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Specific Rino serial numbers having radio problems


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A buddy that works at the sporting goods store where I bought my Rino 120's said they received a bulleting from Garmin that stated units with serial numbers 38905977-38941463 have radio problems. Unfortunately it didn't say what kind of problems or what to do about it. I sent an email to Garmin but have not received any response yet. Anybody else hear this?

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Dave W,

 

Thanks for the info. Mine doesn't have the best sound quality (compared to my Motrola's) but is usable. Tried an earpiece/mic from my cell phone but when I pushed the "answer" button it started transmitting and wouldn't stop. Figured it just wasn't made for it. Please let us know the results when you get it back. Still waiting for a response from Garmin. Overall I really like the unit. Went geocaching for the first time with my son and daughter this weekend and it was a blast! We were literally standing on top of both caches but initially couldn't see them due to the snow. The accuracy couldn't be better!

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Received an email from Garmin requesting I send my units in. Called the Customer Service number to find out what they were going to do to the units specifically to see if it was worthwhile. First they're doing a firmware upgrade which I've already done. Second they're making some changes internal to the unit due to an engineering change. Said I would have them back in 5-7 days so a pretty quick turnaround. Very nice and helpful on the phone. Kind of a bummer since I've only had them a week but on the other hand it looks like they're listening to field reports and trying to improve.

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Great heads-up. I called Garmin and mine's also included in the bulletin. They gave me an RMA but I'm not sure I need a week off from caching quite yet. They weren't very clear on the details of whether you get back 1) your Rino, 2) a new Rino, or 3) someone else's reconditioned Rino.

 

Either way - they should do a better job of letting folks know since this was the only place I'd seen the info (even their website has no mention of it anywhere).

 

Thanks again!

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Spoke with Garmin again today to get my second Rino on the RMA. Extremely helpful and accomodating again. The gentleman knew about the recall and said they have made some case changes for the MIC and some component changes as well. They will pay for shipping (put the RMA number in the billing portion of the UPS/FEDEX ticket) and is sending me a 12V/data cable for being out of service for a week. The cable is being shipped today even though I'm not sending my units in till Monday (after the weekend hunts). He stated "we want to make you happy" and I am extremely pleased in the way this is being handled. Can't ask for any better service.

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Update - I overnighted (FEDEXed) my Rino to Kansas Tuesday night and I just checked FEDEX's website - my Rino's on it's way back scheduled for delivery by 10:30 am TOMORROW. 72 hour turnaround is unbelievable - I can't believe Garmin expedited the fix and is sending the unit back to me express overnight shipping.

 

Even though I was happy with my Garmin Rino before (but a little disappointed with the recall), I'm now an even bigger fan of Garmin products.

 

Their customer service is phenomenal! I would recommend them in a second - both for the functionality of the Rino's as well as their terrific customer service.

 

In a world where most companies give lipservice to customer service (ie. call some companies and you sit on hold for an hour listening to "your call is very important to us - please continue to hold for the next available representative"), Garmin customer support was quick to respond, easy to reach by phone, helpful, and came through with results.

 

(and no, this isn't a paid endorsement!) icon_biggrin.gif

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This is good to know. I emailed Garmin 2 days ago saying that all the headsets i try with my Rino 120 are not working and was wondering if its my unit or only certain headsets work. Well so far no reply but now i know that its the unit after reading this post. Thanks for the headsup!

 

I will keep you posted on what happens.

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Duggie,

 

Be patient, it says on the website they respond to email in 4-5 days which was the case with me.

Received the cable they gave me for my troubles yesterday and I haven't even sent the units in. They're going to be heading west Monday to get the modifications. They told me I would have them back at my door in 5-7 days which looks like a real date from Hartclimbs post. I can't say enough for their customer service. The email and people I've talked to at Garmin have all been extremely helpful and pleasant. When the gentleman said "we want to make you happy", and from the inflection in his voice I could tell he meant it, says it all. Kind of a rarity these days.

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I sent my 120 in for poor radio quality and the head set not working, got it back a week later with improved radio quality but headset still did not work if i pushed the plug in all the way. sent it back out the same day and they did pay the postage this time,when i called them on friday, they said unit would be shipped that day back to me but they sent it 2nd day air,which is 2 business days, so lost the opportunity to use it this weekend. no freebies on the first go around. icon_frown.gif

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Must be both our lucky days, mine arrived today and were new as well. The radio quality is now the same as my Motorola's and they put a couple of foam strips in the battery cover to keep the top one from jarring loose also. My waypoints were transferred as well with the only thing being lost is the "name" in the units. Tried a quick test by sending my son out in the neighborhood on his blades before dinner and at two tenths of a mile (per the GPS distance function) with houses/trees/etc. between us everything sounded perfect. The only oddity is mine shutdown twice while standing still but it might be my polartec sweatshirt. Can't recreate at will but will be keeping an eye on it. The only bummer is I sent them UPS overnite last Monday and they second day aired back to me so I missed last weekend. I asked specifically regarding the procedure and they said they were going to work on mine. If I'd known they were sending new ones I would have just sent mine in ground instead of overnight and pushed to have them cross in transit. No big deal though and I'm still impressed with their service. Especially since the radios work so well now. Overall these units are perfect and I'm an extremely happy cacher.

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quote:
Originally posted by spyder40:

The radio quality is now the same as my Motorola's and they put a couple of foam strips in the battery cover to keep the top one from jarring loose also.


I just looked at mine and they are there also. I didn't even notice before.

 

 

quote:
The only bummer is I sent them UPS overnite last Monday and they second day aired back to me so I missed last weekend.

I just used USPS Priority at $3.95. Since I still have my III+ I was not as concerned.

 

 

One thing is when I sent mine in I sent it in with the batteries still in it but did not get them back icon_razz.gif Oh well.

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I got back brand new units with the foam strips. While no freebies were included they did go the extra mile --- my maps and waypoints were copied to the new units. Go Garmin! Great tech support. They sent the units back two-day air so end-to-end total downtime was 1 week.

 

I wonder if the Rinos will transmit at 1 watt on channels 1-7 when you turn on GMRS.

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Still no email from Garmin and its been almost 2 weeks. So i called today and they said that there is no problem whatsoever with Rino headset jacks. I told him i tried 2 different kinds that didnt work and he ask if i tried garmins Headset. I told him no and he said he'll send Garmins headset with boom to prove it works. I will keep everyone informed as soon as i try it.

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i had my rino in for service twice for headset not working,send it back the same day i got it back from the first RMA, it only worked when you pullled the plug out approx 1/8 an inch not when it was fully seated. when i got it back from the second RMA, it works but will not fully seat now, and shows about 1/8 of the plug.

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Interesting on the headset issues. I tried a headset from my cell phone and had the same issue, had to pull the plug out just a tad to get it to work. The downside was once I pushed the button to talk it wouldn't stop transmitting. Figured it was just the wrong type of headset but maybe mine had the problem as well. I haven't tried it with the new units they sent me. Need to try tonight and will post what mine do.

 

On another note, the new units they sent don't seem to have the accuracy that the old ones did. They used to report down in the single digits regularly but now getting in the teens seems to be good. Not sure if it's due to weather or my memory has blurred. I've always kept them on when going/coming from work so the results should be apples to apples. Figure I'll give them a week so I have a broad sampling. Maybe it's the government/war...just kidding.

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I sent an email through Garmin's website, got a response the next day, but the representative either didn't look at the serial number provided, or thought it was a completely unrelated issue. In his response, which was professional and sincere, he indicated trying a few settings and if I was still experiencing the difficulties, reply to him and we could get it sent in for repairs.

 

It was a fast response, but since others have called, I thought I'd try it too. I called Garmin (1-800-800-1020) went through the menu options, got to speak with a very nice lady.

 

After amenities I said, "I have a Rino 120, and it's serial number is within the range for that upgrade". She instantly knew what I was talking about. She gathered all the info, and gave me an RMA number to ATTN when sending in my unit. She said to me that the turn around is pretty quick, it all depends on how I send it to them.

 

I asked her if they were going to post the 'upgrade' serial numbers or info on their website, she said, "no, because one, it's not a recall, and two, people will think that there is something wrong with their units, when all we are doing is upgrading the hardware."

 

Sounds reasonable to me. I overnighted it. hehehe

 

OddTodd

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Update!

 

I received Garmins Headset today and seems to be working fine. I have not tried it with another unit yet but i hear through the headset speaker and it will detect my voice when in (VOX).

Now mine falls in between those serial numbers and i tried 2 differnt headsets that didnt work. This is when i called Garmin and they said there is nothing with the headset jack. So he said he will send there headset to prove it. He was right! It does work with there own headset.

Who is using different headsets other than Garmins in there Rino? Cellphones, Cordless, or whatever.

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Duggie,

 

How does the headset sound? Haven't had a chance (ok, I forgot) to try my cell phone headset again. My radios are much better since I got them back. Last weekend we were .3 of a mile apart in the woods with some minor hills and everything was clear. I know that's not the 1 mile description but haven't had the opportunity to see exactly how far. On the accuracy side, mine seem to be fine. I still think they're a little jerky now but teens and single digits are not out of the norm. Thinking about a re-radiating antenna again that's battery powered...more toys. Received my 2000mah Powerex's and Maha chargers yesterday so I will be testing the runtime on rechargables shortly.

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OddTodd,

 

I'm thinking about getting the battery powered one from PC-Mobile. The Vortech's look nice but I don't want to be tied to a 12v cig lighter cable, these use AA batteries, plus the $99 price tag. Thought about building one from another thread here but for $52.50 complete I'm starting to lean this direction.

 

http://pc-mobile.net/gpsant.htm

http://ubbx.Groundspeak.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=5726007311&f=7116058331&m=86260251&r=67260251#67260251

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Quick update on my Powerex 2000's and Rino 120. Not a real life test (gotta work) but should give some idea. Supposedly it takes 4-5 cycles on NiMh batteries before they really start performing and this is after the first charge. I put a set in and turned it on at 12:45 this afternoon with both the radio and GPS going. Haven't been talking on it but did pick up some others (and one was another Rino user, showed up on the map as Joe). Still going strong at 21:00 with only on bar gone. Probably doesn't mean a lot since NiMh will go strong when regulated and then die from what I understand. With my luck it will be in the middle of the night and I won't know when. Then again, maybe it will be in the morning icon_smile.gif Really like the Maha chargers, batteries are staying pretty cool.

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Received my Rino 120 back from Garmin today. All of the documentation as to what was done was thorough. I sent it on Wed 3/26 overnight air. They received it on the 27th, scheduled the repair for the 31st. Posting this on the 3rd, it took just over a week.

 

I was impatient! I bugged them twice about it - called their 800 number, asked about the RMA - each time they were more than happy to talk and search for the information. Very pleasant customer service.

 

Repair Summary: (YMMV - this is verbatim from the service report)

Confirmed Problem. Transferred customer waypoint data. Replaced the rear case and verified the current modifications were completed. This unit is compliant with the upcoming service bulletin 303. Added spacer sponges to the battery terminal and battery compartment door. Verified the unit works on AA and external power.

Updated software to latest version and aligned unit to optimum performance. Unit passes its ATE tests and is operating within normal limits. OK to Return to service. Verified the operation with another Rino 120. Unit acquired satellites in 45 seconds. Transferred customer waypoint data.

 

GARMIN ROCKS! I can tell it's tuned. I put batteries in, powered it on and in the drive to work (10 minutes) it had a differential lock on 3 satellites, and I had never seen that before on my Rino. While driving, I picked up FRS signals on channel 2 from someone - sound was clearer than before. Didn't sound as fuzzy.

 

Detractors say what you will. I feel that Garmin has done very well by me.

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