l_e_e Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Been playing around with the 'plot barometer' function. I'v discovered that the gpsr will still plot pressure even when the unit is powered off!!!??? Confirmed when i check the plot report for time period the unit was off for, when i turn unit back on! Does anyone know how the unit does this??!! BTW whats the difference between 'barometer pressure' and 'ambient pressure' many thanks Lee Quote Link to comment
peter Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 BUT, if you "save" the tracklog, the altitude data (and the time) is stripped out. Can anyone confirm if that's really true on the 60c/cs models. On my eMap, "Saving" the track does eliminate the date/timestamps and greatly reduces the number of trackpoints, but the elevation data is still included. In response to Lee's question: Barometric pressure is adjusted to indicate what the pressure would be if you were at sea level. That way pressures at various places can be compared to see where the relative high and low pressure fronts are in determining the overall weather patterns. Ambient pressure is what the actual air pressure is at your location. So on a nice day at Lake Tahoe (at about 6200'), the weather report may indicate the barometric pressure is 30"Hg. But due to the high elevation, the actual air pressure there is never that high and the ambient pressure that day might only be about 24"Hg. The pressure sensor consumes very little power so it can operate in the background just like the internal clock of the GPS continues to keep time even when the unit is turned off. My old Casio altimeter watch would run for a couple years on a little button cell and it kept track of the pressure trends at all times. Quote Link to comment
+CompuCash Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Hmmmmm, when (if?) Delorme (ever) adds Garmin support for their topo software, I wonder if they might be able to incorporate a 3d tracklog too? That'd be fun. Not sure what you mean - I download tracks from Garmin GPS's all the time . Quote Link to comment
+Rubberhead Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Been playing around with the 'plot barometer' function. I'v discovered that the gpsr will still plot pressure even when the unit is powered off!!!??? Confirmed when i check the plot report for time period the unit was off for, when i turn unit back on!Does anyone know how the unit does this??!! BTW whats the difference between 'barometer pressure' and 'ambient pressure' many thanks Lee There is an option for having the GPSmap 60CS and 76CS record pressure in 15 minute intervals whether or not the unit is turned on. I think it is on the altimeter set-up page. Quote Link to comment
l_e_e Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 So am i right in saying the barometer is not acurate enough for measuring elevation because its a slave to how dense the air is at the location? E.G if at a location you know the height of, the barometer will give you a diff elevation reading depending on what the weather is doing? Sunny hot day = higher pressure = higher height reading cold rainy day = low pressure = lower height reading Quote Link to comment
peter Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 So am i right in saying the barometer is not acurate enough for measuring elevation because its a slave to how dense the air is at the location? No, pressure sensors are routinely used for determining elevations and every plane uses this principle for its altimeter. But it is correct that the measurements will be affected by changing weather patterns and therefore barometric altimeters need to be recalibrated fairly frequently. When hiking this is usually done when reaching points of known elevation (summits, passes, trail junctions shown on a topo map, etc.). Pilots get information to calibrate their altimeters when they approach an airport so it'll read accurately in the vicinity of the runway. During cruise flight they just set it at a standard calibration (29.92"Hg @ sea level) which works fine for assuring proper airplane separations since all other pilots will also be using that standard calibration. The benefit of combining a pressure sensor with a GPS, like the 60cs, is that one can get the benefits of both measurement methods. The GPS is subject to rather sudden random fluctuations and sometimes can't measure altitude at all (if receiving less than 4 satellites). OTOH, it is unaffected by weather and gives good readings when averaged over a period of time. The pressure sensor has good short-term stability and doesn't need satellite reception but is affected by weather. So if you set your 60cs to auto-calibrate the altimeter it will monitor the difference between the pressure-based and GPS readings and gradually calibrate the pressure sensor over about a 30 minute period. BTW, lower pressures would correspond to higher elevations. Quote Link to comment
l_e_e Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Hi Geocacher, thx for all your help. I think i understand. :-) Its quite amazing what these gpsr's can do. lee Quote Link to comment
+DBleess Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Hmmmmm, when (if?) Delorme (ever) adds Garmin support for their topo software, I wonder if they might be able to incorporate a 3d tracklog too? That'd be fun. Not sure what you mean - I download tracks from Garmin GPS's all the time . A normal, plain old track is 2-D data. 3D as in latitude, longitude, and *altitude* ALL plotted in a 3d rendered space. DeLorme's topo5 is capable of 3-D terrain plots, http://www.delorme.com/topousa/images/samp...vils-stairs.jpg it could be useful to see a 3D tracklog plot above the ground for many things, my personal favorite would be a flight path over terrain. Good for flight training applications so you could review a flight after the fact. Check smoothness of a glide slope on landings and how well you hold altitudes enroute or during maneuvers. You could plot high bridges over deep terrain, and who knows what else. People are imaginative. With 2d, if you plotted crossing something like a suspension bridge, the plot would show you descending into the canyon and crossing on the surface of the water or valley. Quote Link to comment
+DBleess Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 So am i right in saying the barometer is not acurate enough for measuring elevation because its a slave to how dense the air is at the location? No, pressure sensors are routinely used for determining elevations and every plane uses this principle for its altimeter. But it is correct that the measurements will be affected by changing weather patterns and therefore barometric altimeters need to be recalibrated fairly frequently. When hiking this is usually done when reaching points of known elevation (summits, passes, trail junctions shown on a topo map, etc.). Pilots get information to calibrate their altimeters when they approach an airport so it'll read accurately in the vicinity of the runway. During cruise flight they just set it at a standard calibration (29.92"Hg @ sea level) which works fine for assuring proper airplane separations since all other pilots will also be using that standard calibration. The benefit of combining a pressure sensor with a GPS, like the 60cs, is that one can get the benefits of both measurement methods. The GPS is subject to rather sudden random fluctuations and sometimes can't measure altitude at all (if receiving less than 4 satellites). OTOH, it is unaffected by weather and gives good readings when averaged over a period of time. The pressure sensor has good short-term stability and doesn't need satellite reception but is affected by weather. So if you set your 60cs to auto-calibrate the altimeter it will monitor the difference between the pressure-based and GPS readings and gradually calibrate the pressure sensor over about a 30 minute period. BTW, lower pressures would correspond to higher elevations. To oversimplify it, think of air as a liquid. The deeper under water you get, the heavier the volume of water you have overhead, and the higher the pressure you experience. The higher in altitude you get, the less air you have above you and the lower the pressure. Since air is a gas, humidity (water vapor is less dense than the equivalent amount of drier air), weather patterns, (low pressure systems can be thought of like the vortex in a draining bathtub) and temperature can all have a pronounced effect. I've never seen the utility of using a barometric pressure altitude reading on the ground outside of curiosity. Reversing it would be of more utility to me. If I know point altitudes via surveyed points or GPS reports, and could reverse this data to figure out local sea level barometer readings over time, wouldn't that give me an indication of the pending weather systems and their relative strength? http://www.intellicast.com/Local/USNationa...v=none&pid=none If you look at the isobars, (the lines of pressure measured in millibars in this map) you can see the changing sea level pressure reported around the country. For aviation, since you're moving 100-600 mph, you are crossing many different pressure readings over the course of the flight. Airplanes use it for a common reference between flights to keep them separated in 3D space and to determine proximity to the ground, and there are built in safety margins generally of 500-1000 FEET. If you are looking for altitude data to the nearest FOOT, air pressure isn't the way to determine it because there are so many variables involved. Use the GPS's 3D calcs and look for a high EPE. You'll probably be down around 12-30 foot accuracy. On the ground, the movement rate is 2-20 mph (biking/hiking) and 5-45 mph (offroad driving) and the pressure changes are driven by the movement of weather more than the movement of the person recording the weather. Doing it the other way around is less useful because you have one thing going for you. You're already standing on the ground, and you know your location. If you have a topo map, or topo data loaded into the GPS, (preferably both) you already know your altitude. For aviation, the common 29.92" standard is used only at or above 18,000 feet. See FAR91.121 This is because there are not many places to land with an elevation of 18,000 feet so your primary concern is air traffic separation at higher speeds over a broader geographic area. Below that, pilots use local barometer settings provided to them by enroute traffic controllers, automated airport weather reporting systems, (ATIS, AWOS, ASOS) or Flight Service Stations which are regional pilot weather services that can be contacted by radio. The point here is that you are looking for ground obstruction clearance and traffic separation, both at generally lower speeds. There are even more high-tech aviation weather reporting systems on the horizon that may eventually be small enough for the outdoors too. (Like what happened with GPS) FAR91.121 http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-....2.4.11&idno=14 Airman's Information Manual (AIM) FAA weather services. http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/AIM/Chap7/aim0701.html#7-1-2 Quote Link to comment
+DoverDuo Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Have had my 60CS for about a week. I than my brother (MassJag) for recommending it. I have found this forum most helpful especially about using EasyGPS to download geocaches... I was trying to do it in Watcher and could find no way to do it. Spent way too long clicking here and there... Always feel like a dumb-az with a new gizmo for a while. I guess that is what the learning curve is all about. Thanks to all for your postings. Quote Link to comment
+switchdoc Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Wow! Glad I stumbled onto this thread! Great info guys! I just updated to the 3.70 firmware today. Hopefully I won't see any of the lockups mentioned by other posters. And now my question? Aside from geocaching I also use the thing in my car (rigged up a little custom mounting system made from a leftover mount from our MyFI and some packing tape lol) and I was curious about the various attenna options out there... Do any of you folks use em? And if you do, do you see a performance increase that makes it worth the price? It works pretty well form the car right now as it is, but I'm all for dishing out 30 bucks if it really increases the signal. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment
+DBleess Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 (edited) GA27c temporary magnetic mount on the roof of my truck cable fed out through the back swing-out window cruising down the interstate I get 6ft epe and every satellite above the horizon mark comes in at full or nearly full strength. http://shop.garmin.com/accessories_for_pro...ku=010-00322-20 Not sure why I need 6ft epe on the freeway, but there you are. Using the integrated antenna, and looking through my roof and windshield from my dash mount I don't get results as good and normally get 8-13 ft epe and a slower aquisition. Edited April 10, 2005 by DBleess Quote Link to comment
+Hemlock Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 (edited) Hmmmmm, when (if?) Delorme (ever) adds Garmin support for their topo software, I wonder if they might be able to incorporate a 3d tracklog too? That'd be fun. Not sure what you mean - I download tracks from Garmin GPS's all the time . A normal, plain old track is 2-D data. 3D as in latitude, longitude, and *altitude* ALL plotted in a 3d rendered space. There should be a FAQ.. The 60C/CS can hold up to 10,000 4-D (x,y,z,time) track points in the "active" track. At any time the active track can be "saved" which will distill it down to a 2-D (x,y) track with no more than 500 points. There is room for 20 of these Saved Tracks. So when you "save" the tracklog, the elevation and time is lost. If you want/need elevation data, download the track to your computer before your "save" it on the GPS. Edited April 10, 2005 by Hemlock Quote Link to comment
hscmcphee Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 (edited) I've downloaded all of my geocaches that i would like to find in my area using easygps. They came up on the Geocache and waypoint finder but when i clicked 'Go To' in the geocache page it brings up the map and trys to navigate me to the geocache when it doesn't even show a road. Also when i go to the compass page, it does not change it to the geocache navigation page, hence i do not know which way to go to find the cache. I'm sorry if it's posted earlier, i read up to page 6 and my question was not answered. Thanks a lot Edited April 10, 2005 by hscmcphee Quote Link to comment
peter Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Do any of you folks use em? And if you do, do you see a performance increase that makes it worth the price? It works pretty well form the car right now as it is, but I'm all for dishing out 30 bucks if it really increases the signal. If you always have a good 3D position lock when driving then the external antenna won't improve your accuracy by much - and you probably already have better accuracy than your maps. But when driving in areas with marginal reception due to natural or urban canyons or other obstructions, then the external antenna can make a big difference in accuracy. I use the Gilsson antenna from gpsgeek and recommend it. Cost is about $20 and the cable can easily pass by the weatherstripping on the door frame - just close the door on the cable. Quote Link to comment
peter Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I download tracks from Garmin GPS's all the time . A normal, plain old track is 2-D data. 3D as in latitude, longitude, and *altitude* ALL plotted in a 3d rendered space. it could be useful to see a 3D tracklog plot above the ground for many things, my personal favorite would be a flight path over terrain. Good for flight training applications so you could review a flight after the fact. Check smoothness of a glide slope on landings and how well you hold altitudes enroute or during maneuvers. You could plot high bridges over deep terrain, and who knows what else. People are imaginative. With 2d, if you plotted crossing something like a suspension bridge, the plot would show you descending into the canyon and crossing on the surface of the water or valley. As CompuCash indicated, this capability is already supported by Garmin GPS tracklogs. Each trackpoint has data on the latitude, longitude, and altitude. If it's the Active Tracklog, then the points also include the date and timestamp. For an example of software that uses the 3D Garmin tracklog data, check the screenshots here: http://flighttrack.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html Quote Link to comment
peter Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I've never seen the utility of using a barometric pressure altitude reading on the ground outside of curiosity. Reversing it would be of more utility to me. If I know point altitudes via surveyed points or GPS reports, and could reverse this data to figure out local sea level barometer readings over time, wouldn't that give me an indication of the pending weather systems and their relative strength? It can have a great deal of utility when you're in a situation with limited visibility making normal map and compass navigation difficult. Say you're on a mountain trail when a snowstorm develops so you can't see landmarks but you do have a recently calibrated altimeter. By checking your topo map you can see where you are along the trail based on your altitude and then use that information to find the best place to seek shelter. And yes, the GPS elevation can be used to convert the observed ambient pressure into the sea-level adjusted barometric pressure. It can be an indication of weather trends, but not nearly as accurate as normal forecasts which have the benefit of knowing the pressures over a large area and the speed and direction of movement of the fronts. If weather forecasts are available for the area, a radio to receive them would usually be more useful. If you are looking for altitude data to the nearest FOOT, air pressure isn't the way to determine it because there are so many variables involved. Use the GPS's 3D calcs and look for a high EPE. You'll probably be down around 12-30 foot accuracy. I think I'd rather look for a low EPE, but in mountainous terrain that's frequently hard to get due to sky obstructions and sometimes you can't get a 3D lock at all from a particular location. As I indicated before, using the GPS and pressure readings together can get you better elevation data than using either one alone and in most cases it will be more accurate than is available with a topo map. Quote Link to comment
+DBleess Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 When I clicked 'Go To' in the geocache page it brings up the map and tries to navigate me to the geocache when it doesn't even show a road. When i go to the compass page, it does not change it to the geocache navigation page, hence i do not know which way to go to find the cache. I'm not sure this question is phrased clear enough to answer but I'm going to make a few guesses about what was meant and take a stab at it. It is ALWAYS better to just take the unit outside and play with it and read the manual as you do so. Take each feature and understand thoroughly how it works and then build on that to understand how each next feature works. Explore each of the pages of information on the GPS screen and each setting involved with it. If you have questions, research it in the manual to see what it says it does, then go out and play (practice?) with it some more so you can see what it means in reality. You really don't want to just go running off looking for a cache first thing if no one has ever taught you how to operate your gps. Learn how to use the GPSr and most of its features, capabilites, and limitations first. Having said that, I'm going to have to assume that you are starting off more than about three miles from the cache. A distance that most people would rather drive or bike rather than walk and that is why you are talking about roads. So, to start off, take a look at this setting: MENU - MENU - SETUP - ROUTING - GUIDANCE METHOD (set this to PROMPTED) After doing this, you will be given two choices every time you select a waypoint to navigate to: Follow Road / Off Road "Follow road" will try to select a route via the GPS's loaded maps that will take you to your waypoint. The "geocache page" will not come up until you get to the very last leg of that curving and turning route. All guidance is in terms of smaller bites of the total trip divided up into segments bounded by intersections of roads. The pink route line will not always follow the roads exactly. It will normally just draw straight lines connecting the intersections that define the route. If you select "Off road" the unit will give you the straight line direct route "as the crow flies" to the cache. Since there is no complex route and no final turn, you are on the last leg already and the "geocache page" you mentioned that you are looking for will be instantly displayed. If you use this option, the navigation of getting to that waypoint is up to you. Use a roadmap, or common sense to get as close as you can and use the GPS only for direction and distance (not routing) information. Keep in mind that not all geocaches are near roads, and not all Garmin maps (including the default basemap and topo map 100k version) are very current or accurate as far as roads go, nor are they all completely routable. Only major roads on these maps are usable for routing. The GPSr will only plan a route and get as close as it can via the major roads that it knows on these maps. When it can get no closer, it may leave a gap or draw a straight line for the final distance. (Which can be humorous around here when the closest it can get is on a point on I-29 on the wrong side of the Missouri river.) Here's a sample: The nearest routable road is .5 miles away and you see the gap from the present position. This is the compass page I see that leads to the NEXT intersection on the route to the cache. If I select Off Road (Direct), this is what I see instead: If this doesn't answer your questions, try to be more specific and include screen captures using the garmin ximage software to illustrate what you mean. Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Two small questions: 1) What is the little thing in the top row of the display, between the 3D (or not) icon and the backlight bulb ? It looks like a star in a circle. 2) Yesterday I left my car and set off on a trail. The unit popped up with something like "you are leaving the road, is this OK" (I wish I'd written it down). The choices were "Yes" and "No", and there was a box to check saying "Don't ask me again". Like an idiot, I checked this, so now I have disabled "some feature". I presume I can get it back via the menus, but what exactly did I disable ? Thanks Nick Quote Link to comment
+Softheads Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Does anyone else have problems trransferring large TRACK files from the 60cs into Mapsource? I get a "Communications Time out" when the tracks are large. The Track page on the GPS now shows 66% full. It wont transfer to the software. Quote Link to comment
hscmcphee Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 This is the compass page I see that leads to the NEXT intersection on the route to the cache. That answers my questions. Looking at the screen shot of your GPS's compass mode, mine matched completely except there was no red arrow showing the direction of the next intersection. Is there any option I need to turn on so the red arrow shows up in compass mode? Thanks a lot for the help. Quote Link to comment
+jotne Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 1) What is the little thing in the top row of the display, between the 3D (or not) icon and the backlight bulb ? It looks like a star in a circle. 2) Yesterday I left my car and set off on a trail. The unit popped up with something like "you are leaving the road, is this OK" (I wish I'd written it down). The choices were "Yes" and "No", and there was a box to check saying "Don't ask me again". Like an idiot, I checked this, so now I have disabled "some feature". I presume I can get it back via the menus, but what exactly did I disable ? 1. Cable connected (USB to PC) 2. This is a classical error. Menu - Menu - Setup - Routung Guidance Method - Prompted When you are navigating to a cache, you must select "Off Road". Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 (edited) 1. The USB to PC link seems to be a sort of squiggle. I'm talking about a kind of asterix, or maybe compass rose... hold on... a-ha, it's the compass on or off! 2. Thanks ! Edited April 11, 2005 by sTeamTraen Quote Link to comment
+Lil Devil Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I'm talking about a kind of asterix, or maybe compass rose... hold on... a-ha, it's the compass on or off! I love those "a-ha" moments. Quote Link to comment
+DBleess Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 This is the compass page I see that leads to the NEXT intersection on the route to the cache. That answers my questions. Looking at the screen shot of your GPS's compass mode, mine matched completely except there was no red arrow showing the direction of the next intersection. Is there any option I need to turn on so the red arrow shows up in compass mode? Thanks a lot for the help. You need two things to have the arrow. A location fix from the satellites, (the GPSr has to know where it is) and a waypoint selected to navigate to. (it needs to know where it is supposed to go to. Without these two things, the arrow will not display. Take it outside, lock up the satellites, mark a waypoint, GOTO that waypoint, and you will see the arrow. Quote Link to comment
+DBleess Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 1) What is the little thing in the top row of the display, between the 3D (or not) icon and the backlight bulb ? It looks like a star in a circle. 2) Yesterday I left my car and set off on a trail. The unit popped up with something like "you are leaving the road, is this OK" (I wish I'd written it down). The choices were "Yes" and "No", and there was a box to check saying "Don't ask me again". Like an idiot, I checked this, so now I have disabled "some feature". I presume I can get it back via the menus, but what exactly did I disable ? 1. Cable connected (USB to PC) 2. This is a classical error. Menu - Menu - Setup - Routung Guidance Method - Prompted When you are navigating to a cache, you must select "Off Road". It could also be the "lock on road" feature. MENU-MENU-SETUP-MAP-GENERAL SETUP (leftmost icon "N") - LOCK ON ROAD (off/on) Quote Link to comment
+DBleess Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 (edited) There should be a FAQ.. No kidding, this is just getting WAY too big. How about a little help? Maybe from some of you that have benefited, and those that we saved you from having to read the manual. Pick the best of it, code the html if you can, clean out the trash, make better screen caps, and send it along. [link deleted] (edit) disregard my link and see the established FAQ link below Edited April 12, 2005 by DBleess Quote Link to comment
+Sputnik 57 Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 There should be a FAQ.. No kidding, this is just getting WAY too big. How about a little help? Maybe from some of you that have benefited, and those that we saved you from having to read the manual. Pick the best of it, code the html if you can, clean out the trash, make better screen caps, and send it along. http://www.neonramp.com/~dbleess/gps60/ dbleess @ neonramp.com No sense reinventing the wheel. If there is something in this FAQ you'd like, please help yourself. If you like for me to add anything there, please let me know. Quote Link to comment
+PezzMann Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 It has been a week since I received my 60CS and it is sweet. Have to blame my boss for turning me onto geocaching. I am definitely addicted. Was bying a navigation and hiking aid and got a whole new hobby. I was wondering if anyone had a pointer to helping me out with managing my cache waypoints. I am bouncing from city to city in the northeast and want to keep track of points I have found and would like to find. But I would like to remove them when I go to a new city but get them back easily when I return. Also, how does one choose cache waypoints to search for when entering a completely new area? Is there a way to gauge which are easily found if only in the area for 12-24 hours? Does one print all the cache pages? Or just get detailed maps onto the GPSr in order to navigate as close as possible before having to get out of the car. I did not have the cache pages this weekend for my first caching weekend. GPSr said I was close but could never figure out where to park, would have been handy to have the cache page, but printing out say 100-200 for a road trip from Providence RI to Niagara Falls seems kind of much. Thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment
+DBleess Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 If you like for me to add anything there, please let me know. Add everything in this thread. Reorganised so it is easier to find and reduces duplication. Make it so followups to questions here become simply a 1-line referral back to the FAQ. Ideally, it should end up being a simplified version of the manual that is written around the most commonly asked questions and confused subjects. I've seen postings where people didn't even understand the notation and conventions we use to communicate how to program settings. An explanation of that is what I started with in my prototype page. Quote Link to comment
+jotne Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 The problem with a thread like this, it is way to long. I take one year to read through all this post. I would be better if Garmin get its own forum: Groundspeak Forums -> Geocaching Related Topics -> GPS Units and Software -> Garmin And at last: Start a new thread with a new topic. Do not start a new question in a thread that covers something else. Do a search to se if there is already a thread cower your topic. Quote Link to comment
+BigFurryMonster Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 ... start a receiver-specific question with its name in the topic. Quote Link to comment
+Sputnik 57 Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 Add everything in this thread. Reorganised so it is easier to find and reduces duplication. Make it so followups to questions here become simply a 1-line referral back to the FAQ. Ideally, it should end up being a simplified version of the manual that is written around the most commonly asked questions and confused subjects. I'm sorry that I haven't updated the FAQ in a while. I have a daytime job. There are lots of posts in this thread that just duplicate prior posts, since most people are unwilling to slog through 16 pages. The forum software won't even let you print more than the first 10 pages without timing out. If you have suggestions for topics to be added, please PM or e-mail me with a link to the post and I will add it when I get a chance. I first tried to post a condensed FAQ thread, but there is no way to organize it, and the software won't let you go back and edit posts after a few days (unless you are a mod). That is what led to the FAQ page to begin with. Any specific tips on reorganization would be appreciated. I tried to organize it around topics, but didn't use the manual as a guide. There are lots of posts that cover topics not in the manual (What is the best external antenna? How do I get a screen shot? How do I use GSAK or EasyGPS to do x?) I'm not sure a "simplified" version of the manual was the goal of the FAQ. The manual is overly simplistic in lots of places where people with hands-on experience can elaborate. As I said, if you'd like to give it a go, please feel free to use anything in the FAQ. As you probably know, you can grab the code by right clicking on the page and hitting "View Source". Quote Link to comment
+Sputnik 57 Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 I was wondering if anyone had a pointer to helping me out with managing my cache waypoints. . . . I would like to remove them when I go to a new city but get them back easily when I return. Also, how does one choose cache waypoints to search for when entering a completely new area? Is there a way to gauge which are easily found if only in the area for 12-24 hours? Does one print all the cache pages? Thanks for the info! GSAK is your friend. It will let you manage waypoints and upload them to your GPSr as needed. For cache page information, I recommend a PDA and Cachemate. GSAK will send cache info to your PDA and cachemate will let you read it. This isn't the only solution. Others use EasyGPS on their computer, and Spinner and Plucker to load cache pages to their PDA. CyBret has a good discussion of this approach at Geocacher U. Welcome to the addiction! Quote Link to comment
+wornout Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 GSAK is your friend. It will let you manage waypoints and upload them to your GPSr as needed. For cache page information, I recommend a PDA and Cachemate. GSAK will send cache info to your PDA and cachemate will let you read it. Welcome to the addiction! I second this, two of the best programs for geocaching ever.... Quote Link to comment
MDChecker Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Question? On earlier pages of this thread, it was discussed on how to create your own caching images using "XImage". Cool - No Problem - Found a link with great premade symbols too and used them. My question is this however, - Using my 60cs I press "Find" - Geocache - enter - menu - (select) "Geocache Setup" - enter. I am now presented with the option to change the preset "Treasure Box" as I scroll through the choices, I select my newly downloaded custom image of the "Traditional Cache Box". However, now when I press "Find" - Geocache - enter nothing shows up. The find Geocache will only work with the preset "Treasure Box" symbol. Is there a way I can use my custom symbols in the Geocaching Option? I can use these symbols when I manually input waypoints but they will only show in the waypoint option and not the geocache option. I'm not sure if GSAK is able to compensate for this change through a bulk download but I use GSAK to download to my 60cs. Quote Link to comment
+Sputnik 57 Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Have you changed the waypoint symbol on each of the geocache waypoints to your newly downloaded custom image of the "Traditional Cache Box"? Geocaching mode should just sort waypoints by symbol, compare the symbol on each waypoint to the one you told it to use for caches, and filter out the rest. Also, be sure the waypoint listing is set to "find by name" and not "find nearest." Depending upon how far away your loaded caches are, they might not show up using "find nearest". More in questions 5 and 6 in the Waypoints Section of the FAQ, and in the Geocaching section of the FAQ. Quote Link to comment
MDChecker Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Sputnik 57 Posted on Apr 19 2005, 06:07 AM Have you changed the waypoint symbol on each of the geocache waypoints to your newly downloaded custom image of the "Traditional Cache Box"? Geocaching mode should just sort waypoints by symbol, compare the symbol on each waypoint to the one you told it to use for caches, and filter out the rest. That IS the problem I just checked but I am not sure how to have all the downloaded waypoints from GSAK adapt to the custom "Traditional Box" without changing each of 500 waypoints manually. Thanks for the links Too Quote Link to comment
+Kriton Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 OK, now I have a question for all you tech heads... I am trying to locate the proper cable for hardwiring the power on a 60cs into my trucks fuse panel.. I have located a bare wires only power (data?) cable at GPSNow, and it says that you can hardwire this cable into a correct DC circuit...I just want to make absolutely sure that I can wire this into my 12 volt panel without blowing something up...it indicates that it has a fuse in line, but there are no pictures, so... Also, what panel fuse should I connect this thing to? I don't want to take the chance of frying anything here... By the way, I bought some RAM mounts for this bad boy (handle bar and suction mount for windshield) and they are <heavy> duty mounts...for those of ya'll into that sort of thing...I also like the way they hold onto the 60CS better; the Garmin cradle doesnt ever give me enough room to plug in the serial power cable for vehicle, whereas the RAM mount is much lower and gives ample space for connecting or disconnecting the power cable...bought a straight 180 degree Gilsson antenna for quick removal and I am wiring that into the truck too..FYI Query: Why can't Garmin come up with a cradle solution that is like a laptop docking station, that is, all of the cables are plugged into the mount/station, and you just drop/press the GPS into the cradle and it all hooks itself up? Then have a method for undocking the GPS easily and without any damage to the unit (as I have sustained with the tight Garim cradle on the bottom of the unit when remving from the beanbag mount? Thanks in advance... K Quote Link to comment
jleemant Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 we got city select north america v6 few days ago. every time i tried to send map to our 60cs, a window pops out said "there was an error communicating with you device. please make sure ur device is pluged in and turned on." well, 60cs is pluged in and turned on, and i can still send waypoints from 60cs to pc. it is mapsource u use to transfer map to device instead of nroute, right? can anyone help me with the problem? thank you very much. we just started geocaching about a month ago, there are a lot we don't know yet. Quote Link to comment
+baloo&bd Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 I have located a bare wires only power (data?) cable at GPSNow, and it says that you can hardwire this cable into a correct DC circuit...I just want to make absolutely sure that I can wire this into my 12 volt panel without blowing something up...it indicates that it has a fuse in line, but there are no pictures, so... The obvious question is why hard wire it in your truck, however setting that aside.... As long as it is fused, it should be OK, whether or not it is fused, you should hook it up on the Protected side of the fuse. In other words, one side of the fuse you are attaching to is hot all the time (comes from the battery) the other side is hot only when the fuse is in place and good. This will give you added protection. In newer vehicles, there is a place to connect to right next to the fuse. generally you can put a spade connector on the wire and push it on. Make sure it is protected by the fuse (generally is). The other this to keep in mind is I assume you want it to be hot only when the car is on, so make sure you check for that. Any accessories jack should fit this bill, however I would avoid the heater and/or blower due to possible line noise and fluctuation concerns. I a line on my Goldwing for this, however rarely end up using it since i sue rechargeable and get a pretty good operating time out of them. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment
+baloo&bd Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 (edited) we got city select north america v6 few days ago. every time i tried to send map to our 60cs, a window pops out said "there was an error communicating with you device. please make sure ur device is pluged in and turned on." In Mapsource under the utilities is a selection Get Unit ID or somethign to that effedt. I had to do this before it saw my unit. Other possibilities are you do not have the USB driver loaded that came with the unit on the disk ro the unlock codes are already used by other units you have (Unlikely, you just got it), however I am betting it is either get the unit ID or the USB driver. Edited April 19, 2005 by baloo&bd Quote Link to comment
+Softheads Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 You might want to try a different USB socket on the computer as well. I had problems that were related to a bad USB 1.1 hub. It would connect & transfer small amounts of data/waypoints/tracks, but when the track file was at 62% full on the 60cs, the transfers would fail. Hooked the unit to a USB 2.0 port right on the computer and everything worked fine. Quote Link to comment
+Kriton Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Baloo... I have been running around with an external antenna, a cigarette lighter adapter, and all the cords tied in between...I am really wanting to get rid of the corded eyesore, make the mounting clean and free up a cigarette lighter socket (for other toys, not cigarettes)..I want to be able to make sure my batteries last for the feild work, I actaully think recalibrating the compass everytime I put in new batts a pain... I just want to make sure that porting 12 volts into the 60CS won't cook it...I have gotten a spade connector before for a radar detector, and hardwired it in, then wrapped the wiring around the front window, and it was clean and very functional, just wanted to do same with this spud... Thanks for the reply! K Quote Link to comment
+BigFurryMonster Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Is there a way to find an address based on the street name only? It seems there is no 'OK" button when I try to do this. Quote Link to comment
Repod Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 I'm in the 12 foot range with 7 bars with D's on them Quote Link to comment
+Lil Devil Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Is there a way to find an address based on the street name only? It seems there is no 'OK" button when I try to do this. You can just enter "1" as the street number. Since nothing will match, it will list a bunch of other addresses. You can then pick one from the list. Quote Link to comment
+Westerner Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Does anyone know if Mapsource Metroguide USA is compatable with the 60CS? I just got the 60CS yesterday but would rather not buy the recommended City Select software if the Metroguide ver 4.01 that I already have will work. I don't really care if its not the latest software as long as it does function without locking up the gps. Thanks Quote Link to comment
+Andy and Robin Posted April 20, 2005 Share Posted April 20, 2005 yes it will work fine AND autoroute which the newer versions of Metroguide won't do. Quote Link to comment
+Westerner Posted April 20, 2005 Share Posted April 20, 2005 Great, thanks for the answer Andy & Robin!!! Quote Link to comment
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