Vista version 2.28 is released!

July 13, 2002

This software is the latest production software as of 6/12/02 and adds/corrects the following in the eTrex Vista:

Changes made from versions 2.26 to 2.28:

Added Glide Ratio, Glide Ratio to Destination, and Vertical Speed to Destination configurable fields.

Enhanced compass pointer functionality while navigating a route. It now indicates the direction of the turn to the next point in the route in addition to the direction to the current point (when within 15 seconds of the current point).

Added elevation configurable field to the elevation page.

Made find by address searches display the street name of the previous search.

Added ability to do manual waypoint transitioning on routes.

Added a unit's selector for depth.

Added a unit's selector for vertical speed.

Improved responsiveness of vertical speed.

Added Hungarian Grid.

Changed operation to continue updating elevation related data when satellite reception has been lost.

Improved display update on the calculator after pressing the clear button or the clear entry button.

Improved translations for all languages.

Added the ability to search specific map sets on find by city searches.

Improved functionality of user datum.

Increased stability of firmware uploads and map uploads.

Corrected NMEA output of user magnetic variance settings.

Made user memory be cleared when backing up firmware revisions.

Fixed the use of yards on the horizontal axis zoom scale, on the elevation plot.

General improvements to the operating system that fixed various shutdowns.

July 13, 2002

Can we really measure vertical speed now?

Maybe I should take up Geo-skydiving.

July 13, 2002

First: how is different the already existing vertical speed from the glide ratio..

Second: my gps is booting a lot faster with this version. I have put back the old software to be sure, and it is true. In all versions including 2.26, i had to let the GPS for about 2 seconds before pressing the Page button to skip the warnings. Now i can do this without any waiting time (it reacts instantly to the Page button). Also, it seems faster in all the operations.

July 13, 2002

I need some suggestions on uploading the new software version. This is my first upgrade. I have version 2.26. I'm connected to my PC with a Belkin serial to USB adapter. I've downloaded the software and upzipped. When I try to upload to the Vista it asks for a com port. I'm set up on com 5, but this is not one of the selections. It does not see the unit on auto detect. This set up works fine when downloading waypoints using Easy GPS. Help!!!!!!!!!

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" Alice

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." Cheshire Cat

"I don't much care where --" Alice

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go." Cheshire Cat

July 13, 2002

I have the same problem when trying to upload a ROM update to my Legend and V. The Palm USB adaptor that I use works fine for transferring data to and from the unit using Mapsource, however when I try to run the loader program, it says that there is an incorrect function with the COM port.

Not sure why this is happening, but I thought that you might be interested to know that it is happening to others under different circumstances.

July 13, 2002

I'm also having trouble. I'm using the COM cable that came with the Vista, and it finds the unit on COM1 just fine and talks to it. It says, "Erasing..." and that's all it does. On the Vista screen I see, "LOADER LOADING..." and nothing changes.

I can shut off the Vista and turn it back on and it still works. I've tried this on two computers and get the same result. It worked fine when I did the 2.26 upgrade not long ago.

Rob

July 13, 2002

But I suspect that in the attempt to upload a "ROM" file REQUIERS a serial connector!(the ol 9 pin)

Comm ports are either Odd or Even, so if your using com 5 (usb is emmulating) then try com 3 or 1.

vise~versa for the evens.

Now if I can only find that rock I dropped into the shag carpet.

9.2k · July 14, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Boomer1:
I need some suggestions on uploading the new software version. This is my first upgrade. I have version 2.26. I'm connected to my PC with a Belkin serial to USB adapter. I've downloaded the software and upzipped. When I try to upload to the Vista it asks for a com port. I'm set up on com 5, but this is not one of the selections. It does not see the unit on auto detect. This set up works fine when downloading waypoints using Easy GPS. Help!!!!!!!!!

Is there some reason you can't plug it into a real comm port to do the upgrade? Is so, just do it on a friend's PC. It only takes a few minutes.

July 15, 2002

Anyone have any idea what this one means?

Buck8Point

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

If I can't Fix it, It's Definately Broke.

July 15, 2002

Thanks Prime Suspect, I took your advice and used my PC at work. Ver. 2.28 uploaded, no problems!

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" Alice

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." Cheshire Cat

"I don't much care where --" Alice

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go." Cheshire Cat

July 15, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Boomer1:
I need some suggestions on uploading the new software version. This is my first upgrade. I have version 2.26. I'm connected to my PC with a Belkin serial to USB adapter. I've downloaded the software and upzipped. When I try to upload to the Vista it asks for a com port. I'm set up on com 5, but this is not one of the selections. It does not see the unit on auto detect. This set up works fine when downloading waypoints using Easy GPS. Help!!!!!!!!!...

I use a USB serial adapter without any problems. I think you have to use com 1-4, however.

2.3k · July 17, 2002

I'm using a USB adaptor for my laptop, and it works perfectly. Runs as COM4.

Anders

July 17, 2002

I use a Keyspan Serial/USB adapter. To get mine to work properly, I needed to assign it to COM 1,2,3,4. To do this (in W2K) I went to the properties for My Computer, Hardware tab, then Device Manager. In the Ports section, I went to the Adapter's properties and, under Advanced, selected COM 1.

I think the process is similar for W98/ME/XP.

BP

2.3k · July 20, 2002

Anyone noticed something strange with the tracks? They've gone back to the idea of drawing a straight line between where you turn off your unit, and where you turn it on again. That was removed several versions ago, but now it's there again!

Anders

1.5k · July 20, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Anders:
Anyone noticed something strange with the tracks? They've gone back to the idea of drawing a straight line between where you turn off your unit, and where you turn it on again. That was removed several versions ago, but now it's there again!

Anders

Argh! That's what it is!

I don't know why I couldn't have realized that... but I was looking at my map screen today, after hiding and hunting yesterday - and I was trying to figure out why my screen look so cluttered. That's it!

*running to garmin.com to fire off some comments...*

Rubbertoe - Webcam - Image Archives

--== http://www.bigfoot.com/~rbatina ==--

1.5k · July 20, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Anders:
Anyone noticed something strange with the tracks? They've gone back to the idea of drawing a straight line between where you turn off your unit, and where you turn it on again. That was removed several versions ago, but now it's there again!

Anders

Argh! That's what it is!

I don't know why I couldn't have realized that... but I was looking at my map screen today, after hiding and hunting yesterday - and I was trying to figure out why my screen look so cluttered. That's it!

*running to garmin.com to fire off some comments...*

Rubbertoe - Webcam - Image Archives

--== http://www.bigfoot.com/~rbatina ==--

July 20, 2002

Trying disabling your Palm HotSync from the tool tray. With HotSync enabled I am able to load EasyGPS data but not Garmin Maps. Apparently, the Palm software monopolizes the ports...

Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son!

July 20, 2002

Trying disabling your Palm HotSync from the tool tray. With HotSync enabled I am able to load EasyGPS data but not Garmin Maps. Apparently, the Palm software monopolizes the ports...

Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son!

July 21, 2002

If your comm port isn't finishing the upload to the GPS, try unchecking the "use highspeed" box before uploading.

The downside is that the upload takes 10-15x longer (20 min or so), but it works more reliably if your comm port doesn't like the 115kbps rate.

Had the problem once before (hung with the "loading" message on the GPS) and that fixed it. Oddly enough, highspeed works fine on mine now.

4.5k · July 21, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Anders:
Anyone noticed something strange with the tracks? They've gone back to the idea of drawing a straight line between where you turn off your unit, and where you turn it on again. That was removed several versions ago, but now it's there again!

Anders

What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing it one way or the other?

Alan

2.3k · July 22, 2002

Well, I can't see any advantages by having a lot of straight line tracks simply connecting the different positions, where you turned off and on your Vista. But I can see the disadvantage of having a lot of lines all over the map screen.

I think they compiled an old file here, because an old translation error to Swedish has returned within the track saving function, too.

Anders

July 22, 2002

I love the new compass modification - it's the one tool that was lacking if you were navigating by car. (Walking provides plenty of time)

I often missed turns on my routes because you only knew when to turn when already on top of the junction - by that time too late to make a last quick turning.

July 22, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by vstanescu:
First: how is different the already existing vertical speed from the glide ratio..

a Glide ratio is the horizontal speed divided by the vertical speed. If you were going 58mph forward (roughly 50 knots) and decending a hill at 200fpm (roughly 2 knots) your glide ratio would be 25.

Not much use on the ground, but for hang gliders, sailplanes and other forms of non motorized aviation it is a useful number.

July 22, 2002

Yup, the new compass that "bends" to show you approaching turns on routes is a great idea. Just noticed it in my car today and it worked very well.

July 23, 2002

Do our friends at Garmin update the online manuals to reflect the changes to software?

2.3k · July 23, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by martic10:
Do our friends at Garmin update the online manuals to reflect the changes to software?

The Garmin manuals aren't too good from the beginning, and rarely updated (although it does happen, but hasn't for the Vista, so far).

Anders

1k · July 24, 2002

Good morning (at least here) Anders ... long time no speak!

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

Co-founder of the "NC/VA GEO-HOG ASSOCIATION"

... when you absolutely have to find it first!

2.3k · July 24, 2002

Hello, Hawk-Eye. Well, I've had a holiday for a while, and haven't used the computer too much, except for logging caches

Now it's afternoon here, and I'm going home after work.

But this has nothing at all to do with the Vista firmware, so I'll have to get that in somehow.

From the beginning (for me, from 2.18 or so), there were several faults in the sun & moon screen. I thought they had all that fixed by now, but recently discovered that occasionally, if you "fast forward" only two days, it will not update the sunrise and sunset times. Sometimes it does, sometimes not.

Anyone else who has experimented with this, or do you just let the sun go up and down as it pleases?

By the way, has the 76S blown up yet?

Anders

2.3k · July 24, 2002

Hello, Hawk-Eye. Well, I've had a holiday for a while, and haven't used the computer too much, except for logging caches

Now it's afternoon here, and I'm going home after work.

But this has nothing at all to do with the Vista firmware, so I'll have to get that in somehow.

From the beginning (for me, from 2.18 or so), there were several faults in the sun & moon screen. I thought they had all that fixed by now, but recently discovered that occasionally, if you "fast forward" only two days, it will not update the sunrise and sunset times. Sometimes it does, sometimes not.

Anyone else who has experimented with this, or do you just let the sun go up and down as it pleases?

By the way, has the 76S blown up yet?

Anders

July 24, 2002

First and foremost I must pay tribute to Vista Kings, Anders and Hawk-eye Greetings to both.

I am having some problems with my software to. I checked some of the seldom used functions that had at one time not worked then been fixed - well they suddenly don't work again. The line thing on the map page is driving me batty. The speed the pages load is supposed to be faster but I'm not sure I can tell. Anyone timed them yet and re-loaded 2.27etc to see if it's better. The glide ratio thingy is real touchy mine jumps around all over from say 100:1 to 400:1 even in a steady climb. I assume it's units are feet if I'm using miles etc. I e-mailed Garmin about several things. I asked if G:R is based on GPS or barometric alt. They didn't answer that question.

Anders is probably right (again) they used an old copy (2.19 etc) to update and forgot to fix the other bugs. Oh well waiting for 2.29 I guess.

As many Vista's as us geocachers have you'd think they would read these forums and get R&D advice from us. Ha yeah right.

P.S I'm not really complaining I love my Vista. Like I say "Have Vista, Will Travel"

Cheers

LowlyWorm Says Gig 'em Aggies

1.5k · July 27, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Anders:
Anyone noticed something strange with the tracks? They've gone back to the idea of drawing a straight line between where you turn off your unit, and where you turn it on again. That was removed several versions ago, but now it's there again!

Thank you for contacting GARMIN.

In response to your inquiry, the units track log does not connect the last known position with a new starting position with a straight line. An active GOTO function operates this way as well as a track back. Cancel the GOTO and Track back function before you turn the unit off.

--== http://www.bigfoot.com/~rbatina ==--

2.3k · July 29, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Rubbertoe:
Thank you for contacting GARMIN.

In response to your inquiry, the units track log does not connect the last known position with a new starting position with a straight line. An active GOTO function operates this way as well as a track back. Cancel the GOTO and Track back function before you turn the unit off.

Seems like they've had one hell of a party at Garmin, and they haven't recovered yet.

First, since the latest update, my Vista has on several occasions refused to cancel the navigation I did before. Each time, when I've turned it back on again, it has been ready to hunt down that already very found point again.

Second, today it has definitely turned navigation to any particular point off. While going to work today, I did pay attention to at which point it had accuired satellites, and started to show the "Ready to navigate" message. Sure enough, there is a straight line from my home to that point.

Third, I do know that it used to do like this several firmwares ago, but that was cured on the way, so to speak. I still stubbornly insist on that they've compiled an old file, regarding the tracks, together with the new functions here. Or maybe I should ask them if the translation error in the Swedish text also is something that comes with not cancelling an active Go-To, before turning the unit off???

For those who need to know everything (like me ): When you save a track, you get a pop-up window with suggestions for how far back you want to save. In the Swedish translation, "Noon" was "Midd" when I got my unit, but was later corrected to "Middag". Now it's back to "Midd" again.

Anders

2.3k · July 29, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Rubbertoe:
Thank you for contacting GARMIN.

In response to your inquiry, the units track log does not connect the last known position with a new starting position with a straight line. An active GOTO function operates this way as well as a track back. Cancel the GOTO and Track back function before you turn the unit off.

Seems like they've had one hell of a party at Garmin, and they haven't recovered yet.

First, since the latest update, my Vista has on several occasions refused to cancel the navigation I did before. Each time, when I've turned it back on again, it has been ready to hunt down that already very found point again.

Second, today it has definitely turned navigation to any particular point off. While going to work today, I did pay attention to at which point it had accuired satellites, and started to show the "Ready to navigate" message. Sure enough, there is a straight line from my home to that point.

Third, I do know that it used to do like this several firmwares ago, but that was cured on the way, so to speak. I still stubbornly insist on that they've compiled an old file, regarding the tracks, together with the new functions here. Or maybe I should ask them if the translation error in the Swedish text also is something that comes with not cancelling an active Go-To, before turning the unit off???

For those who need to know everything (like me ): When you save a track, you get a pop-up window with suggestions for how far back you want to save. In the Swedish translation, "Noon" was "Midd" when I got my unit, but was later corrected to "Middag". Now it's back to "Midd" again.

Anders

2.3k · July 29, 2002

Just to be really sure, I did this:

* Checked that navigation was very much off.

* Turned the unit very much off, completely.

* Drove to the nearest Point of Interest (parking lot at McDonalds).

* Turned the unit on again.

* As expected, when it found its new location, it made a straight line from where I work to the new position, as part of the track.

Be it hereby proven, without reasonable doubt, that the answer from Garmin, as quoted above, is (to use a Swedish phrase) "gallimatias".

I'll give your intelligence the honour of beleiving that everyone can figure out what that word means, regardless of your native language...

Anders

July 29, 2002

Duplicated Anders experiment

Same results

LowlyWorm Says Gig 'em Aggies

1.5k · July 29, 2002

I've been duped by the garmin e-mail lackeys!!

Well, I did my part in writing them once... any of you that would like, feel free to continue pestering them with these results, and hopefully they will admit the error to one of you guys - and we'll all have an updated firmware soon.

Thanks for doing the check... I just took them at their word. I'm guessing the e-mail folks probably don't even really look into this stuff - they just spew results based on whatever their book or computer tells them. heh

--== http://www.bigfoot.com/~rbatina ==--

1.5k · July 29, 2002

I've been duped by the garmin e-mail lackeys!!

Well, I did my part in writing them once... any of you that would like, feel free to continue pestering them with these results, and hopefully they will admit the error to one of you guys - and we'll all have an updated firmware soon.

Thanks for doing the check... I just took them at their word. I'm guessing the e-mail folks probably don't even really look into this stuff - they just spew results based on whatever their book or computer tells them. heh

--== http://www.bigfoot.com/~rbatina ==--

4.5k · July 29, 2002

It's definitely doing what Anders says. WHen I got my Vista back from Garmin after they glued the rubber back on, I noticed I had a track of 1100+ miles from mid Kansas where their factory is to NYC where I live. There was a leg on one of the tracks that indicated 1100+ miles and a speed of over 9,000 mph. I don't recall the exact details, but if it took eight minutes or so to lock in on the satellites when I first put it on in my car, that would make the line track from Kansas and the mph fit nicely.

gallimatias = chutzpah

Alan

2.3k · July 29, 2002

I've already been pestering Tony Broad (very nice man at European Tech Support, seems to be able to bear all my bug reports and suggestions without getting completely insane) about this new "feature", or result of backwards engineering, as it more appropriately could be called.

Anders

2.3k · July 31, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Buck8Point:
Anyone have any idea what this one means?

Buck8Point

As far as I can understand (I haven't tried it), it means that if you, for some reason, go back to a previous firmware, your user memory will be cleared. That is, bye-bye waypoints and such.

Probably to get rid of the potential problem, that a new version uses some memory area for something, which may confuse the older version.

I got this info from the Legend 2.40 BETA download page, where they have "downgrade" as a suggestion, should the Beta-version turn out to be impossible to use.

Anyone tried it?

Anders

2.3k · August 1, 2002

I've now heard from Garmin that the track, that's drawn from where you turn the unit off, to where you turn it on, is a side-effect of the desire to keep the altitude data updating, in spite of loosing the GPS position fix. Previously, the max altitude, for example, didn't update unless you got a position from the satellites.

They are looking at what to do to cure this un-desired effect.

Anders

August 1, 2002

Are they talking about GPS alt or barometric alt?

In a recent e-mail to Garmin I was told the only way to display GPS alt was on the SAT PAGE and not on the ALTIMETER PAGE or TRIP COUNTER in one of the rectangles. So I guess my question is this whats the big deal in needing the GPS alt to be updated for maximum altitude and thus causing a silly MAP PAGE error.

LowlyWorm Says Gig 'em Aggies

2.3k · August 5, 2002

As far as I can understand, they want the max altitude to be updated, without messing up the map page. It just happened, kind of "Oops!", you know...

Anders

1k · August 5, 2002

Forgive me for yabbering since I just have a Yellow Etrex, just tell me to go away if you like. Figured I'd ask in case I ever decide to get a newer unit.

Concerning this line between shut off - turn down. This almost seems like a good feature to me. It's supposed to show where you have gone, and that's the best way it can with the unit off.

During the day I save my relevent tracks and later load them to my computer to make my maps. Usually when I start a new trip, I clear the track memory so the screen is blank.

Would clearing the track memory not be the easy way to cure your dilemma or is the Vista track feature totally different?

Never date a girl whose father calls her princess - chances are she beleives it.

1k · August 5, 2002

Forgive me for yabbering since I just have a Yellow Etrex, just tell me to go away if you like. Figured I'd ask in case I ever decide to get a newer unit.

Concerning this line between shut off - turn down. This almost seems like a good feature to me. It's supposed to show where you have gone, and that's the best way it can with the unit off.

During the day I save my relevent tracks and later load them to my computer to make my maps. Usually when I start a new trip, I clear the track memory so the screen is blank.

Would clearing the track memory not be the easy way to cure your dilemma or is the Vista track feature totally different?

Never date a girl whose father calls her princess - chances are she beleives it.

2.3k · August 5, 2002

Sure, manually clearing the track log will "kill" this line from "turn off" to "turn on".

But I don't like it, anyway. I think that when the unit is off, it's because I don't want to use it. Otherwise, it would have been on.

When I don't want to use it, I don't want it to try to guess where I've been, either. Now, I have to turn logging off manually, and then back on again, manually, to achieve what I want it to do.

Besides, I usually do want it to keep my tracks as long as possible (memory dependent), but I don't want all these straight lines going everywhere over the map. If nothing else, they obscure the map details. Which is a difference, compared to the yellow eTrex.

Otherwise, you are technically correct. It's just a question about personal preferences. It seems like they agree with me at Garmin. It did work like this before, but they corrected it then. Now, it just came in as an un-wanted side effect.

Anders

2.3k · August 12, 2002

Yesterday, I noticed yet another annoying effect of the new track log behavior. If I want to be able to save a certain part of the track, but don't want to erase the entire track log, that's simple. I just turn the GPS off (either the whole unit, or just set it to "Use with GPS off"), then back on again.

When I select the "Save track" function, it will then allow me to start saving from the time when I turned it back on again.

But now, after the last update, it will include any movement while the unit was off, in the saved track! Which of course I don't want there.

Nowdays, it's rather easy to edit the track in MapSource, but it's totally unnecessary, compared to what it should be.

Anders

Vista version 2.28 is released!

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Join the conversation