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Garmin Monterra Compass Mis-calibrated


yogazoo

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I going to try to re-calibrate mine tomorrow and see. I was hopeful until I saw your guys posts...

 

I reported all the bugs that I found one by one to garmin by email and I will continue to report as I find:

compass does not point to my destination

saving of navigation voice of none is not saved after unit is restarted

labels of waypoints not shown on the map

my geocache logs were showing html tags (but this mysteriously disappeared on me)

found geocaches are not removed from list and when I save a filter of "Not Found", it flips back to All geocaches

not hearing beep on active route screen (they gave me directions on this one, but I have not tested out in the field yet)

 

For these items, I was directed to garmin ideas, which I take to mean, you're SOL. But I reported them there anyway.

1) I could not find geocache find count

2) Bigger icon capability

3) One shortcut button for Stop Navigation

4) One shortcut button for Track Log On and another shortcut button for Track Log Off

 

I have not been able to use the monterra to find a cache yet due to the compass issue.

Edited by Kris32
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I uploaded the update and went for a walk with it and simultaneously compared it to an Oregon 650. I found that when reading the heading on the Geocaching Dashboard, both units would be pointing to the same bearing, however the Monterra's compass was oriented wrong versus the correct orientation of the Oregon. Also, although the Monterra wiki indicates it is now resolved, the issue surrounding "The Geocaching Dashboard does not update the nearest geocache while moving. [03DEC13] [2.20_1.15.00] [Resolved 2.20_1.16.00]" is still definitely an issue.

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I going to try to re-calibrate mine tomorrow and see. I was hopeful until I saw your guys posts...

. . . .

For these items, I was directed to garmin ideas, which I take to mean, you're SOL. But I reported them there anyway.

1) I could not find geocache find count

2) Bigger icon capability

3) One shortcut button for Stop Navigation

4) One shortcut button for Track Log On and another shortcut button for Track Log Off

 

I have not been able to use the monterra to find a cache yet due to the compass issue.

Are you aware that you can do #3 & #4 using the Notifications swipe-down from any screen.

 

Screenshot_2013-12-17-21-01-46.png

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Thanks. I have seen that in the notifications. I didn't know it was from any screen though. This is probably just me trying to transition from the montana and things I miss. Although if the compass remains off, I won't be transitioning from the montana! :)

 

Non-geocaching issue I had last night with the FM Radio. All I got was extra loud static/fuzz (glad the earbuds were NOT in my ear). The "fix" for this was to toggle my volumes up and down. Just a heads up and watch your ears warning for others.

Edited by Kris32
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As far as I am concerned the Garmin Monterra is a full-featured Wi-Fi enabled GPS navigator that actually combines the powerful mapping with the versatility of Android. Getting an Android app for Monterra on Google Play, including PeakFinder, star constellation charts and ballistic calculator. That's the utmost knowledge I have about the same , The listed thread is very informative as well.

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Just a note to all of you trying to calibrate the start of the calibration is with the unit positioned like it would be on a wall and rotated clockwise approx two times then proceed. Look closely at the shadow on the bottom of the compass rotation page

 

Hmmm. I never tried that one. I'll give it a go right now. Thanks!

 

Ooops. Sorry for the double post.

 

Edited

 

Tried the update..Failed. I also tried calibrating it on the wall...failed. I'll keep trying several times before I give up on this thing. Dang 750.00 paper weight. lol.

 

I did a Factory Reset to my Monterra which is very time consuming to recover from since everything gets scrubbed from the unit (remover your SD Card). The Compass is now passable and no appreciable drift.

 

 

I guess I'm going to have to try this. lame... :(

 

I know the compass is really messed up but has anyone lined their pointer up on a map? It's way off guys....still with the update...way off. TO test. Line your device up to run parallel with a known street. The device should show an obvious 60 degree off. Please confirm for those that have tried the update.

 

Also: This is the worst calibration tutorial ever! The second you finish with one calibration, it immediately moves into calibration to another direction without giving you time to stop calibrating it the other way. :sad::grin:

 

Update after factory reset and update:

 

After I installed the update, I was surprised to see the compass without a calibration was much more in line with Magnetic North; however, after the calibration it was as if I never installed the update. It's as if, there's a strong piece of metal in the device causing it to pull the pointer or north to the right.(just thinking outside the box here).

 

Try this:

 

Just for fun, turn the screen off then turn it on keeping it steady. Notice how the pointer defaults to about the correct direction but then starts drifting 10 degrees east. Weird.

Edited by Slinger05
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I did a factory reset, reinstalled the update, and recalibrated with no improvement in compass behavior at all. Weird. I'm just at a loss since our hardware and software are exactly the same. I can't make any sense of it. DRTBYK, did you do a compass calibration after reset? Slinger5 and I did and and got the same result. Maybe the calibration cycle is what's screwing it up? Aside from that I'm at a loss.

 

If we can get others to perform a factory reset, update reinstall, and compass calibration we can improve our sample size.

 

Slinger5, you're correct in your observation of the "drift". When you enter the compass app at first it's only a little off. It then begins to drift to about 60 degrees off of actual orientation.

Edited by yogazoo
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After installing the 1.16 update and preforming a Factory Reset (dadgum), the Compass WAS holding steady and only about 5deg's off actual Magnetic. I have now preformed three Compass Calibrations and the Compass App is now 30deg's off Magnetic. This is with the Display Backlight turned Off.

 

What I find really interesting is that other Compass Apps are now off in the opposite direction. Whereas they were aligned to Magnetic before the update.

 

Rather bazaar to say the least.

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I'm leaning toward the same conclusion. I noticed that when the Compass App is running and the unit goes to Sleep Mode, when the unit is turned back ON the Compass is initially set at 15deg from the correct heading. But, this is only for a moment then it jumps to the offset and might drift back just a little. It does eventually hold it's offset condition.

 

So, with the Monterra laying flat and pointing toward Mag North turn on the Compass App. Mine starts at 345º and then drifts to 315º. If I place the unit in Sleep Mode for a few seconds and then turn it back on it shows 345º for a second and then jumps to the offset with a small amount of drift back before stabilizing again at 315º. If I place the unit so it is aligned to 90º magnetic, the same scenario takes place when the unit goes to Sleep and is wakened. It starts at 75º and jumps to 45º maybe a little more then drifts back to 45º.

Edited by DRTBYK
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Tonight I'm going to try and calibrate with the screen light off and see if that helps at all. I'd say if it does or the compass doesn't move in backlight mode being off then I think it's safe to say it's hardware defect. I hate to think that but anyone want to test calibration with the backlight off?

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I'm hoping this is just a software issue since it seems that pretty much across the board everyone has issues. This is indeed a global forum and there hasn't been a single peep from anyone that has a working compass. If reports start trickling in that there are correctly working compasses out there in one geographic region or another then Garmin will have a logistic kerfuffle to deal with in tracking down the faulty batch and replacing them.

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No go on calibration with backlight off. :( Now, I'm getting concerned because I bought this at REI and I'm getting super close to a 30 day return policy. I think I'm almost convinced it's hardware only because it drifts. If you think of it from a logical perspective, the drift is the unknown variable. They can force calibrate all they want but it drifts for a reason. They can't possibly account for a drift because it will either start out wrong then drift to correct position or start out right and drift out of calibration. I think we should take a vote on whether to return or not. I'm probably returning tonight to be honest. I don't want to be part of the hassle of waiting for Garmin to recall the item and then having to mail the brick back, only to wait to receive a new one. :(

 

Edit.

 

Well I couldn't stand it any longer. I strongly think it's hardware because of the drift. I returned it about 5 minutes ago. I can always buy another once they fix it but I can't depend on this device while hiking. I actually went hiking with this 3 weeks ago and at the time didn't know it was off and was so confused when I got off the trail. I kept seeing the pointer point towards a terrain feature that I knew I was pointing at. NowI uunderstand it wasn't me, it was the pointer and map being off. I'll be checking this thread quite a bit until I get solid confirmation the calibration and drift are corrected. Good luck guys.

Edited by Slinger05
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No go on calibration with backlight off. :( Now, I'm getting concerned because I bought this at REI and I'm getting super close to a 30 day return policy. I think I'm almost convinced it's hardware only because it drifts. If you think of it from a logical perspective, the drift is the unknown variable. They can force calibrate all they want but it drifts for a reason. They can't possibly account for a drift because it will either start out wrong then drift to correct position or start out right and drift out of calibration. I think we should take a vote on whether to return or not. I'm probably returning tonight to be honest. I don't want to be part of the hassle of waiting for Garmin to recall the item and then having to mail the brick back, only to wait to receive a new one. :(

 

Edit.

 

Well I couldn't stand it any longer. I strongly think it's hardware because of the drift. I returned it about 5 minutes ago. I can always buy another once they fix it but I can't depend on this device while hiking. I actually went hiking with this 3 weeks ago and at the time didn't know it was off and was so confused when I got off the trail. I kept seeing the pointer point towards a terrain feature that I knew I was pointing at. NowI uunderstand it wasn't me, it was the pointer and map being off. I'll be checking this thread quite a bit until I get solid confirmation the calibration and drift are corrected. Good luck guys.

 

I thought REI had a one year policy. Is it different for GPS units?

 

"100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

We stand behind everything we sell. If you are not satisfied with your REI purchase, you can return it for a replacement or refund. Items must be returned within a year of purchase, except items purchased from REI-OUTLET (with a .73 price ending) which must be returned within 30 days of purchase."

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No go on calibration with backlight off. :( Now, I'm getting concerned because I bought this at REI and I'm getting super close to a 30 day return policy. I think I'm almost convinced it's hardware only because it drifts. If you think of it from a logical perspective, the drift is the unknown variable. They can force calibrate all they want but it drifts for a reason. They can't possibly account for a drift because it will either start out wrong then drift to correct position or start out right and drift out of calibration. I think we should take a vote on whether to return or not. I'm probably returning tonight to be honest. I don't want to be part of the hassle of waiting for Garmin to recall the item and then having to mail the brick back, only to wait to receive a new one. :(

 

Edit.

 

Well I couldn't stand it any longer. I strongly think it's hardware because of the drift. I returned it about 5 minutes ago. I can always buy another once they fix it but I can't depend on this device while hiking. I actually went hiking with this 3 weeks ago and at the time didn't know it was off and was so confused when I got off the trail. I kept seeing the pointer point towards a terrain feature that I knew I was pointing at. NowI uunderstand it wasn't me, it was the pointer and map being off. I'll be checking this thread quite a bit until I get solid confirmation the calibration and drift are corrected. Good luck guys.

 

I thought REI had a one year policy. Is it different for GPS units?

 

"100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

We stand behind everything we sell. If you are not satisfied with your REI purchase, you can return it for a replacement or refund. Items must be returned within a year of purchase, except items purchased from REI-OUTLET (with a .73 price ending) which must be returned within 30 days of purchase."

 

Correct.....one year.

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I think the Monterra is going to get some unfortunate person lost.

 

My compass still jumps on the move (and I noticed so does the icon for your moving car on the map). I could not use the compass screen to find a cache, the red arrow sends me somewhere else.

 

This bug is just awful now:

Choosing a destination and selecting [Go] with [settings > Garmin > Routing > Activity > Direct] selected results in data fields 'DIST TO NEXT' and 'DIST TO DEST' displaying '--m' or '--ft' until the routing activity is changed. Choosing a destination and selecting [Go] with any other routing activity selected and then changing routing activity to 'Direct' has no adverse affect on the data fields. [wiki] [19DEC13] [2.20_1.16.00]

 

I normally flip from direct/auto/direct/auto, etc on my way to the cache and then to find the cache. So ran into this alot today. So not only does it point me in the wrong direction to walk, I have nothing telling me the distance to go to get there.

 

I'm thinking of going Slinger05's route. The behavior is unacceptable, especially given the unit cost.

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Installed GOA 1.16.00 I can calibrate compass -- it failed in 1.15 before update.

 

Compass still way off and drifts.

 

3rd party app "Nice Compass" is accurate.

 

1.16 update allows you to feel better after calibrating your non-functional compass.

 

Maybe on the next update? :(

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I believe he wondered if the arrow on the map was misaligned in the same way that the separate compass arrow is misaligned.

 

A yes from me. The map arrow is just as misaligned as the compass. That's what makes this a particularly bothersome bug. The map spins wildly, inaccurately, and rotates when standing still. If it was just the compass app it wouldn't be as bad. My heading field is also as off as the compass. It affects everything about the Garmin navigational experience, from compass app to map to data fields, at least on my unit.

 

My advice, put the map in "North Up" mode and leave it there so you don't get dizzy.

Edited by yogazoo
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No, I don't think that's what he was asking. I believe he wondered if the arrow on the map was misaligned in the same way that the separate compass arrow is misaligned.

 

For sure, that is what I meant. Thank you for the clarification. My map pointer was off about 50-60 degrees West, which was interesting because the compass was misaligned 20-25 degrees East.

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Just curious is there's anything new regarding the thread topic. Haven't heard a peep from anyone in a while.

I just couldn't take it anymore so I returned the unit a few days ago. I would have thought there would have been an update by now to address at least something. Maybe I will look at the Monterra in a couple years and it will be all sorted out by then. But probably not...

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I just couldn't take it anymore so I returned the unit a few days ago. I would have thought there would have been an update by now to address at least something. Maybe I will look at the Monterra in a couple years and it will be all sorted out by then. But probably not...

When I got my eTrex 30 almost 2 years ago, the mag compass was similarly useless. I believe it took them 2 firmware updates over a span of 4 or 5 months to get it straightened out. Works great now, though. I hope it doesn't take as long with the Monterra; it looks like a very cool model.

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Here's hoping that a price tag of more than double the eTrex cut's that time by at least half or turns the months into weeks. Even then it's an agonizing wait to get this potentially great unit into shape.

 

Maybe I'll just sit back, eat some popcorn and drink some soda :drama:

 

Maybe have a few donuts :omnomnom:

 

Perhaps I'll play the fiddle to while away the time :signalviolin:

 

Or maybe I'll just shoot some lightning bolts from my head :antenna:

Edited by yogazoo
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After I returned mine, I bought another garmin 62 s off eBay for $180. It works and makes me wonder why I spent all that money in the first place. Although I probably would buy another but it seems like everyone in this thread returned the . Heck we might never know if it's fixed, lol.

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Mine is still in my possesion it still as of yet hase correct compass orientation. But I did find out if you are driving down the road above 40 mph the compass will be correct. But if you go slower it will bounce back and forth and if you stop it gies to about 60 degrees off. I still use it to find caches. But yes I DO want them to fix it

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But I did find out if you are driving down the road above 40 mph the compass will be correct. But if you go slower it will bounce back and forth and if you stop it gies to about 60 degrees off.

 

Yes, that's correct. When traveling at driving speeds the unit automatically shifts to GPS orientation i.e. calculates your direction from one GPS position to the next. Driving is the only time the unit's orientation will be correct unless you turn the compass off entirely in the compass setup menu.

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