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gitarmac

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Everything posted by gitarmac

  1. The distance on the map page is only linear distance. It doesn't account for curves or elevation. It would also be nice to be able to have a daily trip mileage in addition to a total mileage. There are other ways to get a crude estimation but they are no substitute for actual multiple trip odometers. And such a simple easy feature.
  2. I would like to be able to know various distances on my track as I am walking it. I would use various trip meters on my gps just like I would on any other device that has an odometer and more than one trip meter, which is all of them. Besides my Garmin gps. Does nobody hike besides me? Do you never want to know how long a specific length of trail is while you are walking it? Let's say you are hiking, you are keeping track of your total distance, and you stop at a spot to eat or rest, or whatever. You know there is a lake, picnic table, or what not up ahead and you want to know how far. Gee, if only I had one or two trip meters, you know, like everything else. It's not like it's advanced technology, it would be a really simple software update. I can't believe it hasn't already happened. There are people that hike and backpack more than I do that would really like that. The track segment distance would be more complicated but multiple trip meters should have been done already.
  3. Does anyone know if it's possible to have more than one trip meter on my Garmin 64? This seems like a really easy feature that could be added. Even the cheapest bike computers have this capability. Another potentially useful feature would be track distance. For instance, I could select a start point on a track, then another point on that same track, and get that section distance. Garmin should hire me for my bright ideas, I actually use their product. Sometimes I wonder if they do.
  4. Another thing I occasionally do is consolidate my gpx files. Apparently a new one is made every day you make waypoints. This leads to a bunch of separate gpx files in the gpx folder. I go into a program like easy gps, import all the waypoints and save them. Then I delete all the waypoints on the unit and load them again as one gpx file. Is this something I should or should not do? It's kind of the only way I can organize my waypoints into nice little location files. That way I can use a name more than once. I might have a "bridge" at one park, and another "bridge" at a hunting location. I have separate gpx files for each thing and load them as I need them.
  5. I did some experimenting. The file was there, so I moved it to the computer desktop. I disconnected the gps and it worked fine. So I plugged it back into the computer again and it did not recognize it. Uh Oh. So I put the file on the card and put the card back into the unit and it recognized it again. Whew. I was perusing all my gpx files and found a different initialization file from another date, a smaller one. I swapped those two out and I don't get the error. I have 2 astro's. I wonder if the initialization files are unit specific and I swapped them at one time. Anyway, I guess it's fixed. It's weird though, when I was able to open the file, all it contained was a few waypoints I created at one time or another. I have my units so they both pretty much have the same waypoints. That way me and someone else can be at the same property and see the same things while tracking the dogs. I wonder if that's how it got copied. It's all just a guess to me. So far all I know is that I need the file for the computer to recognize it, and they are more than just the waypoints, I deleted those in my gps, I don't really need them anymore. I still need to plug in my other unit and see if I get any errors. It seems like the unit would be able to create an initialization file if one is deleted. I am unsure of it's function.
  6. I have an astro 320, which is based on the garmin 62. I used to use waypoint manager and easy gps to save my waypoints and stuff, then basecamp came out. Anyway, my problem is with both basecamp and easy gps. I keep getting an error when these programs try to access my gps. It will import the data, but it always first gives me a message that says The Receive from GPS command could not be completed. An error occurred while receiving data from your Garmin Astro 320. An error occurred when reading saved GPX data from your Garmin Astro 320. This XML file contains one or more errors. E:\Garmin\gpx\initialization.gpx It also gives this error code: Additional Error Information: Unknown error 0xC00CE504 Error Code -1072896764 I seem to remember there is a gpx file that is on the newer garmins (my first ones were the older garmin that did not store data the same way) that you must rename or it will become overwritten and you will not be able to use your gps. I'm not sure if this is why I'm getting the error or not. It's been awhile since I've messed around with them, I have the SE topo map installed from gpsfiledepot.com. Is this something I need to concern myself with? I used to be able to manage my waypoints better before basecamp came along. I have sets of data from different places I hike and hunt, being able to organize them is kind of important. What is the "initialization gpx"?
  7. It's nice that so many posters have not had a single problem with their garmin units but they are nowhere as foolproof as some would have you think. My first 3, a rino, a legend, and a venture (all older models) were all sent back. One of the channels didn't work on the rino. The venture would sponatiously shut off. IT was a commone defect in the battery compartment. I was about to give up on them but there was a sale on a HS model and I got it. If you use it with gps off, like if you are indoors and just loading waypoints, then you decide to go out and turn it on and use it - it locks up. You have to remove the battery to get it to work. My vista backlight would not go above 50%. My oregon would clear your tracks preferance everytime you turned it off. Finally a software update fixed it. Ironically it was after a software update that it started. I am mapping a hunt club and have over 20 tracks that need to be shown on map at all times. It's tedious having to recheck them each time. I almost got rid of it because when I called garmin they told me it was designed that way. It wasn't. My astro compass jumps quite a bit. I had numerous problems when I first got it. I had to call customer service a few times. Luckily I got somebody very familier with the unit to help, they told me how to master reset it which helped some issues but not all. I think I just got used to the shortcomings and have learned to compensate. I use it to track my doggies and would like to have more confidence in it. Don't even get me started on the communicator plug in or basecamp. I like garmin stuff as much as the next person but it seems like they beta test their stuff on customers.
  8. I have the astro 320, which is supposed to be like the 62, not the 60. The astro 220 is the older model which was based on the 60. Yes, there is an option for lithiums. It just doesn't seem to be right. I did not consider the rapid voltage drop of the lithiums. I didn't give it much thought till the new lithiums did not register full, that's when I checked voltages.
  9. I decided to put lithiums in my astro to make sure I wouldn't have to change them for a few days. The astro is kind of like the 62 but it tracks dogs. The first pair seemed to last a little longer. When it was time to change them I measured the voltage and it was 1.47 which is higher than my rechargable eneloops when fresh. The next pair showed the battery not full from the beginning. I tested the voltage and it was something ridiculous, I can't remember exactly but I think it was 1.7 I'm not sure what lithiums are supposed to be, my experiance with my eneloops are that they will show a higher voltage than the specs. I decided to set the gps to the rechargable setting so it wouldn't think it was dead and shut off or something. Is this some kind of bug that needs fixing? I wonder if I should call garmin.
  10. I have also found that using a gpsr I have actually become better at navigating around in the woods. I always have a compass with me to confirm my gps compass, now I use it as I'm hiking. Before I was too afraid to get off the trail, or simply bushwhack, even in a small area. Now that I am apt to wander around I've taken the trouble to become familier with using a map and compass. I also use a garmin system to track my doggies and now have a place where they can run around without bothering anyone. They love it!
  11. If you can do paperless cacheing it will make it a lot more fun and practical. I have a vistahcx, and while it is a very nice unit, it doesn't do paperless caching. I got an oregon on sale and I love it! I also got an astro to track my doggies, it's supposed to be sort of based on the 62. It also does paperless caching. It doesn't have a touch screen though. The touch screen is pretty awesome if you like to put notes in your waypoints. You can lock it if you need to. The screen is nice and big.
  12. I still have my first venture, or maybe it was a legend. I spontaneoiusly shut off so much it became useless. I put it away. A few years later I saw an ad for an etrex and wondered if garmin would fix my old unit. THey did - for 75 bucks. Worked great. Only problem is it used a connection that was not on my new computer. When I got the new units with the high sensitivity reciever I was sorry I tried to fix the old unit. THe new ones are much better. That said, I still have my venturehc, sometimes I use it to mark things I don't want cluttering up my working gps, like road signs for the hunt club that need fixin'. Now that I have an oregon and astro, my vista is my back up gps. I'm probably going to give the venture to a friend of mine.
  13. I don't use the program for gecaching, but I like it for creating batches of files and backing up my gps's. THe only problem is that the free version doesn't have the icons that my oregon and astro use, so when I transfer them through the computer, I have to go back and change icons.
  14. I just got a couple new gpsr's, I worry about them not getting enough support. One of the ones I just got was the astro 320 so I can track my doggies. I don't think a cell phone gps is going to like to be hauled through briars and in dirt.
  15. wireless sending might not have been hosed to begin with, I noticed that mine has to be on the same profile as the other one when I send, then it works great. I will even do it on gpsdemo mode. My tracks started hiding when I powered off the unit. This newest update fixed that. I called garmin before I found it and they said it was supposed to do that, which puzzled me because that would solve nothing and introduce all new issues, like re-turning on show on map on 40 tracks everytime you turn the unit off!
  16. OK, I just got off the phone with garmin. They asked if I updated software and I said yes cause I thought I did. THen they said it was the way it was supposed to be. I had a fit and they told me where I could email a suggestion. I went to another thread and it said there was an even newer update. I did it and it seems I'm back in business. Why on earth would they intentionally make it default to hide all tracks?!? Why would they tell me it was supposed to be that way?!? I'm just glad its fixed for now. It holds 200 tracks, I would hate to have to thumb through them all to select only the 30 or 40 I need.
  17. Since I have updated, my tracks do not stay set to "show on map". They default back to hidden everytime I turn it off.
  18. Title says it all. I don't remember this happening till the last update. I really loved my oregon till this happened. I'm mapping an area and need to make a lot of little tracks that I need to show every time I am in the area! So far there is over 30 segments. I don't have to do this on any other model I have, my oregon 450 went from awesome to useless!! I haven't called garmin yet. I already know you have to tell it to show on map, I don't know what else to do to make my track preferances stay. Anyone heard of this yet?
  19. I just updated my oregon 450, it started up fine afterwards. I won't know more till I test it.
  20. Welp, it was just my netbook. I thought I was going crazy.
  21. I have birdseye on my little netbook and my big strong laptop. I'm thinking it just doesn't work for that on my little netbook. I'll later try on my laptop.
  22. I did not tell it to send to device after downloading because I want the maps on my card and not device. Now I can't figure out how to get it to the device. It will not let me "export selection" which is what I think I need it to do. Do I have to delete it and start all over? The embarrassing thing is, I think I've done this before, I have a few maps on my gps.
  23. I just noticed I did not spell screen right. I can't type on my netbook very well. Yeah, that's the ticket. Anyhoo, I saw a recomendation of boxwave in another thread so I ordered a pack. I'm really paranoid about it getting scratched. It seems like a touch screen would get worn spots after awhile. I'll post an after action report when it comes in.
  24. I had one on my phone and it was terrible. It finally got so scratched up I took it off. What a differance! I don't want my oregon to get scratched up like my phone, phones don't last long enough to matter, plus I don't need to see much on my dumb phone. I'm willing to put up with a slight decrease in display if it's what I need. Can these things be taken off? Which one is the best one?
  25. It's not just the montana, I have 4 differant garmin units and they all do it to one extent or the other. It freaked my out at first but I'm over it now. My venture has the most reliable odometer for some reason.
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