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Matthew 7:7 Too

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  1. Guess what, the laws are changing... will Groundspeak respond I wonder?? Quote: From 1 January 2015 there are new place of supply rules for value added tax (VAT) on the supply of digital services by businesses to consumers in the EU. VAT on digital services will be paid in the consumer’s country, not the supplier’s country. It will be charged at the rate that applies in the consumer’s country. What you need to do As a supplier of digital services to EU consumers you can either: register for VAT in each EU country you supply to register to use the VAT Mini One Stop Shop (VAT MOSS) online service Using VAT MOSS, you can account for the VAT due on your business to consumer (B2C) sales in other EU countries by submitting a single quarterly return and payment to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC will send an electronic copy of the appropriate part of your return, and any payment, to each relevant country’s tax authority. Digital services ‘Digital services’ includes: broadcasting - the supply of television or radio programs telecommunications - fixed and mobile telephony, fax and connection to the internet e-services - video on demand, downloaded applications (or ‘apps’), music downloads, gaming, e-books, anti-virus software and online auctions This is a fast-changing area. These are examples rather than a complete list of digital services.
  2. I found today that when I downloaded a multi-cache to my Oregon 600, the description did not give me any details of the stages or the questions to answer. Is this part of the same problem? Do I have to revert to printing out multi-caches to be able to find them?? Chris
  3. As I've just moved from my old Oregon 400t to a new Oregon 650 (and Garmin in their infinite wisdom have abandoned Wherigo support on their GPSrs) I'm delighted to hear of your plans to launch an app for Windows Phone 8. As I also have a Lumia 620 Windows Phone this will allow me to pass on my Oregon 400t to other family members rather than keeping it just for Wherigo caches!
  4. Hi Fish&Dogs, if you're not aware, GO Outdoors price match- the cheapest I can find the 600 for is £271.19 (277.78 with postage) at Handtech. Give Go and ring, or pop in store, and you should get back £101.43 off them Or probably not... the Go Outdoors price includes the full GB OS maps while Handtec's doesn't! Chris
  5. But then geocachers are by their nature optimistic. That's why we buy new Garmin kit and expect it to work rather than wait 12 months for the early adopters to identify the bugs the Garmin development engineers ignored. Chris
  6. It'll be interesting to see if the compass improvements have solved the problems geocachers have been reporting where it does anything but point the was to a cache! But disappointing to see that the many crashes reported in the wiki do not seem to have been cured. The wiki also points out that the Montana still has many crash bugs that are not being addressed. If this is Garmin's new marketing strategy (to announce a new GPS with killer features, bring it to the market months late and full of bugs, then ignore the problems while announcing their next killer device) then I'll stick with my Oregon 400 as at least I've grown used to its bugs! Chris
  7. My 400t has never fatally crashed - at worst it just freezes and restarts when you remove and then replace the batteries. I'd like to be able to replace it with a 650 for its brighter screen and ability to see cache pictures, and was hoping to get one for my birthday in November. But I can't decide which year yet
  8. Good News!!! Garmin have released their monthly update for the Garmin 6xx (at http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=6157). The Bad News is that v2.9 only cures 2 minor problems according to Garmin (* Fixed issue with route calculations always avoiding seasonally closed roads: * Fixed USB compatibility issue) Chris
  9. That's an interesting theory, and I hope that it's correct! It would explain why some early adopters are reporting problems - but not why the glowing review published by Rich Owings on the 1st of May didn't identify any of the problems now being seen. Perhaps it's significant that none of the other review sites have published reviews of the Oregon 6xx yet (as far as I know). I'm sticking with my Oregon 400t for now until Garmin can be seen to have got their act together, and think I'll compare the performance of the Oregon 650 and Magdellan devices nearer Christmas. Chris
  10. I'm finding these bug reports as rather disturbing, especially when compared with the early euphoric reports that the Oregon 6xx was the geocacher's dream machine! My Oregon 400t locks up from time to time but never loses its geocaches... and I keep mine in the internal memory as the SD card is a read-only OSGB map card. Hopefully they'll solve the problems with updated software by Christmas As to your other problem, my procedure for replacing GPX files on my 400t is to first delete the old file. Then I disconnect the 400t from my PC and turn it on (I think this flushes out the internal index or filecache.) I then load the new GPX file (often with the same name as the old one). On disconnecting the 400t and turning it on again it seems to then rebuild the geocache index from the new file. Chris
  11. It's not only the European customers who are less than satisfied with Groundspeak's behaviour. Googling for Groundspeak comapny reports led me to www.glassdoor.com where the following employee reports were listed: 1) I worked at Groundspeak full-time for more than 7 years Pros – There are many smart and hard-working people at Groundspeak. The location is good. The facilities are good and so are the benefits. Cons – Some of management are heavy-handed and 'corporate' which doesn't suit the culture of the company. Good work and hard work are not rewarded as much as they should be. The company's business model doesn't seem sustainable in the long run. Advice to Senior Management – Listen to your employees. They know what they are talking about and it seems that you are not really paying attention. No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company. and 2) I have been working at Groundspeak full-time for more than a year Pros – Being a Groundspeak employee is a wonderful opportunity with competitive salary and well above average healthcare and benefits. There are several catered meals, fresh fruits and veggies, some frozen entrees and just about every snack and drink you can imagine. This includes an in-house espresso machine and a kegerator. You could easily eat 2 or 3 meals a day at Groundspeak plus happy hour, if you wanted to take full advantage of the food/drink. Cons – It's been a challenge to find and retain people that truly fit in. There have been several middle/top tier managers who have turned out to be counter-culture and have taken their toll on the overall morale. These people eventually work their way out of the organization or are asked to leave, but sometimes the damage left behind leaves a sense that something could have been done sooner. As someone else mentioned, "good work and hard work are not rewarded as much as they should be". My understanding of this is that the opinions about someone could overshadow their actual output and performance. This subjective over objective dilemma has been seen a few times and makes it appear that being likable is more important than doing your job. Advice to Senior Management – Please spend more time genuinely communicating with people in the company. There's a focus on being more transparent by publishing survey results, having monthly meetings and sending out team updates, but these mediums are impersonal. It's fairly common for 1:1 meetings to take place with direct reports across the organization, but it would be a huge benefit for Senior Management to connect with other departments or employees that aren't direct reports. Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company. Chris
  12. Cotswold Outdoors in the UK are now hoping they'll have 650s to sell by Late July!. Considering this product was launched in January, it seems to be taking Garmin a heck of a long time to make the 650 available. Wonder what's taking them so long?? Chris
  13. Well I'm probably miscomparing different kinds of maps. But TomTom send me regular emails to update my car's satnav maps (and free corrections whenever I connect my Go XXL to a PC), and while Garmin update their on the road maps I've never been able to update my Topo GB or Topo Europe maps in my Oregon without buying a full-priced new one :-).
  14. You'll be lucky - GB Discoverer maps supplied on a card are locked to that card which you can put on any compatible Garmin device - but you can't put the contents onto another card and have your Garmin read them off that card, not without using some rather "dodgy" software to create an unlock file for that card. Each card has a unique ID which is used to lock the mapping to that specific card. Conversely, if you download the mapping, you can copy it to any card you want, but it will be locked to the specific Garmin device you registered it to, as you have to register that device's ID when you download the mapping. It's basically designed to prevent you making unlimited copies of the mapping which could then be run on any device. One way ties your mapping to a potentially corruptible memory card, the other way ties your mapping to a device which you may want to upgrade in years to come (and then you'll have to buy new mapping). [Rant] In marketing terms, it's called a cash cow - you milk it for all it's worth. Personally, I think it's high time Garmin put some resources into a more flexible licensing approach which reflects that many of their customers have a number of devices they'd want to share the mapping across, or upgrade their device(s) but keep their mapping that they've already paid good money for. However, what I suspect they'll do is carry on as they are until such time as the free OSM sources become so good and encroach on their market share so much that they have to offer something more flexible and competitive. Sorry. [/Rant] Well back in 2009, I followed the instructions in the Oregon Wiki and was able to copy the OS Discovery map I bought onto a bigger card before registering it to my 400t. (I think the secret may be to copy it before your register the map and to use the same file identity.) But the doubt over whether it's still possible is why I want to go with the 650 with its extra free memory over the 600. I quite agree with you over the restrictive practice of not the owner use it in a new device - I had to get a special unlock code when my Etrex was replaced by Garmin after its rubber side grip started slipping off. Another gripe is why we can't get a cheap update for our maps - TomTom sell regular updates, and the OSM maps are updated every month! Chris
  15. Apologies for any confusion. The Oregons take the microSD cards and I used u as an approximate abbreviation for the correct symbol "μ" as it's not present on my keyboard. :-) Chris
  16. Thanks TAZ427 for your review. Personally I don't have or need a smartphone, so I will miss the lack of Wherigo functions - although there are very few of them near me anyway. But keeping my Oregon 400t will solve that problem :-) Although I currently take a small digital camera when geocaching, I like the idea of having one less bit of kit to carry by using the 650 camera instead. And although I currently use rechargeable cells in my 400t, I like the idea of being able to just recharge them in situ rather than having to keep removing and replacing batteries and then recalibrating the compass. As I'm in the UK, I'll be getting our OS Discover maps on a uSD card, and hope to be able to copy them onto a larger uSD card so I can add Open Street maps as well (for the UK and European trips). If there's any problem in copying the OS maps on to a new card, then the extra memory in the 650 (over the 600) will come in very handy. In short I think the minimal extra cost for the 650 over the 600 (£430 against £370 when both include the OS Discoverer maps) before discounts. Chris
  17. Well I bought my Oregon 400t in September 2009, when it had been out for about a year, and got used to adding bug fixes until Garmin gave up on it in May 2011! I prefer the sound of the 650 to the 600, and won't bother with the Topo map models this time, so hopefully will be ready to splash out by the summer. Chris
  18. Go Outdoors in the UK have had the Oregon 600 on sale for a few weeks now and a few other sites are now beginning to show thema as available. Yes, Go Outdoors and Cotswold Outdoors now have the 600 for sale, with the 650 being rumoured for early June. Judging by the number of queries and bugs being reported on the Oregon 600 Wiki, I'm quite glad we're not getting them yet! And the minimal manual provided by Garmin seems to be backfiring on them judging by the number of very basuc queries being asked in this thread!! (It doesn't even tell you what capacity SD cards will work!) They seem to be relying on the Wiki to find the bugs and provide the detailed documentation. I'm still waiting for some objective reviews too... Chris
  19. According to the Garmin Oregon 6xx Wiki (at http://garminoregon6xx.wikispaces.com/Hardware) the memory in the various models is as follows: 600 - 1.8GB total with 1.5GB free 600t - 3.6GB total with 809MB free 650 - 3.6GB total with 2.6GB free 650t - 7.2GB with 4GB free. These figures are backed up by screenshots, but the t models will presumably vary a bit depending on which country's topo map is installed. The 650 models are still not released yet so the figures must be based on pre-production units. The Oregon 6xx Wiki has a lot of other very useful answers to some of the questions being asked here, and is being created by early users. Chris
  20. Well I expect you will be able to store several PQs (with different names) in the GPSr... but Garmin's marketing people will be selling this as a reason for you to use their site of course. IF that actually has any caches anywhere near where you live of course! Chris
  21. Fortunately geocachers are used to solving puzzles, attending to details and finding their way around obstacles. Where there is a will, there is a way as has been mentioned above many times.
  22. They're now charging Can$32 to cover the Can$:US$ exchange rate which they say is 1.06! Chris
  23. While Deep Thought is still pondering how to justify its European rip-off pricing policy, I've just received my renewal notice - which still includes the advice that: "If you currently pay via a recurring PayPal payment, please cancel this payment and renew your Premium Membership via the Groundspeak Premium Membership upgrade page on: • Geocaching • Waymarking • Wherigo This directs your PayPal payments through the Groundspeak system so that we may better serve you." So despite the earlier promise that existing automated payments would not be affected they are still advising those concerned to move onto the new higher payments! Con artists have a better reputation than Groundspeak at present!
  24. My - much older - Oregon 400t also turns off when you unplug it from a computer (perhaps to reset the connection mode?) When you then turn it back on, there is a delay before it shows the home page while it seems to be processing the new geocaching file. I would expect the new 600s to have to go through the same steps before they can display the geocaches, and so need to turn off when you unplug the USB cable. Chris
  25. Go to the 'Learn' tab on the www.Groundspeak.com home page, or to here: http://www.geocaching.com/guide/ Chris
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