jvavrus2000

It is reading the "input" wrong after it switches to the smaller units. Supposedly, this will be fixed in the next firmware update. Supposedly, the next firmware update will be out within a month to 6 weeks.....

The update is at: http://www.magellangps.com/en/support/products/upgrades/upgrade_gps315.asp Go there and follow the instructions. This will update to version 3.15 of the software. This is a good thing to do because one of the fixes in 3.15 is "Reduces the speed at which the unit starts position averaging to 0.2 meters/second". Which gets rid of the necessity for the infamous "hula dance".

quote: I've also been reading that Magellan units can lose signal and not let you know for quite some time, so you may not know that you're not receiving good data. I would rather KNOW when I lose signal than have the gps "fool" me into thinking it's receiving better. I always wonder where these rumors start. I've used many Magellan units and it ain't true. But it is very hard to make them lose signal in the first place (maybe that's why the rumor started). For example I often drive a GEO Tracker on the weekend without the top. If I'm running my Meridian and have to stop at a store I lock it in the glove box (which admittedly has a plastic door) while I go in. It just keeps on getting fixes inside the glove box. I've forgotten to take it out a time or two and it has even produced an accurate track of the trip back to the house!

Try this experiment. Turn on the Game Boy and a GPS receiver. Then hold them next to each other. See if you can get a fix.... I tried it once, based on some comments from an RF guy, and it turns out that the Game Boy (and probably most other computing devices) are very good GPS jammers....

If you hold the right arrow key down while powering the unit on it should allow you to clear memory. Note that you may have to do this a couple of times to get to the clear memory function, when I hold the right arrow down it often registers up and/or down arrow also....

If you hold the right arrow key down while powering the unit on it should allow you to clear memory. Note that you may have to do this a couple of times to get to the clear memory function, when I hold the right arrow down it often registers up and/or down arrow also....

It is the same cable/connector as Magellan's Colortrack and Trakker units. There were more of these meade than MAP 410s so looking for their cables may be easier.....

You probably did this but.... If you upgrade the firmware the Magellan procedure does not automatically clear memory. This is usually not a problem, but.... With some upgrades in some circumstances stuff gets left behind in the wrong location (stuff like WAAS corrections being used for the wrong satellite, ephemeris being used for the wrong satellite). It is always best to clear memory after an upgrade. If you don't (because, like me, you don't want to enter all your waypoints and setup again....) then if you see weird/inaccurate behaviour you should clear memory...

There is no update to the 310's firmware and there probably will never be. The firmware for the 310 is actually stored in mask ROM (not writable) instead of flash (writable).

quote: That's a cute feature! Does it work like "secondary storage", meaning that you can save your whatever points to the card, then collect or make new in the unit, then save them too and so on? Or only one set on each card? Or is it actually an extension to the memory of the unit?? There is a menu that allows one to save/restore to files on the SD card. Track and waypoint/routes are treated separately. You are allowed as many such files as the card will hold.

quote: That's a cute feature! Does it work like "secondary storage", meaning that you can save your whatever points to the card, then collect or make new in the unit, then save them too and so on? Or only one set on each card? Or is it actually an extension to the memory of the unit?? There is a menu that allows one to save/restore to files on the SD card. Track and waypoint/routes are treated separately. You are allowed as many such files as the card will hold.

Try clearing all memory. Then initialize it, let it find a satellite and leave it tracking for 15 minutes or so (this will allow it to collect a recent almanac). It should then be as good as new. If it isn't, then there is probably something wrong with the hardware.

The larger cards should work. As long as they are formatted as FAT16 (not FAT32). I think the statement was something like "The Meridian should work with FAT12 and FAT16 cards up to about 1 GByte. Thales has not tested anything bigger than 128 Mbytes...."

The larger cards should work. As long as they are formatted as FAT16 (not FAT32). I think the statement was something like "The Meridian should work with FAT12 and FAT16 cards up to about 1 GByte. Thales has not tested anything bigger than 128 Mbytes...."

The transfer occurs at 115,200 baud no matter what the unit baud rate is set to. It must be getting errors in the transfer and having to resend data. I have don't know why it would do this unless the connection is not good. You might try cleaning the contacts on the unit and the cable. I've uploaded a basemap before and it takes about 30 minutes on my Windows 2000 machine...

quote: How many tracks can you fit in 128MB anyways??? Interesting question. My simple computation gives 1,917,180 track points. Of course, there would be inefficiencies since they would have to be in multiple files...... Take THAT Garmin!

quote: How many tracks can you fit in 128MB anyways??? Interesting question. My simple computation gives 1,917,180 track points. Of course, there would be inefficiencies since they would have to be in multiple files...... Take THAT Garmin!

Stew2020. Make sure the unit is off. Press and hold the GOTO and NAV buttons down. While holding these buttons down press and release the PWR button. The unit should power up to the "SOFTWARE UPLOAD...." screen. If this happens, use the Expert mode of the MAGUP program to restore the software.... 1. Say "no" to the automatic update. 2. Select The .BIN file with from the file menu. 3. Activate the expert menu and select GPS 315 and set expert to "on". 4. Click on upload. This has worked for me in the past (I turned the computer off once.... Just try it, it brings a new definition to the phrase "feeling stupid").

Stew2020. Make sure the unit is off. Press and hold the GOTO and NAV buttons down. While holding these buttons down press and release the PWR button. The unit should power up to the "SOFTWARE UPLOAD...." screen. If this happens, use the Expert mode of the MAGUP program to restore the software.... 1. Say "no" to the automatic update. 2. Select The .BIN file with from the file menu. 3. Activate the expert menu and select GPS 315 and set expert to "on". 4. Click on upload. This has worked for me in the past (I turned the computer off once.... Just try it, it brings a new definition to the phrase "feeling stupid").

There shouldn't be anything in a basic GPS system that a magnet will affect. Your handheld GPS unit should work fine in any reasonable magnetic field. Having said that there are a few caveats... Units with electronic compasses will probably point at (or away from?) the magnets, not North. Some high end vehicle navigation units (and maybe others???) use disk drives and/or CD/DVD drives for map storage. These devices will not like magnets....

Out of curiosity, what streets are missing? I'd like to know if the Magellan MapSend I have has them.

Yahoo Meridian Users Group If you go to the above link there is a version 2.7 protocol specification for Meridian communications. This has two versions of the command that downloads tracks from the Meridian. Only one includes the date. Perhaps you are using the other one????

The 310 is a 12 channel GPS with a minimal user interface. It has a segmented (NOT dot matrix) display. Holds 100 waypoints and 1 route. If you just need to know where you are and how to get somewhere and don't need all the other features in most GPS units then it is a good unit. If you like to see maps, or your track on a plot, it isn't. Magellan has a description of the unit at http://www.magellangps.com/frames/frame2.htm?../products/outdoor.htm

First off "DON'T PANIC!" Pull the batteries to turn off the unit if nothing else works. If the unit won't turn on normally it is probably a RAM memory problem or a hardware problem. Try: ESC-GOTO-POWER to power on the unit (keep all three keys pressed until the screen shows something), this puts the unit in software upload mode. Not useful for your problem, BUT, it will verify that the hardware is working correctly. If the hardware is working and the unit locks up on power up try MENU-POWER to power up the unit and then clear memory. If you can't even get through MENU-POWER try GOTO-OUT-POWER. This will clear memory with "extreme prejudice". If that doesn't help, your map may be corrupted. There are instructions somewhere to fix this. Try the above first. They will only get rid of routes, waypoints and the like.....

First off "DON'T PANIC!" Pull the batteries to turn off the unit if nothing else works. If the unit won't turn on normally it is probably a RAM memory problem or a hardware problem. Try: ESC-GOTO-POWER to power on the unit (keep all three keys pressed until the screen shows something), this puts the unit in software upload mode. Not useful for your problem, BUT, it will verify that the hardware is working correctly. If the hardware is working and the unit locks up on power up try MENU-POWER to power up the unit and then clear memory. If you can't even get through MENU-POWER try GOTO-OUT-POWER. This will clear memory with "extreme prejudice". If that doesn't help, your map may be corrupted. There are instructions somewhere to fix this. Try the above first. They will only get rid of routes, waypoints and the like.....