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Cellular forums Home > Archive > Garmin GPS > February 2006 > Garmin Geko 201 Questions?
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Garmin Geko 201 Questions?
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| Hello Everyone
After looking at the manual, and trying out my Geko 201, there are still
some unanswered questions for me.
1. TracBack- When I am panning a tracklog while on an active hike, sometimes
I get 4 options and sometimes I get only 3. I always get GoTo, Mark, and
Zoom, but only some of the time I get Tracback. There must be something I'm
overlooking here, why not always? It seems to work from a "saved" track,
however, just not always from an active track.
2. Pause Tracklog- It appears that Stop Navigation can only be activated
when "GoTo" a waypoint is on. So when you are on an active hike, how do you
"pause" the tracklog? Is there a way without shutting the GPS off? I'm
thinking of lunch time etc.
3. Battery Save mode- Has anyone tried this feature, are there still enough
tracks on the tracklog at the end of the day.
4. Where to Keep GPS when on a Hike?- I keep my GPS in my shirt pocket,
sometimes 2 layers under, but now I see there are accessories that put it on
your backpack etc. I seem to get enough tracks etc. now, but was wondering
what others have experienced. I also get some errors like straight lines at
the moment, could this because my GPS is under so much stuff?
5. Error when Turning on GPS- The odd time, I turn my Geko on at home to
download the data to my PC, and get an additional straight line to my house
from the hike. What would be causing this?
6. Beginning and End of Hike- If I have put all my hike data on the PC, and
it's time for the next hike, what do folks start with on the GPS. Clear
track log, clear waypoints, clear trip data etc.? At what point do you have
to clean it out? I'm thinking that turning on my GPS at home is keeping some
sort of tracklog alive, (see #5).
7. True or Magnetic?- Should I use Magnetic if using a compass as well? When
would I use True?
8. WAAS enabled?- Should it be left on? I see the manual says that you will
see a D if you are picking one up. I've never seen one here on the west
coast of Canada.
Sorry for so many questions, but thanks so much for any help/advice you can
give.
Ted
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| Tom H. 2006-02-01, 2:48 am |
| Ted,
I can shed some light on some of your questions. I have had a Geko 201 for
a couple of years now.
> 2. Pause Tracklog- It appears that Stop Navigation can only be activated
> when "GoTo" a waypoint is on. So when you are on an active hike, how do
> you "pause" the tracklog? Is there a way without shutting the GPS off? I'm
> thinking of lunch time etc.
You can go the the main menu page: Tracks : setup : recording : select off.
But, I would rather just turn the unit off; that is faster and saves battery
life.
> 3. Battery Save mode- Has anyone tried this feature, are there still
> enough tracks on the tracklog at the end of the day.
In battery save mode it is more likely to lose sattelite lock when there are
signal obstructions like trees, cliffs etc.
> 4. Where to Keep GPS when on a Hike?- I keep my GPS in my shirt pocket,
> sometimes 2 layers under, but now I see there are accessories that put it
> on your backpack etc. I seem to get enough tracks etc. now, but was
> wondering what others have experienced. I also get some errors like
> straight lines at the moment, could this because my GPS is under so much
> stuff?
I keep mine in my shirt pocket or in an outer pouch of my daypack or fanny
pack. All work well for me and I almost never lose signal in those places,
but I live in the desert and there are usually no trees above me to reduce
signal strength. In a less forgiving signal loss environment you might want
to try to mount it in a place where your body is less likely to obscure the
signal.
> 5. Error when Turning on GPS- The odd time, I turn my Geko on at home to
> download the data to my PC, and get an additional straight line to my
> house from the hike. What would be causing this?
Your gps is getting a fix at home, adding that position to the tracklog and
drawing the resultant track line.
> 6. Beginning and End of Hike- If I have put all my hike data on the PC,
> and it's time for the next hike, what do folks start with on the GPS.
> Clear track log, clear waypoints, clear trip data etc.? At what point do
> you have to clean it out? I'm thinking that turning on my GPS at home is
> keeping some sort of tracklog alive, (see #5).
I clear my tracklog, and trip data after almost every trip. I usually do
not clear waypoints until the limit is almost reached, and then I download
them to PC, edit out the ones I do not want, clear all on GPS and then
upload the "keepers" to the gps.
> 7. True or Magnetic?- Should I use Magnetic if using a compass as well?
> When would I use True?
You can use true if your compass has an adjustable declination compensation
device. Otherwise, use magnetic with compass and true when not using
compass.
> 8. WAAS enabled?- Should it be left on? I see the manual says that you
> will see a D if you are picking one up. I've never seen one here on the
> west coast of Canada.
WAAS usage shortens battery life, and Canada is probably too far north for
WAAS satellites to be visible. The WAAS satellites are in synchronous
orbits above the equator. I can see them here in Arizona, but they are
probably below the horizon in Canada, so save your batteries and turn WAAS
off.
>
I hope that helps.
Tom
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