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Navigating with Etrex Vista


Guest Larry Boy

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Guest Larry Boy

Just got my first receiver (an Etrex Vista), and navigating to a waypoint is not going as I expected. I have not been successful in returning to a waypoint that I have previously marked. When I get close (within 20 feet), the bearing pointer was pointing in a direction that I know was away from the waypoint, and if I followed the pointer, my distance to the waypoint would increase. Even when I disregarded the pointer, I couldn't get closer than about 5 feet. This was with WAAS enable and a stated accuracy of 6 feet. Is this normal and the best that can be expected? Or what am I doing wrong?

 

P.S. I upgraded the firmware in the unit from 2.12 to 2.16 when as soon as I received it.

 

Thanks for any ideas.

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Guest makaio

Civilian handheld units aren't expected to get you much closer than the distances you mentioned. Sounds like your unit is working just fine. There are much higher end models used by sureveying companies, etc. which are accurate to much shorter distances, but nothing you'd want/need for this sport.

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Guest Hawk-eye

When you get that close ... read the bearing and distance to info and whip out the old compass ... or use the compass on mode and use the GPS compass .... and site your target and work your way there. Another interesting method I've read about and tried ... is switch to the satellite page and do a North South position change .... then a East West position change ... watching the Longitude and Latitude reading until your position matches the cache cordinates ... IMHO it's not as efficient as using the bearing and compass ... but works pretty well. Hope this helps ... remember free advise is always worth what you paid for it icon_biggrin.gif

 

[This message has been edited by Hawk-eye (edited 23 June 2001).]

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Guest Hawk-eye

When you get that close ... read the bearing and distance to info and whip out the old compass ... or use the compass on mode and use the GPS compass .... and site your target and work your way there. Another interesting method I've read about and tried ... is switch to the satellite page and do a North South position change .... then a East West position change ... watching the Longitude and Latitude reading until your position matches the cache cordinates ... IMHO it's not as efficient as using the bearing and compass ... but works pretty well. Hope this helps ... remember free advise is always worth what you paid for it icon_biggrin.gif

 

[This message has been edited by Hawk-eye (edited 23 June 2001).]

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Guest crwdog

I own a vista also, and I believe that you should take some of the above suggestions to heart - the "arrow" on the map page I was told once, gets its direction by averaging coordinates as you are moving. I'm not quite sure of this (it was told to me by a fellow 'cacher) because the vista has an on-board compass. Mine sure seems to fit the above hypothesis however, as if I stand still and slowly move around, the arrow won't change. Page over to the compass page, however, and you are set!

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Guest Larry Boy

Hawkeye, Thanks for the tip. You helped me to discover my own user error. Earlier, I had been attempting to determine if a point between two property corners was inside or outside the property boundary. (I know that my accuracy won't be that great, but this was just for a rough idea). Anyway, to do that, I changed the pointer from a bearing pointer to a course pointer and used the Off Course readout to tell me how for from the property line I was. I forgot to change back to a bearing pointer, so the course pointer was directing me back to a line between my starting point and the waypoint I was seeking (not to the waypoint itself). This is why when I moved in the direction of the arrow, my distance to the way point could increase. I used your tip on following the bearing to get the distance right down to zero. After changing back to the bearing pointer, it lead me right to the waypoint.

 

Thanks again.

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