appletree

Do you have Lock on road turned on? I receently updated the CitySelect maps and have had no problems with my V.

I have had 2 Vistas repaired by Garmin at no charge and with outstanding PR. I can't guarantee anything, especially a free repair on a unit long out of warranty. However, I wouldn't assume that every phone tech is aware of the band adhesive or the screen line problems or the repair policies for those and other design flaw related problems. Try e-mailing Garmin tech support or customer service and politely explain your situation and your knowledge, through this forum, of the history of the problem. I will be surprised if they do not make a fair or generous offer. Please let us know what they say. Give Garmin a chance. They have a history of treating their customers well, if not making perfectly designed units.

Take a look at these re-radiating units. Light, small, highly effective. http://pc-mobile.net/gpsant.htm

I have 2 Vistas and I agree that MetroGuide 4, which I have, or 5 which is the newest version, is a must. Address look-up and POI look-up are easy and extremely valuable with the Vista but only with MetroGuide uploaded. I also have and enjoy the Topo and the new Natl. Park Topo CDs, but only the Metroguide is a must. As for an external antenna, I bought a terrific re-radiating antenna that was fairly cheap, easy to use, and incredibly effective at boosting signal reception in or out of a vehicle, including commercial jets. With one of these, you would never even think of wanting some other external antenna set up. Sorry I can't remember the name of the unit, but I heard about it on this forum. Great unit, great price, great service.

I have had my Garmin GPS V for a while now and I have observed something interesting when reading posts about it. Everyone who owns one seems to love it. I know there are features it does not have, like interchangable memory modules and USB interface, voice prompts and color, but in spite of the fact that it is not "perfect" and doesn't have every bell and whistle available on any unit at any price, I have yet to read a post by a GPS V owner that sounds like a complaint, or suggests even the slightest regret about having bought it. I am curious as to whether any GPS V owners do have complaints, or if anyone else has heard any. I also own 2 Vistas, which I really like, but the Vista has some hardware problems and a learning curve that would lead me to be selective as to who I would recommend buy one. In contrast, I can think of few people who could not or would not use a V and find it to be of tremendous value. I would be interested in other peoples opinions on this.

I have the same type of windshield in my Venture minivan. I bought a re-radiating antenna from Pc-Mobile to use with my Vista and have been very pleased. The signals are very strong and the unit is small, light, and easy to use. I was also impressed by the company's customer service. The unit stopped working not long after I started using it so I e-mailed them and described the problem. They replied promptly and quickly sent another, asking only that I return the first after the replacement arrived and offering to pay for the return shipping. In spite of the problem with the first unit, I would highly recommend this product and this company. As far as I am concerned, it makes it unnecessary to buy a unit with built-in remote antenna capability.

While it is true that MetroGuide and CitySelect maps can be loaded int the V at the same time, I have found on several occasions that it screws up the autorouting. If only the MapSource (v. 4) or only the CitySelect maps are checked, it consistently plots a good route, but if both types of maps are checked for the same area, the routes are often nonsensical, with unnecessary u-turns etc. No similar problems with the non-routing maps like topo. Don't know about MG v. 5 which doesn't route on the V.

I bought a vista over 2 years ago and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Bought another a year later so I wouldn't be without one when my wife wanted to borrow it for a few days. I bought a GPS V several months ago. I still use and love my vistas, but if one is only going to buy one unit and use it in the car at least occasionally, the V is the way to go. I would challenge anyone to find some report of a V owner who regrets the purchase. Yes, I would add some features, especially memory, but as is, it is remarkably functional, small, light, and cheap, especially when you factor in the software and accessories that are included in the deluxe package. The vista is nicer for hiking or carrying with you to help find where you parked the car. I prefer the vista buttons and stick. But you just have to use the V's autorouting a few times to see why this is the best GPSR anywhere if size, cost, and durability are factors to consider. I am glad I have both units, and I would recommend that option to anyone. By the way, the CitySelect maps that come with the V can be loaded into the vista as well, and you are permitted to do so with any one other unit besides the V at no additional charge. That saves you the cost of buying the MetroGuide which you would otherwise need to get full value from the vista, address look-up etc.

If it can't explode and isn't sharp or pointed, you can probably take it on a plane, if it will fit under a seat or in an overhead compartment. All rules about PEDs concern use.

I know this was covered a while ago, but I couldn't do it then. How do I install the Topo maps on my hard drive so I will not have to have the CD loaded in order to use the maps?

If GPSRs, cell phones, or other PEDs really can cause serious problems for commercial jets, it is crazy to allow them in the cabin at all, or in baggage for that matter. Does everbody obey rules? Do visitors to national parks refrain from feeding or approaching wildlife? Not in my experience. I have also found, on a couple of occasions, that my FRS radio that was off when I boarded a plane had turned itself on when stuffed under the seat inside my fanny pack. I now take out a battery just to be sure I am complying with the rules, but I doubt everyone else does. If this is truly a hazardous situation, it should not be possible for it to occur. I doubt there is any real danger from these devices, but if there is, we are all in trouble.

The GPS V comes with a vehicle mount, and mine gets excellent run time using the 4 NiMH aa batteries loaded into it. I only use the included car adaptor for long trips at night when I want the light to stay on. It is a terrific unit at a remarkably low price right now.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I still cannot make it work. If I enable internet map retrieval, I get multiple maps and scales, even when I use the download to to limit the area and scales. Without it enabled, I can't download any maps. How can I get Topogrfix to reply? TIA' mark

I sent the following e-mail to topografix a week ago and have had no reply. Can anyone on this list help me? Thanks in advance. I have read the manual several times but I cannot find any reference as to how to control what maps and photos Expert GPS will download when "enable internet retrieval" is selected. When I select this option, I get the maps and/or photos I want, along with many that I do not want, including multiple scales of the same map or photo area. I have only learned to use the delete map tool by trial and error, and have no idea what scales correspond to which maps or photos. I can find no reference regarding the download map tool and I cannot figure out how to use it. I have limited space on my hard drive, and I seem to fill it with maps and photos I neither need nor want every time I run Expert GPS. Please let me know where I can learn how to use this interesting program efficiently. Mark Applebaum

Press and release the enter button, do not hold it down or you will create a waypoint at the site of the last fix, regardless of the pointer position

I've read the manual, again, but I still can't tell if there is a way to transfer waypoints (or tracks or routes) from a MapSource file to Expert GPS without loading them into a GPSR. Help!

I have ExpertGPS and USAPhotoMap and I like both. However, every time I use them, I create map and/or photo image files that accumulate and consume more and more of my hard drive. How can I easily delete some or all of the stored files, and how can I tell which files are which images? I could find nothing in the manual about this.

Consider investing in a GPS V Deluxe. It includes great map software, is currently at a great price with the $75 rebate, and has features, especially built in autorouting, that are well worth the extra cash if you will be doing any road navigation at all. Check it out.

There is one other way to get the GPS altitude, other than from the options window on the satellite page. When I fly, I hang my Vista from a suction cup hook on the window by the data cable by which it is connected to my laptop. I them watch the flight using my mapsource programs which continuously show the speed, bearing, and GPS altitude in one pane and the full color map in another. With the topo CD loaded, I can even switch back and forth between MetroGuide and the Topo map. It's worth the hassle of bringing the laptop along.

I have 2 Vistas and recently bought a GPS V. I love the Vistas for their size and easy one hand operation. However, the autorouting capability of the V must be seen to be believed! It is well worth the price and weight difference over the 76S, especially when you consider that the V includes the CitySelect CD with great US and Canadian maps. To get full value from a 76 or a vista, you must buy MetroGuide, which is great, but pricey. I recommend you check out a V on the road before you rule it out.

One more shortcut I learned about with my Vista that also works with the G V: the Page button is the OK button when working with a data entry screen. It is easier than using the rocker to navigate over to the OK box and then press enter.

"the base maps handle most interstate driving so I just keep my local maps loaded in detal." If I read the manual correctly, I think this is the key. You do not have to have all of the cityselect maps loaded, only those covering areas in which you will be driving off of the roads covered by the base map. I will soon be driving from Cincinnati to Washington, D.C., then to Williamsburg, VA, then to Beckley, W. VA, then home. I loaded CitySelect maps for the metro areas listed plus a bunch of topo maps that take very little space. I had no problem having it calculate routes from place to place.

I just got a V last week so I am not an expert, but it would seem unlikely that it could switch from landscape to portrait without some major hardware or software problem. One change that does occur automatically is the switch from North up to track up when approaching a waypoint or turn while navigating a Go To. The turn will always be shown in track up mode, even if the screen is set to display north up. The display will return to north up by itself after completing the turn or passing the point. As for routing, I believe you must load CitySelect or Metroguide 4 maps into the unit if you want routing to include roads other than interstates and selected major roads that comprise the basemap for a given area. My experience with the unit so far, running the 2.2 update, has been excellent. Its routing capabilities and, especially, its ability to quickly and accurately recalculate and re-route without my even slowing down has been phenomenal. I would never want to drive without it.

I was and am a Mac user so I faced the same question when I bought my first GPSR a few years ago. The options were and are: 1. Run Virtual PC or the equivalent and use the Mac as if it were a PC, 2. buy a cheap, used PC, like the Dell laptop I bought, and use it for the limited number of platform specific programs of all types that complicate life for us Mac users from time to time. I still like the Garmin Vista for a small, light, full-featured GPSR at a great price right now.

Is there a difference in how recent the POI and road info is between the new MetroGuide version and the City Select version currently shipping with the GPS V? I have 2 Vistas and MG 4. I am considering selling one Vista and buying a GPS V, rather than upgrading my MetroGuide, if I would get the same NavTech data, equally current. Also, can City Select be loaded into a Vista? TIA