Tracking and backtracking

[+Huntnlady]

Okay, explain it slowly and simply for me. How do I get my Merigreen to do tracking and backtracking? People write about the track it took to get to the cache, and I just dont follow.

 

Deer laugh when they hear my name!

http://www.geocities.com/ihunts

[+Jamie Z]

On your Meridian, go to Menu->Routes and you'll see the top listed option is Backtrack. Basically, as you walk or drive around with your GPS, it creates a breadcrumb trail of your route. You can opt to use the breadcrumb trail in reverse. Let's say you took a hike in the woods and got lost. You could use the Backtrack feature to (theoretically) get you back out the same way you came in.

 

Some people have used it, so I've heard. I've never used the backtrack feature myself. I experimented with it once or twice, but I found it to be more hassle than helpful.

 

You don't need to use the backtrack feature to find a cache. When people talk about the track they use, they likely mean the actual trail they used.. or they mean the breadcrumb trail stored in the GPS. Sometimes it's fun to plot your track onto a map, but it's generally for entertainment and not used to help find the cache.

 

Jamie

[dave and jaime]

i use it if im hunting with the dogs to record my movements so when i return home i can upload it to my pc and inlay it onto a map.

 

'Get to the point---speak English!!!!'

[+sygyzy]

The problem with the breadtrail is if you turn you r unit off (which I often do on huge hikes), the trail gets very confusing.

 

Peace!

Sygyzy

[+Siberian Cacher]

quote:

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Originally posted by Huntnlady:

Okay, explain it slowly and simply for me. How do I get my Merigreen to do tracking and backtracking? People write about the track it took to get to the cache, and I just dont follow.

 

Deer laugh when they hear my name!

http://www.geocities.com/ihunts

 

I tried it once and you spend too much time looking at the GPS. I find, for me, it's better to mark the starting point and then a few waypoints along the way. Just give me a bearing line and I'm good to go!

 

With man, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible!

[+Cachealot]

Something else to be aware of with the Merigreen is that if you let the batteries die, it will lose data that has been entered since the last time you turned it off. This includes waypoints, routes and in my experience some of the internal waypoints it uses for back tracking. The fix for this (according to the faq) is to turn it off after entering new data. I simply replace my batteries on the first low battery warning now.

[briancm]

quote:

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Originally posted by Huntnlady:

People write about the track it took to get to the cache, and I just dont follow.

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When someone writes about the track to the cache, very likely they aren't refering to a literal programmed track in the GPS. I've never seen an electronic map yet which routed a person around every shrub. Substitute "path" for "track" and see if the post makes sense.

 

"Honey, I just bought a new GPS. The salesman said it has a tracking feature. How do I set it to follow deer tracks?"

 

 

Geocaching: the perfect sport for introverts!

[+TEAM 360]

The only thing my MeriPlat loses when the low batteries shut it down is the "Goto" information, if that is being used at that moment. The track, or breadcrumbs, are still there after you change batteries (I don't know about the other Meridian models, though). I have never used the backtrack feature, normally I just zoom the screen in as close as I can get and follow the breadcrumbs back.

[+Cachealot]

quote:

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Originally posted by TEAM 360:

The only thing my MeriPlat loses when the low batteries shut it down is the "Goto" information, if that is being used at that moment. The track, or breadcrumbs, are still there after you change batteries (I don't know about the other Meridian models, though).

---

 

Yeah, according to the faq the problem is only with the Merigreen. To quote the faq...

quote:

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Known Issue – Meridian Green and Loss of Waypoints and Routes

There is a known issue that affects only the base 2MB Meridian (Green) model. If any waypoint, route, or track

data is added or edited, this data will be lost if the Meridian does not have a “proper” power down (for example,

having the batteries die). This means that if you add a waypoint, and then your batteries die before turning the unit

off, then your waypoint will be lost. The fix is to turn your unit off and then back on after adding any waypoints or

routes. This is due to the type of memory used in the 2MB model, and does not affect the Gold, Platinum, or Marine

models.

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[+TEAM 360]

Well, that just sucks. Hope nobody gets lost because their power went out.

[+evergreenhiker!]

quote:

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Originally posted by Team_Shing:

quote:

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Originally posted by Huntnlady:

Okay, explain it slowly and simply for me. How do I get my Merigreen to do tracking and backtracking? People write about the track it took to get to the cache, and I just dont follow.

 

Deer laugh when they hear my name!

http://www.geocities.com/ihunts

 

I tried it once and you spend too much time looking at the GPS. I find, for me, it's better to mark the starting point and then a few waypoints along the way. Just give me a bearing line and I'm good to go!

 

With man, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible!

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I just take waypoints at key spots along the trail and use the goto feature to make my way back if necessary. I don't own a Magellan, but a garmin, but the principle is the same.

 

I just recently did a cache down by Kent that involved significant bushwacking and I was glad that I had took several wps on way to the box. It's easy to get turned around in the woods when it's getting dark.