Etrex H keeps shutting down

[geordie33]

My fiend and I each bought an etrex h in January.His shuts down regularly and whilst mine has been more reliable it did the same yesterday
It was clipped on my sack strap and the batteries were fine
We were on open moorland all day so no obstruction to the signal is likely
Anyone else had this happen-any theories about what to do about it
It means distance measuring etc are ruined when it happens

[sussamb]

Which batteries are you using?  I've heard that normal AA batteries are a bit of a loose fit and can cause shut down problems.  I use rechargeables which seem to be a tad larger so fit better.  The other remedy is some paper between the batteries and the cover so that it's more of a snug fit.

[Fleegle]

I'll vouch for batteries being a possible cause.
 
You would be surprised how much difference in battery length there is from some of the brands in relation to others.
 
I've found Duracell to be guilty from time to time of making a proper contact to the battery terminals. Not just on the eTrex, but also on other electrical gear.....
 
I use Energiser Ultra in mine successfully, if that gives you something to try and prove where the problem might lie.
 
 

[geordie33]

I use Uniross rechargeable 2700 rated batteries which are a very tight fit and ordinarily last for quite a while
They were low when I finished the walk but the unit kept going after I switched it back on
Incidentally has anyone ever bought a cheap usb cable for etrex?
I have sen them for as little as £5 on the net-a lot cheaper than the garmin price

[sussamb]

See this thread for cables:
 
http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,13328.0.html
 
Does your friend also use rechargeables?  If both are shutting down then they may be faulty, mine has never shut down.  I do keep mine in my pocket tho so it's not being swung around much.

[geordie33]

Yes he uses the same ones as me
However he had the same problem with Duracell heavy duty batteries which also did not last as long

[sussamb]

Well in that case it doesn't sound like a battery problem, not sure where to go ... unless you both bought them at the same time from the same seller and were unlucky enough to get part of a faulty batch 
 
As I said, mine's never switched off and I've not heard of any other 'switch off' problems that weren't battery related.  Even if you lose the satellite signal they should still stay on ...

[Fleegle]

Yes he uses the same ones as me
However he had the same problem with Duracell heavy duty batteries which also did not last as long

I think Duracell batteries do have a slightly shorter positive contact point. Short enough to have an impact on some battery operated equipment, but not on all.
 
This is not always easily resolved by bending the tags outwards, because the resultant contact surface is not necessarily increased, and that is where the problem will lie.
 
Reduced contact area = reduced power flow = shutdown....     

[Glyno]

I'm currently on my 3rd Etrex H in 9 months.

The 1st was replaced by Go Outdoors due to shutting down

The 2nd was replaced by Garmin due to shutting down

The 3rd is to be returned to Garmin  (due to shutting down) when I return from a trip to the Lakes next week.

I've heard this problem is not uncommon.

[nvl35]

Mines also never shut down apart from when I mistakenly put some worn out batteries in it
 
I got my cable from here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260733923992
works very well and I've had no connection problems with it.

[sussamb]

Mines also never shut down apart from when I mistakenly put some worn out batteries in it

Yep, that would do it 

[Glyno]

I got my cable from here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260733923992
works very well and I've had no connection problems with it.

it's nothing to do with the cable.

[nvl35]

it's nothing to do with the cable.

No but geordie33 asked if anyone had bought one of the usb cables.

[Scarface]

I got the same GPS and i found the battery power was the issue; i put Duracells in and they were fine, when tested on a battery tester they were full to the brim, when tested and they had dropped down to the lower quarter of the green 'charged' level on the tester the power in them was insufficient to actually power the GPS device.

So fresh powerful batteries are the answer i think. The ones i replaced went into a remote control device and worked fine.

Hope this helps.

[geordie33]

Scarface-thanks.I though it might be the batteries but yesterday I installed 2 fully charged 2700 batteries and the unit failed again after about 7 miles.Have e mailed garmin to see if they can help