Jump to content

I am really happy with my Monterra, anyone else?


arogen

Recommended Posts

I bought a dedicated GPS primarily to be do some geocaching.

Now before buying it I googled the subject like a madman to get the best device for my intentions. In the end it was between the GPSMap64st and the Monterra.

I was a bit nervous about buying the Monterra because of all the bad comments I had read about it but I figured I wanted a good device that could do some geocaching and if I could install

my favorite map program Locus maps on it as well I would be pleased.

 

My initial reaction was that the device was huge, and not just huge, it's was very very heavy. My first thought was that this was a device I certainly couldn't bring if I were to go hiking because of it's weight.

I thought it was a device that should be put in a car and left there. But after using it for a week now I feel more comfortable with it. And I probably will take it with me when hiking.

 

But to my surprise the software works just fine. My compass worked great, the maps didn't spin and the battery time I got was definitely not the 3-4 hours I read about but more the around the 12 hours or so. (not screen time of course) Then again, I did not download a myriad of apps and actually disabled as much of the non-garmin ones I could without having to root the device. On top of that you could download a ton of maps and put it on there without any issues. (Legal ones of course, although pirated ones work without a glitch, or so I have heard). You can even look at the maps in a 3D mode where you can get a much better understanding of hilly or mountainous areas.

 

When it comes to geocaching I was a bit disappointed that the device did not have built in support for geocaching.com but only opencaching.com which seems to have been abandoned, well at least where I live. It works fine though, it is easy to download a pocket query and import it to the device. What was a bit annoying though was that you couldn't just log a visit and then have it be uploaded to geocaching.com when connecting the device to basecamp. What I have to do now is to upload a file called visited.txt or something like that to the geocaching website.

 

Another issue I have now is that the garmin webupdater doesn't work with a Mac, but I don't even know if I have any use for it taking into consideration that the Monterra has OTA, or over the air update support.

 

Sure, the device can be a bit rough around the edges, like when you are in car navigation mode and need to leave it to search for an adress instead of doing it from within the app. But it's bugs or deficiencies that you bypass with a few extra clicks.

 

I do not regret buying the device and I am curious if there are other buyers that are pleased with theirs. Normally people tend to only write posts when they are discontent and never when they are the opposite. So if there is anyone out there who are pleased with their devices please write a line. Or maybe you have some issues that I am not aware of that you could enlighten me about. I should say though that this is my first dedicated GPS device apart from a bluetooth GPS receiver I bought many years ago so my experience of how a device should be is limited.

 

And if you are a potential buyer and have questions, I am glad to answer them :)

Link to comment

Cool! Have you tried any of the great 3rd party geocaching apps available from GooglePlay (or the official geocaching.com app)?

 

Yup. Locus maps works fine. I have not tried c:geo yet though, and I have not bought the geocaching.com app so I can not tell if that one works.

 

I can download and try them, but I can not test them in the field for a couple of days because I am recovering from the flu or something.

Link to comment

My initial reaction was that the device was huge, and not just huge, it's was very very heavy. My first thought was that this was a device I certainly couldn't bring if I were to go hiking because of it's weight.

 

I'm going to address only this part of the OP. I have a Montana which is also large and heavy, very uncomfortable to have hanging around my neck while on any more than just a short walk. Very inconvenient to have to hold in hand or put away in pack. What I use is one of those harnesses made for hunters to carry binoculars--it works great.

Link to comment

My initial reaction was that the device was huge, and not just huge, it's was very very heavy. My first thought was that this was a device I certainly couldn't bring if I were to go hiking because of it's weight.

 

I'm going to address only this part of the OP. I have a Montana which is also large and heavy, very uncomfortable to have hanging around my neck while on any more than just a short walk. Very inconvenient to have to hold in hand or put away in pack. What I use is one of those harnesses made for hunters to carry binoculars--it works great.

 

That is a great idea! Thank you I will look into that ☺

Link to comment

I'm a happy Monterra user too.

 

about logging on GC.com, this is the way to log with all Garmin devices. Android has apps that can keep your log offline untill you connect to a WiFi. I use CacheSense, very nice app. But I only use it to get GPX-files where I don't have my caches. e.g. when I'm on the road in another country (Europe) and we stop at a gasstation, I log in to the WiFi with the monterra, search for caches, export them as GPX to the folder of the Garmin app. Log it with the garmin app, and when I'm home, or have my netbook with me, I connect the GPSr and use the geocache_visits file to log them all at once.

Why?

1. I've always worked like this with my previous GPSr

2. this way is easier and more secure for me to keep track of all the logs I did. Because I can see a list before logging.

 

The only problem I have is that the car mount is broken, I think the speaker is broken. Now, if I connect the charger, it uses the speaker of the mount, and it sounds sucky, If i switch to charging it via the mini-usb, it's fine, but the mount is useless, it only keeps the monterra in place.

 

I'm looking for a solution, but haven't found one until now

Link to comment

I'm a happy Monterra user too.

 

about logging on GC.com, this is the way to log with all Garmin devices. Android has apps that can keep your log offline untill you connect to a WiFi. I use CacheSense, very nice app. But I only use it to get GPX-files where I don't have my caches. e.g. when I'm on the road in another country (Europe) and we stop at a gasstation, I log in to the WiFi with the monterra, search for caches, export them as GPX to the folder of the Garmin app. Log it with the garmin app, and when I'm home, or have my netbook with me, I connect the GPSr and use the geocache_visits file to log them all at once.

Why?

1. I've always worked like this with my previous GPSr

2. this way is easier and more secure for me to keep track of all the logs I did. Because I can see a list before logging.

 

The only problem I have is that the car mount is broken, I think the speaker is broken. Now, if I connect the charger, it uses the speaker of the mount, and it sounds sucky, If i switch to charging it via the mini-usb, it's fine, but the mount is useless, it only keeps the monterra in place.

 

I'm looking for a solution, but haven't found one until now

 

I have not checked out CacheSense but this is the second time I hear about it.

When it comes to a mount, I am curious. I have not bought a mount for the car yet. Do you have the friction one or the suction cup one? And do you recommend yours?

My experience with suction cups are not great so I am a bit unsure, but I have not bought a mount this expensive either.

Link to comment

I'm a happy Monterra user too.

 

about logging on GC.com, this is the way to log with all Garmin devices. Android has apps that can keep your log offline untill you connect to a WiFi. I use CacheSense, very nice app. But I only use it to get GPX-files where I don't have my caches. e.g. when I'm on the road in another country (Europe) and we stop at a gasstation, I log in to the WiFi with the monterra, search for caches, export them as GPX to the folder of the Garmin app. Log it with the garmin app, and when I'm home, or have my netbook with me, I connect the GPSr and use the geocache_visits file to log them all at once.

Why?

1. I've always worked like this with my previous GPSr

2. this way is easier and more secure for me to keep track of all the logs I did. Because I can see a list before logging.

 

The only problem I have is that the car mount is broken, I think the speaker is broken. Now, if I connect the charger, it uses the speaker of the mount, and it sounds sucky, If i switch to charging it via the mini-usb, it's fine, but the mount is useless, it only keeps the monterra in place.

 

I'm looking for a solution, but haven't found one until now

 

I have not checked out CacheSense but this is the second time I hear about it.

When it comes to a mount, I am curious. I have not bought a mount for the car yet. Do you have the friction one or the suction cup one? And do you recommend yours?

My experience with suction cups are not great so I am a bit unsure, but I have not bought a mount this expensive either.

I use the suction cup one, and I'm happy with it, except that the speaker is broken

Link to comment

im well happy with i have had the issuses but happy with batt life my best is six hours plus i carry a spare plus i got the car mount now so it can be charged on the way compass ok now, spinning issue sorted, the only issue i have is saving the foreign caches in the geocaching folder on device the are on the map but shown on folder strange thats using geocaching.com and translating the cache page to english anyone know a way round this i went to germany the caches were on the map but not in the folder.

 

i have no other issues

Link to comment

Hi Shortfork. I don´t understand your last post. Could you be more descriptive on what the problem is and how you solved it? I understand that the caches were on the map but not in the geocaching app? I put my pocket queries in the GPX-folder and when the device starts it just puts them on the map and in the geocaching app.

Link to comment

I have tentatively eyed the Monterra since it came on the scene, but the price tag is a bit too much for my liking. I like the touchscreen devices, and I also want the largest screen possible. Maybe when/if they come down in price a bit I will jump on one; but for now, I'm very content caching with my Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.

 

I'm spoiled with smartphone app caching, so I must say I'm not a huge fan of the way many of the GPS's function, not to mention the tiny matchbook sized screens that most of them have.

 

To each his own. If I had 20 yr. old eyesight I may be more inclined to use a GPS. At any rate, thanks so much for the in-depth writeup with your experiences with the Monterra.

Edited by RTechS
Link to comment

Hi Shortfork. I don´t understand your last post. Could you be more descriptive on what the problem is and how you solved it? I understand that the caches were on the map but not in the geocaching app? I put my pocket queries in the GPX-folder and when the device starts it just puts them on the map and in the geocaching app.

 

hi arogen sorry for late reply my issues was i im the uk using geocaching.com planned holiday in germany nurburg area i downloaded the caches but the were not appearing in the geocaching folder but when i got nurburg the were in the folder but i should have used filters to find the caches ie search by city.

 

so all is well i just getting used to it really certainly needs updates but it will come hopefully the only gripe i have is that photos cannot be shown from cache pages they may lead more help in with hint

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...