+Bluejaytoo Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 Hey, I finally logged my first find over the weekend! It was pretty easy, but enough of a challenge to give my partner and I a feeling of accomplishment. And the cool thing is, we were able to combine geocaching with mountain biking. Now I gotta figure out why my eTrex goes nuts when it's mounted on my handlebars... Quote Link to comment
mommy#1 Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 Well for one thing it will goes crazy when you get about 50 feet(0.01) from the cache, or does it just go crazy all the time? -Mommy#1 The Jones Family Web Join Geocaching -The sport where YOU are the search engine. Quote Link to comment
mommy#1 Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 Well for one thing it will goes crazy when you get about 50 feet(0.01) from the cache, or does it just go crazy all the time? -Mommy#1 The Jones Family Web Join Geocaching -The sport where YOU are the search engine. Quote Link to comment
+Bluejaytoo Posted June 25, 2002 Author Share Posted June 25, 2002 It consistently points in the opposite direction until I take it off the handlebar mount and hold it in my hand. Weird? Quote Link to comment
+The Leprechauns Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 The polarity on your handlebars is obviously reversed. You either need to re-mount your handlebars, facing the opposite direction, or purchase a new set of handlebars that were manufactured in the Southern Hemisphere. x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- "Next time, instead of getting married, I think I'll just find a woman I don't like and buy her a house." Quote Link to comment
+Markwell Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Your mount has the GPS facing backwards. Try this experiment: have the GPS Goto a spot. Walk toward it. Now, holding the device the same way, walk backwards at a good pace. The GPS says the cache is BEHIND you. Why? When they designed it to always point in the direction of travel, they never figured that someone would have it upside down. My best guess is that the GPS is backwards as you would normally hold it while you're on your bike. Therefore, it would say that the cache is behind you as you approach. Try turning the bracket around. Markwell Chicago Geocachers Quote Link to comment
+majicman Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 quote:Originally posted by The Leprechauns: The polarity on your handlebars is obviously reversed. You either need to re-mount your handlebars, facing the opposite direction, or purchase a new set of handlebars that were manufactured in the Southern Hemisphere. Good one, Leprechauns! But, I think there is a simpler solution. Take you contacts out and switch them, or, if you wear glasses, switch them around so that the eyepieces point forward off your face. Also, have you been eating red meat before using your GPS? --majicman (Always trade UP in both quantity and quality and Geocaches will be both self-sustaining and self-improving!) Quote Link to comment
madonenm Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Bluejaytoo: Hey, I finally logged my first find over the weekend! It was pretty easy, but enough of a challenge to give my partner and I a feeling of accomplishment. And the cool thing is, we were able to combine geocaching with mountain biking. Now I gotta figure out why my eTrex goes nuts when it's mounted on my handlebars... I am new to this too, but... I Have an etrex Vista and was having the same problem. It took a little while to figure out until I finaly noticed that the Vista is setup to use the internal compas when you are below a certian speed (I think 10 miles an hour). Since I was on a steel framed bike it was going nuts. As soon as I turned off the compas (or got going faster than the min speed it worked just fine. In short, you handlebars may be the wrong polarity ;-) Quote Link to comment
+Bluejaytoo Posted June 26, 2002 Author Share Posted June 26, 2002 When it's mounted on the bike, it's in the same exact position as when I'm holding it, so I can't see how it would be orientation of the unit. I suspect it really does have something to do with steel on the bike, although it's an aluminum-framed bike. There must be enough steel there to throw the compass off (it's an eTrex Summit). I'll try turning the compass off next time and see what happens... Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits. Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 If the etrex is similar to the Vista, you have to calibrate the compass by slowly turning two times. If the bike's metal is effecting the compasses direction, calibrate the etresx while it's on the handlebar. SLowly ride your bike around during the clibration procedure following the instructions the same way you would if doing it off the bike. Then see what happens. Of course, once you start sing it off the bike, assuming this is the problem, you might have to recalibrate it again. Alan Quote Link to comment
scottfamily Posted June 27, 2002 Share Posted June 27, 2002 Hi, this is Noah from the scottfamily team using my mom's name: We found our first one too, yesterday. We do not have gps but I think I had seen the cashe before and thought it was litter. It was easy with the pictures and clues; luckily,I know the area, and we found it without gps or a compass. Quote Link to comment
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