GreatCanadian
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Posts posted by GreatCanadian
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The Vista HCX is all the GPS you will ever need. Notice i said "NEED" - not "WANT"....Colorado is just a whole lot more candy. That being said, I myself intend to replace my HCX with a Colorado. But not just yet. I will wait for the bugs to get straightened out and the price to fall. However, the HCX will do everything you need. It's a great geocaching GPS. I have no doubt when the bugs are all fixed that the Colorado may very well be the best handheld on the market. But right now, I don't think it is.
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I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the Travel Bug forum.
oops...sorry about that...i didn't realize there was a specific forum for this...thanks for moving it.
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Hello folks,
I wanna buy 4 or 5 travel bugs, and was wondering what woulc be the cheapest place to order online in Canada. I don't know of any stores in Newfoundland that carry them. Thanks for the help.
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I think it is speculation that it uses extra battery life. My manual says nothing to that fact.
Dan
Nope...it's fact. But WAAS doesn't suck up battery power to the degree that it did in older units. But it definitely DOES burn SOME extra power.
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Hey, keep your HC. The electronic compass is NOT a necessity. You'll do fine without it once you get used to the GPS. It's a great GPS.
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I uploaded some poi's into my HCx to test it but now I can't remove them. I tried emptying the poi folder and reloading but that didn't work. There doesn't seem to be any option in the poi loader for removing poi's from the unit. And there is no 'delete' poi's menu item on the HCx.
I'm stumped.
Download the latest POI loader. Run it. It has 2 options: install new POI's, or erase existing ones.
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Lots of software will do that. Do you have mapsource with your garmin? If so, that will do it.
Also, try www.easygps.com or www.gsak.net
Or google for gps software and you'll find even more. Hope this helps
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Date last found. I like that option.
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This is the code I use for the Waypoint name:
%smart=6 %con1%typ1%dif1%ter1
This includes part of the Name, the Size of the container, the Type of cache (Traditional, Multi, Virtual, Puzzle), the Difficulty and Terrain (based on a 10-point scale).
To get part of the hint, I use this code in the Waypoint Description blank:
%Name=10 %hint
I use the %Name first so it is easier to find the cache by Name if I need to.
I haven't started experimenting with the POI loader yet since my Vista HCx is still pretty new to me. When I do use that, I'll include the GC code in the info somewhere since some people I cache with use that and need it for reference.
I see your point in using the GC code because you cache with others and you might need it for reference. Other than that I don't see any use for the code. I do believe with the HCX and poi loader you might want to add your name tag to the waypoint name and leave the description for the hint. I think you will have room for 44 characters in the waypoint name using POI loader. I assume that now you are using GSAK to send waypoints to the gps and not poi's?
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The difference is that Garmin includes the Micro SD card with the CX. There is no card with the HCX.
There IS an SD slot on the HCx.
Yes, there IS a slot, but he said there is no CARD with the HCX. He is correct in that the card is NOT included when you purchase the HCX.
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Hey, no problem. It's a free download from Garmin. To do what I did above, you need to be a premium member here (which i see that you are) and you need to purchase GSAK to make full use of the features. With that you have a LOT of control over the waypoint name. POI loader allows you to load the GPX file that you created with GSAK to your GPS. If loaded as POI's you can load thousands, instead of 500 waypoints that many of the gps's are limited to. One more point, what gps do you have. That makes a difference.
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I have what I think is a decent waypoint naming tag set in GSAK. I would like to know what others use. I am betting others use a better format than me that I haven't thought of, and if so, I might steal it!!!
I don't want the hint in the waypoint name as I have that in the cache description. Here is what I use:%typ=3%con=3_D%difT%ter_F%found_%smart=20%
For a Cache named Real Easy Cache, this is how the POI name would display on the gps:
TraMic_D1.5T2_FN_RealEasyCache
meaning:
A Traditional cache in a Micro sized container
Difficulty 1.5 and Terrain 2
Found, No
I use a Legend HCX, and would be interested in any waypoint naming conventions others may use that might be even better.
Thanks
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Export from GSAK as a GPX file. In the export dialog box you can build the waypoint name using smart tags. Make sure that "%code" (without the quotation marks) is one of the tags. Then load the GPX file to the GPS using Garmin's POI loader. Waypoint name should show up as the code.
Or
Export as a Mapsource file. In the export dialog box you can build the waypoint name using tags as well.
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Unless you will be geocaching in areas where you can't get a decent satellite signal (like in canyons or heavy tree cover) the Vista will do a great job for you. Try it out. If it works fine, you don't need to upgrade.
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I have had the GPSmap 60cx, cs, and csx, and the Legend C, CX, and HCX, and vista cx. Plus a bunch of Magellans, and a small handful of Lowrances. If I had to choose one and only one I would choose the Legend HCX over any of the others. Without a second's thought.
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Unless you're the kind of person that wants the latest and greatest of anything, the 60 CS is a great gps. Does more than you'll ever need.
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I personally use the Invisible Shield on my Legend CX. My brother uses the Gillsson case on his, and loves it. The Garmin case covers too much of the screen to my liking. The reason my brother likes the Gillson case so much is that he just straps it to the handlebar of his mountain bike, and off he goes. The fact that the case is not locked solidly to the handlebar allows the GPS to swing just a bit freely, reducing shock on the gps. I personally attach my gps to the handlebar of my atv using the garmin mount. It is a good solid setup, but because it is so solid, the gps takes all of the shock with with virtually no absorbtion from a case or flexible mount. But it is easier to read than when it's in a case. Advantages to both I guess.
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It makes me sick reading all this crap about how Garmin has goofed, how they will lose out, how everyone else is going to move ahead. Same stuff I've read for years. Same as listening to the Polaris ATV owners crap on Honda ATV's about how Honda needs to change their design. Yet Honda leads the market. Same story here. Garmin leads the market, and not by luck. They make a good product, stay ahead of the competition, and will do so again in this scenario. If the other GPS manufacturers offer so much more, then go buy them. And never mind what Garmin does. But most people still want Garmin. Why is that do you suppose? I doubt that it's because the others are better. If you don't like what Garmin does, buy a Magellan, or Lowrance, or whatever tickles your fancy. Why do people want Garmin to change features? They want garmin to customize their GPS for them!! Why do they want Garmin to add features that Magellan has? Because Garmin makes a better overall GPS and consumers want every friggin' feature possible. And they want it in a Garmin. I suggest that if Garmin is such a dumb company, then if Magellan has the features you want, go buy it, and don't worry about what Garmin does. By the way, I currently own a magellan Explorist 500, 500LE, Garmin Legend CX and Legend HCX, and Lowrance iway 100m. For automotive, I have the old Streetpilot III Colormap. The Magellans stay in the drawer unless a friend wants to borrow a GPS. Ain't near the quality GPS as the Garmin. magellan mapping sucks. User friendly software non-existent. Ruggedness - next to Garmin, no comparison. I do believe Lowrance is way ahead of Magellan. Garmin in big trouble?? I don't think so. Just a rant, only my humble opinion. Take it for what it's worth. Opinions are like a**ho**s, everybody has one.
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The lines on the screen issue could be a result of a common flaw in the etrex design. There is a connector ribbon inside the unit which comes loose. There is a fix for this which you can do yourself. If you are interested in the instructions send me your email and I can send you the file. Or, if you want to search for it, there is a link to the instructions somewhere in these forums.
Thanks for sending me the PDF. I read through it and you're right it is fairly simple. However, a couple of things occurred to me afterwards.
1. Since you're just cleaning the contacts then is this really a complete fix? What is to prevent those contacts from needing another fix in two years?
2. If I were to upgrade to a new model, like the Legend HCx, or just the Venture HC, would these receivers be likely to suffer from the same flaw as the rest of the eTrex line?
Thanks for your help. I'm close to making a decision.
It actually seems to connect better after the repair. I don't think that during the assembly that the connection is tight, but after the repair, the cable ribbon seems to "lock" in place better.
I have never seen or heard of this problem in the cx series...the hcx series should be the same as the cx series.
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Just to make sure that it isn't battery contacts, connect it to your computer via USB and see if it powers on that way.
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Yes, the older non-NT versions will work. The NT versions have bigger map segments. This allows you to install less map segments to cover an equal area, which allows you to overcome the map segment limit. Only useful if you have a high capacity card of a gig or more.
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The lines on the screen issue could be a result of a common flaw in the etrex design. There is a connector ribbon inside the unit which comes loose. There is a fix for this which you can do yourself. If you are interested in the instructions send me your email and I can send you the file. Or, if you want to search for it, there is a link to the instructions somewhere in these forums.
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did i overwrite the topo ones? .... if i overwrote the topo is it possible to have both on there at the same time
thanks
Adam
Yes, and yes.
While you are in Mapsource Topo, select all the topos you want, switch to metroguide, and select the metroguide maps you want. Then send to the GPS. This will send both sets of maps to the gps.
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I got to thinking the other day as I was reaching under the roots of a tree for a cache, that wow, this must be nerve-wrecking in some other parts of the world. You see, I live in Newfoundland, Canada. We don't have any snakes, or black widow spiders, or scorpions, or ticks with lime disease, or other things that would make me think twice about where I stick my hand. But it made me wonder do you guys do the same? Where do you hide your caches? I will be visiting my brother in Georgia in a few months, and I had planned to do some geocaching, and perhaps there are a few things I need to know before I stick my hand in a dark, spooky nook!!
I don't want the hint in the waypoint name as I have that in the cache description. Here is what I use:
Looking for a banger.
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
I have an old magellan. It's either a 310 or Pioneer. Can't tell you for sure right now as I'm at work and the GPS's are at home. I have both of them but only one works. I can sell you the one that works for 50 bucks. That includes the shipping. I have no idea how much shipping will cost, but that doesn't matter.