Woodstramp

cliptwings, We musta posted at the same time. Thanks for the additional info. ....will study it. I mainly used Gimp to de-progressive the jpeg, then just did the rest in GE. Gonna give it another go when I get some downtime tonight.

sussamb, Thanks for that link....looks like I broke the bank with mb limit. I don't want to loose rez on this large map, so it says I can break the image up in smaller chunks. Will try that tonight. Thanks. BTW, sussamb, you're carrying on and good rants from across the pond about the Etrex 20 helped steer me to one too. Really like this little booger. More so than my trusty 60csx.

Got a new Etrex 20. It is supposed to support Garmin Custom Maps. It has an internal file folder labeled that anyway. Been following some Youtube and written instructions online and have managed to get a custom .kmz file in the Etrex, but ran into two snags so far. First snag was a warning that the image I used was "a progressive .jpeg" and was not supported. Used a program to de-progressive it. Re-did the whole sha-bang and saved in the Etrex again.....now a warning pops up that the file is too large. The finished project is 3.2meg. Anyone know what the file size limit is for Garmin Custom Maps? The warning was not specific and I cannot find online. Thanks.

Started with Magellans (GPS 2000, old Explorists), then tried Delorme when the Pn came out. Now I only buy Garmin products. They support their stuff and the stuff just works.

Express popped up on my system a while back....got tired of it running in the background at every restart, so I uninstalled it.

Went to 3.0 when I registered my new Etrex20. Has not had one problem yet. Liking this new 20 so much, it is making me want to mothball the trusty, ol' 60csx. (Can't believe I just said that)

Thanks. I like the idea of trimming one for an Iphone. I've seen those at WallyWorld.

I checked Zagg's website in search of a screen protector for my new Etrex 20. The only list for the old Etrex line. Anyone here have another good protector option?

Setting this thing up with Profiling is really nice. Set the Automotive profile to only use Cit-nav....set Geocaching and Recreational profiles to use topos. This thing is growing on me,fast.

Thanks folks. Now have CN and Topos working on a SD card. Outstanding.

Just bought a new Etrex 20. So far, I'm thoroughly happy with it. First battery run down test was amazing. 44 hours before low battery shut down. It also survived a dunk test, a FW upgrade so this is a keeper. Anyway, I recall reading something about the newer Garmin handhelds having a different map file structure than the old Etrex and 60's lines. Downloaded the user manual from Garmin...it was worthless. With my old 60csx I can run topos, topos with transparent overlays and City Navigator maps respectively, but I have to change SD cards to run those maps. The unit can only one map file (GPSMUPP ????) at a time. Do I still have to swap out SD cards or can I run a topo map on internal memory and have a SD card with City Navigator and switch at will from Profiles? Anyone here done this?

I've not used that altimeter function on my 60csx much, but from my memory of weather from high school science you watch for a decreasing trend in atmospheric pressure. Lower means more moisture in the atmosphere (hurricane), higher means clear/dry (blue northern). If you are at a certain elevation for a while and see a decreasing trend in the GPS's atimeter/barometric sensor, then you probably going to see some wet weather.

Spot on! (that's one of those UK sayings, right?) I remember when I got a 60csx. Finally, a GPS with electronic compass! After fiddling with it for an hour or two I disabled that function. Have not turned it back on since. We have a lot in common. I learned how to use a GPS without an E-compass function and how to drive in stick shift car.

wvsky, As to the "which unit....will work on an ATV".....I do the same thing. Handlebar mount. Though I have never used either of the units you've got, I do use a Garmin 60csx (simular form as the 62) and have no complaints. Works great, easy to see and manipulate. The only suggestion I'd offer (if you use either) is to make sure you use a lanyard and loop it through the handlebars. That way, if the GPS did dislodge from the mount, it won't fall to the ground....or under the wheels. As to the CB.....During daylight hours they are almost useless. "Skip" from the upper atmosphere smothers the receiver with radio noise from all over the world. At night they work better for flagging down someone who might be monitoring on a base station. I would personally prefer a little FRS transceiver. Small and can be heard "line of sight" from rather long distances. I have one that can scan all available freqs. You'd be amazed at how many folks I can listen to while out in the boonies. In my area I'd venture the FRS would be more effective. I have to mention that a CB did save my bacon once, back in the 80's. Stuck the truck in a huge mud hole on a cold dark night. Luckily, I did catch some night owl CB'er on a base. He called my bro to come help me out.

Thanks for that info. My kids go to that store...guess I will now.

I have had an Android phone for a while. The only apps I've used were free ones so far. There are a few pay apps that I would like to purchase. I'm pretty sure the authors would accept credit card payments, but I'd rather not go that route. Are there other ways to purchase paid apps without using a credit card? Some pre-paid card method? Thanks.

Just curious....Saw this thread and I turned on my 60csx to see if this new sat will appear on it's sat screen. Left the GPS on for an hour while on a ride. 24 never showed up in the list of received sats. I'm wondering why. Is this new sat viewable from the southeastern US? Also, it seems that in the past I recall a change in the WAAS sats required firmware updates so that the older units could "see" the changes in the constellation. Will this be true for this new sat? Thanks.

I'm guessing they saw themselves a uniquely poised to get into the handheld market a coulple of years ago, seeing that they are long-established in maps. A lot of factors may have blunted that jump. Like the downturn in the economy....advances in cell phones, etc. My personal experience with thier products has been love/hate. Absolutely love the Topo software. A pain to learn, but well worth the effort. If you hike or like to make custom maps of areas, like I do, then it is a gold mine if you want custom, printed maps. Hate....decided to buy one of thier PN's. Bought a 20. Worked great for jiving with the Topo software, but found the unit easily corrupted with custom maps, WP and geocaching files. Required resets would wipe all saved data. Repeated calls to Delorme CS were answered with "We're working on that." or "I'm not aware of that problem...will look into it." Finally, before my warranty ran out, I figured that they couldn't/wouldn't fix the problem. On hikes, using the stock rechargeable battery was a disappointment. 3 1/2 to 4 hours use, max. Then good alkalines might get 6-7 hours. Just prior to this I'd reccomended that a friend buy a PN-40. It's battery use was even worse than my -20. I've never considered "upgrading" since. (I have to mention that the PN-40 was amazingly accurate, though.) Above I mentioned smart phones. This probably has hit Garmin too. Geocaching is something most of the GPS makers needed court. I'd expect most folks who try it just run an app on an Android (or Iphone)while at the city park. No dedicated GPS needed at all for this type of caching. I'd think that an increasing share of caching is done this way. It is just too easy and cheap to not be having an impact.

OP, Sounds like you need to cut all this GPS stuff from your life if it's causing you such a burden. You mentioned having a Zumo.....that means motorcycle. A bike ride, alone, should be enjoyment enough.

OP, I've owned several handheld GPS units (Magellans/Garmin/Delorme) and all but all have survived a shower. The only one that I've actually had under water was a Delorme PN20. We both fell from a Waverunner. The Delormes have thier drawbacks (small screens and eat batteries), but they do have a nice seal with two D-ring screws.. Another angle.....you said it was dunked in Lake Guntersville? It might not have been water that shorted it out. I was probably that stupid aquatic Millfoil weed. It gets into everything.

Though not a paperless unit, there is a way to squeeze more info on the unit in a sort of truncated code. Partial name/size/dificulty/short hint can be available for each cache. A PQ can be sent to GSAK and then to the GPS. It has been so long since I've done it and can't recall the exact steps, but there are a lot of threads in the archives here on how to do this. Also at the GSAK forums.

Kylehawkins, I don't want to deprive you from any vengeful delights, but if you feel the urge to chunk that Etrex 30 in the lake again, just send it my way......I'll even be glad to pay shipping. (Might even spot you $20 for your trouble.......I need a backup unit for my amazingly accurate, battery sipping, incredibly dependable, elderly 60csx.)

Viajero Perdido, I will never forget the first time I powered up my 60csx. It was I direct sun outside of the store. It literally amazed me. That was after using many other units (Garmin, Delorme, Magellan). It or I will croak before we part.

Hynr, The port I've been talking about looks just like the second pic you posted. Nine pins. I've been looking at USB/serial adapters online.

I found an online manual. Here is a cut/paste of interfaces: ------------ Interfaces/Ports HDMI..............Yes Total Number of USB Ports........3 Number of USB 2.0 Ports...........3 VGA............Yes Network (RJ-45)............Yes -------------------------- BTW, I have a freind at work who is more computer savvy than me. I showed him the homemade cord I had. He gave me a conglomeration of adaptors to change my "9 pin/Pfranc/Garmin" cord (the homeade cord that works on my old PC) to a USB. I hooked it all up to one of the laptop's USB ports. Turned on the Etrex (in Garmin transfer mode, like usual), cut some map areas in Mapsource and attempted tranfer. Mapsource never could "find device" like it could with the PC. BTW, the new laptop works very well when transfering data with the USB connected to my 60csx. This laptop is a Windows 7 and 64bit, if that helps. I'm no computer expert, but the old setup with the homemade cable was basically direct wiring (only three conductors if I recall) from the GPS to the computer. I'm thinking that the interlink (via USB) is more involved than just three wires.