Rubberhead
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Posts posted by Rubberhead
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Here's another hardware approach - basically it adds a true serial port to your laptop:
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All of Georgia uses about 46MB.
All of Florida uses about 75MB.
I think Lil Devil is talking about City Select.
I checked Recreational Lakes/Fishing Hotspots and all of Florida takes 108 map segments and 37.8 MB. This map set won't autoroute but it does include detailed lake details include depth contours and other lake details.
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Garmin has implemented the NOAA charts in mapping software they call BlueCharts. I use this inshore and offshore. It looks fantastic on a color GPSmap 60CS. I would also recommend the Garmin GPSmap 60 and 76 series since they both include tidal predictions.
Here's a screen shot of a NOAA 11523 and the tidal predictions of my 60CS.
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I do a lot of things with my GPS: Hunt (mostly tidal marshes), Fish (fresh and saltwater), hike, travel for business, interface it with my Fishfinders, and geocache.
The GPSmap 60CS is the first GPS that I felt was a complete solution to everything I wanted a GPS to do for me.
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Been playing around with the 'plot barometer' function. I'v discovered that the gpsr will still plot pressure even when the unit is powered off!!!??? Confirmed when i check the plot report for time period the unit was off for, when i turn unit back on!
Does anyone know how the unit does this??!!
BTW whats the difference between 'barometer pressure' and 'ambient pressure'
many thanks
Lee
There is an option for having the GPSmap 60CS and 76CS record pressure in 15 minute intervals whether or not the unit is turned on. I think it is on the altimeter set-up page.
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The deal is that you've got one sensor (ambient pressure) that can measure two parameters: Altitude and Barometric Pressure. This is the algebra equivelent of one equation with two unknowns.
If you stay at a constant elevation over time the ambient pressure meter is a barometer. There is one equation and one unknown so this is a solvable problem. In your by-the-sea example your ambient pressure meter was telling you that the barometric pressure was dropping.
If you stay at a constant barometric pressure (ie, constant weather pattern) the ambient pressure meter is an altimeter. Again, one equation, one unknown - problem solved.
If, over a fixed interval of time, both the barometric pressure and the elevation change then the ambient pressure meter can not solve for either barometric pressure or elevation: one equation with two unknowns. You can acutally solve this problem but you have to either know or assume a value for one of the unknowns. This is called calibration.
A GPS with a ambient pressure meter has an advantage over a stand-alone barometric pressure altimeter since it can always calibrate itself against elevation from the GPS satellites. Stand alone units have to have either a known elevation or a known barometric presssure entered to create the one equation with one unknown situation.
If helps to understand that the history of why the first ambient pressure meter was added to a GPS. It was done for hikers that wanted to keep track of elevation even when they lost a GPS signal for a little while. As long as the weather patterns were stable during the time the GPS signal is lost, then the ambient pressure meter is a very accurate altimeter.
It also works well as a weather forecaster when camped for the night since the elevation isn't changing the ambient pressure meter is a very accurate barometer.
Sorry for being so long winded. I hope this helps.
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I've had Fords, Chevys, and Hondas and all I can say is that none of these companies were even close to Garmin when it comes to customer service.
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I started I am a hunter and fisherman much more than a Geocacher, but I'll never get another GPS without a built-in compass.
For me, it was trying to locate reefs and wrecks with the wind and the current pushing the boat in several directions. This caused the marked locations to swing all around.
I have a $130 Richie compass on my boat but even following a good bearing doesn't help when you get lateral movement from wind or current.
I use the Sight-N-Go feature of the compass models to"mark" places when I see ducks working a distant location. I hunt tidal marshes where it's easy to get disorentiated especially at low tide. Even if the distance is difficult to estimate, I can get another angle and draw another Sight-N-Go and mark the intersection of the two course lines.
The Barometer is useful as a method of predicting short-term weather trends when not changing elevations.
I use the Altimeter when hiking the Blueridge Parkway. I calibrate the Altimeter against the elevation markers on the Parkway. I can then turn the GPS off (since I keep it in my pocket where it doesn't get a good view of the sky) and record the elevation over time.
The turning the compass on when about twice the accuracy circle and sighting the geocache really helps in locating geocaches. Some may apperciate the disadvantage of not having an electronic compass. If so, they may actually have even more fun by not using any GPS at all.
Sorry for being so long winded. My point is that the barometer and compass have uses, you might just have to dream up a few of your own.
Good Luck, Rubberhead.
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If you are going to spend $99 to get an new model yellow eTrex you'd be better off spending another $40 and upgrading to the Legend: High resolution screen, mapping, includes computer cable, area calculator, geocaching waypoint icons...
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I bought Metroguide 4.01 for around $40 off of ebay.
I got the Metroguide 4.01 because it does autoroute on the GPSmap 60C(S) and since it doesn't require unlocking I'm able to use it with my eTrex units too. Even though it's relatively old, I have been very happy with the accuracy of the roads.
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The map size listed in Mapsource does not correlate well to the size of the .img file on the hard drive.
I used "filemon" from sysinternals.com
Running Mapsource with filemon will produce a huge log file so you'll have to do some data manipulation to identify the .img files that you are needing.
My suggestion would be to highlight all the map segments that you want to download, hook up your etrex then start filemon. Once filemon is started begin the map upload process to your etrex.
Once the upload is complete save the filemon log file. Once this file is saved you can use something like MS Access to identify each distinct .img file that was uploaded.
This is the process I used to identify the 90 Bluechart .img files that I have unlocked. I deleted all the other .img files and Mapsource with Bluecharts runs perfectly and I saved a lot of room on my harddrive.
Good luck.
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It's my understanding that Garmin has started shipping an updated yellow etrex with new hardware that includes features such as WAAS. You were lucky to get this new version.
I'm guess that you can't find anything on the new version on the website because Garmin wants give retailers a chance to sell their stocks of older version yellows.
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I went from a B/W Vista to a GPSmap 60CS about a year ago. You'll be blown away with how much better the reception is going to be. Matter of fact, you'll be blown away by everything the 60CS does.
Just one man's opinion...
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I couldn't upload maps to my 60CS after upgrading to 3.7.
I got the ole "you are trying to load 48.1 MB of maps but your GPS can only hold 56 MB. Try a smaller map set" message.
I may be going back to 3.61 beta since I was loving it.
PS. That is not the exact message but you get the drift.
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I've got Metroguide 4.01 and a GPSmap 60CS.
They work great together - it autoroutes like a dream.
I'm in the southeast (NC and SC) and have not noticed it to be inaccurate.
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Basically they are identical except in operation and functionality but the 76C(S) has twice the memory of the 60C(S), a much better basemap and it is designed to float. The 76 is also flat on the back instead of being slightly rounded like th 60 so the 76 would set nicely on a flat surface where the 60 won't.
I would actually think that the 76 is more rugged because the antenna cover is hard plastic instead of the rubber coating on the 60C(S) antenna.
The one advantage of the 60 series is that it fits perfectly in my hand so it does seem like more of a handheld unit than the 76C(S).
The 56 MB of memory in the 60C(S) is plenty for me. I frequently travel in a three hour raduis of my home and usually keep some combination of Bluecharts, Metroguide (with autorouting loaded), Fishing Hotspots, and some Points of Interests loaded and the 56 MB has never been a limitation. I do occasionally have to load different map sets but it only takes about 3 minutes to load a full 56 MB because of the USB connection.
My Vista takes about 45 minutes to load 24 MB.
Sorry for being so long winded - you cant go wrong with either the 76C or CS or the GPSmap 60 series.
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Yes, you will be very, very happy.
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Hmmm, well i guess i could always take the gps10 and hide it under my hat... Bluetooth transmits as 2.4 GHz which is the resonant frequency of water and the same frequency as a microwave oven.
I don't think I'd wear one on my head.
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I have a 60CS which I use it mainly for hunting and saltwater including offshore fishing.
I found about 20 caches with it and have recently started using it for driving directions.
Everybody get excited about getting a new gadget. Everybody spends a lot of time with a new gadget when they first get it. A good measure of a gadget is how much it gets used a year after it is purchased.
Using that measure; my 60CS is great.
I wish it had more memory, but the amount of memory has never been a problem since the USB interface allows me to upload 56 MB of memory in just a few minutes I can wait until I'm putting on my shoes before loading the necessary maps for the upcoming trip.
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I use my 60CS on my duck boat in saltwater bays where it gets muddy and covered with salt water and on my offshore boat where it gets crusted with salt. I wash it under the kitchen faucet using dishwashing liquid and a soft dish rag. I then rinse it and dry it with a cotton dish towel.
It comes out looking like new every time.
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Best I can remember the 60CS has the advantage in:
Memory (56M vs. 24M)
Antenna (Quad Helix vs. Patch)
Eternal ports (both have USB, but the 60 also has a serial/power port and an external antenna port)
Power supply (direct 12 VDC for the 60CS while the Vista C has to have USB power)
Easier access due to more available buttons
The Vista C has the advantage in size and the often overlooked power-over-USB.
I really wish Garmin had implemented USB power for the 60/76 series.
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Well, the best made plans seem to fall victim to old man murphy....
Was going to get a new GPS with bells & whistles, but the wife's car needed new tires. Guess who won that argument
I hope she doesn't mind walking...
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I don't know the answer to your question, but Fishing Hotspots version 5.0 is no longer locked.
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Garmin Yellow Etrex is a good unit, but doesn't come with a data cable. For a tiny bit more, I would suggest a Garmin Legend. It has mapping capability, comes with a data cable, and is only a few dollars more than the cost of the Yellow plus a cable.
Edit: Good GPS reviews and "what should I buy?" can be found at gpsinformation.net
I was thinking the same thing.
The Legend is a much better unit for only a little bit more money.
Hmmm, well i guess i could always take the gps10 and hide it under my hat... 
Etrex Venture Problems
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
It sounds like you have the "eTrex screen line design flaw problem" that affects high-resolution eTrex units.
A light tap on the side might fix the problem but it's only going to get worse. Take two deep breaths and call Garmin in the morning - they may be willling to fix it for free.