Hey guys, I just got a late Christmas present; ... A Garmin e-trex!!!

So I also ordered myself a bicycle mount for it and it is mounted on the bug and ready to roll. But, I have to say I have never used a GPS of any kind really, so I'm a little unsure of its capabilities or if I might be missing something (as its instructions were VERY sparse). I have fooled around with it and have gotten the gist of how to use it, (primarily I've found the screen that lists mph and highest mph etc etc).

For instance, what's the advantage of recording tracks? Is it necessary for what we typically use GPS for?

Any advice or helpful info would be greatly appreciated!

Here is a little something you can do with your and your buddies tracks. The app needs Java and is interactive.

Snow session at the marsh

For best effect under "Trajectories" select <Myron>, click <center>, select <Neigbourhood>, and select <Auto Center>. Bump up the "Speed" to 20.

You can dump the track log straight into Google earth. Pretty cool.

On a dry lake bed, you can buggy around and make patterns with the tracks. Smiley faces, etc.

I have 2 of the older yellow/black ones and they are great as a basic GPS with the 2 most important needs for any buggier, Max Speed and Distance. I got the USB adapter to connect it to the computer off Amazon for 9.99 with no shipping, makes downloading the info a bit easier.

2 tracks are required to verify your world speed record. Start saving for your second one!

You can also use the tracks if you want to follow your track back where you came from. Could be really handy if you lost something on a hike or want to end up back at the car.

Quote:

Originally posted by soliver But, I have to say I have never used a GPS of any kind really, so I'm a little unsure of its capabilities or if I might be missing something (as its instructions were VERY sparse). I have fooled around with it and have gotten the gist of how to use it, (primarily I've found the screen that lists mph and highest mph etc etc).

Just read the manual cover to cover with the GPS at hand to play with.

Manual for the Basic eTrex can be found at:
http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/eTrex_OwnersManual_SoftwareVe...

The HC Legend Series eTrex Manual can be found at:
http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/eTrexLegendHCx_OwnersManual.p...

Things of interest to do if you haven't already.

• Customize your timezone and preferred units, map orientation (North or Ahead), etc.
  
• Customize what fields are displayed Trip Computer Page. 5 default fields are displayed but you can customize what is displayed from a list of 31 fields.
  
• Play with the Skyview page. At least initially, it's fun watching the GPS acquire satellites and playing around to try to get it to acquire them faster.
  
• Play around with editing tracks and waypoints. Not a required skill for buggy use, but still good to know.
  

Depending on whether the eTrex is your sole GPS (vs one for the car), you can play with transferring KML files to it or your primary GPS, if you are using Google Earth to map our prospective flying fields.

ATB,
Sam

Thanks guys. I'll have to look through IW's link to see what all I can do. Sounds fun what youu can do with the tracks, but I haven't quite figured out how to record one,... Guess that's where the online manual comes in!