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I have a vista, just got an oregon. I keep my vista in the case from garmin. It has a clip on it and can be hung from a belt. I would attach a backup lanyard. I would make it out of reflective tent cordage.

I think the vista would work better in that application. The oregon screen is a little harder to easily see, plus that touch screen will make it harder to use in a case.

Just make sure you have it secured. I lost a vista hunting once. THe brush was so thick it pulled it right out of my pocket that was not zipped.  THat's why I mention the reflective cordage. I don't know why they make all those cases black. OR camo.

I just ordered one today! I will be moving up from a vistahcx! I can't wait to really type names! Not sure what to expect, I think I'll like it though.

interested as well

Maybe it's the way your pages are. You can modify the pages and the sequence.

go to the main menu

select "setup"

select "page seq"

If you do not see "compass" you can select add page and add it.

You can see you page sequence here and edit it as you see fit. I have the tracks page on my sequence cause I use it a lot. I kind of modify my pages depending on what i am doing.

I am using unlocked maps at the moment. I also sometimes download caches from geocaching.com but have not attempted that since the latest snafu. I have no need to transfer maps at the moment as I am back home, and my venture has that map. I managed to get everything for my vista on the card so I don't need it there as well.

Sooner or later I think I will have to uninstall, then reinstall everything having to do with mapsource, but I don't feel like doing it now. It seems to be a common issue, I don't understand why it can't work as well as the free programs.



eta: I just tested downloading a cache and it worked. Maybe I will just delete and reinstal the maps first.


I wish I knew why it worked fine one minute, then started giving errors the next?!?

I had updated mapsource when I got my vista, not that long ago. But I just updated it again, I don't think I had the oct 09 update.

But it didnt' help. I think I'm going to have to uninstall everything, then install it again.

I only use mapsource for loading maps to my gps. I think I will try the non-mapsource way of doing this. I use easy gps or gsak for other stuff. I liked that you could use google earth with mapsource but I can use gpsvisualiser and control more preferances.

I find some tracks on the gps are pretty helpful. I have deerstands where there is not an obvious path to them, it helps me use the same path to my stands till I get used to them. It also helps others find my stand.

I have whatever the latest one is. It seems like it will work right for awhile, then out of the blue it will say I have to update, or it can't find my gps, or it doesn't like my maps anymore . . . .


I guess I will put the mapsource cd in my computer bag so I can reinstall it at a moments notice! Fortunately I can get along without it most of the time!

It seems like I am constantly having to reinstal mapsource!!! The last time I did it thought really seemed to fix it, or so I thought. I have a vista and a venture and have 2 partial maps for the venture. I have to load them from the computer cause the venture doesn't have a slot, but when I got to NC I got an error message saying that soemthing was wrong with the SE map and it had to be reinstalled! I did reinstal that one, and I am getting a message from teh gA map now!!!!


I think it would be easier just to try reinstalling mapsource again! Or look into that mapsoource free way of transferring maps to gps's.

It seems like garmin could make something AT LEAST AS GOOD AS THE FREE STUFF!!!

Mod note: Edited thread title... keep it civil folks, there are children that read this forum.

Forgot to mention, I used the tracklog feature of writing to the card just this past week when we went to the mountains. I did not bother to clear the gps tracklog, thinking I could just save whatever I wanted to in sections but telling it "no" I do not want to save the entire log. Usually this works just fine, but since I did not clear the log for 3 states, I could not zoom in to just save the last 3 miles of my track, to pick a beginning or end point. I probably could have spent more time on it but it seemed to be too much trouble. I kept losing the entire track when it would zoom closer, even when I tried to move the map.

I used the track logs written onto the card to record my entire trip, but cleared and saved individual ones, in this case the only one I saved and named was the maxpatch one because I know I will be going back there.



eta: My trip spanned several states, and was mostly driving. If I was trying to record an atv trip, it would be more functional to use those tracks saved to the card.

It's not mutually exclusive though, you can do both. and you can save as many tracks as you want as long as you export and save the files. I prefer "easy gps" as oposed to mapsource, which randomlly becomes inaccessible.

The track log written to the card is differant than the track log used by the gps. Here's how I make individual "tracks"

I clear the track log at the beginning of the hike or trail. You can do all of this on the track page. Then save your log as usual. You can also save tracks to the disk, but you can't name them and use them in the future and have it show up on the track page as a saved track.

I save waypoints throughout the hike, it is useful both in using the track again, and when looking at your hike on a sattilite image.

After you are done with your hike (or anytime in between) you can "save" it and give it a name. It will usually default name it with the date - you go ahead and change that.


The vista can save 20 of those. You can use any gps program to export and save the tracks, enabling you to save more than 20 and just load the ones you want.

In order to "follow" them you have to go to the "track" page, select the one you have saved, and check "show on map" box.

You can also make a "map" by going to gpsvisualizer.com and tell it to use your saved file of tracks. I use windows snip it to make a .jpg of the screen. I get something that looks like this:



Those long straight lines are from where I tried to turn the track log on and off so I wouldn't have several backtrack lines. It didn't work so I don't do it that way anymore. The waypoints help me when I am going from one spot to another and don't want to follow one of my gps trails. I select one of my waypoints and "goto" it.

I like the setting it's on now. I have it set to "magnetic north" and it switches to electronic compass when I'm under 10 MPH, which is the only time I need it.

I have found that the electronic compass matches my magnetic compass very well, and when it switches to satalite compass (or whatever you call it) there is a consistant shift. I don't know why this would be but it's consistant.

You have to make sure the gps is level when you are using the electronic compass. I have a ball compass on the gps lanyard just so I know if it's real out of whack. The only thing I have noticed is the compass has "locked up" a couple of times. Coming to a stop fixes it. I actually don't have to calibrate it much I have noticed. It's important to hold it properly though.

I was playing with my gpsr yestday and verfied that it actually knows what direction I am facing when standing still. It matched my handheld magnetic compass, can't ask for better than that.

The compass on my vista is pretty accurate, it matches my silva exactly. It switches to satilite compass when you are moving, and for some reason it's not as accurate. It changes bearing. When I am moving slow it switches to electronic compass and you can actually see it line up.

Maybe it's not really checked. When you go to the map set up page you have to hit the "options" button again to get a second menu that is the real place you select maps.


At least that's what I was doing wrong.

I use mine in cover and it's always worked fine.

If I am bushwacking or in otherwise uncharted territory I make sure the track log is on and watch the map page. I make occasional waypoints, and make sure my car or something near it is waypointed. I also carry spare batteries. If it's dark I set the backlight on constantly on and don't make it any brighter than it needs to be.