New Firmware Helped Except for Auto Start

[CheminerWill]

Just a few observations after a couple of weeks with the updated firmware. So far I have had no crashes or unexpected shutdowns at all and everything else, with one exception, seems to be working as it should. So, for me at least, the update did help.

The one exception is the buggy auto start. Auto Pause works as it should but auto start does not. Sometimes after auto pausing it will eventually restart. The distance varies, sometimes starting after just a few feet, other times only once I have moved 150 – 300 feet or more. Once is a great while though, it will not start again until I notice it not recording and manually restart.

A few days ago, I stopped while snowshoeing for a few minutes and the unit auto paused. Once I started moving again I forgot to check and I guess it did not start. I noticed a while later there was a straight track line directly from the stopping point to a point over ½ mile further along where it did start recording again.

This does not have to do with satellite reception. As a matter of fact, this unit is rock solid with reception, better than my old 60CSx and I always thought that one was good too. Often after an auto pause, I watch the recording as I start to move again. This way I catch it when it does not restart and can manually resume. At that point if I look at satellites and accuracy it is always very good. Yesterday one of the several times this happened I had moved at least 150 down the trail when I checked and it had not restarted. I looked at the satellite page and there were 11 satellites locked and the screen showed an 8’ GPS accuracy.

I am getting in the habit of just manually restarting every time after an auto pause, but I don’t like that as I know I will occasionally forget and miss a long section of track recording.

I have experimented changing the speed the auto pause is set at but there are no speed or distance settings for the auto start. Changing the auto pause speed setting does not seem to affect auto start. I have had it set as high as 1.5 mph and as low as .10 mph and all in between and Auto Pause always works and auto start often does not.

[GPSrChive]

Thank you for the report!

I assume this is all in reference to Firmware 2.50?

I will look into the track log auto pause issues (this does sound like an auto pause issue, as auto start is just there to start recording automatically when the unit is first powered on and has acquired a satellite signal lock) and see what I can duplicate....

FYI, I also have mine set to 1.5 MPH.

[CheminerWill]

Ah ha. I did not know that about the auto start. I thought it was to start automatically after the auto pause but what you describe makes more sense. So yes mine pauses as it should but then does not always unpause once I start moving again. And, it is not a result of 2.50 because it was doing it before I upgraded to 2.50. I meant only that 2.50 did not fix the issue for me.

I am making tracks of all the trails in two local forest parks that are on paper maps but not on any gps maps. That is why I am so heavily using the recording tracks feature and probably why I notice the intermittent issue. I hike a few times a week and am always recording a track that I then upload to BaseCamp to clean up. So any time the recording does not start correctly after auto pause has kicked in, I notice it.

You do have to really pay attention most of the time to see the problem. If it does not start for 1/4 or 1/2 a mile then you can pretty easily see that because of the long straight line in the track. But if it delays starting for 200 or 300 feet, then you may not notice it unless you catch it at the time. Or on an out and back hike, if you compare the traces, you may see a section of one of the trail traces cut off or straightened out when it should be curvy. You can also watch the recording screen when you start moving again and see when recording starts up again.

It is hard to catch it as it does work properly a lot of the time.

[GPSrChive]

Ah ha. I did not know that about the auto start.

Have you seen the Setup > Recording page?

I thought it was to start automatically after the auto pause but what you describe makes more sense. So yes mine pauses as it should but then does not always unpause once I start moving again. And, it is not a result of 2.50 because it was doing it before I upgraded to 2.50. I meant only that 2.50 did not fix the issue for me.

Thank you for the clarification!

I am making tracks of all the trails in two local forest parks that are on paper maps but not on any gps maps. That is why I am so heavily using the recording tracks feature and probably why I notice the intermittent issue. I hike a few times a week and am always recording a track that I then upload to BaseCamp to clean up. So any time the recording does not start correctly after auto pause has kicked in, I notice it.

A hobby I have been enjoying for years! I always check my tracks against google earth etc. when I can, but that is not always possible,and those times the track logs are ever so important.

You do have to really pay attention most of the time to see the problem. If it does not start for 1/4 or 1/2 a mile then you can pretty easily see that because of the long straight line in the track.

That is a long distance. Do you have battery save enabled? Or Expedition Mode? Are you using GPS+GLONASS? WAAS/EGNOS?

But if it delays starting for 200 or 300 feet, then you may not notice it unless you catch it at the time. Or on an out and back hike, if you compare the traces, you may see a section of one of the trail traces cut off or straightened out when it should be curvy. You can also watch the recording screen when you start moving again and see when recording starts up again.

It is hard to catch it as it does work properly a lot of the time.

The intermittent bugs are the toughest to resolve...

[oldcrashtestdummy]

What would the advantage of Auto Pause be (other than battery life)?

[GPSrChive]

What would the advantage of Auto Pause be (other than battery life)?

Auto Pause was first made available in the Oregon 6x0 series. If you wander on over to the Oregon 6x0 page and read the Oregon 650 Review (left menu, near the bottom), it is covered there.

[CheminerWill]

That is a long distance. Do you have battery save enabled? Or Expedition Mode? Are you using GPS+GLONASS? WAAS/EGNOS?

No on the battery save or Expedition Mode.

Yes on WAAS/EGNOS and GPS alone, not +GLONASS

[CheminerWill]

What would the advantage of Auto Pause be (other than battery life)?

I like it for eliminating the drift/spaghetti that occurs if you stop in one place for a while. HOWEVER, if it is not going to work well, then yes, it is not difficult to clean up in BaseCamp.

[CheminerWill]

What would the advantage of Auto Pause be (other than battery life)?

I don't worry about battery life as I have many of the Eneloop Pro batteries. They last a long time and I always carry charged extras and just swap out when needed.