Garmin 62s - long boot / startup time - how to reduce?

[caver456]

Hello - has anyone found a way to reduce the boot time on a Garmin 62s (probably the same question for other mass storage Garmins)?  The time for the first boot after writing a new gpx to the device over usb seems to be a direct function of how much data is stored on the device, at least in gpx file(s).  I tried with a 4+MB gpx and the subsequent boot took somewhere over 45 minutes after turning the power on until it was done booting.  I'm not sure of the exact time because it died somewhere in there assumedly due to batteries, but the next boot was fairly quick (10 seconds or so).

Basically it would be great to know what happens during the boot sequence - our SAR team would benefit greatly if we knew a reliable way to get the boot time down.  Thanks!

[+Mineral2]

During boot, the unit is reading the GPX files and indexing the data into a centralized database for quick access and look-up. I suspect that the device also runs a checksum on the files and saves the results to compare as I've noticed that once the GPS has indexed the new data, it seems to boot up faster on the next boot so long as no changes have been made to the files.

4+ MB of data should not take 45 minutes to index (4GB might, but I think you'll hit the file limits before you can load 4GB of data that isn't maps), so I'm suspecting that there may be other issues going on.

1. Be mindful of the file limitations (https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch/en-GB/faq/content/2IvsrjEYog6HIW7hNIe1Y5)
Reaching these limits can cause the unit to slow down and behave weirdly. If you need more than 2000 waypoints, for example, you might consider converting them to points of interest (POIs) or investing in a more recent GPS model for the SAR team. Check to see that you aren't reaching the 2000 gpx file limit either.

2. Along those lines, be mindful of the mapping limitations. Garmin says it supports 3000 map tiles. Are you loading multiple maps on your devices? How big are they? How much area do each cover?

3. Are you storing any data on SD cards? Maybe your SD cards are starting to fail? 

3a. Hopefully the internal memory isn't starting to fail. The 62s is an older unit, and if they were purchased when they first came out and have been under constant and heavy read-write usage, maybe the internal flash storage is reaching end of life.

4. Does the SAR team only have one GPS? Is this happening with other devices, or just one of them?

5. In case the problem might be caused by a database file that fails to completely purge itself of data when data has actually been removed from the GPS, you can safely delete everything in the SQL folder on the GPS, and the files will be regenerated upon the next boot (will add some extra time on the first boot, but might solve some problems.)
 

[+Red90]

If it is really 4 MB and it takes 45 minutes, something is wrong.  That should be one minute at the most.  Go through all the suggestions above.  I would start by deleting all of the GPX files on the device and the SQL files.

If in reality it is a very large GPX file, switching to a GGZ file (you need to use GSAK to make them) will let it boot quickly.

If you are doing SAR work, what is in the GPX file to make it so large?  Waypoints are normally very small files.

[+HHL]

22 minutes ago, Red90 said:

[...]

If in reality it is a very large GPX file, switching to a GGZ file (you need to use GSAK to make them) will let it boot quickly. [...]

The GPSmap 62 series does NOT support GGZ files.

Hans

[+Red90]

Oops, my bad.

Anyway, there is something weird going on.  My Etrex 30x takes around 5 minutes to process a 100 MB GPX file and I can't imagine it has a faster processor than a 62.  

[+peach107]

I have found that my 62 takes quite a while also. I let it run for 30-60 seconds and shut it down. Then I restart and it comes right up. A one time start takes forever. 

[+PeoriaBill]

Hello,

Remember, the 62series of GPS units were officially rated for 2,000 waypoints or geocaches.  I know people put a lot more on the unit and can get away with it most of the time. A gpx file may be 10mb, so if you are loading 100mb to the gps, you could potentially be loading significantly more caches than your unit can handle.  I know the 62 says it has 1.7GB for the 62/62s and 500Mb for the 62st, but that memory is mostly used for maps, etc. on the gps unit. Try loading a legitimate 2000 cache gpx file to the unit. If it loads fine, then you will need to find an acceptable number of caches you can reasonably load.  Hope this is  helpful.  Regards, PeoriaBill :>)

Edited January 4, 2018 by PeoriaBill

[+HHL]

46 minutes ago, PeoriaBill said:

Hello,

Remember, the 62series of GPS units were officially rated for 2,000 waypoints or geocaches. [...]

That's wrong. It's 2000 waypoints and/or 5000 geocaches.

Quote

GPSmap 62/78

• 2,000 GPX files
• 2,000 waypoints
• 5,000 geocaches
• 200 routes, 250 points per route
• 200 saved tracks
• 2,000 archive tracks*
• 10,000 points per track
• 100 custom map tiles
• 250 BirdsEye Imagery files
• Approximately 3,000 mapping segments

 

Edited January 4, 2018 by HHL
typo

[+Red90]

And a 5000 cache GPX file can easily be 100 MB.  It should load fine.

On 12/22/2017 at 5:02 PM, peach107 said:

I have found that my 62 takes quite a while also. I let it run for 30-60 seconds and shut it down. Then I restart and it comes right up. A one time start takes forever. 

If you shut it down while processing the GPX files, you will not get any caches.

[+Mineral2]

9 hours ago, HHL said:

That's wrong. It's 2000 waypoints and/or 5000 geocaches.

 

I remember at one point the limits on the Oregon 450 were increased (it was originally specked for 2000 geocaches and 200 gpx files - now it handles 2000 gpx files and 5000 geocaches). I don't remember if the gpsMap 62 also came out with the reduced specs and was later increased, or if the increase on the oregons came around the time the 62 was released. But it's possible that it was originally released for 2000 geocaches and Garmin later increased to 5000 because the hardware can handle it.

[+Geo-Sabel]

I have had this same discussion with Garmin. It Starts getting so slow since SW version 2.7. With introducing the 4. digit after the dash. It was also suggested to use smaler files with less waypoints. (max 200 waypoints.) only one file. Start using GGZ while this is not handy especially on events where GPX files are exchanged. Garmin says it is not facing that problem (They do not use so many waypoints for testing. This same occurs at the GPSMAP 65 and GPSMAP 66 and those are newer models. The problem still persists. Garmnin [ Edited for profanity: "cares little" ]  about it. 

Moderator note: Please review the forum rules about family friendly language. Continued infractions can lead to a ban.

Edited August 8, 2022 by robertlipe
Edit for profanity.