Garmin 62 Compass

[+G & E]

So I now have a Garmin 62 and I noticed on the compass page that there are two compasses. I realize that I can remove the small one and customize the screen, but there must be a reason for two compasses, especially to make it the default setting. Can anybody tell me why there are two compasses on the compass screen? Does the little one do something different than the big one?

[+dfx]

you're looking at the geocaching dashboard on the compass screen. the big main compass will always point towards your selected destination, while the small one (which is part of the dashboard) will only do that if the selected destination is actually a geocache. for anything else it will just point to the nearest geocache, and that will include the distance shown.

[+G & E]

you're looking at the geocaching dashboard on the compass screen. the big main compass will always point towards your selected destination, while the small one (which is part of the dashboard) will only do that if the selected destination is actually a geocache. for anything else it will just point to the nearest geocache, and that will include the distance shown.

 

So is this a form of poximity pointer? If I am navigating to a geocache, they will both point to the geocache, but if I am not, the small one will point to the nearest geocache while the big one does nothing. I'm trying to see the practical side of this. Lets say I'm not navigating to a geocache but using it to navigate to a location in the city. If, while on-route, I pass near a geocache, it sounds like the small compass will tell me that.

 

Have you an example of when you've used this feature or found it helpful. I'm sure it must be useful but perhaps I just need time to see for myself.

[+dfx]

Have you an example of when you've used this feature or found it helpful.

 

never

 

first i thought the dashboard is really cool because it's got the shortcut button to the geocache menu, but then i got as confused about its behavior as you are/were. i wouldn't mind having a second compass that points elsewhere when i'm navigating to a waypoint, but the distance shown will also not be correct and that makes this dashboard utterly useless to me. i use the "small data fields" dashboard instead.

[+G & E]

Have you an example of when you've used this feature or found it helpful.

 

never

 

first i thought the dashboard is really cool because it's got the shortcut button to the geocache menu, but then i got as confused about its behavior as you are/were. i wouldn't mind having a second compass that points elsewhere when i'm navigating to a waypoint, but the distance shown will also not be correct and that makes this dashboard utterly useless to me. i use the "small data fields" dashboard instead.

 

That's Garmin for you. They get so close to excellence and then blow it. Oh well. Maybe someday there will be a firmware update that will really make the feature meaningful.

[+TheRedArmy]

glad someone or everyone else finds the GEO dashboard absolutely USELESS.

[+G & E]

glad someone or everyone else finds the GEO dashboard absolutely USELESS.

 

There must be something that the programers at Garmin had in mind with the double compasses but I just don't see it.