Alphawolf
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Posts posted by Alphawolf
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Fine unit for caching. Don't worry one bit about not having WAAS. I have it on all 4 of my units, but keep it disabled on all 4!
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You could kill two birds with one stone and find a copy of MetroGuide 4. It will give you the ability to auto route with your GPSr as well as having significantly greater geographic detail and accuracy than City Navigator. I have Garmin Topo, MetroGuide 4, City Select 6 and 7 and City Navigator 8. Trust me on this one... you will be MUCH happier with MetroGuide 4 (other versions will not auto route on the GPSr) than CN8.
Oh I second that! If I am doing anything off the pavement at all, I will reach for MG4.01 every time! It may not list "Betty's Pottery Barn" down the street, like City Select, or City Navigator would, but the coverage it has for rural roads and features is awesome! Combined with its ability to autoroute, I would never go exploring with out it. I consider my MG4.01 to be as essential to exploring and rural traveling as Topo is. They are almost always loaded concurently with each othr.
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Just as many people use this site as a reference for hardware/software other sites offer the same info including Amazon and I am going by their experiences. I am just saying it's not a good feeling knowing so many people are having problems with software that I know I must purchase to get the most out of my GPS. Perhaps it is ridiculous for me to think a unit should have sufficiant software out of the box, but it is not ridiculous for me to think that it should work flawlessly after what garmin charges.
I have just bought the 76CSX and was looking at additional software. Need something to show small rivers and waterways for local kayaking, any ideas? But was also thinking of the City Nav for road travel and have no idea if that would serve my purpose for kayaking. Anyways, after reading reviews on Amazon I am weary now of plunking down over a $100.00 dollars for this software. Seems 8 out of 10 users have major problems with their pc not loading the programs or problems unlocking the maps. Perhaps someone can help me with my choices here.
Seems almost ridiculous to have to pay for additional software to get use out of the GPS I paid over $400.00 for and even more unbelievable if the software won't load.
Thanks
I have been using Garmin software for years now, and have never once had a problem with it. Ever. Every single time I have "fixed" a customers software problem (and there has been a lot of them in 7 years), it has been a system problem or an operator problem...Not a software problem.
Now as to your "ridiculous" statement...
If you buy a new MP3 player, do you get the music with it? If you buy a DVD player, do you get movies with it? If you buy a new laptop, do you get software (don't worry, you even paid for Windows!) with it? What's so surprising about not getting maps with a GPS that works just fine as a GPS without any maps. Garmin makes no secret about the fact that if you want detailed mapping to go along with your GPS, it will be an additional cost.
and that's my point...It has always worked fine for me, and every time I have seen it not work, it was the customers system that was corrupt, or the user him/herself. Never once have I had to do a refund because there was anything wrong with the software. Every time I have ever faced a "software" problem, it has been solved without Garmin even getting involved.
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I have just bought the 76CSX and was looking at additional software. Need something to show small rivers and waterways for local kayaking, any ideas? But was also thinking of the City Nav for road travel and have no idea if that would serve my purpose for kayaking. Anyways, after reading reviews on Amazon I am weary now of plunking down over a $100.00 dollars for this software. Seems 8 out of 10 users have major problems with their pc not loading the programs or problems unlocking the maps. Perhaps someone can help me with my choices here.
Seems almost ridiculous to have to pay for additional software to get use out of the GPS I paid over $400.00 for and even more unbelievable if the software won't load.
Thanks
I have been using Garmin software for years now, and have never once had a problem with it. Ever. Every single time I have "fixed" a customers software problem (and there has been a lot of them in 7 years), it has been a system problem or an operator problem...Not a software problem.
Now as to your "ridiculous" statement...
If you buy a new MP3 player, do you get the music with it? If you buy a DVD player, do you get movies with it? If you buy a new laptop, do you get software (don't worry, you even paid for Windows!) with it? What's so surprising about not getting maps with a GPS that works just fine as a GPS without any maps. Garmin makes no secret about the fact that if you want detailed mapping to go along with your GPS, it will be an additional cost.
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Why would one choose MetroGuide over City Navigator?
You wouldn't choose it unless you have a basic Garmin receiver that does not do autorouting...Such as the old model Legend. It will do maps, but not autorouting with those maps.
The City Navigator supports autorouting. If you have an autorouting GPS, then City Navigator is the choice between the two.
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Here's the only one I will carry in my backpack...It is less tha 1 oz. in weight and does the job well. http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=95
let's face it...All a compass knows how to do is point to magnetic north. Silva, Suunto, Silva... all the best stuff. Just make sure it has a see through base plate, the ability to shoot a bearing, and 5 degree or less increments on the dial.
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well...If you had a 12 foot margin of error, and he had the same, you could be compounded to 25'.
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See why I say...
Forget the internal compass...just get a $15 Silva! I'll put my Foretrex 101 up against any of them any day! My Foretrex, a "real" magnetic compass and a paper map...As perfect as perfect gets, and no whining on the geocaching web site about all the "problems"!
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I heard "rumors" that Garmin is showing some new "entry level" SiRF receivers at the Outdoor Retailers Show going on in Salt Lake City this week. Has anyone else heard anything along these lines? I sooooo bad want to get a SiRF version of my Foretrex 101! That would be an awesome backpacking GPS receiver!
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Are you wondering what settings to enable in your 12 for New Zealand, or wondering where to find such settings from within the Garmin 12 menu? Your question was a bit nebulous.
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Not true. I had some batteries in my pocket along with a good chunk of change and I dadgum near burned a hole in my thigh from the heat when they shorted out.[/color]
What kind of batteries did you have to create that kind of current through coins? And how did the short maintain continuity long enough to get that hot? Were you sleeping or something? (I'm not doubting your account, just wondering what set of circumstances caused it.) I have packed AA alkalines in my pockets for years. I would never do a 9V that way, but little 1.5VAA batteries have never given me even a warm spot!
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True enough, but then you lose the awesome rural detail of 4.02. However, you gain the metropolitan detail of a newer version. And you're right...You save over $40!
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Also...Always try to call on Tues. Wed. or Thurs. Those days are the least busy.
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Metroguide 4.02 was the last Metroguide version that would support autorouting. It autoroutes just fine. In fact in "off the pavement" (gravel or dirt roads) or rural road situations, it is always my "go to" choice. it is far superior to any newer version of MG or CS or CN. Hands down.
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I keep telling people how good they are and see...I was right again.
In my own experiences with both Garmin and Magellan (I have sold GPS receivers and software now for 7 years) there is no comparison between the two!
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If it's just for geocaching, then save the money and don't bother with Topo maps. They won't help you find a cache one bit easier. Now...If you're just interested in seeing the terrain in a particular area, then the Topos are great. That is what they are for...Reading the terrain. A basemap will only show freeways, business establishments right near freeway exits, RR tracks, highways, major secondaries and large physical objects, like lakes, rivers and the such. (Basemaps vary with the manufacturer and the model)
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Unfortunately no. You need to call Garmin and complain about this (as I have done). This is a superb unit, (I have bought 2 of them in the last year for my kids), but they have "dumbed it down" to the point that they omitted this function. I figure with enough complaining about it, they might change it in a future firmware version. Please call them and tell them how important a position readout could be in the event of needing help on a remote road somewhere in the middle of nowhere. With this ability, I believe these things would be about perfect.
Garmin: 1-800-800-1020
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Extra batteries?!?! I can go out for a week backpack trip and not need extra batteries. 2 AAA lithiums in my Princeton Tec Aurora headlamp (160 hours.) and 2 AAA lithiums in my Garmin Foretrex 101 (15 hours) and 2 NiMH rechargeables in my digital camera (200+) pictures. That'll get me through a week easy...More than enough battery! I am anal about weight, and I can't see carrying x-tra anything! "If you don't need it, don't take it." That's my moto...First aid supplies and emergency fire starting stuff is the only thing I carry that I hope I never need.
But, to answer your question, the chances of some metallic object making contact with both posts of an AA battery simultaneously are pretty remote. About the only possibility I can imagine is if they somehow got crinkled into some aluminum foil. Highly unlikely. If you must take them, drop them into a sandwich baggie and don't worry about them!
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OK!!! I downloaded ximage and tried it with my Foretrex 101 and it worked! Thanks for the reply!
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If it's a Garmin, go to their website and download ximage. It's free and that's probably what you're looking for.
Hmmmm...I thought I had it there, but when I looked, it only listed color models. I need it for a greyscale model (Foretrex 101 and RINO 120)
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I had a small program that would let me take "snapshots" of my GPS screen and save them to my computer. I had a Garmin V way back then. I need to do that again for PowerPoint presentations during upcoming GPS clinics I do. Does anyone know if it can still happen on newer units? Does anyone have or know where to get it? Thanks in advance.
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Forget the barometric altimeter...It's just one more thing to worry about calibrating (constantly), and who cares if you are really at 7506 ft. instead of 7450 ft. like the GPS says? The barometric altimeter ends up (after you play with it a while and it loses it's "cool" factor) being about as useful as pockets in your underwear...JMHO
And...while I'm at it...I feel the same way about the electronic compass. Give me my Foretrex 101, a 1:24,000 scale map, a grid card and my Silva compass any day over that combined stuff...
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Well...I wouldn't use the term "obsolete". Unless you drive in that part of the country, then I suppose you won't even notice, right? So it won't be "obsolete". To buy a road mapping piece of software, you just have to accept that for certain parts of the country, it is "obsolete" even before it hits the retail shelves. That is just the way it is. But, that being said, I would never want to go back to paper road maps...Now THAT is "obsolete"!
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Well, let's put it this way...If you didn't know WAAS was on, then you would never know it was on...Catch my drift?
Questions about Garmin GPSIII
in GPS technology and devices
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Fine unit for caching. Don't worry one bit about not having WAAS. I have it on all 4 of my units, but keep it disabled on all 4!