Etrex 10 question.

[puredingo]

I recently just purchased this device after losing my simple,trusty old etrexH and more confused I could not be.

Anyway my question is if by chance you hit that silly toggle and it logs a point (not a waypoint but that magnifying glass thingy) how the hell do you delete it? I can see the option to delete a waypoint but the other. The two page user leaflet doesn't mention it and it driving me spare!

Not to mention I think I got jipped on the price, I paid $130 on special but I see on a history search of this site people were paying $95 5 years ago...oh the humanity!!!

[tastrax]

Not sure re your query but you can grab the full manual from here

http://static.garmin.com/pumac/eTrex_10-20-30_OM_EN.pdf

[puredingo]

Thank Tastrax.... I shall preserve to conquer!

[keithy]

puredingo - if you have inadvertently added a waypoint (which is annoyingly really easy to do on the etrex 10/20/30 series), you can individually delete them from the MENU > WAYPOINT MANAGER list.

If you are seeing a magnifying glass icon, you might have accidentally selected that icon as a marker when saving the waypoint. But it is just a waypoint.

When you accidentally depress and hold down the joystick selector on the Etrex 10/20/30 it will automatically name the waypoint (a numerical sequence). To the immediate left of the name of the waypoint is the icon selector. This can also be accidentally entered by an errant up/down of the joystick selector.

If you go into that icon selector, you will see various icons you can use to mark your waypoint. One of them is the magnifying glass.

What I did a while back was to make this to try prevent errant presses of the joystick and various random waypoints being recorded on on my eTrex 30.


Also, on the prices of the eTrex 10, it did get down to the <$80 mark a few years back with specials, but in the past 3 years or so, I've noticed all Garmin units have gone back up in price quite a bit. .

[puredingo]

Thanks heaps Keithy, that makes sense I'll give it a go next time I'm out. This toggle idea...I don't know how it got out of the boardroom? Complete opposite of the old EtrexH where you needed a nail punch and a hammer to change screens, which I didn't mind.


We needed some insider trading on Garmin GPS ...we'd be using Sherpas on day walks in the Blue mountains by now!!!!

[keithy]

This toggle idea...I don't know how it got out of the boardroom? Complete opposite of the old EtrexH where you needed a nail punch and a hammer to change screens, which I didn't mind.

I also had the venerable eTrex yellow but the thing I don't miss about it was the silly proprietary serial cable the USB cable is much handier.

The toggle joystick came into existence with the old eTrex Venture / Vista / Legend series came out some 10 odd years back, before being brought into the current etrex 10/20/30 and 20x/30x.

Even back then there were complaints of errant presses of the joystick when putting the GPS in pockets or cases while the GPS was tracking. It would have been a simple task IMHO to enable a joystick lock button that could prevent this but Garmin in their wisdom never implemented anything like it in the various eTrex iterations that followed.

There is a sort of work around that might work to temporary disable the joystick. I've not used the eTrex 10 for a while, so you'll have to check if it works for yours. For my eTrex 30, before putting the GPS in a pocket or case, I put it in the TRIP COMPUTER screen. While in the Trip Computer screen, the joystick is temporarily disabled - the centre press does not have an effect.

However, this only stays the same if you don't accidentally press the BACK button, or the MENU button while it is in the pocket.

[puredingo]

Which brings me to my next question.

If I leave my GPS in the top of my pack will it still receive the signal through the canvas or whatever material the pack is made of? (As you can tell I'm about as low tech as they come)... I've lost two of the yellow garmins through keeping it in my shirt top pocket, take a spill....gone.

[Tortoise]

I've lost two of the yellow garmins through keeping it in my shirt top pocket, take a spill....gone.

I have a retro-fitted zip on the top pocket of a shirt that didn't have one, for just such an occasion. Actually, I usually have my GPS in the other pocket, but with a lanyard round my neck so I don't lose it. Sometimes I refer to it a lot, so it'd be awkward having it in my pack. There is also the small bumbag worn at the front option. I did the zip thing after my fortunately waterproof pocket camera had a swim on a creek crossing.

[keithy]

If I leave my GPS in the top of my pack will it still receive the signal through the canvas or whatever material the pack is made of? (As you can tell I'm about as low tech as they come)... I've lost two of the yellow garmins through keeping it in my shirt top pocket, take a spill....gone.

puredingo - canvas or other backpack materials is not an issue for GPS radio signals. If the pack is drenched (holding a lot of water) it could be a different issue, but I've not had problem with GPS reception with any of my various devices put in the lid top pocket of backpacks or even in the side/front pockets.

For the dropping issue, I also highly recommend using the tiny lanyard hole at the bottom of the etrex. Even when I was using the belt clip, I would use a lanyard connected to one of my shoulder straps to prevent dropping/losing the GPS. I had previously dropped one of my early units due to carelessness, but I can say that I have not had a spill with any of my past three GPS units once I used the two points of contact method to make sure the GPS was attached to me or my pack.