The Wildleys
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Posts posted by The Wildleys
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I recently took a short break in Paris. Whilst there, I attempted to track my progress along the River on the Batobus. (This is basically a water bus, with stops along the Seine.)
Strange things happened! When the bus was stationary, the GPSr worked fine. (I had great satellite reception the entire time, by the way.)
However, when the bus started motoring, the GPSr almost stopped responding. I could switch between screens and so on, but the map wasn't updated, and the navigation screen wouldn't show the course arrow at all. Pressing the zoom buttons on the map page had no effect. Sometimes, the position arrow would move, but it wouldn't leave a breadcrumb trail (so would just plot one point when the bus stopped, straightlining between the start and end positions); but, most of the time, the position arror lagged way behind my actual position.
I was just wondering if anyone would have any idea what could have been causing such odd behaviour!
I used the GPSr to track my flight from Cardiff to Paris, and that worked just fine. It's cool to know exactly what you're looking at out the window of the plane!
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I voted for the "I don't care who is the top hunter or hi[n]der" option.
What I would personally enjoy more than actual leaderboards is some combination of:
Detailed stats on (or linked from) a user's profile page;A map of all a user's finds (probably linked from their profile page);Detailed stats on (or linked from) a cache page.That way, you make a user's stats readily available, but without adding the competitive aspect, for which I don't particularly care.
Of course, I can see that plenty of people would be into the competitive/leaderboard thing, which is why I didn't vote for "Don't create an official leader board".
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I know of the three ways in which you can reference a cache page, namely:
By ID: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=83388By waypoint: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GCGJHWBy GUID: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=5c06cb3b-71a1-487f-9cd7-746a34a80ff1My question is, is there a preference for the version I should use to reference a page from an external website? (Does either the ID or the waypoint version have a limited lifetime?)
[This message was edited by Simon & Elizabeth on September 01, 2003 at 05:46 AM.]
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After some research, a bit of confusion, and a little more research, I have come to the following conclusion:
All eTrex Legend and Vista units come with the same preloaded map data, regardless of which region basemap they contain. According to Garmin's website, they come with:
quote:
Americas Highway or Atlantic Highway or Pacific Highway and Marine Point Database
which I presume should be parsed as:
quote:
(Americas Highway or Atlantic Highway or Pacific Highway) and Marine Point Database
which is slightly counterintuitive to me, being a C++/Java programmer.
Further, for anyone who is interested, this "Marine Point Database" (as they call it) contains the following:
Cities with population 200K and above worldwide;Nautical navaids for North and South America;Tide stations for the US only (only viewable on GPS 72, GPS 76, and GPS 152). -
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Originally posted by EraSeek:Your basemap should be permanate. What you found on the site to retrieve was the points of interest that comes along with the base map when you get the new unit. If you download mapsource maps, then what ever you have in there is written over except for the base map. You just reloaded the poi that was already in there.
Oh, so that's what MapSource was talking about the first time I uploaded MapSource data to my eTrex Legend.
Question: I have a European (Atlantic Highway) Legend. Can I download the original POI for this unit, rather than the Marine POI listed on the "Software Updates" page?
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A couple of things that would be nice to have:
One-off queries. For example, I'm going to stay in London this weekend. I set up a new PQ for the area around where I'm staying, waited for the results, and then deleted the query. It would be really nice to be able to say, "Run this query once, then forget about it." I couldn't see any way to do this at present.
Why does the GPX file come through with a numeric filename? I don't know if there's any logic to this filename, but I thought it would be nice if it was called <name_of_query>.gpx.
A different kind of location restriction: a rectangle, defined by two points. My idea is that I could create a MapSource document containing all the waypoints in the map tile between (x1,y1) and (x2,y2). Perhaps this one's a little exotic and not particularly useful to most; but it came to mind, so I thought I'd include it.
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I've just received my first Pocket Query result (woohoo!). This seems like a really neat feature.
Anyway, the problem is that EasyGPS is showing only eight of 100 waypoints. ExpertGPS shows them all. I'm just wondering if this is a known bug, or...?
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Ah, OK. I understand now. Thanks!
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In the "Setup | System" section of the Main Menu, what is counted towards the "Memory Used" bar at the bottom of the screen?
I have a single MetroGuide v4 map tile loaded into my Legend, 2.59 Mb, so I expected that bar to be at 33% or so. (I also have a couple of waypoints, a track, and the "User Details" filled in.) However, it says 2%. What the heck?
Thinking just the map tile wasn't being counted, I went to the Trip Computer page and reset everything (all stored waypoints, the track) (nothing I cared about, as I've just been playing with my new toy so far). Still 2%.
Is the 2% the user info? How come the map data isn't showing up? Or are there two separate programmable memory areas? I'm just a little confused, and would like to know how this works. Thanks.
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To confirm this for anyone else who might happen to find themselves in the same situation:
Garmin will upgrade your MetroGuide Europe v4 to v5 for free, if you purchased after 1 Feb, 2003 -- see "MetroGuide Upgrade" above. This includes software that came as part of the eTrex Legend Deluxe eTrex Legend/MetroGuide Europe bundle.
Garmin telephone support seems really good. I phoned them this morning at 08:30. There is a simple, one-step menu, just to get you to the correct department; and they answered almost immediately. The chap to whom I spoke was really friendly and helpful. This makes a very pleasant change after having to deal with terrible services such as ntl's!
So, to wrap this up, I am now a very happy eTrex Legend owner. We braved the heat yesterday to find our second and third caches -- but the first two using the eTrex.
Thanks for your help, Motley, and for pointing out the upgrade offer -- great stuff!
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Thanks for that!
I shall give Garmin a ring in the morning, to make sure this offer applies for software from the Legend/MG bundle. But, assuming that to be the case, I shall be pretty happy.My only slight remaining concern would be regarding the hardware itself. Since the unit came shipped with firmware revision 2.38, I think it was manufactured around April 2002. Would the hardware have been improved since that time, I wonder?
When I go to the diagnostic mode, by holding in the Click Stick whilst turning on the unit, I now see the following:
Software Version: 3.40
Bravo Version: 8
... And a bunch of other stuff.
(I did the firmware upgrade last night.) What is bravo version? Is that the hardware version? If not, is there any way to see the hardware version? And do you know if the new Legends, being shipped with software version 3.20, have a newer hardware version?
Thanks again for the info on the Garmin upgrade offer!
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Thanks for the info and emotional support.
I was so excited when the postman came this morning; when I opened the package, my bubble just burst. So, I will call Garmin and the GPSW on Monday morning.I am sure that I have "European MetroGuide v4.00", but that v5.00 is the latest. The major advantage of v5 compared to v4, especially with the more limited memory of the Legend, is the finer granularity of the map tiles.
So, I will ask Garmin about getting an update (although customer service isn't always as hot in the UK as it is in the US). Otherwise, I will try to return the Legend/MG bundle and purchase the Legend and MGv5 separately.
Oh, yes, and it was probably my ActiveSync that was messing with the firmware update, then. (I have put that on hold until I've made contact on Monday.)
Thanks.
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To reply to myself once again...
Looking at it a bit further, it seems as though the "eTrex Legend Deluxe" (Legend + MG Europe bundle) may be just a way for Garmin to get rid of its old software, and this should have been what to expect in the box. But, man, that is not obvious at all, if that is the case. Still really, really not happy with the whole situation.
GPSW are out of the office today (at least, I let the phone ring for a very long time). But, if what I said above it true (all bundles contain the old software), I'll be seeing if I can swap the bundle for a regular Legend and the software v5 by itself.
And I was all excited about getting to play this weekend, too...
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Hi, guys.
I originally posted over in the "GPS Units" forum. Then, I realized I had a problem: GPSW have sent me a really old Legend (firmware 2.38) with MetroGuide 4.0.
I am not at all happy about this! So, first, I thought I would warn you (but will let you know if they say, "Oops! Our mistake!" and replace with the product I expected to receive). Second, if anyone knows the answer to the question posed in this thread, please let me know.
Thanks.
[This message was edited by Simon & Elizabeth on August 09, 2003 at 07:09 AM.]
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Question: Does the part number 010-00256-03 refer to "eTrex Legend w/ MetroGuide Europe 5.0" specifically? I mean, would "eTrex Legend w/ MetroGuide Europe 4.0" have had a different product number? (I'm having trouble finding a specific reference to the "w/ 4.0" product on the web.)
Thanks.
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I am seriously unhappy right now!
I've just opened the MetroGuide Europe CD that came with my Legend, and found that it is version 4.0. I was expecting version 5.0. This would explain the firmware version being so low, I suppose.Well, I am certainly not happy with this at all. I bought the unit from gpsw.co.uk, and I shall be calling them (hopefully, they are in on Saturday mornings) to see if I can get the entire package replaced.
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Just received my eTrex Legend in the post this morning! It arrived with firmware version 2.38 (which seems slightly odd, as people have been reporting 3.20 shipped on new devices
).However, my main problem is, when I run the 3.40 updater.exe, and try to use the Auto Detect option, it searches both COM ports, then says, "Not connected. Unable to find a Garmin device."
Any clues on what's going wrong? Do I need to leapfrog my way up to 3.40 (by installing, say, 3.00 followed by 3.40)?
Any help would be appreciated, because I want to get up to date as soon as I can.
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Thanks for the info, guys.
There is apparently at least one third-party adapter that does not have the polarity groove, which keeps you from plugging it in backwards (so says Prime Suspect). Potentially something to watch out for...
Yes! As I was typing this, I received a despatch note for my eTrex Legend from GPSW! Excited! I will (hopefully!) get to play at the weekend!
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Thirteen pounds sounds better than thirty. Thanks!
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First, I am truly sorry for the double-post (here and the UK forum). You see, I am wanting to place an order in the next hour, so that I may play with my Legend at the weekend. Perhaps I am being hopeful, but I hope you can forgive a newbie's enthusiasm!
I'm looking at eTrex accessories at GPSW.co.uk. The Garmin cigarette lighter adapter is £30; but there is a GPSW "own brand" adapter available, too.
Does anybody know if there is some reason why the Garmin cable is worth the extra £10, or should I just go with the GPSW cable?
From what I can tell from the images, the only difference appears to be that the GPSW cable is coiled, whilst the Garmin is a straight cable design.
Thank you!
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I'm looking at eTrex accessories at GPSW.co.uk. The Garmin cigarette lighter adapter is £30; but there is a GPSW "own brand" adapter available, too.
Does anybody know if there is some reason why the Garmin cable is worth the extra £10, or should I just go with the GPSW cable?
From what I can tell from the images, the only difference appears to be that the GPSW cable is coiled, whilst the Garmin is a straight cable design.
Thank you!
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Wow, lots of useful info -- thanks!
From your MetroGuide Europe review, I think it would definitely be worth buying that along with the eTrex Legend. That seems like it would make the unit really useful, rather than just pretty handy.
Now you've got me thinking about spending the extra cash on the Vista, though, and I'm not sure I can afford that.
Thanks again!
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Thanks for the info and opinions, guys!
As of this moment, I'm leaning towards the eTrex w/ Pocket PC connection option, for the simple reason that the Pocket PC itself is not really the thing to be taking out on the trail. (I'm way too protective of my trusty Jornada.)
Thanks again.
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I'm just about ready to make my first ever GPS purchase -- but I still have one or two questions that I'd like answered before making my final decision. I think I'm going to go for a Garmin Legend, with European basemap (and hopefully link it to my Pocket PC, too).
I was just wondering, what is the difference between the basemap and the MetroGuide Europe software? Is it just that the basemap is a much less detailed map than what you can get from the CD? (I'm wondering whether to go for a Legend/MetroGuide bundle for an extra £66.)
Is the 8 Mb memory on the Legend in addition to the basemap, or does the basemap eat up some of that 8 Mb?
Is the basemap stored in ROM, or can it be swapped out for, say, the America basemap that comes on these units in the US? (My wife is American, and there's a good chance we may move back to the States at some point. I take it these units work worldwide...?)
Oh, and one final question: What is the difference between the MetroGuide and the Roads & Recreation CDs?
Thanks, all, for helping a newbie get into the game!
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I just tried twice to create a post in the GPS Units forum:
Attempt #1
Attempt #2
These are not showing up in the forum listing; and (as you may discover if you attempt to visit one of these URLs) I'm just getting "The page you requested is not available" when I try one of those links directly.
Not sure what's up, but thought it best to report this, in case something bad happened.