wahoowad

I have read that Mapsource can take a long time to compile many segments into a map but my process has been running 10 hours and says it is only 66% done. That is longer than what I have read in other threads. I selected 4009 segments from US TOPO 2008 and am using the latest release of Mapsource (6.15.6). At this rate the job is going to take around 24 hours. Mapsource memory has grown to +500MB and my swap file has grown to about 1.1GB. I have a fairly modern dual core CPU (3 GHz) and 1 GB RAM. Oddly my CPU is only running at ~50% during this process. I'm running WinXP Pro and my PC isn't junked up with spyware or rogue memory processes. I shut down everything else I could including virus scanning and let it run all night. It was running slow even before the memory and swap footprint got so big. Is this length of time normal? I could understand if my PC was a dog, but it isn't.

I'm trying to add as much US TOPO 2008 to my new Oregon 300 as I can get. I don't plan to get any other mapping products for now so figured I'd put as much as I can on the 8 GB microSD. I read in the Oregon wiki about the ~4000 map segments limit, and this includes the segment total of both the basemap and the selected US TOPO maps I send. I have no idea how many segments the basemap takes up. Right now I have selected 4009 segments from US TOPO 2008 and Mapsource is building the mapset. I told it to write to the microSD card. It says it is going to take 7 hours to do this... I guess I am expecting it to fail at some point since my 4009 selected segments and the unknown basemap segments will likely exceed the capabilities. I'd cancel/kill the process but would not know how many segments to select to start over. How many segments are part of the basemap? Any word on Garmin's efforts to increase this limit? Can a software update povide this?

Thanks. It didn't occur to me that 3.20 was probably the GA release of the 3.15 beta! I have 2.30 on itnow and it is doing fine.

eaparks - the version 3.20 software you linked to is not software for the GPS unit, instead it is the update software that is run on the PC. edit - well, after just registering my 300 online it was updated and About screen says Software Version 3.20 Unit ID GPS Software Version 3.70 So what would this 3.15 beta do? Has that been passed by the 3.20 GA release?

The About screen on my Oregon 300 lists: Software Version 2.90 Unit ID GPS Software Version 2.58 I'm pretty sure the first one (Software Version 2.90) is also called the firmware version and I can upgrade to the 3.15 beta if I want. I'm fully aware of the beta risks. What about updates to the other software (GPS Software Version 2.58)? I'm currently using Garmin's US Topo 2008 100K stuff and no other mapping or specialty chips.

I have saved several trails from my offroad and backwoods exploring. I can download and save them in Mapsource, trim them up to just the portion of the trail I want to save, and share with others as gpx files. I'm wondering if they would serve me better as Routes? Here are the pros I see as making them routes: - A route would let me use the gps navigation features and get better guidance as I revisit that trail. For example I'm thinking it would give me compass direction arrows and possibly tell me distance to the end, etc. - I'm less likely to delete a route. Sometimes I worry I will delete saved trails when I go to clean up my current trail. Shouldn't I be able to name the routes, then display them as needed in the unit? How does one convert a trail from a gdb or gpx file to a detailed route? On my old Lowrance I had to drop waypoints and go back and connect them manually. This gave me a route with straight lines between waypoints, although it would be better if I could have my route follow the exact trail I followed and not just straight line navigation between waypoints.

I had to feed it the kml file from everytrail as I first tried the gpx file and it wouldn't work once I brought it back to mapsource. But converting the kml file to gpx worked. Thank you!

Is there an edit I can do to the everytrail gpx file to make it work? I have tried running both the gpx and the kml file thru gpsbabel and neither will process. Is there a known fix or workaround?

Ehhhhh, anybody know if this has perhaps been fixed? Doesn't sound very exciting.

I'm reading other posts about dissatisfaction with the detail or even presence of many lakes on the Inland Lakes map. I fish smaller lakes so can only imagine many of mine won't be on it either. If so I am probably better off with the topo and just use whatever lakes come on that. Just to confirm - the 400t comes with US topo preloaded? The entire US? No sending of map quadrants and updating as needed?

I'm trying to come up to speed on the Oregon 400 series now that I am resigned to sending back my Lowrance Endura Sierra. I fish a lot so the 400i seems to be down my lane since it has the inalnd lakes preloaded. Does that mean I am left with a basic basemap as far as topo/POI/terrain is considered? I in fact use it for both (and roads too, especially rural roads and state/national park jeep trails) so am unsure which version to get. I have a Garmin Topo US 2008 with the 100 foot contours - can I load these onto the 400i? They do not seem to have a 24k topo for my area (Virginia yet) that I can tell.

Waaah? Is this for real? I'm looking for a replacement for my Endura Sierra and this sounds like a pain in the rear. I like use a lot of waypoints and prefer to have them load based on whether I put the right file on the unit or not. So waypoints load and are written to somewhere else? What if you restart the unit - does it read them in twice?

Spent the weekend at a state park hiking, geocaching, exploring, etc. My frustration grows with each thing I try do with this Sierra. I've had a "blue screen of death" where it said it had to reboot, repeated system freezes, course arrows that continually jump all over, a state park that I cannot find using the map or POI search, and I just remain frustrated at the lack of mapping this supposed premiun unit doesn't have. A Lowrance product manager sent me an initial response to my questions about the mapping, which was basically to perform a reset, but then has ignored my request for a follow-up when I sent him comparison screenshots of their marketing images compared to what actually comes on the unit. I'm assuming this means he has no response so I'm going to return the unit and buy a Garmin.

I too had one of the original iFinders and am very sad it finally died. Intuitive menus, menu control over items that needed control. Unfortunately the Endura menu structure is entirely differerent - it is a whole new design as are the maps. So far I have picked it up quite easy but am finding less control over settings. There are a lot of features I have come to expect as standard given their appearance on prior Lowrance gps devices. I am hoping (I notice I am doing a lot of hoping with this unit) more detailed menu options will be enabled in upcoming updates.

Have you tried loading an existing GPX file into MapSource, and then doing a File / New and then creating the waypoint and saving? I was having the 'save gpx' problem but the process of first opening an existing gpx file has cured it. Thanks

I have been using Mapsource for several months, but recently it has started failing and forcing me to restart. It does this when I create one or more waypoints and try to save them as a gpx file. I am using Mapsource 6.15.6. I can save them as gdb files, but not straight to gpx. What's up with that?!?!?!?! I reinstalled but same deal.

I would love to see a comparison myself.

I called Lowrance today. Actually reached a technician after about 10 minutes of waiting. Among other items I mentioned how the mapselect site produced the error when you attempted to follow the provided link that comes with the Endura. He said they knew about that but did not have the website ready for whatever is supposed to happen when we connect. He had no information on when it would be available.

Folks, we gotta keep calling Lowrance about these issues. I am going to call tomorrow with some of mine. Just will have to do it when I have time to sit next to a speakerphone so I can wait on hold. While I do that I will also send it in via their website support form. Buit I am going to make sure I talk with someone. They need to be hearing from all of us though or they won't fix it for just one dude....!!!!!!

Maybe we are doing different things, or maybe mine isn't doing what your's is doing. I was offroad yesterday (waaaaaaay offroad) and I used it to navigate to a distant waypoint. It didn't freeze (other than the occaisional little freezes I get) but I still can not access anything on the "Nav Settings" menu. It lists items like Navigation Mode, Mode of Transport, ROuting Efficiency, Ferries, Highways/Motorways, Tolls which is why I expect it to remain greyed out until I buy that extra roadway navigation piece. Should these submens/settings be available for geocaching and land nav?

What steps are you doing such that you get this Nav Screen problem? If I am not navigating then my Nav Options menu is greyed out , which seems proper to me (I'm not navigating). But if I pick a waypoint and tell it to GoTo that spot, I can pull up the Navigation menu and choose some of the options. What I can't do either way is choose anything from the Nav Settings submenu. All these remain greyed out, but that too seems correct since all those settings seem (to me) to be for turn-by-turn navigation. I used my unit some this weekend and am liking it better. I'm starting to use the touchscreen more and the unit seems more responsive doing so. I have sent several support items in to Lowrance via email and have not heard back. I'm still getting these periodic freezes where the unit stops updating. Then it resumes after awhile. Also see some screen freezes and I am wondering if they are related, possibly due to loss of signal? I'm seeing it both inside and outside. The MP3 player rocks even though my voicenotes are too quiet.

I was able to copy a gpx file to my Endura and I can see the device automatically opening the gpx file and loading the data. So it looks like you can have multiple files and each will be processed. I also used Garmin's Mapsource to transfer files to the Endura. It detected the gpsr and identifed it as the computer drive that was mapped when I plugged in the USB cable. Mapsource copied the gpx files to a new 'garmin' directory it created. I had to go in afterward and copy the gpx file to the proper GPX folder.

I don't own an Endura yet but I have visited the MapSelect site URL listed in the manual. I agree, the cost of detailed maps for the unit would add up quite fast if trying to cover large areas. Did you receive a MapSelect code of some sort with your device? Apparently a code is required to complete map purchases. I don't see any code but an icon is presented when you plug the Endura into a USB cable. Clicking the icon takes you to the mapselect site but the page you go to does not exist and you get something like 'page not found.'

I am trying to figure that out too. It looks like they want to charge for an image file that only covers a 3x3 mile area? I'd have to get a lot of them to cover the common places I fish and hike. And I do not know if they would even work with my Endura.

I thought GPX was a file format that only let you share waypoint and trail information between units that support the gpx file format. Does it also support transferring maps? Right now I am feeling very lost as to how to obtain any improved mapping or imagery for this device. I thought it came with "premium" content. I agree the imagery looks neat when you are zoomed way, way out, but just not usable. Not even sure why they would deliver it that way.