Delivered with broken fuse
Title says it all. The very hard to find fuze arrived with a broken or possibly even blown filament!

Haven't had any luck finding a replacement of that size and amperage.

Bummed.

compatibility - FYI
I purchased both the RAM mount along with the Gilsson Direct Wire Cable for Garmin Nuvi to mount my Garmin with hard wire. The 90 degree plug on the wire does not properly connect into the Garmin unit as it interferes with the plastic rib below the connector on the Garmin. I was, however, able to remedy this with a hand grinder removing 50% of the rib. This is an issue with the cable as the cable included with the Garmin has a longer plug.

Junk.
Junk. Installed on my bmw motorcycle as 5V step down supply to Garmin Nuvi Series GPS. It worked for about 6 hours, then intermittently began failing. Very shortly after, it failed & caused the failure of the gps (supplied 12Vdc directly to the gps). I didn't tear it apart (because I intend to return it), but it's pretty obvious that it doesn't have overvoltage protection on the output. Maybe it is a simple voltage divider resistor network with out any regulation, doesn't matter- it's junk. I replaced it with a Powerlet adapter and new garmin GPS 1500 miles from home in Buffalo NY. That works like a champ, so anyone with a bmw, triumph or other european designed bike, try [...] instead of hardwiring in this device. I am disappointed that it took out the gps and cost me [...] to replace it in the middle of a long trip.

Works ..ok
Wired this direct to my fuse box on my motorcycle. There are two draw backs with this item.
1) Wire connects to the usb port thereby dimming the screen of the garmin until disconnected.
2) Transformer box is flimsy. It worked for two weeks and then failed. The egg contains a small circuit board and fuse. The clips holding the fuse are flimsy and lost contact with the fuse. Had to bend them to make them a bit tighter but I expect it to fail again.

Not compatible with Garmin 255W
Connected this to my recently purchased Garmin 255W, and it caused my GPS to go into "USB Mass Storage" mode preventing navigation. Apparently Garmin uses a proprietary mini-USB connector in their cigarette charger, and this direct wire does not properly emulate it. I plan to buy a cigarette lighter female socket and just direct wire that and use the original charger.

Great Deal!
I read previous negative previous reviews about the heart monitor. I don't even use it. I just bought it for the gps pace and split capabilities which work great. Because of the heart rate issue (I think), I got it for a song. The units the size of 2 watches, but light enough that I dont mind it.

Great features at a great price
The Forerunner 301 is a great GPS for the beginning, moderate level runner. I am training for a half marathon and am shooting for a PR. To accomplish my goal, I needed something that would report my pace along the way. This is a cool GPS and is easy to use. I recommend it highly.

Garmin Forerunner 301
Originally purchased this for my grandfather who walks every day. But then remembered that he had a pacemaker and there was a warning to contact your physician if this was the case. It worried him too much so I ended up keeping it for myself. It is a little bulky, but works as described. I did have a little tree interference, but it re-calculated quickly. I have not used the heart monitor yet.

First GPS watch
This is a decent product but like everyone else has mentioned it has trouble with satelite connection when trail running.

A great running unit, but not perfect.
The Garmin 301 is a great running GPS that will provide you with info on all of your runs. Its great to calculate your calories burned, miles ran, average speed and pace, as well as many other features. I could go on and on about how great the features are on this unit. However, there is one draw back...

The GPS reception is not great, and it is not very accurate. I ran 8 laps around a metric track and my GPS was off by about 330 feet at the end of 2 miles. It may lose GPS signal as well, if you are using this as a solution to accurate distance and timing, this unit is not for you. Its an "average" reading unit, meaning don't beat yourself if you don't beat your old mile or two mile by a few seconds, my unit regularly changes the same distances I run by a few hundred feet. It also read a few hundred feet difference in elevation while running on the track. Again, the features are awesome, but what can you expect from a unit that is no much bigger than a cell phone? Its great for an overall or average reading but not for extremely accurate readings.

Great Device!!
This is a great device, I purchased it to meassure distances, specially to use the elevation profile that this product offers. I am attempting to use it on forensics cases applied to large-open spaces in crime scenes. I Highly recommend you this Handheld GPS.

Same system once issued to Army SOF
This is the same system used by SOF Soldiers for years. I have used mine in too many countrys to count (4 continents) and has saved my bu## more than once. I agree the base map is not perfect, however it is significantly better with either the terrain download or world map (free to SOF on intranet(not internet)). This system will take a beating and last for days of hard use by using lithium batteries. In a pinch, I paid 0 to replace a lost one back in the day and it was worth every penny!

Nice unit, but poor documentation and worthless basemap
Being new to GPS, I was excited to see what all I could do with this thing and how to make it do it. Unfortunately, the instruction manual is very vague. Many of the menu features are not even listed and the functions are not explained. It's basically, "to get to here, press this button". How about some examples? If you already are familiar with GPS, I suppose this would be fine, but it has been countless hours of experimentation to figure out some of the funtions.

Also, the basemap that comes with this is very basic - just major roads. There are also limited maps that you can purchase for this, and in fact I don't think the Garmin site accurately lists all that are available (I would think that the Vista H would support all the maps the Vista supports, but the site says no). Expect to pay 0 for a map disk. I'm thinking the 100K topo map would be the best since it shows detailed streets and items of interest in parks. It's pretty lame as a topo map though from the demo on the Garmin site.

Solid GPS unit for the price
I bought this GPS unit to prepare for a Garmin GPS class I was asked to teach. I own several GPS units and I am a GPS/GIS professional focussing on training and consulting. I usually restrict my GPS usage to professional grade mapping equipment (Trimble, specifically) but I recently branched off into the world of recreational GPS to expand my training offerings. I've used the eTrex series GPS before and this Vista H unit is another nice addition to the line-up. Let me say that if I were buying an eTrex to use as my sole GPS unit, then I definitely would have opted for the color screen (Vista HC or HCx). The color screen adds a lot more bang for the buck.

Garmin has done a good job with these little units. The Vista is small, light-weight, and quick to respond. The new high-senstivity (that's what the 'H' stands for) receiver locks onto satellites very quickly. The internal compass and altimeter work very well and are easy to calibrate and turn on/off. On the negative side, something I find to be true for all of the eTrex models is that the operating system a bit clumsy to learn and I usually need to spend a good 5 minutes re-orienting myself to it when I use the eTrex in the field. I find that the buttons on the unit are not intuitivey laid out so it is hard to remember which one does what. Once I'm in the flow of using the eTrex, however, I can navigate through the pages/settings fairly easily -- it just requires those first few minutes of reaquainting myself each time. I would definitely recommend a bit of training before you use the unit -- especially if you plan to collect tracks. A common problem that Garmin users have is that their track log shows a long, continuous line on the map that connects -- with a straight line -- your new location to your last one. This can leave a long straight line on your map if, for example, you used the unit in Phoenix on your last hike and are now starting it up in Los Angeles. It's all about managing the track log.

The unit costs under 0 which is a great price. I like that I can collect points and lines (waypoints and tracks) that I can then add to Google Earth (directly) or to ArcGIS. The workflow for adding to ArcGIS is a bit convoluted as the GPS file format has to be converted first and that requires third-party tools. There are many of them out there, it's just a matter of trying them out and finding what works for you.

As a GIS professional, I find the Garmin model of buying base map data unuseful. The eTrex comes with a very basic base map. If you want more detail (topo maps, for example) then you must purchase these from Garmin. The base map you buy is only good for 1 GPS unit. So if you own multiple eTrex, for example, you must purchase the same data multiple times. In the world of GIS, once you acquire data -- such as topo base maps -- then it is yours to use as you want. With Garmin, you are not free to load your own data onto the GPS unit.

For the sake of comparison, I usually use my Trimble Juno SB unit for GPS hiking. This unit costs more (starting at 0) but it offers a professional workflow. This is not something that is important to most hikers, but it can make a world of difference to those using GPS for search and rescue, fire management, etc. The Juno is designed to collect GIS-ready GPS data which means you can collect points, lines, and polygons as well as attributes then export the data directly to shapefiles. Best of all, you can load your own data onto it -- imagery, existing shapefiles, CAD, and other file formats. The unit might cost more initially, but you are free to load whatever data you can acquire onto it and it allows you to quickly bring your GPS data into a GIS without having to manually enter attributes. You get to collect all of your user-defined attributes in the field while logging your GPS positions.

I would definitely recommend this unit as a basic mapping GPS unit though I would suggest spending a bit more to get the color screen. Also, if this is your first foray into GPS, invest in some basic training -- it will save you a lot of frustration and help you get the most out of your GPS unit. You can usually find a half-day Garmin training class by searching around the state parks and community college non-credit programs -- there are also online training courses you can find by doing a Google search.

Happy trails!
www.GeoMattix.com

It works
I've used this on my boat for a Garmin GPSMap76 with no problems. Much better than using batteries on long days.

This time the brand name works best
This is the third power adapter cable I've used. One of the off brands blew out the processor on my Garmin. This replacement works perfectly and the price at Amazon was excellent.

Garmin 60csx power plug
Meets requirements necessary for a DC power adaptor in mobile use. Good quality and does the job.

Lighter adapter
thanks to this adapter i am not charging my battery anymore ,the most important part that once connected to the device the ligh turn on automaticaly and no need to worry about the batteries.
i recomend this adapter it is a must if you use your device to navigate while driving.

Garmin GPS adaptor charger
Got this charger to go with my new DVD of Mapsource Europe. Plan to use it in Ireland and Netherlands, Belgium etc next year.
Seems to fit rather snugly, and I am a bit timid about pushing the prongs in to hard and bending them out of alignment, but its probably just me. It will come in handy when I do geo-caching and exploring the countryside as well as using the maps to get around the country. Can't wait to give it all a try!

I would definitely recommend this product.
This marine holder for the Garmin 60 CSx GPS worked extermely well. Very adjustable and stable in my boat.

Stocking stuffer
If it was around Christmas this would be the thing to get him or her. Would advise you to use sticky back velcro to mount to dash and not to use the enclosed double faced tape. Yhis way tou can use it in any car or actually anywhere.

Made for it
As with my other Garmin, the mount works great. Very secure and I like it best with the bean bag base for flexibility in moving from dash to a hiding place when I park.

OK, if...
I thought the base had a suction cup like the car GPS mounts...but it attached permanently with a double-stick adhesive pad, meaning that the base is always attached to your dash, even when you don't need the GPS. And you can't transfer if from vehicle to vehicle (I bought this mount to use with my GPS60 while travelling, usually with rented vehicles). Then, you have to have the belt clip screw to mount the GPS into the holder so it doesn't slide out. Can't find it anywhere. So, for me, I have a paperweight. If you can live with mounting only in one vehicle, and still have the belt clip availalbe, go for it. It does articulate nicely.

great
I already use this product, and really enjoy it.
But mainly I'm very sitisfied with the service level of everybody involved with amazon.com.
Thx.

Takes a long time to charge
Can be useful when you are using it without a car charger. But it took much longer time to charge.

garmin wall charger
a valuable product if you use your garmin for directing you when walking in a unfamiliar city. you can charge it at night in the hotel.

SENT ME A CELL CHARGER!!!!!
I ordered a NEW AC WALL CHARGER FOR GARMIN NUVI 200w 250 255 260W. I was sent a Cell phone charger. Why?

Does NOT charge my Garmin nüvi 260W GPS
Purchased Garmin nüvi 260W GPS, this product was listed under 'Frequently Bought Together' items. It was inexpensive, in fact, shipping was more than the item itself. I purchased the AC wall charger and when I received my GPS I attempted to use it to initially charge the GPS. Not only would the Garmin NOT charge, it functioned like it kept getting reset, like it was caught in a loop. Once I placed the Garmin inside my vehicle with the car charger it worked exactly like it should have, so I know the problem was the AC charger. The AC charger price was not worth going thru the expense or hassle or returning it, so I threw it in the trash. Hopefully this review will save others a couple of bucks.

Not needed.
I bought with Garmin NUVI 255 to enter several days of addresses while in motel room or travel trailer. Garmin has enough battery that wall charger is not needed and if it Garmin does need charging it is mini USB and I have several of those already. Inexpensive and compact. I've never tried it because I do not need it.

Unable to get Nuvi 350 to see the installed topo map
Do not buy this from Garmin. Garmin does not issue refunds even when the map does not work at all. I should have bought through Amazon.

I foolishly bought the .99 downloadable version of this map from the Garmin web site because I wanted to download it and use it the next day. The Garmin web site listed my Nuvi 350 as a supported device and I followed the link to the download purchase page [...]. I downloaded the maps to an SD card in my GPS, but the GPS still only lists street maps and not the TOPO.

I followed the instructions at the Garmin knowledge base to go to Settings > Map > Map Info. The only map listed is "CN North America NT 2011.10 [1] US & Canada". When I uncheck this street map as directed, the resulting map displays show only interstates and large bodies of water - no topo, no city streets, no nothing.

Each time I call the Gamin help line I am on hold for 30 minutes. There is no way to get faster service even when you are calling back to say their advice did not work. The person at the other end seemed to have no idea why my TOPO map did not show on the Garmin's MAP INFO maps list. His only suggestion was to delete the files from the SD card and download again, which takes a LONG time. I did this. Same problem.

Garmin refuses to refund the charges.

I am glad that I will never need to buy another product from Garmin. Google maps is catching up fast, and providing much better service via smart phones.

OK, But Problems
I bought the 100K Garmin maps primarily for traveling two track forest back roads. I compared it to the DeLorme Topo and for my area, the Garmin seems to do a better job of identifying land marks. I am basically satisfied, but Garmin has a lot of room for improvement.

1. There are two generations of the 2008 100K Garmin US Topo maps. This Amazon listing shows the blue and white jewel case and has a product number of 010-11001-00. The title says Topo U.S. 2008. This is the first generation. Somewhere along the line (I am guessing the fall of 2009), Garmin replaced this version with the second generation. The new jewel case photo has a black top and bottom border with a scenery picture in the center. The title says Topo U.S. 100K, but no year is mentioned. The part number has a 1 at the end, 010-11001-01.

The topo maps themselves are identical, but there are two product differences. The first generation is only for Windows, whereas the second generation works with both Windows and Apple. The second difference is the included map management software. The first generation comes with the Garmin program called MapSource. The second generation replaced MapSource with the new Garmin program called Base Camp. It is intended primarily for trail handheld units.

It is a crap shoot as to which you will get. I ordered from this listing showing the first generation, but I actually received the second generation. I had an exchange of e-mails with Amazon before and after the sale, but they have not done anything to fix the listing. The odds are you will get the new generation since high volume sellers should have sold all the old stock.

The only issue would be if you wanted the second generation for an Apple, and they sent you the first generation. The good news is that both MapSource and Base Camp can be downloaded from the Garmin web site. Seeing as the version on the DVD will be outdated anyway, you will want to download the current version.

2. The Base Camp software is a work in progress. I do not think it is even up to beta quality. In summary, it is not intuitive, it's slow and it is buggy. The primary reason to use it is to download and manage the new Birds-Eye aerials from Garmin. However, the software can only handle a limited number before it basically quits working. I can not help but wonder how Base Camp ever got approved for production status. Many of the issues had to be obvious during the most basic testing. I hope that the product will improve over time. It seems like Garmin comes out with an update every few weeks.

The good news is that you can have both MapSource and Base Camp on your machine at the same time. I use MapSource for most of my map management functions (loading maps, waypoints, routes, etc.) and just use Base Camp for Birdseye (till it died!).

3. These maps are not the best choice for hikers. They best serve folks driving the back roads in a truck, ATV, snowmobile, etc. The contour lines at 100K give you a good idea of the terrain without cluttering the screen like a 24K map would do. This is important since you will be zoomed out more when traveling in a vehicle vs hiking. The other thing I like is it does a good job in my area of travel of providing landmark names, such as springs, mountain peaks, streams, and stock tanks.

The biggest downside as mentioned in almost all the other reviews is the lack of accuracy in placing of the roads. I suspect it is because the roads were obtained from USGS topo maps that have not been updated in over 50 or more years. Sometimes the location is right on, then farther down the road, it is not even close because the road has been changed over the years. Garmin needs to get with it. The Garmin Streets map series displays the back roads correctly in most cases on the Nuvi, but the roads on the Topo map series are way off in many cases. Also be aware that the topo maps do not have routable roads like a street GPS map.

4. The maps require a lot of space, so depending on your GPS model, you may be limited on how much you can load. I have an Oregon 450 which handles a large SD card, so I do have the space. However, I have read there is a programming limitation on how many mapsets can be loaded at one time. So even if you have the space, you still may not be able to load the complete country due to this limitation. I was going to test it, but my four year old computer displayed a message that it would take over twenty hours to load all of the sets that comprise the country! I will have to test it some other time. The U.S. Topos that Garmin sells on the SD card gets away with this by dividing the country into much larger chucks, thus requiring less mapsets. I believe they made the mapsets small on the DVD so the maps would load on old units with only a small amount of memory.

Conclusion: Overall it is a good product to get the general lay of the land and to identify land marks. However, it is far from perfect. If you are a hiker, the 24K maps from Garmin or the free 24K topos from the GPS File Depot would probably be a better choice.

A great product
This product was easy to install and has been easy to use on my GPS.

Accurate? I don't think so.
I love Amazon reviews. If a product works, I can praise it. If it doesn't, I can dis it. I am dissin' Topo US 2008 by Garmin.

It is not accurate.

I know it is 1:100,000 (o.k.a. One over the World scale) but still, it would be nice if it had some passing resemblance to the stuff on the ground.

I survey rail-trails (bike) for fun, so I get a lot of GPS time on the trail. My Garmin 60CSx GPS is a superb machine. Five stars, no question. The Topo US 2008 that came with it sucks.

Case in point ... Irvine, CA. In the Woodbridge Community there are two lakes, North and South. Only North Lake is shown on Topo 2008. One lake missing.

Case in point ... Irvine, CA. The street grid overlays Sand Canyon Reservoir. No, they have not developed a tract down in the water. The street grid overlay seems to be displaced.

Case in point ... Irvine, CA. I am surveying the Freeway Trail, which runs close along the north side of the San Diego Freeway. The map is showing me well south of the freeway. Duh!

The waypoints from the CSx, when uploaded to Google Earth are spot-on. No issues with the data; big issues with the maps.

Garmin would love to sell me a suite of electronic marine charts. Not buying. If the accuracy of those is anywhere near that of Topo US 2008, I would be on the rocks in a flash.

Realistic Expectations
I am going through the reviews here and one thing that I can see is that a lot of folks have totally unrealistic expectations for this product. A typical "quad" map that you would use for hiking is at a scale of 1:24,000. The maps used in this product are 1:100,000 which are suitable for hiking in some cases. Mostly they are going to let you know general proximity to features such as mountains, rivers major roads and so on which might possibly save your bacon if you are lost. You are dreaming folks if you think you are going to get 1:24,000 scale quad maps for the entire US for that all fits on to your little GPS unit. For instance 1:24,000 maps that cover all of the state of Oregon from the National Geographic State series is over 3GB of data and costs about 0. The amount of data that you can fit on SD cards now is amazing but not that amazing that you could fit the entire US 24k maps on a micro SD card. By the way the paper version of those maps used to cost about just for one map that covered approximately 7 miles in a north south direction and was two and half feet tall. Digital versions of these that are easy to use for the general public have only been around for about 15 years. How quickly we expect miracles in the digital age!

Garmin does make a 24k product divided up into regions like the west coast states for (Garmin MapSource TOPO! US 24k West Topographic Coverage for Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada (DVD)) which is availble on Amazon. Even this is pretty amazing to fit on to a micro sd card assuming that you can in fact load it all on.

Very quick service...
Got exactly what I ordered and in a very fast time even though I am currently overseas.

Works well enough
The mount is short enough and rigid enough to hold the gps without any problems. The mount locks on positively and is light too.

On the down side the old mounts used to include the electrical connection, and the catch was easier to operate single handed. But that's because Garmin is making cheaper hardware now, so it's not a fault of the mount. But still, it could be better, so only the four stars.

the shipment date is 3 months in the future.
Item is listed as "In Stock.", but shipment date is in 3 months(!!!!). I canceled the order.

Etrex legend
Great price and shipping time would buy again from this vendor , item sealed in factory packaging, brand new as described.

Garmin Legend H a great buy
This Garmin is an improvement over the Legend from several years ago. The USB port is more handy than the older serial port. Plenty of memory and a big screen are nice features. The menus are easy to navigate once you figure out where to go for what you want to do. I wish they had made deleting all waypoints at once easier to find and more intuitive but once you stumble on it, you know where to go. So far the only thing that has caused my other Legends to fail has been running them over with a car. They have been sturdy, rain proof and dependable.

Happy with trail mapping, still learning and a few tips
First, I got my new Legend H to do what I wanted. After opening the box, it took me about 3 hours (non field time) spread over 3 days (with field time) to show trails on GoogleEarth and download a data set in a free program recommended by UNH CoopExt. I never met a computer that was not stupid and have read too many instructions written by people who forget what it is like to be a real new user.


Yes the manual is not very wordy. Those who understand GPS units will probably consider it to be an adequate quick start guide. ATTENTION NEWBIES: expect to spend some time playing before really trying to use it. For example, the USB connection on an XP machine. The manual says to download software from [...] (period) and plug in the cable. On the web you then learn (or ignore) that you must download the USB drivers for Garmin products, in addition to the Legend software. And they leave out that you should reboot your XP computer after installing the drivers. I had to reread everything several times and then remember (after 45 minutes) the primary solution to every computer problem: turn everything off and back on. That did the trick, it communicated.

The most recent reviews about the Legend H helped make up my mind. The eTrek H was about at Walmart. A cable to connect it to my computer's USB was going to be - . The Legend I got via Amazon was 6, including cable. So for more I received: a higher res screen, 500 more waypoints, simple maps and area calculator and 24 mgs memory. The unadvertised surprise: it only took 2 days to get to me with free shipping!

Yes the screen is hard to read sometimes but that could be my eyes and contrast settings. As for the buttons and menu system, you will react in a crisis how you train. Moral of the story: make all your mistakes and develop your best practices while walking around a place you know, well before you really need it. I was at my budget limit, I am sure another 0 would solve those issues.

I am happy and now will start looking for some web based free instructions about tracks, marks and waypoints. Plus I am going to follow some of those other reviews about other free software products to turn my data into another learning curve.

Barebones GPS, but good for Geocaching
This review is specific to the Garmin Etrex Legend H model.

I've known about Geocaching for years, but wanted to finally start doing it. Bought this unit because I really just needed an inexpensive and simple GPS unit that would point me to a specific site where the Geocache is hidden.

This is not a unit you'd want for road navigation, but more for general outdoor use.

Pros:
1. For what I wanted, this unit does exactly that. Enter the coordinates and it points the way and gives you distance.

2. The screen is black and white, and does not need any illumination while out in daylight. Makes for good battery savings. It does have a back light for when it gets darker.

3. It's light and is water resistant, though I hesitate to test that feature.

4. Seems to be pretty accurate. When pulling signals from 4 satellites, generally gets me to within about 20 feet of target. When acquiring 6 or more satellites, 5-7 feet is more the norm. I once had it tracking 8 satellites when taking the waypoint, and then 8 again at another time when finding that waypoint, and it put me virtually in the same exact spot I was standing the first time.

Cons:
1. Except for major highways and major roads, there is no maps built-in. No topo maps. No road maps, etc. Furthermore, I've been to the Garmin site, and there don't seem to be any additional maps to buy, except ones that cost more than the unit itself did. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place. If that's the case, my complaint is the Garmin site is not very helpful.

2. My connecting to computers via USB has been iffy. My Windows XP machine just plain didn't recognize the device. My Windows 7 machine recognized it the first time, but took forever to recognize it the second time.

3. It's compass is strictly GPS driven. If you are standing still, there is no magnetic compass feature. To be fair, I knew this going in, but it would have been nice to have.

4. Not the most intuitive controls. Definitely took a read through the manual and some experimentation before I understood what each menu item did.

Ridiculous Manual
The Legend H is my first GPS receiver of any kind. If that's you situation, be prepared to spend quite some time on the web or in the library researching how to use this unit because the Garmin supplied 'manual' isn't worth the paper it's printed on. And don't expect to find any help on Garmin's web site either. A brief example: The Legend H is WAAS-compatible so naturally you'd enable WAAS. But if your Legend can't see one of the two WAAS satellites (mine hasn't yet), the accuracy of your Legend is reduced. No mention of this in the manual; there's no index entry for WAAS.