GetUpToGetDown

After just about 2 or 3 months the rubber gripping on my Garmin Vista HCx started coming off all around the unit and because I use the unit in the winter (and yes, sometimes drop it in the snow) I was worried that the waterproofness might be at risk...plus it was just a pain since I pretty much just bought the unit. So I called Garmin and had to send it in to be replaced....it tooks probably 2 weeks to get a new one. THEN....as I was updating the firmware on my new unit, it froze up and wouldn't even turn on...so guess what....after an hour on the phone with Garmin they told me to send it in again!!! So...off it went for 2 more weeks and I finally got it back! I was so excited and ran into a few problems reloading maps but with a little messing around I figured it out. I did some geocaches but about ever hour or so the unit would just freeze up on me no matter what it was doing...so I reinstalled the firmware and all the maps, and same problem. I did some research and discovered a LOT more people have had the same problem and theres no fix but to send it in to be replaced!!! Does anyone know if they will refund me or give me company credit towards another unit?? Or if they will upgrade me since I have had so many problems with the unit?? Thanks!

1. Generaly flat. It will tell you to hold level if it doesn't like how you are holding it and say "Just Right" if it does. 2. You can use the pressure reading from NOAA [ex: look for "Barometer: 29.54" (1000.3 mb)"] Or use the reading from a TOPO map if you have one (the Garmin maps will work). 3. by the barometric pressure. Yes 4. Have the unit save the track to a microSD card and it will have all the data. 5. Records the air pressure via the hole on the back of the unit (don't cover the hole). 6. Download the Vista Cx manual, it has more info on the workings of the unit that the Vista HCx manual has. Thanks! So what can I do with the barometer??

Okay so I have been using my Garmin Vista HCx for awhile now but am still on a very basic level with it. Here are my questions: 1. While calibrating the electronic compass does it have to be perfectly flat or can I do this while out geocaching on my hand or something generally flat? 2. How do I calibrate the elevation on the unit if I don't know what it is?? 3. How does the altimeter work? Is it something I should reset before beginning a hike? 4. I bring the unit on my bike when I go for rides but would like to track the distance, time, elevation, etc. of my round trip....any easy way to access this info or recommendations on how to set that up? 5. How does the barometer work?? I haven't the slightest clue. 6. Any other recommendations or hints on using the unit?

After the rubber gripping started falling off all around my Vista HCx I called up Garmin while it was still under warranty and sent it in to be replaced for free. So I got it back, and while updating the firmware on the unit, it froze up windows and everything went down hill. The thing wouldn't even turn on! So after hours of dealing with customer support I had to send it in to be replaced again! It should be arriving at my house tomorrow afternoon and hopefully I can fit at least one cache in. I'm not sure I remember what to do after over a month without it!! I can't wait to get back out there.

Can you do a hard reset and then reinstall the firmware? A hard reset should take you back to the factory default. Well, how do I go about doing a hard reset?? I wasn't able to figure that out. And the problem is...while updating the software it somehow got corrupt...so I'm not sure a hard reset will be able to bring it to its settings...

Tried it...but, because my GPS is pretty much bricked, it didn't work either.

Well, I just bought my Garmin Vista HCx maybe 5 months ago and the rubber gripping started peeling off and since it was under warranty I sent it in, and they send me a new one. So, I am on a Mac and I have a program called parallels which runs windows XP for me...my computer recognizes it as windows XP so there are NO compatibility issues. So I used web updated and it found that the software on the unit was out to date....so it downloaded, started to install, and at about 80 percent, crashed windows XP!!! So it messed up my GPSr and said there was no software on it, so I tried again, and crashed. This time it seemed to have bricked the GPS. It won't turn on. I did some research (and yes, I read the article about how to get a dead one up and running-it didnt work) so I started it in USB mode so my computer read it, and web update, manual update, and web update through Mac OS, all failed. Any ideas if I'm stuck with a bricked GPS that I'm going to have to send in again? I am going to obviously call Garmin about this on Monday (closed for the weekend), but didn't know if anyone has had similar problems. Thanks!

Hello. I am going to be buying a macbook pro very soon but part of the deal with getting funds from the parents is that my dad takes my pc and I get the mac. Am I not able to use mapsource on a mac?? If so, how do I do any mapping, track, route, and waypoint management?? Am I able to use GSAK or cachemate with a mac?? If it is not possible to do these things how would I even go about changing my topo and city nav maps on my gps unit?? Lastly, if the only real option is to use bootcamp...i would have to buy a version of windows correct?? And isn't that like $200??? Thanks Any other info would help too

In June I am heading out from Massachusetts to Tennessee with some friends to go to Bonnaroo music festival. I am pumped about this and we were all hoping to do some caches along the route mainly at rest stops, etc. along the way. What is the easiest way to get cache info for something like this all the way from MA to TN??? Any suggestions?? Thanks

Is there any way to filter within cachemate on the pda?? I was hoping I could narrow down all the info into difficulty, size/type of cache, etc. LEt me know! Thanks

Hello, I have a garmin vista HCx and I can use GSAK pretty well with it to transfer all of my waypoints to the GPSer but the problem is, I just louded all of my found waypoint into GSAK and GSAK knows that they are found caches but then when I go to send them all to my GPSer, it shows all of my found caches with the same symbol as unfound...I'm not sure how I go about setting it so when the found caches transfer they show as being found...any help would be great! thanks

Hi, I just bought the Vista HCx not long ago and already own City Navigator 2008 as well as topo 2008 but didnt know if there was any other additional software people recommend? I wasn't sure if there is software that can be loaded onto the unit which allows me to view hints, info on the cache, etc. or do i have to go with paperless caching on my PDA if I'm looking to do something like that?? My friend has a magellan and he can view all that information right on his until so did not know if it was possible on the garmin?? thanks!

I figured out how to do the free draw but now will I be able to follow this exact track on my unit out in the field?

How do I go about free drawing one?

even when doing this they still show and block my entire route. Even when I have it up on mapsource, because there are so many "turn points" created on the off road track i created, i cant even see the course.

The best way to describe my problem is to give you the exact problem I am having. While in mapsource I am plotting out a specific hike directly to my cache and like to create an estimate of my tracks by creating a route. The entire time I use topo 2008 and it is on a unpaved service road so i follow up the road on the map clicking as turns come and for each spot I click it creates a title of the area either by the name of the road or by elevation which is fine because it allows my GPSr to follow a set of points. My problem is that when I look at my gpsr topo maps to follow the route but it shows everything name of each point along the route which pretty much blows my view of the actual route which is a problem. I did go into a few settings on my unit as well as on mapsource and can't seem to take them out of my view so I can view the route. I tried going to views and turning off user points (which took away any way points but not the actual turn along the route). Any help?

Okay I set this setting but when I still go to save track it doesn't save the time info...i dont want it to just save a wholes day worth because i just want to record the amount of time/distance one hike was. Any way to keep this data?

I really enjoy the feature that my Vista HCx has which just records my tracks of where I go and how I can save selected tracks. The only problem I am having with that is after I save a track, I have no problem seeing what distance the entire track is but can't access how long the entire track time took in minutes, hours, etc. Even when loading it onto my computer into mapsource it would not tell me how long it took. I did notice there is an option on what it records as in the map options...time or distance...it is set to auto...but it is unable to save both?? Any help would be great. Any other cool hints would be good too! thanks

I just ordered 2008 from amazon.com for around $115...it didnt say 2008, just City Navigator NT but i compared the product serial with the one on garmin.com and it was the same and when i got it in the mail it was surely 2008. Straight from amazon too, not one of those smaller co-sellers.

"In the set up page for compass you can set it to come on when you want. The default is that is comes on when you are moving under 10 miles and hour for more than 90seconds. You can change this to be 1 mile an hour for 5 seconds, which is more useful." I am confused about this comment...if I type in the coordinates to the cache (on my vista hcx) and select the compass menu I just follow the pointer most of the time right to the cache area and then look from there...if the compass is already on i don't get the comment of having the compass turn on?? Can you explain?? I'm sorry I'm new to all of this.

Hi, I have the Garmin etrex Vista HCx and I read in some other forums that the "lock on road" feature in the map settings can significantly change the accuracy of the compass while hunting for a cache. I read that it can throw off the "pointer"? What does this setting do even?? Should I leave it on while I am using city navigator and using turn by turn directions? Should I turn it on while using it for driving directions and on while caching?? Any help would be great!! Thanks

I own a Palm Tungsten T3?? I think??? I am going to hopefully get a premium account for christmas so I will refer back to this once I'm upgraded! Thanks for all the replies!

Hi, I just bought a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx recently and have been caching with a few people with some older magellan b&w units without any kind of high sensitivity receiver or WAAS yet when we go my WAAS is on and when we are at the cache theres will say 6 or 8 feet away and mine will say 15-20 feet at least from the cache. Even when it says my GPS accuracy is 10 feet! Any hints?

I bought some Eneloop batteries....they say they are mAh....what "kind of battery is that?? Alkeline, Lithium, or NiMH?? My GPSr(Garmin eTrex Vista HCx) has a setting to select which kind of battery I am using (I'm assuming its to set the battery meeter). Thanks for the help

Thanks for all the help so far...which program do you use for putting the info onto your palm?