canadave Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Hi all, Just bought a regular classic yellow etrex, and it's on its way to me in the mail. I'm a little confused about something though. I ordered it because I was under the impression it is WAAS-enabled. However, in leafing through some websites, some say it isn't WAAS-enabled! From what I've read since, it appears that *later-edition* etrexes are WAAS-enabled. Does anyone know when this switch occurred? Or is it a matter of applying the latest Garmin firmware? Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment
+tands Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 (edited) If the unit is a current model, it does in fact have WAAS. I bought one months ago and it had WAAS. The Garmin website also shows the current version as having WAAS. This accounts for the higher suggested retail price of the Yellow. So... if the vendor you bought it from didn't pull it out from under some shelf where it's sat for a long time, and instead sold you a new one, it has WAAS. - T of TandS Edited December 19, 2005 by tands Quote Link to comment
canadave Posted December 19, 2005 Author Share Posted December 19, 2005 (edited) uh oh. I bought one that was a deal from the vendor because it was on "clearout" because it was a bi-lingual model. That doesn't bode well So it's not a firmware update then, eh? Drat Oh well, hopefully when I get it and open the box, it'll show that it's enabled. If not, maybe I'll return it. Thanks, Dave Edited December 19, 2005 by canadave Quote Link to comment
+Team Tired Boy Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Don't worry about it. I have WAAS on both my eTrex yellow and my Legend, but I can't tell that it makes any difference. Some folks say it does; some say it doesn't. But when it comes to finding a cache, I can't see how it would matter either way. You still have error, and the hider still had error. The GPSr isn't going to find the cache for you; it'll only get you close. Quote Link to comment
+Blaidd-Drwg Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 I went out caching two weeks ago and due to the fact that I had my GPSMap60cs returned to Garmin for a faulty USB connector, I was forced to use my Etrex yellow. The one I have is old and does not support WASS. Even with this drawback, I was experiencing reported CPE of only 18 ft and of the 15 caches I found that day, all were within 20 feet of the posted coords. Personally, I believe it you got a great bargain on the etrex yellow, then I wouldn't worry about the WASS functionality. The yellow is a great little unit and is good for caching. Quote Link to comment
canadave Posted December 19, 2005 Author Share Posted December 19, 2005 (edited) Good point TTB. I'll keep that in mind before I return anything Thanks for the feedback Madog. I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides, I don't know that WAAS will work that well for me anyway, given my relatively high latitude (near Edmonton). Dave Edited December 19, 2005 by canadave Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Besides, I don't know that WAAS will work that well for me anyway, given my relatively high latitude (near Edmonton). It'll work for you if you have a clear view to the south (I'm at 53°N too) I'll agree with what the others have said in that it won't be much use to you anyway as the WAAS signals will mostly be blocked by topography or vegetation. Quote Link to comment
+tands Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 I sold the Yellow because I realized I wanted a ForeTrex which is the same thing on a wristband. But... I turned off the WAAS on the Yellow when I used it and do so on the ForeTrex now. It doesn't make a noticable difference in finding caches and it eats batteries big-time. Chomp chomp chomp. So, if you got the big time deal on the Yellow, don't send it back. Instead, pass it on to someone by selling it here. You won't have any trouble finding a buyer. - T of TandS Quote Link to comment
canadave Posted December 19, 2005 Author Share Posted December 19, 2005 (edited) Thanks everybody for the helpful (and prompt) replies! Based on what everyone's said here, I'm sure I'll be happy with the etrex, and if I'm not, I'll definitely sell it here Just as an FYI, I got this etrex from gpscity.ca for $106 CAN. They have an identical etrex for $129...but this $106 one is "multilingual." I called and asked about it, and the guy said it was brand new, no problems, they just wanted to clear out their multilingual models to make way for the English-only versions--hence the low price. Dave Edited December 19, 2005 by canadave Quote Link to comment
+Sputnik 57 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 You can tell which model of old yeller you get by checking the firmware. If it says 2.xx, it is the old non-WAAS version. If it says 3.xx, it is WAAS enabled. The latest version of the firmware is 3.30, as of April, 05. You'll need to get a computer cable to upgrade the firmware, but you can't upgrade from 2.xx (non-WAAS) to 3.xx (WAAS enabled). Quote Link to comment
canadave Posted December 19, 2005 Author Share Posted December 19, 2005 Just got my etrex in the mail...and, as I feared, it's firmware 2.20, which is non-WAAS. Oh well! I guess it's not essential. Dave Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 I don't think you'll miss WAAS when geocaching. If you haven't already found them here's a couple of local organizations you might want to look at. Both have good forums too. GeocachingEdmonton Calgary Area Cachers Happy caching. Quote Link to comment
canadave Posted December 19, 2005 Author Share Posted December 19, 2005 Thanks PDOP, I did find those links (I'm pretty excited about the whole thing, so I've spent the past few days reading up and educating myself, finding helpful links, that sort of thing) I'm off with my wife this evening on our first hunt....should be fun! Cheers, Dave p.s. nice to see help from a fellow Albertan right off the bat Quote Link to comment
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