Subject: Explanation of new Lat/Lon fields available due to Garmin eTrex firmware updates
Newsgroups: sci.geo.satellite-nav
Date: Sat, 06 Apr 2002 09:25:31 -0800

As Allory Deiss already posted, there are new firmware
updates available for the Garmin etrex Venture(2.30),
Mariner(2.30), Vista(2.25), and Legend(2.37).

I have a Venture, so the information below could be
somewhat different for the other models.

To my mind, the most significant update is that you
can now view your location on screens other than just
the Satellite screen.

The "Update.txt" file says:
3.  Made the location field a long small number configurable field
    and also a big number configurable field.
4.  Created a latitude / longitude configurable field.  This allows
    for viewing two position formats simultaneously.

What this means:
A)
Because of the amount of data shown in these new fields,
they are only available where the field has the full screen
width available. This includes the Navigation screen when
using 'Big Numbers', and the four full-width fields on the
Trip Computer screen(whether using 'Small Numbers' or 'Big Numbers').
B)
The two new choices in the list of selectable fields are:
Location (selected)
Location (lat/lon)
C)
Location (selected)
This is your current location, displayed in the format you
selected under Main Menu, Setup, Units, Position Format.
D)
Location (lat/lon)
This is your current location, displayed as if you had selected
the "hddd mm.mmm" Position Format.
E)
Whether due to screen space limitations, or a bug, when the
Position Format is "UTM UPS", the "Location (selected)" field
is shown in a small font, even when using 'Big Numbers',
making it harder to read or photograph than the formats
that use Degrees.