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Garmin GPSMAP 62s Failure


jchabalk

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I've had this 62s for a year or 2 (definitely more than a year). I bought it to replace my 6 year old 60CSx that had a lot of miles on it and started to fail.

 

My uses for the 62s were as follows:

  • trail/hiking use
  • driving use (mapping/routing)
  • I have topo and city maps loaded on it
  • APRS (NMEA data send/receive in my car)

 

That's about it. I used my 60csx for exactly the same purpose for several years and it worked very well until it became unstable.

 

To be honest i've not really had much luck for - or enjoyment of - the 62s:

- the graphics and general UI are too fancy for the weak CPU in the thing rendering it slower than slow

- Its unintelligent way of picking end-points not preferring local destinations (why would i want to route to somewhere 10,000 miles away as first preference and put local destinations somewhere way down on the list)

- it's route navigation choices are... interesting (read: terrible). much different than the 60csx which i always thought worked great

 

So fast-forward to last week. We were on our way out for a week's trip, i always bring my handheld to use in the rental car. I plugged it into the computer via USB to make sure it was up to date, make sure i've got the right maps etc, that worked fine - way slower than it should be but that's to be expected with these Garmin GPSs now. The batteries were low so 4 hours later (after the maps were updated) i changed them only to realize that the set that was in it had exploded in the unit.

 

I set about cleaning it up with some alcohol and q-tips. After doing as good a job as i could the 62s is dead. It'll power off of USB but not the batteries.

 

I bought this thing at REI and am going to see what the deal with their return policy is under these circumstances. The problem is i don't think i really want another one of these.

 

Are there any other garmin units that function as the modern equivalent of the 60csx? (i feel like this is almost a rhetorical question at this point but figured i'd ask).

 

I'd really like to have the NMEA output option which seems to limit my choices.

 

I've had a good run with Garmin handhelds but i'm honestly losing my confidence in them, anyone have any suggestions?

 

UPDATE:

I wanted to clarify about the battery mess. The batteries were Duracell Ultra. They had exploded sometime since my last use, the battery material was caked on really well on and under all conductors. I use the unit probably monthly in the car, it's mostly powered via USB when i do use it in the car.

Edited by jchabalk
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Can't really help with the problem, but that's why I only use NiMh rechargeable batteries (Eneloop or Duracell Pre-Charged) or lithium batteries.

 

I believe that Duracell will repair or replace items damaged by leaking batteries. Get in contact with them.

 

+1 on the Eneloops.

The 62S is a very popular unit.....I have about a dozen GPS and its my favorite ( upgraded firmware has markedly improved these units ).....I use it mostly for geocaching and street navigation while approaching a cache. We use a Nuvi for driving guidance.

I think REI has the best return policy, thats the good news.

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I would certainly contact Duracell. Batteries should not blow up like that.

 

Like you, I switched from a 60CSx to the 62S when I smashed the old one in an ATV accident. The interfaces are a bit different so the adjustment was difficult, but now after a couple of years, I love my 62S. I couldn't imagine going back to the 60CSx.

 

I don't experience the issues you complain about. Maybe they can be addressed...

 

- the graphics and general UI are too fancy for the weak CPU in the thing rendering it slower than slow
The main thing I've found that will affect rendering is where you put the map files. I suggest placing your primary map files in internal memory for faster access. Only put auxiliary maps that you don't use much on the SD card.

 

Also turn off that annoying ribbon thing to increase perceived speed.

Menu >> Menu >> Setup >> Page Sequence >> Menu >> Page Ribbon Display >> Off

 

- Its unintelligent way of picking end-points not preferring local destinations (why would i want to route to somewhere 10,000 miles away as first preference and put local destinations somewhere way down on the list)
I don't quite understand what you mean here. Can you elaborate?

 

- it's route navigation choices are... interesting (read: terrible). much different than the 60csx which i always thought worked great
Two things can affect this. First is the maps. I'm guessing you're not using the same maps on your 62 that you used on the 60. I highly doubt they changed the algorithm. Probably the same code in every unit they make. So try different maps. I've recently switched from using Garmin's pricey maps to the free Open Street Maps. In general I've found this to be an improvement in some of the areas I travel.

 

Second, make sure your unit is set to calculate the "fastest" route vs. the "shortest" route. This can make a big difference sometimes.

Menu >> Menu >> Setup >> Routing >> Calculation Method >> Minimize Time

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Hi guys, thanks for all of the replies, i'll try to answer everything:

 

Picking Destinations:

When using the search function (menu: spell search) the list populates as you type. Due to the display most of the time you can't see the entirety of the results so once you finish typing (eg: San Francisco) you hit "done" and then scroll through all of the results for, "San Francisco" to find the "right" one. Unfortunately there are a bunch of places on the maps that i have that return for, "San Francisco," leaving it basically up to the luck of hte draw for which one i choose (whether it's correct or not). I don't know the sort algorithm they use but it doesn't appear to be based on distance, population, size or anything else i can figure out. It's really a pain when there are pages of results

 

I realize the intended use of this GPS is not necessarily to manage a bunch of city maps but they do sell you the city maps for these devices and I had much better luck with the 60csx acting much more like a car/computer direction mapper.

 

Routing Choices:

When i got the 62s i bought newer versions of the city and topo maps. I didn't install them straight away but after a month or 2 of use. I don't think the different maps made much of a difference in the routing. I've played with the preference settings several times. This 62s really seems to keep me off of main roads by constantly routing to smaller "local" roads. I've used the routing preferences to try to adjust for this but it constantly moves me off of a known highway and on to more of a local road. An example: Where i live in the SF Bay area there are 2 parallel highways (101 / 280) and 1 "local" road (El Camino Real) running north to south. When I'm driving on 280 the 62s tries to get me over to 101 at every opportunity. When i'm driving on 101 it tries to get me to El Camino Real at every opportunity. My 60csx used to play these games but i could reliably use the route "recalculate" option and it would recalculate to keep me on the highway i was on and get. I'm not sure what the recalc on the 62s does but it doesn't seem to work the same way. I've recalculated a bunch of times and it always tried to steer me to different main roads. On a trip where the destination isn't close to where the main road is it's effectively unusable as it tried to make you turn around or exit every minute. Also - determining routes and recalculating is really really slow. Like, miss-the-next-turn slow.

 

I have the unit set up using 2 different profiles, one for driving and one for hiking/geocaching etc. I have the topo maps set up for hiking/geocaching and city maps set up for driving. I have a memory card large enough to handle the maps i need and have been pretty liberal with my map loading. I did the same with the 60csx but given it's a much older unit (and maps) to amount of data was less. I think though that i'm using the 62s to approximately the same ends as i did the 60csx and the 60csx worked great for years and was reliable as could be. Granted i'm probably using this GPS a bit outside of its sweet-spot but i'm not doing anything with it that it wasn't designed - or at least marketed - to do.

 

Duracell Batteries / Rechargeable Batteries :

I use NiMH batteries but i keep a set of alkalines in the glove box in case i need them. We were on a long trip and i used my supply of rechargeables (so then you have to set the battery type in the system menu etc). Once i put the alakalines in i usually use them until they're done and then go back to the NiMH. I made a bunch of pictures before cleaning the unit out, i've heard that Duracell will repair/replace devices that batteries explode in and am going to look into it too.

 

I usually have the 62s plugged in via USB in the car and use the batteries when i'm walking around. I don't leave the AAs in when they're low/dead but i also don't use them much, or it cycles between USB and battery for short periods when i turn the car off etc. So it's possible they were low for a time. The first time the unit alerted about low batteries was the other night when i was updating my maps.

 

I'd be interested in getting one of their car GPSs for driving and using the 62s for hiking but none of the car GPSs support the NMEA data i need for APRS (unless i'm missing something - and i haven't looked in a little while). Thanks again, i really appreciate all of the information!

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So, REI is pretty great. I called their support line today and told them what happened. Without hesitation they told me to just bring it to the store and they'd replace it no questions asked. I went over this afternoon and left with a new unit about 10 minutes later.

 

I've got a support email out to Garmin now asking them to re-key my city maps to the new unit - that'll probably take a day or two.

 

Given my experience with this unit I might re-think my use a little bit and not load it up as much as I had, we'll see..

 

Any strategy you guys use when setting these things up?

 

I tend to load up as many relevant maps as I have space for. My 60CSx was able to handle that without issue (it was also capable of holding significantly fewer maps).

That didn't really suit the 62s so well.

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There are a couple possibilities. One is the 78, which is like the 62 with a real NMEA interface (old-school, 4 pin connector), and the 640, which is more suited for a car than for handheld usage.

I've had a 62ST for a while now, and I tried a few times to get it to spit out NMEA data, but with no luck. I'm glad to see that somebody has had success with it.

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i was a bit skeptical of the USB based NMEA output in my car. I have a couple of connectors i installed a while ago when i used my 60csx that plumb the GPS into my APRS radio and also give me switchable power back to the GPS unit.

 

For the 62s it was just a matter of getting the garmin usb//barewire cable for the 62s and putting the connectors on it. (I use a round DC plug for the power and a 1/8" TRS for the data send/receive)

 

Worked like a charm - unfortunately the garmin cable has the usb connector sitting at a 90 degree angle which seems to be purpose built for a different unit (not the 62s) so the orientation of the plug is exactly 180 degrees wrong for the 62 series. Due to that my cable length isn't as clean as it would be but is totally functional. Once i get this all settled i'll probably make up another one.

 

This is the cable i used: (note the picture reflects a straight USB end which they don't actually make, it's oriented as a right angle connector (the wrong way for the 62)))

 

http://www.tigergps.com/garminsdc62.html

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There are a couple possibilities. One is the 78, which is like the 62 with a real NMEA interface (old-school, 4 pin connector), and the 640, which is more suited for a car than for handheld usage.

I've had a 62ST for a while now, and I tried a few times to get it to spit out NMEA data, but with no luck. I'm glad to see that somebody has had success with it.

 

Really for APRS the 78 series (or the old 76/60 series) with the round "4 pin" connector can't be beat.

Power and data all in one plug.

 

I have a 76CSx and a 78S which I use interchangeably in a small "camera bag" APRS portable rig. Very neat cable application which I can run both radio and GPS on their own batteries or carry a small 5 amp hr 12 v sealed lead acid battery, in the case also, to power both simultaneously.

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Grasscatcher - thanks for the note about the 640 (and 620 i guess too). I wasn't familiar with those units, i guess i should pay closer attention to the marine GPSs. That 640 is probably exactly what i'm looking for for my use in the car. It's a bit expensive but might just be the ticket. As i've been considering other solutions to this i've also thought about using the 62s for trails, hiking etc, getting a NUVI for driving directions and getting one of those Garmin fleet GPS receivers to hardwire to my APRS radio. Those things would all be good point solutions in and of themselves but things start to get a bit excessive gadget-wise when going that route (And i lose the ability for the radio to mark waypoints on my nav unit.

 

In my experience over the last year or so using the USB / NMEA buffer that garmin makes - it's every bit as reliable as the round 4-pin connector I used on my 60CSx. It also provides power and data with one connections.

 

The only downsides I've found (which may or may not apply):

- USB connection isn't waterproof (not a concern for my current use) whereas the 4-pin is IPX7 i think

- USB connection is more fragile. If you're constantly plugging / unplugging it it'll break at some point (probably years down the road). For my use this isn't much of a concern

 

There are some upsides in terms of transfer speed (still slow via usb) and compatibility - no more need for the computer USB -> DB9 adapter, the driver mess that goes along with it sometimes and general cable availability. None of those were ever real concerns for me either but they could be depending on your situation.

 

I reformatted my MicroSD card on my 62s last night and loaded up some gpsfiledepot topos to it. I think i'll build up my collection of maps on it slowly and try to see where it starts falling apart performance-wise.

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Hi guys, thanks for all of the replies, i'll try to answer everything:

 

Picking Destinations:

When using the search function (menu: spell search) the list populates as you type. Due to the display most of the time you can't see the entirety of the results so once you finish typing (eg: San Francisco) you hit "done" and then scroll through all of the results for, "San Francisco" to find the "right" one. Unfortunately there are a bunch of places on the maps that i have that return for, "San Francisco," leaving it basically up to the luck of hte draw for which one i choose (whether it's correct or not). I don't know the sort algorithm they use but it doesn't appear to be based on distance, population, size or anything else i can figure out. It's really a pain when there are pages of results

 

I realize the intended use of this GPS is not necessarily to manage a bunch of city maps but they do sell you the city maps for these devices and I had much better luck with the 60csx acting much more like a car/computer direction mapper.

 

I'm about 50km from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. I do a city search for Waterloo and the first 2 choices that come up are Waterloo, Nova Scotia and Waterloo, Ohio

 

8217962783_1fe480dbdf_n.jpg

 

The full list is: Waterloo, NS; Waterloo, OH; Waterloo, ON (46km); Waterloo, IA (992km); Waterloo, IL (1012km); Waterloo, NY (283km); Waterloo, QC (648km)

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YES! This is exactly what i'm talking about. There are a lot of situations too where the list is longer and the desitnations aren't even as clearly evident as in the example provided by the LoneR.

 

The way the text display works too if i remember correctly it shows however many characters it shows and just truncates when it gets to the end. In an example like, "San Francisco, CA" you only get a partial line, something like, "San Francisc" so the distance from destination that it shows is the only thing that helps you know which destination to pick without actually: a) selecting one b ) routing to it c) waiting for it to calculate d) checking some detail of the route to know it's wrong e) realizing it's the wrong destination f) reentering the name again, g) goto a..

 

It's not very user friendly to say the least and it gets worse the more maps you install. What I often do if it's a long drive is just route to the city i'm going to which is sometimes better, many times worse given the installed base map has a catalog of a ton of cities. Before you know it i've got to choose between a bunch of cites in Europe when i'm trying to go somewhere ~200 miles from me in California.

 

etc...

Edited by jchabalk
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thanks, i know that'll work and reduce some of the problems but when you have a large area of the city maps installed the problem persists.

 

The usability problems I have stem from the fact that it's such a hassle to update the unit with new maps, it takes so long, so i have a large memory card and i've loaded the city maps up on it. Having a lot of maps on it makes the GPS a little more 'grab and go' compatible for me.

 

I might try limiting the city maps to just my local area and try to update when i know i'll be going on a trip and see how that works for me for a while. It usually ends up being a pretty inconvienent chore.

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OMG !,

 

The truth FINALLY comes out!.....the MAJOR PROBLEM turns out to be just a small matter of convenience!!

 

Good grief....just type a couple more letters in the name.Don't multiple,multiple,multiple choices disappear ?..........

 

That's faster than manually searching in a list. You've personally chosen to greatly expand the database.

How can you expect ANY software to read your mind?

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I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not. I appreciate your feedback grasscatcher - if you don't think there's a problem there's no need to reply.

 

The problem isn't typing more characters. once you've typed all the characters - entered the entire name - there's still sometimes more than a screen of options and the correct choice is unclear without going through the mess i outlined in a previous post to figure out what the right destination is.

 

The inconvenience part is when you want to take the GPS and use it but instead you have to plug it into the computer to load maps and then it takes an hour or more to actually copy them to the unit. Or even worse, when you forget to load maps. There's plenty of space on the GPS and it's supposed to be about to support the entire CityMaps installation but it gets unusable.

 

I've been a garmin user for 12 or so years now and am familiar with the shortcomings of using these handhelds in the way that I'm using them. My query about the searching/routing stems from the idea that the 62 series doesn't do as good a job with search/routing as past units have. I'm wondering if there's anything i should be doing differently with it - and it sounds like there's isn't.

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Sorry if I came across as an AH.

 

Think about this.....only install your "most used" maps on the unit itself.

 

For other "less traveled" maps, put them in acceptable sized groups on another (or individual multiple other) micro card(s). Using a card reader, you can install maps to a card faster than plugging the GPS into your computer.

 

When you are going to a new area, just change out the card to a different one. Back to the original area? Change back to the original one.Hardly takes any longer than changing batteries.

 

Multiple smaller capacity cards quite often are cheaper than a single large capacity card. On a trip, tape extras in a plastic case on the back of your unit or carry in your wallet.

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While we are on the topic of 62s trouble, has anyone experienced driving route problems where the GPS guides you to a spot midway on a road then points 90 degrees to your destination across a river with no bridge to get across? I've also had this happen where the GPS points 90 degrees across a farm field with no road for miles to cross to the other side. I've had my 62s for 18 months. This problem has happened about a dozen times. I've upgraded the firmware a few weeks ago and had it happen once since then. I don't ever recall having that problem with my 60Cx.

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Sorry if I came across as an AH.

Think about this.....only install your "most used" maps on the unit itself.

For other "less traveled" maps, put them in acceptable sized groups on another (or individual multiple other) micro card(s). Using a card reader, you can install maps to a card faster than plugging the GPS into your computer.

When you are going to a new area, just change out the card to a different one. Back to the original area? Change back to the original one.Hardly takes any longer than changing batteries.

Multiple smaller capacity cards quite often are cheaper than a single large capacity card. On a trip, tape extras in a plastic case on the back of your unit or carry in your wallet.

 

Grasscatcher - i think this is a great idea. It's a hassle but a relatively small one and i think will make the unit way more usable in the long run.

I looked around a little and small capacity microSD cards are cheap (i'm also pretty sure that if i dig around my desk i can find enough old ones to make this work too).

 

I heard back from Garmin today, they switched my city maps license over from my old broken unit to my new replacement GPS. It seems like they also gave me a current City Maps update which i'm downloading now. I think that's a pretty nice thing to do and i really appreciate it. A positive customer service experience is really a great thing and very few companies practice it any more. I'll keep updating this thread about the goings on here.

 

For a while now i've been wondering about Garmin - in this market segment at least they really seem to suffer now more than ever from the innovators dilemma. At times i've had their back and alternatively have been ready to write them off. They're certainly losing huge market share in this consumer space from smart phones and they don't seem to have a viable response - or at least they haven't for a few years.

 

I really hope they push through and make a generation of innovative GPSr's that push the consumer market forward. Good customer service is a great way for companies to maintain and Garmin seems to be doing a great job at that. It's one necessary step of many but a solid step.

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While we are on the topic of 62s trouble, has anyone experienced driving route problems where the GPS guides you to a spot midway on a road then points 90 degrees to your destination across a river with no bridge to get across? I've also had this happen where the GPS points 90 degrees across a farm field with no road for miles to cross to the other side. I've had my 62s for 18 months. This problem has happened about a dozen times. I've upgraded the firmware a few weeks ago and had it happen once since then. I don't ever recall having that problem with my 60Cx.

 

What is your Routing Activity set to when this happens?

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For a while now i've been wondering about Garmin - in this market segment at least they really seem to suffer now more than ever from the innovators dilemma. At times i've had their back and alternatively have been ready to write them off. They're certainly losing huge market share in this consumer space from smart phones and they don't seem to have a viable response - or at least they haven't for a few years.

 

I really hope they push through and make a generation of innovative GPSr's that push the consumer market forward. Good customer service is a great way for companies to maintain and Garmin seems to be doing a great job at that. It's one necessary step of many but a solid step.

 

I approached Garmin last year with some very unique concepts to keep them more mainstream while expanding market share with innovative product line updates, and they politely declined without showing any interest in my ideas.

 

Apparently Garmin is perfectly happy playing it very safe.

Edited by Atlas Cached
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yes Atlas, this is what will lead to their eventual - and it's looking like not too long from now - failure in this segment, consumer GPSr or whatever they would call it. Or maybe more likely the segment disappears completely and Garmin isn't part of the next iteration.

 

At this point in their growth and with all the writing on the wall it almost has to be a calculated business strategy. As an (at times) passionate advocate for them i personally find their current line-up modestly functional yet disappointing - not innovative, not moving the ball forward, lots of missed opportunities. With their strong install base and other passionate users like yourself and many others on these and other forums there's no doubt it's theirs to lose.

 

The book I linked to in my last post is an interesting read - if you've got the appetite i would recommend it. It's a quick read - the examples in the book are the floppy and hard-drive industry in the 80s/90s but it's directly applicable to the current consumer GPS market (the question to ask yourself is: how many floppy drive makers are still out there? how are the spinning media hard-drive manufacturers going to do over the next 2 years?)

 

Happy trails to all!

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While we are on the topic of 62s trouble, has anyone experienced driving route problems where the GPS guides you to a spot midway on a road then points 90 degrees to your destination across a river with no bridge to get across? I've also had this happen where the GPS points 90 degrees across a farm field with no road for miles to cross to the other side. I've had my 62s for 18 months. This problem has happened about a dozen times. I've upgraded the firmware a few weeks ago and had it happen once since then. I don't ever recall having that problem with my 60Cx.

 

What is your Routing Activity set to when this happens?

 

I went into my Set Up and looked at Routing. It said "Lock On Road: No". Was that my problem? I changed it to "Lock On Road: Yes".

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While we are on the topic of 62s trouble, has anyone experienced driving route problems where the GPS guides you to a spot midway on a road then points 90 degrees to your destination across a river with no bridge to get across? I've also had this happen where the GPS points 90 degrees across a farm field with no road for miles to cross to the other side. I've had my 62s for 18 months. This problem has happened about a dozen times. I've upgraded the firmware a few weeks ago and had it happen once since then. I don't ever recall having that problem with my 60Cx.

 

What is your Routing Activity set to when this happens?

 

I went into my Set Up and looked at Routing. It said "Lock On Road: No". Was that my problem? I changed it to "Lock On Road: Yes".

 

What was the ACTIVITY?

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While we are on the topic of 62s trouble, has anyone experienced driving route problems where the GPS guides you to a spot midway on a road then points 90 degrees to your destination across a river with no bridge to get across? I've also had this happen where the GPS points 90 degrees across a farm field with no road for miles to cross to the other side. I've had my 62s for 18 months. This problem has happened about a dozen times. I've upgraded the firmware a few weeks ago and had it happen once since then. I don't ever recall having that problem with my 60Cx.

 

What is your Routing Activity set to when this happens?

 

I went into my Set Up and looked at Routing. It said "Lock On Road: No". Was that my problem? I changed it to "Lock On Road: Yes".

 

What was the ACTIVITY?

 

Thanks. It was on Automobile Driving.

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While we are on the topic of 62s trouble, has anyone experienced driving route problems where the GPS guides you to a spot midway on a road then points 90 degrees to your destination across a river with no bridge to get across? I've also had this happen where the GPS points 90 degrees across a farm field with no road for miles to cross to the other side. I've had my 62s for 18 months. This problem has happened about a dozen times. I've upgraded the firmware a few weeks ago and had it happen once since then. I don't ever recall having that problem with my 60Cx.

 

What is your Routing Activity set to when this happens?

 

I went into my Set Up and looked at Routing. It said "Lock On Road: No". Was that my problem? I changed it to "Lock On Road: Yes".

 

What was the ACTIVITY?

 

Thanks. It was on Automobile Driving.

 

Thank You.

 

I have seen exactly the route style you describe, with the sharp (90') turn and no apparent thought given to terrain or streets or paths etc..

 

But, each time I have seen this occur, I was using hiking or mountaineering as the Activity.

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