Jump to content

Solar Max

+Charter Members
  • Posts

    319
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Solar Max

  1. Well I'm big enough to admit when I made a mista.... Hmmm, how do you spell that word again? LOL

    LOL, I don't think you made a mistake at all, Inspector Gadget. Above all, these things are a matter of personal preference. Very few of us ever completely explore everything that an electronic device as complicated as a GPS receiver can do. I, for one, go for personal gratification. As my better half constantly reminds me, the first thing I ever did with my first Garmin was to run around taking waypoints at City Hall, Fire Stations, Police stations (sound familiar to any of you?) because I wanted to be able to DO something with the thing. Then I went and found some geocaches with it. Only then did I start to realize what some of the other features were for.

     

    Garmin and Magellan, as well as Lowrance, Cobra, Eagle, and others make great products. Some of us prefer one over the other, some just want to use the things. I admit one thing, though: I'm a sucker for bells and whistles. The Platinum has plenty of those. Do I need to know the barometric pressure? No. Do I want to look at it? Yup. Do I need the Magnetic Compass? Of course not, I carry a real compass every time I go hiking or caching. Do I like it? You bet! Does the display look less professional than a Garmin's? Yes it does. Do I care? Well, maybe a little.

     

    I just want a new toy every now and then. There's blatant honesty for you. :D:ph34r:

  2. You ARE able to naviate to just any city in Canada? I knew it has some major cities, but it seemed you could not navigate to a city that was instaled on the extra maps. Can you go to ANY city or Town?

    The GoTo got me to Low, Quebec, while I was playing with it today. I think 6 people live there now. ( My dad's home town.) I didn't have the address, because I don't think it exists anymore.

     

    Now we need Garmin to redo the GPS V with expandable memory. Or maybe we should all go get the 60 CS....mmmm nice toy.

  3. Looks like the only place in Olympia with High Speed Internet access is the Ameritel? If anyone knows of a good hotel deal with HSIA, could you let us out-of towners know? It's time to book some reservations.

  4. What do you need 8 separate screens for??????

     

    Third was the tracking feature of the MG. The e-map would leave a trail wherever I went and did so in an excellent manner, giving me more points when I got on a twisty road and not so many on a straight road.

     

    Fourth was the way the menus were laid out on the MG. If I wanted to find a Geocache, I could press Find>Waypoints> Nearest (I'm sure this is not right, but just giving an idea here as my MG has been sold now) and select the GC I wanted and hit goto. If I wanted to delete this waypoint, you had to go into a completely different area to find an delete this waypoint, where the Garmin you could do it all from the one screen, making it so much more intuitive to operate.

    I agree about the 8 screens. I have the Platinum down to 4, as you can choose to include or exclude them. The GoTos are a little more involved ( I just hit Goto, then User Waypoints, then Position, so 3 clicks, where the Legend has just 2 for Waypoints, then Nearest) The tracklog is indeed superior on the Garmin. I just wish there was a way to upgrade memory on the Garmin units.

     

    To navigate to New Brunswick, I can empathize. I have MapSend Canada installed on my Platinum, and it has every map in the country on the unit now. It CAN navigate to just a city, or an address.

     

    I don't believe that Magellan endorses these big (128MB) and above SD cards, (because they don't make them, and don't make money from them) but they work just fine in my unit, and others, as my research indicated before I bought the 256 MB card.

     

    Don't get me wrong, we have 4 Garmins in the house. They are excellent units. I DO like the new toy, however.

  5. I have now decided between the Legend, and the Meridian Platinum. The Garmin is great for Moving map apps in the car, with it's small screen made up for with the big laptop screen. It also fits nicely in my pocket. HOWEVER....

     

    The Platinum with it's magnetic compass, audible alerts, and 256 MB on an SD card, and now the brand new DirectRoute autorouting software, is just a great machine. I'm sorry, Legend, you'll always have a place hooked to the laptop.

  6. I run OziExplorer on my Compaq laptop hooked via serial cable to a Legend. Ozi is running digital topos, and works like a charm. I'd never go back to looking at that small Legend screen, when the Compaq is up and going over on the passenger seat. ( I only peek at it when at red lights.)

  7. I currently own a Garmin Vista. I'm going to be purchasing a laptop for my wife :) this Christmas.

     

    1) Will I be able to track in real time on the laptop?

    2) Can I use Mapsource Metro-Guide 4.0 updated to 5._ to do this?

    3) Will my wife realize the laptop is for me just as much as it is for her?

    1) Yes. We use OziExplorer and MapSource (the new one) This is immensely helpful for finding access to a cache when in the vehicle, provided that you have good Topo or other maps.

     

    2) Absolutely. It works great with my Legend.

     

    3) Nope. She'll soon realize that it's your toy, not hers. Ask Cacherunner, she'll tell you that she never sees our Laptop.

  8. I saw a post a while ago regarding screen probs. on the etrex series...The screen would show a whole bunch of lines and if you tapped the side of the unit it would fix itself...Some kind geocaher posted how to fix it ( with pics and all)...At the time I did'nt need it BUT, my GPSr is now doing it and it would cost me over $125.00USD to have Garmen fix it...There is are no repair place in Canada...If you know what I'm talking about, could you please repost it

     

    Thanx

    Coast2coast2coast

    Official Canadian repair site, Garmin Canada:

     

    Raytech Electronique

    1451 boul Des Laurentides,

    Vimont, Laval PQ

    1-450-975-1015

     

    Raytech

     

    They did one of my Garmins a while back. It was two days getting there three there, and three back.

  9. Has any one picked up the new Garmin Mapsource for Canada? I'm wondering if the errors on the Enhanced Basemap have been corrected.

     

    Thanks

    C-A

    I have noticed that the Basemap is much more complete. and the errors that I noted previously around southern BC have been corrected, but I have only had the software for a few days. The metroguide is a vast improvement, however. So far, a vastly superior product, but please stay tuned for any future whining that I might deem necessary.

  10. I use both a Magellan Meridian Platinum and an eTrex Legend, with mapSource 5 and Mapsend, as well as Magellan's new Directroute TBT software. The Magellan now does TBT, but the Garmin doesn't. The Garmin does some things better, the Magellan others. Example, the Magellan averages coords much more quickly , and gives a better, faster reading. The Garmin always gets the same coords, but takes longer. The Garmin has better menus, though. So far, I lean towards the Meridian, but just barely.

  11. What is this thing "BEER", and where might one obtain it? It has medicinal qualities, I presume?

    icon_geocachingwa.gif

    How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of tupperware?

  12. Cacherunner got her new Xmas Rino 120 today, (Santa got here early, and apparently he lives in Oregon. Must be NORTHERN Oregon) so she's off playing. Hope the sun doesn't mess up her coords icon_wink.gif Looking forward to the Aurora blazing tonight.

     

    I just wanted to tell you guys we miss you. Come visit.

     

    icon_geocachingwa.gif

     

    How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of tupperware?

  13. quote:
    Originally posted by GroundClutter:

    I would like:

    1)GPS V

    2)Walking stick

    3)Sighting compass

    4)30 less pounds

    5)to be finished taking courses so that I'll have time to cache!

    6)laptop

     

    That'll do it for now. Don't want to be greedy!

    "You are cleared for geocaching."


     

    That's pretty funny...you already HAVE most of that...wink wink nudge nudge.

     

     

    How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of tupperware?

  14. quote:
    Originally posted by eroyd:

    Nice photo, you can clearly see they're carrying Garmins, or is that just one of those Cormorant "extra parts", falling off.

     

    I never go anywhere without my inflatable water walkers.


     

    I admit it. I have a Garmin. In my defence, I asked Cache Claus for a Magellan Meridian Platinum (go big or go home, I figure), though, so it can't be me. Or can it?

     

    I never go anywhere without my inflatable water wings. icon_cool.gif

    icon_geocachingwa.gif

    How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of tupperware?

  15. quote:
    Originally posted by Bull Moose:

    Sorry to hear it. We had a problem with the cachemobile's brakes coming off of Maple Pass Loop hike/cache hide. That was real fun.

    icon_eek.gif

     


    I can relate. The CacheCruiser had that little tiny spring that holds the self-adjuster in place fall off in Spokane last month, just after the SCM. At least it was after, but it sure made a mess in there.

     

    icon_geocachingwa.gif

    How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of tupperware?

  16. quote:
    Originally posted by eroyd:

     

    These visitor caches have added a welcome bit of foreign flavor to our area. How is lucyandrickie's, "Gift to Victoria" doing?


     

    I wasn't given advance notice of where this one would be. As eroyd is aware, I'm not good at finding caches, so the pressure was really on. So far, Gift is hanging in there as well.

     

    Washington State Geocaching Association

    How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of tupperware?

  17. I understand what you're saying, Keith, but in my view, another replacement cache is NOT the same cache. If the Original page is unarchived, and the container replaced, then it retains much more of it's "History" than would happen if there were just a reference to it on a new cache page. I'm sure there are Southern Ontario caches that are as important to you as this one is for many of us here.

     

    As far as the rules go, I am made to understand that if someone volunteers to maintain a "vacation" cache, then it conforms, or so I am told. I have volunteered for that.

     

    Washington State Geocaching Association

    How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of tupperware?

×
×
  • Create New...