Customer Reviews
Garmin Rino 530HCX 
2008-10-04
best thing going for keeping track of your buddies as long as everyone has a Rino. Reception can be a problem in rough terrain but I heard and tracked someone on a mountain 76 miles away. uses battery power fast so I recommend the AA battry pack backup. It's big and ugly but it works.
Great start poor endind 
2008-09-22
This is a great powerful GPS given the right conditions. I praised the improvements from the rino 130. Great features and options.
Unfortunately my GPS battery wont re-charge after the first use. there goes 50 in one battery pack.
To my surprise i could not load the routes from the computer to the GPS. OK, the routes would load but an error would come up when I tried to use the roads. This feature was no problem with the rino 130
Maybe it is an defect in my system or the battery pack.
I was initialy pumped and impressed and ended up disappointed.
Field use of 530hcx 2008-09-11
I have used man GPS receivers and 2 way radios. I have to say I am most impressed with the function of the 530 HCX. IT does an amazing job at locating others. I used it primarily at a music/art event called Burning Man in the Nevada desert. There is no cell coverage there so 2 way radios are the only way to communicate. I was able to place on in my wife's purse and one in our mobile art car. In the past 2 way radios only worked if both people were trying to find each other. With the 530hcx, when separated, I could page out "Poll" my wife and see just where she or our art car were. The party on the other end of the device does not need to have any knowledge as to how it works. I would then walk to where she was on the map, look around and in most cases find her within 25 feet.
The reason I did not give it 5 stars is that the polling feature is buried deep within several levels of menus. It would be nice to make it available on the top level. Many of the features require a day or two of use to become fluid with. Be sure to practice before you need anything in a real life emergency.
Great Product? 2008-08-19
I recently purchased a Garmin Rino 530HCX, it is a great product, I am having a problem using the peer to peer with the Rino 120, in a dense forest the position updates take longer than I would like but i dont think this is because of the 530HCX, its most likely the fault of the rino 120. It gets bad reception even at a 1/4 mile from a moving vehicle, and unless it has a clear pathway to the 530 it doesnt seem to update. I would assume that if both parties had the 530HCX the recpeption and the peer to peer would be better, this is a case of "your only as strong as your weekest link" and in this case its the 120.
Worth about $200 2008-07-13
I have had this unit for a few months. I should have returned it. First the positive: It is durable, I have dropped it once, and it has flown off my bike twice and still works. The trip manager is very nice. You can choose many different types of information to view and the "big numbers" feature is great for cycling.
Now the negs. I have found the "track back" feature worthless. If you are counting on this to lead you back to camp after getting lost, forget it.
If you use the belt clip, you will likely lose the satellite connection, and you won't get it back unless you reboot (I had to figure this out on my own). Therefore, while hiking, you must carry the unit in your hand or attach it to the top of your backpack (very inconvenient). I agree with the review that states the manual should explain more on how the features could be used. Very poor documentation. The very expensive topo map does not have good trail information at all. It tells you the elevation of the surrounding mountains and shows major waterways but for the money it cost, it should have all established hiking/biking trails. The optional bike adapter is cheaply made and broke under the weight of this unit. I should have just purchased a cycling GPS instead.
Great Upgrade to the base 530 version! 
2008-05-17
Know exactly where you are at all times with Rino 530HCx and the precision of high-sensitivity GPS. This waterproof FRS/GMRS radio plus GPS navigator adds a barometric altimeter, electronic compass and NOAA weather radio in addition to the popular features of the Rino 520HCx - 5 watts of transmit power, a microSD card slot, brilliant color display and a high-sensitivity GPS receiver - so you'll never be lost again.
Excellent Handheld GPS 2008-02-13
I have had this GPS now for about 2 months. Primarily purchased it for use with backpacking although I have now been geocaching with it as well. The screen is easy to see and controls are fairly straightforward. The added radio works well (although to use GMRS, you need a FCC license) and picks up NOAA weather easily. You can create your own topo maps for this GPS, not the easiest to do, but gives you the most freedom. I have loaded a few topos I've made myself into the GPS. Connection to a computer is simple. Battery works well, lasts ~14hours before giving out. I have used the optional alkaline (NiMH) pack and gotten about 10 hours with it. Note that this does not include transmitting on the radio. The really neat option is being able to transmit your position and reading in other RINO positions which I have done.
One drawback is indeed the documentation. You will learn to use it the most just by using it and using the guide as a starting point.
Overall, good GPS with lots of options.
One of the best handheld GPS in the market 2008-02-04
I have spent a lot of time researching handheld GPSs and I think that the Rino 530 is by far one of the best in the market. It is very durable and accurate. I had enter a benchmark as a waypoint and I was standing on the benchmark and it said I was within 2 feet of the way point. For a handheld GPS this is scary accurate. With all its features, and its accuracy it is the most bang for your buck.
The thing that was the most impressive is the battery life. I kept it on for almost 30 hours and it only used up about 40% of its battery, and it was not a idle on, but using the GPS and radio constantly. Too many features to elabrorate on each one of them. But for serious hikers and Geocachers this is a great tool.
battery life info 2008-01-30
Just received this unit -- arrived quickly from Amazon, as usual. Display is bright, controls simple to use, sensitivity of gps receiver is excellent (I can get reception in my basement, although I have lost signal inside my local, small-town, one-room grocery store). I have an older Garmin which is working fine, but I purchased this one for the added benefit of the radio capability, in case of emergency in wilderness while treking with my 9 and 12 year old daughters.
With a fully charged, brand new rechargable battery as supplied with the unit, I got 40 hours of continuous use. I turned off the radio during all but 1 hour of this time but had the WAAS enabled. During this time, I took it with me while I ran errands, took 2 short day hikes, and went to work, but did not carry it on my person around the home. With 4 brand new, high quality brand name AA batteries (using the separately purchased alkaline battery pack), I got 19 hours of continuous use under similar conditions. After reading Hinch's book on GPS use, I did turn off the WAAS after about 8 hours into this trial. I did not have the radio on at all during the alkaline battery trial, although I did "fiddle" with the pages and settings more often than the rechargable trial (was reading the Hinch book simultaneous with the alkaline trial, so I tried a couple of the tasks in the book during this time).
The base map supplied with the unit provides minimal street information and (as with any map from any source) some inaccuracies. Lists our grade school parking lot as "Black Partridge Park" -- which is actually a very large prairie/forest preserve located just outside of our little town.
Be aware: you cannot load any map onto this unit except those specifically provided/sold by Garmin. To my knowledge, this is true for all gps units; the units with mapping features will only accept those from the manufacturer of the receiver. You can, however, download waypoints generated from other mapping software programs.
Have not tested the radio capability in the wild, but I see others have reported 5 mile range under typical wilderness conditions. The discrepancy between this irl range and the 14 miles listed on specs (which is always the maximum obtainable under totally optimal conditions) is entirely par for 2 way radio range estimates. If you plan to use the GMRS radio frequencies, you will need an FCC license. No training or test required; just an $85 fee. Easy to obtain online.
BTW: highly recommend Stephen Hinch book, Outdoor Navigation With GPS. I've been a basic-feature gps user for several years, but wanted a better understanding of the more advanced features and the jargon.
I can't believe this thing, it's too cool 2008-01-20
This thing is too cool. My wife purchased the Rino530 for Christmas and it wouldn't do what I needed. Amazon was great about the return. They said it may take a couple of weeks but I had return credit in four days.
I got the Rino530HCX so that I could load topo and street maps on it. I had a little trouble to begin with loading the map but Garmin's support was great. They haven't outsourced it to India and there wasn't any problem understanding them. The problem that I had was because I had an unlock code for the 530 that I traded in. The Garmin rep had to get permission from a supervisor and called me back instead of putting me on hold. She was right on the money and I have no trouble with the new unlock code.
The only map that I have had a chance to use is the City Navigator. I work for the Dallas Fire Department and the GPS on our equipment is all but useless. The Rino is great. It's easy to use and so far accurate. I was driving down a street that I've known as a kid. The Rino called it's name as Bryan but I just knew I was on Beltline. I mean I've been driving this street since the 60's. I looked over at a street sign and sure enough I was on Bryan. It warns you by beeping when you get close to a turn and it double beeps when you are there. The screen is easy to read both day and night and it has an automatic zoom feature that enlarges the map when you need it.
I have been very impressed with this unit and can't wait to get it on the trail. I'm sure it will take a long time to learn everything it can do but it is a huge help already.
