Explorist GC life

[Cache Mission]

I've been caching since August 2009 and I'm on my third unit. My first unit was very basic so I eventually upgraded to the Explorist. After a year or so it died, or got hung up eternally. Now my second unit is doing the same thing. I grabbed a bunch of caches one Saturday and the next Monday it was hung up on the start-up screen. I've gone online and tried all the reset options, but nothing works.

 

My question is, have others had this problem, and how long should I expect the unit to last. I'm not doing anything extreme. I like the unit but don't want to buy a new one every year and a half.

[+RecipeForDisaster]

Are you running 2.15? I have had 3 of these units since 2011. The last one seems to have had a problem with the satellite chip and was replaced(but not before I bought a replacement since it was out of warranty). The one before that had fatal errors and memory issues. They have gotten a lot of use and did well most of the time once I put 2.15 on them(less crash prone than previous software). I had one hang on startup like yours, but reinstalling everything fixed it. I did read that using external power supplies(such as in a vehicle)can mess things up with these, so I haven't connected the most recent two to DC power.

[Cache Mission]

I don't think I'm running firmware 2.15. I'm concerned you said you've had 3 of these since 2011. That's not a great track record. Interesting comment about the external power. I usually keep my unit plugged into the cigarette lighter between stops and haven't noticed a problem in the past. I was going to install 2.15 but the download screen asked for a password and 1.7 had me doing steps after the main screen came up, which is part of the problem. I should check to see if the warranty is up. Probably knowing my luck.

 

Thanks for the reply.

[+RecipeForDisaster]

Yes, first I would upgrade-that software was a huge improvement. Then I would stop using the cigarette lighter. An expert pointed that out as a potential cause of my issues. I wish I had known that sooner. I did get Magellan to replace all of mine(so I have an extra, having bought it before I knew they would replace the last one!).

 

I don't remember a password so you might have the wrong download site. Even if the warranty is up, it's worth doing, and if the problem is bad enough, they might replace it. I have had no trouble with mine since I stopped connecting them to external power, but it's only been a couple of months. I will say that mine got lots of mileage(2000 caches in that time), but they were protected.