gitarmac
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Posts posted by gitarmac
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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.
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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.
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I have 3 chargers for my AA and AAA rechargable batteries. I lean towards the eneloops but have a smattering of other brands before I learned what worked best for me. I have an impressive amount of rechargeable batteries now.
My GPSr, headlamps, and any other devices use these. I easily carry many sets of spares.
Non-rechargable batteries are very prone to leaking in my experience. I occasionally use them as spares though.
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As hot as it is where I live I simply must have a nice ventilated back panal. I have several sizes of camelbaks that I use depending on the weather and the length of the activity.
But I gotta tell ya, other companies are being more innovative and camelbak is coming up with more flawed designs. For instance, I have a 2011 hawg, which has a nice comfortable back panal of round pods with mesh. The new ones have a better bag layout but has these so called articulating things that have thick wired edges that cut into the back.
Osprey seems to have all the details worked out, I have ordered a couple and will return the one that I don't like.
In the heat of summer I really need a bladder. I like the 3L anticdote bladder that camelbak makes but I wonder why they don't include removable bite valve, they include it on the 50 oz model.
On that model they don't include the quick release tube. How are you supposed to dry it out!?! It's not like they have to re-engineer it, they put it on other models.
The ones with side pockets have compression straps that come across the side pocket on the bottom, thus squishing out what you have in them. Osprey actually secures and compresses, you can put them inside or outside the pocket.
My new model hawg was a torcher device, I have it packed to go back.
They have so many styles of some models you never know what you are getting. They we're selling two different versions of the alpine explorer. Why? Did they run out of names? The two models have nothing in common.
I had a duetor once, not a day pack but a smallish backpack. It has a nice panel between your back and the pack but it pulled on my shoulder. Unfortunately my backpacking is limited to day hikes these days. My old standby is my Gregory Shasta. I'll probably never use it for backpacking again. Sometimes I haul wildlife food quite a ways, it's been years though.
I already got rid of one pile and now I have another, of packs that didn't make the cut. I have a maxpedition that is great as a travel bag or emergency bag but sucks as an outdoor bag.
Fwiw - the poster above mentioned an incident from wearing an "assult pack". My experience is totally different. I have 511 and maxpedition duffles and packs and get nothing but questions and compliments. I guess it's because I am a middle aged women. It looks like travel gear when I have it.
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Chiggers are terrible in this area and I haven't had bites since using those two things. I do apply the picardin lotion under my treated socks, on my ankles.
I also put it around my bare waist before dressing with my treated clothing. Then exposed skin gets a thin layer rubbed on, I've been using the spray to mist around my face.
I've used the "natural" stuff made from various aromatic oils and while it smells terrific it only works if the mosquitos are light. It does nothing for ticks and chiggers.
There are a lot of bugs here and they are super attracted to me for some reason. My choices are to never leave the home or use bug repellent, I'm so glad there is a deet alternative.
I learned about the stuff from a bushcrafting forum. People had great success using it while traveling in sub tropical counties.
Tick borne diseases are on the rise and I somehow have missed getting one in over 50 years of being bitten by ticks but I don't want to take any more chances. Managing my treated clothes is a little fussy and I never bothered before but now that I see how well it works I have 2 sets that I keep in a duffle. I gently wash as needed and hang dry. I generally give them another light spray after they are dry.
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I live in the coastal wetlands of the southeast which has pestilence all year long. It's unbearable in the summer and I've gotten to where I don't even sit in the yard much.
But on another forum I learned about picardin lotion/spray. In addition to treating my clothes with pyrethrin I put the lotion on my skin.
The stuff got glowing reviews but I didn't really expect it to work as well as it does. I used to start picking ticks off of me by the time I got to the car. In spite of showering and examining myself right after a hike I would still find ticks on me for a few days afterwards. Don't get me started on the terminal itching and misery of chiggers.
Since starting this regimen I've gotten no bites!!!! I've seen not a single tick!!
If it's bad the skeeters will buzz around me a little but they can't find me to land.
The picardin does not irritate the skin or destroy your clothes, shoes, and other things like deet does. The lotion is not only odor free but soothing, like jergans.
I got both the picardin lotion and spray to compare, they seem equally effective. I wipe the lotion on my ankles, waist, and parts covered by my clothes before I put my treated clothes on. I wipe or spray my exposed skin when I get out of the car, making sure to get my hair and face.
Then I hit the trails. These are not remote trails but there are a lot of them all along the roads of a marine institute near where I live. The trail riders made all these trails, but I rarely see anyone, maybe some people fishing in some of those spots. The trails are between a coastal Creek and a road so there are places people can fish.
I like to go for my "jungle walks" twice a week now that I know how to deal with the bugs. To deal with the heat (it was over 100 degrees last week) I put ice water in my camelbak hawg with the NV back and sip it every minute or so. I am very heat intolerant but I'm making an effort to either aclimatize or deal with it.
Last week in 102 degree weather I did 6.2 miles!! I almost finished my 3L bladder. Other than slightly sore feet for a little while I felt fine.
I should mention that I'm over 60 and have been plagued with joint problems and have had a knee replaced in addition to other issues. I use sticks when I walk or hike at all times.
I'm pretty ecstatic about being able to find these ways to resume my outdoor activities.
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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.
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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.
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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"?
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I agree with the get both crowd, they are not mutually exclusive. They actually have slightly different uses. I always carry a compass to check my GPS, you could really mess up if it was not calibrated.
I'm in the flatlands so there is no landmarks. Sometimes I am in dense woods. I always try to remember to verify directions with a compass before I go in, that way I can find my way out to the road if it goes dead or something.
I never lose satellites around here but when we go to the mountains wierd things sometimes happen. That's why a compass is important.
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I have joint and spine issues and can't really carry a full sized pack anymore. For some reason camelbaks are very comfortable for me. Before the other day my favorite was the older model of alpine explorer, the one with the shovel pocket.
It's a tad bulky for going after my dogs in the woods at night, so I use one of my mules. They are a little cramped so I was perusing to see what new models they have.
I wound up getting two new camelbaks!!! The mule and the hawg, the ones with the fancy back panel and bladder! OMG! I would not believe I put the full 3 liter bladder except I put it there myself! It's so flat and close to your back you can't feel the weight!
I haven't done anything besides parade around the house yet but I'm looking forward to using these packs. Built in raincovers, shovel pockets for stuffing things like dog leashes or windshell. The new hawg has two outside zippered pockets, that will be great for headlamp and stuff.
Great packs! There is a sale on hawgs in discontinued colors and it's the model with the 2 pockets. I got the red one.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"Potential" power-up issue eh?
No mention of wireless sending, I wonder if it's still hosed...
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!
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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.
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Since I have updated, my tracks do not stay set to "show on map". They default back to hidden everytime I turn it off.
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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?
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I just updated my oregon 450, it started up fine afterwards. I won't know more till I test it.
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Multiple trip meters
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
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.