Map Display Stops Updating With Position

Discussion related to the Garmin GPSMAP 65 series GPSr
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Phoenix0390
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2023 3:54 am

Map Display Stops Updating With Position

Unread post by Phoenix0390 »

Hello,

I have a GPSMAP 65s that I bought a few weeks ago and, although it generally runs well, the map display occasionally stops updating. This happens maybe once a day with heavy use. Everything else appears to be working normally and although I can pan and zoom the map it does not move as my location changes. Sometimes the map suddenly begins updating again but other times I've had to intervene by momentarily switching to the Satellite display, selecting Use Demo Mode then switching back to Use Satellite System. This has restored the map to normal operation every time. I've owned a GPSMAP 60CSx since 2006 and have used it heavily under all sorts of conditions but I've never seen this issue on that unit.

I have reported this behavior to Garmin Tech Support but they said that they have had no reports of such a bug and that I would need to return the unit for replacement. However, I'm not at all convinced that this is a hardware issue as it looks to me like a firmware bug related to map rendering.

I've seen this happen about 5 times now with this unit and it only seems to happen when I'm walking directly to a waypoint or geocache with the map screen active and then pause or walk slowly before reaching the waypoint. I haven't seen it while moving down the highway at normal driving speeds or while using routing. I updated the firmware to the latest version a little over a week ago and I suspect that this may be a new "feature" that has yet to be documented.

This last piece of info may not be relevant but I've seen this issue while using the Garmin TopoActive NA, US 2022.20 map and the US Pacific OSM Topo map but not so far while using the Washington State Topo map from GPSFileDepot.

Has anyone else ever seen this bug?

Thanks in advance for any info.
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GPSrChive
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Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:29 pm

Re: Map Display Stops Updating With Position

Unread post by GPSrChive »

For future readers who may find this thread while trying to diagnose similar issues, the most common reason for the map display to stop tracking the user location is because the map page is in map panning mode. When map panning mode is active, you will see a cursor on the screen, and pressing the 'Quit' button once will return the map to normal tracking mode.

While it appears you have a very firm grasp on your 65 operation, the next time you see this happen, can you press 'Quit' one time to see what happens? Perhaps there is an unknown bug that causes map panning mode to be activated without user input. It is not uncommon for KMZ maps to cause strange device behavior while the device is within the coordinates they cover.

Please configure 'Setup > Display > Screen Capture = On' (this will have to be repeated each time the device is power cycled). Then the next time this behavior occurs, please take a screen capture before and after pressing the 'Quit' button, then open 'Setup > Map > Map Information' and take a screen capture of every page showing all maps loaded and which are active, etc. You can page up/down using the "+/-" buttons.

Share the images here or email them to the address below with a link to this forum post and include any additional information you feel is important.

Thank you!
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Phoenix0390
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2023 3:54 am

Re: Map Display Stops Updating With Position

Unread post by Phoenix0390 »

Thanks for the reply.

I did some more testing yesterday and today and the results were consistent with what I've been seeing: The bug only seems to occur while I'm navigating slowly (i.e. at walking speed) toward a waypoint using direct rather than Automobile routing. It also seems like it may be related to having the "Approaching Waypoint" prompt appear and letting it time out rather than pushing the "Enter" button to clear it, although I think I've seen it even after having cleared the prompt so that might not be relevant.

Unfortunately the bug seems to be triggered by a combination of several conditions, not all of which are known, so it's not 100% repeatable, although I've been able to replicate it at least once per day on average while driving very slowly or walking. Fortunately the bug only seems to affect the graphical display of the map. Everything else, including track point recording, compass, and even the data fields on the map screen seem to continue working normally.

The two sure ways I've found to restore normal map operation are to either cycle satellite navigation off than back on again or to cycle power. One time I did see the map display start updating normally again without any intervention on my part.

I've included screen captures from today:

The first map image is before pressing the Quit button and the second is afterwards.
Spoiler
4853.bmp
4862.bmp
The other four images are of the map setup. The maps currently active are "US Pacific OSM Topo" and Northwest Trails. I do have two custom maps on the SD card, generated from ExpertGPS but both are currently disabled and they weren't present on the GPS the first time I saw the bug. There is also one other active img file that I created from a GPX file using the free IMGfromGPX program but it's new and wasn't on the unit for the first four or five times that the map bug occurred.
Spoiler
4518.bmp
4528.bmp
4534.bmp
4538.bmp
Thanks again!
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GPSrChive
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Re: Map Display Stops Updating With Position

Unread post by GPSrChive »

Thank you for the image uploads!

It does not appear the map panning mode was active, so we will have to see if we can duplicate similar behavior with our 65s next.

Are you always close to the waypoint destination you are routing to when this happens, or does it also happen at much greater distances?
Phoenix0390
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2023 3:54 am

Re: Map Display Stops Updating With Position

Unread post by Phoenix0390 »

The only time this issue seems to occur is when I'm moving slowly toward a waypoint within 100 feet or so of the waypoint. I seem to be able to replicate it every time I pull into my driveway and back into my garage but that's the only place it's that consistent. I've seen it a few times in other places but the common theme seems to be passing directly over the waypoint at walking speed (3 MPH or so). Oddly, I've tried to replicate it while driving at highway speeds but I've never been able to.

Also, the active map may be a factor. I still haven't seen it happen with the Washington Topo map (WATOPO11) from GPS File Depot but I have seen it with both the US Pacific Open Street Map (OSM) Topo and the Garmin TopoActive NA map. It seems like the map display just goes out to lunch while everything else keeps working normally. So far, switching to Demo mode and then back to normal satellite reception has restored it to normal operation every time.

Thanks!
Cl@udio
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat May 13, 2023 9:12 am

Re: Map Display Stops Updating With Position

Unread post by Cl@udio »

Greetings,
I own a 65S and I too had a similar problem: my position remains fixed in the navigator dial,
while the other parameters are acquired regularly. When this problem occurred, I was running quite slowly.

*** Please use English translation when posting in another language ***
original
Salve,
posseggo un 65S ed anch'io ho avuto un problema simile: la mia posizione resta ferma nel quadrante del navigatore,
mentre gli altri parametri vengono acquisiti regolarmente. Quando questo problema si è verificato, avevo un andatura piuttosto lenta.
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