Garmin GPS Receiver

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

Fantastic – buy one immediately. IMMEDIATELY!!

Much smaller than you may think – fantastic.

GPS speed — super fast, fantastic.

Display and controls — absolutely fantastic. As simple as they can possibly be, yet does every single thing you want. See your exact miles/yards walked, exact time (both moving, stopped, average, etc etc etc) and everything else from sunset time to height climbed or whatever.

Battery life, fantastic, 15 to 20 hours.

Works with computers PERFECTLY. If you have basic understanding of computers — so for example you do know how to “Open A File” — you will have a ball with this machine:

The 401 is simply a USB hard drive — just connect it to your laptop using a normal compact USB cable. (They pointlessly give you a cable for free with the 401 package…like you don’t have ten laying around already from your video camera, USB drives and everything else.)

So, simply plug in the 401 to your laptop. You will instantly see a file “Current.gpx” GPX is the label for GPS files.

Now, open the file — so for example launch Google Earth and open your “Current.gpx” file in Google Earth. You will immediately see the track where you walked shown as a blue line on the Google Earth map!!

Or, look on the web for one of the awesome track measuring applets (eg at utrack dot crempa dot net) and get graphs, etc, of your speed and the like.

It literally could not be simpler — nothing to install, no passwords, nothing.

Once again assuming you “know how to open a file” you will have no problem.

TIP: the 401 uselessly includes a digital COMPASS, as a freebie (much like the digital compass in say an iPhone). Digital compasses are of little or no value; however they use a lot of battery power. Look through the settings and turn OFF the digial compass.

Note that, of course, like any GPS unit, the unit will flawlessly and perfectly show you your heading AS YOU ARE WALKING, using the GPS signals (nothing to do with a magnetic compass). But the actual “digital compass” (i.e., you are sitting by the fire and you want to see which way “North” is) is largely useless (not because of the 401 — all digital compasses are useless), so just turn it off in settings to save power.

Tip — if you want rechargeable batteries, buy the terrific LaCrosse smart charger, and some eneloop batteries.

Enjoy your hike! Buy one of these before Garmin changes it to something confusing and not so good.

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

One of my Foretrex101s expired a few weeks ago and I decided to replace it with the just released Foretrex401. It arrived mid-week and I had no trouble accessing and opening the Foretrex401 generated gpx file with Easy/ExpertGPS and Topofusion. The 401 appears as a USB drive in Windows. I was hoping to use the 401 along with the Garmin heart rate monitor during my mtbike rides instead of the my Edge205 and separate HRM. The 401 had no trouble picking up the HR reading and displaying the values.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Garmin website has no substantial information of the 401 as of yet and no discussion of what software will work with the 401.
[...]
At this point the Foretex401 appears to be corporate orphan that no Garmin division is able or willing to support. It is unclear if it is intended for jumping out of airplanes (jumpmaster function), hiking (altimeter/compass), cycling/fitness (HR/cadence) or providing a heads-up when ordinance is going to explode (countdown-up/timer). In addition to the above, function wise, the 401 adds a USB interface, faster satellite acquisition and wireless data transfer to the venerable Foretrex101. It is slightly more compact in size than the 101, has a better strap attachments and stores the data is in a gpx file. Operationally the Foretex401 does what is it supposed to do but with no software included, undocumented functions and virtually non-existent technical support, most purchasers will be frustrated in trying to use the Foretrex401 right out of the box. A printed quick start guide is in the box but the manual in a pdf on the CD.

As noted above, with some tinkering and non Garmin software I’ve been able to list and view the Foretex401 tracks, waypoints, routes and other data as well as transfer the data to GoogleEarth. For what Garmin lists as a basic handheld GPS it should be much more straightforward to operate and transfer data. I’ll give it 2 stars until it is better supported.

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

Easy to use right out of the box. Gets a fix in less than 30 seconds and is water proof. This is a great piece of gear for any tactical environment or hiking and camping. I am currently using this in Afghanistan and would not want another GPS in this environment.

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

I have not used this item extensively yet, but the setup process is quite simple. Im using this product for military purposes and finding which datum to put in was i a breeze (just read the manual) and i also verified. The 10 digit grid with a military map so i know it works. I really havent used any of the other features like the compass but ill update once i do. P.S. for ang other military grunts out there you’ll want to set it to MGRS (military grid reference system) and for stateside use NAD27 CONUS (continental united states).

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

This is a great GPS. Great for military use to pass up FLOTs and such

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

This GPS is excellent. I use it for military application in a tactical environment and also for long hikes in dense trees in the mountains. Truly a great product, extremely easy to use controls, easy to read and understand screen and very durable. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a highly quality GPS that will be used in an outdoor setting.

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

The MGRS feature is great. I also like to keep track of how many miles we move, which this is great for as well. For the convenience, this isn’t bad. It’s a tad bulky when you wear it on your wrist and under your top. I suppose you could just wear it on a loop or something like that but you’d risk damage to it or risk losing it.

For you 13 series guys out there, this handy little device can give you mils as well. It also gives elevation. This is great for a forward observer.

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

This GPS is handy for equestrians for trail riding and competitive trail riding. Big, simple screen, yet GPS is small enough that it is worn on the wrist for easy viewing. Batteries last long enough for a weekend of riding.

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

The Garmin Foretrex 401 was purchased when my ageing Magellan Explorist finally failed to boot.
The Garmin was quicker out of the box in acquiring satellites and position fix, and accuracy apears to be better.
The compass function is, of course, imperfect but still perfectly usable for my primary purpose (geotagging of photos). The compass may require occasional calibration.
Battery life with two brand-new freshly charged Maha Powerex 1000s is about 16 hours, with the light on for over 6 of those hours. Older, nearly failing batteries with several hundred uses on them gave me about 3 hours.
The lack of mapping capability isn’t an issue with my current use, and seems a reasonable compromise with the compact size.
Storage capacity is limited, I ran out of space for tracklog storage with 9 tracklogs of about 20 miles (<2 hours travel) each.
The .gpx file opens easily in GeoSetter.
As others have noted, documentation isn’t the greatest, but I have found it easy to use.

This review is from: Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)

I originally purchased a Suunto X9I to have an easy GPS system to use hands free. After owning it a week I returned it and picked up the Garmin Foretrex 401 and was shocked on how fast and easy it was to use! Right out of the box it was ready for use and the quick reference guide was all I needed to get started. Quick satellite pickup in and out of a vehicle, superb location ability make it perfect for Geocashing and hiking. Garmin used great design for the 2AAA battery power concept, no longer do I have to make sure my GPS internal battery is all charged up before I leave. Multiple ways to edit locations, track movement, and set waypoints makes this device an exceptional investment for anyone who wants hands free GPS capabilities a great choice.