# is my Garmin Etrex legend dead?



## hardwaterfan

Turns on fine, then goes to the sat. page and starts tracking sats fine. i can scroll through pages fine, everything seems normal. but after about 30-60 seconds or so the unit "locks up" and the screen only displays a vertical line. i have to take the batteries out to get it to reset itself, but it does the same thing every time. a weird thing is, the vertical line is in a different place each time but its always a vertical line.

this happens even with fresh, meter tested (1.62v) batteries

any ideas?


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## Westlakedrive

Yes its dead. This is a failry common thing that happens after a few years. Mine comes back on after I shake it.
You can get it refurbished for $99 or buy something else.


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## hardwaterfan

> Mine comes back on after I shake it.


thanks for the information. time for an upgrade i guess. i might just try to take it apart and see if anything seems loose inside. after i write down all my waypoints.


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## Crowhunter

$99 is too much too pay for a bad gps ,I have the legend that has to be shaken to work right .Bud


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## hardwaterfan

shaking it will be the solution then. that will be good enough to put me on my ice fishing spots.

thanks guys for the help, much appreciated.

i did notice the first time it happened that it was in my front pocket (jeans, tight fit) and i did hear a crack sound come from it, so maybe something broke but is still in contact. i dont think i can open this unit, it looks glued to keep it water resistant. im sure the whole thing will shatter if i try to open it.


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## Westlakedrive

You might be right there may be a fix. Mine didnt really start acting up until I dropped it into the lake.


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## abovee96

I got mine for Christmas last year, only used it two or three times since then. It started doing the same thing up bear hunting last weekend. Still under warrantee if I could only find the receipt. I left a message at garmin.com but they haven't responded yet, after three days.


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## hardwaterfan

please let me know what happens and ill do the same. i just dont use it enough to justify spending any money on it or a new one either really. i only really use it to put me on roadbeds for ice fishing. mine seems broken pretty good. seems like a common problem. mine has been used very lightly for 4 years and ive never abused it.


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## abovee96

Got message back from Garmin today, they gave me a temp fix. Turn off the WAAS. Then they also gave me a link to download into the GPS for updates, I guess that will fix it for good.

Dear Andrew Bovee,

Thank you for contacting Garmin International.

This is a problem that our engineers have discovered and released a fix

for. It is due to the manner in which the GPS device is reading the
WAAS
satellites. Short term you can disable the WAAS setting in your device:

Main Menu > Setup > System > WAAS - Disabled.

To fix the problem you can follow the directions below to Install and 
Run the WebUpdater program. This will install the most current version 
of Device Software and take care of the problem.

Transfer Waypoints to GPS device from Mapsource:

Once a waypoint is set in the computer program, simply connect the GPS 
unit to the computer and power it on. On the toolbar select TRANSFER, 
and then choose SEND TO DEVICE. The GPS device should appear in the bar

below; if it does not, and then select FIND DEVICE. Once your device 
does appear in the menu, ensure that the WAYPOINTS box is checked, then

select SEND. This will transfer the data to your GPS unit. 
To update your device?s Firmware: 



If you already have the Web Updater program on your computer, then skip

down to step 11. To download the latest firmware in your device, please

follow these steps: 



1. Please go to the Web Updater webpage by clicking on the following 
link: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=931 

2. You will see a link labeled Download, please click on it. 

3. You will be asked if you want to Run or Save the file, please click 
Run. 

4. After the file downloads, you may receive a security warning; if you

do, please click Run. 

5. Please select your setup language and click Next (the following 
instructions are based on the English selection). 

6. You will see a new window; please click Next. 

7. A license agreement will appear; please agree to the terms and then 
click Next. 

8. You will see the destination folder, please click Next. 

9. Click Install; the Web Updater installation will begin. 

10. After the installation, please ensure that there is a checkmark
next
to Yes, I want to launch Web Updater now and then click Finish. 

11. The Web Updater program will launch - again, please ensure that
your
unit is connected to the computer and turned on. 

12. Click Next; you should then see your device listed (if you do not, 
then please click on Find Device). Once your device is listed, please 
click Next. 

13. A new window will appear with information about the update for your

unit, please click Next. If the latest update is on your device, then 
choose to look for additional updates and skip to step 17. 

14. A new license agreement will appear, please click that you agree
and
then click Next. 

15. The unit's internal operating system/software (sometimes called 
"firmware") will then be updated. 

16. Once the download is complete, there may be additional software to 
be downloaded. 

17. Follow the onscreen instruction to download the additional
software.
Be sure to put a check mark by each additional update. 

18. Once you have completed the download, then you may now disconnect 
the unit; it is ready to use. 



With Best Regards,

Gregory B
Senior Product Support Specialist
Outdoor/Fitness Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
913-397-8282 (fax) Att: Gregory B
www.garmin.com

<br><br>Original Message Follows:


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## hardwaterfan

an actual fix???

thank you SO much for posting the info!!!! i dont have my unit here, but i will try it and post my results. maybe not until this weekend though.


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## abovee96

Now I just have to find the usb cord for mine.


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## hardwaterfan

yikes, me too. i dont think mines a usb, i vaguely remember some kind of pinned socket type connector. been 4 years, i dont think i threw it away though.

fix kinda makes sense now that i think about it, i had it in the garage and turned gps tracking off and it stayed on for like a half hour before i turned it off and that was the only time it stayed on.

weird thing is, why now? it never did this until recently, i remember the first time was once last winter. before that it always worked fine since '04


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## hardwaterfan

> is my Garmin Etrex legend dead?


NO - WOOHOO!!

all you have to do is download the web updater from garmins website. Then click on it and it installs an updater program onto the computer. Hook up the Garmin to the computer and turn it on. (mine hooks up with a 9-pin connector...not sure if that would be a problem for someone with a newer computer) it checks for updates and places them onto the garmin. thats it, problem solved.

i just took it out in the driveway and it stayed on, and it said i had 6' accuracy. also, i didnt lose any waypoints or anything.

THANKS FOR THE HELP GUYS!!


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## abovee96

Now that I found the cord, It won't plug into my laptop. The end that goes into the computer wont fit any of the ports that I have. Are there any adapters that anyone has found?


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## Hotwired

abovee96 said:


> Now that I found the cord, It won't plug into my laptop. The end that goes into the computer wont fit any of the ports that I have. Are there any adapters that anyone has found?


Yes.
I had the same problem with my garmin12.
Bought this adapter and loaded the driver that came with it and I use it on my laptop just fine.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.707


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## abovee96

Thanks, I'll have to get one of them. In the meantime, I will use my inlaw's computer because going on trip Saturday and really don't want to get lost tracking a deer.


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## Martoon77

I have the same issue. Garmin says it was caused by a DOD software change. Loading new software from Garmin (free?) will solve the problem but I think you found that the cable supplied has an old style connector that is not offered on PC's anymore. A new cable was quoted at $80. Not likely to pay another $80 for a $100 GPS ... do this instead. Disable the WAAS feature. It's the WAAS part of the software that cause the lock up. Your GPS will run fine but may take longer to lock on. I have not noticed a difference however.


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