Etrex30 Range Up switch failing

[bryn]

The Range Up switch on my Etrex 30 is starting to fail.  It clicks, but nothing happens on the display.  Try again and it sometimes works.  The motion of the switch doesn't feel quite right through the waterproof outer membrane as if something maybe has broken or come loose.

The case seems to be secured with minute star-socket headed screws.  Don't have the appropriate star Allen-type keys so can't disassemble myself - probably just as well given my, er, success rate at such things.

Anyone else had this problem?  It was bought at the end of 2011, and is generally only used on tour, or on walking holidays.

Any experience of Garmin's repair service?

Bryn

[fhills]

I had a similar issue after my Etrex20 fell off the bike (I now AWAYS use a lanyard).

It wasn't that hard to open the unit up - you will be able to get the appropriate screwdrivers at Maplins and the like.

From what I remember of the innards there is an interface between the rubber you are pressing and the internal switch which you can get at and maybe sort but then there is the internal bit of the switch which you can't do anything about.

Has yours ever had a fall?**

The Garmin repair service is excellent - mine cost around £65 to fix I think including return postage from them (I paid to get it to them).

The 30 model costs more.

In practice I think they don't bother to repair yours to send back to you - they send you one they "made"/reconditioned earlier.

Very fast turnaround.

To all intents and purposes a new unit but with a shorter guarantee.



** Not saying that the 20/30 models aren't well made/well protected - mine bounced all along the road and on first sight appeared undamaged apart from some slight scuffing.

[bryn]

Noooo, never dropped mine, but I did lose it once, then found one just like it on the ground outside the shop I'd just been into. 

I learned to use a lanyard whenever it is on the bike or on my belt when walking.

I just wrestled with the Garmin UK website which kept sending me to the US site (return your unit to South Carolina etc etc).  I finally found a UK number and I'll give them a call tomorrow to get a quote.

I'm getting keener on replacing with the newer Etrex30x on account of the better screen resolution.  I know it's a lot chunkier than the Garmin more specificly bike GPSs, but the AA batteries are convenient and I don't need all the timed lap features for my sort of riding (slooow).

[bryn]

An update: finally got through ("Your call is important to us": cue muzak........) to a Garmin tech who was very helpful, and explained as in the message above that they replace rather than repair, for a cost of £82.50 plus my own post/insurance cost. The downside was the 14 days turn around time, as I am going away in 17 days time, so I think I am going to treat myself to a new one so that I have sufficient time to get it set up the way I want (it took ages the last time) and get all the maps loaded.

I like the idea of the Etrex30x having more screen pixels, and am shortsighted enough not to worry too much about Francis's point about the lines and text being smaller.

I was attracted for a bit by the Etrex Touch 35, but it looks a bit clunky- bigger, lower screen resolution, poorer battery life, and the problem of needing special gloves to make it work on cold/wet days!  I admit that the menus seem to be well set up, and the ability to type text by tapping rather than scrolling letter by letter across the grid with that horrible Etrex30 joystick would be a huge plus.

I'd be interest to hear if anyone else has gone down the Touch route yet.

Bryn

[321up]

I like the idea of the Etrex30x having more screen pixels

That's what I thought when I bought our Etrex30x.  However compared to our old etrex30 the transreflective screen on the 30x has less contrast and is much more difficuilt to see in poor light without the backlight.  We use both together for DIY by GPS on the tandem and I need the backlight on more of the time with the etrex30x.  We got our etrex30x soon after they went on sale so perhaps they have improved the screen since then?

[frankly frankie]

Agreed we have two E30s and the screens are decidedly dimmer

[Kim]

That's what I thought when I bought our Etrex30x.  However compared to our old etrex30 the transreflective screen on the 30x has less contrast and is much more difficuilt to see in poor light without the backlight.  We use both together for DIY by GPS on the tandem and I need the backlight on more of the time with the etrex30x.  We got our etrex30x soon after they went on sale so perhaps they have improved the screen since then?

Sadly I think the march of progress is going the other way.  Reflective LCD screens went out of fashion decades ago, and all the cool kids are pushing for denser! brighter! transmissive ones.  The transflective ones as used on the eTrex are positively niche, and unless Garmin want to go into the display business, they're probably limited by what they can obtain at reasonable cost.

Pragmatically, transmissive LCDs do make excellent display devices, in much the same way that capacitive touchscreens make intuitive user interfaces: They're fine until you try to use them outdoors.

I expect that outdoor handlheld GPS receivers will continue to throw battery life at the problem until such a time as appropriate^[1] e-ink displays become available.


_{[1] Which I suspect means 'colour'.}

[bryn]

Etrex30 buttons finally failed today.  Approx £90 including Special Delivery to RMA, they provide a new outer casing and refurbed innards. No option to upgrade to the later Etrex 30x.  All posted off - I'll let you know how long it takes.  (They are very good on the phone once you get through to them:  I got quite a nice 30 minute classical concert on the muzak tape before being answered.

I found a YouTube video (Polish) demonstrating startup times, time to display new map scales etc for the 30 and 30x.  In all cases the 30x was slower than the 30, suggesting that although they increasd the number of pixels, they kept the original computing power.

One new feature on the 30x which I only saw reported on one video:- if you nudge the joystick to give the intermediate brightness you require, then press the joystick, the system will remember your new chosen intermediate brightness next time it is switched on, so you could then switch between, say, 0%, 25% and 100%, rather than the original 0%, 50% and 100%.  May appeal to the nightriders.

Bryn

[321up]

Thanks for the backlight brightness tip - it works on both the etrex30 and the etrex30x!  Will be very useful to dim the display a bit for night riding and will hopefully save some battery.

Good luck with the repair.

[fhills]

Interesting thread.

From what I have read above, the 30 is better than the 30x in terms of real screen clairity. I presume the same applies to the 20 and 20x (i have the 20).

It also seems that the x model is slower in some ways. So garmin has made some perverse "improvements" since my etrex , great as it generally is, could actually do with a faster processor. In view of what I have read on this thread, i won't be upgrading my 20.

If you are reading this garmin, i think if you want to improve the 20, give it:
A slightly bigger screen.
A faster processor.
An accessible soft reset button so that i don't have to open it up to temporarily dislodge a battery when it freezes. The freezing i can live with but stopping to open it up is a drag.