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Will my Etrex work so far from home in England

Guest HomeChicken

By Guest HomeChicken
in GPS technology and devices

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Guest HomeChicken

Guest HomeChicken

Posted
Posted

Will go and do that now (batteries and post).. but if any of you US residents have any helpful hints i'll take any I can get.. but really what I'm asking is will everything work on the unit like it does here? Dumb question but that is what forums are for!! LOL heha

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Guest peter

Guest peter

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by HomeChicken:

Will go and do that now (batteries and post).. but if any of you US residents have any helpful hints i'll take any I can get.. but really what I'm asking is will everything work on the unit like it does here? Dumb question but that is what forums are for!! LOL heha

 

I've found AA cells to be readily available throughout the world - a triumph of standardization. Of course I prefer to use NiMHs, so I just take those plus my charger (runs on 12VDC in rental cars or 120/220 VAC with a plug converter).

Your Legend will work fine but you won't have the basemap, so be prepared for reloading different sets of MG maps if you're moving around. Will you have a laptop along or access to someone's PC?

The lack of the basemap isn't critical, but some of the 'Find' features seem to depend on it, such as finding exits and I believe cities.

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Guest DougsBrat

Guest DougsBrat

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by HomeChicken:

Traveling to United Kingdom in about a month and was going to purchase the Mapsource metroguide for europe to help us on our travels.. Is there anything I should know about? ..... is it worth taking so we don't get lost, ect.

 

I dont get lost easly, even pre GPS but when I flew in to Dublin on St Paddies day and tryed to get to the hotel (just me and 1/2 a million people in town) I got so turned around and the overcast (no sun) did not help get my bearings. and yes I did ask for directions! nobody was from Dublin???

I wished I had a GPS or compass at least that day.

2 1/2 hrs to make a 15 minute drive sheeeech!

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Guest PHREDD

Guest PHREDD

Posted
Posted

JamieZ

From the land of Funny Soundin(G), Goofy Spellin(G), Beatle Producin(G), Monty Python, and Benny Hill Lovin(G) folks.......

... YES WE DO SELL ALL TYPES OF BATTERIES...

 

Oh Yes some of also like Stan FREEBURG (freberg) and TOM LEERER (lehrer).

 

LOL

 

 

------------------

Phredd

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Guest mrcpu

Guest mrcpu

Posted
Posted

I know someone who has an eTrex and has gone all over the world including China. He had one problem with it. He turned it on on the airplane but couldn't get a position (Showed Some sats though). He figured that it was because he didn't know where to tell it that he was. Once he got on the ground in Bejing he didn't have any problems.

 

Remember, the Sats are all around the earth. For example the same sats where used to drop ordinance on Iraq and Afganistan!!

 

I can't speak for the battery problem but perhaps a set of rechargables, a charger and a converter would be in order.

 

BTW, my Etrex Venture, which has cities on it has Lots of European cities. The only place I found that you couldn't go on the map is EXACTLY to the North Pole. The map will only pan up to 89.996 and the same goes for entering a waypoint manually!

 

Cheers!

 

------------------

MrCpu

mrcpu@myrealbox.com

Finds

Hides

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Guest st_richardson

Guest st_richardson

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by peter:

...Of course I prefer to use NiMHs, so I just take those plus my charger (runs on 12VDC in rental cars or 120/220 VAC with a plug converter). ...Will you have a laptop along or access to someone's PC?...

 

Ditto on the NiMH batteries. I have 2 chargers (home & travel). I have 4 sets of batteries for my GPS and 3 sets for my digital camera. (It eats batteries about as fast as my GPS.) I have the battery sets labled. eg G1, G2, etc. This way I they can charge & discharge evenly.

 

Sidenote on MiMH batteries: Cell voltage is 1.2@ instead of 1.5@ for regular AA so total voltage for a pair is 2.4. This means a fully charged set will not display as full on your GPS.

 

BTW: To access the diag. mode on a Vista & most likely other Garmins, push the "click stick" button while turning on the unit. Battery voltage, temperature, & other info will be displayed.

 

If you have a laptop, it would be a great help in your travels.

 

Last but not least don't forget to ask for a window seat on the plane. My guess would be that the right side of the plane would be best going & the left for returning.

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Guest st_richardson

Guest st_richardson

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by PHREDD:

JamieZ

... YES WE DO SELL ALL TYPES OF BATTERIES...

 

How much do they cost in the "the land of Funny Soundin(G), Goofy Spellin(G), Beatle Producin(G), Monty Python, and Benny Hill Lovin(G) folks"? icon_smile.gif

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Guest st_richardson

Guest st_richardson

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by PHREDD:

JamieZ

... YES WE DO SELL ALL TYPES OF BATTERIES...

 

How much do they cost in the "the land of Funny Soundin(G), Goofy Spellin(G), Beatle Producin(G), Monty Python, and Benny Hill Lovin(G) folks"? icon_smile.gif

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Guest st_richardson

Guest st_richardson

Posted
Posted

Don't forget that you'll need to allow a bit extra time to find & download satelite infomation, if you go more than a few hundred miles with your GPS off. Remember the 1st time you turned on your GPS?

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Guest HomeChicken

Guest HomeChicken

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by waters:

say home chicken, did you ever cross the county line before ??

I guess thats why theres jokes about me "Why did the Chicken cross the road!"

 

 

------------------

Bought a eTrex Legend on 7/24/01

I was part of or placed these Caches

Sun rising over Mt.Rubidoux 3/3

Urban Jungle 3/3

Rising sun over Chicken Coop 5/5

Disneyland Geocaching 1/1

Can You C What I C? 2/3.5

 

Need to rate your own Cache?

Geocache Rating System

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Guest HomeChicken

Guest HomeChicken

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by st_richardson:

Don't forget that you'll need to allow a bit extra time to find & download satelite infomation, if you go more than a few hundred miles with your GPS off. Remember the 1st time you turned on your GPS?

Good info Thanks !

 

 

------------------

Bought a eTrex Legend on 7/24/01

I was part of or placed these Caches

Sun rising over Mt.Rubidoux 3/3

Urban Jungle 3/3

Rising sun over Chicken Coop 5/5

Disneyland Geocaching 1/1

Can You C What I C? 2/3.5

 

Need to rate your own Cache?

Geocache Rating System

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Guest Morseman

Guest Morseman

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by HomeChicken:

Traveling to United Kingdom in about a month and was going to purchase the Mapsource metroguide for europe to help us on our travels.. Is there anything I should know about? Like is there "AA" Batteries for my etrex legend there, will the unit work so far from home, is it worth taking so we don't get lost, ect. ? any advise would be very nice from you all.

 

 

Yes, we have AA batteries (and AAA batteries as well icon_smile.gif ) we may be getting electric lighting soon as well. (I've been an Electricity Supply Industry worker, here, since 1978. icon_biggrin.gif)

 

Your GPS receiver will work OK over here as well. You may need to leave it on a while while it locks onto the sats when you first get here though.

 

Oh, and not all of us like Monty Python, or Benny Hill. icon_smile.gif

 

Give me the Goons (Radio) and Open All Hours, or Porridge (TV) any day.

 

 

------------------

--... ...--

Morseman

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Guest Morseman

Guest Morseman

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by HomeChicken:

Traveling to United Kingdom in about a month and was going to purchase the Mapsource metroguide for europe to help us on our travels.. Is there anything I should know about? Like is there "AA" Batteries for my etrex legend there, will the unit work so far from home, is it worth taking so we don't get lost, ect. ? any advise would be very nice from you all.

 

 

Yes, we have AA batteries (and AAA batteries as well icon_smile.gif ) we may be getting electric lighting soon as well. (I've been an Electricity Supply Industry worker, here, since 1978. icon_biggrin.gif)

 

Your GPS receiver will work OK over here as well. You may need to leave it on a while while it locks onto the sats when you first get here though.

 

Oh, and not all of us like Monty Python, or Benny Hill. icon_smile.gif

 

Give me the Goons (Radio) and Open All Hours, or Porridge (TV) any day.

 

 

------------------

--... ...--

Morseman

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Guest Morseman

Guest Morseman

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Morseman:

Yes, we have AA batteries (and AAA batteries as well icon_smile.gif )

 

Forgot to mention, you will be able to buy AA size batteries in most corner stores, Supermarkets (ASDA were bought by WalMart, as an aside) and many electrical superstores.

 

Plus many petrol stations, gift shops and other places like that as they often fit cameras as well as GPS receivers.

 

Prices? Well, I bought a 4 pack of AA cells the other day for UK£ 3.05 (thats about US$ 2.14) but there are some Duracell batteries on special offer of buy 4 get 4 free. (My GPSIII+ takes 4 AA cells)

 

If you bring a charger, be aware that the electricity supply in houses and hotels will be 240 Volt AC at 50Hz, but you will find that there may be a shaver socket in the bathroom with 110 Volts available, but 50Hz not 60Hz as you normally have in the US. (NB: Ignore anyone who tells you that the voltage is 230 Volts across Europe, they fudged the issue by extending the torrerance limits on voltage, so that the old UK 240 V +/- 6% falls inside the "new" standard of 230 V +/- 10%!)

 

 

------------------

--... ...--

Morseman

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Guest Morseman

Guest Morseman

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Morseman:

Yes, we have AA batteries (and AAA batteries as well icon_smile.gif )

 

Forgot to mention, you will be able to buy AA size batteries in most corner stores, Supermarkets (ASDA were bought by WalMart, as an aside) and many electrical superstores.

 

Plus many petrol stations, gift shops and other places like that as they often fit cameras as well as GPS receivers.

 

Prices? Well, I bought a 4 pack of AA cells the other day for UK£ 3.05 (thats about US$ 2.14) but there are some Duracell batteries on special offer of buy 4 get 4 free. (My GPSIII+ takes 4 AA cells)

 

If you bring a charger, be aware that the electricity supply in houses and hotels will be 240 Volt AC at 50Hz, but you will find that there may be a shaver socket in the bathroom with 110 Volts available, but 50Hz not 60Hz as you normally have in the US. (NB: Ignore anyone who tells you that the voltage is 230 Volts across Europe, they fudged the issue by extending the torrerance limits on voltage, so that the old UK 240 V +/- 6% falls inside the "new" standard of 230 V +/- 10%!)

 

 

------------------

--... ...--

Morseman

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Guest HomeChicken

Guest HomeChicken

Posted
Posted

Another concern came up from my sister and mom that are going with me

they think that the airport security will not let me have the unit on board the airplane, is this something that i should be worried about..sounds like I better start a new topic to see what people are saying

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Guest Choberiba

Guest Choberiba

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Morseman:

Prices? Well, I bought a 4 pack of AA cells the other day for UK£ 3.05 (thats about US$ 2.14)

 

Unless I'm misreading you Morseman....

 

According to this converter.

 

As of 11:30 AM 2/25/2002

 

3.05 GBP = 4.34532 USD

 

------------------

Eric march@cachestash.com

 

Also, if you read some of Choberiba's other logs, he sounds like a real jerk. - maczoso

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Guest CR

Guest CR

Posted
Posted

I've noticed that most digital cameras will stop working when the battery voltage is between 1.3 and 1.4 volts. I assume this is some kind of safety feature to keep the memory from corrupting. However GPS units will work fine to 1.2 and sometimes less volts. When my batteries stop working in my digital camera I save them for my GPS.

 

Yes, batteries seem to be universal. Everywhere I've been in Europe I've been able to find plenty of AAA, AA, B, C and D batteries. As you would guess tourist spots tend to charge higher prives for then than supermarkets. Special use batteries tend to be harder to find like the CR-V3's for my camera but if your in a large city you should be able to find some.

 

When buying an AC transformer you need one that will convert aprox. 230VAC to aprox. 115VAC. You also need to be aware of the watts. Watts is a measurement of power consumption. You need to know the watt rating for the equipment that you are going to use with the transformer and then make sure that the transformer is rated higher. For example if you want to plug 3 things in to the transformer at once and one is rated at 10 watts, another at 50 watts and the third at 30 watts. You would add them all together for a total of 90 watts. The transformer you need will have to be rated at 90 watts or higher for it handle all that you want to do with it.

 

If you are thinking of buying an AC to DC transformer the same applies about wattage. But you also may need to find one that works with 50Hz power.

 

Also do not be too conserned with 50Hz power. In the USA you use 60Hz power. The only time you would have trouble with the difference Hz rating, besides AC to DC converters, is in something that would count the cycles to determing time. If you are going to use a battery charger you will want to use kind that shuts off when the batteries reach a full charge and not one that has a timed shut off. If you do use one that has a timed shut off I would suggest charging 2 or 3 times in a row to make sure you get a full charge. For example, some plug in alarm clocks count the cycles (Hz) to determing time. In the USA 60 cycles = 1 minute. In Europe 50 cycles = 1 minute. So a clock that is made for the USA and is pluged in in Europe will loose 10 seconds every minute! Forunently it seens that this is only a problem on very low end models as more expensive models will have thier own osculators to count the seconds.

 

WAAS does work in Eurpore and it works very well thank you. We DO have ground sites. If you have a Magellan it will ignore the current do not use bit. It is only on there because the final testing has not been completed.

 

You will find that Europe has steped up its security but not as much as the US did. I've never been asked to remove my shoes or turn on any electronic device. You will also find that moving between EU (Eupropen Union) countries is a snap. Also, with the introduction of the Euro (I dont know why the brits are so slow on adopting the Euro) it makes a lot of thing a whole lot easier!

 

When you make any large changes in distance or altitude it is always a good idea to tell the GPS where it is at. Like you did when you first got the unit. Check the manual for instruction. This will GREATLY speed the acquision of satalites.

 

BTW: Drink the bottled water. There is nothing wrong with tap water, except that you body isn't used to it yet and may act up when you change what it is used to drinking. Ever heard of Montezumas revenge?

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Guest Morseman

Guest Morseman

Posted
Posted

quote:

Prices? Well, I bought a 4 pack of AA cells the other day for UK£ 3.05 (thats about US$ 2.14) but there are some Duracell batteries on special offer of buy 4 get 4 free. (My GPSIII+ takes 4 AA cells)

 

[/b]

 

Sorry! I got the conversion wrong. Again.

 

$4.33 was the correct value.

 

I'm going to get fleeced if I ever venture across the pond. icon_biggrin.gif

 

 

------------------

--... ...--

Morseman

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Guest Morseman

Guest Morseman

Posted
Posted

quote:

Prices? Well, I bought a 4 pack of AA cells the other day for UK£ 3.05 (thats about US$ 2.14) but there are some Duracell batteries on special offer of buy 4 get 4 free. (My GPSIII+ takes 4 AA cells)

 

[/b]

 

Sorry! I got the conversion wrong. Again.

 

$4.33 was the correct value.

 

I'm going to get fleeced if I ever venture across the pond. icon_biggrin.gif

 

 

------------------

--... ...--

Morseman

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kathryn

+kathryn

Posted
Posted

Contrary to previous posts, battery chargers from the US will not, in general, work in the UK. No battery charger or for that matter no appliance that has an auto-shut off feature will work with a power converter. Theoreticaly, battery chargers without an auto-off feature should work, though I've had almost no luck getting my chargers for various battery packs to work using either converters or transformers. Most converters even say in the fine print that they are not to be used with battery chargers. For standard batteries, it might make sense to purchase a charger at Dixons or other electronics store, I got one for about £24 with batteries.

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