TravelingSquirrel

I checked the Garmin website and the specs on the Colorado and Oregon seem to be about the same; so what is the difference? Which one is the newest and what does it do that the other one doesn't do?

Another option is to use MapSource to create a route or track along the forest road, upload it to the GPSr and use it to navigate to your hunting spot.

Thanks for the tip, I will check into that.

I have a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx GPS with the handlebar mount. I use it track my trips more than navigate. It uses a machine screw to attach the mount to the back of the GPS. The mount then clips into the handlebar mount. I went for a ride today and used my GPS. About 15 miles from home I hit a bump and the GPS came off, hit me in the leg and landed in my lap! I just put it on the seat between my legs and continued using it the rest of the way home. It was then that I found the screw had backed out from the vibration and let the GPS fall off. I guess I will need to check the screw and/or use some threadlock next time. On a side note, I did not have the wrist strap on it as it is very long. The first time I used it, I tied the strap around the handlebars but it had a lot of slack. I was worried that if the GPS fell off and was dangling by the strap, it could snag on something and then I would be in big trouble! The good news is, it was my lucky day and I came home with my myself and my GPS in one piece. The really good news is I got a good ride in today on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Thanks to Coggins and EAParks, I now have the icons. I will attempt to load them in the next few days and get my hunting map updated with the new icons.

These ones? Yes; where are they stored? Hey Coggins, don't leave me hanging. Did you make those icons or are they installed somewhere. I searched the Garmin Mapsource directory and did not find any icons.

The o-ring slipping would definitely be a problem. But, using it on a Jet Ski might also be a problem even if the o-ring is in place. If water hits the unit at speed, it could force its way into the device. The unit is meant to survive the pressure of 1 meter of water, but water/waves hitting it at speed could exceed that pressure.

These ones? Yes; where are they stored?

I took a look at MapSource last night and found the area where Custom Symbols are stored. The question is, where are the other symbols such as the hunting symbols stored? I want to copy them to the custom symbol directory but I cannot find them. How do you create them?

Did you read my mind as the hunting symbols are exactly the ones I want to copy! Thanks for the info, I now have a place to start.

I take it from the lack of response that this can't be done?

I have done it several times on Delta flights. Delta does allow use of a GPSr above 10,000 feet. I wish you could use it during landing and takeoff as they make some interesting flight paths at those times. Check the airlines website and in-flight magazine. If all else fails, ask. Post your track when you return.

I have a Garmin Vista HCx and love it. But I have found at least one annoying trait and that is the icons it and MapSource use for marking waypoints. They (MapSource and the GPSr) have some of the same icons and some that are different. So when I copy waypoints to MapSource, if I have used an icon that MapSource doesn't have, it substitutes a generic icon. Same goes for copying waypoints created or modified in MapSource to the GPSr. So how do I copy icons from the GPSr to MapSource and vice-versa? Thanks.

Yes, I bought my GPS primarily for hunting and fishing. Had to track one on opening day, but did not use the GPS. I wish I had back tracked the trail to see how far it ran. I did use it to check sunrise and sunset, so that is handy. I need to keep this in mind. Yes, that is probably the most used feature. I have thought about using it to mark my stand and then walk around and see how far various landmarks are so I have an idea about distance. Probably more important to do for bow than rifle as I don't hunt anywhere where I would get a very long shot. If I knew the actual temp I would probably just feel colder. I have the Vista HCx and so far I really like it. Good luck this season!

I know this is sorta off topic since this is a geocaching site, but I thought this might not be too far off topic for the GPS and Technology forum. Anyway, with hunting season here, I am interested in hearing how you use your GPSr for hunting. This is my first season with one and I am loving it so far. I made a trip to see one of my brothers and we went bow hunting. He had marked trails and tree stands on his GPS. I downloaded them to my GPS and away I went. Unfortunately, he told me the wrong way point name so I did not find the tree I was supposed to climb. He showed me the tree for the afternoon hunt and the tree I used for the morning hunt was only 30 yards away. But, since it is still early in the year and the trees still have their leaves, I was only getting 27' accuracy. If we were using chain-on stands, that would be good enough. But it is not good enough to find the right tree for a climbing stand. For those who don't hunt, you pack a climbing stand in with you, put it around a tree and up you go. I will be interested to see how much better it gets once the leaves are off the tree. For future reference, it might be worth putting a note on the waypoint to describe the right tree. So, how do you use your GPSr for hunting?

I am looking for other GPS forums that are not geocaching related; maybe geared more toward other uses such as hunting, hiking, fishing, bicycling, etc. What other GPS forums do you guys visit?

BTW, 5-6 feet accuracy in some cases is far more accurate than some of the old surveys that I have seen and had to deal with when being re-surveyed in modern times and resold. I have seen closure errors of tens and in some situations low hundreds of feet. I know what you mean about old surveys. I bought land out in the country about 2 years ago. I went to the the county records and looked up the old deeds for the land as well as adjoining lots and the survey notes were hilarious! One survey starts out at a persimmon tree and meanders along a stream until you come to a rock. I have been tempted to go look for the persimmon tree. Anyway, I can't be much help here as I am a fairly new owner of the Vista HCx and it is my first GPS. I must say though, it is a great unit with tons of features. The joystick is really quite easy to use too.

One thing to watch out for with the lanyard is to make it as short as possible or tie up the slack. I recently attached it to my motorcycle and the sight of all the slack in the lanyard had me worried. If it came off the mount and just dangled from the handlebars, it could get caught in the wheel or on the bike and not allow you to turn the bars and then you would be in big trouble. My solution was to remove the lanyard. I do want to make a much smaller version at some point, but for now I would rather lose the GPS than crash. I have only used my Vista HCx a few times on my motorcycle, but so far so good.

I see that Mapquest.com has a Send to GPS function. Has anyone ever tried that with a Garmin eTrex? I have the Vista HCx and would love to send it a route and have it give me turn-by-turn directions to follow that route. I don't have the City Navigator maps yet and I know I will need that first. Has anyone tried this?

You might be embarrassed, but now you have a bike mount that works! I bought 2 of those mounts, one for my mountain bike, and one for my motorcycle, and they work great with my Legend HCx, I'm sure you'll be plenty happy, too. Just remember to keep your eyes on the road more than the map! I know, it's hard not watching the little moving picture, but it doesn't show traffic! I bought one of each size as well; one for the mountain bike and one for the motorcycle. So far I have only used it on the motorcycle, but it works well. You do have to remember to watch where you are going though.

I don't know about the Legend, but the Vista had the clip. I just bought the mounts and put it on my motorcycle. I have another mount for my bicycle but haven't put it on yet.

I just mounted my Vista HCx on my bike with the Garmin mount and I really like it. I thought it would be hard to see without the back light, but it was just fine. I haven't been in the bright sun yet so we will see how that goes. The only place I could mount it was near my grip which puts it closer to my eyes. That turned out to be a good thing as it made it very easy to read the smaller screen. I will have to get the street maps put on so I can use if for turn by turn navigation. I did confirm that my speedo is off by 5 mph at 60 mph. Closer look:

I went caching for the second time yesterday. I double teamed them with my Garmin C550 and my Garmin Vista HCx. I pre-mapped the areas and pretty much knew how to get to 3 of the 5. I used the C550 to get me to the first one and the Vista to finish the job. But, there is always a but, the battery was dieing on the C550 and my powercord was in the other car! So it thought I knew where the others were and did find 3 of the next 4. I made two runs at the one I didn't find. It seemed to be in a private community. Then it seemed to be in the condo community next door. But when I got to the waters edge, I am cacheing around a lake, it pointed across the water! So I gave up and called it a day. Well this morning I did a little closer looking at the area with MapSource and found that I have to go way around the area by another road just to end up across a small cove. It must be at least 10 miles of driving to get 100 feet across the water. But now I know and I will make another try soon. What did I learn? Several things. 1. Make sure you have the power cord for everything or freshly charged batteries. 2. Take extra batteries for the Vista (didn't have any with me though I have plenty at the house) 3. Map the area more closely before going. 4. Get the City Navigator maps for the Vista and there would have been no problems.

LOL, not much chance of that. At least not without a warning first.

I may have to look into that. I have an old Handspring that I no longer use, but could put to use for paperless caching.