+The Southlanders Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Has anyone else had a problem with thier vista shutting down? Mine is a month old and it will shut down with no rhyme or reason. The unit could be perfectly still and it will just shut off, and garmin told me to check for current software (which it had) and try changing brands of batteries. I have tried alkaline, NIMH and Nicad it doesnt matter. Now I know I have read of battery contact problems though that always seems to occour when the unit is bounced around. I am sending the unit back to garmin, but I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem? BTW Our Etrex legend is fine under the same conditions. Quote Link to comment
Neo_Geo Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 (edited) My 60C has had the problem in the past, as have other owners of various Garmin models. It hasn't happened to me in some quite some time, although I've never done anything about it. Not saying that the problem will just go away for you, or even that mine has gone away... Mine would shut down whenever I was operating the varius buttons on the front of the unit - like typically when doing a search (lots of button pressing). Edited November 22, 2004 by Neo_Geo Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 My Vista has on occassion. So seldom that it really isn't an issue. If it happens a lot, it could be a problem so sending it back is a good idea. Quote Link to comment
+the hermit crabs Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 I have seen this problem with a Legend and a Vista. Here is what Garmin said when I asked about it: "Many batteries are physically different in length and size. This obviously presents a contact issue. This is more noticeable in rechargeable batteries than alkaline. I would suggest that you attempt to pack foam, card board or tissue in the back compartment in order to create a tighter pack. This will resolve the issue, unless the unit is under a heavy amount of concentrated vibration." Quote Link to comment
instafar Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 (edited) Because I am getting a new Vista C I have been looking a lot on the Garmin web site. I did notice in the firmware update for the Vista C that the new release fixed a problem with the unit powering on unexpectedley... Anyway, I know that is not what yours is doing. I am just brining up the point that there may be an update for the Vista that may address the bug. It is worth checking out. update page Edited November 23, 2004 by instafar Quote Link to comment
+The Southlanders Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 Because I am getting a new Vista C I have been looking a lot on the Garmin web site. I did notice in the firmware update for the Vista C that the new releas fixed a problem with the unit powering on unexpectedley... Anyway, I know that is not what yours is doing. I am just brining up the point that there may be an update for the Vista that may address the bug. It is worth checking out. update page Well as of now its boxed up and off to gamin. Luckily we have a backup gps so we can still cache The software was updated so who knows. It just is agravating, the unit was only 4 weeks old and did it from the start. Quote Link to comment
leeinmemphis2 Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 mine has been doing that ever since new. I finally gave up and just went to a magelan sport trak color. I had all kinds of trouble with reception and it turning itself off. Mine was one of the original vistas so it may have had a problem since it was new but I just finally got tired of fighting it. To be honest before I found this site I never would have thought of sending it back to garmin because of poor experience with other companies returning for repair. But from what I've read on here Garmin does a good job of repair/warranty work. Heck I may still just send it back to have a spare unit. -lee- Quote Link to comment
+wolfe359 Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Funny you should mention that. I noticed the same thing this weekend. By the way, as an engineer, I have to say that Garmin's response that somebody quoted earlier about battery length is bull hockey. If the batteries are loose, shouldn't I be able to recreate the problem by hand. Hmmmmmm. Quote Link to comment
+Lucanos Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 I have had similar problems with 2 eTrex Vistas here. The first one I swapped 1 for 1 over the counter, but the second one has been experiencing the same problems. Battery levels (which I initially thought may have been the problem) is not the cause (and like mtwolfe I find the battery size argument very shaky!). If only Garmin would offer a 1 for 1 : my eTrex Vista for a Vista C... /Living in a fantasy world... Quote Link to comment
+Baston Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 My 60c has started shutting down at random since Aug of this year, if it has been running for more that 30 min. At first I thought it was data related because the first time I noticed this, I had just completed a 3000 km road trip. I had my wife dump the track and it stopped shutting down for the rest of the trip. It doesn't matter if it is running on batteries or ext power. The unit will just shut off. I have found that if I leave it off for 15 - 30 min it will then work flawlessly again and I won't seen the problem for a few weeks. But then it come back. I will be upgrading my software tonight to see if that helps. Other than that. I have had not issues with the unit. Baston Quote Link to comment
+The Southlanders Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 I have had similar problems with 2 eTrex Vistas here.The first one I swapped 1 for 1 over the counter, but the second one has been experiencing the same problems. Battery levels (which I initially thought may have been the problem) is not the cause (and like mtwolfe I find the battery size argument very shaky!). If only Garmin would offer a 1 for 1 : my eTrex Vista for a Vista C... /Living in a fantasy world... Battery level and size doesn't matter on ours either. I have tried every kind of battery we had (at least 5 different types) from alkaline to NIMH to lithium and it just kept shutting down even when sitting still. I don't buy the battery size argument either. It must be somthing internal to the unit. FWIW our etrex Legend is just fine using all sorts of different batteries and has never once shut off. Quote Link to comment
+Pork King Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 I have a plain yellow etrex, and it does the same thing...I first noticed it when I had it in my pocket and took it out. I thought I had inadvertently pushed the power button, but then it started doing it when I was looking at the screen! It happens infrequently most of the time, so I'm not super bothered with it, but when stuck in a poor reception area, it can be a hassle relocating sats once i turn it back on. Quote Link to comment
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