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insig

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Posts posted by insig

  1. Can you share part of a track log and tell me when it is happening? It's possible that your reception is bad enough to make the device think you're moving fast enough to use a calculated vector base on GPS signals rather than the electronic compass.

     

    Software version 3.10 included "Improved 3-axis compass performance" as a line item. This is probably a stupid question, but I have to ask it -- what software version are you on? (Setup -> About).

     

    Try holding the device backwards (with the top of the screen pointed towards you and the bottom of the screen pointed away from you. Navigate to a point -- any old waypoint will do. Start walking at a brisk pace -- notice the compass is telling you the wrong way because you're holding the device backwards. That means it's using GPS signals to compute the direction you're moving and assumes you are holding the unit the right way (but in this case you are not). Keep holding it backwards and slowly start slowing down and the compass will eventually flip on you -- now it's using the electronic compass and the Earth's magnetic field. Try speeding up again and it will flip back to GPS compass.

     

    It's possible that if you have a bad enough GPS signal reception that your position is moving around enough to flip the compass into GPS mode at some random vector. That's my guess anyways. If you post a track log (record by time at 1 second intervals) we can see how fast it thinks you were moving at the time it gets crazy.

  2. Do you have a link to a video that shows the map being updated on a 64? I didn't find one when I did a quick scan. I would think that the map updating on the 64 would be better than the eTrex line, so I would like to see such a video. Thanks!

     

    shows 30 vs 30x. I don't see a 64 vs. etrex one. But I know the 62 camera and 64 are faster than the 62 (I've had them all side by side before). The 62 is faster than the etrex fron what I remember. It's been awhile since I've compared them all, but I'm positive the 64 is faster than the 62.
  3. GPSMAP 64 -- I find it has more oomph under the hood...

     

    So you have used a 30x? Or are you comparing to a 30?

     

    Look at them yourself. Other people's opinions are of no use...

     

    The 30X does have higher resolution, but a smaller screen. The only other real differences are battery life and button layout.

     

    https://buy.garmin.com/en-CA/CA/catalog/product/compareResult.ep?compareProduct=140022&compareProduct=518048

     

    I've seen the youtube videos and it doesn't look appreciably faster than the 20 'classic' model (with which I am initmately familiar). If you have inofrmation to the contrary, then I might have to let my buddy know it is time for an upgrade.

  4. GGZ is basically a ZIP compressed archive that has some metadata to help load it faster when it first indexes the caches on boot.If you throw 10,000 caches in a GPX file, it will take a lot longer on the first boot than if you throw 10,000 caches in a GGZ file. Garmin BaseCamp (last time I checked) won't read GGZ files, so that might be a reason to use GPX on the fiance's Oregon.

  5. Hold OUT, MENU, and QUIT then press the power button to turn it on. You can release the power button now. Keep holding the other buttons though! After the Garmin logo appears, count to 10 and then release the buttons you were holding. The screen should flash white for a split second and the device will reboot. That is a forced master reset. If that fails, you can force it into mass storage mode by starting with it off, holding down the up arrow, and plugging it into the computer. Keep holding the up arrow for 30 seconds (maybe a little longer), and it will go to mass storage mode and skip the normal boot up process.

  6. The most common "offense" when this question comes up is that the loaded caches are too far from your current location.

     

    They are present in the device, but will not show on-screen until either:

    •you are closer, or

    •you pan the screen (map) to their location.

     

    Added to that, you cannot see them while zoomed wide, you need to be zoomed in somewhat close.

     

    For seeing them on the map, Setup -> Map -> Zoom Levels -> Geocaches and crank it up to whatever value you want.

  7. From the GPSMAP 64 manual:

    Downloading Geocaches

    1 Connect your device to a computer using the USB cable.

    2 Go to www.garmin.com/geocache

    3 If necessary, create an account.

    4 Sign in.

    5 Follow the on-screen instructions to find and download geocaches to your device.

     

    www.garmin.com/geocache redirects to http://www.garmin.com/en-US/geocaching where it says:

    Get Caches

     

    Use Geocaching.com to search for geocaches in your area that match your skill level. Then download their coordinates, hints, logs and more to your Garmin device to help you find them in the field.

     

    Clicking the "Get Started" button beneath that links to http://www.geocaching.com/guide/default.aspx

     

    Sounds like product support was reading off a script that needs updating.

  8. I'm not sure if any of the current models support external antennas, though my research suggests that the Garmin GPSMAP 62 series does (but not the 64 series - someone confirm?) as does the GPSMAP 78 series.

     

    Anyway, I don't think that an external antenna is really necessary these days. The on-board antennas are quite capable of receiving a signal and holding it in some tight places.

     

    The 64 does support an external antenna. I'm in the same state of mind as you -- I don't see a lot of need for an external antenna, but it's supported if you want it.

  9. 1.Worldwide DEM basemap

    2.Digital Globe

    3.USGS quads

    4.TOPO US 100k

     

    Digital Globe is going to be the satellite imagery. The unit comes preloaded with a sample image of the Eiffel Tower. USGS quads is the Birdseye TOPO demo image which is the USGS paper maps converted for use on the handheld. There should be a demo image of the Grand Canyon on it. There should be preloaded waypoints for both of those locations as well. If you go to Main Menu -> Waypoint Manager -> BirdsEye Demo -> Map, you should see it.

  10. I use Sanyo Eneloops that I purchased at Costco several years ago. The pack also came with some AAAs that I use in my TV's remote control. I have not had to buy AAs or AAAs since I bought those. I usually have a spare set of batteries either in the car or in my pocket in case the current pair gets all used up. Lately, I've been using the Oregon 650 or the GPSMAP 64 both of which have a removable NiMH battery pack that I can charge via plugging the unit into the cigarette lighter adapter in my car between caches -- I still always have a spare pair of Eneloops on me though.

  11. It is the GGZ file format that allows the bigger numbers.

     

    Not true, I've loaded about 70,000 caches on my Oregon 650 using solely GPX. A buddy of mine had pretty large chunk of Arizona on hand for his upcoming trip, and we got curious. It took a long time to boot up, but it imported them all as verified by some random spot checking for certain caches. Now that there's a separate zoom level on the map for geocaches, it's fun to set it to some ridiculous value like 500 mi and zoom out and see all the icons.

     

    EDIT: We made sure not to exceed the 2000 GPX file limit on the device. In fact, GSAK spit out all the caches in one giant GPX file.

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