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Ken in Regina

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Everything posted by Ken in Regina

  1. At this point the original poster may not even know whether autorouting is needed. You are making that assumption on their behalf. If it's primarily urban caching, a good autorouting map will be very useful in getting to the cache site, especially if it's in an unfamiliar part of the city. The Vista HCx will use autorouting and can be told to route on the road or offroad. So you can use it for driving directions to get to the site and then switch to offroad mode for the walking part. Autorouting is also useful for rural caching, to get driving guidance to the area of the cache site. In addition, a map like Garmin's City Navigator North America will also have a whole bunch of searchable points of interest (POIs). So the original poster will be able to find out where the nearest gas station or donut shop are after finding a few caches. The original poster may or may not find these things useful but I think it's more productive to describe the available features and provide examples of what they might be used for than to simply make the judgement for them. I keep a mix of topo (Ibycus) and road maps (City Navigator) on my eTrex Legend HCx. I actually use the topos mainly when riding my mountain bike. It's the road maps that get used the rest of the time. My Legend HCx is actually a pretty fine personal navigation device with the autorouting road maps on it. But I haven't done any caching out in the boonies where a topo map would have an advantage. ...ken...
  2. I support roybassist. My experience is similar. On a recent trip in western Canada I had a bunch of Topo Canada and Ibycus Topos loaded. A total of just over 1.5GB. I did not experience the slowdown being described. I currently have a combination of Metroguide Canada and some of City Navigator North America 2009 loaded for a total of about 1GB with no performance issues. This is with an eTrex Legend HCx. I can't believe it's a whole lot different than the 60CSx in that respect. I have occasionally had that sort of thing happen, mostly on my Garmin iQue 3600 (integrated PDA/GPS). It has invariably been cured by simply reloading the maps from MapSource. MapSource occasionally messes up when it compiles the maps, especially if you are creating very large mapsets. ...ken...
  3. As a long-time Development and Tech Support manager I would never have approved this for release to Beta. It would never have gotten into the wild. Garmin must have an extremely shoddy quality assurance process. Mapsource is one of their oldest products. If they can't do any better than this on such a mature program, what hope is there for new stuff? ...ken...
  4. Or if you have an SD card reader on your Mac you can just stick the micro-SD card into its SD card adapter and stick it into the card reader. ...ken...
  5. dfinner, I'm going to suggest an alternative to what Oz suggests. If you have been happy with your eTrex up until now, I think you are a candidate to upgrade to a newer eTrex. I have the eTrex Legend HCx and it has everthing you mentioned except the ability to connect an external antenna. But it doesn't need one. As Oz mentioned, the newer technology is that good. And, yes, it's for real. I have an older Garmin unit and a spanky new eTrex Legend HCx and there's absolutely no comparison on how quickly the new eTrex will get a lock and under what conditions. I haven't compared my eTrex HCx to the new GPSMAP CSx but I doubt if there is any useful difference. Both are reported to be superquick to lock and maintain lock in pretty ugly situations. I can certainly verify that in the case of my eTrex HCX and there are loads of testimonials here and elsewhere to the 60CSx. Here's sort of an extreme situation: Sitting in my basement office my older unit won't see a single bird most days, never mind get a lock, no matter how long it sits there. My Legend HCx with the newer technology will get a lock in about a minute and a half with seven birds showing and 9M accuracy. Not bad when you consider my office sits right underneath the cold air return ductwork. I use it mounted on the handlebar of my mountain bike with Garmin's handlebar mount. It seems quite solid. I've used it with my motorcycle gloves on (use them for riding my mountain bike in the colder fall weather). I've set my eTrex Legend HCx beside the GPSMAP and the screen on the eTrex is brighter, with the backlight on or off. Yes, it has very nice colours and you can select different colour schemes. You can load maps. In September I had Topo Canada and Ibycus Topo loaded for some mountain biking in the Rockies. Right now I have City Navigator North America 2009 loaded and it works great for vehicle navigation, with autorouting, searchable addresses, searchable points of interest and all that stuff. You can transfer maps, routes, waypoints and tracks to and from the new eTrex using MapSource on the PC. I have over 200 waypoints loaded, with three dozen Superstore Gas Bars and all my favorite motels and restaurants between here and the Left Coast. I have a few track files that I got from the internet for the TransCanada Trail in southern British Columbia that I used when I was out there with my mountain bike in September. It uses a micro-SD card so the amount of stuff you can load onto it is huge. You can save your tracks to the memory card so you can keep tracks nearly indefinitely. It knows about geocaches so you can assign a specific icon for caches, load them from pocket queries on here or your MyGarmin account, search them as a seperate category and mark them found. I've used it in the rain and there were no difficulties with it. It seems quite weather resistant. If you want the electronic compass and barometer, like the 60CSx, you can get the eTrex Vista HCx instead of the Legend. I didn't see any point in spending the extra money. I don't care about elevation any more accurate than the GPS gives me and I can buy a really good compass that doesn't constantly need recalibration for a lot less money than the difference in price of the Vista. If it sounds like I'm really pleased with my new Legend HCx you would be correct. ...ken...
  6. Hi Dale, I think you're right that it was probably junk hanging around from the older version. At this point I'm not really sure which copy of the updater I was using. The registry entry that MapSource 6.14.1 was whining about was the older NTDB style entry, not the newer style entry I see with 2.1. ...ken...
  7. Hi Dale, I've placed an order with Prairie Geomatics. I'll keep this thread updated with results. ...ken...
  8. Yeah, Garmin isn't very good at keeping a lot of stuff on their site up to date. Look at how long after CNNA 2009 was released before the map viewer stopped showing the older version. And how long the non-NT version of 2009 was in the wild before you could find anyone at Garmin who would admit that it existed. In this case (Metroguide Canada update) I have had emails from people who should know, in Garmin's Product Support and in Cartography, swear that there would never be another update. That was back in April. This is one situation when I'm really happy that they were wrong. ...ken...
  9. *Duplicate deleted by me .. stupid forum software* ...ken...
  10. Thanks Dano!! That's exactly what I was looking for. Looks like it's loose in the wild. I'll be ordering it from someone tomorrow ... happiness is!! ...ken...
  11. Those same maps worked with all previous versions of MapSource. So, clearly, Garmin did something that broke their use, with no warning in the change log. I don't think it's unreasonable to be annoyed at Garmin for that. More importantly, as was mentioned by Oz, 6.14.1 has other significant bugs. It doesn't work with Mobile PC, for example, so anyone with Mobile PC on their laptop should avoid it. They just added support for Mobile PC in the previous version of MapSource (6.13.7) so it seems like someone just forgot to link the Mobile PC code in when they compiled the latest. And, as Oz said, they did something that has really slowed it down. It's really a sore thumb for Garmin ... not something that's going to do their reputation for quality any good. I spent half an hour getting it running, another half an hour trying to use it, and another half an hour upgrading back to 6.13.7. Hint for anyone who goes back, if 6.13.7 doesn't run the first time you reinstall it, just run the installer again and it'll work fine on the second try. Here's a link to MapSource 6.13.7 for anyone who needs it. (To the Mods, it's okay. It's a link to Garmin's publicly accessable MapSource download site and only someone with an existing installed copy of MapSource can use it.) ...ken...
  12. If you haven't already discovered it, Red90 and friends have an excellent trail map of the area west and south of Calgary, including down into the Kananaskis. It's a transparent overlay and it's really great to use over top of something like Dale's topos. Here's the link for the Calgary Area Trail Mapping Project. If you ever get further south, the folks down in the Crowsnest Pass also have a great trail mapping project going on with a transparent overlay available. It extends up to at least the south boundary of Peter's Playground (guess that kinda dates me, eh?) and over into the East Kootenays (Flathead Valley, Elk Valley). Here's the link for Quad Squad site. You can use these with any maps you might already have. I have used them with Metroguide Canada and City Navigator North America, as well as Topo Canada and the Ibycus Topos. EDIT: Ooops, I just noticed that you're on a MAC. I don't know if any of these overlays will work on the MAC. You can check on the web sites. If you want to take advantage of this stuff anyway, including the Ibycus Topos, you could look at running the Windows emulator (can't remember what it's called ... Boot Camp??) and load up the Windows version of Garmin's MapSource. That would allow you to take advantage of it all. ...ken...
  13. I just found a message in another forum with a link to a rebate coupon on Garmin's site for the following: UPGRADE from MetroGuide® Canada v4.0 or 4.01 to MetroGuide Canada v5 and receive $30 I can't find anything in Garmin's cartography section about it yet. Has anyone else heard anything about it? ...ken...
  14. Actually MapSource 6.14.1 was popping that error with 2.0 as well, at least on my system. MapSource 6.14.1 just seems to dislike the NTDB method of listing in the Registry. When I upgraded to MapSource 6.14.1 it rejected all of the topo products I had that used that method of registration. The only way to get it to run was to remove those Registry entries and then it was happy. Due to that problem and the fact that it won't transfer to/from Garmin's Mobile PC application I dumped it and went back to MapSource 6.13.7. But that's not why I dropped by. I just wanted to report that I got the .ISO download on the first try last night, burned it to DVD on the first try this morning, and then installed properly on the first try. I see that 2.1 uses the method of registering that should make MapSource 6.14.1 happier. I also noted with this version that the elevation errors in many parts of Saskatchewan have been corrected. Thanks a bunch for all the great work, Dale. ...ken...
  15. Or perhaps in the basemap that's preinstalled on the handheld? ...ken...
  16. Unit is only available since summer 2007! Mine also have that problem and it began before the 1 year warrantly but being lazy I haven't done anything so now I will have to live with it I guess and like a few go with a home made solution. You should give Garmin a call anyway, because this is a known problem. You might be surprised. It's a free phone call so it will only cost you a little time on the phone. ...ken...
  17. I bought the eTrex Venture HC last week from GPS City. In performance, it turned out to be everything I had hoped. Fast to acquire a position lock, picks up reception in impossible places and a nice bright display. I ran into one limitation that turned out - for me - to be bigger than I expected. I found almost immediately that I couldn't live with the 24MB limit on maps loaded. It turned out to be especially a problem for topo maps with their high amounts of detail. A friend has the GPSMAP76CSx so I looked at it to see if it, or the 60CSx might be the way to go. But, as mentioned above, the screen is much brighter on the eTrex H series and much easier to see in daylight. And the GPSMAP series are quite a bit more money. So I called GPS City to see if I could return the Venture HC for a refund and buy the eTrex Legend HCx. I don't need the sensors. I own a good compass and I could care less about altitude accuracy beyond the guesstimate from the GPS signals. I just want the memory card capability so I can load all the maps I want in one shot and have them there when I need them. The routing is a minor bonus. GPS City was most cooperative so the Venture HC is on the way back to them and I now have the Legend HCx. I'm really glad I made the change. It's everything I liked about the Venture HC, plus I have a 2GB card in it with all the maps I need and space to spare for track storage. I don't know, yet, if I will use the routing feature but it's nice to know it's there if I want to. I should mention that I've been using a Garmin iQue 3600 for five years so I'm used to being able to load a whole bunch of maps onto a memory card and hit the road on a long trip, comfortable that I'll have all the maps I want no matter where I am. I didn't realize how spoiled I had become until I ran into the limits on the Venture HC. I knew about the 24MB limit and thought I could live with it in order to save a few bucks. I was wrong. ...ken...
  18. After reading some of the other threads in here it seems that some of the Garmin units will not detect a change in direction if you are moving too slowly. I have seen the figure of at least 2.5 MPH in order to ensure the GPS notices your movement and can get an accurate bearing. Does that seem to fit with what you are experiencing? ...ken...
  19. That depends entirely on what you want. Do you want the latest maps? Or do you want something older? If you want the latest, buy the latest: City Navigator North America NT 2009. If you buy an "update" version you have to already own an older version of the same product so you can update from it. The update version will look for an older version already installed. If it doesn't find one it won't install. ...ken...
  20. Thanks for the clarification, folks. I looked at the specs on Garmin's site and couldn't find references to the computer connection or geocaching. Guess I should have looked in the manual before putting my foot in my mouth. ...ken...
  21. Nope, according to the specs you can't load anything into the H model; no detail maps or waypoints or routes. And it doesn't appear to have a basic basemap that the other eTrex models have. You can store up to 500 waypoints in the H but they have to be entered manually. The extra 40 bucks for the Venture HC seems like money well spent if you want to be able to load waypoints and detail maps from the PC. It comes with it's own USB cable in the box, but the one for my Canon camera works just as well. The Venture HC and above also have the ability to load geocaches directly from the computer and keeps them seperate from other waypoints. You can even select your own icons for them and mark them found when you are successful. The H doesn't know anything about geocaches. ...ken...
  22. I'm brand new to caching. I've only done one with my Garmin iQue 3600 and that wasn't a very satisfying experience because the GPS receiver is five or six year old technology. So I wanted to get a new unit that would be accurate and quick to lock for geocaching, small enough and waterproof to be really handy for cycling and hiking and with a screen that is really easy to read in all light conditions. I can't help anyone with geocaching but I can tell you this: eBay isn't all it's cracked up to be for price. It's like the big box stores: you have to know your prices. I've been watching eBay for Garmin eTrex units for the past couple of weeks. I happened to check GPS City for their current prices and found that they have the eTrex Venture HC on sale for C$135. That's cheaper than any of the "Buy Now" units on eBay and the same or less than the prices people are bidding for them (go figure!). I ordered it on Thursday and received it on Friday: total including relevant tax and expedited shipping was C$166. It's a fabulous little unit if you don't need autorouting and big amounts of detail map data. If you do, GPSCity also has the eTrex Legend HCx and eTrex Vista HCx on sale. The eTrex line don't do paperless caching but I plan to use my Garmin iQue 3600 (Palm OS) with CacheMate for the paperless part and for autorouting. For anyone concerned about its ability to get a location fix (the main thing I bought it for), I opened up the box, inserted the batteries, powered it up and set it on the desk beside my keyboard. Right out of the box in under five minutes it had a lock on five satellites and a position fix with 5 meter accuracy ... in the basement right underneath the cold air return ducts!!! Upstairs in the kitchen it's twelve seconds to boot up, get a position fix and display the map. As someone else pointed out, to get this performance you need the eTrex units that have an "H" (High sensitivity) in the model designation. I think I'm in love... ...ken...
  23. The "update" version and the "full" version are exactly the same maps. The only difference is the price and a bit of code in the update's installer that looks for a previously installed version. ...ken...
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