Garmin customer service... WTF

[gonzo25]

KIMH

You have nothing to be sorry about looking out for people's safety. I did a cut and paste from the place I got my info, it seems like a credible source and I quoted what I learned there. Like I said I'm like the kid who learns the shit in school but doesn't use it. Just because I don't use some things doesn't mean I don't want to know about it. My uncle was a navigator and commercial fisherman since he was a kid, he is dead now but even when he was alive he was gone all the time. The first two years he was retired he worked 290 days, he would be home a week and a plane would fly over and he would look up at it and say, "damm I wish I was on that". I learned a lot from him but could have learned a lot more if he was around more.
I wasn't trying to teach these guys how to use charts I was trying to make sure they understood how to use a gps. Working with paper charts is a never ending job because the magnetic field is always moving. I forget that you guys deal with real weather and such up there, and I get to deal with... well something different. Like I said to Goatram, when you are off shore up there how many guys do you see out there in a 16' ski boat?
I'm 68 too and have seen some stuff I wouldn't believe if I hadn't seen it myself. Like the two guys I saw outside the La Jolla kelp beds in a old wooden bathtub with a little outboard on it, saw it 50 yrs ago and I still remember it.
One thing about socal there is no shortage of assholes talking shit that they know nothing about but will do their best to try and discredit you.
Don't worry about it bro, it's all good.

 

[eldplanko]

Mag north... otherwise my computer shit don’t match my compass!

 

[Baby J]

Damn you guys are giving me a headache. Just an update on the Garmin situation. Things have really slowed down. Last message I got they were going to give me instructions on how to pay the deposit so I could expedite the exchange process. That was Monday. This unit is getting sold with my boat this winter/spring. When I get my new boat in December, I’ll buy all Furuno and skip all this bullshit next time.

 

[Tomictime]

triggered in SoCal has obviously never fished a Sockeye,opener on Lake WA. I can see Lajolla point today, looks bathtub calm. Stick to your helpfull self Kim, I appreciated it.

 

[WaveDancer]

Best after the sale service bar none, in warranty or not,

FURUNO.

Spendy, not all the fancy bells and whistles some have but the fine folks in Camas Washington are second to none when it come to after the sale support, warranty or no warranty.

I hope you get your Garmin unit figured out, it would be a shame to have to deep six a several thousand dollar unit barely two years old because of no factory support.

WD

 

[Baby J]

The new one is supposed to be delivered today. I had to pay a $400 deposit for them to ship it out rather than wait for them to fix mine. I just looked at the paperwork and it looks like only $200 is going to be refunded when they get mine back. Overall the experience has been pretty dissatisfying and the new unit only has a 30 day warranty. My next one will be Furuno. I don’t care about bells and whistles. I just want to see fish and know where I’m at

 

[WaveDancer]

The new one is supposed to be delivered today. I had to pay a $400 deposit for them to ship it out rather than fix mine. I just looked at the paperwork and it looks like only $200 is going to be refunded when they get mine back. Overall the experience has been pretty dissatisfying. The new unit only has a 30 day warranty. My next one will be Furuno. I don’t care about bells and whistles. I just want to see fish and know where I’m at

You won't be disappointed with FURUNO I am sure, I have so many stories about people calling up with 10 year old units and getting technical support even though they are are WAY out of warranty.

Not to mention a HUMAN always answers the phone and I have never been on hold more that just a few minutes.

Good luck with your new gear, hopefully it works trouble free for years!

WD

 

[G-Spot]

The new one is supposed to be delivered today. I had to pay a $400 deposit for them to ship it out rather than wait for them to fix mine. I just looked at the paperwork and it looks like only $200 is going to be refunded when they get mine back. Overall the experience has been pretty dissatisfying and the new unit only has a 30 day warranty. My next one will be Furuno. I don’t care about bells and whistles. I just want to see fish and know where I’m at

Even Furuno can leave ya not knowing where you are at. I high recommend redundant system, not dependent on the same network or same GPS antenna.

When I was moving the Hatteras from Ensenada to PV, my electronics flickered.... then I was in Africa..... I restarted it... after hours, so no furuno... I followed the coast line while going through install wizard and got it restored, but it was not cool for a while... When I called they said maybe a bad or going bad Port... Lately it randomly looses the heading sensor, then the autopilot starts wandering a bit.... I’ve got to call them again and troubleshoot some more....

The good part.... I will get good service and support!

 

[OceanSun]

Great discussion about navigation. Glad you're getting your unit addressed finally.

My dad was a master with the compass growing up and made all us kids learn to plot a course and use the compass (as well as take the coast guard courses). I can remember many fog days when we'd leave Everett, fish Possession bar, Pt no Pt, Scatchet Head, and return to Everett without ever seeing land all day and with only a compass. Have taught my own kids the same, course plotting, current corrections, parrallel rules, compass rose, etc.l as it's a great skill to have and has saved our ass a couple times when electronics went down.

That said, redundant systems is the way to go. For those that may not be familiar with Navionics smart phone app it is a great backup for those that won't be dropping the bucks to install a second expensive full-on system on their boats. For $14 you've got a great GPS backup that has worked everywhere I've tried it from an inland lake, the sound, san jauns to 60 miles offshore. No excuse to not at least have that level of backup.

 

[Baby J]

I just got back from checking the replacement unit. I snapped it in and it fired right up. Now I just need some decent weather so I can get back out there. I definitely agree with you on redundancy with navigation. I usually have a destination or spot in mind when I leave the launch and take note of the heading on the compass when I get headed in a good line to the spot. That way if all else fails I can turn 180* and end up in the general vicinity of where I started. I’m also going to start taking my handheld gps I use for hunting to back up. Especially if I’m dropping pots.

 

[Uncle Binky]

Hopefully this experience will have revealed to you the importance of redundant systems, as well as the skills of pilotage and dead reckoning. Relying solely on your 12 volt system is a lot of eggs in one basket. Your ditch bag should have a hand held device. I prefer a VHF comm with Lat/Lon. A Coast Guard Auxiliary class will get you well on your way to being proficient at chart and compass work.

 

[G-Spot]

Ok.. You amazing navigators are mostly full of shit! Many of the comments above simply show your ignorance about the subject. To claim your super human skills is ridiculous.

Kim tried to point out earlier and it went into a debate about compass rose, true North Magnetic North, and a bunch of other bullshit, so his point was missed..

Nobody can navigate without knowing a couple of known positions.... like exactly where you are and where you want to go.... Then add to that you would need to have paper charts on board, and finally calculate the deviation based upon the Compass Rose, and arrive at an approximate course not knowing the wind and the drift... A few degrees either way could be detrimental! So.... amaze us all with your brilliance of how you navigate... really?!?

So stop all the bullshit about how amazing you are, or how amazing your dad was, or even your grandpa... frankly it wasn’t and isn’t likely anyone did anything near as remarkable as you suggest...

Before high tech electronics the ocean was a dangerous place where most sporties did not go and when they did they picked their days. When they did go, they headed out on a course like 290, headed back on a reverse course Like 110 and used visual aids to find where they were as they neared land and adjusted course as needed. If the fog moved in they carefully watched and listened and when they found shore, they would find a land mark and head North or South based upon that until they could locate a bouy by sound and find the entrance. If they were lucky enough to have radar they would find returns from the shoreline as landmarks. Sometimes they shit off their engine, so they can listen for a bouy.... It’s not near as magical and amazing as you guys want it to be..

If you are out in the ocean and loose your electronics in pea soup fog, not a one of you are capable of using a compass to determine and exact heading period.... not possible... you do not know your own position. Best case scenario is you head back slowly on an approximate reverse heading and hope the fog lifts enough for visual landmarks or slowly follow the coast until you hear or see a bouy making the entrance.

There is no magic and no one can simply plot a course from nothing... It just doesn’t happen...

I love how @Baby J post about his electronics became an opportunity for some armchair quarterbacks to tell us how they have superhero powers....

 

[bdrlgion]

Ok.. You amazing navigators are mostly full of shit! Many of the comments above simply show your ignorance about the subject. To claim your super human skills is ridiculous.

Kim tried to point out earlier and it went into a debate about compass rose, true North Magnetic North, and a bunch of other bullshit, so his point was missed..

Nobody can navigate without knowing a couple of known positions.... like exactly where you are and where you want to go.... Then add to that you would need to have paper charts on board, and finally calculate the deviation based upon the Compass Rose, and arrive at an approximate course not knowing the wind and the drift... A few degrees either way could be detrimental! So.... amaze us all with your brilliance of how you navigate... really?!?

So stop all the bullshit about how amazing you are, or how amazing your dad was, or even your grandpa... frankly it wasn’t and isn’t likely anyone did anything near as remarkable as you suggest...

Before high tech electronics the ocean was a dangerous place where most sporties did not go and when they did they picked their days. When they did go, they headed out on a course like 290, headed back on a reverse course Like 110 and used visual aids to find where they were as they neared land and adjusted course as needed. If the fog moved in they carefully watched and listened and when they found shore, they would find a land mark and head North or South based upon that until they could locate a bouy by sound and find the entrance. If they were lucky enough to have radar they would find returns from the shoreline as landmarks. Sometimes they shit off their engine, so they can listen for a bouy.... It’s not near as magical and amazing as you guys want it to be..

If you are out in the ocean and loose your electronics in pea soup fog, not a one of you are capable of using a compass to determine and exact heading period.... not possible... you do not know your own position. Best case scenario is you head back slowly on an approximate reverse heading and hope the fog lifts enough for visual landmarks or slowly follow the coast until you hear or see a bouy making the entrance.

There is no magic and no one can simply plot a course from nothing... It just doesn’t happen...

I love how @Baby J post about his electronics became an opportunity for some armchair quarterbacks to tell us how they have superhero powers....

"if you don't have anything nice to say, say it anyways"
-gspot

my man, relax. it's going to be ok. it's a friendly conversation.

 

[G-Spot]

"if you don't have anything nice to say, say it anyways"
-gspot

my man, relax. it's going to be ok. it's a friendly conversation.

Totally relaxed Bro.. I just kept reading BS after BS and after the last, I decided to call them all BS with some truth.... Easy Peasy...

I wasn’t saying anything wrong, just pointing out BS.... He was telling people he was not going out in shitty conditions without working electronics and so many people felt the need to point out how amazing they are as navigators..... And..... It not even true... the comments show the ignorance on the subject... period... If you were one of those amazing navigators spouting.... Then sorry to offend with truth...

 

[Alysium]

Marvin Creamer - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Good to hear it fired up. Hope you have many years of trouble free service.

 

[Uncle Binky]

First, caution is always the better part of valor - J was smart to change his objective. I don't think anyone was challenging his decision to not go out. He wanted to vent about Garmin, and he did. The elephant in the room was still there - had he been out at Swiftsure in the soup when his one navigation tool failed, he'd have a different story to tell. I can't speak for others, but I try to be ready for the inevitable day when my screen goes black. Maybe you grew up with electronics and have an unwavering trust and devotion to them. Lots of us didn't and don't. The world was explored and oceans plied for centuries without GPS and moving maps. If you choose to rely solely on an electronic device to get you home, so be it. Knowing the numbers of the mouth of the river or bar of your destination may very well save your life and the lives of those on board some day. For $200.00 you can carry a handheld Comm/GPS that displays your position, and with that you can find your way home. additionally, any fool can run toward shore (East, for us) until they get cell reception and use their phone. My Garmin 5212 took a nap on me last weekend when we were about 90 miles out. Had it failed completely, we'd have still made it back. Knowing what your course out was, and knowing what the reciprocal of your heading is gets you a helluva lot closer to getting home than not. And a paper chart is the most reliable navigation tool that you can own. Anyone whose done any bluewater sailing knows that. I know it may seem old school to some, but learning some basic navigating skills will, if nothing else, make you a safer boater for others.

 

[G-Spot]

First, caution is always the better part of valor - J was smart to change his objective. I don't think anyone was challenging his decision to not go out. He wanted to vent about Garmin, and he did. The elephant in the room was still there - had he been out at Swiftsure in the soup when his one navigation tool failed, he'd have a different story to tell. I can't speak for others, but I try to be ready for the inevitable day when my screen goes black. Maybe you grew up with electronics and have an unwavering trust and devotion to them. Lots of us didn't and don't. The world was explored and oceans plied for centuries without GPS and moving maps. If you choose to rely solely on an electronic device to get you home, so be it. Knowing the numbers of the mouth of the river or bar of your destination may very well save your life and the lives of those on board some day. For $200.00 you can carry a handheld Comm/GPS that displays your position, and with that you can find your way home. additionally, any fool can run toward shore (East, for us) until they get cell reception and use their phone. My Garmin 5212 took a nap on me last weekend when we were about 90 miles out. Had it failed completely, we'd have still made it back. Knowing what your course out was, and knowing what the reciprocal of your heading is gets you a helluva lot closer to getting home than not. And a paper chart is the most reliable navigation tool that you can own. Anyone whose done any bluewater sailing knows that. I know it may seem old school to some, but learning some basic navigating skills will, if nothing else, make you a safer boater for others.

I think you hit the nail on the head.... A basic compass heading will get you out and back safely. The stories above of people navigating through areas in fog with a compass and the dad teaching him and him teaching his children is phooey! Stories about how amazing their fathers were navigating with a compass.... Kinda like walking uphill both ways to school.. .

It did seem that some people were softly challenging his decision to call it a weekend, but pointing out superior skills of compass mastery that don’t exist. I don’t doubt for a
Second he could get back, but as he pointed out several times..... he was not making a conscious choice to go out with electronics.

Many of the people making the comments probably don’t have paper charts, know how to offset for deviation, or anything.... I do... and I know how to use them... that’s also how I know that you must at least know where you are and where you want to go in order to navigate.

Any trained monkey can simply turn around and head back on a reverse track and get close and hopefully find their way or call for an escort in... Once again that was my point. I would hope that all of us know this... To state that you can navigate with just a compass is a tall tail with wind, swell, no charts, etc...

In the Army I was pretty good with Parhfinder skills, knew my pace, followed the needle, but a boat drifting and being pushed for miles can be way off...

I did it for years without a GPS or Radar, simply head East, find shoreline and if foggy find the bouy and go fricken slow! My first GPS was an old Magellan 3 satelite and is was not accurate, you could be 50 meters off real easy... I carry a handheld, my VHF has GPS, and I try to have redundancy when possible...

 

[gloxx]

This was last Friday night. It was down right nautical out in the strait with gale force winds. We needed to get crab pots off the boat before anchoring for the night. There was no way I was going to run to our spot with no gps or sonar at night in those conditions. I would do it if with electronics and the ability to mark the pots location and safely find my way back but it was just to dangerous with only cell phone gps that isn't reliable up there. We were planning on fishing Swiftsure in the morning and that definitely wasn't happening. It quickly devolved into a "wife weekend" full of long hikes and bullshit I'd rather not re-live.

Just FYI for next time, you can use your cell phone as stop gap until it's fixed. Your phones GPS doesn't require cellular signal to work.

 

[KimH]

Most people in the sport boat fleet probably don’t have a Deviation card or know how to make a good accurate one. Actually I don’t either as it seems like a hoodoo voodoo science every time we do a compass swing on the bigger boats. We use Skip from Captains Nautical supply. He‘ll adjust the compass by placing magnets by the compass and then do the card by having us run various courses measuring the difference off of true. On this boat our largest Deviation is 3°. Maybe making your own card wouldn’t be too hard if you have something to sight on for your various courses. Deviation on a boat changes depending on what direction you’re going. Us bigger vessels have either/or both a gyro or sat compass so it makes it easier once you figure alignment error on those units. The hoodoo voodoo part is placing the correction magnets. When I get home I’ll start the electronics install on the Farallon. I’m installing the Furuno SCX20 SAT compass for a heading sensor for the radar and pilot which will allow to always operate in True. I prefer N up on a radar. Maybe I’ll try to make a Deviation card once I figure where to mount a mag compass.

It used to be out of Westport in the fog if you were on the North side of the harbor you could follow the surf line to the harbor. You’d see a depth change deeper for the channel and then you could run your pre plotted course in. South side was different because of that damn sunken jetty. I’d DR up to the point of closing in on the buoy line, shut the boat down, listen till I could hear a buoy. Go to it and run the courses in. My ass was always puckered during those times. Easiest way was to find a bigger boat with radar to follow.

Admittedly and unfortunately I’ve gotten sloppy at Westport because of the electronics but...I have always carried paper charts on my boats for the areas I’ll be playing in. I have no idea if the depth change coming in from the North side is still there but it’s something I should figure out as I go forward. Know your speed, distance, time formulas so you can do a basic DR.

Baby J did the correct thing. He wasn’t comfortable with his plans without having the use of electronics so he bagged it. That’s called good judgement and not becoming a stat.

 

[OceanSun]

Wow G-spot. Always like your blunt truth but you don't have to turn that into being an asshole. You don't know shit about me, my dad, what we've accomplished navigating by compass back in the day, or the seamanship skills I've taught my boys. Worse, you detract from the point I made of redundant systems (not powered by the same 12-volt system) being the way to go. Truth be told, I'd rather rely on my iphone with navionics as a backup than a compass but I'll always have a compass and charts on board for the waters I'm cruising. You seem to be discounting the value of having and knowing how to use old school navigation charts and a compass. Having to start at a known point doesn't negate compass navigation - captain obvious! There's a lot more than having a chart and compass headings. Depth readings and an intimate knowledge of the underwater topography, tide stages, currents, prevailing winds, lights, buoys, bells, horns, etc. etc. combine to confirm your navigation beyond just blindly following a compass heading. Asshole tendencies aside, I'm sure I'd enjoy a beer with you, could learn from you and even teach you a thing or two. Cheers!

 

[G-Spot]

Wow G-spot. Always like your blunt truth but you don't have to turn that into being an asshole. You don't know shit about me, my dad, what we've accomplished navigating by compass back in the day, or the seamanship skills I've taught my boys. Worse, you detract from the point I made of redundant systems (not powered by the same 12-volt system) being the way to go. Truth be told, I'd rather rely on my iphone with navionics as a backup than a compass but I'll always have a compass and charts on board for the waters I'm cruising. You seem to be discounting the value of having and knowing how to use old school navigation charts and a compass. Having to start at a known point doesn't negate compass navigation - captain obvious! There's a lot more than having a chart and compass headings. Depth readings and an intimate knowledge of the underwater topography, tide stages, currents, prevailing winds, lights, buoys, bells, horns, etc. etc. combine to confirm your navigation beyond just blindly following a compass heading. Asshole tendencies aside, I'm sure I'd enjoy a beer with you, could learn from you and even teach you a thing or two. Cheers!

Sorry man... It’s probably me splitting hairs again. Navigating and following a compass are two different things...

I would hope we are all able to follow a compass on a reverse heading and hap hazardly find our way home..... that is necessity not navigation.

Depth contours on charts are shit and you will not convince me you can find you position from that... and.... if your screen goes black you don’t have a sounder either...

So we could have a beer or cocktail and laugh it off and split a hair...

 

[liltrouble]

Captain's. R.I.P.

CAPTAIN'S NAUTICAL SUPPLIES - ONLINE ONLY | James G. Murphy Co.

CAPTAIN'S NAUTICAL SUPPLIES - ONLINE ONLY

murphyauction.com

 

[eldplanko]

Captain's. R.I.P.

CAPTAIN'S NAUTICAL SUPPLIES - ONLINE ONLY | James G. Murphy Co.

CAPTAIN'S NAUTICAL SUPPLIES - ONLINE ONLY

murphyauction.com

WTF, bummer!

 

[Dave's Delta]

Sorry man... It’s probably me splitting hairs again. Navigating and following a compass are two different things...

I would hope we are all able to follow a compass on a reverse heading and hap hazardly find our way home..... that is necessity not navigation.

I’d be happy if half the sport boats around here could simply follow a compass heading.

 

[WaveDancer]

I’d be happy if half the sport boats around here could simply follow a compass heading.

I'd be even happier if at least HALF the sport boats even HAD a compass on them!

WD