Garmin Etrex Vista HCx, rubbish in the woods

[+gullyh]

Could anyone confirm if they have simmilar issues to those I experience with my garmin extrex vista HCx, and perhaps any solutions?. I paid top dollar for a unit which i thought, having resarched, that shoud mangae to cope well with tree cover; my recent trips both have been to caches within woods and the blooming thing goes mental...i tend to wear it with lanyard around my neck and when i look at it it's sending me completely opposie directions at each step. It's frustrating the a** off me! does anyone else have / had this problem and if so, how if at all, have you addressed it? very grateful for any advice

 

cheers in advance

[+JohnTee]

Could anyone confirm if they have simmilar issues to those I experience with my garmin extrex vista HCx, and perhaps any solutions?. I paid top dollar for a unit which i thought, having resarched, that shoud mangae to cope well with tree cover; my recent trips both have been to caches within woods and the blooming thing goes mental...i tend to wear it with lanyard around my neck and when i look at it it's sending me completely opposie directions at each step. It's frustrating the a** off me! does anyone else have / had this problem and if so, how if at all, have you addressed it? very grateful for any advice

 

cheers in advance

 

Hi gullyh,

 

I have found that, in the woods, following the compass tends to bounce me around quite a bit. I've started popping over the map view, which I always used with my eTrex Legend, to get close instead. The map view does not seem to bounce as bad. I like my Vista HCx, there may still be some ironing out to do.

 

Cache On!

 

JohnTee

[+Fuchsiamagic]

Forget the compass and use the map every time. It will also save you trying to get to the cache by the wrong route! Also make sure you have it set for WGS84.

[+Zetetic]

I have found my HCx to be very good under tree cover but I only have a Extrex Venture to compare it. I think the worst accuracy it has displayed in the woods has been 9m, what are you getting?

 

If you haven't done so already, download webupdater from the Garmin site and update to the latest software and firmware. Also make sure you have calibrated the compass as this does seem to stop it jumping around. One other thing, you mention using a the unit on a lanyard. The unit does perform a lot better if it's held level. Hope this helps.

[+rutson]

...and the electronic compass ONLY works if it's dead level.

[+dino-irl]

Also be careful as I've seen people on here confuse the navigation screen with the electronic compass. It's easy done but make sure that you have the electronic compass switched on and as Rutson says keep it perfectly level.

 

[+The Blorenges]

Just to emphasise what others have said...... the unit has what is called a patch aerial which is about 1" square and sits at the top of the display just above where it says eTrex. For best results the unit needs to be held horizontal. If you have it vertical and facing ur body you are seriously impeding the signal getting to it. Always worth looking at the satellite display screen. There are those times in the day when you won't have any satellites directly overhead. The ring on the display represents a line 45 degrees above the horizon. If there are satellites on that or below then the signal is passing through even more woodwork to get to you!

Re the compass.... it does have to be held level - it will not point correctly otherwise. And you have to re-calibrate after changing the batteries!

Finally on those days when you are not in the woods, have loads of satellites make sure you have the WAAS turned on. This will improve your position accuracy but you'll need a reasonably unobstructed view to the south/south east to pick up the WAAS/EGNOS satellites. The other day my Etrex Vista C actually got down to 5 feet!! The best I normally get is 6 to 7 feet.

 

Cache On!!

 

Chris

[+stonefielders]

We've got a Vista & a C60.

We find the Vista freezes in woods & is nowhere near as accurate as the C60

 

Our conversion to the C60 came after meeting rodz who said he also used to use a Vista but found it wasn't accurate enough in the woods so now swears by the C60.

 

So in answer to the original post, yes it is.

[+rutson]

To clarify, the OP has a Vista HCx with the new Garmin high sensitivity chipset which is very different to the original Vista.

[+scottpa100]

I'm with Rutson on this one. My Dad has a Garmin with the new chipset, just like the Garmin Etrex Vista HCx. My Garmin is just.... well... an old Garmin. My Dad's GPS has much better signal in the woods and forests. So much so, my GPS will actually lose signal and Dad's just keeps on pointing an arrow to a cache.

 

I'd follow other peoples recommendations. Ensure your firmware is up to date. Hold the GPS level. The lanyard is great for when you have to navigate a tricky bit of terrain, but if you actually want to refer to the arrow properly, level is the best to way to do it.

[+momagic48]

Hi

Sorry if this seems to surgest that teaching you to 'suck eggs' but the garmin manual does point out that it only works if you are moving (at around 4mph).

 

When I got my unit a few weeks ago (until then I was using a coventional compass and maps) I took it straight out and without reading the manual went caching, thought the unit was broken and was about to return it to the supplier. Then I read the manual.

 

Yes I agree the unit does tend to reduce sensitivity in trees or around tall buildings, but then thats where a normal compass becomes useful. They are inexpesive (i got mine for around 5pounds, but also got a small one for around 50p). Both are useful backups. We use sophisticated electronic systems, but what if your equipment fails, do you own and can you use maps and compass?

 

Try doing even a basic course not using the gps, most of us (myself included now ) just point the gps and let it take us there.

Maurice

 

Bedford

Edited January 28, 2008 by momagic48

[+Bambography]

I've had no issues at all with my new Vista HCx that i got for xmas

The reciever is very good and even gave me 4m accuracy in the lounge when I first turned it on!

As others have said the unit does have to be flat to work correctly however you shouldn't have to move for it to spin round towards the location. Try calibrating the compass (in the menu on the navigation/compass screen I believe) that might help.

Edited January 28, 2008 by Bambography

[+Moote]

Just a thought here, the Vista HCx antenna is covered by some of the electronics, but the 60C is not as that has the little proboscis thingy.

 

But an idea would be to download Garmins Webupdater and see if there are any unit updates, required.

[+Zetetic]

I think this should solve it. When you are on your compass page, press menu and make sure it's set to Bearing and not Course, as this would display the problems you've been having. Just spotted this over in the GPSr units and software forum.

[+Happy Humphrey]

I tested a Legend HCX in heavy woodland on a steep hillside recently (for over an hour) and it held signal brilliantly. This is the same as the Vista HCX but without the electronic compass. So it should be very good under these conditions.

 

I think that some of the replies are assuming that you're using the compass and not the navigation screen, but I think you need to give us a bit more detail.

 

Does it behave the same when in open country? You're suggesting that it only does this in tree cover. Can you confirm what screen you're looking at? Try turning the compass off altogether and check that the behaviour is still the same. If it is the compass, did you calibrate it first?

 

I've noticed on the Legend HCX that when moving at less than 2 mph, the navigation arrow becomes reluctant to change direction and you have to watch the "distance to destination" carefully so that you can be sure you're still getting closer. Apart from that, it's taken me to caches with unerring accuracy (except for those that were placed with erring accuracy!).