Why Don't Garmin Address The Important Issues?

[Didjerrydo]

But apparently Garmin is still side-stepping the issues that most users are concerned about such as:

 

1. No alarm function

2. No pressure plotting with the unit off

3. Not automatically regaining signal after a drop

4. "Wandering" position issue

5. No stopwatch memory for multiple laps

[peter]

Seemed to me that when the 'x' units first came out by far the biggest complaint was about not being able to store waypoints and tracks on the memory card. Turns out the new custom POI Loader feature addresses much of this concern for waypoints and the new beta release now allows saving of the Active tracklog.

 

As to the items on your list, 1&2 have been discussed before and may well be related to hardware changes compared to the earlier 60 & 76c/cs models. In that case new firmware may not be a possible solution.

 

3 is clearly a significant bug and presumably due to different behavior of the SiRF hardware compared to what Garmin has used in the past. I'd expect them to be working pretty hard to resolve this one, but remember that the units have only been out for a couple months

 

4 is probably also related to different behavior of the SiRF hardware but is also a trade-off issue. Personally I like units that are more immediately responsive even if that means that the position tends to jump around a bit. Others prefer to see a rock-steady position.

 

Don't know about 5 - didn't even know it was an issue.

[robertlipe]

Peter's right. I'm pretty sure 1&2 are a hardware thing. The unit doesn't claim to do those things.

 

For the other three, verify they're a problem in the beta that went up yesterday and report the problem to the beta feedback address. That's a lot more likely to get read by people involved in setting "todo" lists than any amount fussing in theses forums.

[+Greymane]

I am not sure specifically what unit you are talking about, but...

 

The Forerunner line does have lap times (as it is specifically geared toward racers). The Legend Cx has lap capability, but only shows last and current lap.

 

The SiRF chipset has a static navigation mode, which removes the "hunting", but also delays the position update. It is a trade-off that is determined by what you are doing with it. I don't know if you can enable/disable this in the Garmin models, but other receivers have the capability, so it is possible.

 

The Legend Cx certainly has alarm functions (both alarm clock and proximity alarms).

[+BlueDeuce]

Did you actually discuss this with Garmin?

[Neo_Geo]

5. No stopwatch memory for multiple laps

 

The new firmware udate provides these various lap times:

last lap

current lap

total lap

avg lap

 

What else do you want? Counters for an infinite number of laps???

[+Sputnik 57]

I'm not getting an x unit until it will do a goto from an edited waypoint without having to do "save" first. Come on! The old Legend does that. And why won't it wash my car and clean up the dog poo in my back yard before I get home? Are you reading this Garmin?

 

Edit: Oh. And how DARE they release firmware updates that don't address all of the issues? How do they get off releasing prompt piecemeal updates that address just some of the issues without fixing them all? Have they learned *nothing* from Magellan and their Explorist series?

Edited March 16, 2006 by Sputnik 57

[Neo_Geo]

Yes, yes, yes - that is how it should be done! Why put out just a few updates when they're ready, when you can wait and release them all at once in a few months when EVERYTHING is worked out. Can't you see that people are just not satisfied with a few goodies at a time? They don't wanna say, "Garmin didn't fix my issue, but they fixed something else..." They'd rather sit around and moan and groan and wonder "When are they gonna fix ALL of the issues?"

 

Magellan clearly knows how to satisfy their customers...

[+baloo&bd]

But apparently Garmin is still side-stepping the issues that most users are concerned about such as:

 

1. No alarm function

2. No pressure plotting with the unit off

3. Not automatically regaining signal after a drop

4. "Wandering" position issue

5. No stopwatch memory for multiple laps

 

The obvious question(s);

 

Whcih users are you talking too that these are the big issues with?

 

Why have you not complained to Garmin that your GPS doesn't locate any caches?

[+wildlifewriter]

Why have you not complained to Garmin that your GPS doesn't locate any caches?

Bullseye...

 

-Wlw

[GeoidPS]

Yes, yes, yes - that is how it should be done! Why put out just a few updates when they're ready, when you can wait and release them all at once in a few months when EVERYTHING is worked out. Can't you see that people are just not satisfied with a few goodies at a time? They don't wanna say, "Garmin didn't fix my issue, but they fixed something else..." They'd rather sit around and moan and groan and wonder "When are they gonna fix ALL of the issues?"

 

Magellan clearly knows how to satisfy their customers...

This won't be happening with the x series, forget it. The series was only introduced to satisfy SIRF lust. I'm waiting til they get it right.

[Didjerrydo]

5. No stopwatch memory for multiple laps

 

The new firmware udate provides these various lap times:

last lap

current lap

total lap

avg lap

 

What else do you want? Counters for an infinite number of laps???

 

What I want to be able to do, is to simply go back and scroll thru individual lap times, lap by lap, after a timing event as you can do with any decent digital stopwatch. That should be a no-brainer in any "stopwatch"!

[vagabond]

[+geognerd]

What I want to be able to do, is to simply go back and scroll thru individual lap times, lap by lap, after a timing event as you can do with any decent digital stopwatch. That should be a no-brainer in any "stopwatch"!

But it's not a stopwatch. It's a GPS receiver with a stopwatch-like function. If you want a decent stopwatch, buy one. I don't expect my GPS receiver to do anything else besides calculation a position fix and distance to a point. It does that very well. I wanted a compass, so I went out and spent $10 on a compass. Extra features that aren't part of a device's central purpose seldom function well. Electronics companies like to add in chintzy functions to make the consumer think they're getting something extra. One user mentioned the Forerunner line of exercise GPS receivers. So Garmin makes a GPS receiver that happens to keep lap times. They addressed an "important" issue by bringing out a whole line of receivers.

[planewood]

What I want to be able to do, is to simply go back and scroll thru individual lap times, lap by lap, after a timing event as you can do with any decent digital stopwatch. That should be a no-brainer in any "stopwatch"!

But it's not a stopwatch. It's a GPS receiver with a stopwatch-like function. If you want a decent stopwatch, buy one. I don't expect my GPS receiver to do anything else besides calculation a position fix and distance to a point. It does that very well. I wanted a compass, so I went out and spent $10 on a compass. Extra features that aren't part of a device's central purpose seldom function well. Electronics companies like to add in chintzy functions to make the consumer think they're getting something extra. One user mentioned the Forerunner line of exercise GPS receivers. So Garmin makes a GPS receiver that happens to keep lap times. They addressed an "important" issue by bringing out a whole line of receivers.

 

It is nice to have the calculator there. I use it to calculate line offsets (TAN(angle)*distance). But, for $10 I could live without it.

[GeoidPS]

It is nice to have the calculator there. I use it to calculate line offsets (TAN(angle)*distance). But, for $10 I could live without it.

Wouldn't it be better to use the hypotenuse? Just need to estimate the angle from the track direction, either with the x or y value, you can verify tangent.

[jamski]

Are there firmware updates available for all the eTrex units? I have a Vista that I've never updated. If new firmware is available for this unit, where might I find it?

[peter]

Are there firmware updates available for all the eTrex units? I have a Vista that I've never updated. If new firmware is available for this unit, where might I find it?

Here's the list for all Garmin models:

http://www.garmin.com/support/blosp.jsp

The regular Vista hasn't been updated since 2003 so you may already have the latest firmware. Usually new models get several updates fairly quickly and then the frequency drops way down.