Unit freezes I have an eTrex Legend hand-held unit. It runs perfectly for about 20 minutes or so, then fthe screen freezes and I have to turn it off and on again in order to use it, though when I do, the data indicates that the unit is still working OK behind the frozen screen. Is there anything I can do? It's now out of warranty.

I have the same problem. The unit is only 1 week old and I have used it maybe 5 times. The problem started a couple of days ago when I removed the USB connection from my Mac without ejecting it first. I think this might have screwed up the microSD card. I noticed that if I remove the microSD card the unit turns on and off normally. but is I have the microSD inserted, it turns on oK, works (apparnetly) Ok, but freezes with a constant beep when I turn it off.
Will try to reformat the card (any idea how to do that on the unit itself?)

Check the Garmin website for external antennaes. I have this problem too, and get around it by placing the unit on my dashboard under the windshield. Never had a problem getting a signal there.

Is the unit being bumped during use? If not, sounds like a call to Garmin tech support is in the works. My thought is that it's something defective inside your unit.

Have you updated your unit's software from the Garmin site? There was a new satellite launched in 2008 which has been causing problems, and the new update fixes this.

Try updating the unit software. A new satellite was launched this year and has been causing problems. The updates from Garmin fix it. Disable the WAAS in the meantime and see if that solves the problem in the meantime.

Due to a new satellite launched this year, the WAAS is affected. Disable the WAAS, go to Garmin and download the latest software version FOR THIS UNIT. Install, enable WAAS and you should be good to go.

Due to a new satellite launched this year, the WAAS is affected. Disable the WAAS, go to Garmin and download the latest software version FOR THIS UNIT. Install, enable WAAS and you should be good to go.
Let us know if this solved your problem. Thanks.

Hi,

If your Garmin eTrex is a Legend and you want to do a "Reset", pls try:
Hard Reset:
With the unit turned off, press and hold the follow buttons: PAGE + Enter on the click stick. Then press and release the POWER. The unit will power up asking if you want to release all user data. Select yes, and the unit will be reset. After the master reset, place your unit outside, so that it has a clear view of the sky for 25 to 30 minutes for the unit to acquire new almanac data.
This was originally posted here and a wealth of other Legend information.

Alternately, this has been posted here at FixYa as well. Pls see this post.

Hope this be of initial help/idea. Pls post back how things turned up or should you need additional information.

Good luck and kind regards.

Thank you for using FixYa.

I had this problem today, updated the software, now the unit seems to be working perfectly. The unit "crashes" (single line down screen center) as soon as it get enough satelites to work with WAAS.

Go to Garmin site for software updates. Download and install the WebUpdater. Once or unit is hooked up to your computer and you have internet access, the software will download and update your GPS with the latest software fixes. I had software Version 3.7. For the Legend, Version 3.9 fixes the problems with WAAS.

Do the following: 1 - Make sure you have fresh batteries in the unit and turn the unit on. 2 - Check the GPS date and Time. On the Main Menu at the bottom of the screen, you can see a date and time. If the date and time are not current, then the clock is your problem. You will have to wait for the almanac information to be updated. Details are below in a later section. 3 - Make sure your GPS is in the Normal Mode and not a demo mode. Verify other systems settings. Go to the main menu and click on Setup icon. From the Setup screen, access the System screen icon. Verify the following settings: GPS: normal WAAS: Enabled Language: English or your choice. Battery: Set according to your battery types. 4 - Check your GPSs Version Software. Go to the main menu and click on Setup icon. From the Setup screen, access the System screen icon. From the System screen, access the sub-menu icon in the upper right bar. Select "Software Version" from the list. Verify the actual software version for me. The latest version available for the eTrex Legend is version 3.90 dated March 2008. http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=711 Update the unit using this latest software and using Garmin's Webupdater. http://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jsp If that won't work, use the following download page to access the latest software updates per units. http://www8.garmin.com/support/blosp.jsp 5 - Resetting your GPS clock and almanac information Next you may need to acclimate your unit to a new date and time (almanac information). If you had your unit off and without batteries for over a month since you last accessed satellites, then your clock and almanac information may be incorrect. Even Garmin acknowledges this problem after software updates and the problem with accessing satellites. They state: "unit data including alamanac information may be incorrect or cleared. 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. " I know of no way to reset the clock using the GPS menus. All I can suggest is that you do the following: A - turn the unit on and wait 5 minutes or so for the "Poor Satellite Reception" screen to appear. See page 7 of the owner's manual. B - Set the "new location" to your area using the map when the "poor satellite reception screen" appears. Be sure to use the "map" option and not the "automatic". C - Set the GPS outside with a clear view of the sky. Check on it every 10 minutes. When the "Poor Satellite Reception" screen appears again, then click on "Restart Search". The "Restart Search" option is used when the date provided in the GPS is not today's date. (See page 7 of the Owner's manual for an example) Legend Owners Manual: http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/eTrexLegend_OwnersManual.pdf D - Once the GPS can track 4 satellites, then the clock should reset and you should be fine. This process could take up to an hour. I have had this problem with my eTrex Vista and eTrex Legend (both backup GPSs) and resolved it by having the clock reset. In fact, I just tried my eTrex Legend today after not using it for many months and storing it without batteries and it had this same problem. I followed the steps above to fix the problem. This took about 35 minutes.