Oregon and Colorado

[+Delta_flyer21]

Hey folks,

 

I've had a Garmin Etrex Vista for years and just made a switch to a Garmin Oregon 300. I like so many features of the Oregon, but I have a few major complaints. I was wondering if anybody else had similar problems:

 

-compass freezes during navigation. Although my Vista did this on occasion, I find mine does this when I go from navigating from moving, say in a car, to stopping to get a bearing on a geocache. It does this more often than not.

 

-My compass needle likes to jump around on me (or what I like to call "continental drift"; the needles slowly moves to another direction as the GPS repositions you). Often it points me in one direction, only to send me back the other way. I tested my theory by creating a waypoint at 5 meters accuracy. When I went to navigate to it, it was off by a few degrees in all directions. Viewing the map had the waypoint easily off where it should have been by at least 10 meteres. I understand that accuracy can actually make things appear twice as far away than they are (i.e. 5 meters creating the waypoint, then 5 meters accuracy navigating to it equals 10 meteres); however, my Vista did way better than this.

 

I have loaded the latest firmware update from Garmin and still nothing. I have had three DNF's for geocaching out of 6 (extremely odd in my case) this week. Anybody have any suggestions...please. I'm at the point where I'm just going to sell this thing and go back to my cream spinach coloured Vista.

[+Tequila]

Hey folks,

 

I've had a Garmin Etrex Vista for years and just made a switch to a Garmin Oregon 300. I like so many features of the Oregon, but I have a few major complaints. I was wondering if anybody else had similar problems:

 

-compass freezes during navigation. Although my Vista did this on occasion, I find mine does this when I go from navigating from moving, say in a car, to stopping to get a bearing on a geocache. It does this more often than not.

 

-My compass needle likes to jump around on me (or what I like to call "continental drift"; the needles slowly moves to another direction as the GPS repositions you). Often it points me in one direction, only to send me back the other way. I tested my theory by creating a waypoint at 5 meters accuracy. When I went to navigate to it, it was off by a few degrees in all directions. Viewing the map had the waypoint easily off where it should have been by at least 10 meteres. I understand that accuracy can actually make things appear twice as far away than they are (i.e. 5 meters creating the waypoint, then 5 meters accuracy navigating to it equals 10 meteres); however, my Vista did way better than this.

 

I have loaded the latest firmware update from Garmin and still nothing. I have had three DNF's for geocaching out of 6 (extremely odd in my case) this week. Anybody have any suggestions...please. I'm at the point where I'm just going to sell this thing and go back to my cream spinach coloured Vista.

 

When you say latest firmware, do you mean 2.98Beta or the latest official release. There is a lot of fixes in the 2.98Beta release. I would recommend you start there.

[+JetSkier]

When you say latest firmware do you mean 2.8 (which is the latest release firmware) or the latest beta firmware 2.98? If you are using the beta firmware, try posting your bugs in the thread dedicated to the 2.98 firmware.

 

Edit: I guess Tequila beat me to the "Add Reply" button!

 

JetSkier

Edited May 18, 2009 by JetSkier

[+Delta_flyer21]

Hey folks,

 

I've had a Garmin Etrex Vista for years and just made a switch to a Garmin Oregon 300. I like so many features of the Oregon, but I have a few major complaints. I was wondering if anybody else had similar problems:

 

-compass freezes during navigation. Although my Vista did this on occasion, I find mine does this when I go from navigating from moving, say in a car, to stopping to get a bearing on a geocache. It does this more often than not.

 

-My compass needle likes to jump around on me (or what I like to call "continental drift"; the needles slowly moves to another direction as the GPS repositions you). Often it points me in one direction, only to send me back the other way. I tested my theory by creating a waypoint at 5 meters accuracy. When I went to navigate to it, it was off by a few degrees in all directions. Viewing the map had the waypoint easily off where it should have been by at least 10 meteres. I understand that accuracy can actually make things appear twice as far away than they are (i.e. 5 meters creating the waypoint, then 5 meters accuracy navigating to it equals 10 meteres); however, my Vista did way better than this.

 

I have loaded the latest firmware update from Garmin and still nothing. I have had three DNF's for geocaching out of 6 (extremely odd in my case) this week. Anybody have any suggestions...please. I'm at the point where I'm just going to sell this thing and go back to my cream spinach coloured Vista.

 

When you say latest firmware, do you mean 2.98Beta or the latest official release. There is a lot of fixes in the 2.98Beta release. I would recommend you start there.

 

Yeah, I've got 2.90. I haven't seen this new one. Where can I get it?

[+Triple Crown]

Hey folks,

 

I've had a Garmin Etrex Vista for years and just made a switch to a Garmin Oregon 300. I like so many features of the Oregon, but I have a few major complaints. I was wondering if anybody else had similar problems:

 

-compass freezes during navigation. Although my Vista did this on occasion, I find mine does this when I go from navigating from moving, say in a car, to stopping to get a bearing on a geocache. It does this more often than not.

 

-My compass needle likes to jump around on me (or what I like to call "continental drift"; the needles slowly moves to another direction as the GPS repositions you). Often it points me in one direction, only to send me back the other way. I tested my theory by creating a waypoint at 5 meters accuracy. When I went to navigate to it, it was off by a few degrees in all directions. Viewing the map had the waypoint easily off where it should have been by at least 10 meteres. I understand that accuracy can actually make things appear twice as far away than they are (i.e. 5 meters creating the waypoint, then 5 meters accuracy navigating to it equals 10 meteres); however, my Vista did way better than this.

 

I have loaded the latest firmware update from Garmin and still nothing. I have had three DNF's for geocaching out of 6 (extremely odd in my case) this week. Anybody have any suggestions...please. I'm at the point where I'm just going to sell this thing and go back to my cream spinach coloured Vista.

 

When you say latest firmware, do you mean 2.98Beta or the latest official release. There is a lot of fixes in the 2.98Beta release. I would recommend you start there.

 

Yeah, I've got 2.90. I haven't seen this new one. Where can I get it?

 

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4393

[+Delta_flyer21]

Hey folks,

 

I've had a Garmin Etrex Vista for years and just made a switch to a Garmin Oregon 300. I like so many features of the Oregon, but I have a few major complaints. I was wondering if anybody else had similar problems:

 

-compass freezes during navigation. Although my Vista did this on occasion, I find mine does this when I go from navigating from moving, say in a car, to stopping to get a bearing on a geocache. It does this more often than not.

 

-My compass needle likes to jump around on me (or what I like to call "continental drift"; the needles slowly moves to another direction as the GPS repositions you). Often it points me in one direction, only to send me back the other way. I tested my theory by creating a waypoint at 5 meters accuracy. When I went to navigate to it, it was off by a few degrees in all directions. Viewing the map had the waypoint easily off where it should have been by at least 10 meteres. I understand that accuracy can actually make things appear twice as far away than they are (i.e. 5 meters creating the waypoint, then 5 meters accuracy navigating to it equals 10 meteres); however, my Vista did way better than this.

 

I have loaded the latest firmware update from Garmin and still nothing. I have had three DNF's for geocaching out of 6 (extremely odd in my case) this week. Anybody have any suggestions...please. I'm at the point where I'm just going to sell this thing and go back to my cream spinach coloured Vista.

 

When you say latest firmware, do you mean 2.98Beta or the latest official release. There is a lot of fixes in the 2.98Beta release. I would recommend you start there.

 

Yeah, I've got 2.90. I haven't seen this new one. Where can I get it?

 

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4393

 

Thanks for the help folks! I'll check it out. I'm optimistic, but worried all at once.