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bcblues

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Everything posted by bcblues

  1. The Ram cradle is an excellent product. I use it on my bikes (not on a car). Solid and stable, yet easy to release when you want to have the GPS in hand. I thought that the USB port was for data transfer only, and the GPS runs off batteries even when plugged in.
  2. After trying several different hydration packs, including camelback and osprey, I have settled on a Deuter Race X Air I. I really like the way the pack stays off your skin and you maintain airflow. It has a mesh that rides on your back and then the backpack rides an inch or two away from the mesh. This has the added benefit of helping keep your water stored in the bladder cooler, since it does not heat up from contact with your back. This particular pack is not very big (850 ci), but for me it is the perfect size, large enough to hold the 3 liter water bladder, a bike tire pump, two spare tubes, some tools, rain gear and a light jacket. Plus some small snacks. But it does not have belt pockets like a full-sized backpack, so there is really no "quick draw" options for camera or GPS. It does have loops sewn into the straps which are really handy for clipping the GPS to (handier, I think than D-rings). I really like the large zippered opening on the bladder, which makes filling, cleaning and drying super easy. Plus, the bite valve DOES NOT LEAK, like they tend to do on other brands. This may not be what you are looking for, but it is an excellent bit of kit.
  3. I tried this method to return to 280, but when I restart, it still says I am running 2.95 on the "About" screen. Anybody else got any ideas for rolling back to a previous version?
  4. I have never really used an Oregon, but I have played with a couple for a short while. I did gift a Dakota 20 to my son-in-law. One thing that I really liked is typing in notes/comments on the touchscreen while geocaching, or even typing in coordinates. MUCH easier with the touch screen than with the cursor buttons/enter on the 62.
  5. I had geocached and used the paperless feature for many months, on many different firmwares. The Geocaching.com website could see all of the found caches up until the firmware update to 2.95b. I am going to punt on 2.95b. Rolling back to 2.80, which I think is the last stable version. BTW, I did delete the geocache_visits.txt file. I think it was probably corrupt. Fieldnotes are fine here for 2.95beta - straight from 62s to GC.com. Your post reads as though you did say 1 days caching, then upgraded the software, then did another 2 days caching, before you uploaded the geocache_visits.txt file... am I understanding that correctly? If this was the case, maybe the geocache_visits.txt file didnt like the software transition for some reason. Once you have got all the info from your current geocache_visits.txt file, delete it and try again on the next caching trip. If all 3 days were with the upgraded software, I havent a clue what the prob is - sorry.
  6. I, too, upgraded from the 60 series, which I loved. I like the buttons, therefore I went with the 62 rather than the Oregon. Like you, I use mine on my mountain bike and road bike, as well as hiking and geocaching. Strong points for the Oregon are touchscreen, higher resolution screen, and smaller form factor. Strong points for the 62 series are buttons and a brighter screen.
  7. We have a couple FujiFilm X Series cameras for work. They are waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof. I have the XP10 now, and although it is listed as having more megapixels than the previous model (z33wp, I think), I think the older model actually took better pictures. I have taken some really great photos with both cameras. I have taken pictures underwater, in sub-zero (F) temps, and have generally used and abused the cameras terribly. Multiple drops onto pavement, gravel, rocks, etc. Nothing seems to phase it. The only failure I had with the XP10 was on a truly frigid day (-20 F) the pictures I took were all blurry. Lighting was pretty poor that evening too, so that may have been a contributing factor. Overall, I am impressed with the little FujiFilm waterproof cameras.
  8. No, when I attempt to access my field notes to upload my geocache_visits.txt file, the geocaching.com web site does not find any of the caches that I have logged as found or not found since I loaded 2.95b. It DOES see the geocache logs from all the caches prior to the 2.95b firmware version, however.
  9. Is anybody else having trouble with paperless geocaching with 2.95b? When I went to upload 3 days of caching, the GC.com website sees no new caches (since the update to 2.95b - it sees the older ones fine).
  10. Thanks, Maingray. I have basically started over with my 62s. I deleted my supplemental maps (topos), and all of my GPX files. I was then able to restart the unit. Then I rebuilt both topos and my Geocaches.gpx files, and reinstalled them on the SD card. It DID take a long time to load initially, but now it does seem to work. I will try it out for a while and see if it remains stable for me. Thanks for the process of rolling back the firmware. I had to do it at least once last summer but could not for the life of me remember the process.
  11. Yikes. Took out my 62s geocaching today (first time with 2.95beta). It did not work at all for me. I had trouble selecting a cache to find, then, once I got one selected, if I switched to the Geocaching screen, any selection that I made (such as Description) would shut off my unit (actually power it off). I tried restarting it several times, and I had the same problem. And to make matters worse, I cannot figure out how to roll back the firmware. I tried downloading the GPSMAP62_78_WebUpdater_280.gcd file, but it will not run in any program I have installed. I tried flashing using the 293Beta.exe, but the file will not run. I tried it on a Windows 7 machine and on a Windows XP machine. I am sure that I rolled back firmware before (last summer) and had no trouble. Somebody throw me a bone!
  12. You can find some great deals on GPSr units either used or new. Look in the GPS Garage Sale Forum or keep an eye out for great deals on new GPSr units.
  13. Do you have a smartphone? There are apps available for most modern smartphones. Geocaching for the iPhone There is an app for the Android as well, but I cannot find it at the moment.
  14. I flashed to 2.95 and on my first field trial, the track log seems to be far more inaccurate than my previous version (2.80). Anybody else notice a difference? BTW, I did no caching, just a short hike. The track log did not follow the trail (visible on aerial photos) very well.
  15. I agree. The case is really unnecessary for any "normal" use. I have dropped mine, soaked it froze it, crashed on a mountain bike with it, and all is fine. I agree that the only possible protection is the invisible Shield. I purchased on for my new 62 but have not installed it yet.
  16. In short, consumer-level GPS units are doing pretty well to get within about 12' of an actual target, even under the best conditions. For geocaching, that means the GPS (in your case the 62s) will lead you pretty consistently to within about 12-20 feet of the actual cache (assuming, of course that the cache has been placed/logged accurately by the owner). Then, ignore the GPS and go into "manual caching mode". Think like a cacher and try to figure out where the cache is based on the terrain where the GPS has lead you. You can always recheck the GPS if you are having trouble finding the cache, or if you find yourself wandering off...... IMHO, that is what makes geocaching challenging - and so much fun!
  17. Do you have a driver loaded for the Magellan?
  18. This may have been brought up already, but a quick search did not turn anything up. LightSquared is planning to roll out a high capacity terrestrial wireless network on the frequency adjacent to GPS L1 Band. It COULD be a source of signal degradation for GPSr. Reference Link
  19. I, too have had this happen. I was super frustrated as I completed a state-wide challenge, and had driven 265 miles to log the accomplishment, only to have my 62s (in)conveniently "misplace" that particular cache. I visited a friend in that town and reloaded the same exact GPX file, and it showed up. Go figure. I really wish Garmin would release a great firmware update to get our 62 series running efficiently and effectively.
  20. I think you should either have a paperless caching handheld whatever brand stand-alone gps) that offers 24k equivalent maps, and/or a smart phone that offers the equivalent. I also (personal preference) think that a 3 axis compass is well worth the added cost. It allows you to stand still and turn around and have the compass arrow keep pointing at the target. Without, it the compass page only works when walking. You end up walking around, and around....... Also, personally, I think that 24k maps or aerial photos are REALLY useful for finding caches. Especially the 24k maps. You can see which roads will lead you to the caches. Good battery life is also useful for me with my hiking, but YMMV.
  21. Maha makes great batteries and chargers. I did get one bad 2700 mah battery in a four pack, but they sent a new one out right away after I contacted them and provided a copy of my invoice. I had it in a couple days. The batteries work fine, but are not LSDs.
  22. I would not get the 60 series for caching, but I may consider it for hiking.
  23. Anybody have issues with high voltages on the PowerGenix NiZn batteries? I have had trouble getting them to finish charging correctly (flashing red light on the charger), and when I checked the voltage on the batteries, they were all around 1.84 volts! I shot a message to PowerGenix, and they responded that somebody would contact me, but they have not yet (been over a week). I don't dare run them in anything at 1.84 volts!
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