etrex vista

[the womblers]

thanks to markwell and stunod i think i'm getting somewhere

anyone out there got an etrex vista who could give me some tips on setting it up to make it "user friendly" for geochaching or any tips would be welcomed

cheers all

[+Alan2]

It's probably already set that way but the Datum should be WGS 84 and the Position Format hddd mm.mmm so it will match the geocaching page information. If you set it differently and enter info from the web page, the actual locations will not match up to where it should be

 

Play with the unit, take it outside and mark waypoints and walk around and track those and return"home". Practice. Practive. Practive. Try the diferent featuresso you se what's available thn pick and choose what you like. There are so many features you got to play with it a long while to get the feel of it and see what you can do with it.

 

Did you buy maps yet?

 

Good luck

[the womblers]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alan2:

It's probably already set that way but the Datum should be WGS 84 and the Position Format hddd mm.mmm so it will match the geocaching page information. If you set it differently and enter info from the web page, the actual locations will not match up to where it should be

 

Play with the unit, take it outside and mark waypoints and walk around and track those and return"home". Practice. Practive. Practive. Try the diferent featuresso you se what's available thn pick and choose what you like. There are so many features you got to play with it a long while to get the feel of it and see what you can do with it.

 

Did you buy maps yet?

 

Good luck

---

 

thanks alan2, no it wasn't set as you described it was set at ord survey gb altered it now tx to markwell stunrod etc..

sure i'll get this eventually, tx 4 your reply

[+Brer Rabbit]

I totally agree with Alan, practice, practice, practice. It took me a good 2 or 3 months to get used to the Vista. I read some comments where people rated the Legend better than the vista but I disagree totally as I have used both and the vista can do so much more. One suggestion I have is, if you are looking for a specific waypoint (ie geocache) try turning the display to the map feature and zoom in. That way you can see your target and see where you have been. It does take the compass feature time to adjust when you are in the "goto" mode and can often discourage you. Learn to trust the gps as you close in on your target and learn to trust your natural sense of direction and distance once you get within 200 feet of a target. The closer you get to the target the more bouncing around the unit will do. Usually when I get within a couple hundred feet of the destination I will stop, look in the direction it is pointing to, and estimate the target by sight. I am usually within 20 feet when I do this. I also agree that turning the unit off and back on again will give you better readings if you have gotten confused with the readings.

[shrekTBA]

One of the largest frustrations with mine is if I forget to calibrate the compass when the batteries are removed. Gets all funky on me. Also, you have to hold it alot flatter than a legend or one with out the electronic compass, but well worth the fuss. I had no problems figuring out the Vista, less than about 4 hours to have it do everything i wanted and the extras that i waS interested in going.

 

It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home.

[+briansnat]

I agree with wyoduckhunter, don't forget to calibrate the compass each time you change the batteries. When I first got my Vista, I didn't read the manual (I previously owned a Legend) and the direction needle would send me all over the place. I finally started turning the magnetic compass off, so the unit would work for me. After about two months, I picked up the manual and read the part about calibrating the compass. Now it works great.

 

You should also calibrate the altimiter periodically. I have the Mapsource Topo, so this is easy. I just walk to one of the contour lines and punch that altitude in.

 

Also make sure your navigation screen is set for bearing pointer, NOT course pointer.

 

Otherwise, there isn't much else to do. The unit comes ready to use for geocaching.

 

One more thing, be sure to dowload the EasyGPS program from link on this website (see links page). I didn't use it until I'd been geocaching for well over a year and now that I use it, I can't see how I got along without it.

 

"Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois"

[+Brian - Team A.I.]

I'm with BrianSnat on ensuring that you calibrate regularly your electronic compass. Where I live, it would be a piece of cake to get to a topo contour line to ensure it's accurate, and I hadn't thought of that as a method to make sure it's correct.

 

Thanks for the idea!

 

EasyGPS is a wonderful resource. Thanks to the great guys who admin our local geocaching site, I can download Garmin functional .mpx files and with the different icons, can eliminate certain caches quickly, for isolation of a specific caching area. In addition, the MapSource files are also available, as another method of area isolation, which you can use to look at altitude considerations for remote caches.

 

Brian

Team A.I.

[+Prime Suspect]

The Navation (compass) screen has 2 settings - Big Compass and Big Numbers. Each setting has it's own data displays.

 

Set it to Big Numbers. Set the top data display to Current Distance, and the bottom to Location (Lat/Lon).

 

Now switch to Big Compass. Set one of the data displays to GPS Accuracy. Set the other one to Current Distance.

 

This will give you pretty much everything you need to hunt a cache. I'll mostly use the small compass display, but will switch over sometimes to check the GPS accuracy number. Once you start to close in on a cache, it's sometimes better to ignore the arrow and look at the actually lat/lon numbers instead.

 

"Don't mess with a geocacher. We know all the best places to hide a body."

[the womblers]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Prime Suspect:

The Navation (compass) screen has 2 settings - _Big Compass_ and _Big Numbers_. Each setting has it's own data displays.

 

Set it to Big Numbers. Set the top data display to Current Distance, and the bottom to Location (Lat/Lon).

 

Now switch to Big Compass. Set one of the data displays to GPS Accuracy. Set the other one to Current Distance.

 

This will give you pretty much everything you need to hunt a cache. I'll mostly use the small compass display, but will switch over sometimes to check the GPS accuracy number. Once you start to close in on a cache, it's sometimes better to ignore the arrow and look at the actually lat/lon numbers instead.

 

http://img.Groundspeak.com/user/3608_2800.gif

_"Don't mess with a geocacher. We know all the best places to hide a body."_

---

 

thank you for taking the time to contact me, i don't appear to be able to do as you describe i don't appear to have the gps accuracy mode, or perhaps i'm just thick

would you be good enough to explain again in minute detail cause i like what your saying just dying to get it together

thank you again - richard

[Fat Matt]

As it happens, I just did a Vista software upgrade via the Internet today and it turns out that one of the upgrades is the "GPS Accuracy" indicator. Software versions below 2.50 didn't have it, so check your unit to see what version you have. If you are below 2.50, that will be why you don't appear to have it. (Or you MAY just be thick- I don't know...). Anyway, if you do the very easy upgrade, you will pick up this feature and from there, the instructions that Prime Suspect gave you will be dead easy to follow! Good luck!

[+ZingerHead]

This is interesting. I never considered how differently people might set up a Vista. FWIW, I use the navigation screen most often while driving to and from caches. I have the top data display set to Current Distance and the lower data display set to Current Destination, and the window set for Big Numbers. That way I can see the distance to the next turn, the name of the next turn (usually *ramp* ), and the compass pointer is big enough so I can see when it *elbows* indicating the direction of the upcoming turn. On the trail I switch between the Navigation screen and its arrow and the map to visualize the direction I need to head in. It's faster to glance at the arrow while I'm walking than the map, but the arrow doesn't give as much info.

Maybe you already know this, but to change the data displayed on the navigation screen, use the click stick to move up or down and highlight the data field (above or below the compass display) you want to change. Once you are there, click the stick once to bring up a list of all the things you can display there. Scroll up or down in the list until the item you like is highlighted, and click again. That's it. If what you want to display isn't listed, chances are you need to update the software in your Vista. The upgrades can be downloaded free from Garmin's website. Just make sure you have good batteries in the Vista before you start the download process.

[the womblers]

thanks zingerhead, you have all been very helpful, learning all the time and your guys help it feels like i'm speeding up rge process, my software was set at 2.7 i've now upfraded it to the latest version and i now have the extra options that were lacking

 

once again - cheers to all

[+clearpath]

For someone new to orienteering with a Garmin GPS unit, they now have available a VHS video specific to each model of E-trex. I thought the video was going to be a waste of time but it is actually very good. The video does go through all of the features specific to each model. I purchased my Vista from Cabela's in Kansas City along with the video and (2) MapSource products. I think the video cost 10 bucks.

 

"heck, that scares me and I'm fearless"

[the womblers]

do you know, i'm glad i started this discussion, learning so much and getting to speak to so many people, it's been quite an eye opener into the world of geocaching, tell me clearpath and others, how much do you typically pay for a mapsoursce cd on the other side of the pond, and an instructional video for only 10 bucks, sounds good to me

 

bless ya all - richard

[+clearpath]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chippynco:

 

how much do you typically pay for a mapsoursce cd on the other side of the pond ...

 

---

 

The MapSource CDs are typically $100, each. I bought MetroGuide USA and United States Topo. I like and use both of them. The nice thing about the Vista is the ability to transfer these maps to your handheld from a PC. However, I'm not sure these Maps are going to work for you on the 'other side of the pond'. If you haven't done so already, try www.garmin.com and see if they have anything for your neck of the woods. Ironically, I live about 3 miles from the Garmin World Headquarters in Olathe, KS (a suburb of Kansas City). I stopped in there one day to find out the latest in the Garmin product line and they basically refered me to my local retail store that carries their product.

 

"heck, that scares me and I'm fearless"