Vista HCx Solution!

[+Blindmantoo]

I performed the update to 2.70 / 2.60 last week. On Saturday I went geocaching and the performance was terrible. Accuracy varied from 25 to 50 feet (or more) all afternoon on a perfectly clear day. I was not a happy camper as it was the worst performance since buying it last January.

 

Yesterday I did a hard reset (hold page button & joystick in while pressing the on button - pretty hard to successfuly accomplish while keeping the joystick centered). Went into the yard to let it download the satellite info and it was locked on in about two seconds (on a cold start)! On Saturday it had taken about a minute to lock on.

 

Today we went out caching w/ the grandkids. The performance was unbelieveable. The first cache was found while the Vista HCx said we were 5' away --- and the compass arrow was pointing right at it 5' away! OK, so I figured it was coincidence (accuracy was +- 12' at the time). Next find: It said we were 2' feet from the cache and again, it was pointing at a hidden cache that was exactly 2' in front of us.

 

Could be that this update really works after doing a hard reset. Time will tell. By the way, don't forget to reload your caches after doing the hard reset. I was minutes from leaving today when I discovered that they were gone.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Blindmantoo

[Matt7591]

This is good to hear but probably too early to tell from anecdotal info. Would love to hear more findings!

[tomc61]

Yesterday I did a hard reset (hold page button & joystick in while pressing the on button - pretty hard to successfuly accomplish while keeping the joystick centered).

 

I can't get mine to reset. How long do you have to hold all 3 buttons?

When I hold the upper right button & joystick, nothing happens.

[Kyle_freemason]

Hold lower left hand button, joystick and press the power button.

[tomc61]

Hold lower left hand button, joystick and press the power button.

That brings up the test screen. It doesn't look like it reset anything.

[+Blindmantoo]

Hold lower left hand button, joystick and press the power button.

Actually, push in the upper right button (page), joystick (push in while perfectly centered - this is the problem button as it gets decentered when you push on the on button), and while holding these two in, press the on button. There's no timing sequence other than trying to keep the first two pushed in while pushing the on button for the normal second or two to turn the unit on. Takes me about ten tries to get it right. You'll know you've accomplished it because you'll get the warning screen instead of the normal startup screen.

[dstedman]

Hold lower left hand button, joystick and press the power button.

Actually, push in the upper right button (page), joystick (push in while perfectly centered - this is the problem button as it gets decentered when you push on the on button), and while holding these two in, press the on button. There's no timing sequence other than trying to keep the first two pushed in while pushing the on button for the normal second or two to turn the unit on. Takes me about ten tries to get it right. You'll know you've accomplished it because you'll get the warning screen instead of the normal startup screen.

 

FYI - I only got the hard reset to work when pressing all three buttons while the unit was OFF...

[+Blindmantoo]

Hold lower left hand button, joystick and press the power button.

Actually, push in the upper right button (page), joystick (push in while perfectly centered - this is the problem button as it gets decentered when you push on the on button), and while holding these two in, press the on button. There's no timing sequence other than trying to keep the first two pushed in while pushing the on button for the normal second or two to turn the unit on. Takes me about ten tries to get it right. You'll know you've accomplished it because you'll get the warning screen instead of the normal startup screen.

 

FYI - I only got the hard reset to work when pressing all three buttons while the unit was OFF...

Sorry - I forgot to mention that.

[boy_of_cow]

Hold lower left hand button, joystick and press the power button.

Actually, push in the upper right button (page), joystick (push in while perfectly centered - this is the problem button as it gets decentered when you push on the on button), and while holding these two in, press the on button. There's no timing sequence other than trying to keep the first two pushed in while pushing the on button for the normal second or two to turn the unit on. Takes me about ten tries to get it right. You'll know you've accomplished it because you'll get the warning screen instead of the normal startup screen.

 

FYI - I only got the hard reset to work when pressing all three buttons while the unit was OFF...

Sorry - I forgot to mention that.

 

Sorry to be a pain. This is my first post.

 

I just can't get the hard reset to work.

 

I'm just about to head out on my first search for a geocache. I'm planning on using my phone and running gps as the main forms of locating the cach but i also have my old Vista HCx. I rarely use it these days and when I plugged it in to USB the vista just switches off. I remember looking on some forums some time ago and suggesting doing a hard reset but basically when i try it nothing happens.

 

Any combination of the buttons and power = switches on

 

Any combinations of the buttons + joystick (all orientations plus pressed) - and it won't switch on.

 

A couple of times I have had the screen change colour slightly in a similar way to if you try to switch on when the batteries are dead, but no test screen, hard reset or master reset can be achieved?

 

Any ideas? Thanks for your help

 

Chris