Guest Anton Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 Greetings, Picked up an eTrex as a backup unit this week, and noticed that the screens on the display were placed a bit off to the left - not centered. Went back to the store, where I examined two more eTrex units, and saw they were also not centered in the screen window. Hmmm. Am I a fussy guy? You bet! FYI, other than this minor issue, I like the eTrex a lot, considering it's an inepensive entry-level model. I could do without the school bus color scheme, but I suppose it will be easy to find if I drop it in the weeds. It's very small, extremely light, and has all the functions you need for geocaching. Guess that's why Jeremy features one on the GC homepage! Does your eTrex have the same uncentered screen appearance? Are there other Garmin models that look like this? Is this the normal look for an eTrex? Should an un-centered screen unit be returned? Let's hear from other eTrex owners. Take a careful look, and tell us what you see. Anton, 8H/9F ------------------ Anton Ninno - N2RUD Syracuse, NY 13210 [This message has been edited by Anton (edited 02 June 2001).] Quote Link to comment
Guest jeremy Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 My original eTrex has the screen listing to the left a bit too. It is a minor annoyance, but the whole screen is still visible in the area designated for the screen. The complaint I have with the newer versions, however, is that when using the thumb joystick on the front of the eTrex, it's too easy to select instead of move to the right. I keep pushing it too far and having it act like an enter key. I also don't believe when you press and hold the button on the left-hand side (on the bottom) and have it go to the add waypoint screen anymore. That is a great feature on the eTrex (and one I use more than others). Jeremy Quote Link to comment
Guest Anton Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 To Jeremy: Not sure I follow that last paragraph about "press and hold", etc. Can you go over that piece once more? Thanks! Anton ------------------ Anton Ninno - N2RUD Syracuse, NY 13210 Quote Link to comment
Guest mcb Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 I also have a eTrex (the little yellow one) and my screen is a little off center to the left. It is nice and square with the opening but shifted to the left a little. I just figured is had something to so with the connection to the screen. I think that Jeremy was referning to the fact that on the yellow eTrex will mark a waypoint simply by pressing and holding the enter button (the lowest lefthand button) for about a two count. The newer models apparently do not have this feature. mcb Quote Link to comment
Guest mkral Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 On the newer models, you have to hold down the joystick for 2 seconds to mark your position. Quote Link to comment
Guest jeremy Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 ou have to hold down the joystick for 2 seconds to mark your position. Aha! Thanks. It was my wife's Venture, so I never read the instruction manual. That by far is the best feature on the device. I did like the simplity of the original eTrex, though the new resolution on the other versions just blows me away! One more vent, whenever you boot up the Venture the disclaimer is up on the screen way too long. I can understand liability reasons, but Geez! This is funny too. I was reading the documents Garmin filed to go public. I don't remember the exact location, but they filed in some odd location outside the US to keep from being liable for their actions. Jeremy Quote Link to comment
Guest gnbrotz Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 My etrex also has the display slightly off-center, to the left. I purchased it used about two months ago on ebay. Hasn't really caused me any problems other than the minor annoyance already mentioned. ------------------ Greg Quote Link to comment
Guest Moun10Bike Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 quote:Originally posted by jeremy:One more vent, whenever you boot up the Venture the disclaimer is up on the screen way too long. It took me a while to figure this out (I don't believe that it is documented anywhere, and these new eTrex models don't display "Press Page to continue" on the disclaimer screens like other Garmin models do), but you can press the Page button (top one of the right edge of the unit) to skip through these. Incidentally, while the display on my Vista is OK, the display on my GPSmap 76 is rotated slightly from vertical and shifted slightly right. Quote Link to comment
Guest Nemesis Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 quote:Originally posted by Anton:... noticed that the screens on the [eTrex] display were placed a bit off to the left - not centered....I examined two more eTrex units, and saw they were also not centered....Does your eTrex have the same uncentered screen appearance?... I noticed it last year, every eTrex I have seen has been like that (mine is an eTrex Summit). My theory is that the viewable area of the screen is shifted slightly to the left because most users hold the unit in their left hand, this prevents the display besel from cutting off visibility of the right hand side of the screen. However, if you prefer holding it in your right hand you may have problems. Cheers, Donovan Govan. Quote Link to comment
Guest Iron Chef Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 quote:Originally posted by jeremy: Aha! Thanks. It was my wife's Venture, so I never read the instruction manual. That by far is the best feature on the device. I did like the simplity of the original eTrex, though the new resolution on the other versions just blows me away! One more vent, whenever you boot up the Venture the disclaimer is up on the screen way too long. I can understand liability reasons, but Geez! This is funny too. I was reading the documents Garmin filed to go public. I don't remember the exact location, but they filed in some odd location outside the US to keep from being liable for their actions. Jeremy The ClickStick is really a great feature once you get used to it Jeremy, makes things really easy, but like most things it takes some getting used to. And yes :~) the Venture's screen resolution is fantastic. ------------------ -Iron Chef _ _ _________________ _ _ agefive.com/geocache/ "But a big booming voice from the sky is exactly what you have found..." -Contact Quote Link to comment
Guest placeman Posted June 2, 2001 Share Posted June 2, 2001 My Legend?s LCD display is also shifted a little to the left, albeit completely viewable within the confines of the of the screen cover. I recently purchased the eTrex carrying case so that I could clip it to my pack and give it a little extra protection. The case works great, but was designed for the original eTrex, which covers the new joystick. This was annoying at first because there was no way to manipulate the stick. I simply took a circuit board soldering iron and melted a hole in the cover. After trimming the burnt material, the stick pops through and can be used without too much trouble. Quote Link to comment
Guest Hawk-eye Posted June 3, 2001 Share Posted June 3, 2001 The eTrex units ... old and new ... according to tech support at Garmin ... all have the screen "centered" slightly to the left because of the size and what they have to do to "squeeze everything" in this small of a package. My first Vista (which I love after software upgrade 2.15) was to the left but off at about a 2 degree angle ... sent it back to The GPS Store and the one they sent me was OK (still to the left, but square). I inflicted a similar fix to the case I bought as did Placeman, but I used a circular die to puch my way through ... a bit tough to work the joystick .. but it works. Quote Link to comment
Guest Prime Suspect Posted June 4, 2001 Share Posted June 4, 2001 case was in my hand, the metal clip was still on my belt. The clip is NOT intergrated into the case. It is simply a piece of metal that is slipped into a pocket in the back, and held in place with a little glue. If the glue fails (which mine did after only the third use), you could easily lose the entire unit without realizing it until it's too late. The clip slides into the top of the pocket, so gravity alone would be enough to cause the case to slip away. This is a very poor design, and not one to be trusted. I had hoped that the BodyGlove cases would be better, since their cases for the Motorola SLK radios are so good. But from what I've read, they also lack a hole for the clickstick, and the padding on the case makes it difficult to press the side buttons. Quote Link to comment
Guest Anton Posted June 5, 2001 Share Posted June 5, 2001 About eTrex cases... I recently bought a semi-hard case that has a double, full-length zipper, along with an internal holster that even had a security strap with a Velcro closure. It has a belt loop, and with the holster arrangement, there's no way you'll lose a GPS without knowing it! The brand name is AccuCase, and they're sold in a variety of shapes and sizes at EMS stores: Garmin-12 GPS size, sunglasses, cell phones, PDAs, etc. The price is $20, and I heartily recommend this product to you. Anton, 8H/9F ------------------ Anton Ninno - N2RUD Syracuse, NY 13210 [This message has been edited by Anton (edited 05 June 2001).] Quote Link to comment
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