publication 303-204

Virginia Geospatial Extension Program

The Garmin eTrex Legend:

An Introductory Handbook for Natural
Resource Professionals and Educators
John McGee, Extension Geospatial Specialist, Virginia Tech
Mike Clifford Sr., Extension Agent Emeritus

Marketing material suggests that the Legend GPS

GPS: An Introduction receiver will require new batteries (2 AAs) after
and the Basics approximately 32 hours of use. Personal experience,
This handbook is intended to provide users with a however, suggests that batteries last for approximately
basic understanding of how your Garmin Legend GPS 12 to 17 hours of use. You may want to keep spare bat-
receiver can help to support your day-to-day business teries handy.
needs. For detailed information about this receiver,
refer to the owner’s manual that is included with your Your GPS receiver comes with a detailed owner’s man-
GPS receiver (a digital version of your owner’s manual ual and a quick-start user’s guide. Your GPS receiver
can also be downloaded from the Geospatial Extension also comes with a detachable serial cable. This cable can
Program website: www.cnr.vt.edu/gep/tools.pl ). be attached to your computer (or to your iPAQ using an
appropriate adaptor). This will enable you to download
Legend GPS receivers are fairly rugged. However, coordinates and can facilitate field data collection.
these receivers are small computers, and they should,
therefore, be treated with care. For example, never This GPS is compatible with several freeware soft-
store the GPS receiver in direct sunlight or in hot areas ware programs including: GPS Utility, DNR Garmin,
(such as car trunks). When you are not using your GPS and USAPhotoMaps. Additional information about
receiver for long periods of time (over 2 months), you these user-friendly software programs is available from
should remove the batteries. The Legend GPS is fully the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program website:
waterproof and dust proof, however, it does not float! www.cnr.vt.edu/gep/tools.pl .
You should clean the outside of your GPS receiver by
simply running cool water over it, or by wiping it off
with a moist rag.
Some Tricks of the Trade
... and things to remember
The GPS has an internal antenna. The antenna is • You now know enough to be dangerous! Please note
located behind the logo (the globe) at the top of the that this is a recreational-grade GPS receiver. While
GPS receiver. Do not obstruct the antenna when you the receiver can support data collection efforts for
are operating your GPS! agriculture and natural resources management,
planning, and other applications, this GPS receiver
Most GPS receivers do not work inside, underground,
is not survey grade! Applications of GPS for record-
or underwater. In order to get the best reception, your
ing property boundaries, zoning boundaries, and
GPS receiver will require an unobstructed view of the
other legal boundaries such as setbacks requires the
sky.
www.ext.vt.edu
Produced by Communications and Marketing, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2009
Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion,
age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University,
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Mark A. McCann, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech,
Blacksburg; Alma C. Hobbs, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State, Petersburg.
 involvement of a licensed land surveyor. Likewise, • You can connect your Garmin Legend to an iPAQ or
legally binding calculations of property area must other hand-held device using the download cable.
also be performed by licensed surveyors. Measure- This may also require an adaptor, depending on
ments taken with this GPS do contain errors. GPS the type of port that is supported by your handheld
measurements should be considered estimates at device.
best!
• You can connect your Garmin Legend directly to
• Update your software. The Garmin website (www. any USB port, by connecting the download cable
garmin.com) provides free software updates for (provided) to a serial or USB adaptor cable (which
the Legend and other models. To maximize its costs ~$20).
area measurement capabilities, be sure that soft-
ware version 3.40 (or higher) has been installed on This particular GPS works well in open areas. It is
your receiver. To check this, go to “Main Menu” > not as effective in areas with dense tree canopy. You
“Setup” > “System” > “Option Menu” (at the top) > may want to consider purchasing a GPS with a Sirf III
“Software Version.” If needed, download the latest chipset if you intend to work in areas with a dense tree
software version to your computer, then upload it to canopy.
your Legend using the supplied PC connector.

• Enabling WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) Understanding your GPS Receiver
will usually improve the accuracy of your unit’s There are six buttons on your eTrex Legend (Figure 1).
area calculations. However, if you have difficulty in These buttons are:
maintaining contact with the WAAS satellite (#35
in our area) because of tree cover or other terrain 1. The Power Button
obstacles, you may be better off disabling WAAS. 2. The Page Button
To enable/disable WAAS, go to: “Main Menu” > 3. The Zoom-in Button
“Setup” > “System” > “WAAS.” 4. The Zoom-out Button
5. The Find Button
• Wait for accuracy after you turn on your Legend. 6. The Click Stick
Before marking waypoints or laying tracks, give
your receiver time (usually just a minute or two) to
“settle down” and make full contact with the avail-
able satellites. When the accuracy reading on the
“Satellite” page becomes relatively steady – usually
at 20 to 25 feet (6 to 8 meters) or so – then you are
ready to put it to work. If WAAS is enabled, wait
until reception from a satellite with an ID-number
higher than 32 is acquired (denotes a WAAS sat-
ellite) to provide differential correction – small Ds
will show up on several satellite strength bars. You
should then get accuracy readings of about 10 feet
(3 meters) in the open with a clear view of the south-
ern sky.
Figure 1.
• The Legend allows measurements to be displayed in
your choice of units. Go to: “Main Menu” > “Setup” 1. The power button is the button that turns your GPS
> “Units” > “Distance/Speed” to initially select from receiver on and off. This button will also turn on the
Nautical, Statute, Metric, and Yards. If you wish to backlight (so that you can use the receiver at night).
change from one measurement system to another, Note that using the backlight will consume your bat-
the Legend automatically and instantly handles the teries faster!!!
conversions. Options include: square feet, square
yards, square meters, acres, hectares, square kilo- 2. The page button is used to scroll through vari-
meters, square miles, and square nautical miles. ous pages (i.e. screens) on the GPS receiver. There

2
 are five different pages that you can cycle through support your natural resource educational programs and
by pressing this button (Figure 2). These different application needs. After you become comfortable with
pages are the: the basic GPS capabilities that are listed in this hand-
book, you may want to refer to your owner’s manual to
a. Satellite Page learn even more about your GPS receiver.
b. Map Page
c. Navigation Page
d. Trip Computer Page Getting started
e. Main Menu Page Turn on your GPS receiver by pressing and holding the
power button. You should then press the Page button
until the “Satellite” page appears (Figure 4).

Figure 2.

3. The zoom-in button only works on the “Map”

page. Pressing this button will enable you to zoom
to a larger map scale for more detail.

4. The zoom-out button only works on the “Map”

page. This button will enable you to zoom out and
view a larger area (at less detail).

5. The find button: allows you to locate or “goto” a

predefined waypoint

6. The click-stick (Figure 3) is very Figure 4.

similar to a computer mouse. The
click-stick will enable you to nav- It normally takes a couple of minutes for the GPS
igate to different menu options by receiver to “home-in” on the satellites, and to deter-
pushing the click-stick in a direc- mine a location. Initially, the status window may read:
tion (left or right; up or down). Figure 3. Wait…tracking satellites. The GPS receiver cannot be
used until it reads: Ready to Navigate.
Furthermore, you can use the click-stick as a button
(by pressing it straight down or “in”) to activate high- Once the GPS receiver is ready to navigate, a location
lighted selections. Pushing the click-stick “in” is simi- coordinates should appear in the lower section of the
lar to clicking your mouse, or hitting the “enter” key on “Satellite” page, along with the elevation.
a computer keyboard.
Your GPS receiver has now been initialized, and is
The applications (functionalities) associated with these ready for use to support your natural resource manage-
different pages are summarized in the next section. ment application needs. The GPS receiver can be used,
for example, to:
• identify and “mark” points within fields for future
Getting Started: reference (research plots, areas of infestation, etc.)
Using Your GPS Receiver
• estimate area measurements of a field (estimate fer-
Your GPS receiver has many capabilities and function- tilizer application needs)
alities. This section of the handbook will help you to get
started using your GPS receiver and to introduce you to • estimate the perimeter of a field (estimating fence
some of the major GPS capabilities that can directly line lengths)

3
 6. You can also change the marker symbol associated with
Application 1: Marking the waypoint by selecting the marker (with the click
and Saving Waypoints stick) and scrolling through the different options.
Waypoints enable you to mark and record your current
location as a waypoint. A waypoint is a “virtual” loca- 7. Use the click-stick to scroll down to the <OK> but-
tion marker. Once a waypoint is established and saved, ton, and click <OK> to save the waypoint.
you can easily navigate back to the waypoint using the
GPS receiver. This can be helpful to locate research
plots in a large field, identify and relocate potential pol-
Application 2: Finding
lution sources, or to identify and mark specific areas (Navigating to) a Waypoint
within a field that have been impacted by blight or dis- Your GPS receiver can serve as an “automatic pilot” to
ease (that you may want to return to at a later date). It navigate you back to a previously defined waypoint. To
is also possible to upload waypoints to a desktop com- navigate back to a previously defined waypoint, follow
puter (using GIS Utility or a similar software program) these steps.
or to a handheld PDA.
1. Press the “Find” button on the left side of the GPS
receiver (bottom left hand button).
To mark and save your
current location as a waypoint: 2. On the “Find” menu, select
1. Make sure that the GPS receiver is ready to navigate, “Waypoints” using the click-
by going to the “Satellite” page and looking at the stick (Figure 7).
status window (it should read “ready to navigate”).
3. Use the click-stick to select the
2. Walk to the point where you want to record a way- desired waypoint from the list
point (e.g., a location in a field experiencing drain- (waypoints are typically listed
age problem). alphabetically by name). Figure 7.

3. Press down and hold the click- 4. Select the “GoTo” option to create a direct line of
stick until the “Waypoint” page travel to the waypoint.
appears (see Figure 5).
The arro w in the center of the compass serves as the
4. This GPS receiver automatically bearing pointer, which directs you to the destination
assigns three-digit numbers to waypoint (in this example, the destination waypoint is
waypoints (in this example it ReaPlot1 [research plot #1]). The “Navigation” page
assigned 001 as the waypoint also informs you that you are 0.72 miles from the way-
name). You can customize the point. At your current speed, you will reach the way-
name of the waypoint. To change point in approximately 30 minutes (Figure 8).
the name of the waypoint, use
the click-stick to scroll down Figure 5.
and highlight the waypoint name
field (in Figure 5, the name
field is 001). Select the name
field by pushing down on the
click-stick.

5. Type the new name for the way-

point, using the click-stick to
select and enter the characters
from the on-screen keyboard
(Figure 6). Click on <OK> when
you are finished.
Figure 6. Figure 8.

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Application 3: Finding (Navigating Application 4: Estimating
to) a Waypoint that Was Area Measurements
Defined by Someone Else Estimating area measurements in a field or forest is a
necessary task for many application areas, including
You may need to navigate to a waypoint that was
agriculture, business planning, and natural resource
defined by someone else. This person may have used a
management. This GPS receiver has the capability to
different GPS receiver (or even model) and may there-
estimate area measurements, even of curved and irreg-
fore provide you with coordinate information. (Or, you
ularly shaped polygons. The following procedure will
may have obtained coordinate information off of a Geo-
not only generate area measurements, but will also pro-
graphic Information System [GIS], an online mapping
vide perimeter measurements as well.
application such as GoogleEarth, or a hard copy map).
There are two techniques for estimating area measure-
Obviously, your GPS receiver cannot navigate you to
ments. These techniques include:
a coordinate pair (i.e. lat./long., UTM, etc.) if the coor-
dinates are not stored on your GPS receiver as a way- • The Track Log Method
point. However, you can create a waypoint by manually
entering coordinate information (i.e. lat/long., UTM, • The Route Method
etc.) into the GPS receiver.
While the Track Log Method is used most often, both
To create a waypoint by manually entering its coordi- of these techniques are easy to learn, and are described
nates, follow these steps: in this section.
1. Press in and hold the click-stick to access the “Mark
Waypoint” page. Estimating Area Measurements:
The Track Log Method (Option 1)
2. Using the click-stick, highlight and select the “Loca-
tion Field” on the “Mark Waypoint” page. As you travel the perimeter of an area, the eTrex Leg-
end records track points and uses the resulting GPS
3. Enter the new coordinates using track log to internally calculate the size of the enclosed
the numerical keyboard on the tract. This method works well when you can reasonably
screen. Highlight and press <OK> transport the receiver directly along the boundary of the
when finished (see Figure 9). tract (if swamps, lakes, cliffs, gorges, or grizzly bears
get in your way, you may need to use the Route Method
Important Tip: In the United States, Figure 9. as an alternative). A recent software update increased
the first (latitudinal) coordinate will the active track log to 10,000 points.
always have an “N” prefix (as we are north of the equa-
tor). The second (longitudinal) coordinate will always On small and irregularly shaped tracts of land, you
have a “W” as a prefix (as we are west of the prime might want to increase the track log interval – the fre-
meridian). In addition, the first digit after the “W” quency at which track points are recorded. Otherwise,
should be entered as a “zero” (see Figure 9). It is very you will lose accuracy when the receiver occasionally
important to identify and select these prefixes when “cuts corners” as you travel the boundary. Use the Page
manually entering waypoints on your GPS! button to go to “Main Menu” > “Tracks” > “Option
Menu” button at the top > “Setup Track Log.” You have
4. Once the waypoint coordinates have been manually choices here. The default setting is Record Method:
entered and saved, you can then use the “GoTo” or Auto (a combination of distance and time) and Interval:
“Find” function (see previous page) to navigate to Normal. If you choose to keep the Auto setting, you can
that waypoint. set the interval to More Often or Most Often to increase
the frequency of track points. Instead of Auto, you can
These procedures could also be used in a geo-caching choose to record by Distance or Time, each with its own
exercise with a 4-H or scouting group. For more infor- interval choices.
mation on geo-caching, refer to: www.geocaching.com
or simply enter “geo-caching” as a keyword in your
favorite Internet search engine.
5
Follow these steps to estimate area measurements: 10. If the calculated solution is of value to you, name
and “Save” the track. However, before you hit save,
1. Generally, you should clear the current active track log you should record the data elsewhere. Once a track
just before you begin laying tracks. Go to: “Main Menu” log is saved, the total number of track points is con-
> “Tracks” > “Clear.” (If you wish to save the previous densed (to max. of 750) and less precision is dis-
track log, first select “Save,” then clear the log.) played (fractions are rounded to one decimal point).
The eTrex Legend allows a maximum of ten saved
2. Make sure that the GPS receiver tracks.
is ready to navigate, by going to
the “Satellite” page and looking 11. Don’t despair if heavy tree cover causes you to
at the status window. occasionally lose contact with the satellites as you
track. The Legend will “connect the dots” and link
3. When you have confirmed that your recorded track points in an attempt to estimate
the GPS receiver is ready to be the enclosed area. View the saved track screen to
used, push the Page button until decide whether or not the integrity of the track was
you reach the “Main Menu” maintained.
page (Figure 10).
12. To view all of your saved tracks, go to “Main Menu”
4. Use the click-stick to scroll Figure 10. > “Tracks.”
down and highlight the “Acces-
sories” option.
Estimating Area Measurements: The
5. Press the click-stick straight
Route Method (Option 2)
down to select the “Accessories”
option. The “Accessories” page For area calculation purposes, a route is a sequential set
will appear (Figure 11). Use the of perimeter waypoints linked together to describe the
click-stick to highlight and select boundary of a tract of land. The route method of area
the “Area Calc.” option. calculation has some definite advantages. You don’t
need to travel along the entire border of the tract, as
6. The “Area Calculation” page long as you can mark the major corners and turns of the
should open (see Figure 12). boundary line. For very large tracts and for areas with
Figure 11. severe terrain restrictions, this may be the only practi-
7. You may need to reset the Area cal GPS technique in the field. The route method also
Calculation. This is done by allows you to perform estimated acreage comparisons
highlighting the “Options” selec- of several tracts while in the field.
tion and selecting “Reset.”
Accuracy of the route method depends largely on your
8. Press “Start” and begin walking ability to locate and mark all the key twists and turns
around the perimeter of the field, that enclose the tract. It works best on rectangular areas
parking lot, forest plot, etc. that with straight-line boundaries. Irregularly bordered,
you want to calculate an area oddly shaped tracts are more difficult to work with,
calculation. The screen displays requiring a much larger number of waypoints to accu-
your progress. Zoom in or out as rately describe the tract.
appropriate to view your tracks. Figure 12.
To set up a route for area calculation, first mark and
9. Just before you return to your starting point, click save the key perimeter waypoints that you will need.
on “Stop.” Your receiver will automatically com- Go to “Main Menu” > “Routes.” Click on “New” and
plete the loop with a straight shot from your current then on the highlighted blank to insert the first way-
position to your starting point. Both perimeter dis- point. Continue adding sequential waypoints until the
tance and enclosed area values will be displayed route is complete.
in appropriate units. To change area units, high-
light and click on the unit abbreviation to bring up a You are not required to re-enter the starting point again
selectable list of choices (square feet, square yards, as the ending point. The GPS receiver will automatically
square meters, hectares, square miles, etc.). close the loop for you when calculating route area.
6
To view the resulting area calculation, highlight and
click on “Option Menu” and select “Route Area.” You
Application 5: The Trip
can display the solution in whatever units you select. Computer Page
The “Trip Computer” page can also be used to esti-
The route is automatically assigned a name consisting mate perimeter or distance measurements, but not area.
of the first and last waypoint. You can highlight this However, the functions associated with the “Trip Com-
name and change it as you wish. puter” page are something that you should be familiar
with. To estimate perimeter or distance using the “Trip
By using the Route Method to calculate area, a series
Computer” page, follow these steps.
of waypoints are identified (Figure 13) at corners, at
turns, and other definition points along the area to be 1. Make sure that the GPS receiver is ready to navigate
measured. by going to the “Satellite” page and checking the
status window.

2. You may need to configure your

GPS to ensure that perimeter
measurements are calculated in
yards (by default, the units of
measure are in miles. Measure-
ment in feet is not an option). To
change the measurement units,
navigate to the “Main Menu”
page (Figure 15).

Note: If the default “statute” option

is used, you will get trip odometer Figure 15.
measurements in feet until the dis-
tance reaches 528 feet (0.1mile), at
which time the receiver automati-
Figure 13. cally switches to hundredths of a mile
The waypoints are then associated with a route, and the (without yards ever being used).
GPS receiver calculates perimeter and area measure- If the “yards” option is selected, you
ments for that particular route, based on the associated will get “Trip Odometer” measure-
waypoints (Figure 14). ments in yards until the distance
reaches 1000 yards, at which time
the receiver automatically switches
to hundredths of a mile (without
feet ever being used). For these Figure 16.
reasons, you should use the tech-
niques outlined in Application 4
for estimating area and perimeter
measurements.

a. While on the “Main Menu” page,

use the click-stick to select “Setup.”
On the “Setup Menu” page, select
“Units,” and the “Units” page will
appear (Figure 16).

b. On the “Units” page (Figure 17),

use the click-stick to scroll down
Figure 14. and highlight “Distance/Speed.” Figure 17.

7
 Press the click-stick, and a menu will appear. From e. Your Trip Odometer is now
the menu items, select “Yards.” This will enable set to zero and is ready for
you to view the perimeter measurements in yards use! Press the <Page> but-
(measurements in feet is not an option). You are ton and navigate to the “Trip
now ready to use the GPS receiver to calculate the Computer” page (Figure 20).
perimeter of an area.
6. Now that your Trip Odometer is
3. When you have confirmed that set to zero, begin walking around
the GPS receiver is ready to be the field (parking lot, or any fea-
used, and after you have con- ture). Notice that the odometer
figured the unit to measure the changes as you walk. When you
perimeter in yards (as opposed complete walking around the Figure 20.

to miles) push the Page button field, you will need to make note
until you reach the “Trip Com- of the Trip Odometer reading.
puter” page (Figure 18).

4. To estimate the perimeter of an The MAP Page

area, you will be working with So far, you have seen how the different pages on the
the Trip Odometer function on Figure 18.
GPS receiver can support some of your day-to-day
the “Trip Computer” page. business application needs. The “Map” enables you to
visualize your WAYPOINTS and TRACKS as maps
5. Before you begin, make sure that the “Trip Odom-
that are located on screen. You have the ability to zoom
eter” is set to “zero.” If the odometer is not set to
in and out of these maps to obtain more or less detail.
zero, then follow these steps:
Your GPS receiver has some reference data (major
a. Use the click-stick (mouse) to highlight the
streets and interstates) built into the GPS receiver.
<Options> button in the upper right hand corner
Some GPS receivers allow you to obtain (i.e. purchase)
of the “Trip Computer” page. The <Options>
digital topographic maps that can be downloaded to
button looks like this:
GPS unit for reference purposes. However, you need to
b. Press straight down on be aware that not all GPS receivers have this capability.
the click-stick to open the In addition, the topographic maps available for some
“Options” page. This will areas are only available at 1:100,000 (and are accurate
open the “Reset” page. The to +/- 166 feet), and therefore not as detailed and accu-
“Reset” page is illustrated in rate as the topographic maps that are most often used
Figure 19. by natural resource professionals (1:24,000). Be sure to
understand your needs and research available options
c. Use the click-stick to high- carefully!
light the “Reset Trip Data”
option. Press down on the Acknowledgments
click-stick to select it (note:
The authors thank the reviewers for their assistance,
the Odometer only displays
comments, and suggestions. Reviewers: Mike Clifford,
units in miles). Figure 19.
Brian Jones, Jeff Kirwan, Ph.D.; Steven Prisley, Ph.D.;
d. Then use the click-stick to scroll down to the Jon Rockett; Randolph Wynne, Ph.D.; and Matthew
<Apply> button, and press down on the click- Yancey.
stick to reset the odometer.