Alfresco2006
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Posts posted by Alfresco2006
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I have a Meridian Platinum and have been using the external power supply cord when driving. I plugged the cord in yesterday and connected it, and about 15 minutes down the road I get the warning of external power lost.............
Anyone else have this problem? can it be corrected? Should I buy a new cable, if so are there any stores that sell them or do you have to get one from an online store?
Any info would be GREAT!!!
Thanks, and Cya on the trails,
Rusty
I had a similar problem but in my case when i plugged in the unit using the magellan 12 volt cable it completely fried my Meridian after about 15 minutes. I was told by Magellan that this was a known issue with some units and was cause by leaving the batteries in the unit while using the cable.
Consequently Magellan and their dreadful customer service told me that despite this being not only a well known issue, but also a very dangerous one, my warranty had expired and didn't cover it. As a result I switched to Garmin and will never go back to Magellan.
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I know some of you have heard of our recent problems with Magellan regarding our Meridian Gold GPSr. I figured i would share our troubles here and some may even get a kick out of it.
Knowing very little about GPSr's and the different options available i was excited to buy a GPS so our family could try geocaching. I knew i wanted one with PC connectivity to load co-ords and maps. I figured all units were going to operate the same if they were WAAS enabled so we set out to our local Wal-mart to see what they had.
We ended up buying a Meridian Gold because it connected via PC. (I think it was the only unit that connected that Wal-mart had.)
Our first unit was purchased 3/18 of this year. It was new. In the first day of caching we were at the final cache for the day. We were following the arrow trying to get the unit to zero out or at least get close. About 20' away the unit shuts down completely. I thought it odd since we hadnt touched any buttons. Upon restarting and aquiring a fix we found that the unit had no waypoints in memory. Being as this was only our 4th or 5th cache we were close to home so we gave up and came home. (I did not have printout because we loaded the waypoints with the serial cable, read the info and went out with the co-ords only in our GPS.)
I thought it may be best to exchange the unit as someone told me that they had never heard of a unit doing that before. Better be safe than sorry i thought. We exchanged the unit on 3/22, four days later.
Since then with the help of the GPS we had found lots of caches. Whenever we could we found caches. That is what we do for fun. That is what we had planned for all summer.
About 2-3 weeks ago the NAV and PWR buttons started to stick. The PWR would stick so bad that the unit would keep turning on and off. The NAV button wasn't so big of a deal because we could use the ESC button and it did the same thing- switch screens. I found that if i pressed in a certain way the PWR button, most of the time i could get the button to work. But i had to be very careful. I emailed magellan CS and they gave an unsatisfactory reply and i put off dealing with it hoping we could get by with being cautions with the unit.
Then today came. I turned the unit on and it said it wasn't initialized. I went through the process several times and it just kept resetting itself. It had dropped all waypoints that i had loaded yesterday and would not function at all. I removed the SD card and tried again. As long as i didn't go to the map screen it was ok. When i put the SD card in it said that the SD card was ok with no bad spots. Now it beeps a steady beep and then resets.
It dropped all of the settings that i had in it. Basically the unit was like it was new. It has like 9 screens. I only need 3 or 4 so i had programmed to not use the others. They were all back. I cant get the unit to do anything but constantly reset. It is essentially another Magellan paperweight.
I called Magellan CS to see what we could work out. Of course the person i spoke with didn't speak English well and i couldn't understand his name or several of the things he said. But he did say this:
The unit is no longer manufactured by them so they do not repair the units any longer. He told me i could get several other units. Then said all he would need is my credit card. That way i could pay for an upgrade. I told him i dont want an upgrade. He said if i am not willing to pay then there is nothing that they can do.
I told him the unit is practically new! I just want what i paid for. Please replace the unit. I am sorry that they no longer make it or offer service but ignoring the warranty is just dumb. Here comes the good part.
He said that i should have checked on the Magellan website prior to purchasing so that i could see if the unit was being manufactured any more. It was my fault for buying a unit they no longer make. There was nothing he could do if i didn't want to pay for a replacement.
I was/am beside myself. After some more talking i asked for a supervisor. After a long wait he came back on and did say that his supervisor would replace with a refurbed explorist 500. Normally this would be fine, but then he said that my maps would not work with the explorist and i would need to buy their explorist maps for $150 more.
I paid for a new unit and they want to replace it with a refurb unit.
I have maps that will not work with the replacement so they want me to spend another $150 for new maps.
I just want what i paid for. (I can hear you garmin lovers now saying "you got what you paid for!")
Until i can figure out a solution, i declined their offer.
We tried returning to Walmart hoping for the best. They were very nice but couldn't do it because it was after 90 days. I understand what they said. They had no recourse with Magellan.
If we were loaded i would forget the whole thing and buy a Garmin. We aren't. It was hard just to get what we had. Now we have nothing and our summer plans with the kids are ruined.
I doubt many will spend time to read this. I probably wouldn't- its too darn long.
We did not mistreat the unit. It was never dropped or had anything spilled on it. It just simply doesn't work right. When it worked, it was an adequate unit.
Now i wish i had a time machine...
If it was me I would just take the Refurb 500 unit and consider it a lesson learned. I will never buy Magellan again because of their poor service. Also if your state is anything like Maine, depsite WalMarts 90 day policy you will have a Merchantability warranty law. This law, which most states have is little known but very powerful. It states that your warranty rights despite what the seller or manufacturer claim are actually aginst the seller as it is the seller who entered into a legal purchase agreement with you, and therefore your contract and right to satisfaction is between you and the seller, not you and the manufacturer.
Additionally Merchantability Warranty laws offer additional protection in that an item must be fit for the purpose for which it was sold for a reasonable period of time that a reasonable man off the street would expect that item to last.
If you understand warranty laws fully you will see that conditions such as 1 year limitations and 'you must return it to the manufacturer' are in most cases and most states illegal, at best.
I would say your first level of recourse is against Walmart for selling an item that their supplier clearly indicates they no longer support.
PS. If it was me and I experienced this response I would go out of my way to get even and I would go to a torrent site on the web where you will find ripped off Magellan software. I would download the software you need (for free) and then hand it out to anyone you know that needs it. They have no right to upgrade a new unit with a used one and tell you, you need new software as well when you bought the item in good faith and discontinued or not it is still legally under warranty.
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Here's a little more info and a nice close up pic.
http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/08...iton.handhelds/
so much for Magellan getting out of the handheld business.... Looks promising, now if they'll only support them!
I here you ont he support issue. I gave up on Magellan long ago because of the worst customer service I have experienced anywhere, ever!!!
I went online to get an update for an old Meridian Gold the other day and it took 30 mins to find it and I had to create user accounts etc just to get to it and a copy of the manual. Dreadful, dreadful support.
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Well, it seems to be pointless to tell you any different. There are a few other than me who have tried to beat it into your head that POI's CAN BE MANIPULATED TO DISPLAY outside 500. Well, I guess the rest of us are wrong, or there is a problem with your GPS. However, I would suspect the problem is that you don't know how to do it, even though you've been instructed how to do so. Therefore, your response is to say it can't be done because you can't do it.
Actually there are some innaccuracies in your comments, firstly you cannot set the zoom level for POI's to anything you want. They will only show at a zoomed in level of 500 or greater. The customization for zoom levels you are talking about is only possible for waypoints and not POI's .......
Actually it appears to be a firmware issue and therefore at the time of my query to Garmin, both Garmin and I was correct. Now with new firmware installed I am going to give it a try as suggested to see if it has fixed the problem.
Thank you to everyone who helped me get to the bottom of this and figure out that it is a firmware issue.
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I have had good results from Duracell 2650 Mah rechargeables from Walmart. They seem to go forever. The only problem is they show as full 4 bars of charge right up until they die suddenly with no warning. I have had a many days use out of two of them with 2 to 3 hours use per day.
You did change the setting for battery type to NiMH, right (I'm assuming that's what those are). I think the one thing that setting does is affect how it shows remaining battery life.
Yes, I did change the setting to NiMh. I am not too bothered as I always carry a couple of spare sets of batteries anyway and I always make sure they are fully charged after every 10 hours of use or before a hiking or caching trip. I would not really expect to see an accurate battery guage on rechargeables anyway as they discharge suddenly and not gradually. For me though the Duracells are not only cheap at Walmart but at 2650Mah they sure do the trick for me.
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Since you're concerned about battery life, get some lithium AA batteries. They run about 2-3 X alkalines, but last 5-7 times as long.
That's a bit optimistic for GPSr use; they actually last only about 50% longer. The 5-7X claim is presumably for high current drain devices, where alkalines are a really lousy choice to start with.
Still, the lithiums are a good choice for backpacking, particularly under extreme temperature conditions. Also, they are lighter. The only downside is some 60CSx's (mine included
) don't like them.I have had good results from Duracell 2650 Mah rechargeables from Walmart. They seem to go forever. The only problem is they show as full 4 bars of charge right up until they die suddenly with no warning. I have had a many days use out of two of them with 2 to 3 hours use per day.
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If you read my whole post you would see there are two places to adjust:
Map Points (This is installed map POIs and CUSTOM POIs
User Waypoints (This is waypoints)
Adjust the Map Points and it will adjust the Custom POIs.
If you have Declutter On, then you will have the POIs messed up too.
I use the custom POIs and I set the zoom to whatever I want and see them that far out... usually at 3 miles.
Check on your output and then you shouldn't have a problem.
Thanks for your response. I guess this confirms I have an issue with my unit as it will not allow what you are describing. On my unit adjusting the map points is having no effect on custom POI's and I can still only see them at 500 ft or closer. Now I know the unit should be doing it as you describe I will have to refer the fact that it is not working to Garmin.
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Also regarding MetroGT's idea, that would only work for waypoints and not for custom POI's. I moved away from waypoints because of pretty crappy 1000 limit and the fact that they can't be stored on the card. It appears that none of the options are anything other than a partial work around to a problem that Garmin should have addressed, especially as emphasis on marketing this unit is placed on the geocaching market.
Where do you get that information that emphasis is placed on the geocaching market. Check the Garmin website. The only reference to geocaching mode is Geocaching mode: yes
And if you download the detailed specs, here's what they have to say:
Both the 60Cx and 60CSx
versions are rugged, waterproof,
full-color navigators that feature a builtin
autorouting basemap and include a
64 MB microSD card for storage of
optional MapSource® topo, marine or
city street map detail. High-sensitivity
GPS receivers assure improved
reception in tree cover or canyons. And
both units feature auto-save of track
data to help guide you back to any
point along your route. In addition, the
"sensor version" 60CSx includes an
electronic compass and barometric
altimeter – making it the trailblazing tool
of choice for hikers and climbers.
So the emphasis on geocaching has been inferred by you and not implied by Garmin. I still do not see the basis of your complaint though, as the gps will do everything you have mentioned IF you know how to manipulate GSAK and the gps. You can set the zoom level for your POI's at whatever scale you want.
Actually there are some innaccuracies in your comments, firstly you cannot set the zoom level for POI's to anything you want. They will only show at a zoomed in level of 500 or greater. The customization for zoom levels you are talking about is only possible for waypoints and not POI's and that came from Garmin themselves not me.
Secondly, Garmin has put a lot of development dollars into the geocaching market and geocaching feature sets, whether they work or not. This would be more than apparent to you if you opened your eyes as it is evident all over the web and something so obvious I am not going to get into an argument with you. A prime example is their recent Communicator application. I have ample materials from Garmin including magazine articles (supplied by Garmin) and advertisements that infer this unit is strong on Geocaching features, so these claims have not been "inferred" by me as you suggest but instead are more than evident in several sources.
The simple fact is the products although outstanding in quality, could use some significant improvement still and you can sit there all day convincing yourself that yours is perfect but I on the other hand am trying to get around the units issues and get them resolved.
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Thanks for the suggestions. I will try the proximity alarm and see if that will work but as far as other suggestions I tried the find feature and the problem with that is it just has the list of cache identifier numbers and not the name or approx distance so unless you know the name and location of every cache in the list when you hit find and search custom POI's that is a relatively useless feature for caching.
Also regarding MetroGT's idea, that would only work for waypoints and not for custom POI's. I moved away from waypoints because of pretty crappy 1000 limit and the fact that they can't be stored on the card. It appears that none of the options are anything other than a partial work around to a problem that Garmin should have addressed, especially as emphasis on marketing this unit is placed on the geocaching market.
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I can't believe that Garmin overlooked this when designing this unit. 500ft zoom or greater to see a custom POI is crazy especially as most uses for custom POI's are other than Geocaching (such as when driving along) and you would not have the map zoomed in that far when driving. Surprised they haven't addressed this relatively huge oversight in updates.
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I started using GSAK and the Garmin POI loader so i can update my geocaches in the GPS unit weekly adn I am not tied to a limit as I was previously when I entered them into the unit as Caches.
The problem I have is that the unit only shows custom POI's when zoomed in at the 500ft or greater zoom level. This means I can only check for caches within a few feet of where I currently am because I have to be zoomed in so far not much of the map is visible. If I want to say drive a long route checking out what caches (custom POI's) may be several miles ahead I can not do this at this zoom level.
I can not find any settings anywhere on the unit to make custom POI's visible at say a zoom level of 1 mile or anything zoomed out greater than the 500ft. Even in the custom settings there are settings to make other features visible at different zoom levels but not for custom POI's. If indeed this is not adjustable it renders the 60CSx practically useless for caching in my opinion.
Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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I use the suction mount and the arm displayed in your top picture however, I originally got the 60CSX specific holder/cradle that you also show with that mount. I found after a while that I wanted to use the mount for several different handheld toys and most importantly it was a pain constantly trying to get the Garmin out of its very tight case to put into the mount and then putting the case back on again when I arrived at the hike.
Solution found! along came the new RAM Fingergrip Universal Mount:
http://www.ram-mount.com/mount/ramholun4_f...rgrip_mount.htm
This mount will hold anything from a phone to a PDA to any make of GPS out there. It is fully adjustable and holds my units with their cases on them. It grips well and comes with 3 different sized fingers to fit almost any small appliance.
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You are wrong it is actually a democratic candidate for Presidential election. The way you can tell is because it has no internal backbone and a hard shell that masks its true identity and it will change into something you didn't expect at the drop of a hat. It also spends most of its time crawling around pinching your hard earned cash to spend on illegal immigrants and people that won't work for themselves.
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As it stands, waypoints. GC number as it's name, and the title of the cache as the note. I doubt you'd want to click this link more than 1000 times though. Pocket Queries are still the way to go.
It's not so much the 1000 waypoint limit that is annoying it is the fact that if I am going to use this feature with GSAK and the Garmin POI loader it will put the caches in 2 different locations. This is something Garmin needs to straigten out. As it stands right now the geocaching features on the units are useless if you use GSAK and the POI Loader as it puts them in as custom POI's and does not offer the geocaching features of the unit to custom POI's. In my opinion a massive oversight especially as I have to use GSAK and POI loader due to the fact that I travel to so many different areas I need to store well over 1000 caches in my unit.
Thanks for the info.
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I signed into geocaching.com this morning and noticed for the first time a feature had been added to download caches directly to a Garmin GPS. I believe this is done through the new Garmin Communicator Plugin.
I am guessing it does this by sending them to the unit in GPX format but my question is where does it send them to on the unit (garmin 60CSx)? Does it put them on the card as custom POI's or does it put them on as Geocaching waypoints? If it puts them on as waypoints this would limit them to 1000 whereas POI's would be unlimited.
Thanks for any advice as I know nothing about this new feature.
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How can I best use GSAK to transfer an unlimited amount of caches to the units memory card?
Convert them to POI and load with POI Loader.
I tried this yesterday. the process I followed was:
1. Save all caches in GSAK as a single gpx file.
2. Load the GPX file to 60CSx with Garmin POI tool.
The problem I encountered is that this jsut did the same thing as GSAK in that it loaded the caches into the 60CSx's memory and there were no options to load them onto the Micro SD card. Infact Garmins POI loader has no options at all from what I can see.
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I have been using GSAK for sometime now and have always used the GSAK software to transfer just a few geocaches at a time to my 60CSx however now I travel more I am transfering a much larger number of caches (well over 1000) at any one time. The unit is limited to 1000 caches if I transfer them through GSAK as they get put onto the unit as waypoints.
How can I best use GSAK to transfer an unlimited amount of caches to the units memory card?
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Like new got it for Christmas,comes with box,usb cable,manual 64 card,clip ,city nav.north america 7 burned on cd with lnlock code.trip & waypoint manager.just don't need all the bells & whistles.$410.00 shipped in the u.s. i do have photo's if interested in it. thanks
texas1
If this is a burned CD with a 'Dodgy' unlock code you are asking for problems. If it is not the original software disk Garmin could lock your unit.
Also do your research and you will find these units under $400 now brand new on the web. Got mine for $395.
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I am selling a brand new never used Polar AXN 700 watch. You can tell it is new and never used as the strap is a cut to fit strap and it is uncut.
This watch is suitable for anyone looking for a watch with basic navigation functions such as accurate compass, barometer and Altimeter.
Additonally the watch is an industry leading heart rate monitor with chest strap and software CD included. Look it up on Polars website for full specs.
I will point out that the watch is rather large but its huge aray of features makes it worthwhile. Watch is Gray Titanium, waterproof with mineral crystal glass face.
I am looking for $300. I paid $400 for it.
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After reading that most people in the forums use Cachemate for paperless caching I decided it was worth a try especially as GPXView and GPX Sonar don't support higher resolution VGA PDA's making the reading of filenames etc. impossible.
I have an up to date and powerful PDA (Fujitsu Siemens Pocket Loox N560) that I got primarily for paperless caching but when I load a new database of GPX files into the Cachemate software it is extremely slow at creating the database and adding the GPX files. Approx. 10 seconds per cache. This would make loading in a couple of thousand caches at a time an extremely slow process, infact the best part of a day and as you know it is essential to keep the database up to date regularly as the new query results come out each week.
I know it is not the unit as it is the most powerful PDA currently out there (fast card etc. as well) so is this normal that Cachemate is so slow or is there a way to speed it up. A well written database of a couple of thousand records should load into a PDA in a couple of seconds not several hours. I did 700 caches into Cachmate the other day and that took nearly an hour. Please advise.
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Can anyone tell me how Garmin numbers GPS satelites. They appear to use a number system of there own as the satelite numbers as I see them on my unit not only do not correspond to SVN's etc but they also differ from a friends Lowrance unit. He gets satelite 31 up here and I don't, I get 51 which appears to be the same as his 31 which is a recently new online satelite.
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I also strongly recommend slightly filing down the tab others have talked about. The cradle is so tight on mine I would have broken some part of the GPS unit by now if I hadn't. Besides I was pulling the unti so hard to get it out I nearly ended up dropping it off the boat - not good. I have used mine for a year and can tell you it didnt even start to wear down on its own so i had to get the file out. Recommend using a small rounded file so that the tab can be shaped to fit around the button properly.
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I was one of the first to get my 60CSX so I have seen my share of upgrades to firmware in a short time. I was annoyed each time to see that with each upgrade always came a degradation to performance. When I bought the unit I constantly got 6 to 12 feet of accuracy and always around 9 satelites this dropped gradually with each upgrade until 2.70 was giving me an absolute maximum accurancy of 60 feet and always 3 or 4 satelites and never WAAS.
So I found by accident that 2.90 was out the other day as it listed the last update as July on Garmins website so I had over looked it until I read this forum. Anyway the unit had become almost unusable by the time I got to version 2.70 so I figured what the hell I may as well upgrade as I have nothing to loose. I read on the forums that many people didn't notice much of an improvement if any with this update so I was sceptical.
Well I have to say within a minute of turning it on I was amazed the changes for my unit personally were huge. Immediately inside a brick house during a snow storm I got 20 ft of accuracy, better than I have seen since my first upgrade way back. I braved the storm and went outside and got 12 ft of accuracy and better before running back inside. I am now even able to keep reception in the concrete basement.
The biggest improvement is that now the unit looks for 6 or 7 satelites to lock onto at the same time instead of wasting 2 minutes at a time trying to find groups of 3.
Accuracy is hugely improved and I can now get WAAS and the never before seen satelite 51 whatever that is.
I am happy this upgrade finally gives me the unit I payed a fortune for.
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Many thanks: I signed up to be automatically notified of updates; I've checked and re-checked that I am really signed up, but I never get any notification mails!
I also signed up over a year ago and have never received an email ever from Garmin. Good Units but lousy customer service as usual.
) don't like them.
Fujitsu Siemens Pocket Loox N560
in GPS technology and devices
Posted · Edited by Alfresco2006
I have a Fujitsu Siemens Pocket Loox N560 for sale. This feature loaded PDA is as good as new without a single blemish. Less than a year old and used for literally a couple of hours total use, it has the following features:
This could easily be one of the most feature rich palmtops to arrive in 2006. The Loox 560 offers a very impressive feature list with built in GPS, in a very slim and stylish design. With its 3.5 inch crisp, clear VGA display and integrated SirFStar III GPS receiver, the Loox N560 is ideal for GPS navigation. But the Loox N560 isn’t just a navigation aid. It also includes Windows Mobile 5, enabling Word and Excel documents to be created, Internet browsing and media files to be played, using Media Player 10.
The Loox N560 has an impressive specification, including a fast 624MHz processor, large 128MB Flash memory, Bluetooth, WiFi and a SIDO SD slot for adding extra memory or facilities. This specification with the integrated GPS receiver and VGA display makes the Loox N560 a product to seriously consider.
What’s in the Box:
Loox N560
Docking station
Two stylus pens
Carrying case
USB sync cable
AC adapter with cable (EU/UK/USA)
Microsoft Getting Started CD
Getting Started poster
Safety instructions and warranty flyer
Easy Guide on CD
Warranty manual on CD
This is the perfect PDA for paperless caching and they were very sort after in the USA as they were only originally available in Europe. I am selling it purely because I never use it. It seemed like a good idea at the the time but now I carry the laptop int he car instead therefore it is a shame to see it go unused.
Shipped with all accessories for $350