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400t and the pointy needle


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I just had an unpleasant experience with the 400t while attempting to find a cache. The needle pointed in the opposite direction of the cache and took me to a point not even close to where I should have been and showed me within 12 feet of the cache site. Then it jumped to another direction and said it was 175 feet away. I went to that point which showed I was within 8 feet of the cache and it jumped again to another direction pointing to a point about 167 feet away. I checked the cache coords to make sure they were accurate and they were. I can overlook the fact that the maps are not georeferenced properly and the fact you can barely see the display outside in the sun, but not being able to fulfill its primary function of navigating to the cache leaves this device greatly lacking. I wanted to like this device so much, but I think its going back to REI... :ph34r:

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I just had an unpleasant experience with the 400t while attempting to find a cache. The needle pointed in the opposite direction of the cache and took me to a point not even close to where I should have been and showed me within 12 feet of the cache site. Then it jumped to another direction and said it was 175 feet away. I went to that point which showed I was within 8 feet of the cache and it jumped again to another direction pointing to a point about 167 feet away. I checked the cache coords to make sure they were accurate and they were. I can overlook the fact that the maps are not georeferenced properly and the fact you can barely see the display outside in the sun, but not being able to fulfill its primary function of navigating to the cache leaves this device greatly lacking. I wanted to like this device so much, but I think its going back to REI... :ph34r:

 

I had a similar problem and calibrating the compass took care of it immediately.

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I'll try re-calibrating the compass again and let you know.

 

I would suggest turning it off entirely and only enabling it when you absolutely need it. If you want to leave it on you'll have to remember to calibrate it every time you change batteries and you need to hold the unit horizontal when the compass is active.

 

GO$Rs

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I just had an unpleasant experience with the 400t while attempting to find a cache. The needle pointed in the opposite direction of the cache and took me to a point not even close to where I should have been and showed me within 12 feet of the cache site. Then it jumped to another direction and said it was 175 feet away. I went to that point which showed I was within 8 feet of the cache and it jumped again to another direction pointing to a point about 167 feet away. I checked the cache coords to make sure they were accurate and they were. I can overlook the fact that the maps are not georeferenced properly and the fact you can barely see the display outside in the sun, but not being able to fulfill its primary function of navigating to the cache leaves this device greatly lacking. I wanted to like this device so much, but I think its going back to REI... :laughing:

You should read through the posts on this forum before you send it back. I have one, I also have a 60csx with maps if you would like to by it.

Oh, the "pointy needle" is called a "Compass"

 

Barry

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I'll try re-calibrating the compass again and let you know.

 

I would suggest turning it off entirely and only enabling it when you absolutely need it. If you want to leave it on you'll have to remember to calibrate it every time you change batteries and you need to hold the unit horizontal when the compass is active.

 

GO$Rs

 

What screen do you personally use for navigation to the cache? Can you give me a screen shot pls?

Edited by randyrucker
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I finally used the WAAS and compass on my 300 to attempt to locate an elusive cache. I was never able to get a decent signal and accurate position due to hills, tree cover, etc...

 

What I found was that the compass responds very slowly. You can easily walk right by the cache and miss it before the needle swings the right direction. I had to stop and wait for it to catch up by watching the north indicator on the map. If I turned very slowly it would swing around eventually and point me back in the right direction. If you hold the GPS straight up and let it get a good position lock, then lay it horizontal to let the compass do its thing, it seems to help just slightly.

 

After previous advice from others, I've cached with the compass off, and after trying it the other day, I will probably keep leaving it off.

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What screen do you personally use for navigation to the cache? Can you give me a screen shot pls?

 

Normally I use the map screen but I occasionally use the compass screen -- what do you want to see?

 

GO$Rs

 

 

You like this navigation screen :

 

a885387c-7f36-4945-838a-e01aecbc324e.jpg

 

Better than this?

 

b6afde66-b25b-4238-a74c-bc37123c5958.jpg

Edited by randyrucker
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You like this navigation screen :

 

Better than this?

 

 

Yes. Actually I'll like the Full Screen Map view the best. I get everything on the map page I have on the compass page plus I can actually see what is on the map between me and my destination (stream, trail, road, mountain, etc).

 

GO$Rs

Edited by g-o-cashers
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You like this navigation screen :

 

a885387c-7f36-4945-838a-e01aecbc324e.jpg

 

Better than this?

 

b6afde66-b25b-4238-a74c-bc37123c5958.jpg

Absolutely yes!

 

Well, I don't have a Colorado, but I definitely prefer to use the map screen rather than the compass screen on my Vista C or HCx.

 

To me, it's like the difference between walking through an unfamiliar room with the lights on vs. walking through it in pitch darkness. If the lights are off (compass page), all you know is that the point you are trying to get to is up ahead and to your left. But with the lights on (map page), you can plan your path to avoid bumping into a chair or banging your shin on the coffee table as you walk through the room.

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You make a good case for the map screen. I'll try using it more. Its just that I like things big, like the needle on the compass screen. Easier to see. The little needle on the map screen seems to jump around allot when you get within about 25 feet or so to the cache. The needle on my Forerunner 305 doesn't do that. Maybe Garmin needs to smooth the needle movement down a bit on the Colorado. :mad:

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When using the "map Screen" is there a way to adjust the number of data fields? On my 76, I was able to add additional data fields. I'd like to have the pointer, distance to location and accuracy of GPS all show on my map. Is this possible? And on another note, has anyone figured out how to remove a individual waypoint? Ie: a found geocache.

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When using the "map Screen" is there a way to adjust the number of data fields? On my 76, I was able to add additional data fields. I'd like to have the pointer, distance to location and accuracy of GPS all show on my map. Is this possible? And on another note, has anyone figured out how to remove a individual waypoint? Ie: a found geocache.

 

The 400t does handle multiple GPX files, so if you individually download a cache to the 400 you can manually delete it. The way I handle getting rid of found caches is with the pocket query. I don't download caches already found. About once or twice a week I just replace the big GPX file on the 400 with the new PQ which does not have found caches. So over the course of a week the found caches are removed from the 400 database. I do however download some caches individually for various reasons with which you have to go in and delete each GPX file to get rid of once you find them. Of course once they are marked "found" on the 400 they don't show up in the active cache list anymore, but remain on the unit until the main GPX file is modified/replaced.

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I just had an unpleasant experience with the 400t while attempting to find a cache. The needle pointed in the opposite direction of the cache and took me to a point not even close to where I should have been and showed me within 12 feet of the cache site. Then it jumped to another direction and said it was 175 feet away. I went to that point which showed I was within 8 feet of the cache and it jumped again to another direction pointing to a point about 167 feet away. I checked the cache coords to make sure they were accurate and they were. I can overlook the fact that the maps are not georeferenced properly and the fact you can barely see the display outside in the sun, but not being able to fulfill its primary function of navigating to the cache leaves this device greatly lacking. I wanted to like this device so much, but I think its going back to REI... :(

Edited by bluegrassfan
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I just had an unpleasant experience with the 400t while attempting to find a cache. The needle pointed in the opposite direction of the cache and took me to a point not even close to where I should have been and showed me within 12 feet of the cache site. Then it jumped to another direction and said it was 175 feet away. I went to that point which showed I was within 8 feet of the cache and it jumped again to another direction pointing to a point about 167 feet away. I checked the cache coords to make sure they were accurate and they were. I can overlook the fact that the maps are not georeferenced properly and the fact you can barely see the display outside in the sun, but not being able to fulfill its primary function of navigating to the cache leaves this device greatly lacking. I wanted to like this device so much, but I think its going back to REI... :(

 

Welcome to the life of a geocacher. I've been geocaching since 2002 and there has never been a day when I have been out that the needle hasn't pointed in the wrong direction. Usually, you walk a few steps and it corrects itself. I hate when I get back to my car from a cache and the arrow points in the wrong direction, and drive in that direction. When the needle appears to spin, that is, jumps around as you near a cache, it seems to be because you are very close. There comes a time when you get very near a cache that you need to put the GPSR in your pocket and just look. Remember, when the cache was hidden there was possibly some error in the GPSR, then you have error in yours when hunting. You could be quite a distance away. I have owned 5 GPSRs, including the 400t, I all of them have done this. I have had discussions about this and we determined that conceivably you could determine the area of a circle using a radius of 60 feet (your 30 feet error and the cache owner's 30 feet error) and you will be hunting in about 11,325 square feet for a micro. The error should not be that great, but even if each is only 15 feet (a radius of 30 feet) you could still have more that 2800 square feet to hunt. In the woods that a lot of ground to cover. My Magellan friends have the same problem. GPSRs aren't perfect, but they do a pretty good job.

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You like this navigation screen :

 

Better than this?

 

This one is my favourite of the 5 possible screens.

 

919.jpg

 

I know this was asked and answered before, but I can't get it to work.

 

Could you provide a little more detail about how you get this screen? It really does seem to be the perfect solution.

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