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Etrex dropping a track while recording?

 
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Pufin
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Location: Walsall, West Midlands, U.K.

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 11:57 pm    Post subject: Etrex dropping a track while recording? Reply with quote

Hi everyone
I've been playing with Sat Nav's and GPS units for a while. I currently use an etrex Personal Navigator with 3.4 software. I use this to track myself while metal detecting, recording my route around a field and if I find a goody I record the spot as a waypoint. The track is recorded every 5m as I am walking at around .9miles an hour. I normally hang the unit around my neck on a lanyard outside my jacket.

When I get home I upload the recorded information using http://www.gpsu.co.uk, convert to .kml and load into google earth. Where I can edit the waypoints adding a find description and photograph. I can also do the reverse, locate an interesting feature on GE, pinpoint it, then upload the file via gpsu to the unit.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg24/Puffin_photo/field1718.jpg


As can be seen on this example I seem to have an irritating problem with the unit dropping the track every how and then, then picking it up again someway off. Is this normal for this unit? Is there anything I can do to improve the track recording? An suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks
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oddsock
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am trying to think back to when I had one of these units and I don't recall being able to adjust the track recording frequency.
Hanging the unit around your neck does neck does not present it in the best position for a continuous view of the sky as it is sometimes shielded by your body/head also the Etrex series seems to work better when held flat so would be better positioned velcroed on your shoulder or on the top of a back pack.
dave
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philpugh
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Joined: Dec 28, 2005
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Location: Antrobus, Cheshire

PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Could it be interference from your metal detector? I used to use a Garmin GPS II+ on my bike. When I also fitted a wireless cycle computer I noticed that the GPS was recording rogue points every now and then - giving me top speeds of 80+ mph (not really credible!). Removing the wireless unit stopped the problem.

Of course it could be poor satellite reception resulting in loss of position lock and subsequent "creep" as it regains a lock with first a low number of sats and eventually a higher number giving better precision. next time you use the device have a look at the sat status screen to see how many are being received and what sort of signal strength you are gettng.
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Last edited by philpugh on Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
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philpugh
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry - duplicate post - finger trouble!
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Pufin
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers Chaps, food for thought.

I've just updated the software to 3.70, that was painless.

Sometimes when I lean forward while trying to locate a small find, the etrex swings near the coil, and I do pick up interference or faint signal on the wireless detector headphones from the coil. For those who don't know, a metal detector is basically a very short range transmitter and receiver which creates a magnetic field around the coil. When a metal object comes within range of the coil the field changes, the machine interprets the resulting change and re-transmits the signal as an audio output via the wireless head phones.

So I have two lots of transmissions to contend with, could these be drowning out the GPS signals causing the track drift? Not only do I have to contend with the signals generated by my machine, at anyone time I could have up to 45 other detectors with their own set of frequencies on a club event. Shocked

Quote:
Oddsock
I am trying to think back to when I had one of these units and I don't recall being able to adjust the track recording frequency.


If you go into track setup, you can change from either time or distance travelled, then change how often or how far. I've set my unit to record every 10ft, as I only cover 2.5 or 3 miles a day, I use about 6% of the memory.

I will have to give the mounting idea some thought, hold it flat (screen up?) with a clear few of the sky. Yet be able to dismount it to record a waypoint and note the reference number.
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crazyfingers
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What etrex do you have? The older ones were much more prone to losing fix than the new ones. My old Legend would lose fix under any old tree. My New Vista CX stays locked on in the raincoat pocket in the dense woods.
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Pufin
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Its the yellow, eTrex Personal Navigator.

Its not like I'm working under a tree, I usaly am in the middle of a field with a clear view of the sky.
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Want to get lost, forget your Tomtom next time you go out?
Or should that be Take your TomTom with you!

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Installed on 2gig sd cards.
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crazyfingers
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pufin wrote:
Its the yellow, eTrex Personal Navigator.

Its not like I'm working under a tree, I usaly am in the middle of a field with a clear view of the sky.


However if it's attached to an item and flipping/flopping upside down and around that can impact reception on the older units.
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Pufin
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Location: Walsall, West Midlands, U.K.

PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So its holding it still by fixing it to my upper body some how!

Thanks for the input chaps.
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Want to get lost, forget your Tomtom next time you go out?
Or should that be Take your TomTom with you!

Two TomTom 500's
App 7.161 GPS v1.21 Boot 4.8600 Map Western_Europe_1GB v710.1561
Installed on 2gig sd cards.
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