Totally Depressed...

[ParentsofSAM]

Ok it has been one week and our GPS it absolutly LOST .

 

We have searched high and low...everywhere. Our house, car, truck and surrounding area have been torn apart to no avail. We are afraid it was thrown away.... . Our 2 yr old "M" has been known to put cordless and cell phones in the trash, apperantly we just did not 'cache' her doing it to the GPS.

 

No real point to this post, we just need some sympathy while we are isolated from our addiction, um we mean hobby.

[+BadAndy]

I feel your pain. I once lost my sportrak for a few days and searched high and low. I even went back to the last cache I had found and bingo...there it was sitting on a rock.

 

Hopefully it'll turn up. If not then get that fancy new model you've been ogling....tell them Santa sent you

Edited December 11, 2005 by BadAndy

[+BlueDeuce]

Well, first of all you should have waymarked your gps, that way you can find it again.

 

Secondly, having a second gps doesn't seem like such like a waste of money, now does it?!?

 

 

Nice avatar by the way

Edited December 11, 2005 by BlueDeuce

[+badlands]

Is this a new type of locationless cache?

[+Miragee]

Bummer. Maybe you'll need to get one of these for your new GPSr . . . that and a locking lid for all the wastebackets in the house.

[+Prime Suspect]

How do you know it's lost? It most likely knows exactly where it is. It's a GPS, after all.

[+RockyRaab]

I feel your pain, my friend. I was devastated when I dropped mine and broke the screen.

 

Luckily, Magellan got it back to me in only a little over a week. Now I'm almost too leery to take the thing outdoors!

 

Two-year-old, huh? I'm not gonna tell ya it never gets any better. Worse, in fact.

[+cache_test_dummies]

I don't know why I say this, but I think it's going to turn up.

 

Let us know when it does, ok?

[+Mudfrog]

I too feel for you! Had only owned my new GPSMAP76s for about a month when i lost it. Just make sure not to ever leave it on the siderail of a pickup truck after a full day of hiking and caching. Drove about 10 miles before realizing what i had done, turned around and retraced our route but it was gone for good. Boy that sure messed up an otherwise excellent day.

 

Hope your's turns up soon!

[+tands]

I hope the manufacturers are listening. GPS units are an amazingly easy thing to re-sell, should you come by one at the expense of someone who accidentally forgot it somewhere.

 

With their flash memory there's no reason these units can't have a startup password and a way to enter your whole name and address to display at startup or at least contact info so the finder of your gps could contact you if you lose the unit.

 

Locked GPS units would not be resellable and the contact info would help honest people find the rightful owners of a found GPS receiver.

 

For example, my pocketpc has a password and displays my name, address, and the message 'return to owner for reward' when it boots up. I left it on the roof of my car one day. Drove about 15 miles including 10 of them on the Interstate. I got to my destination and realized what I'd done. Later that day, at lunch, my cellphone rang. My pocketpc, well protected by a very padded case, had been found in the middle of a very busy interstate entrance ramp. The finder didn't even want a reward, but I gave him $25 for his time and trouble. Now even my cellphone has 'Retrn4Rwrd' as its main screen message. I know you can enter owner info on some units, but why can't all GPS units have this feature in combination with a password?

 

- T of TandS

Edited December 11, 2005 by tands

[+sbell111]

I hope the manufacturers are listening. GPS units are an amazingly easy thing to re-sell, should you come by one at the expense of someone who accidentally forgot it somewhere. ...

Actually, the manufacturers did listen. Garmin keeps a list of all lost and stolen units. All you have to do is send them your police or insurance report. If someone ever tries to register the unit (very important for mapping units), they'll sick the fuzz on them.

[+Team Red Oak]

This is probably a long shot but do you happen to have a recliner? We once lost our TV remote and 2 years later found it while we were moving. It slid down the back of our recliner and was in the fabric pocket so it never dropped to the floor. Maybe it could be there if you were using while sitting in the recliner. Which just seems wrong some how.

[ParentsofSAM]

Thanks for all the heart felt sympathy.....maybe Santa can pick a new one up CHEAP on the after Christmas sales. I guess we needed an upgrade anyways the unit lost was an Magellan Explorist 100. Not exactly top of the line, but it worked for us.

 

Nice avatar by the way

Thanks those are our 3 daughters.

 

you'll need to get one of these for your new GPSr

That is a good idea and it tracks 8 things so we can find what ever else 'M' decides to CITO.

[+Les Nomades]

With their flash memory there's no reason these units can't have a startup password and a way to enter your whole name and address to display at startup or at least contact info so the finder of your gps could contact you if you lose the unit.

 

Your can have your information displayed on the Etrex LegendC as well as the GPSMAP60C just by clicking on the Welcome icone in the setup menu Surely you can do the same thing on order models

Edited December 11, 2005 by Nomade

[+pwcorg]

Aren't you guys in Macon? Email me thru gc.com

[+Mudfrog]

I hope the manufacturers are listening. GPS units are an amazingly easy thing to re-sell, should you come by one at the expense of someone who accidentally forgot it somewhere.

 

With their flash memory there's no reason these units can't have a startup password and a way to enter your whole name and address to display at startup or at least contact info so the finder of your gps could contact you if you lose the unit.

 

That would be a great feature to have but make it optional as to whether the owner wanted to use it or not.

 

Believe it or not, after losing the the last one, i bought another GPSMAP76s and ended up having a close call with it as well. While attending the Texas Challenge earlier this year, i accidently left it at one of the hidden token spots. Luckily this time i had wrote my phone number on the back of the unit with a bright yellow paint pen. Sure enough, checked my messages at home and there was one stating that it was found. Was lucky that the cacher was still at the Event so was able to track him down and get the unit back while there. Geocachers are a great bunch for fure!!!

 

Bottom line: If you are as forgetful as i am, BE SURE TO PUT SOME KIND OF CONTACT INFO ON YOUR GPSR!

[+tands]

We got a 60CS this year and I was very happy to see that we could enter our contact info into it. Older units like our mono Vista as well as my new ForeTrex and Yellow don't have this capability. I'd still like to have a password feature, but I'm sure glad to hear about the lost/stolen GPS registry that Garmin keeps. But what if you lose your uninsured unit? What do you send Garmin?

 

- T of TandS

[+darus67]

My oldest son hid my cellphone, when he was about 18mos old. After about a week I finally decided to "think like a toddler" I got down on my stomach and crawled around the house, looking at things from his point of view. I found my phone under the fridge.

[+the hermit crabs]

We got a 60CS this year and I was very happy to see that we could enter our contact info into it.  Older units like our mono Vista as well as my new ForeTrex and Yellow don't have this capability. 

The mono Vista does give you the ability to put your contact info on the startup screen. For some reason they don't include it in the manual, but the way to do it is to go to the "Main menu" page, and to click on the options button in the upper-right corner. The only option listed is "owner information". Select that, and a form is displayed allowing you to enter your name, address, phone number, and a text comment. If you fill this in, it will be shown on the startup screen every time the unit powers up.

[+WhatsRNutts]

I lost me GPS and was down for 2 weeks until I finally talked sweetie into buying me a new one. I looked EVERYWHERE for it. I know it came home with me after caching and I am 99% positive someone stole it out of my truck

[+pwcorg]

We got a 60CS this year and I was very happy to see that we could enter our contact info into it. Older units like our mono Vista as well as my new ForeTrex and Yellow don't have this capability. I'd still like to have a password feature, but I'm sure glad to hear about the lost/stolen GPS registry that Garmin keeps. But what if you lose your uninsured unit? What do you send Garmin?

 

- T of TandS

Looks like the beginning of a new thread??

[+fishingdude720]

Hey, Check everywhere. I had lost my brand new Magellen Gold 2 weeks after I got it and I was devestated. We had just found a cache and when we got home I didn't realize I had lost it. We were on our way somewhere and I brought my GPS for some reason I don't remember and when I got home to download some waypoints I couldn't find it. Then I went into our Jeep to get my phone and BINGO! I knew exactly where it was. It had slipped under the seat . Just remember, It could be anywhere.

[IT3]

Ok it has been one week and our GPS it absolutly LOST      .

 

Well, if it makes you feel any better, your GPS is not lost, in fact as long as it has power and reception, the GPS knows exactly where it is. It is you who are lost without it.

[+Prime Suspect]

We got a 60CS this year and I was very happy to see that we could enter our contact info into it.  Older units like our mono Vista as well as my new ForeTrex and Yellow don't have this capability. 

The mono Vista does give you the ability to put your contact info on the startup screen. For some reason they don't include it in the manual, but the way to do it is to go to the "Main menu" page, and to click on the options button in the upper-right corner. The only option listed is "owner information". Select that, and a form is displayed allowing you to enter your name, address, phone number, and a text comment. If you fill this in, it will be shown on the startup screen every time the unit powers up.

It was added in a later release. You can go to the Garmin site to download current owner's manuals in PDF format. Also check the "changes" listings for the various releases to find things you may not be aware of.

 

And FYI, it was possible well before that OS change came about, to add contact info (or any other text you wanted) to the eTrex start-up screen. A program called MeMap let you edit a release file, and remove the "lawyer text" and replace it with your own. I actually like it better than what Garmin provides, since it doesn't have to conform to their entry field.

[+Prime Suspect]

Ok it has been one week and our GPS it absolutly LOST      .

 

Well, if it makes you feel any better, your GPS is not lost, in fact as long as it has power and reception, the GPS knows exactly where it is. It is you who are lost without it.

Where have I heard that before?

[+tands]

Would using a third-party utility to modify non-user accessible sections of the flash memory void the warranty? And, doesn't the ability to erase such information without using a password make entering that information a technicality to those who would erase it?

 

- T

[+briansnat]

We got a 60CS this year and I was very happy to see that we could enter our contact info into it. Older units like our mono Vista as well as my new ForeTrex and Yellow don't have this capability. I'd still like to have a password feature, but I'm sure glad to hear about the lost/stolen GPS registry that Garmin keeps. But what if you lose your uninsured unit? What do you send Garmin?

 

- T of TandS

You can enter your info into the older Vista, the Gekos and I think the Legend if you have a later software upgrade.

 

There is also a way to hack into your unit to do it. Someone gave me instructions, but I threw them away when Garmin added the feature to the Vista.

[+nfa]

Ok it has been one week and our GPS it absolutly LOST .

 

We have searched high and low...everywhere. Our house, car, truck and surrounding area have been torn apart to no avail. We are afraid it was thrown away.... . Our 2 yr old "M" has been known to put cordless and cell phones in the trash, apperantly we just did not 'cache' her doing it to the GPS.

 

No real point to this post, we just need some sympathy while we are isolated from our addiction, um we mean hobby.

So are you guys the grandparents of David Berkowitz?

 

Maybe a dog can tell you where to find the GPS...not funny...sorry...

 

I would say to just get another GPS, andthen the old one will show up

 

jamie

[+Mudfrog]

A program called MeMap let you edit a release file, and remove the "lawyer text" and replace it with your own. I actually like it better than what Garmin provides, since it doesn't have to conform to their entry field.

 

We have a Garmin 76s and a basic 76. i would like to go ahead and put our contact info in on one of the start up screens. Any ideas on where to find this MeMap program (will it even work with the 76 series?) or does anyone know of another way of doing this?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Hugh Jazz]

If your GPS doesn't have the startup screen, you can always stick an ordinary return-address label to the inside of the battery compartment door. They may not see it right away, but they'll see it as soon as the batteries run down. Write REWARD on the label and you'll likely get a call.

[ParentsofSAM]

Ours did not have a startup screen but it did have a place to enter the owner info and we did, and there was also a small name and phone # label under the batteries. It also had HOME as a POI.

 

But if it did go to the dump with the trash probably no person will ever find it to call us.

[+wornout]

Ok it has been one week and our GPS it absolutly LOST .

A whole week and you haven't bought another one yet? Shame on you for missing over a week of caching. Have you entered the 12 step program yet?

[+Prime Suspect]

A program called MeMap let you edit a release file, and remove the "lawyer text" and replace it with your own. I actually like it better than what Garmin provides, since it doesn't have to conform to their entry field.

 

We have a Garmin 76s and a basic 76. i would like to go ahead and put our contact info in on one of the start up screens. Any ideas on where to find this MeMap program (will it even work with the 76 series?) or does anyone know of another way of doing this?

 

Thanks in advance!

As far as I know, it only works with the eMap and the eTrex. A quick Google will show you the site for it.

[+Jeonlyep]

I thought that I lost mine once. It only took 2 days of thinking it was lost, before I e-bayed a new upgraded model. Then two days after winning the new one. I found the old one. My wife says I lost it on purpose. But it is nice having two.

 

DAryl

[+CO Admin]

This wont help the lost one but put the new one on a lanyard. that way it is never set down or away from your body. The other trick is to not take the GPS off the lanyard or off of your body until you get home.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I lost my Magellan Sport track map on the way back from a cache, went back and never found it. But this link might work for lost gps support, it worked for me.

 

lost gps support

 

Well it might help, but it is not free.