Grasscatcher

Easy fix...."Save" the track before you turn the unit off at the end of your track. When you get home and download the "tracks" , the "saved" version of the track will NOT have the straight line but the "current" track WILL because it is ongoing at all times when the unit is turned on. ( if you have Track logging ON) Just select the correct one in your list of tracks after downloading. If you turn track logging off and on, believe me, you will forget that it is OFF until at the "wrong" end of a hike that you "Thought" you just logged.

Will that handle any more than tracks and waypoints? "that".....???? Which are you asking about....TOPO or GPS Babel? GPS Babel is a conversion tool......Expert GPS (IMHO) is the most full featured, and most capable, GPS /Mapping and data editing software available...period ! Should have said "they", as in I doubt that either program you mention will decompile National Geographic maps (raster) and convert them into either another raster format, like Birdseye/CustomMaps or a vector format. My Bad... I misinterpreted that the OP was needing to read/use TOPO "files" in another program and not "maps". Ever since NG took over,the TOPO program has gone "downhill". Their "tpo" files aren't even fully compatible between their own different programs, and the "TOPO Explorer" program was a terrible failure. There would probably be a better chance of "converting" the new Mountain Lion OS to run PC programs......HA !

Will that handle any more than tracks and waypoints? "that".....???? Which are you asking about....TOPO or GPS Babel? GPS Babel is a conversion tool......Expert GPS (IMHO) is the most full featured, and most capable, GPS /Mapping and data editing software available...period !

Expert GPS will read and convert .tpo files(to .gpx) as well as GPS Babel will convert them.

In my case,there ain't anything there to control.....so no need to deflect.... One other time I tried to think....and found that I wasn't equipped then either....

Forget the metal plate......use velcro. Top of hat, bill of cap, wherever. ....or just captured under the cap on top of head..........

@SeldomSN, ....been there,done that....(that situation, not physical location), and that's the reason why, when mapping an important trail, I carry 3 GPS's simultaneously. That "usually" (not always) results in a data set that can be edited into an accurate location for the trail. Sometimes even that is not enough and a repeat trip is required. Strategically carried/placed units, logging type and interval, type of unit, current software version sensitivity, sometimes external antenna, etc, all have an effect on whether you are successful in minimizing multipath errors. Operator actions and habits can definitely influence the outcome. Early results from an Oregon 550 were LOUSY, but after several communications with Garmin and resulting software/firmware changes, they improved greatly. Sadly, sometimes new S/W versions for different models "fix" one thing and "screw up" other capabilities that weren't broken. Every trail mapping session is a new day!

Well,...DUH....so many answers and arguments without a solution...... Find someone with a "backup" copy of the Topo image file from their "T" model and load the whole US at one time. It's the same maps but with fewer segments.....problem solved.

On waypoint list page, hit menu, then choose sort, then Alpha. or Nearest

As of 6/19/12 -Update to 4.30 and that fixes it. On waypoint list page , hit menu, then choose Sort (Alphabetically or Nearest)

Two things.... Either we shouldn't be worried that we can't find it, or maybe we should be MORE worried considering that Garmin Customer Support can't find it either.....Ha ! Just got off the phone with them......and they're supposed to call me back when they figure out why it works on the Montana but not on the 62/78.

I understand your original post, and problem ......but you won't find an accurate solution. Garmin will tell you to update your software, or to do a master reset, or that better results should not be expected from that unit (or whatever unit), or that this is the first time they ever heard of that, etc,etc. . Then they will just quit answering your e-mail questions. (been there done that) I do either a "pre" route or a "pre" track (with interim wpts), and then use "Dist to next" or "Dist to Destination" for how far you yet have to go. You'll have to just come up with a work around that is acceptable to you. Accessing the odometer just because it's easier , when you have already determined that the information there is bogus, is kinda worthless......

After 18+ years GPSing, and several thousand miles of mapping trails,and multiple GPSs, the odometer page is a page that I don't even display on any of my GPSs. I only use the data from the tracklog and then only after using Expert GPS to zoom in and magnify the track to the point of being able to view and work with individual trackpoints and eliminate random logged points and visually obvious errors.

Was the odometer reset at exact place as the tracklog started? Were both meas. ended at the same location? Was the GPS turned off and left off until reading the differences? At the same location? What about points logged while at any stationary rest stops? Set the GPS outside in a static location and leave it for an hour or so. Then read the tracklog length and the odometer reading.......do the same thing with the GPS indoors and you will learn something surprising about "random points".

Two questions.... 1. What happens to all the distances associated with all the "random" points logged while stationary? Like during a lunch break on a hike? 2. How do you set a logging interval of "less than one second"?

"Saving" a waypoint is different than "Finding" a waypoint. For each pair of coordinates you would create a waypoint as described above. Don't worry about editing the name, just let the unit assign the next number in it's normal sequence. (you can always go back and edit if you want). Remember what those names are. Now, after saving those different waypoints, look in your "waypoint manager" list. Find them? They should all be listed. Where in the list depends on their distance from your current location.( Closest first, furthest last) Now, to get your unit to direct you to one of them, go up to "Find" and click on it. (Don't press and HOLD, just click on it) A list should come up,,,(Recent Finds,Waypoints,Tracks,All POIs...etc), toggle down and highlight "waypoints", hit enter....your list of waypoints should come up, toggle down to whichever you want to navigate to, hit enter, then GO(enter) Now to stop navigation, go back up to Find, choose Stop Navigation or Find Another...etc

Well,"they" have already started talking between themselves.....so all the rest of us can just sneak away and let them convince themselves how fantastic they are, until common sense prevails and they wake up. Kinda letting the gene pool cleanse itself......

@JesandTodd Whoa !......, you can't have it both ways...... Which is true...that you have "dropped it numerous times" or that you "know how to handle your device"? One "drop" where I hike and you would be using the "replacement device" for your carelessly "dropped device" .... Wow ee ! even dropped down (probably carpeted) stairs! How would that compare to down a 250-500ft rocky slope....? In 17 years of GPSing (Hiking,ATVing,Snowmobiling,biking) I have truthfully NEVER dropped ANY of my units even ONCE) Skinned hands, knees, shins, elbows, bruised ribs....yes....., but NO unit damage even in very harsh environments. .......either you REALLY take care of your stuff or maybe you're just impressed with your "wussy" phone. Yep...Just in case you were wondering, that's how I REALLY feel.....

By starting with "Find", you are creating a MOB (man overboard) TEMPORARY waypoint. It is meant to be just that, an emergency ,quick,one step operation. for temporary use. To Manually create a permanent waypoint, you have to "Save" your current location, then Manually change the coordinates. Move your cursor on the map to where you want a waypoint , read the coordinates at the top of the screen, create a waypoint and edit the coordinates to those coordinated you wrote down. Same procedure, just different start point. Look under the "Enter" button....it also says "mark".... for "marking" or creating a (perm) waypoint.

I also have a 78 (S) but I sure don't understand some of your description.... Here's how... Turn it on and let it get a lock on satellites. Then press and hold "Enter(mark)"..... That's marking your current location, now using the toggle button, toggle up to where the coordinates are highlighted....hit enter, now change/edit the coordinates to "whatever" then toggle down to the word Done below the keypad, hit enter ,...... toggle up to highlight the name ,or symbol( no done button on sym), chg elev.....hit enter every time to "enter" and edit the data in those windows, when leaving, click Done.... Get the idea?

Only a few of the above posts have even come close to answering correctly....... The GPS was designed to be a "thinking person's" tool...... Too many users don't qualify....... Category too exclusive???????

I have a 78.... Yes to what seldom_sn said......

There are two threads going that are asking the same question..... Mark a waypoint with your unit, then ,then, ON THE UNIT, toggle up and highlight and change the symbol....to one of the "city" symbols (sm,med,lg).....hit enter, and leave it at that choice... In "Garmin GPS unit speak", Default Waypoint=Blue Flag symbol. So, if "it" sees a "default waypoint" coming to it from marking, or from other software, it assigns the blue flag. If the user changes THE UNIT to another symbol, when it "sees" a "default waypoint" coming to it, it will assign the newer symbol. It's what the UNIT is set on when it receives data that determines what is "Default for Default Data" In Mapsource, look at setting up different "Categories" with different symbols to send multiple symbols to the unit at the same time. Mapsource uses "Categories", Expert GPS uses "Types", to separate different data with different symbols. I'm sure there are others.....

The Oregon 550,550T both do what you want.... Probably the 62SC (the one with the camera) and I don't know about the Montana.....but probably so... It's the gps w /camera with electronic compass. (combined with Expert GPS software) Myotis, Did you ever figure out how to get the direction lines to show(in EGPS)? Edited to add.. Ah ha...reading further I see that you did......

"Saving" takes a snapshot of what ever is in "Current Track" (at that moment) and saves it, into internal memory, as a gpx file. Understand that that info is still/continues to be "ongoing" in the archive file.(both movement before and after the "save") At the end of whatever AutoArchive period you've chosen on the unit, it automatically takes what is in the Current Track log and automatically takes it out of Current Log and stores it in a gpx file in Archives folder by date. Note that the "Clear Current Log" would affect both. Now here's a different kind of Archiving......you can Archive a track on your unit. That just takes it out of the visible list on the unit when you go to Track Mgr, so you don't have to scroll thru so many.You can move it back and forth between Archived and the list. Sometimes some of the viewing properties get changed in the process.