Installing maps in Garmin Etrex Vista HCx. Installing maps in Garmin Etrex Vista HCx How to reflash the Garmin Legends navigator

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Garmin eTrex Legend HCx

To update your GPS device: Garmin eTrex Legend HCx Since the latest update, follow the following instructions.

First, make sure you have received the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx device update file downloaded from SpeedcamUpdates.com.

If you still haven't received it, you can get it now by filling out the form that you see on this page.

For your information
Remember that you can freely customize your download. Access the client control panel and use the tool's settings to get a custom database camera speed according to your needs. You will need this tool if your device does not accept the new update size. You can add and remove speed camera country data to your current setup.

Fix potential lock up when SD card installed.
Fix the contour data intermittently drawing over interstates of Topo Map.
Improve the blue shading color when using the setting "Marine colors" in Daytime display mode.
Correct upside down direction of vertical speed.
Fix incorrect highlight index at unit field in "Area Calculation" page after select reset in menu.

Changes made from version 2.80 to 3.00:

Add support for maps greater than 2 GB.
Correct wrong indication of "Vertical speed" and "Glide ratio".

Changes made from version 2.70 to 2.80:

Fix "Highway Page" shutdown issue with menu key operation.
Correct power-on failure issue.

Changes made from version 2.60 to 2.70:

Improve distance calculation in odometer.
Fix system freeze issue.
Fix shutdown issue when browse detail map.
Correct user grid.
Disable route calculation icon when GPS is off.

Changes made from version 2.50 to 2.60:

Correct German translation of "delete all waypoints".
Fix data card unlock failure when 2 cards of the same map set are used in one device.
Improve sun times for polar regions.
Fix issue where ETA in non motor vehicle modes can be unreasonably short.
Increase precision of distance measurement to the cursor on the map page.
Allow backlight adjustment on the track back point selection page.
Fix shutdown when editing Estonian Grid coordinates.
Correct daylight saving time for New Zealand.
Improve selection of the names of cross roads with NT maps.
Correct potential shutdown when viewing a vertical profile.
Correct European word translation of "Find" and "Mark".
Support multiple languages in American version.
Fix screen fading issue in cold temperature.
Correct direction symbol of vertical speed.
Fix reboot issue of GPS firmware update.
Correct battery issue of lithium battery.

Changes made from version 2.40 to 2.50:

Removed the turn backlight on action when unit is initially powered on.

Changes made from version 2.30 to 2.40:

Changed odometer calculation to more closely match track log distance.
Change number of lines of text in the address field on map feature review page from 4 to 6.
Limit number of custom POI bitmaps to 64 to ensure enough memory resources.
Added better compatibility with Mac computers in USB mass storage mode.
Improved pedestrian route calculation for shortest distance method.
Changed datum used in the SWEREF 99TM grid from GEO_NAD83 to GEO_NONE_GRS80.
Changed datum used in the Estonian grid from GEO_NAD83 to GEO_NONE_GRS80.
Fix potential shutdown when using TOPO West 1999.
Fix potential shutdown on track setup for data card when track log files have long file names.
Corrected French translation for "Log track points".
Improve track log recording for sensor products to continue recording sensor data even when GPS doesn't have a fix.
Fix potential shutdown when propagating in a cul-de-sac across a map boundary.
Add A905/D900 unlock code communication protocol.
Make route recalculation on MPC maps behave like City Navigator maps.
Fix second power on issue.
Fix WebUpdater issue of GPS firmware.

Changes made from version 2.20 to 2.30:

Fixed Swiss grid issue.
Fixed postcode issue with CNE v.9 NT.
Change "Lithium Ion" text to "Lithium"

Installation Instructions

It is recommended that you disable screen savers or other programs running on your PC while you go through the update process. Disruptions to the update process may render your GPS inoperable. If the transfer is interrupted, turn off the GPS and then turn it back on. Reboot your PC, go to step #9 and attempt the download again. GARMIN is not responsible for failed downloads of operating software to the GPS and factory resetting the GPS unit will fall under our Flat Rate Repair Policy.
Click on "Download" and choose to save the file to your computer.
Choose a location where you can easily locate the file by saving it to a location such as the "My Documents" folder or to "C:\".
Once the download is complete, go to the location where you saved the file.
Locate the downloaded file and double-click on it. This will launch the Win-Zip Self Extractor. This program compresses the data to allow for a faster download of the needed files.
A program window will appear asking you where to "Un-zip" the files. This is by default C:\Garmin. You can change this location if you like. Be sure to note where the un-zipped files are going to allow you to find them!
Click on the button labeled "Un-zip".
Once the un-zip process is complete, click on the "Close" button to exit the Win-Zip Self Extractor.
Connect your GPS to your computer using a GARMIN PC Interface cable to an open USB port. Turn the GPS on.
If your computer asks for a driver, please see the software and installation instructions that came with your device, or download and install the USB driver from Garmin's website at www.garmin.com.
Open the C:\Garmin folder (or other folder where you un-zipped the files), locate the file named "Updater" and double click on it.
You should see the name of your GPS device next to the "USB Device" option on the Updater program window. Select the "USB Device" option, then click on "OK" on the Updater program window to start the data transfer.

System requirements

IBM-compatible PC running Windows 7 SP1 or later operating system and an available USB port.

One of my friends, who does not have his own blog, wrote a short note about updating the firmware and installing downloaded maps in the Garmin Etrex Vista HCx navigator. So that the valuable creative does not disappear, I publish it on my site, having edited it a little. Perhaps it will be useful to someone.

A couple of days ago I came across a Garmin Etrex Vista HCx navigator. This may not be new, but it is a very functional and popular tourist model.

Device firmware.

The first thing that needs to be clarified is the firmware version. To successfully install cards, you need to find out the current firmware version and, if necessary, update it to the latest.

There are two simple ways Determining the current firmware version:

a) Hold the joystick button in the center position and turn on the power. At the top line you will see the current firmware version:

b) Go to the Settings menu, System, call the context menu, firmware version.

If the firmware is lower than 3.20 (or 3.2R), it is advisable to update it. Owners of the “Russian” version of the navigator can download the official one. You can distinguish a “Russian” device from all others by indirect signs, which you can read about in the discussion of “unofficial” firmware, or by the name of the device in the flasher - “Etrex Vista HCx Russian”.

All other devices are updated with proprietary firmware with an “unofficial” localization, which can be downloaded. The chipset firmware is also included with the firmware; it can also be updated for good measure (possibly improving the satellite search speed).

All necessary instructions are in the archive.

The firmware is uploaded via the included USB cable. Before connecting the device, you must install the latest version of drivers. It has been experimentally established that Windows XP is required for successful firmware installation; the device refused to be installed under Windows 7.

Carefully! If you flash an ordinary device with official firmware, you will lose the Russian language. If you flash a “Russian” device with unofficial firmware, the on-screen keyboard will become glitchy. In both cases, the error can theoretically be corrected by flashing it to the correct version, but I do not recommend experimenting.

If by some tragic accident the device died, you can try to restore it according to the instructions of the author of the unofficial firmware by doing a DATA reset or HARD reset (

PAGE+ENTER+ON and PAGE+ENTER+FIND+ON (hold for 5 seconds)). After this, you should try to sew up the device again.

After successful flashing of the device, you can begin installing cards. The cards offered for download are unlocked as follows:

Insert the card into the device
turn on
PROFIT!

as of March 18, 2008

Download Preloaded Marine POI Database for eTrex Legend
If MapSource data is loaded to this unit, this unit"s preloaded Marine POI database will be erased. Please download the file below to recover this Marine POI database. If you currently have MapSource data loaded into your GPS unit, it will be erased and replaced with this POI database.
Download(2.32 MB)

Download (1.75 MB)

Notes:

Reverting back to previously released versions will clear user memory.
Users are strongly encouraged to back up any user data they wish to save.
WARNING: If your current software version is 2.50 or lower, this software will clear all unit data including alamanac information. Back up all user data before upgrading. After installation is complete, place unit with a clear view of the sky for 15-30 minutes to re-acquire almanac data.

Change History

Changes made from version 3.70 to 3.90:

Updated WAAS.
Updated GEOID model.

Changes made from version 3.60 to 3.70:

Changes to support manufacturing.

Changes made from version 3.50 to 3.60:

Added RCV_CPO support.
Added Croatian language support.
Updated various translations.

Changes made from version 3.40 to 3.50:

Fixed potential memory corruption problem that could occur when tracking more than one WAAS satellite simultaneously.

Changes made from version 3.20 to 3.40:

Updated French translations.
Improved WAAS/EGNOS satellite selection algorithm to select the satellite with the most beneficial corrections given the unit"s current position. A unit will not use a WAAS/EGNOS satellite if the unit"s current position is outside of a given WAAS/EGNOS satellite "s service volume.
Improved external power detection.

Changes made from version 3.10 to 3.20:

Corrected problem that potentially rounded northing/easting values when entering or editing waypoints in UTM-based grids.

Changes made from version 2.50 to 3.10:

Increased active track log to 10,000 points.
Increased saved track log to 750 points.
Increased user waypoints to 1,000 waypoints.
Increased waypoints per route to 125 waypoints.
Added option on Map Setup page to specify the number of track points to plot. The most recent points will be plotted up to the specified number, not exceeding the size of the track log.
Improved South African grid.
Corrected problem where MapSource would give an error message after transferring a large number of map tiles.

Changes made from version 2.41 to 2.50:

Added South African Grid support.
Added Indian Grid support.
Added GPS Accuracy as a selectable field accessible from the trip computer, map, and compass pages.
Corrected potential calculator lockup or shutdown.
Added ownership page to be shown at startup. To enter owner data, select "Owner Information" option from the main menu page’s option menu.
Added "yards" label on trip computer page in big numbers mode.
Corrected potential shutdowns when do find-by-name city searches with multiple maps types loaded.

Changes made from version 2.39 to 2.41:

Added battery type selector to improve battery gauge reliability.
Added page up and down capability on most lists using zoom in and zoom out keys.
Added a unit"s selector for depth.
Added a unit"s selector for vertical speed.
Added Hungarian Grid.
Improved display of City Navigator maps so certain points of interest will not show up until the appropriate zoom level.
Enhanced compass pointer functionality while navigating a route. It now indicates the direction of the turn to the nextpoint in the route in addition to the direction to the current point (when within 15 seconds of the current point).
Improved accuracy for WAAS EPE.
Made restore map setup restore defaults set to land mode.
Made address searches display the street name of the previous search.
Improved display update on the calculator after pressing the clear button or the clear entry button.
Improved general usability and error handling of calculator page.
Improved translations for Czech, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish languages.
Added the ability to search specific map sets on city searches.
Improved functionality of user datum.
Improved display of certain European airport runways.
General improvements to the operating system that fixed various shutdowns.

Changes made from version 2.38 to 2.39:

Increased stability of firmware uploads.
Increased stability of map uploads.
Made user memory be cleared when backing up firmware revisions.

Changes made from version 2.37 to 2.38:

Increased measure distance field on map page to 5 characters instead of 4.
Improved functionality of the yards distance mode.
Resolved diamonds displaying in location and turn configurable field.
Allowed trailing zeros to be entered on the calculator accessory.
Added GPVTG NMEA sentence.

Changes made from version 2.36 to 2.37:

Improved submerged icon visibility in land mode.
Fixed backspace button on the keyboard.
Added time zones for Auckland, Katmandu, and Helsinki.
Made the location field a long small number configurable field and also a big number configurable field.
Created a latitude/longitude configurable field. This allows for viewing two position formats simultaneously.
Added supports for yards as a distance.
Various translation updates.
Added a calculate area enclosed by route feature.
Fixed area calculation accessory problem with Hungarian language.
Added calculator accessory.

Changes made from version 2.35 to 2.36:

Reverted to outputting the GPGSA, GPGSV, GPRTE, GPWPL, and PSLIB sentences via NMEA.

Changes made from version 2.34 to 2.35:

Reverted display of active track log to three pixels.
Made water mode display map boundaries.
Added description to some BlueChart features.
Fixed the moon phase.
Reverted to outputting the heading sentence via NMEA.
Fixed Italian translation of nautical miles.

Changes made from version 2.33 to 2.34:

Improve WAAS operation when transitioning from areas of ionospheric data coverage.
Added a land mode and a water mode for the map.
Add support for MapSource BlueChart data.
Fixed translations of power up warning.
Added RT-90 map datum and position format.
Fixed option menu on the MapSource information page to display all subsets of maps to be turned on and off as a set.
Made the external power down page count down by one and always pop up when external power is lost.
When saving a waypoint after a find by name, made the waypoint have a meaningful name.
Fixed shutdown problem related to European road and rec maps.
Fixed the route list displaying multiple active routes when more then 15 saved routes existed.
Fixed auto daylight savings time setting.
On the trip computer page, when using big numbers, made elevations over 10,000 ft display.
General improvements to operating system that correct system lockups and shutdowns.

Changes made from version 2.32 to 2.33:

Improved WAAS operation when more than one WAAS satellite is visible.
Added geocache icons.
Fixed shutdown problem related to low battery.

Changes made from version 2.30 to 2.32:

Fixed the pointer field on the compass page.
Fixed date field so it no longer allows invalid dates on the hunt and fish page.
Fixed a lock up problem in the track area accessory.
Saving a point of interest as a waypoint now gives the waypoint a meaningful name.
Fixed track log so it saves the user setting of on or off after the unit is powered off.
Fixed problem with overlapping maps where no map detail would be displayed at certain zoom levels.
Added precision to distance fields.
Improved German translations.
Fixed appearance of small compass on the navigation page.

Changes made from version 2.29 to 2.30:

Allow negative elevations.
Changed the compass to displays MILS while the unit is set to MILS.
Fixed the delete notes on the calendar.
Fixed problem when activating a goto, where the waypoint is not on the active route. Now the route will be deactivated.
Added new NMEA sentence, PGRMM, for reporting datum parameters.
Added the ability to select more choices for the configurable fields on the map page, compass page, and trip computer page.
Added new accessory for calculating area of a track.
Display the area of a saved track on the track detail page.
Added measure distance feature to the map page.
Improved Swedish and Hungarian translations.

Changes made from version 2.28 to 2.29:

Correctly determine the date the first time satellites are acquired after the unit has been stored without batteries.

Changes made from version 2.27 to 2.28:

Fixed a problem with the project waypoint feature that occurred when using a north reference other than true north.
Fixed the Transportation Points of Interest subtype menu to be in the correct order.
Improved support for the upcoming CD.
Improved support for the CD to display fishing areas on the map.
Improved Spanish, French, and Dutch translations.
Renamed existing Hu-Tzu-Shan datum to Taiwan, and added a new datum named Hu-Tu-Shan, which conforms to the NIMA definition.

Changes made from version 2.26 to 2.27:

Fixed map update anomaly.
Added support for finding Geographic points if they exist on map.
Corrected Vertical Speed configurable field that got changed in previous version.

Changes made from version 2.25 to 2.26:

Fixed bug that was introduced in software version 2.25 that caused the unit to freeze for several minutes when the Poor Satellite Reception page pops up.
Moved zoom scale back to the lower left-hand corner of the map where it was originally intended.

Changes made from version 2.24 to 2.25:

Added multi-language support (Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish).
Fixed the Turn configurable field so it does not apply north reference offset.
Fixed memory corruption that occurred when clearing all fields on the Find Address/Intersection pages.
Added Demo Mode to the System Setup page.
Added search indicator when doing a Spell "N Find search.
Made cursor movement on keyboard smoother when doing a Spell "N Find search.
Increased list-scrolling speed when doing a Spell "N Find search.
Save User Grid Settings.
Fixed Delete All Waypoints bug that would cause the unit to shut off.
Added support for the CD.
Added support for the CD.

Changes made from version 2.22 to 2.24:

Fixed memory bug that causes unit to lock up.

Allow special characters to be entered when Spell "N Finding cities and points of interest.

Increased the number of zoom levels to include 80, 50, 30, and 20 ft.

Changes made from version 2.00 to 2.22:

Changed some messages to have a shorter timeout.
Light key now works while panning on map.
Fixed bug on Reset Page when "Delete Saved Tracks" was selected.
Changed default response when deleting a route to "No".
No more long pause when going to the Route Definition Page.
Increased pixel width of the user waypoint id field.
Changed "Text" and "Zoom" to "Text Size" and "Max Zoom" on the Map Setup Page.
Fixed map zoom problem where MapSource detail was not displayed at certain zoom levels.
Notify system after MapSource is done loading.
Fixed Tracback bug.
Corrected lock-up issue when using find operation with European MetroGuide maps containing types with a single subtype.
Corrected copyright strings for maps on power-on page.
Corrected find operation across multiple European MetroGuide maps.
Replaced manual map selection with automatic map selection for find operations based on current position or map pointer.
Made aesthetic changes to the Hunt & Fish page.

Installation Instructions

Download the appropriate self-extracting zip file for your GPS unit into a directory on your hard drive. (i.e., c:\garmin).
Unzip the files into this directory by running the downloaded executable file (.exe).
Connect your GPS unit to a free serial port (Com 1, 2, 3, or 4) on your PC with a PC Interface cable.
Turn on your GPS unit and ensure the Interface setup is set to "GRMN/GRMN HOST," "GARMIN," or "DATA TRANSFER SLAVE" mode, depending on the specific GARMIN model.
Change to the directory in which you unzipped the files, (i.e., c:\garmin) and run this update program: updater.exe. Select the appropriate serial port and click "OK" to begin the software upload. The upload process should take approximately 3-10 minutes to complete. When the upload process is complete, the unit will reset itself and turn on normally.

System requirements

IBM-compatible PC running Windows 2000 or later operating system and an available Com 1, 2, 3, or 4 port.
PC Interface Cable for your GPS unit. The PC Interface Cable may be purchased through your local Garmin distributor or ordered direct from our Online Store.

All modern devices are updated using Garmin Express, a tool developed by Garmin that allows you to control your Garmin GPS device from your computer.

nuvi 12xx/13xx/14xx
nuvi 200/200W/250/250W
nuvi 205/205W/215/215W/255/255W
nuvi 710/760
Nuvi 715/765
nuvi 860
nuvi 865
nuvi 960
nuvi 965
nuvi 5000
nuvi 2250
nuvi 2350
nuvi 2360
nuvi 2460
nuvi 2455
nuvi 2495
nuvi 2595
nuvi 3760/3790
nuvi 3490
nuvi 3590
nuvi 30/40/50
nuvi 140/150

All other devices cannot be updated from an English-language website! This is fraught with the loss of the Russian language.

We recommend updating the firmware if you are dissatisfied with the quality of the navigator. This may be periodic “freezing” of the device, problems with satellite signal reception not related to weather conditions and the quality of the sky view, “glitches” in the operation of BlueTooth HandsFree. If the device works normally, then it is not necessary to update the software.

If you have any difficulties, contact our service center and we will help you.

A complete list of official firmware and current links for Garmin products is available at: http://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jsp