GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Discussion related to the Garmin GPSMAP 66sr GPSr
ljnjtrails
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2022 9:05 pm

Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by ljnjtrails »

Gadwin wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:16 am It updates the CPE.Bin file everytime when you turn on the WiFi on your 66sr and is connected to some WIFI spot. I did it already more than twice and it only takes a minute maybe. I just turned off the WiFi after a minute and checked on the computer files, if it was updated.
Thanks - it is good to know how it is supposed to work. Doesn't work for me, though. Today it said CPE: Expired and I again had to sync with Explore to get an updated CPE.BIN.
Are you sure that the device is really conected with your WiFi? When you writing that you sync'ed with Explorer, you normaly do it via Bluetooth.
Yes. I can get weather updates and BirdsEye on the GPSMAP over WiFi, so at least for those functions WiFi works. And yes I understand Explore on my phone is using Bluetooth to connect to the GPSMAP while it uses WiFi or mobile data to connect to the Internet.
Also it won't update via public Wifi Hotspot, at least in germany, because you have to agree on some terms, what you can't do on 66sr.
Never thought about that - good to know, although it doesn't apply to my home WiFi it does mean it isn't worth trying a public hotspot that has terms to agree to, as many do.

Here's another, crazier thing. When I get CPE: Expired on my GPSMAP 66sr, WiFi will not turn on. It did this with the v5.20 firmware and still does it with v5.70. I can't begin to understand why, but it is true 100% of the time. It happened again this morning: Turned it on, no WiFi, and it does nothing when I try to turn WiFi on. Restart a few times, same. CPE is "expired". Sync with Explore, restart the GPSMAP, now WiFi works. Very very weird.

Other than that craziness, the GPSMAP works really, really well. I did a 5 mile up/5 mile back hike the other day and the track was right on, both directions, good enough that I can make corrections to a map where I see the trail has moved.
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GPSrChive
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Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by GPSrChive »

ljnjtrails wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 3:05 am Here's another, crazier thing. When I get CPE: Expired on my GPSMAP 66sr, WiFi will not turn on. It did this with the v5.20 firmware and still does it with v5.70. I can't begin to understand why, but it is true 100% of the time. It happened again this morning: Turned it on, no WiFi, and it does nothing when I try to turn WiFi on. Restart a few times, same. CPE is "expired". Sync with Explore, restart the GPSMAP, now WiFi works. Very very weird.
Remove your home WiFi network on the 66sr, restart the 66sr, connect 66sr to Garmin Express, setup home WiFi in Express, disconnect and restart 66sr.

Does the WiFi behavior improve now?
ljnjtrails
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2022 9:05 pm

Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by ljnjtrails »

GPSrChive wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 2:06 pm Remove your home WiFi network on the 66sr, restart the 66sr, connect 66sr to Garmin Express, setup home WiFi in Express, disconnect and restart 66sr.

Does the WiFi behavior improve now?
I'm not able to do that because I don't have Garmin Express, nor anything it will run on.

However, there was a vague issue about WiFi setups done on the GPSMAP itself somehow not being 'complete', and in the past Garmin advised me to do something like what you said: remove the WiFi network setup, then set it up using Garmin Explore from my phone. I did try that a few days ago, and have tried it in the past, and it never works. I enter the SSID and password and security type, and it (Explore on the phone) says "Could not connect to ... (not found)".
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GPSrChive
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Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by GPSrChive »

Now that we have been able to ascertain that your device Wi-Fi setup has not been completed with Garmin Express, you might also try doing the same using Garmin Connect on your mobile device.
Nail
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Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2022 1:08 pm

Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by Nail »

Is the CPE file updated via wi-fi only after it expires, or is its data updated on a regular basis as well? It would be wise to update and extend the life of the CPE with every wifi connection, but is that the case?
Gadwin
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Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by Gadwin »

Nail wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 8:36 am Is the CPE file updated via wi-fi only after it expires, or is its data updated on a regular basis as well? It would be wise to update and extend the life of the CPE with every wifi connection, but is that the case?
In my case it updates everytime when I connect it to wifi.
Nail
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Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by Nail »

Gadwin wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:19 am In my case it updates everytime when I connect it to wifi.
Two days after the update, I did a test and I actually have a new CPE file.
ljnjtrails
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Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by ljnjtrails »

GPSrChive wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 2:54 am Now that we have been able to ascertain that your device Wi-Fi setup has not been completed with Garmin Express, you might also try doing the same using Garmin Connect on your mobile device.
I have now tried using Garmin Connect from my cell to set up WiFi on my GPSMAP 66sr. It went exactly the same as when I used Garmin Explore on my cell to set up WiFi: It works, until the next GPSMAP restart, and then no WiFi, and WiFi cannot be turned on.

I also did a full "Reset - delete all". After that I was able to turn on WiFi, then do WiFi setup from Explore on my phone. And it worked - until the next GPSMAP restart, then it was stuck off again.

This is similar to "Bug 57" on the Common Issues page: "Setup > Wi-Fi page may be totally unresponsive to user input following Crash 5", except there was no crash as far as I can tell. The on/off WiFi toggle shows Off and pressing Enter does nothing at all.

So far Firmware 5.70 is much worse (for me) than 5.20 which I was using before. With 5.20 WiFi almost always worked; if the GPSMAP powered up without WiFi then 1 or 2 restarts would fix it. Now it never comes up on its own.

When WiFi is stuck off, I found I can use Explore (or Connect) to give it a 'kick' and get it back on: On the device page, pick WiFi. It says I have no networks. Pick Add Network. It says none found. Pick Add Manually, then cancel and exit the WiFi page. For some odd reason, that gets WiFi working again on the GPSMAP. Until the next restart, when it is again stuck off.
luvvinbird
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Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:39 pm

Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by luvvinbird »

I think by now most 66sr owners are breathing a collective sigh of relief when updating the cpe.bin file status to "current'. My 66sr updates that file via WiFi or via Garmin Connect but not via Garmin Express. Is that the way it was meant to be? On the other hand, my GPSMAP 65s updates the cpe.bin file via Garmin Express but not via Garmin Connect. Is that the way it was meant to be? BTW, I have not tried updating a fully expired cpe.bin file via the "doesn't work" methods I outlined. I'm only curious and nothing else. I truly enjoy using both of theses great receivers and no longer worry about cpe.bin updates.
luvvinbird
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:39 pm

Re: GPSMAP 66sr Firmware 5.70

Unread post by luvvinbird »

I can also update the cpe.bin file on my 65s via Garmn Explore (on my android cell phone). I'm sure that would work for my 66sr as well. So there you have it, all bases are covered. Whether out in the field (with a cell phone) or at home with your computer, the dreaded cpe.bin file should now always read "current" on a 65s and a 66sr.
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