Garmin Vista HCx battery consumption

[Buttermilk]

does battery life get extended (or consumed) depending on what screen is being displayed? I would like to leave the unit on the map screen as I navigate but wondering if that eats up more juice than the home screen or another text based screen. I usually keep it on a text based screen because I think it conserves battery life. Is this notion unfounded, or is there some truth to it?

Also, do lithium batteries extend the life of any device to warrant the big price increase?

Thanks

[Done]

I've never tested to see which screens use the least power, mostly because I really like following a simple track (no topo lines or other stuff). I can see how adding a lot of extra detail might require additional computation time, and therefore consume more energy, but I don't know whether it actually does. I'd be curious to hear what you discover.

Lithium batteries add a lot of operating time. For something like the CTR, I think that they are worth it. But for regular riding, I use rechargeable batteries--which last longer than alkalines and cost a lot less.

[thelocust]

Scrolling around the map will kill batteries much quicker than anything. I cant say that ive noticed a big drop in battery life when keeping it on the map screen vs the dashboard. as for lithiums for racing and multi day touring they are the only way to go sure they cost 3x as much but they weigh half as much and last 3x as long as regular batteries.

[Buttermilk]

thanks for the input fellas...I guess I'll set up a little experiment and report back the results. My hypothesis is that the dashboard and text screens will eat less battery life, but is the difference noticeable, that is the question. Regardless, I sure am impressed with the battery life of the Vista unit. It will run a solid 5+ hrs even after the low battery alert.

[Done]

One thing to keep in mind about the Vista HCx: the internal battery contacts (the ones that transfer power to the system board) can wear through the foil contacts on the motherboard, causing the GPS to fail. The first symptoms of this are intermittent battery-life warnings and random power-downs with fresh batteries. Seems to be a common issue. I Googled the issue, and found the solution: open the unit, solder the contacts to the motherboard (using jumper wires), and then reseal the case with tape and RTV sealant. Mine started failing after about 1000 miles of bikepacking, but works fine after the repair.

[Buttermilk]

Toby, thanks for the heads up. If I start seeing those symptoms I'll tear into the unit and reinforce the connections. Counting down for the CTR, I'll see you at the trailhead. Also, thanks for your work on the gps track. It sure helps with planning and peace of mind for the race.

Jeremy

[Yogi the Barry]

I also want to know if batt life is any different between 'track up' and 'north up.' I speculate that the redraws for 'track up' consume more power, but I don't know if that impacts battery life. I have the later generation of your GPS, the eTrex 30, and battery life is probably close to the quoted 24 hrs. Before that I had the HCx, which seemed to have comparable battery life. I think the biggest suck on the batteries is the backlight. Anyhow, I poked and asked around in forums about track/north-up battery life and never got a response. I don't have time to do a controlled study either. I'm just planning on leaving the GPS in 'north up' [which is what I like anyway], carrying spare Li batteries and [hopefully remembering to] shutting it down at night and/or on sections when a GPS isn't needed.
-B
PS - One nice thing about the 30 vs. the HCx, I can load one track [like Toby's CTR track, thanks, Toby!] instead of having to load smaller 500 point tracks.

does battery life get extended (or consumed) depending on what screen is being displayed?...