New Garmin Montana

[waynegs]

You guys should send an email to montanabeta@garmin.com explaining what happened, include your x:\garmin\system.xml and the file corresponding to the profile you were using x:\Garmin\Profiles\whatever.gpf as attachments. The system.xml file logs crashes and includes some register values that might help them duplicate the problem.

QUOTE=spyderryder;17036822]

I've been keeping up with this thread, but don't remember this: Is there a bug where the screen freezes and does not update your location? I had this happen 3 times on a ride this weekend. By zooming in or out everything started working fine again. I do have the new firmware and did follow the recommended update procedure.

[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

I have not heard of that kind of behaviour, but my Montana locked up solid once this weekend where I had to stop and take the battery out to get it to reboot. At the time, all 6 or 7 maps were on, not that I chose that option, but in making a mapping change, they all became enabled.

After I chose the right maps, it didn't lock up again in about 400 miles of riding.

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by waynegs

You guys should send an email to montanabeta@garmin.com explaining what happened, include your x:\garmin\system.xml and the file corresponding to the profile you were using x:\Garmin\Profiles\whatever.gpf as attachments. The system.xml file logs crashes and includes some register values that might help them duplicate the problem.

If it happens again I will but I'm fairly certain my problem was that the gps was confused by multiple maps.

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by JMR

Sounds like yours is definitely a newer version. I can't think of any reason why they would remove the auto-route feature.

Is yours the DVD version? Did it come in a box?

Mine came in a cardboard CD sleeve with nothing else. I paid full retail $99.

What's the best way to contact Garmin? I tried to send them a message through MyGarmin->Support->Contact web form, but it didn't like my browser and I don't know if the message got through or not. (I use Opera)).

Thanks again for your help!

I just read the 100K Topo product web page and they have definitely changed the product since I purchase mine. The description now says "point-to-point routing" not "auto-routing". Product came on DVD in sleeve.

Not sure what you can do but call product support.

Cheers,

[DRTBYK]

Made a great discovery this weekend.

I was going to the Shelton Valley Adventure & Dual Sport Ride and wanted to see if there was any way to reset the Trip Odometer with one touch. The ride is a Roll Chart only affair but I used the trip odo on the Montana cause it measures hundredths of a mile. But I couldn't afford to have to make five button presses just to do a reset - which happened frequently on this really great off-road event.

Turns out that the Montana team enabled a "one touch reset" shortcut. Although I still had to leave the Map page I only had to press the Reset Shortcut and then back to the map.

Only thing that would be better would be to have a Trip Odometer "Large Datafield" dashboard that had a one-touch reset button in the dashboard.

Cheers,

It just occurred to me on my ride back over the mountains today that there is a one touch solutions to the Trip Odometer Reset. The Programmable Power ON/OFF button! I now have my Power button set to Reset Trip Odometer with one press. I show the Status display with two presses.

[spyderryder]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

Total Track points for the Track(s) Showing on the Map are 10,000 - any Track who's point count exceeds that is truncated. No single Track can be over 10,000 points - or it will be truncated when you "Show on Map". The Track Manager has a 200 Track limit (according to the Spec Sheet). I have not found that limit - I currently have 41 Tracks that span 11,386 miles. The largest single track is 8K points. If you do run up against the "active" limit, you can always Archive some (which you can still recall and Navigate).

Cheers,

When you say 10000 showing on the map, is that the visible display? I have tracks with about 22,000 points set to show on map and when I pan around on the display, they all seem to show. The tracks are in Ontario, PA, MO and KS so I can't really see them all at once even if I tried.

[pckopp]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

I bought mine when they first came available. They do auto-route. Maybe they removed that data.

I don't understand your answer. Did you buy Topo USA on DVD? Topo originally was a three CD set "when they first came available". Certainly no auto-routing data on that package. I thought 2008 was about when Topo USA was released on one DVD. I got one early on and there is no auto-routing data on it.

I have heard of cases when both Topo and CityNav are installed on a GPS and routes "appear" to auto-route in Topo but it is actually CityNav generating the route.

I have an older set of Topo for Canada on 3 or 4 CDs that will auto-route, but it is bizarre, to say the least.

Curious.

[tbirdsp]

I only have the ancient 3-CD 100K topo, but have always heard that the 24k regional topo would autoroute

[pckopp]

Originally Posted by tbirdsp

I only have the ancient 3-CD 100K topo, but have always heard that the 24k regional topo would autoroute

Yes, they will. An excerpt from the Garmin page:

"These highly detailed maps on DVD include terrain contours, topo elevations, summits, routable roads and trails, parks, coastlines, rivers, lakes and geographical points."

[hanksmybuddy]

Just bought a new Montana and was wondering what is the latest firmware that I should have installed? So far love the item along with the City Navigator DVD. I have the PNW topo maps but don't like it as much. Too much clutter on the screen.

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by spyderryder

When you say 10000 showing on the map, is that the visible display? I have tracks with about 22,000 points set to show on map and when I pan around on the display, they all seem to show. The tracks are in Ontario, PA, MO and KS so I can't really see them all at once even if I tried.

On my M650 my "Show On Map" tracks truncate after the 10,000 point. All Tracks w/ all of their points are in the Track Manager. This is an "on-map" display limit as it appears on mine.

So, no single track can be more than 10,000 points or it get's truncated. You can have 200 x 10,000 points showing on the map based on Garmin's numbers. I haven't tried it - what's the point?

Cheers,

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by pckopp

I don't understand your answer. Did you buy Topo USA on DVD? Topo originally was a three CD set "when they first came available". Certainly no auto-routing data on that package. I thought 2008 was about when Topo USA was released on one DVD. I got one early on and there is no auto-routing data on it.

I have heard of cases when both Topo and CityNav are installed on a GPS and routes "appear" to auto-route in Topo but it is actually CityNav generating the route.

I have an older set of Topo for Canada on 3 or 4 CDs that will auto-route, but it is bizarre, to say the least.

Curious.

I bought my US 100K Topo maps last year when the 24K US Topo set's were released. I ordered them through a Garmin Cartography sales rep. I received the four 24K US regions (that I bought) on individual DVD and a single DVD for the US 100K Topo.

My 100K Topo is routable in BaseCamp. I personally don't use Topo's at all, just bought them to better understand what was going on. I have since given away the DVD's for my 100k Topo and half of my 24K topo's.

If the Montana would have supported turning off the contour lines I might have kept them.

Cheers,

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by hanksmybuddy

Just bought a new Montana and was wondering what is the latest firmware that I should have installed? So far love the item along with the City Navigator DVD. I have the PNW topo maps but don't like it as much. Too much clutter on the screen.

The latest software version is 3.60. You should update to the latest version.

Cheers,

[spyderryder]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

On my M650 my "Show On Map" tracks truncate after the 10,000 point. All Tracks w/ all of their points are in the Track Manager. This is an "on-map" display limit as it appears on mine.

So, no single track can be more than 10,000 points or it get's truncated. You can have 200 x 10,000 points showing on the map based on Garmin's numbers. I haven't tried it - what's the point?

Cheers,

Got it. My individual tracks are all under 10,000 points. I just wanted to see if it would display multiple high count tracks. Glad it will!

[R-dubb]

So there are some variables

• Major vs. Minor roads
• Avoidances
• Speed

It looks like we can adjust the settings in Basecamp, but not on the Montana.
Things like how the calculation works on auto vs moto are a little mysterious.
If avoidances are the same, the shortest route calculation should be the same in all activity modes. Is this really true? If we don't alter the defaults in Basecamp, will the route match on the Montana if the activity is the same?

BTW, on my recent trip, I got some whacky discrepancies between TTD and DTD. At one point the unit said I had two hours to go with only a mile or so remaining on the route. Bad information was very common. 276 was always spot on. Not this baby. Also, I found that DTN was very slow to pick up an accurate reading to the next turn. When the turns come close together, this becomes an issue. There were also multiple shutdowns. Once the unit did a full on reset without being prompted. Went straight to the language prompt and dump all settings. Not nice. I have my track archive set to daily and it dumped my previous day's ride since the archive is created when the unit first boots. Still pleased with the Montana screen and features, but not the bugs!

[hanksmybuddy]

Question: In avoidance set up if the green check mark is showing does this mean that the system will avoid this or seek it. Kind of confusing.

Thanks