New & have E Trex Legend

[woofpak]

Several years ago I joined this group and bought an E Trex Legend and was SOOOO excited to get into this sport. But I could never quite figure out how to use my GPS and soon became frustrated and gave up.

 

However, I still continue to receive the weekly updates and still want to learn how to use my GPS and get out there and start finding caches. Can someone explain to me how to enter info into my Legend. Coordinates? Waypoints? Something else? Anybody have this same device and can babystep me through it?

 

HELP!

 

~Sandi

[+StarBrand]

it is not terribly intuitive but you need to "mark" your current location and then "edit" it to the coordinates for where you want to go. Then select that point and "goto".

 

Same general directions for most any Garmin unit.

[+AuntieWeasel]

I loved my Legend. It was absolutely bombproof (and it needed to be; I drop stuff a lot).

 

Do it StarBrand's way to get a start. Find the cache (or a few) closest to you, and put in the coordinates manually. Lean on the...oh, I think it's the bottom left button, but it's been a while. A kneeling guy with a flag pops up and offers to mark "001" for you. Accept that, then go back and edit the coordinates to match the cache page.

 

Find a couple. You'll either fall completely in love, or not. Then you can learn easier ways to download coordinates, if required.

[hoosier guy]

Several years ago I joined this group and bought an E Trex Legend and was SOOOO excited to get into this sport. But I could never quite figure out how to use my GPS and soon became frustrated and gave up.

 

However, I still continue to receive the weekly updates and still want to learn how to use my GPS and get out there and start finding caches. Can someone explain to me how to enter info into my Legend. Coordinates? Waypoints? Something else? Anybody have this same device and can babystep me through it?

 

HELP!

 

~Sandi

 

Hi Sandi,

 

Can I ask a couple questions? Do you have a USB cable & do you know how to get the cache locaions onto your unit? Don't mean to be insulting but know what you have trouble with could help us help you.

[+AuntieWeasel]

I don't think the Legend has a USB cable. If I'm not mistaken, it's serial and it's an extra purchase. Unless it's a much later model than mine was.

[woofpak]

Hi Sandi,

 

Can I ask a couple questions? Do you have a USB cable & do you know how to get the cache locaions onto your unit? Don't mean to be insulting but know what you have trouble with could help us help you.

 

Don't worry about insulting me. Un-in-sultable!

It did not come with a USB cable, it is serial. I actually bought a cable to convert serial to USB but that apparently isn't compatible with VISTA. No worries though, I don't mind entering locations by hand. But that is one of my problems, no I don't know how to enter them. Under WAYPOINTS?

 

~Sandi

[+AuntieWeasel]

Go back to what StarBrand said, the first reply. You mark a waypoint by leaning on the correct button, then you go back and edit that waypoint to the coordinates for the cache. Then you go to it.

 

That's the simplest way for the absolute beginner.

[+Trucker Lee]

I have the Legend. To enter manually, use the joystick, pressing down on it to change pages, then sideways to change field. Press down for select. Being close, as suggested, will lower the number of entries you must change.

 

From the computer, I have the serial cable and a USB adapter cable. I load the PQ into GSAK, and send to the GPSr from there.

[+Bear and Ragged]

It did not come with a USB cable, it is serial. I actually bought a cable to convert serial to USB but that apparently isn't compatible with VISTA.

 

Over in the UK we had a cacher with problems getting the USB to serial adaptor to work.

 

Try some of the links in this thread...

It seems to be a driver error with the cable, maybe one of the links will be the correct driver?

[woofpak]

Go back to what StarBrand said, the first reply. You mark a waypoint by leaning on the correct button, then you go back and edit that waypoint to the coordinates for the cache. Then you go to it.

 

That's the simplest way for the absolute beginner.

 

OK, mission accomplished! I marked my current location, then changed the coordinates to where I wanted to go. Now what? I mean do I highlight and press GOTO? And how do I follow the map? Just keep moving in the direction that keeps the arrow on the line? Which "zoom" level do you find to be the most user friendly?

 

Just re-read this, I must sound like a complete idiot. Maybe I need to read "The Complete Idiot's Guide To....." But really I just want to know how to use my device. I downloaded the manual but really you guys seem to be more helpful.

 

~Sandi

[+AuntieWeasel]

OK, mission accomplished! I marked my current location, then changed the coordinates to where I wanted to go. Now what? I mean do I highlight and press GOTO? And how do I follow the map? Just keep moving in the direction that keeps the arrow on the line? Which "zoom" level do you find to be the most user friendly?

 

Yep. Highlight and press GOTO and follow the arrow until you find the cache.

 

You sound exactly like me on my first day out. The nearest cache to me was two miles away, and I just followed that arrow like an idiot. It's a wonder I didn't drive right over someone's grandma.

 

In fact, for my first six months, I was a complete maroon about parking the car too early and walking. I stupidly walked over ALL KINDS of private property unnecessarily. Do yourself a favor and check out the maps ahead of time and scope out some parking.

 

As for zoom level, you're going to be going in and out depending on what you're doing. Quickest way to figure it out is to do a couple and forgive yourself in advance for making mistakes.

[+hndlbr]

Why not go to an event and rub elbows with the "experts"? Someone there will surly be able to help you.

[hoosier guy]

Go back to what StarBrand said, the first reply. You mark a waypoint by leaning on the correct button, then you go back and edit that waypoint to the coordinates for the cache. Then you go to it.

 

That's the simplest way for the absolute beginner.

 

OK, mission accomplished! I marked my current location, then changed the coordinates to where I wanted to go. Now what? I mean do I highlight and press GOTO? And how do I follow the map? Just keep moving in the direction that keeps the arrow on the line? Which "zoom" level do you find to be the most user friendly?

 

Just re-read this, I must sound like a complete idiot. Maybe I need to read "The Complete Idiot's Guide To....." But really I just want to know how to use my device. I downloaded the manual but really you guys seem to be more helpful.

 

~Sandi

 

 

 

And let us know how it goes

Edited April 25, 2010 by hoosier guy

[+Brooks Family of 3]

Add me to the eTrex Legend users. It took me about 2 weeks or so to get used to it. I use the USB to upload my coords. I've been known to mistype when I hand enter them.

 

The biggest thing I learned with mine is, once you get near the cache by using the autoroute feature is to go back to find and change it to 'off road." That will stop it from sending you in circles looking for a road while you are on foot.

 

The biggest complaint I have about mine is the non-paperless caching. But it's our first GPS and it works.

[+hndlbr]

Add me to the eTrex Legend users. It took me about 2 weeks or so to get used to it. I use the USB to upload my coords. I've been known to mistype when I hand enter them.

 

The biggest thing I learned with mine is, once you get near the cache by using the autoroute feature is to go back to find and change it to 'off road." That will stop it from sending you in circles looking for a road while you are on foot.

 

The biggest complaint I have about mine is the non-paperless caching. But it's our first GPS and it works.

[+hndlbr]

With the screen facing you there is a button on the left which is a joy stick, you use it to go up, down, left or right. On the right side you have two buttons the lower turns it on the upper changes screens. turn it on and change screens until you get one that has find and mark at the top. Use joy stick to go up and over to mark then push straight down on the joy stick. You will now have a screen that at the top is a number, scroll up to that block and push down on the joy stick. when you push down on the joy stick a bank of #'s and letters will come up and you can use the joy stick to move from # to # or to letters, you can now change the # to either a # or letter by scrolling to whichever yoy want, a name or #.. If you scroll down after hitting ok you will see a block that has coordinates, when you get there push down on joy stick to enter this field. You will see right and left arrows at the bottom which will allow you to use the joy stick to the different #'s to change the coordinets, every time you enter a # it will go to the next # until you get the coords yoy wish to follow. After you get the coord you want hit ok and scroll down you will see at the bottom "map" or "go to". if you hit map it will show these coords on a map on the screen, if you hit go to it will draw a line from where you are to the coords that you entered. All you have to do is follow that line. On the left of the gps there are two bottons at the top that allow you to scroll in and out to change the map level, if you scroll out to where you see boththe start and finish the gps will actually automaticall scroll in as you get closer. hope this helps, I do not have my gps with me but I think I have it right. You can e-mail me if you have questions. hndlbr p.s. good caching to you

Edited March 3, 2011 by hndlbr