Vista HCx vs. Cx - Micro Review - Part 2 (HCx)

This is Part 2 of a 2 part “micro review” of the new Garmin Vista HCx GPS unit as compared to the Garmin Vista Cx. Part 1 can be found here.

A common complaint of many Vista owners is the accuracy of the receiver. If you get into heavy tree cover or narrow canyons the unit really struggles to maintain satellite reception. Well, in answer to that Garmin released the new HCx line which boasts a high sensitivity receiver (the H in HCx). I picked one of these up and decided to try it out head to head with the Cx on a trail on which the Cx has struggled before. Note this is my experience with a single hike on a single trail. Furthermore, I am comparing only the apparent performance of the receiver in each model. Thus the “micro” review. More thorough comparisons have been done. If you are serious about comparing the 2 models you should seek out this additional information.

This trip, Part 2, is the trail according to the HCx. As I said before, I have taken the Cx on this trail in the past and it has struggled. It will repeatedly lose satellite reception. This results in gaps in your track and inconsistencies in your data (speed, distance, etc). Lets see how the HCx stacked up.

The first thing that should be pointed out is that the HCx never once lost satellite reception. Pretty remarkable and quite a luxury. All of the data in my trip computer looked correct. Certainly my max speed was within my capabilities! This was an out and back trip on the same trail. When you look at the map, notice how close the 2 tracks are to each other. It actually looks like I was walking on the same trail. Likewise, the track very closely followed the trail as indicated on the topo map on the unit. I noted in Part 1 that the Cx reported better accuracy than the HCx. Well, I guess the HCx was just being conservative because it was clearly more accurate.

All that said, I’m very happy with the HCx. I think the new high sensitivity receiver will be great. However, the Cx is still a great unit and in many cases I think the problems it suffers are no more than a slight nuisance. It really just depends on how much accuracy you think you need. If you already own a Cx the decision to upgrade should be made carefully. However, if you are buying new, unless you can find a great deal on the Cx (dealers making room for the HCx…), I think it definitely makes sense to get the new HCx.