New eTrex Vista Locks Up

[Guest GammaBoo]

red this problem? Have you notified Garmin? (I have, but no response as yet.) Has it been traced to hardware or software? (My unit has software version 2.20.)

 

I hate to think I need to return the unit for service/exchange so soon.

 

Gamma Boo

Rockville, MD

[Guest tenseven]

I have experienced the lock up you describe. If you give it a minute the unit seems to complete its "thinking" and everything goes on as normal. I haven't had a lockup lately. Try updating your Vista to 2.21 from the Garmin website.

I've never had to recalibrate the compass.

 

[This message has been edited by tenseven (edited 29 October 2001).]

[Guest Point2Point]

According to users manual, recalibrating compass is recommended after changing batteries.

[Guest Prime Suspect]

quote:

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Originally posted by Point2Point:

According to users manual, recalibrating compass is recommended after changing batteries.

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I think that only applies if the batteries have been out of the unit for an extended period of time. I've never recalibrated mine since the first time, and it seems to be in aggrement with my magnetic compass whenever I've compared the two.

 

I know there was a problem with altitude calibration being lost when batteries were removed, but this was fixed in a later OS release.

[Guest Rootbeer]

quote:

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Originally posted by Prime Suspect:

I think that [recalibrating the electronic compass is needed only] if the batteries have been out of the unit for an extended period of time.

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A friend of mine is an electronic engineer who uses flux gates (I hope I've got that name right) in making electronic compasses for automotive use, so he understands the electronics in a GPSr's compass. I asked him why the Vista or a similar unit should lose its compass calibration during a battery change when it doesn't forget anything else -- the clock even keeps ticking, after all!

 

He suggested that it's not the loss of power that matters. The batteries contain metal which has its own magnetic field. Now, he said, this field should be fairly weak, but (since it's within centimeters of the flux gate) a battery swap could easily throw off the compass by a few degrees.

 

So I got out an old-fashioned magnetic compass, and held an AA-cell near the needle. Due East! A lot more magnetism than I had expected.

 

To be certain, I'd love to hear from (someone who has talked to) a Garmin engineer about this. But my suspicion is that failing to recalibrate the electronic compass will make it possible to have some significant (but probably constant) error. That error may happen to fall close enough to zero that you won't notice it, especially if the new batteries have about the same magnetic properties as the old ones. But if you want your compass to be accurate after a battery swap, you'll recalibrate it every time.

[Guest Hawk-eye]

quote:

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I know there was a problem with altitude calibration being lost when batteries were removed, but this was fixed in a later OS release.

 

[/b]

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Actually ... altitude calibrations has nothing to do with the batteries ... altitude is a barometric calibration ... since that changes with the weather ... you need to calibrate vertually every time you use it .. either by a physical reference ... map, bench mark or known position or the barometric pressure reading as from the weather station.

 

Hope this helps ...

[Guest GammaBoo]

Here is the response from Garmin about my lock-up problem:

 

Thank you for your message to GARMIN. I suspect that the issue you are having is an environmental incident or perhaps an error on the non-volatile memory. I recommend master resetting the Vista as a remedy. It will erase all user data, so I recommend keeping a record of your waypoints, route and track data. Please turn the unit off and press and hold, in sequence, the PAGE + ENTER + FIND + ON. Hold it on for about 5 seconds and the unit will reset, which clears the memory and requires the unit to be reinitialized.

 

I'm not sure what an "environmental incident" is, but I don't like the idea of having to re-enter all my user data, even though there isn't very much. Haven't tried it yet. Will try upgrading to 2.21 first.

 

BTW, the result of today's lock up was that the unit wouldn't even turn on!

 

Chuck Baker

Rockville, MD

[Guest apersson850]

Save waypoints etc. to a computer first. Then simply reload when you've resetted the thing.

[Guest Prime Suspect]

accuracy until the next zone calibration is performed.

 

The zone calibration system seems to work well. Whenever I've had an opportunity to compare my readings against a known altitude, it's been correct within 10'. You can switch off the zone calibration and do it manually, if needed.

[Guest Geoffrey]

This is what I would do to avoid problems with the Vista:

I would connect the Vista to external power, then change the batteries, and then remove the external power. This I think would help avoid a Vista memory loss, if that could happen to some people.

 

I have the Power/Data cable on my PC, and I have another one for the car. I would change the batteries while still in the car and connected to external power, before geocaching.

 

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http://members.aol.com/geoffr524/myhomepage/howto.html

[Guest GammaBoo]

I tried resetting the Vista several times as suggested by Garmin (see above; it isn't easy to do unless you have three hands) with no success. Then I downloaded version 2.22 (which claims to fix this kind of problem) to no avail. If no one else is having a problem, then I think I received a defective unit. Has anyone else had to return a new unit for replacement?

[Guest Geoffrey]

Yes, a Garmin III GPS, and when I took it home, the BaseMap disapared. Garmin said that there was a bad batch of units. Then I got a Replacement. No problems since on any GPS.

 

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http://members.aol.com/geoffr524/myhomepage/howto.html

[Guest tedoca]

quote:

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Originally posted by Rootbeer:

So I got out an old-fashioned magnetic compass, and held an AA-cell near the needle. Due East! A lot more magnetism than I had expected.

 

---

 

Wow!

I tried the little double-A battery test on a magnetic compass too and found that if I held the negative end of the battery near the compass I could spin the needle 'round and 'round and 'round.

 

When caching, I usually wear my compass around my neck and my GPSr is in my left hand... Since I'm right handed I know I have rested my compass directly on top of my GPSr in my left hand while I rotate the bezel with my right hand to get a bearing.

 

Never had a problem but... think I'll keep my batteries, including the ones in my GPSr, as far away from my compass as possible in the future.

 

Very interesting, makes sense but something I'd never considered before.

 

Thanks for the tip Rootbeer!

 

Tedoca

[Guest belleterre]

I'm having the same problem with my week old Vista. It was fine for several days and then it went blank yesterday morning. Put in new batteries, turned it on and it went blank after a few minutes. Sometimes it wouldn't even turn on. Got even newer batteries at store this morning. It worked for about an hour and then went blank. Wouldn't turn back on. I'm goint to try updating to 2.22 and resetting as mentioned above, but if that doesn't work for me too, I'm going to try getting hold of Garmin after the holiday. Very frustrating to have a nice 3-day weekend and I can't go geocaching!

[Guest GammaBoo]

To Belleterre:

 

Sorry to hear about your experiences; I know how you feel. On the other hand, it's nice to know that I'm not imagining the problem.

 

Try this simple fix for the time being: just open the back of the Vista, slip out one of the batteries (the one on the left is easer to work with) so that the connection is broken, and slip it back in. (If you keep it in the same position, you won't have to recalibrate the compass.) Turn the unit on again. This has worked every time for me (no data lost) but of course it is not the solution to the problem.

 

Downloading to 2.22 didn't help at all, even though the Garmin web site says 2.22 adresses this problem. The site also says that the software is the latest as of 9/25/01, but when I looked at their site on 11/01/01 the latest version listed was 2.21; 2.22 was posted after that date.

 

Also, what is the serial number of your unit?

mine is 79541015. Anywhere close to yours?

 

I am expecting a reply from Garmin in the next couple of days. Tonight I will E-mail them and let them know that another user has the same problem.

[Guest belleterre]

I've tried the battery trick. It usually comes on after pulling one, but it still only stays on for 1-5 minutes. Kinda hard to do much in that short time. My serial # is 79537779.

[Guest COLOKOLAR]

Sure wished I would have read these prior to buying my new Vista!! My serial # is

79535646...I have loaded 2.22 and now as I am using it I hold my breath waiting for the thing to crash! So far, nothing has failed-- yet--please keep all us Vista user posted on what Garmin says, will do to correct etc etc.

[Guest GammaBoo]

ay would be more like it. We'll see. Will post their response as soon as I hear from them.

 

I suggest that others with this problem visit garmin.com and fill out a trouble report.

[Guest belleterre]

I just downloaded 2.22 this morning, and it seems to have done the trick. Even though my Vista is supposedly new, it only had 2.18 on it. Each upgrade lists what its supposed to fix and they addressed the problem we were having. The GPS has been on constantly for about 8 hours. We have driven about 80 miles with it sitting on the dash and tracking us. We also used goto to go after 3 caches and did some shopping, all with the battery-draining compass on. When we shut it off, the unit was still running strong , even though the battery showed nothing. Sure hope it keeps this up! Good luck with yours GammaGoo.

[Guest belleterre]

I just downloaded 2.22 this morning, and it seems to have done the trick. Even though my Vista is supposedly new, it only had 2.18 on it. Each upgrade lists what its supposed to fix and they addressed the problem we were having. The GPS has been on constantly for about 8 hours. We have driven about 80 miles with it sitting on the dash and tracking us. We also used goto to go after 3 caches and did some shopping, all with the battery-draining compass on. When we shut it off, the unit was still running strong , even though the battery showed nothing. Sure hope it keeps this up! Good luck with yours GammaGoo.

[Guest belleterre]

sorry for the misspelling GammaBoo

[Guest LazyLeopard]

Hmmm... I upgraded my Vista from 2.21 to 2.22 yesterday, and the one thing that's bugging me about the upgrade is that the track now shows as a feeble line of dots that I have to look quite hard for. :/ I've had a hunt around and can't find an option anywhere that'll make it a bit more prominent. From my point of view, the track is the most important thing on the map after the current location pointer and the waypoints, but at the moment it's hard to distinguish from minor geographical details...

 

Anyone know whether it can be made to stand out more?

 

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Purrs... LazyLeopard

[Guest GammaBoo]

There's a thread on Google groups regarding the skinny track display that comes with 2.22. I didn't like it at first, but now I don't know...it does keep the screen a bit less cluttered, and fine detail shows up better. I think switchable would be the way to go. Since I don't have a GPSr while I'm waiting for a replacement, I can't decide by actual use.

 

But I do think users need to complain to Garmin about features they don't like. It's quite easy to do; their website has a form to fill out and they do respond fairly quickly.

 

BTW, the Vista I sent back only locked up when I pushed a button (it didn't seem to make much difference which one.) I could leave it running and it would never stop; it just locked up when I was switching pages or whatever. Also, the battery life was short. No more than four or five hours with WAAS on and compass automatic.

[Guest LazyLeopard]

quote:

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Originally posted by GammaBoo:

it does keep the screen a bit less cluttered, and fine detail shows up better.

---

 

I don't mind it being skinny. It's the fact that it's skinny and dotted. Looks to be something like a single-pixel dot followed by 3 un-changed pixels, which is so miserably faint I can hardly see it from more than 8 inches, however I adjustthe contrast...

 

quote:

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But I do think users need to complain to Garmin about features they don't like.

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Thanks for the tip. I'll do that.

 

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Purrs... LazyLeopard

 

[This message has been edited by LazyLeopard (edited 13 November 2001).]

[Guest LazyLeopard]

quote:

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Originally posted by GammaBoo:

it does keep the screen a bit less cluttered, and fine detail shows up better.

---

 

I don't mind it being skinny. It's the fact that it's skinny and dotted. Looks to be something like a single-pixel dot followed by 3 un-changed pixels, which is so miserably faint I can hardly see it from more than 8 inches, however I adjustthe contrast...

 

quote:

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But I do think users need to complain to Garmin about features they don't like.

---

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll do that.

 

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Purrs... LazyLeopard

 

[This message has been edited by LazyLeopard (edited 13 November 2001).]

[Guest apersson850]

Now it has happened to me once. The Vista didn't turn off completely, but each time I started it, it never came any longer than to the image of the world with satellites orbiting around it.

I could turn it off, but not use the page key to skip to the next display.

After three or four attempts, it suddenly restarted, but with all defaults reloaded and waypoints, tracks and routes gone.

The maps were still there, though.

I changed all settings to my preferences, and reloaded my waypoints etc. from the PC.

After that, no problem (so far!)

I'm using 2.22, with serial number 79536106.

 

Anders

[Guest belleterre]

Yikes! Does that mean I still have crashes to look forward to even after installing 2.22? I did NOT loose my waypoints on the GPS when we did the upgrade.

[Guest belleterre]

Yikes! Does that mean I still have crashes to look forward to even after installing 2.22? I did NOT loose my waypoints on the GPS when we did the upgrade.

[Guest Prime Suspect]

quote:

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Originally posted by belleterre:

Yikes! Does that mean I still have crashes to look forward to even after installing 2.22? I did NOT loose my waypoints on the GPS when we did the upgrade.

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Not necessarily. You started with 2.18, which had a shut-down problem. This was fixed in 2.21. If that problem was related to the problem you're having, 2.22 should take care if it. If it doesn't, you may be looking at a hardware problem.

[Guest Prime Suspect]

quote:

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Originally posted by belleterre:

Yikes! Does that mean I still have crashes to look forward to even after installing 2.22? I did NOT loose my waypoints on the GPS when we did the upgrade.

---

 

Not necessarily. You started with 2.18, which had a shut-down problem. This was fixed in 2.21. If that problem was related to the problem you're having, 2.22 should take care if it. If it doesn't, you may be looking at a hardware problem.

[Guest gstrong1]

My original Vista had numerous problems. After Garmins unsuccessful attempts to repair it, they finally replaced it. Serial # was 79504288.Everything from lockups to non-fuctioning click stick to inability to load Mapsource mapsets. No problems with the replacement unit so far, but it rarely gets used.Because of reception problems with the patch antenna, I depend on my III Plus & my MAP76 for my caching adventures. Pretty expensive paper weight.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest gstrong1]

My original Vista had numerous problems. After Garmins unsuccessful attempts to repair it, they finally replaced it. Serial # was 79504288.Everything from lockups to non-fuctioning click stick to inability to load Mapsource mapsets. No problems with the replacement unit so far, but it rarely gets used.Because of reception problems with the patch antenna, I depend on my III Plus & my MAP76 for my caching adventures. Pretty expensive paper weight.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest JollyBGood]

An expensive paper weight? You really feel that way?

 

Is it just me or am I the only person NOT to have any problems with my Vista and signal reception? I use it every weekend and I've NEVER had a problem with signal loss. Mind you, some of the caches I've logged are in some heavy forrests where the canopy is very heavy. Is this a Mac vs. PC type of thing or is 'poor reception' on the VIsta a real issue? IT's an honest question.

 

I'm puzz;ed because all the Etrex units have the patch antennae and from what I've read on these boards the Vista usually gets singled out as to having recpetion problems.Has anyone found, first hand, that the Vista peforms more poorly compared to the yellow Etrex or one of the other etrex units?

 

JRB

[Guest gstrong1]

Where's your sense of humor, jrb. As indicated by the smiley, I jest.I prefer to use one of my other units when caching because under tree cover, either one will hold a satellite lock much better than the Vista.There are times though, when I'll use the Vista because of its handy size & some of its features. If the unit was totally useless, I would have given it to my son to play with or attempted to sell it.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest gstrong1]

Where's your sense of humor, jrb. As indicated by the smiley, I jest.I prefer to use one of my other units when caching because under tree cover, either one will hold a satellite lock much better than the Vista.There are times though, when I'll use the Vista because of its handy size & some of its features. If the unit was totally useless, I would have given it to my son to play with or attempted to sell it.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest Prime Suspect]

quote:

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Originally posted by JollyBGood:

Is it just me or am I the only person NOT to have any problems with my Vista and signal reception?

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I had a shutdown problem when I first got mine. That was a bug in the early release of the OS, and easily fixed with an OS upgrade. Since then, no problems.

 

I have both the Vista, and an old II+. For car navigation, I use the Vista exclusively. For GeoCaching, I use the Vista, but toss the II+ in my backpack. There are times when the tree cover is so thick that the Vista can't hold a steady lock. I'll fire up the II+, wait and wait and wait until it finally gets a lock (maybe I'm just used to the Vista's fast lock times). Since the II+ won't give a distance shorter than .1 of a mile, I have to do the Texas Two-Step until the coordinates match up. But I've found many a cache just using the Vista alone.

[Guest itskeith]

After a lot of thought and looking at this fourm, I finally ordered a Vista which I received a couple of days ago. Within the first 2 hours I had managed to lock it up two different ways and so say the least I was "bummed" My first move was to look at this fourm for help and comfort. I found your thread and follow-ups and the upshot was that I downloaded the curent software for the unit and the problems disappeared. Now the unit works fine and I learned a lot of other things in the process. Thanks to everyone! I have the items for my first cache and can't wait to hide it.

 

itskeith

[Guest itskeith]

After a lot of thought and looking at this fourm, I finally ordered a Vista which I received a couple of days ago. Within the first 2 hours I had managed to lock it up two different ways and so say the least I was "bummed" My first move was to look at this fourm for help and comfort. I found your thread and follow-ups and the upshot was that I downloaded the curent software for the unit and the problems disappeared. Now the unit works fine and I learned a lot of other things in the process. Thanks to everyone! I have the items for my first cache and can't wait to hide it.

 

itskeith

[Guest apersson850]

I haven't anything to compare to, since my Vista is my first and, so far, only GPS.

But I've been able to use it for both hiding and seeking cacehs, as well as some other navigation too.

Since there is a compass too, one can sometimes stop in a clearing, get the position from the GPS and the bearing from the compass, then continue again.

I bought the Vista for its convenient size, and was willing to take the less sensitive antenna.

Perhaps smarter algorithms for signal analysis will make such units better in the future, without having to have a larger antenna.

 

Anders

[Guest GammaBoo]

I received my replacement Vista today, just one week after I sent it to Garmin. They confirmed the lockup problem, and sent me a new unit. So far it seems to be working OK; the service order said that they had checked it out and it passed all their tests. I would hope that they do this with all of their units, but who knows?

 

Software version is 2.22 which has the skinny tracks, but that's a different problem. I suspect that 2.23 will fix that.

 

BTW, the serial number of the new unit is 79512658. This is 28357 LESS than that of the original unit. Do they assign them backwards?

[Guest GammaBoo]

I received my replacement Vista today, just one week after I sent it to Garmin. They confirmed the lockup problem, and sent me a new unit. So far it seems to be working OK; the service order said that they had checked it out and it passed all their tests. I would hope that they do this with all of their units, but who knows?

 

Software version is 2.22 which has the skinny tracks, but that's a different problem. I suspect that 2.23 will fix that.

 

BTW, the serial number of the new unit is 79512658. This is 28357 LESS than that of the original unit. Do they assign them backwards?