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mikeD

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Posts posted by mikeD

  1. I have made up two pairs of eneloop batteries using shrink tubing and small triangular wooden inserts to press on the switch.

    I bought some garmin precharged Barts but their capacity is not as good as the bats I have now

    I have contacted garmin to say their metering of the precharged is not accurate

    This has worked ok for over a year

    I have accepted the naff metering, I get well over 8 hrs

    The bonus is the usb charging and not having to take it all apart every time, especially as I use a soft outer case

  2. I have heard the same word on the street, so don't buy

    I have an iPhone and use this app

    https://www.looking4cache.com/

    It is brilliant. Cost,gb£8. Say $10-11.

    Used Geosphere which a lot of people in USA swear by. That hasn't had an update for a while although the developer says he is getting back to it

    L4c, this is the mnemonic is as good and flexible although a bit quirky to learn. Produced in Germany the translations are a bit odd in places

    The killer feature for me is the ability to download offline maps

    I use OSM cycle maps

    Brilliant for GCing. Just been all over Sri Lanka. Downloaded all of the island 1,gb and every thing was there even used it to guide our driver who tried to use Google maps. And it had loads of paths on it as well.

    I have all of UK permanently on the phone

    YOU CAN LOG DIRECTLY FROM THE APP

     

    I think the official apps are and still will be a disappoint ment

     

    There is a LITE version but with limited functionality

    Go for it

    Mike

  3. I too have Geosphere.

    I had a steep learning curve with that dealing with all the filters etc.

    L4c is a bit like that as well

    I must say that the UI is bright and clean as per IOS 9. going back to Geosphere seemed warm and chunky!. Personal preference I suppose.

    I use L4C for everything, one can log finds off line then edit later and bulk send. You don't have to put in "comments" at. "Find" time like you do on the official app. I find that annoying when one wants just to get on.

     

    I think BTW that with the lite L4C you cannot download off line maps

  4. I used geosphere and the ground speak app

    However I now use Looking4cache pro. From the app store. ALSO KNOWN AS L4C

    About the the same price as geosphere was but it is as good if not better. An update came today

    It comes from Germany and takes a little work too understand it and it's flexibility. Just like geosphere

     

    Have used it for six months now

    You can log a find at the same time as logging a TB at the same gz and upload a photo.

     

    The killer feature is the ability to have offline maps downloaded to the app.

    Just been to Japan, china and Belgium. Loaded my PQ and the regional maps. Even used the downloaded OSM maps for getting about and sightseeing

    I am in the UK and have all of UK OSM permanently loaded. 1.2gb

    Check it out

  5. I have a 64s upgraded from a 62s and a 60csx before.

    The 62a was dropped in a lock on the river Thames last year. 5 meters down for 10 mins. Fished it out with a magnet as I had a steel karabiner on it.

    Taken apart,dried and it worked. Have given it to my boat owning friend. Good excuse to upgrade !!

     

    The 64s has much better screen resolution than the 60csx. I can use .uk ordnance survey maps on it.

    Sadly the 64s died on me 14 months after purchase. Garmin sent me a new one FOC

     

    whilst waiting in for the new 64s to arrive I got out the 60csx with OSM MAPS. didn't bother to use.it. A retrograde step!. Loading GPX files was a pain. As well as the poor screen resolution.

     

    The accuracy of the 64s is superior as is the warm up time.

     

    You won't regret the change

  6. UPDATE

    Phoned Garmin, device confirmed dead

    Pleased to say they are going to replace it . Just out of warranty but prevailed on them to .......... Cost otherwise is now GBP74

     

    First up, They asked me to run a software update on the device, not possible then a hard reset , again not possible

     

    They did send me this link which others may find useful

    It is a PDF defining hard rest instructions for every device they do .- 60+ pages

    http://static.garmincdn.com/shared/uk/customer-care/Master_reset_instructions.pdf

     

    Thanks to all for your advices

    Mike

  7. thanks for the two replies

    yes I have taken out the card

    plugging in the USB just gives the start screen for a second then nothing.

     

    Looks like a dead GPSr

     

    I had a 62s go on me like this 2/3 years ago. Had to buy a factory recon job GBP140!

    as it happened I was 10 miles from Garmin Europe in Southampton ,UK

    Called them up

     

    Paid over t'internet, went down there

    Handed over old unit in reception

    Someone came down and said " do you mind waiting? could be 45-60 mins while we swing over you licenses etc.!

     

    What could one say? Was back caching in the New Forest 2 hours later

     

    Mike

  8. My 64s is only 14 months old and will not start

    In advance of calling Garmin tomorrow I wonder if anyone has had similar problems

    Pressing the power button, one sees "Garmin" logo

    Then welcome screen appears just long enough to see my welcome text and the usually copyright words, then it dies.

    Same with various batteries and powered usb cable

     

    Tried hard reset procedure, it does the same as above

    It has latest software update and has worked ok after that

     

    Any suggestions gratefully.....

    Mike

     

    Ps I was going to post this on the real Garmin forum but that seems to have disappeared, I mean the ' on the trail handheld forum'

  9. I have started to use " Looking4cache" on IOS. it is also on android

    Since the latest software update it is very flexible and works as well if not better than Geosphere.

    The latter seems to be unsupported now, no recent updates and the owner seems to have gone AWOL

    I also use the official GC app but L4C is much more flexible.

    I recently, in one hit, logged a find,picked up and dropped two TB and posted a photo, all with attendant logs.

    The killer bonus for me is that you can download and save OSM maps for anywhere in the world.

    I have UK map permanently loaded, just been to France and loaded those. You can use the maps as a walking aid without caching.

    I have other apps where you Need to download tiles being part of OSM.

    with L4C maps are realised, UK one region, france 7 or so and Japan,6 or 7

    Am off to china and Japan soon and have already loaded maps.

    You don't need to have a data connection to access the maps.

    Also the official app loads maps one by one when loading PQ. This takes for ever and you cannot easily use maps other than when GCing.

    I have a 64s and use the iPhone in conjunction especially for logging.

    IPhone is ok for open areas where the GZ is obvious, the 64s comes in in more complex and difficult area

    This app is worth a try

  10. My understanding is that these eneloop ,aka as low self discharge NiMh batteries Have a lower capacity.

    I recall that my old regular batteries had a capacity of c2500 milliamp hours. The Garmin's have just 2000 .

    They just call them " rechargeable NiMh " but they do in their info say they will stay charged for long periods, which is not the case with regular NiMh

    If Garmin are baseing their meter on the old type for their new ones then I guess the linear discharge scale will be and is all wrong

    Do they understand that? No

    Have the been told ? Yes

    Have they done anything........

  11. This is true to an extent

    First up I used MiNh individual batteries. Yes accurate and you select the batt type. But you have to take out batts every time

    I then bought the ganged pair of Garmin batteries also'NiMh' .

    When inserted the little black switch in the batt compartment is pushed and the battery choice disappears.

    The meter is not so accurate, see above, but you can charge via usb. With bats in. The Garmin batteries have obviously different characteristics

    Told Garmin about the problem.

    Tech dept came back with the standard " do a reset"!

  12. You can also show the battery meter by using the user defined field facility on most pages

    I have the meter on the trip screen.

    Hit menu> change data fields then scroll to the battery meter press enter then the quit button. Job done

     

    BTW the battery meter is not that accurate. I use the rechargeable Garmin eneloop/ long shelf life battery pack . The batteries stay in and I charge via USB. Charge lasts about 12 hours but the meter goes from full to half in less that an hour. I have two sets of batteries as others suggest

  13. Also try calibrating the compass

    Go to compass page then press menu

    Select compass calibration and follow instructions

     

    As a general rule I always recalibrate if I have moved 50+ miles from my last GZ

    this generally sorts problems I have had like this

    My 64s generally gets within 8 feet depending on the sky available

    I am in the UK

  14. This is a post I put on yesterday to the iPhone section. No reply though

     

    The problem was Also evident on my 64s

     

    Ran a PQ to include an earthcache which should have shown questions

    Also downloaded GPX TO A Garmin 64s

    At GZ there were no questions on App description or on Garmin

     

    Back at home base looked at web page and there is a whole lot more data including questions to answer

    It seems that the App and Garmin via th ePQ HAS truncated the section

    The GC was GC2PDQA Jurassic Lyme Regis

     

    Was the App faulty?

     

    Downloaded the same PQ to Geosphere app and all was shown

    Any ideas? Have had this before where GC OWNER PUTS IN TOO MUCH DATA IN THE DESCRIPTION

  15. I think you have the quick start manual.

    The full manual can be found here, they are usually download only

     

    https://support.garmin.com/support/manuals/searchManuals.faces

    This will take you to the Garmin manual search page. Just select from the combo box choices , there are 4 -,5 screens to go through

    The manual has 18 packed pages

    If that link does not work go directly to it then google

    Garmin 64s manual

  16. I am attempting to charge a NiMh pack in the 64st. This pack is not a Garmin one, but ti is NiMh and it does have the little plastic clips that hold the cells together and activate the switch inside the battery compartment.

     

    I looked in the owner's manual and could not find anything about how to tell when the battery is fully charged. Right now it is just a big cell with a lightning bolt and 4 green blocks that scroll from left to right. It has been doing this for a few hours now.

     

    How long does it take to fully charge, and how does it indicate a full charge?

     

    Thanks!

  17. I am interested to see what Garmin's threatened new product offerings are for 2015.

     

    I've had Garmin's for 15 years or so both handheld and auto.

     

    Briefly, my current auto device is a NUVI 3500 series. This is infinitely better than my Range Rover built-in unit.

    I always use the Garmin as it is more flexible accurate and predictable

     

    On handhelds I have worked my way latterly through the 60 series to my present 64S. I find this accurate, flexible and does a good job to get me to GC's.

     

    That said, I think that Garmin are falling behind the times both in the extent and pace of their innovation.

    The 60 series is over four years old.

     

    My main bone of contention is the difficulty of getting data in and out of the devices.

    PQ's have to be downloaded ,absorbed into third-party software converted etc and then 'usb'd' onto the device. It is similar in my experience to get data off..

     

    Looking at other non-specialist devices on the market, I cite my iPhone 6 which does almost as good a job as the Garmin,but not quite so accurately.

    look also at the Apple and android market in terms of speed of development and innovation.

    In four years my iPhone has gone from version 3, four, five and now six. Technological change and innovation and improve customer experiences come with that.

    Imo Garmin has progressed but not as fast and as well as it could them.

     

    I use the GC App for most of my downloading and logging, as well as geosphere. (In many respects this is better than the GC app but less flexible..

     

    Garmin has got base camp to talk to the 64s but that only transfers limited data from the PQ "wirelessly". Only limited waypoint information is transferred

     

    I think the quality of screen display on the 64s is dire.

    I have UK ordnance survey and Garmin French topo maps on my PC and phone. The images are clear and accurate, not so on the 64s

    a comparison is almost the difference between 405 and 625 lines on a TV screen of olden times

     

     

    I'm experimenting with Birds Eye. I recently went to St Kitts and Nevis and downloaded the Birds Eye images, akin to Google earth.

    I had loaded OSM maps but whilst there are all the roads and some tracks I was going into real off-road territory.

    The Birdseye images helped but they were a bit fuzzy

    I also copied the same images to my phone via Google Earth, for off-line use. Much better clarity and of course with the GPS function on nearly as accurate.

     

    Although my experience is Apple, I'm sure that android developments and improvements are just as pacey.

     

    I'm not sure whether Garmin are still at odds with geocaching.com. If so it can do neither sector any good and I would think that Garmin, handheld division would surely see the geocaching fraternity as one of their big customers and lobby groups.

    If they haven't made up, then time to do so!

     

    I have to confess not to be a fan of the Montana/Oregon devices. I feel that in the open air touchscreen devices are second-best.

    I also find them a bit bricky!

    That said my iPhone 6 works okay as long as it is not damaged, a real risk down a rocky ravine.

     

    My requests to Garmin for the future for their products therefore include

     

    1 decent high definition screens

    2. the ability to get data much more easily in and out of their devices including the ability to work across operating systems such as android, Apple and Windows

    3. the need to bring to the customer more quickly their own innovations on device working as well as offering improvements seen elsewhere on competitor devices and applications.

     

    I'm not sure if anybody agrees with me but that is how I see it

     

    Mike

  18. Hi

    The 64s will transfer GC from Basecamp via Bluetooth BUT not all the file. Only coordinates, no hint previous logs etc

    Not a lot us use

    This is why I went down the RAV FILEHUB route. That works well even though I have to take the memory card out see above

    I don't need a pc out in the field or away from home

    The iPhone app I use is file browser

     

    I just download the GPX file to the phone, hard wire the gps to the hub and have little Wi-Fi network for the transfer job done

     

    You don't need bluetooth for that but I recommend you go for the 64s anyway. Do a comparison on the Garmin site

    Hope this helps

    Mike

  19. Sorry for bumping this old thread, but I'm looking for some confirmation here to better guide me on which model to purchase.

     

    I have my eyes on the Garmin 64, but the 64s is just slightly more expensive.

     

    I do have an iPad and Basecamp Mobile is compatible with the device.

     

    If I get the Garmin 64, I know I can just plug a USB cable to the unit and transfer the GPX files from the Garmin 64 to my PC.

     

    The Garmin 64s have bluetooth. I'm not aware of any method of connecting the 64s to a PC or Mac and transfer GPX files via bluetooth. Can anyone here confirm that I can indeed transfer GPX files from the Garmin 64s to my iPad via bluetooth? That will definitely make things more convenient and I'll gladly pay more for just that feature. If not, then I think I'm better off buying the Garmin 64 and save myself some money.

     

    Thanks!

  20. I have been using the Garmin Battery cassette for some time now. My experience in terms of Battery meter accuracy and Garmin response are elsewhere in this forum

    Recently I found that the batteries were not charging.

    What had happened was that despite the tightness of the fit of the batteries they had lifted off the little switch thus stopping the charge. Pressing them down firmly again did the job

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