteries were charged up...shall not do that again..I have a habit of stopping for vittles twice . Usually the seond stop I can change the batteries , so no big deal .

Pity I wasn`t aware they did 2500 mAh  :o


What do you use to navigate Eyelet .?
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

Slowcoach

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I have the backlight on my oregon 700 set to about 60%. I use Ikeas Ladda batteries which are 2450 mah.
I can get 1.5 days out of them. One thing that I have found seems to affect battery life is a lot if switching between map page, compass, trip compute etc. If i am leading a walk and use these features battery life is about a full day , if i am following along on someone else's walk and just check the map page and trip computer occasionally then usually plenty of life left at the end of the day.  
« Last Edit: 14:05:58, 03/03/21 by Slowcoach »
It's all uphill from here.

GnP

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I have the backlight on my oregon 700 set to about 60%. I use Ikeas Ladda batteries which are 2450 mah.

I just read the Ikea batteries are a lot less in store than on Amazon . I think I will load up the next time I am near to Ikea in Darlaston . O0

Edit   : I am sure you already know but it appears Ladda are the same or almost identical specs as Eneloop ..This guy has thoroughly tested both brand names.....thanks for the heads up .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jeo_hv-8bHI
« Last Edit: 15:15:44, 03/03/21 by GinAndPlatonic »
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

sussamb

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My Etrex 20 backlight is set at 50%. A pair of Eneloops lasts for at least 2 days of walking, in the order of 6 to 7 hours a day.


The larger the screen and the more you use it the more battery usage increases.
Where there's a will ...

GnP

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My Etrex 20 backlight is set at 50%. A pair of Eneloops lasts for at least 2 days of walking, in the order of 6 to 7 hours a day.


The larger the screen and the more you use it the more battery usage increases.
I read this :

LSD batteries will all maintain some level of charge while only eneloop makes specific claims that the batteries will maintain 70% of their charge for up to 10 years (when unused and stored properly). eneloop batteries can be recharged up to 2100 times eneloop batteries and maintain 70% of their charge up to 10 years


Eneloop have a good reputation ..
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

Eyelet

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What do you use to navigate Eyelet .?

Just back in from a walk in Nidderdale.  I use a Garmin GPSMap 66st and am very happy with it now that the firmware has been de-bugged and have had it since March 2019. Before that I used a GPSMAP 62s for 7-8 years until I wore a hole in the rubber around the main switch - hence my recommendation in another post to use a silicon rubber Tusita protection sleeve. I generally use the 66st with the backlight off most days and only increase the lighting if needed to the minimum brightness necessary, often at dusk. When I get my head torch out I turn it back down again.

I have been using the black higher capacity Eneloops for a decade now (not the same ones  ;D ) and only have praise for them - I get more or less the same usage as Sussamb.

As I understand it, Sanyo bought the Japanese battery production facility from Panasonic. I suspect that the top few percent in QA testing get creamed off for the Sanyo 2600mAh batteries. Panasonic get the next best tranche at min 2500mAh and the batteries that remain get branded for IKEA Ladda 2450mAh and Amazon Basics green top 2400mAh batteries. I have used the latter and they are okay but are not quite as long-lasting as my black Eneloops but great for spares and headtorches - but this is only a small sample size experiment!

I read somewhere that at one point, some of the IKEA Ladda and Amazon Basics batteries may have come from a Chinese factory and weren't as good - so do check on the country of origin before you buy. Also beware of counterfeit Eneloops, buy from a reputable source.

One other tip which might be useful with your new device while the battery clips are still stiff is to put a short length of ribbon around the first battery before you insert it. When you need to change batteries, just grip the ribbon and pull and the battery will pop out, without having to break a fingernail or violently tap it against your palm. Also don't tip the device upside down with the batteries removed in case the mSD card comes out (it happened to me once before I devised the ribbon trick,  but fortunately it was relatively easy to find again)!
« Last Edit: 18:08:48, 03/03/21 by Eyelet »

 

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