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Magellan eXplorist GC update v2.15 released


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Spent a whole morning updating to 2.15 and resetting the geocache found counts and found geocaches with help from some previous posts. Something i really feel the update should have set for me. The map is better and there are some nice features but it is a lot slower to respond to button presses to the point that you are not sure if you have pressed or not. The GPS accuracy does not seem quite so good or responsive when approaching a geocache either. Although to be fair I have only tried it on one that I knew where it was, but displayed 20 FT when I was right on top of it. Count in the dashboard does not increment either but someone else mentioned this.

 

Has anyone found out how to find child waypoints for a geocache as this option (menu after you select geocache) has disappeared from v1.7 to 2.15 and is something you really need with multi caches as the child waypoints contain the locations and description of questions you need to answer.

 

Overall not that impressed so far and seriously thinking about reinstalling v1.7 from the backup I did before installing 2.15

 

There was a 1.8 release if you really want to go back....

 

Yes, 2.15 is a monster! Huge, bloated, and battery-hungry! (You'll notice battery consumption is 2.5X what it was under 1.7. Also your computer will occasionally complain that the device will run faster on a USB 2.0 port. Ignore it..)

The detailed map is far better! Even found, in the latest releases of VantagePoint, it will import the map from the GC, for it's own use.)

 

Here's a step by step.

 

To Add a Waypoint, if you're on the map, at the stage you've just found, click the Menu button

 

Scroll down 8 selections, to [Add a Waypoint].. click the joy-button

 

it'll give a name, distance, description, and Location menu..

 

Press the Joy Button twice when on the waypoint name, to edit it. (scroll to the checkmark to exit)

 

Scroll down to location, click the joy button

 

scroll down once more to Location, Then Press the Menu button scroll down 2 selections to Edit, click the joy button.

 

It will show your present location. scroll to the area you want to edit, click the joy button, and up/down scroll the numbers, left-right to which one to change. joy-button click inward to set the numbers once entered.

 

scroll down to the [OK] selection, click Back once,

 

Scroll down once, to select the Diskette image, and joy-button click in once to save it.

 

Click the back menu until you're at the main page, and go to the waypoint selection, choose the new waypoint, and then

Joy-button click on it, press Menu, It'll still be on route to the 1st stage, so cancel route, click menu again, and then click GO on the waypoint.

 

I know, L-O-N-G & CoNfUsInG! I learned how to do this out in the field, when tracking a Multi.. it was BONKERS!

 

Got annoyed with it just too many bugs and missing features from 1.7 to 2.15.

Tracks turns itself on everytime you select a geocache

no easy way to view child waypoints

battery life was about 90 minutes (this could be partly due to the tracks turning on all the time)

count does not increment

lots of missing menu items

Not outweighed by better map!

 

Reinstalled v1.7 from the backup I took. Simply delete all on the device and copy the files from my backup on the PC back to the device. All worked well and I now have a geocache device that works.

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Just a question regarding the 2.15 Firmware update. If you do the update and change your mind can you simply copy back the files you backed up prior to the install of 2.15. What I'm trying to clarify is whether or not the install of 2.15 writes to a memory chip or EPROM or the like, which we the user cannot see when we look into the GPSr's files. If there are no other files other than those showing in the GPSr's directory, then you could make a backup of 2.15 and swap backwards and forwards whenever you thought the older version or newer for that matter was better.

Am I off track ?

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Spent a whole morning updating to 2.15 and resetting the geocache found counts and found geocaches with help from some previous posts. Something i really feel the update should have set for me. The map is better and there are some nice features but it is a lot slower to respond to button presses to the point that you are not sure if you have pressed or not. The GPS accuracy does not seem quite so good or responsive when approaching a geocache either. Although to be fair I have only tried it on one that I knew where it was, but displayed 20 FT when I was right on top of it. Count in the dashboard does not increment either but someone else mentioned this.

 

Has anyone found out how to find child waypoints for a geocache as this option (menu after you select geocache) has disappeared from v1.7 to 2.15 and is something you really need with multi caches as the child waypoints contain the locations and description of questions you need to answer.

 

Overall not that impressed so far and seriously thinking about reinstalling v1.7 from the backup I did before installing 2.15

 

There was a 1.8 release if you really want to go back....

 

Yes, 2.15 is a monster! Huge, bloated, and battery-hungry! (You'll notice battery consumption is 2.5X what it was under 1.7. Also your computer will occasionally complain that the device will run faster on a USB 2.0 port. Ignore it..)

The detailed map is far better! Even found, in the latest releases of VantagePoint, it will import the map from the GC, for it's own use.)

 

Here's a step by step.

 

To Add a Waypoint, if you're on the map, at the stage you've just found, click the Menu button

 

Scroll down 8 selections, to [Add a Waypoint].. click the joy-button

 

it'll give a name, distance, description, and Location menu..

 

Press the Joy Button twice when on the waypoint name, to edit it. (scroll to the checkmark to exit)

 

Scroll down to location, click the joy button

 

scroll down once more to Location, Then Press the Menu button scroll down 2 selections to Edit, click the joy button.

 

It will show your present location. scroll to the area you want to edit, click the joy button, and up/down scroll the numbers, left-right to which one to change. joy-button click inward to set the numbers once entered.

 

scroll down to the [OK] selection, click Back once,

 

Scroll down once, to select the Diskette image, and joy-button click in once to save it.

 

Click the back menu until you're at the main page, and go to the waypoint selection, choose the new waypoint, and then

Joy-button click on it, press Menu, It'll still be on route to the 1st stage, so cancel route, click menu again, and then click GO on the waypoint.

 

I know, L-O-N-G & CoNfUsInG! I learned how to do this out in the field, when tracking a Multi.. it was BONKERS!

 

Got annoyed with it just too many bugs and missing features from 1.7 to 2.15.

Tracks turns itself on everytime you select a geocache

no easy way to view child waypoints

battery life was about 90 minutes (this could be partly due to the tracks turning on all the time)

count does not increment

lots of missing menu items

Not outweighed by better map!

 

Reinstalled v1.7 from the backup I took. Simply delete all on the device and copy the files from my backup on the PC back to the device. All worked well and I now have a geocache device that works.

 

When you say that battery life is only about 90 mins, have you looked at the type of battery you are using, and made sure that the information on the GPS is the same? I thought battery life was short at one point, but it turns out I was using alkaline batteries, but the GPSr thought I was using lithium batteries. Mind you, when walking from cache to cache, I do put the GPSr in suspend mode.

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I just wanted to let people know. I upgraded from V1.8 to V2.15 and although the GPSr is slightly slower the enhancements of the better MAP makes the issues insignificant. With the old maps that had insufficient streets you would end up with rows of houses etc between you and the Cache. With 2.15 you at least know where the roads are which gives some method to navigate to the cache. I have also noticed that when it tells you to change batteries if you ignore it the GPSr lasts at least another hour. I haven't tested how long it will go but I have got to the hour, without any problems.

I would definitely recommend V2.15

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I hooked up my magellan gc to my new windows 8, and it crashed. now i only have a gray screen. i called magellan, and they said that this happens with some of their ExGC and not others....no rhyme or reason...and that there was no fix. they offered to sell me another one at a reduced cost (actually the same cost as at cabellas online), but could not guarantee i looked on the Groundspeak forums and tried everything...i my gc. does anyone know how to fix this?

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Hi,

Totally new here. Just got a Magellan eXplorist GC, and as I'm in the process of getting used to it, I saw there was a way to "cross-grade" it to a 310 model. I was planning on doing that, but it appears this firmware (2.15) brings many new features. Does this provide the same functionality now as the 310? Any recommendations either way?

 

Thank you!

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