Garmin Etrex 10 User Guide - Satellite Navigation

 GARMIN Etrex 10 User Guide

This User Guide is included here with the Milestones blog since a device such as the Garmin Etrex 10 is invaluable for recording exact locations, whether it be to record something that you may have found, or somewhere you need to navigate to.  It is not dependent on mobile phone signals and will work anywhere on earth provided that satellite signals are not blocked by buildings or terrain.  The accuracy is superb and once you have used the GPS Decimal Degree system you will never want to use any other system, especially the nye on useless Ordnance Survey Map Grid System.

If you need to physically visit somewhere, simply enter the GPS coordinates of the place into the device.  The GPS coordinates are best derived from Google Maps or Google Earth.  On any outing ensure that you carry spare batteries! -  (Two AA batteries).  If you are thinking of going to the north or south pole 🥶 use lithium batteries since they tolerate the cold better.

There are online sites that will convert OS Grid references and the cumbersome degrees, minutes, second systems to decimal degrees.  Locations are often quoted in these somewhat annoying systems but as time goes by everyone will eventually use Decimal Degrees.  Many existing sites and databases need retrospectively converting to decimal degrees.  Trying to find a milestone from an OS Grid reference is almost a waste of time. 

If your Garmin device stops responding at anytime, reset it by removing the batteries and re inserting.  This will not cause the loss of any stored data.  In the instructions 'Enter' means pressing down on the joystick.

* It is highly recommended to logically name or number ALL of your Waypoints as they are created. There is no way that you will remember what each waypoint is from just the sequential number that is automatically allocated when it is recorded on the device.  If you are taking a photograph from where you are recording a waypoint, taking a photo of the Etrex screen at the same time can serve to accurately record the location from where your photo was taken. This does not depend on cellphone signal coverage and it applies to any location on the Earth.

Let's Get Started:

Creating a Waypoint:     (Recording your current location as GPS coordinates)

A waypoint is quite simply any spot on the earth that you choose. eg. A rock in a field, a gate, a junction of a pathway, a spot where your metal detector has recorded something   -  or anywhere else.

Your device will need to have been switched on for a few minutes so as to have acquired sufficient satellites.

1. Select Mark Waypoint      (*Once selected a note can be added or the title changed. Recommended!)

• To save your waypoint select Done.

• To make changes to the waypoint, select Waypoint Manager then press the Back button and select the waypoint by scrolling through the list and pressing enter. A Note can be added or the Title changed.

When finished select Done.  Press Back twice to return to the main Menu.

Increasing the Accuracy of a Waypoint Location:

Waypoint averaging allows you to increase the accuracy of a waypoint location by collecting multiple samples of the waypoint location which are automatically averaged each time a new reading is taken.  Expect an accuracy of 3 to 10 feet from your device  -  totally sufficient for most applications.

1. Select Waypoint Averaging     2. Press the Back button    

3. Scroll through the list and select the required waypoint by pressing Enter.    4. Move to the location.       5. Select Start  

6. When the Sample Confidence status bar reaches 100%, select Save

For best results, collect four to eight samples for the waypoint, waiting at least 90 minutes between samples. This is to allow an averaging of the data from the satellites.

Returning to a waypoint:

To go to a specific Waypoint:      1.  select Where To ? from the main menu.      2.  Select Waypoints.  

3.  Press the Back button to give the kist of all your stored waypoints.   4. Scroll to find your required waypoint.         5. Press Enter.         

6. Select Go.  An arrow appears on the screen to show the direction you need to proceed towards the waypoint.  Walk a few feet to enable the unit to orientate from the satellite signals.

Or:     Select Tracks to retrace a stored route, and select Tracback. 

Editing a Waypoint:        (Before you can edit a waypoint, you must have already created it.)

1. Select Waypoint Manager     2. Select a waypoint.     3. Select an item to edit.       4. Enter the new information.        5. Select Done.

Deleting a Waypoint:

1. Select Waypoint Manager.  2. Press Back.  3. Scroll to find the Waypoint.   4. Press Enter.  5. Highlight Go  6. Press Menu button  

7. Select Delete from list.  8. Press Enter.  9. Press Yes to confirm.   The Waypoint is now deleted.

Routes:    

A route is a sequence of waypoints that leads you to a chosen destination.

Creating a Route:

1. Select Route Planner    >     Create Route    >     Select First Point   

2.   Select a Category.     The categories are:  [Use Map],   [Recent Finds),    [Waypoints],   and  [Cities].

My favoured method is to compile a list of sequential waypoints derived from Google Earth in the form 53.138990N 4.278168W -  See Creating a Waypoint above.  Name each Waypoint when you create it so that you can recognise it easily from the Waypoint List when importing them into this 'Creating a Route' exercise.  

A sequential reference before a title helps track the sequence in which the waypoints are to be followed.  eg.: H12 Gate to field etc. The route my contain many waypoints ie. H1 to H24.  For points of interest along the route which involve a detour from the Track, number them with a suffix eg.: H12a Standing Stone in Field.  H12b Holy Well. etc., etc. but do not include them in the route, since it may be decided not to detour to see those points of interest.  In the route list they can be highlighted such as: "H12 Gate to field (H12a H12b).  

3. Select the first point in the route.  4. Select Use  > Select Next Point.

5. Repeat steps 2–4 until the route is complete.       6. Select Back to save the route.

Editing the Name of a Route:

1. Select Route Planner  2. Select a route. 3. Select Change Name  Enter the new name then Done

Editing a Route:

1. Select Route Planner.  2. Select a route.  3. Select Edit Route   4. Select a point.  5. Select an option

• To view the point on the map select Review

• To change the order of the point on the route, select Move Down   or.  Move Up

• To add an additional point on the route, select Insert    -   The additional point is inserted before the point you are editing.

• To remove the point from the route, select Remove   -   Select back to save the route.

Viewing a Route on the Map:

1. Select Route Planner   2. Select a route.   3. Select View Map

Deleting a Route

1.   Select Route Planner. 2. Select a route.  3. Select Delete Route

Viewing the Active Route:

1. While navigating a route, select Active Route.   2. Select a point in the route to view additional details.

Reversing a Route:

1. Select Route Planner        2. Select a route.      3. Select Reverse Route

Tracks:

A track is a recording of your path. The track log contains information about points along the recorded path, including time, location, and elevation for each point.

Recording Track Logs:

1. Select Setup > Tracks > Track Log.   2. Select Record   -   Do Not Show or Record, Show On Map.

If you select Record, Show On Map, a line on the map indicates your track.

3. Select Record Method.     4. Select an option:    To record tracks at a specified time, select Time.

5. Select Record Interval    6. Complete an action:   Select an option to record tracks more or less often.

NOTE: Using the Most Often interval provides the most track detail, but fills up the device memory quicker.

7.  Enter a time or distance, and select Done.

     As you move with the device turned on, a track log is created.

To record tracks at a variable rate that creates an optimum representation of your tracks, select Auto.

To record tracks at a specified distance, select Distance.

Saving the Current Track:          

(The track being recorded is called the current track.)

1. Select Track Manager    >    Current Track      2. Select what you want to save:       Select Save Track    Select Save Portion, and select a portion.

Viewing Track Information:

1. Select Track Manager        2. Select a track.      3. Select View Map

The beginning and the end of the track are marked by flags.

4. Select Menu     >     Review Track           Information about the track is then shown

Viewing the Elevation Plot of a Track:

1. Select Track Manager   2. Select a track   3. Select Elevation Plot

Archiving a Saved Track:

You can archive saved tracks to save memory space.

1. Select Track Manager  2. Select a saved track.  3. Select Archive

Clearing the Current Track:

Select Setup > Reset > Clear Current Track > Yes

Deleting a Track:

1. Select Track Manager.   2. Select a track.  3. Select Delete   >  Yes

Navigation

You can navigate a route, a track, to a waypoint, to a geocache, or to any saved location in the device.

You can use the map or compass to navigate to your destination. (See pages 16 and 17 of Garmin Guide).

Stopping Navigation:

Select Where To?    >    Stop Navigation

Map, represents your location on the map. When you are navigating to a destination, your route is marked with a magenta line on the map.

Navigating to a map:

Destination.   You can navigate to a destination using the map or compass.

1. Select WhereTo?     2. Select a category.    3. Select a destination.     4. Select Go

The map page opens with your route marked with a magenta line.

5. Navigate using the map (page 16) or compass (page 17).

To customise the map settings, see page 31. To customise the map dashboard and data fields, see page 28.

Using the Map:

1. Select Map.      The ▲  position icon represents your location on the map. As you move the position icon will move on the map.     2.   Select one or more actions:

             Use the Thumb Stick to pan the map to view different areas.

             Use ▲ and ▼ buttons to zoom in and out of the map.

When a location on the map is selected, the bar at the top of the screen shows information about that  location.

Calibrate the Compass:

You should calibrate the compass after moving long distances, experiencing temperature changes, or changing the batteries.

1. Select Compass > Menu > Calibrate Compass > Start        

      2. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Navigating with the Bearing Pointer:

When navigating to a destination the Bearing Pointer points to your destination, regardless of the direction you are moving.

1. Begin navigation to a destination (page 16).     2. Select Compass.    3. Turn until  ▲ points toward the top of the compass, and continue moving in that direction to the destination.

Viewing the Calendar and Almanacs:

You can view device activity, such as when a waypoint was saved, almanac information for the sun and moon, and the best times for hunting and fishing.

1. Select an option.  To view device activity for specific days, select Calendar

• To view the sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset information, select Sun and Moon 

• To view the predicted best times for hunting and fishing, select, Hunt and Fish.

2. If necessary, select ▲ or ▼ to view a different month.   3. Select a day.

Setting an Alarm:

If you are not currently using the device, you can set the device to turn on at a specific time.

1. Select Alarm Clock.     2. Select the clock numbers to set the time, and select Done.

3. Select Turn Alarm On.     4. Select an option.

The alarm sounds at the selected time. If the device is off at the alarm time, the device turns on and sounds the alarm.

Opening the Stopwatch:     Select Stopwatch

Satellite Page

The satellite page shows your current location, GPS accuracy, satellite locations, and signal strength.

Changing the Satellite View:

1. Select Satellite > Menu.  2. If necessary, select Track Up to change the view of the satellites to be oriented with your current track toward the top of the screen.

Turning Off GPS:

Select Satellite > menu > Use With GPS Off

Customising the Main Menu:

Select Menu > Change Item Order to change the item order on the main menu.

Customising Specific Pages

Data fields display information about your location or other specified data. 

Dashboards are a custom grouping of data that can be helpful to a specific or general task, such as geocaching.

You can customise the data fields and dashboards of the map, compass, and trip computer.

Enabling the Map Data Fields:

1. Select Map > Menu > Setup Map > Data Fields.     2. Select a number and style of data fields.

Changing the Data Fields:

Before you can change the map data fields, you must enable them (page 28).

1. Select Map > Menu > Change Data Fields.      2.    Select a data field to customise.    3.  Select a data field type.  (For data field descriptions, see page 47.)     4.  Select 'back' to save the changes.

Map Settings:

Select Setup > Map

Orientation—adjusts how the map is shown on the page.

◦ North Up—shows north at the top of the page.

◦ Track Up—shows your current direction of travel toward the top of the page.

• ◦ Automotive Mode—shows an automotive perspective with the direction of travel at the top.

    Guidance Text—allows you to select when to show guidance text on the map.

Data Fields.        This selects the number and size of the data fields to display on the map.

Advanced Map Setup.  This sets the zoom levels, the text size, and the detail level of the map.

Map Information.  This allows you to enable or disable the maps currently loaded on the device.

Tracks Settings:

Select Setup > Tracks.

Auto Zoom—automatically selects the appropriate zoom level for optimal use on your map. When Off is selected, you must zoom in or out manually.

Zoom Levels—selects the zoom level for map items.

Text Size—selects the text size for map items.

Detail—selects the amount of detail shown on the map. Showing more detail may cause the map to redraw more slowly.

Shaded Relief—shows detail relief on the map (if available) or turns off shading.

Track Log—turns track recording on or off.

Record Method—selects a track recording method. Auto records the tracks at a variable rate to create

an optimum representation of your tracks.

Recording Interval—selects a track log recording rate. Recording points more frequently creates a more-detailed track, but fills the track log faster.

Restoring Specific Page Settings:   (You can restore the settings for the map, compass, and trip computer.)

1. Open the page for which you want to restore the settings.    

2. Select Menu   >   Restore Defaults

Restoring All Default Settings:      (You can reset all the setup values to the original settings.)

1. Select Setup > Reset > Reset All Settings > Yes

Customising Your Device

Changing the Page Sequence:

Before you can change the order of the page sequence, you must add pages to the sequence (page 39).

1. Select Setup > Page Sequence.   2. Select a page.     

3. Select Move.   4. Select the new page location.

Adding a Page:

1. Select Setup > Page Sequence.     2. Select Add Page.      3. Select a page to add.

Removing a Page:

1. Select Setup > Page Sequence.      2. Select a page.     

    3. Select Remove.

This is compiled from the original Garmin User Guide which is poorly laid out and is unnecessarily complicated since it covers the full range of Garmin devices and not just the Etrex 10 model. The original is available online.

RJP  January 2024

The online guide:     eTrex e10 User Guide