Geocaching Australia

Hi

has anyone had any trouble with their Navman freezing? I've been using the gps viewer in SmartSt to do our caching with, and have Gpxsonar running at the same time, switching between the two programs. Yesterday was the first time we have been out and found more than one cache at a time, and the Navman froze at least 1/2 dozen times. Also locked up today a couple of times. Just wondering if there is something I'm doing wrong with it? Never had an ounce of trouble with it when using SmartSt to drive with. Thanks Quilter

Fairly Magic wrote:Hi

has anyone had any trouble with their Navman freezing? I've been using the gps viewer in SmartSt to do our caching with, and have Gpxsonar running at the same time, switching between the two programs. Yesterday was the first time we have been out and found more than one cache at a time, and the Navman froze at least 1/2 dozen times. Also locked up today a couple of times. Just wondering if there is something I'm doing wrong with it? Never had an ounce of trouble with it when using SmartSt to drive with. Thanks Quilter

I havent had mine freeze up in recent times BUT I haven't used SmartST since the 1st week I had it... It's pretty funky software, and it wouldnt surprise me if it doesn't like you switching in and out of it.

ok, so what do you use instead. What other software do I run to use the GPS function of this toy? Cheers Quilter

try the Wiki,

http://wiki.geocaching.com.au/wiki/Wayp ... t_software

there is a list of half a dozen things you could use, I definately wouldn't be using SmartST for caching, the only time I ever use SmartST is when i'm trying to get through Melbourne.

I use Oziexplorer & Navio...

cheers

Fairly Magic wrote:ok, so what do you use instead. What other software do I run to use the GPS function of this toy? Cheers Quilter

Try GPXTuner and OziCE... Tuner is pretty good for the follow the arrow type stuff

Just in case you Google it, you are looking for GPSTuner, not GPXTuner as CraigRat pointed out
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If you've found caches using SmartST I take my hat off to you, you are indeed a legend and I worship the ground you walk on
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I, like CraigRat, use GPSTuner for finding the cache (i.e. follow the arrow), GPXSonar for paperless caching and OziExplorerCE to find out which part of the state I'm in - it seems to work fine - until I get confused, then it all goes pear shaped
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With regard to your freezing problem - does it unfreeze? Or do you have to do a soft reset to recover? I've never used the combination of programs you are using, but it's possible you might be running out of memory, talking into account if you have GPXSonar running then Internet Explorer is probably running too. Combined with SmartST you might be expecting a bit too much from the NavWoman's limited memory. When I use GPSTuner, GPXSonar, Explorer and notepad (when doing multis) things get a bit slow and the unit has given the impression of being "Frozen".

I have just been out and had a play with the NavWoman using the combination of applications you've been using and I think that is the problem.
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I found I couldn't run those three programs all at the same time, and depending in what order I opened them up in, the NavWoman actually shut down some of the programs to reclaim memory, i.e SmartST running and trying to open GPXSonar/Explorer actually shut down SmartST - Running GPXSonar/Explorer and trying to open GPXSonar/Explorer brought up a dialog box asking what I would like to shut down because there isn't enough memory left
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So the answer I think is to grab a copy of GPSTuner or similar program to find your caches with and life will be a lot easier.

Hi

Thankyou. Have just loaded Navio, and worked out how to use OziCE. Downloaded the map converter from Ozi and yay. So tomorrow we will experiment with Navio and Ozi and hopefully we will get much better luck than we had today. Probably the stormy weather but we couldn't get accurate readings at a couple of caches and two that we could get accurate readings at during the only hour of sunshine today we couldn't find. One I think may have been discovered during some garden work, and the other we will head back tomorrow during open hours. Cheers Quilter

Hi Horus

the freezing required a soft reset. I did wonder whether it was a memory problem, but it wasn't giving any indication or help.......ok, I know it's windows and help is non-existent. I tried just running smartst alone after a soft reset a couple of times, and it still froze. I have used it for its intended use to direct me all around Adelaide, Melb and Sydney with no trouble. So I don't know. Perhaps the software was never meant to run the GPS Status option for extended periods.

So we will test OziCE and Navio tomorrow. Would love to go and test now, but dark and jnr cachers and our inexperience sounds just like the perfect recipe for frustration <G>.

cheers Quilter

I have been using a bluetooth Navman with the smartST software and it never gives any trouble whatever screen you are on unless you start running other programs with smartST. My first caches were done from the GPS screen and I never had any trouble until I started using GPSSonar as well.

I drove all the way across Australia from Perth to Melbourne with the GPS screen showing most of the time as once you are on the highway showing the only road does get boring after a while.

Since that time I have been using BeelineGPS for geocaching and GPSSonar for the information and have had no trouble with it generally but you should be aware that the navman gps hardware seems to want a 'signal' or something that the smartST software provides but other software doesn't seem to.

You get the same problem as in your first post and generally have to reset the software like you have been so I would suggest that the problem may not go away using the other software you are trying but it should happen a way lot less.

By the way if you don't need maps when you are out caching BeelineGPS now gives you most of what GPSsonar gives so it is less drain on the system as you have 2 less programs running.

Hi everyone thanks for the help. I think we have found the successful solution for us to be OziCE with maps and way points to get us within cooee, and then GPS Tuner to point the way to GZ. And as long as we only load the local waypoints and cache info then we didn't get one freeze today, and we managed to find 4 caches, so we are once again happy cachers. Cheers Quilter

Fairly Magic wrote:Hi everyone thanks for the help. I think we have found the successful solution for us to be OziCE with maps and way points to get us within cooee, and then GPS Tuner to point the way to GZ. And as long as we only load the local waypoints and cache info then we didn't get one freeze today, and we managed to find 4 caches, so we are once again happy cachers. Cheers Quilter

Excellent stuff... welcome to the happy Navman owners club!