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62S - Caveat Emptor


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I was excited and purchased one of the $199.00 62s GPS deals that are currently popular. I take my new GPS out to the ET Power Trail in Nevada and on day 2 in the middle of nowhere it turns itself off. I try to restart the unit and it does it again. Fortunately, I had an older backup unit and after a couple minutes with the laptop, I got it up and going. I got back to the Little Aleinn in Rachel and using their internet discover that folks have been having this problem and Garmin is replacing the unit. I wish I had this info before I purchased this unit. Yes, I have tried a reset and it only works for a very short time before the problem reappears. My $199.00 GPS deal does not look so good right now!

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A bad map or GPX file can cause issues ( also remove the SD card if you have one in ). Try a hard re-set and then upgrade to the latest firmware. A couple of years ago a bad file zapped my 450 and 62S at the same time.

Re a bad factory run, that can happen with the best of things and all you can do is return it.

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That's an odd coincidence that a friend of mine from upstate NY also had issues with his new 62s, but only while doing the ET Power Trail right there! Perhaps the ET trail PQ contains a .gpx file (or files) that the 62s sees as corrupt?

 

Maybe try the steps to get it connected to your laptop again and delete all the cache .gpx files, boot up clean, and re-load some files to see where it freezes? I use GSAK to sort, combine, edit my cache PQs and I think that process eliminates corrupting issues. Not certain of that.

 

Another good idea is to load your caches to the GPX folder on the micro SD card. This way you can pull the card in the field to hopefully boot up clean as it won't read any corrupt files. Then try it again, or at least know it's a problem with the files and not your unit.

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Hello,

 

I am still in Nevada, but will be home soon. I'll try some of the suggestions. Otherwise, I still have the receipt and will return the unit. Thanks for all the suggestions. Peoria Bill :>)

 

The 62s is a great unit, though it does have its bugs. I would recommend getting your current one replaced since it so new.

 

Like bamboozle mentioned, a bad GPX file could cause it to power off on it's own. Though that should be noticeable on your first boot after loading the file. Do you happen to use BirdsEye imagery? When I have that enabled, mine powers off all of the time. :/

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I had been having trouble with connection to my computer....now, it has completely quit and won't communicate. I went to REI to exchange my 62 only to find out they are apparently phasing this GPS out....probably because of these bugs. It has been my favorite GPS and now I can't even exchange it...there were none in any store nearby and few in REI stores around the country.....I got money back, but now don't know what GPS to buy....the 64 maybe? Any thoughts? Guess I go back to my 60 CSX until I figure something out....maybe the Oregon; they are still being made....

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I had been having trouble with connection to my computer....now, it has completely quit and won't communicate. I went to REI to exchange my 62 only to find out they are apparently phasing this GPS out....probably because of these bugs. It has been my favorite GPS and now I can't even exchange it...there were none in any store nearby and few in REI stores around the country.....I got money back, but now don't know what GPS to buy....the 64 maybe? Any thoughts? Guess I go back to my 60 CSX until I figure something out....maybe the Oregon; they are still being made....

 

I hope you tried a new cable ( on the 62 ).....I've had a couple go bad. Since you liked the 60 and 62 I'd go for the 64. For the difference in price I think I would still try to find another 62 if you can.

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Hi BAM! Yes, I tried 3 computers and 3 cords, and even connected a friend's 62s to my computer, and it worked. I was sad...I really liked that GPS! The good news is that REI refunded my entire original expense of $303.00 so I have the $$ to buy one! I am leaning toward the 64, but want to hear from others first....I won't go back to anything less than the 62.

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Just sounds like a case of the USB port going bad/coming loose. That's not a bug, just possibly a random manufacturing defect or you were too hard on it. You just may have been one of the unlucky .1% of buyers with faulty hardware. You could get another 62s and be $100 + in the black, or invest another $100 for a 64s. Either way, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

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Hi BAM! Yes, I tried 3 computers and 3 cords, and even connected a friend's 62s to my computer, and it worked. I was sad...I really liked that GPS! The good news is that REI refunded my entire original expense of $303.00 so I have the $$ to buy one! I am leaning toward the 64, but want to hear from others first....I won't go back to anything less than the 62.

 

Cabelas still has the 62S for $199.99....I've been around a lot of them and own 3......no problems.

Cabelas has a good return policy.

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Well, I ended up buying a new 62 from Cabella's as they were on sale for $199.99; with taxes,total price of $226...since REI gave me $303.00 for the actual price I paid a few years ago, I came out ahead...I decided to get it again because it is such a good GPS for caching....and I will let the bugs get worked out with the 64 and wait for some feedback from other more tech savvy cachers....I am NOT one of those. I couldn't wait any longer...having a GPS with all the information spoils you for good!! Thanks for all your help!! Happy caching!

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I ended up returning the unit to the store for a full refund. I like Garmin and this is probably just a Friday PM or Monday AM built GPS. I am considering the 64s as a replacement. :)

 

Your issue was probably caused by a bad GPX file, so don't be alarmed if it happens again with a 64s if you load it up with the same files.

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I hope it was only a bad .gpx file. The time to tell the cacher is when the file is loaded, not two days into an extended cache hunt. I was fortunate and had a backup gps. I know we should always have a compass and map, but that is not reality for a lot of cachers. "Don't trust your life to a plastic box with wires" is the advice often given. If Garmin could check the file integrity and offer an option to delete the file, that would help prevent this situation. Again, I don't know exactly what the problem was. I do know that it is no longer my problem. I hope the new GPS works better. Peoria Bill :>)

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I was excited and purchased one of the $199.00 62s GPS deals that are currently popular. I take my new GPS out to the ET Power Trail in Nevada and on day 2 in the middle of nowhere it turns itself off. I try to restart the unit and it does it again. Fortunately, I had an older backup unit and after a couple minutes with the laptop, I got it up and going. I got back to the Little Aleinn in Rachel and using their internet discover that folks have been having this problem and Garmin is replacing the unit. I wish I had this info before I purchased this unit. Yes, I have tried a reset and it only works for a very short time before the problem reappears. My $199.00 GPS deal does not look so good right now!

 

Our group has noticed this on an Oregon 450, 550 and GPSMap 62S. It happens roughly every 38 - 52 caches found. Only happens when doing power trails. While Garmin says it happens with corrupted GPX files we find this hard to believe. Each of us have loaded different GPX files off of different computers and it still happens.

I replaced my 62S and it still happens. I have come to expect it now. The one thing to remember is that the last cache you were about to log as found will show as unfound and in reality it has been marked found in the found file. If one marks it as found again in almost all cases it will be a duplicate.

 

Phi

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A third 62s started exhibiting the fade out problem on start up yesterday. A call to Garmin today resulted in them telling me not to use GSAK, or using GSAK then loading files to the GPS via Basecamp. The support person indicated that they are getting a lot of these calls on newer GPS models. They offered to replace the GPS unit and could not promise that it would not happen again if I continued to use GSAK. Is something wrong with GSAK that is causing the problem, or does Garmin need to find a fix for this problem? Whomever is responsible, Garmin or GSAK, please address this issue!

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Oct 2013, I too was on the ET trail. On day 3, my 62s would start to boot up and then power down after about 15 seconds. Tried everything and had to resort to my backup, 60CSX. Got home and called Garmin, they tried online fix with a no go. So, sent it in with lots of cash and they sent me a new one. It works great. I think that lots of 62's had this problem. I did not use GSAK. I had downloaded all files directly from Geocaching.com.

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I'm having the same fade to black problem with my 62s. I bought mine from REI last February, used it for about 2 months and it started shutting off after about 20 seconds. I sent it back to Garmin and got a new one two weeks ago. Yesterday the new one started doing the same thing after loading some geocaches (using GSAK). I hooked it up to my laptop, deleted the new files and the problem remains. I submitted a problem report to Garmin, hopefully they will replace this one also.

 

While I'm waiting to hear, does anyone have a suggestion on how to identify a corrupted file that may be causing the problem?

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If you removed the files, try a hard reset: Hold out, menu, and quit while powering up. After about 10 seconds, let go of them all. The screen will flash white for a brief second, and it should boot up okay.

Thanks, that worked! You have to be a bit of a contortionist but it did the trick.

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