gitarmac

I got a refurbished vista and it seems to be OK, it was in a new box and looked like new. I did have to update the software, which I thought was wierd. I would not have known it was refurbished if they did not tell me. It can't be any worse then a buggy new unit. You still have the warrenty, garmin will "refurbish" it again if it's bad, and you save a lot of money.

I'm glad you posted this info! When I called garmin they said they had not heard of such a thing and i said I didn't want to send my unit in right now if it wasn't going to get any worse. I have had headlamps that flickered somewhat and wondered if it was a feature of the led in my unit. My flickering has not gotten any worse, and I seem to have forgotten all about it. It seems more noticable in certain types of light so that would lend credence to that theory. Or fact as it where.

here is a link to a thread discussing this. It has not happened to mine yet but it seems like an easy enough fix. I wish it were as easy to fix the many bizziliaon software bugs.

tag for the awesome info posted here!

I really like the electronic compass on my vista. I was initially put off on those models because I had read accounts of having to frequently calibrate them and them not working but I have not had that problem. You DO have to hold it level if you want it to work right but it's not hard. The nice thing is I can show someone something on my gps and it not jump around when you stand still. This was an issue because people will ask me "where are we at" thinking because I had a gps I knew the answer, I could not show them the map screen without walking.

I'll have to try that method. Right now I am exporting gpsx files either through easy gps or mapsource, then using gpsvisualiser to make my map. I get stuff like this: here is a link to gpsvisualizer. I got my vista hcx for the main reason that it will save more tracks. My new method is to clear the track log and to start saving a track when I go into uncharted territory. Then I save it, give it a name, and clear the log for the next one. That way I might someday have a nice clean map. As it is now some of my maps have straight lines where I either turned the gps off or that tracklog off and it linked with a straight line. I did not know it would do that. Forgot to mention, if you go to your tracks page, you can access all of your saved tracks. You can select weather they show on the map or not and what color they are. I have so much overlap now mine are kind of messy, so sometimes I change which ones display on the map page. I also export all of the data to my gps and save it from time to time because it only holds so many tracks, and I can keep them all if I do this. I actually have differant folders on my computer with files that are customized, so I can make maps with only the data I want. For instance, I have detailed maps for friends that I hunt with but more basic ones for other hunt club members. I have ones for state parks I have gone to, so I can delete my hunt club tracks and load my park tracks if I know I am going there. Then I can put the hunt club tracks back on.

You should be able to get a lot more than 4 charges out of a rechargable battery! The cheaper chargers are worse for batteries than a good one, they don't have a separte channel for each battery. I really like the lacrosse cause I can pop a battery in and see what the voltage is. The maha uses some kind of "pulsing" method of charging which is supposed to be better in some way. I actually haven't worn out any of my rechargables yet and I've had some for years. I use my headlamps all the time so the batteries get a lot of use, I have quite a few though.

For me it's the expense. I can go throught AA's like you wouldn't believe, even being resourceful. With rechargables I can use my stuff like it's supposed to be used. I actually have 2 chargers, The lacrosse 900 and the maha. I use them in my gps, camera, and headlamps. Plus my computer mouse. Not all brands work the same and some are better than others. The first no-name brand I got with crappy 2 channel charger didn't work well at all. The eneloops are especially good for when I forget to top my other batteries off. I carry 8 spares with me when I go out. I frequently lend them to people too.

Just wanted to mentioin I have the venture hc and it's been a good little gps. Once you get communicator set up you should be able to go to geocaching.com and "send to gps" the caches you want. I have a kindle and also save the cache file as a text file on my kindle. It's how I go paperless. The kindle isn't very sturdy though so I only do this around town.

What is the percent memory the track is using when it stops showing? I have not had this problem, I don't think anyway. I have not had my track running for over a day but I do have tracks several miles/hours long. I set mine to save fewer points sometimes but for some reason I don't think that's the problem here. I just got a little card for mine, I was going to post a thread on tips to using it, I'm not sure I understand how it's supposed to work. From what I gather, the unit does not use the card, but you can access it on your computer. This weekend I will attempt to save a long track and see if I can reproduce your results. Hopefully someone else will chime in before that.

Thanks for posting that link, I knew I had read of a similar issue but could not find it. Only problem is - I don't WANT to wait until everything is done before I press buttons - I want it to STOP looking for satilites. I should be able to press a button THAT IS MADE TO PRESS - TO STOP IT FROM DOING WHAT IT IS DOING!!! And take a look at the bugs the updates fix would ya!! Then they need updates to fix the bugs the UPDATES HAS ADDED!11!1 And there's not a thing I can do about it, as I understand the other brands are even worse. I like my garmin gps's, when they work like they are supposed to work. Do they have a bug-reporting website, that they actually look at? I mean, it's nice you can send your unit back, but even that doesn't gaurentee it will be fixed. My first unit was a rino. A couple of channels did not work, I called, I sent it in. I got it back and the CHANNELS STILL DID NOT WORK!! I sent it in and asked that they send me something else of similar value, I got whatever is below the venture. That did not work so I got the venture, the older model. That one started intermittently going off, it got worse until I stopped using it altogether. A few years later I called garmin and sent it in, with some money as it was out of warrenty and the money was still cheaper than a new unit. Yayyyyy!!!!!! I FINALLY got one that worked!!!!!! So I started geocaching again, it was fun WITH A UNIT THAT REALLY WORKED! I got the HC model later on. Other than the freeze it seems to work fine, but hey you can't really expect something to actually work perfectly now can you. Well CAN YOU?!?!? [rant mode off] Seriously, the amount of bugs in gps's is just plain silly. It's like you have to have 2 or 3 to make sure you can have one that is not being sent back! opps, there I go again.

But not all the time. At first I thought it was because I hit the backlight button first. I couldn't get reproducable results doing that though. When I am in the house I generally turn the gps "off", since there is not need for it to "aquire" satillites. On my venture hc, if I turn the gps off, then turn it on with the option in the menu it will lock up and I will have to remove the batteries. I have learned to live with that. I thought it was awesome that my new vista hcx did not do this. Then I ran into the mysterious turn off if I hit the menu button. I don't know, maybe I am holding my face wrong. I get *%$^% sick and g$$da4$$ tired of buggy gps's. Why in the holy f*^^& can't they figure this s$#$#4 out before they send out the units!!!!!111111eleventy!!!2w21 Of all the units I have had, I have only not sent one back, the one venture that locks up. My vista backlight also pulses and flickers some but since I really have to use it now, and I really don't have any faith in their ability to fix it SINCE IT WAS FACTORY REFURBISHED AND WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN LOOKED AT BEFORE I GOT IT, I am not sending it back either. IT DIDNT' EVEN HAVE UPDATED SOFTWARE!!!! THEY "REFURBISHED" IT AND DIDN'T BOTHER TO CHECK THE SOFTWARE!!1 How may bugs do y'all just put up with?!?

I mostly have my eneloops for when I forget to top-off my 2700's, and for spares. I have never had a problem with them though. I don't really keep track of how many times I have to change batteries, I would notice though if something were wrong.

I have had great success using rechargeable nimh. I like eneloops and sanyo 2700's the best. I started out with just the lacrosse charger but now I have the maha as well. I can use my camera, gps, and headlamps as long as I want, as much as I want! I carry spares with me. When I travel I take one of my chargers.

So far gps visualizer had given me the best map results. It seems like the software that came with the gps would have more options.

I have noticed this with my venture as well. Thanks for posting the fix. I rarely keep mine a number and could not figure out why I had 008 when I had no waypoint 007. I decided not to worry till I hit 999.

I have had a lot of problems with communicator. I have to update it each time I either get a new gps, or use one if I have not used it in awhile. Then, even though I have updated communicator, it will tell me I need to update it. When I try it says I have the latest version. I don't know the exact steps I went through to get mine to work, but it seems to be working for now. I also have easygps for managing my tracks and waypoints. It always works. Of course it's no good for updating a unit. Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling it? I remember doing that once. Or restart your computer, I did that before too. I don't know what the magic ritual is, I was going to butcher a rooster and scatter the feathers the last time, when it started working. There seems to be no logic. Sorry I'm not more help. I'm just feelin' your pain.

It doesn't change by tapping it. It seems to be kind of intermittent, at least the more noticable flickers. I really need it right now for my lease mapping, I would hate to send it back and get it back flickering just like it is now. I know there are some led headlamps that flicker somewhat, I thought maybe it was a function of that. I figured because it was factory refurbished it would have been looked at more closely. It didnt' even have a software update. I have only purchased one handheld gps that did not have to go back, my venture hc. I have sent a rino back, whatever I had before the first venture, and the older venture. It's not like there are any other options either. I guess I will call garmin this week - again. I would rather not send it back if they don't have an idea of what could really be wrong. I still have a year warrenty, maybe I will keep an eye on it. I keep reading about flickering backlights but I don't remember the exact details.

My new factory refurbished vista was wandering pretty bad, even after the updates. I hard reset seems to have fixed it. My screen flickers a little though. I hope it's not a sign it will break.

I did all the updates and a hard reset, and it seemed to help a couple of bugs I had. I notice though that the backlight screen flickers pretty regular, of course it's more noticeable when it's brighter. But it's not as bright as my venture hc. I am wondering if it's worth the trouble of calling garmin. If it means there is a loose wire, then of course it should be fixed, but if its never going to get worse, then it doesn't really bother me. If that makes any sense. Does anyone tolerate a slightly flickering vista?

I did it in google earth! I unclicked something and they went away! Yeah! I make some pretty functional maps but I'd hate to not do something cause I don't know to try it.

I don't need maps to chart the hunt club, I have a nuvi for the roads. I am using my tracks to make maps, superimposed on some kind of satalite imagry. I'm going to try some of the ideas here. Thanks for replying.

I have been using easygps to export my tracks and waypoints, and saving them. I have a "master" file that I use to back up all by files, then I have subfiles so when I want to print out a map based just on those tracks and waypoints, I can. This is useful for me because I have detailed maps for me and mine, and I can get rid of the hotspots and tralis I've discoverd to I can make general maps for other hunters, ones with just the major roads and trails, so we all know where we are. I'm always looking for other ways so I'm watching this thread.

I can make a pretty funcional map using gpsvisualizer but I would like to know how to use garmin trip and waypoint manager and mapsource. I have found it to be all but useless, and I'm wondering what I am doing wrong. Here is a sample of my tripandwaypoint data Here is what happens when I try to use mapquest/google earth. I don't know how to get rid of the trackpoints. I can use the slidy thing and make them sort of invisible, which is handy when we are at home and try to find out where game trails and old roads are, but useless for making a map. Here is what my maps look like exporting data in easygps, and using gpsvisualizer. I have to print the maps using windows snip it to capture the part of the screen with the map. I'm just wondering how to use the software that came with my gps better.

I got a factory refurbished garmin and have noticed a slight flicker. That would not bother me if I knew it were normal and not a sign of things to come. I just got of the phone from garmin for another problem, drifting and wandering while sitting still. We did a hard reset and it seems to be ok now. I am letting both my vista hcx and venture hc sit on my windowsill while turned on. Hopefully they will compare.