Explorist Bug/enhancement List Firmware-5.2.03

[garbagebagtrees]

Yeah, it's not a confidence booster. I'd say the safest reorganization would be using the PC while in data transfer mode.

I don't quite follow what you mean by 'using the PC while in data transfer mode'?

 

I plan on keeping regular backups on my PC (by doing periodic Explorer copies from the GPS). This isn't really much of an inconvenience, what worries me more is the GPS crashing in the middle of the day when I'm away from my PC.

[+embra]

Yeah, it's not a confidence booster. I'd say the safest reorganization would be using the PC while in data transfer mode.

I don't quite follow what you mean by 'using the PC while in data transfer mode'?

 

I plan on keeping regular backups on my PC (by doing periodic Explorer copies from the GPS). This isn't really much of an inconvenience, what worries me more is the GPS crashing in the middle of the day when I'm away from my PC.

I mean using Windows Explorer from the PC side to do your rearranging on the SD card while the GPS is hooked up in data transfer mode. The PC provides a better interface to do that kind of work than the Explorist firmware does...easier, and--I would think--more reliable.

 

Doing backups of the SD card is a good habit, and I haven't heard of anyone trashing their card while activating files or setting GOTOs. So I think the risk of damaging a file on the SD card is pretty small. I only make the suggestion to put them on the SD card because the risk of file corruption is a subset of all the risks of the GPS not functioning properly. *Some* of the larger group of risks will result in a freeze-up that you can recover from with a system reset, but that solution will kill anything stored in internal memory. SD memory is one step removed from that threat. So it's an incremental precaution.

 

The mundane GPS activities that we usually do are not likely to cause problems like this. After all, those are the kinds of things that have been checked out thoroughly. It tends to be the more exotic things (like rearranging your folder structure) that have a greater likelihood of stumbling across some glitch in the firmware that hasn't surfaced or is difficult to reproduce. So, while I understand your sense of caution, I'd try to reassure you that you probably won't see something like that again. Still, it's always possible and that's what makes taking precautions worthwhile. (Incidentally, this *is* one reason that I make expandable memory a high priority in my GPS feature set).

[garbagebagtrees]

I mean using Windows Explorer from the PC side to do your rearranging on the SD card while the GPS is hooked up in data transfer mode. The PC provides a better interface to do that kind of work than the Explorist firmware does...easier, and--I would think--more reliable.

Hmm. Maybe. I've steered away from the PC interface in the past because the device is in general a little unreliable. I guess I figured the PC interface was a feature that probably hadn't been well tested.

<snip>

... The mundane GPS activities that we usually do are not likely to cause problems like this. After all, those are the kinds of things that have been checked out thoroughly.

 

Checked out thoroughly? Don't count on it. I'm an embedded software developer, which probably doesn't say much, but maybe I'm more critical when it seems I've hit on some functionality that hasn't been tested , or checked out before. Maybe my "Save Error" was a one-in-a-million, but when combined with device resets, hangs, and so on, I'm not sure exactly how much of the firmware in the eXplorist has really been checked out thoroughly. What worries me is that I was able to move a bunch of POIs without trouble, but at some magic point I moved maybe one more than the device was capable of handling. Who's to say the "move" isn't the problem, vs the memory that was being used at the time?

 

Anyway, my 500 does usually get me to where I need to go, so I have no major complaints.

[monxla]

Lets me first start off by saying that this is NOT a Magellan bashing thread. It IS a thread that will compile a buglist/Enhancement list that users on this forum would like be fixed or implemented with this latest e500/600 firmware (5.2.03) and latest e400 firmware (4.2.02). If you haven't yet updated, the general consensus is that this firmware is stable with serveral bugs and issues from the old buglist fixed. The latest firmwares can be downloaded from Magellan's site here

 

The ExploristXL firmware (9.1.05) has less fixes from the old buglist but should be coming in the future. Seeing that the firmwares for the explorist 400,500 and 600 at this time differ from the XL, mainly in feature set, this thread will be mostly based on 400,500,600 models because the XL is still in its infancy and will probably change in the near future in order to catch up to the older explorist models and should logically become identical at some point in time. Therefore we will assume that the XL will have the same features in the future as the current 400,500,600 firmware has and not document the differences in the buglist here.

 

Bugs and enhancements that are common to all Explorists will still be posted. If someone wants to start a separate buglist thread for the XL model, feel free to do so.

 

Magellan is definately watching this thread so PLEASE if you wish to have something added please post it, but AT LEAST reply stating which items your are experiencing (if any). Hopefully as a group we can help Magellan to troubleshoot the issues we are having.

 

Sorry if the text is very small, I'm am posting an image of the list because I can only edit this thread for a certain amount of time after which I can no longer update the list. By adding an externally linked image I can update it indefinately.

 

Again please post which issues you are having or post issues that are not listed.

 

IMPORTANT: THIS THREAD USES IMAGES THAT ARE CONTINUALLY BEING UPDATED BUT USE THE SAME IMAGE FILENAME. THIS MEANS THAT AFTER OPENING THIS THREAD YOU MUST CLICK THE REFRESH BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER'S TOOL BAR TO REFRESH THE IMAGES. FAILING TO DO THIS WILL RESULT IN YOU HAVING AN OLD IMAGE(S) LOADED FROM YOUR BROWSER'S CACHE AND YOU WILL NOT SEE THE NEW UPDATED IMAGE(S).

 

For easier viewing, hardcopies of the word documents that generated the image lists below can be found here (ExploristBugList5203.doc) and (ExploristEnhancements5203.doc)

 

 

 

Explorist BUG Look at this picture please

 

http://img.tar.hu/lkovari/size2/28026075.jpg

 

thx.

[monxla]

Look at this picture please

 

http://img.tar.hu/lkovari/size2/28026075.jpg

 

thx.

[monxla]

Need to increment the accuracy of map scale.

The minimum currently is 35m/100ft .

If the GPS unit accuracy is in the best case/WAAS sign/ is 3m, need to decrement the minimum value of map scale to eg. 3.5m/10ft.

[themightychewbacca]

EXPLORIST 500 x2

 

I've had problems with the following items on 2 units in the last 7 days...no kidding!

 

ser # last four digits = 5677 and 5676 - I swapped one for one at wal-mart 4 days after I got the first one and now have the same issue. if you can help resolve the screen issue, PLMK ASAP.

 

MAJOR:

# - 1

# - 3 "Unit currently contains no map" (any help in this area would be great since it's the only screen I can get to!!)

 

MINOR:

# - 4

# - 6

 

I suppose I would agree with all enhancements listed tho I rarely have the opportunity to use the GPS for those tasks...you know, because the stinking GPS has a " Unit currently contains no map" screen that I cannot get past. it is the sole reason I had to return the first unit and now might have to return this one to the factory.

 

Please help if you can.

 

SSgt. R. Egan

USAF SJAFB, NC

 

EGANFAMILYMAIL@aol.com

and

richard.egan@seymourjohnson.af.mil

[robertlipe]

fbecause the stinking GPS has a " Unit currently contains no map" screen that I cannot get past.

http://www.gpsfaqs.org/faqs/magellan/explo....html#nobasemap

[themightychewbacca]

thats the thing tho...I had used the unit for almost 8 straight ours and a few the day before. then all of a sddne the map goes missing? I never saved anything to the internal memory either, always to the SD card. I sent it in today for them to fix. hope it doesn't take 3 weeks to get back.