+ems_nut Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I am very new at geocaching and purchased the Vista HCx for my very first expirance with a GPS. One of the reasons I purchased this unit was a post that I had read about when you get into a certain range from the cache the unit will switch to the compass and direct you in the dirction to walk. I have read the little somewhat instructional manual and can't figure out how to get mine to switch automaticlly to the compass when I am close to a waypoint that I have set. I did go find my first cache yesterday and once I set the waypoint and route the unit got me to the location with no problems. But it only got me to the place where it was hidden and never switched to compass as I started walking around looking for it. Always showed the basemap and the icon I had set for the waypoint. Again sorry for the noob question. But hay if you can't ask it here where you going to go? Quote Link to comment
+coggins Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I am very new at geocaching and purchased the Vista HCx for my very first expirance with a GPS. One of the reasons I purchased this unit was a post that I had read about when you get into a certain range from the cache the unit will switch to the compass and direct you in the dirction to walk. I have read the little somewhat instructional manual and can't figure out how to get mine to switch automaticlly to the compass when I am close to a waypoint that I have set. I did go find my first cache yesterday and once I set the waypoint and route the unit got me to the location with no problems. But it only got me to the place where it was hidden and never switched to compass as I started walking around looking for it. Always showed the basemap and the icon I had set for the waypoint. Again sorry for the noob question. But hay if you can't ask it here where you going to go? It switches from using the GPS compass to the electronic compass at a speed set by the user. You have to press the MENU button on the right top of the unit to get to the Compass page from the Map page, it doesn't do it on it's own. In the Setup Menu, you can change the Page Sequence. Quote Link to comment
+ems_nut Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 I am very new at geocaching and purchased the Vista HCx for my very first expirance with a GPS. One of the reasons I purchased this unit was a post that I had read about when you get into a certain range from the cache the unit will switch to the compass and direct you in the dirction to walk. I have read the little somewhat instructional manual and can't figure out how to get mine to switch automaticlly to the compass when I am close to a waypoint that I have set. I did go find my first cache yesterday and once I set the waypoint and route the unit got me to the location with no problems. But it only got me to the place where it was hidden and never switched to compass as I started walking around looking for it. Always showed the basemap and the icon I had set for the waypoint. Again sorry for the noob question. But hay if you can't ask it here where you going to go? It switches from using the GPS compass to the electronic compass at a speed set by the user. You have to press the MENU button on the right top of the unit to get to the Compass page from the Map page, it doesn't do it on it's own. In the Setup Menu, you can change the Page Sequence. Thank you very much. I was under the impression that it did it, it's self. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment
+coggins Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Sorry, but that button is called the "QUIT/PAGE key" Quote Link to comment
Shadowrider127 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 It will change automatically!!!!! When you start looking for the cache, say starting from home you click on the cache icon and then click on goto, it will go to the map first but as you get close, ,maybe 500' or so it will change to compass page. Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 It will . . . ???? It doesn't work that way on my Vista HCx. If I use auto-routing to get to the cache, following the map, when I get near the cache, I have to do another "Go To" and choose "Off Road" to get a new Go To arrow. I have included the arrow and Distance to Next as Data Fields on the map screen of my Vista Hcx, but the GPSr doesn't automagically switch from map to compass screen . . . Quote Link to comment
Shadowrider127 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 That may be the diff, I don't use mine to go by road, i keep mine on offroad. Next time I go out I will make sure of how I am setting up, but pretty sure it works this way. I usually (so far) know the route to get there by road, so no need road section help. Quote Link to comment
+coggins Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 It will change automatically!!!!! When you start looking for the cache, say starting from home you click on the cache icon and then click on goto, it will go to the map first but as you get close, ,maybe 500' or so it will change to compass page. Maybe I've been doing it wrong all this time... Quote Link to comment
+the hermit crabs Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 It will change automatically!!!!! When you start looking for the cache, say starting from home you click on the cache icon and then click on goto, it will go to the map first but as you get close, ,maybe 500' or so it will change to compass page. I have never seen such a thing, with any of the 8 Garmins we have owned. And I'm very glad mine doesn't do that -- it would irritate me to no end. I want it to stay on the map page Quote Link to comment
+ems_nut Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 It will change automatically!!!!! When you start looking for the cache, say starting from home you click on the cache icon and then click on goto, it will go to the map first but as you get close, ,maybe 500' or so it will change to compass page. I have never seen such a thing, with any of the 8 Garmins we have owned. And I'm very glad mine doesn't do that -- it would irritate me to no end. I want it to stay on the map page Went caching again today. And still the compass page didn't switch by its self. And I agree after what happened today. I don't want it to switch by its self. I used the go to on the cache, and the unit went to the map screen. Didn't need the map or direction I knew where to park for this one. When I got to the location I switched over to the compass page and started following using the compass. I would much raither use the compass then the map when I am in close. My compass and map do not sink up. The compass had me over 150 meters in the wrong direction. I looked for over an hour for the cache using the compass and never found it. Then I switched back over to the map and noticed that the icon for the cache was north of my location about 150 meters. Started walking in that direction and walked right to the cache. Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 (edited) Did you go to the cache using "Follow Road?" If so, once you got to the parking place to actually look for the cache, you needed to do another "Go To" for that cache using "Off Road" as the option. I learned that one the hard way . . . After doing the "Off Road" GoTo, the arrow will match up with what is happening on the map. On your map screen, you can add useful data fields. I have both the "Arrow" and the "Distance to Next." On my Compass Page, I have "Distance to next" and "Accuracy." Edited January 28, 2008 by Miragee Quote Link to comment
+Fratt Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 (edited) I bought the Legend 1st and when I cached with it that unit switched when you got close, I returned that unit to get the Vista HCX and can not get this one to do it. So please if it does Auto switch let us know how its done... Edited January 28, 2008 by Fratt Quote Link to comment
+ems_nut Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 Did you go to the cache using "Follow Road?" If so, once you got to the parking place to actually look for the cache, you needed to do another "Go To" for that cache using "Off Road" as the option. I learned that one the hard way . . . After doing the "Off Road" GoTo, the arrow will match up with what is happening on the map. On your map screen, you can add useful data fields. I have both the "Arrow" and the "Distance to Next." On my Compass Page, I have "Distance to next" and "Accuracy." Ok. I checked the "Lock to road" and it is off. When I click the "go to" it just say calculating then goes to the map. Never asks for "Follow Road" or "Off Road". Don't understand where this is at to fix it on the GPS. When through ever feature and can't find it. Quote Link to comment
+Fratt Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 You have to go under Setup then Routing and its the Guidance method, change to Prompted you will get asked each time Quote Link to comment
+ems_nut Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 You have to go under Setup then Routing and its the Guidance method, change to Prompted you will get asked each time Just wanted to take the time to say thank you to all that helped with my questions. Once I got everything programmed right. The next two caches went great with no problems on the GPS. Map took me to parking and the compass got me to the finds. Thanks again to all. Oh and the compass page doesn't switch automaticlly. If it does then it isn't doing it on mine. Quote Link to comment
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