gallet

I'd ask Garmin why, did they fit the eTrex with an H chip as the bottom range eTrex. Wouldn't it have been better to discontinue that and add an H chip to the green eTrex Venture and have that as the basic model. That would eliminate any models without the pick stick.

In that case it's a no brainer, unless you intend on packing an external aerial then the HCx wins hands down on every count. Better battery life, brighter screen, easier to use with one hand, more ergonomic. If you need two gps then you are better off with 2 HCx's because the 60CSx buttons are very clumsy, unergonomic and illogical. One can get used to it, (although I still haven't) but switching between the two will send you crazy. After a very short time the HCx feels like it's a part of you. Regarding the buttons on the front, for use in a car, that's a red herring.

Yeah I noticed that when I plugged a 60CSx in this morning that came up. I was going to post it here but when I checked Garmin's site I couldn't find it. I was most interested in this bit, "Fix data card unlock failure when 2 cards of the same map set are used in one device" as I has exactly this problem last week.

I bought some el cheapo duracell alkaline batteries as an emergency and when I put them in a new out of the box HCx, the HCx would die if I moved the scroll stick. I thought my HCx was crocked until I tested the batteries in a different HCx. So now I know the batteries are causing this. But why? what could they be doing that makes the unit shut down? I've checked the voltage using the internal report and they were reading 2.7V, my nearly flat rechargables were reading 2.24V and new alkalines are 3.15V so it doesn't appear to be a voltage issue. The batteries say made in USA and are marked in French and English so they look to be for the Canadian market as well. The expiry date is 2012. However there appears to be a small Chinese character next to the 'Patented/Breveté' marking They also caused the same effect in a 60CSx

I didn't think Google Earth gave exact coordinates as a GPS. Otherwise I could use Google Earth to find caches and not a GPS. Plus, the Google maps satellite images of my campus is blurry. Google Earth is as accurate as maps.google which are as accurate as my city navigator maps. I've drawn a route using google earth and cross referenced it with my gps internal map and it's perfect. it's not really an issue if the object is blurry as you can see where the centre of the blur is.

The 'adjustment' you are talking about is if you want to make your own map datum. I'm not an expert but I can't see how this has any bearing on anything. Aren't the map datums settings for when you are using paper maps and you have set your gps to use UTM UPS as the position format, and you want the northings and easings on the paper map to match the gps.

Invisible Shield vs Boxwave Cleartouch Two screen protectors that go about their business in different ways, each has it's pros and cons. Whats in the box Invisible Shield Special spray applicator Rubberised plastic tool for squeezing out bubbles Precut Shield Boxwave Cleartouch Lint free cloth Plastic tool Precut Shield Neither the Invisible Shield or the Boxwave 'crystal', affect the clarity of the screen at all. The basic philosophy of the Invisible Shield is to make a (virtually) indestructible screen protector for your screen and they back it up with a no nonsense lifetime replacement warrantee should your shield become damaged as a result of protecting your gps. So if you take a tumble on your mountain bike and you don't smash your gps it is more than likely your screen will be completely unscathed. In fact it is not unlikely that your shield will be fine to due to its self repairing qualities. The Boxwave cleartouch takes a different approach, the same tumble is also likely to leave your screen undamaged but the shield itself will need to be replaced at your expense. The Boxwave philosophy is that the shield should do it's job with minimum impact on the function or aesthetics of the gps. Like the space shuttle heat tiles which get destroyed on entry while protecting the hull. Unlike the shuttle tiles though, the Boxwave shield will not fall off. The Invisible shield is used for protecting the leading edges of helicopters (so they say) and after some testing I'm prepared to accept this claim. It's tough. It has a rubbery texture with a soft 'orange peel' finish on the surface which is clearly visible in reflections off the surface but which is completely invisible with regards to transmitting light. You will not see the surface texture unless you position the shield to purposely to pick up glare in which case you would not be able to read the screen even without a shield. The rubbery texture gives the Invisible Shield self repairing qualities similar to a cutting mat. You can slice across it with a scalpel and you won't see the cut. You can scrape the sharp part of a key over it and it will not leave a mark. There have been reports of horrendous accidents that did leave some marks but they seem to disappear after a couple of days. It will not pick up hairline scratches ever. Unless you do some serious damage it should look brand new, permanently. Once it's on and set it is permanent in the sense that it cannot be removed without stretching the shield. It is very securely attached and will not peel up at the edges. However it's still easy to remove and leaves no residue. Because of it's rubbery texture the invisible shield has a bit of bite and it does tend to want to cling to the vinyl window on a gps case. I personally don't find this a problem because I cases tend to make the gps too difficult to use. Especially Gilsson cases which are badly made. You won't find two stitched the same. Cutting the window out is not much of a solution as it is an integral part of the structure. If you do like to use a case then the sticky window thing will be a problem. There have been some issues with the fit on the Invisible sheilds, it's OK if they are a bit small but if they are a bit big they tend to collect dirt on the overhang. Even so it probably is only a worry for the excessively anal like myself. The Boxwave Cleartouch, The first thing you notice about the boxwave is that it looks like there is nothing at all on your gps screen. The finish is exactly like the original screen. After using the Invisible Shield for a few months the Boxwave shield really looks stunning, The surface also has a slippery feel and does not adhere to other plastic materials. If you want to know what it looks like, then just look at your screen without anything on it. That's what it looks like. Like the Invisible Sheild, the Boxwave does not affect the clarity of the screen at all. It's made of a fairly rigid material and has a tacky (screen side) surface that sticks to the screen, not as well as the Invisible Shield, but it won't peel off either. It is possible to peel it off and replace it but it's best to get it right first go. It's claimed you can wash it and dry it, and this is true but I don't see the point a normal wipe with a dry cloth on the surface should be all that is necessary. There is a price to pay for the visual appeal of the Boxwave. It is not as durable. It will scratch. Not easily though. I've been using it for a week not being particularly careful but not being reckless either. It did not get any scratches. However dragging a key across the surface put a nasty scratch in it, this would have no effect at all on the Invisible sheild. The Boxwave people feel that if the sheild gets scratched you can buy another one. I'd be happier if they supplied two shields for the price bear in mind that if you are a bit careless you will scratch the shield and it is not a pretty site, but it will protect your screen. I'm careful with my equipment, in that I would not put the gps in my pocket with some keys, so a week of normal use did not leave any marks at all on it, I had to purposely damage it. Another curious effect of the Boxwave shield is that it stop the screen reacting to polarised light. If you look at your screen horizontally with polaroid glasses on, it will go black, the Invisible shield does not alter this but the Boxwave eliminates this effect. The boxwave comes in two types, 'crystal' and 'antiglare'. The 'crystal' keeps your gps looking immaculate as if it had no protector on it, however the 'anti glare' is a bit weird. It's not a true anti glare it is in fact a textured surface that diffuses the reflected light. So it does not reduce the glare at all. In fact it increases the glare. It does reduce reflections. It does not look good. It has a milky matt look and does reduce visibility. I don't really see the purpose of the anti glare model for a gps screen where one does not want to reduce the visibility of the small lettering even a tiny bit. You can see in one of the photos where I have stuck the anti glare and crystal boxwave on each half of the screen. As they have been peeled off and replaced there is some bits of crap visible but just ignore that, the comparison is purely to see the difference in clarity. Application: Both shields are tricky to apply perfectly if you want them to look their best. The Invisible Sheild is a wet application and the Boxwave is dry. The Boxwave is also very rigid whereas the IS is rubbery. The Invisible Shield comes with a spray that you need to spray on your fingers and on both sides of the Shield, the screen must be completely lint free. Probably not a bad idea to install it in the bathroom that has been steamed up a bit. Use lots of spray, in fact use the whole container. The good thing about the IS being a wet application is that it can be slid around a bit when it is applied to get it into the perfect position with no overhang. The Boxwave has a tacky surface and so it has to drop on to the correct place as it cannot be slid around. If it needs to be moved then it must be lifted. This is a fairly tricky operation to get right the first time and like the IS, if you don't get it right the first time then it is likely that you will leave some sort of imperfection that will permanently bug you depending on how anal you are about these things. Summary, Invisible Shield: more complex to apply but easier to get perfect lasts forever won't scratch but has an visible surface texture that does not affect legibility not suitable for use with a case as it sticks to the case window. Boxwave Crystal: easy to apply and easy to get a speck of dust under it too. When it is applied correctly it looks like there is nothing on the screen at all. Looks really good but will also eventually need to be replaced as it will scratch easily but not if you are careful. After a few weeks of testing I kept leaning one way then the other. In the end I personally opted for the Invisible Sheild because it won't scratch. If the Boxwave came with say, three in a packet then I'd be tempted to go with that due to the more elegant finish.

How can they deauthorise an object that does not transmit information?

There is a company and it's called Garmin but they need some coercion.

Yes the Vista HCx is a far superior unit to the 60CSx which is a bit long in the tooth after nearly 2 years. $210 new on ebay.

@chriiver The review needs more work, but you've got good comparison shots of the units.

No.

I think it's pretty obvious that if you could simply copy the contents of the preloaded cards to another card that garmin would not make much money selling maps. AFAIK, a second unlock code is the same price as the original code and dvd.

I bought a Gilsson neoprene case once for an eTrex and it was utter crap. I've looked at the photos on the link provided and they appear to be equally crap. If you've ever done any stitching you will realise how it is impossible, as in 'can't be done by man or machine', to stitch neoprene and plastic together where the seam allowance is less than the thickness of the neoprene. The result is that the edge of the neoprene around the window, twists. You can see it on the shots. You can see that the stitching is uneven from side to side. You can even see that the window is skewed to one side thus obscuring the screen. Not only that but you don't have a lot of room to twist and manipulate the neoprene because it has to also line up with the buttons. Further the plastic window is an integral part of the construction, so removing it won't help. However I will concede that it's better to have a crappy neoprene case, rather than none if the unit is dropped.

...I seriously doubt that folks would agree it's the greatest... I think Indotguy was using irony/sarcasm rather than suggesting it was the greatest...

Let's put it this way, a mint condition b/w Venture is $80, a mint Vista (b/w) is $110, a *new* Vista HCx is $220. A Cx or C should be considerably cheaper than a used HCx and a used HCx in mint condition would be $180, therefore the correct used price for a Vista Cx (wouldn't bother with a C) should be no more than $140. Bear in mind that many people do not have a clue what the H stands for and will therefore pay over the odds for a Cx.

I had a Vista and it was OK for a b/w unit but the battery life, at 12 hours was very poor, I do not think that the flux gate compass is as efficient as they are in the newer HCx's.

Why not just pinpoint the intersection of two streets near you and mark down the coordinates using maps.google, then use the gps to goto the coordinates and see if you go to the right spot.

Satellite in space Go across the universe Particles of dust

Is it possible to transform routes into tracks using babel?

Have a look a the card it should have a gmapsupp.img file and it *must* reside inside a folder called "garmin" or the gpsr won't see it.

colour corrected.

Probably worth placing a link to this thread.

Why submit it to an unneeded risk? One reason could be to know if it might die on you under certain circumstances when your life may depend on it.

excellent link, thanks