Ratings: Ease of Use, Performance: 23/25, Look & Feel: 23/25, Features & Software 25/25, How much I enjoy 23/25
Total: 94/100
Ease of use and software is where the ONIX200CR from Bushnell is going to achieve it’s highest acclaim. With such simple features and some very easy and well made software the Bushnell ONIX200CR handheld GPS unit is great.
The Bushnell ONIX200CR is a great and easy to use handheld GPS unit. Using this unit to store locations for hunting fishing or just hiking is easy. The ONIX200CR can be used as a regular compass when hiking or to navigate to a specific location using waypoints.
Here are the features of the ONIX200CR:
Layer a satellite photo, topo map, compass and all navigational aids on a single screen with TruView Navigation
320 x 240 pixel full-color LCD screen
32MB of memory 128MB of SDRAM
Downloads, displays and georeferences satellite photography
SafeTrack™ battery-conservation mode
Night Mode
HOT button operation
Basemap of the United States and Canada
20 channel SiRF GPS receiver
WAAS enabled
Stores up to 500 Waypoints, 20 Trails and 20 Routes
Audible alarms
Waterproof (IPX7 rated) and rugged construction
Customizable user profiles
Runs on two AA batteries (not included)
USB port (cable included)
Dimensions:
108mm (h) x 44mm (w) x 18mm (d)
You can use the track and route functions to find your way on a pre made route or return to a trail that you hike or follow to find the exact path you had previously been on. The route feature is a point to point path you can create at home on your computer for great hiking or hunting use. The trail feature is also great for hunting during preseason scouting and when you return during the season to find that great spot you have an easy to follow trail map.
Hiking is a great feature for following a route you choose at home by simply creating a hiking route using the small hiking symbol. Using a map like ones available from the internet at Bushnell or Google earth you can plan out a hike and set waypoint coordinates for spots along a hiking trail. The Bushnell map where you download maps also has a great feature on the side of the map that shows the exact coordinates for the cursor so you can find a path you wish to take through a park or forest and set waypoints so you don’t get lost.
I have reviewed and used several handheld GPS units not only reviewing them for this site but working with a local 4-H club and providing recommendations for units they should purchase. I have tried out many of the major brands and used them to see how they work for Geocaching and general navigation and the Bushnell’s software is the easiest to use.
Installing the Bushnell GPS PC Companion software is easy and takes a few minutes of time. The Bushnell GPS PC Companion is a simple and easy to use software suite for your GPS unit that does not require any tutorials or other help to use. If you want to set a waypoint or other point anywhere on the United States map that pops up when you open the program simply click on the symbol on the side of the map for Add Waypoint.
A box will pop open with the coordinates boxes that you fill in for your waypoint. There are sets of boxes for the different coordinate systems so no matter if your waypoint information is in simple Degrees with a decimal point, degrees and minutes or degrees, minutes and seconds you simply fill in the boxes that match what your coordinates are and the software places a marker at the point on the map.
The Bushnell software does not interface with common Geocaching software for easy to use Geocache points but all you have to do is place waypoints for your Geocache positions and use the simple write to GPS unit feature to insert them into the handheld GPS unit. Downloading and uploading waypoints or points of interest is very simple with the companion software.
When your GPS unit is connected to the computer the icons for uploading and downloading waypoints, the program calls them read and write data, appears and you can click on them to perform the appropriate function. The computer program automatically performs any conversions for you so reading and writing data is very simple.
The Bushnell GPS PC Companion software comes with regular maps that include large topographic features such as lakes, highways and rivers. The Bushnell website that you download the topographic maps and aerial photo images from allows you to download four free maps when you first purchase the unit. After that you will need to purchase the maps at a very reasonable price; $1.00 per map, 25 maps for $20 or an annual subscription of unlimited downloads for $79.
Maps are also a much needed and great function but the regular topographic maps are so boring. Yes, you can load them to your Bushnell ONIX200CR using the program, simply select an area you want on the map in the companion software and click on write to GPS unit. The software puts the topographic map in the appropriate folder for you.
But if you wanted a nice aerial photo of a town or hiking area you can also upload many areas using aerial photos. Some places do not have these aerial photos but many across the United States does, and most major attractions such as Washington D.C., New York City and Los Angeles are there.
These aerial photos include much detail such as the ones I included from Washington D.C. in my photos but you can only see about a quarter mile square in decent detail. When you zoom in further the aerial photo is blurred by the fact that it is comprised of pixels and when you zoom in past a certain scale it is just large boxes of differencing colors.
The aerial photo is a great feature and very handy for finding your way when there are large distinct objects that you can use as navigation such as the White House in D.C. You can also get a better idea of the landscape features such as valleys and ridges that are useable for hiking using the aerial photos that do not show up on topographic maps as well.
But these features are only part of the whole picture, you can also layer screens and photos so you get a mix of aerial photos and topography for an even better route and navigation aid. Using the screen layering feature you can download a topography map and an aerial photo and combine these two for an even better way to find your way. I have included a picture of this in action for the Washington DC area and you can see the benefits of this even on the pretty grainy picture.
The Bushnell ONIX200CR comes with the handheld GPS unit, a USB cord, the manual and CD containing a manual and the Bushnell GPS PC Companion program. One thing that is decidedly lacking with this GPS unit that I have seen on every other unit is a place to attach a string or cord for easy around the neck carrying. You can purchase an attachment pack that screws into the hole in the back of the unit but I am really not sure why they did not include this with the base unit.
Another thing that I found was not as well designed with the Bushnell GPS unit was with the scrolling around of the cursor. They use a nice rubber coated button system for moving the cursor but it does take a bit of work to get the cursor to move where you want it. The directions for cursor movement are only up, down, left and right whereas many other units I have used moves the cursor in any direction using a small joystick. This is not that big a deal but does take a bit to get used to.
Overall the Bushnell is a very good handheld GPS unit with plenty of features. One of the best is the SafeTrack mode. You can set a route to follow and turn on SafeTrack to conserve battery power. The units screen will turn off and a green light will turn on. When you are safely following the track you have chosen the green light will stay on but when you go off your path the light will turn red and an audible alarm sounds to let you know to change course.
This feature alone saves much of the battery power and still keeps the unit safely in contact with the satellites during your hike as well as keeps you heading in the right direction.
I highly recommend the Bushnell ONIXCR200 for a simple and easy to use handheld GPS unit that would be great for hiking, fishing and hunting or simple Geocaching.
