Brainerd
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Posts posted by Brainerd
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I also have the WAAS issue. It still may be working on your unit after you enable it. It's my understanding the a satellite's signal is error corrected with a WAAS signal when a "D" is in is strength of signal bar. This takes a little bit after enabling the WAAS.I got my Vista HCx yesterday and I have some of the same issues. Backlighting reset is annoying. I don't have any startup problems but I definitely have a WAAS problem. Not only does WAAS reset to disabled all the time but I don't think it even works when I select it to Enabled because my accuracy does not improve once WAAS is enabled. I am going to write to Garmin about this.
I've also started using Eneloops. Great batteries. Sanyo is the top producer and after many years of experimentation, I won't buy another brand. The Eneloops have a very slow self-discharge rate, so they will remain charged in the drawer. The regular Sanyo's have about 700mAh more that the Eneloops (rated at 2000mAh). So, if you charge them often, get the regular Sanyo's. If you don't want to get caught without fresh rechargables, get the Eneloops. No idea on hours on the Eneloops. I've used my HCx for over 5 hours (with 50% backlight set at 30 sec., and finally one of the battery status bars has gone away. **Make sure you change your battery type to NiMH in the "Setup...System" menu. The discharge characteristics of alkaline and NiMH batteries are very different.How long are you guys getting with the Sanyo Eneloop batteries? I had some cheap Energizer batteries with my original Vista and would only get about 2 hours out of them. I want to pick up a long lasting set to go with my Vista HCx.Auto-routing. Wow is it fast. I had a 60cs and it was quick. From memory, I would say the HCx is at least twice as fast. Also, when recalculating (If I purposely miss a turn) happens so fast that the "calculating" status bar just pops on and goes away. It's that quick.
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I bet you're right. The software guy I spoke with was working with getting me a new unlock code. So, he may not be familiar with the HCx.Brainerd, are you sure that he was not mistaking the Vista HCx for the Vista Cx, as the most recent version for the Cx is 2.70? I would find it odd that they would be that far ahead in software versions without beta versions, as Garmin, like many other companies, release betas with changed single digits, like 2.21 instead of 2.30. -
I just spoke with Garmin (to get an unlock code for my City Select 6) and I asked them about the WAAS issue. This rep. wasn't appraised of it specifically, but he did confirm that "internally" they have version 2.70 of the unit software. It is not available online (or for him to e-mail me), but it is good news that a new version is in the works. My unit arrived today with version 2.20.
My HCx is great. very fast and light. I'm getting 6 satellites from inside my apartment. The error is +- 68 ft. But, it's amazing that I get a fix at all on the 1st floor of a 3 story apt. building. The WAAS turn off issue does occur. I plan to do some caching with it this afternoon. Yee-Ha.
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Here's a link to an English Translation of the German comparison page.
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My tracking information from offroute.com just changed from "Pending" to "Processing." The Shipment date, which originally was the 24th, and then the 25th, has changed to "Packing for Shipment." Yee-ha! Looks like I'll be getting it buy the end of the week.
Their tracking info has been pretty accurate. If you order one today, it should ship on or before the 31st. The price is still $234.95.
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I hate Mal-Wart, but alas they have it in stock and at the same price as OffRoute.com. I cancelled my order with offroute and went with Mal-Wart. with the fast 1 day shipping it came in at the same preice as offroute but then had to add TAX
I mainly did this because the ship date from off route is now up to the 7/31
I thought of doing that, but I'm holding on. The ship date listed on my order tracking is the 25th. It's my understanding, that the ship date of the 31st is for orders placed today. They expect delivery from Garmin on Tuesday or Wednesday, but all of those units have been spoken for by those who placed their orders earlier. I'll let you know on Wednesday if I'm correct.
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I have a Nuvi 660. It does not have a navigating screen where an arrow points to where you need to go. However, it has satellite page and you can navigate this way; although I would not recommend it to a newbie. It will be frustrating unless you know which way the #s go for each direction. Battery life is only 5 hours. It's a great unit for driving, but for geocaching, you should get a handheld like a Legend HCx.
Don't make us later say, "we told you so..."
I agree. I have a Nuvi 350. I tried to use it geocaching. Not recommended. Even with 500+ find, I was very frustrated with the Nuvi. It is fabulous for driving. For geocaching, get the Legend or Vista HCx. I've got a Vista on order.
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I have been out with family geocaching and am hooked! I've found just a few so far and really want to get into it! We will be moving to Oregon soon and are concerned about tree-covered reception. For that reason, after doing some online reading, I believe the Garmin vista Hcx or Legend hcx are the way to go. Unfortunately those are out of our price range new. So we are looking into the used market. Anyone have one out there they are upgrading from or for some other reason looking to sell?
These models just came out. They are hard to find new. I pre-ordered my Vista HCx on the 9th and I'm still waiting for it.
Good luck. it will probably be at least a year from now when used ones become available.
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Yes. The 'x' indicates the unit has the SIRF III chipset.
Actually, I believe that the "x" is for "expandable." It means the unit takes external memory such as a flash card for map data.
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It's also in stock at Offroute.com (Legend HCx)
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The Legend and Vista HCx 's are also smaller, so they are nice on the trail. Their battery life is near double the other units listed.
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2 GB is probably the limit.
This is from Garmin's Web site (FAQ link from the Vista HCx page.
"Question: What is the largest size microSD card that I can use in my X-series GPS unit?
Answer: At this time, the 2 GB cards are the largest microSD cards that can be used for the X-series GPS units. However, the X-series GPS units are not compatible with the San Disk Ultra II cards and therefore we do not recommend using the Ultra II micro SD cards with any of the X units.
Last modified on: 06/01/2007"
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... if you're looking for a unit to be used mostly in a car and sometimes on the trail, the 60CSx is probably the better choice (larger screen, buttons on the front, etc).
... if you're going to be walking, hiking, or biking... I suggest the Vista HCx due to it's superior battery specs, one-handed operation, compact size ...
I echo these remarks. I used to have a 60CS and used it for both road and trail. It was very good at both. After it was stolen from my car, I replaced it with a Nuvi 350 and I have ordered a Vista HCx. The Nuvi excels on the road, and the advantages listed above makes the HCx a better choice for me on the trail. I'm chomping at the bit for Offroute.com to send me mine!
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Waiting as patiently as I can for Offroute.com to start shipping.
Pre-ordered a Vista HCx a few weeks back.
But hey, I found a way to prepare for it's arrival. I downloaded the Vista C manual from Garmin's website so that I will know what I am doing when I get mine. This is my first hand-held GPS.
I'm in the same boat from offroute. I downloaded the Vista Cx manual to get ahead before the HCx arrives. Vista Cx Manual
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BTW, I recommend Sanyo eneloop rechargeable batteries for your GPS receiver.
I agree... Here's a good place to get them: Eneloop at Thomas Distributing
As stated above "the key-advantage of the Eneloop compared to usual rechargeable batteries is its extremely low self-discharge." They may have less capacity, but with the discharge rate of traditional NiMH's the Eneloops will usually have more of a charge when you grab for them.
I've got two waiting for my new Vista HCx.
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I did find it at PCNation cheaper...
the vista hcx was considerably more on the same site... still not the best price. vista hcx only please.
Yep. The Vista HCx is $259.40 from PcNation.com
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Garmin's website has two HCx models: Legend and Vista. Is there much difference between the two?
Everything is the same except the Vista also has an electronic compass and a barometer.
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I've ordered one from Offroute.com (Vista HCx link) to replace a 60cs that was stolen from my car. Looking forward to the smaller size and improved receiver.
Here's a good price comparison site for the memory. I order a 2GB just days ago.
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Here's a good price comparison site for the memory. I order a 2GB just days ago.
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Bump...
Harrumph. Harrumph.
This one is going back a long time. I remember when the non-geocaching.com cache alert service was put out of business, we were told that something better was in the works. Is it still being worked on? What is the ETA?
It was really fun to run into fellow cachers at a new cache. The "New" new cache alert tool is something that many premium members have been waiting for.
If it is not going to be implemented this year, is it possible to post the new caches on the homepage, so that the old service can be restarted until geocaching.com's version is active?
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Welch touched upon the issue... Your dad's license for City Select will permit him to unlock it on two units. Yours would be #2. If he buys a new unit, he would not be able to unlock the maps for it.
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I upgraded from 4.01 to 6. When I "installed" 4.01, it removed MapSource, too. Because I used the upgrade version of 6, my original full version must remain installed in order for it to run. I had to re-install everything.
I imagine that you can delete the "data folder that was mentioned in the log above. Just make sure that you are only deleting the maps and not the install and program running files.
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Brainerd, point Plucker Desktop at the index.html file generated by GSAK, set the spidering level to 3, check the 'Hints on same page' box (or else set spidering level to 4) and run Plucker.
Thanks. So, basically it's similar to what I am doing now. GSAK will be doing the same thing for me as Spinner. Then I will still have to run plucker. I was hoping that I could do it all within GSAK.
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From Gsak, you can send the info to your Palm. Easy!
Ed
Hi Ed,
I'm currently using Plucker, on my computer and on my palm powered cell phone. I just did an export of html files to a folder on my computer. How do I upload those to my Palm? What "browser program" do I need on my palm to read the files. I am currently using Plucker on my Palm.
Tom
60cx vs. New Legend Hcx
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
The MTK chip draws only 1/2 the power of the sirf3 chip. So, you also get better battery life with it.