Comments on: GARMIN Rino 530HCx http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/handheld-gps/rino-530hcx-handheld-gps-navigator-with-two-way-radio/ Independent Customer Reviews of Popular Marine Electronics Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:33:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/handheld-gps/rino-530hcx-handheld-gps-navigator-with-two-way-radio/comment-page-1/#comment-4 Anonymous Tue, 26 May 2009 20:29:07 +0000 http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/?p=157#comment-4 I use this device for navigating around the woods at night training hunting hounds. I also use it for snowmobiling, hiking, and deer hunting. It is an excellent device, and very accurate. I use it with topo maps and compasses. It is very reliable. The battery lasts for fifteen hours. This device will significantly add to your ability to navigate wild places. The two way and weather radio is useful as well. The included map is not all that good, so you should buy either the topo or highway programs available from Mapsource. The altimeter is very accurate. There is a main menu which has a variety of features to set up the device to your liking. There are even some included goodies like a stopwatch, a calender, and a calculator. A compass is included, which is very handy because when you want to go back to a waypoint, it shows you the actual direction to go. I am glad I have it but will add one caveat. Do not abandon your topo map and compass. I was raised with maps and compasses in a variety of venues I continue to use them in conjunction with my Rino. I use this device for navigating around the woods at night training hunting hounds. I also use it for snowmobiling, hiking, and deer hunting. It is an excellent device, and very accurate. I use it with topo maps and compasses. It is very reliable. The battery lasts for fifteen hours. This device will significantly add to your ability to navigate wild places. The two way and weather radio is useful as well. The included map is not all that good, so you should buy either the topo or highway programs available from Mapsource. The altimeter is very accurate. There is a main menu which has a variety of features to set up the device to your liking. There are even some included goodies like a stopwatch, a calender, and a calculator. A compass is included, which is very handy because when you want to go back to a waypoint, it shows you the actual direction to go. I am glad I have it but will add one caveat. Do not abandon your topo map and compass. I was raised with maps and compasses in a variety of venues I continue to use them in conjunction with my Rino.

]]> By: C. Thornton http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/handheld-gps/rino-530hcx-handheld-gps-navigator-with-two-way-radio/comment-page-1/#comment-7 C. Thornton Wed, 13 May 2009 20:32:34 +0000 http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/?p=157#comment-7 So far I myself have to say that I like this product and will tell others about it. I have two frends that bought the rino and we have used it alot. So if you are going to buy one do so they have a lot of infomation on them and I find more stuff out the more I use it. Only thing would to buy the chip with so to be able to down load the mor detail maps So far I myself have to say that I like this product and will tell others about it. I have two frends that bought the rino and we have used it alot. So if you are going to buy one do so they have a lot of infomation on them and I find more stuff out the more I use it. Only thing would to buy the chip with so to be able to down load the mor detail maps

]]> By: James http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/handheld-gps/rino-530hcx-handheld-gps-navigator-with-two-way-radio/comment-page-1/#comment-6 James Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:30:14 +0000 http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/?p=157#comment-6 Bought this for Geocaching. Works great! Lots of fun, easy to use. I use the 2-way radio with another, smaller 2-way radio made by Cobra and I get great range. The Weather Band is great to have, I use that occasionally. Highly recommended GPS. Just a little expensive. Bought this for Geocaching. Works great! Lots of fun, easy to use. I use the 2-way radio with another, smaller 2-way radio made by Cobra and I get great range. The Weather Band is great to have, I use that occasionally. Highly recommended GPS. Just a little expensive.

]]> By: Jimmy Blevins http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/handheld-gps/rino-530hcx-handheld-gps-navigator-with-two-way-radio/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Jimmy Blevins Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:33:52 +0000 http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/?p=157#comment-9 bought this unit for a Deer hunt in Utah. While there are many things to like about it, my unit had a number of negatives that ended up being a dealbreaker with me. I would also like to preface this review by saying that I have extensive experience with marine GPS units, starting with the first small black and white Garmin unit I purchased 18 years ago to the latest top of the line Garmin 5212 GPS Chartplotter. Because of this, I feel that my hopes were set too high and perhaps I had unrealistic expectations for this unit. First off, I think the display is too small. I found myself constantly zooming in and out. When you zoom out to a certain point, roads disappear. Funky battery pack design: It's an add-on module affair. It was designed to be changed out for the alkaline battery pack (available as an accessory from Garmin). I realize it was designed to prevent water intrusion , but the battery pack should and could easily be designed so that it is fully internal in the main case of the unit, as it is on nearly all handheld (and now fully submersible) Marine VHF radios. Battery life of the Li ion battery is OK if you are using just the GPS. Use of the radio will rapidly deplete the battery. In just one day of hunting, (4hrs morning, 4hrs evening) the battery was half discharged after very minimal radio use. Better you make sure that you get the (optional at extra cost) car charger. BTW, the charger connects to the unit via a super-funky (and easily lost...) clip-on adapter. Garmin states that the radio has a 14 mile range set at 5W. I found that, in the mountainous area we were hunting in, that 2-3 miles is about the best you could hope for. Radio transmissions were crispy and clear though. I don't know what other radios this can communicate with, so if others in your party are not similarly equipped, you may be just as well off with the radioless 520 model. It's funny, the use of these UHF frequencies require the user to obtain and FCC LICENSE...there was never any mention of this in anything I have read re this unit, nor in the owners manual. Speaking of which, the owners manual is (typical for this type of equipment...) not well written and missing critical details. Too bad, because this unit is not what I would describe as intuitive, and can be downright confusing to operate without several days for intensive familiarization. The most glaring issue I had with this unit is that it switched itself off for no apparent reason 6-7 times in the course of only 2 days use. I called Garmin on this issue and they postulated that it was "probably some kind of software glitch". They further stated that I "sounded unhappy" and actually encouraged me to return the unit. I felt this was an odd response for such a large company. From the number of "refurb" units I see for sale, this strikes me a probably not an isolated instance. bought this unit for a Deer hunt in Utah. While there are many things to like about it, my unit had a number of negatives that ended up being a dealbreaker with me. I would also like to preface this review by saying that I have extensive experience with marine GPS units, starting with the first small black and white Garmin unit I purchased 18 years ago to the latest top of the line Garmin 5212 GPS Chartplotter. Because of this, I feel that my hopes were set too high and perhaps I had unrealistic expectations for this unit.
First off, I think the display is too small. I found myself constantly zooming in and out. When you zoom out to a certain point, roads disappear. Funky battery pack design: It’s an add-on module affair. It was designed to be changed out for the alkaline battery pack (available as an accessory from Garmin). I realize it was designed to prevent water intrusion , but the battery pack should and could easily be designed so that it is fully internal in the main case of the unit, as it is on nearly all handheld (and now fully submersible) Marine VHF radios. Battery life of the Li ion battery is OK if you are using just the GPS. Use of the radio will rapidly deplete the battery. In just one day of hunting, (4hrs morning, 4hrs evening) the battery was half discharged after very minimal radio use. Better you make sure that you get the (optional at extra cost) car charger. BTW, the charger connects to the unit via a super-funky (and easily lost…) clip-on adapter.
Garmin states that the radio has a 14 mile range set at 5W. I found that, in the mountainous area we were hunting in, that 2-3 miles is about the best you could hope for. Radio transmissions were crispy and clear though. I don’t know what other radios this can communicate with, so if others in your party are not similarly equipped, you may be just as well off with the radioless 520 model. It’s funny, the use of these UHF frequencies require the user to obtain and FCC LICENSE…there was never any mention of this in anything I have read re this unit, nor in the owners manual. Speaking of which, the owners manual is (typical for this type of equipment…) not well written and missing critical details. Too bad, because this unit is not what I would describe as intuitive, and can be downright confusing to operate without several days for intensive familiarization.
The most glaring issue I had with this unit is that it switched itself off for no apparent reason 6-7 times in the course of only 2 days use. I called Garmin on this issue and they postulated that it was “probably some kind of software glitch”. They further stated that I “sounded unhappy” and actually encouraged me to return the unit. I felt this was an odd response for such a large company. From the number of “refurb” units I see for sale, this strikes me a probably not an isolated instance.

]]> By: RadarNix http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/handheld-gps/rino-530hcx-handheld-gps-navigator-with-two-way-radio/comment-page-1/#comment-8 RadarNix Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:33:18 +0000 http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/?p=157#comment-8 To make a long story short: I took my kids on what was supposed to be a short quad ride in the mountains and left my wife at the truck. About 2 miles into this trail in an area I've never been, one quad runs out of Oil, and the big quad almost out of Gas. Sun goingd down quick, no idea where we were, and no way to communicate back to base. We decided after this event was over, look for decent communication gear for these types of situations. I created a simple checklist: 1. Longer range comm. (Keep this in perspective, I'm happy with a couple miles) 2. GPS. 3. Ability to send position. 4. Ability to Poll position. What if I fell and broke my neck? Better yet, what if I lost it :) So, I researched and found these bad boys! I bought 2. Though they are somewhat expensive, safety is well worth it. Out of the box, they feel rugged enough, but not so rugged I can throw them off the roof. They come with the strap, belt clip, charger, and USB cable(I'll get to this). Supposedly they carry a charge long enough for 14 hours of use. I've used them for over 4 and had well over half left. Range: So far I've got around 2 miles in town(housing) using GMRS. The keying isn't instant, you have to hold the transmit for just under a second then talk. Screen: Not the greatest in the world, nowhere close to what you'd get off of a dedicated car GPS, but definitely usable. There are settings to turn off clutter which helps since the screen is smaller.. Buttons: The only thing I wonder about is the navigation stick. Time will tell how well this holds up, but so far so good. Back to the USB cable: You can connect this device to a computer for updates and map loads. So far I've tested the Topo maps, and Road maps. Nice added functionality, but more cost. You need a microSD card for this. As with most newer GPS', this unit does auto-routing, lookups, etc. No voice command as far as I can tell. It has a built in compass, could be helpful. Barometer, altimeter... SO, it accomplishes what I needed and more. When you transmit to talk, the unit transmits its location at the end updating the other units. You can poll the position of another unit in your contacts list if you haven't heard from them. You can even send little text messages if you don't want to talk; this could be handy if the others can't understand what you are saying. It does do GeoCaching if that's your thing. So there's more functionality than I discuss. I'm extremely satisfied with these. NOTE: One of the units I first received had an issue where it wouldn't transmit more than about 15 feet. Since I ordered from Amazon, I created the RMA, and had a new one in 2 days. No hassle at all. You MAY find a cheaper price, but dealing with Amazon is super easy. Don't be cheap and order from Joe Schmoes online who nobody ever heard of to save $20. I hope this helps. To make a long story short:
I took my kids on what was supposed to be a short quad ride in the mountains and left my wife at the truck.

About 2 miles into this trail in an area I’ve never been, one quad runs out of Oil, and the big quad almost out of Gas. Sun goingd down quick, no idea where we were, and no way to communicate back to base.

We decided after this event was over, look for decent communication gear for these types of situations.

I created a simple checklist:
1. Longer range comm. (Keep this in perspective, I’m happy with a couple miles)
2. GPS.
3. Ability to send position.
4. Ability to Poll position. What if I fell and broke my neck? Better yet, what if I lost it :)

So, I researched and found these bad boys! I bought 2.

Though they are somewhat expensive, safety is well worth it.

Out of the box, they feel rugged enough, but not so rugged I can throw them off the roof. They come with the strap, belt clip, charger, and USB cable(I’ll get to this).

Supposedly they carry a charge long enough for 14 hours of use. I’ve used them for over 4 and had well over half left.

Range: So far I’ve got around 2 miles in town(housing) using GMRS. The keying isn’t instant, you have to hold the transmit for just under a second then talk.

Screen: Not the greatest in the world, nowhere close to what you’d get off of a dedicated car GPS, but definitely usable. There are settings to turn off clutter which helps since the screen is smaller..

Buttons: The only thing I wonder about is the navigation stick. Time will tell how well this holds up, but so far so good.

Back to the USB cable:
You can connect this device to a computer for updates and map loads. So far I’ve tested the Topo maps, and Road maps. Nice added functionality, but more cost. You need a microSD card for this.

As with most newer GPS’, this unit does auto-routing, lookups, etc. No voice command as far as I can tell.

It has a built in compass, could be helpful. Barometer, altimeter…

SO, it accomplishes what I needed and more. When you transmit to talk, the unit transmits its location at the end updating the other units. You can poll the position of another unit in your contacts list if you haven’t heard from them. You can even send little text messages if you don’t want to talk; this could be handy if the others can’t understand what you are saying. It does do GeoCaching if that’s your thing. So there’s more functionality than I discuss.

I’m extremely satisfied with these.

NOTE: One of the units I first received had an issue where it wouldn’t transmit more than about 15 feet. Since I ordered from Amazon, I created the RMA, and had a new one in 2 days. No hassle at all.

You MAY find a cheaper price, but dealing with Amazon is super easy. Don’t be cheap and order from Joe Schmoes online who nobody ever heard of to save $20.

I hope this helps.

]]> By: BTJones http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/handheld-gps/rino-530hcx-handheld-gps-navigator-with-two-way-radio/comment-page-1/#comment-5 BTJones Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:29:45 +0000 http://marine-electronics-ratings.com/?p=157#comment-5 Would be worth a few extra bucks to have the option of purchasing the unit with factory installed street map or topo software chips.I have read other reviews that tell of a lot of trouble installing it yourself. Physically it is a simple matter of inserting the chip. The problem it seems is with the software and tech support. Would be worth a few extra bucks to have the option of purchasing the unit with factory installed street map or topo software chips.I have read other reviews that tell of a lot of trouble installing it yourself. Physically it is a simple matter of inserting the chip. The problem it seems is with the software and tech support.

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