When ever I turn on my GT-11 it read, 'bad formate'. I can't formate the card either. When I do it reads 'FAIL' followed by '-32768.aah' and then 'S6892480'. Does anyone know what that means and whether it's time to retire the GT-11 and get a GT-31?
Thanx in advance

Ads72 said...

When ever I turn on my GT-11 it read, 'bad formate'. I can't formate the card either. When I do it reads 'FAIL' followed by '-32768.aah' and then 'S6892480'. Does anyone know what that means and whether it's time to retire the GT-11 and get a GT-31?
Thanx in advance

Have you tried another card?
and/or have you tried formating the card on another device?

Is there any sign of corrosion on the screws inside the cover? If so you've probably had a bit of water inside, I've seen a few GT11's that died look like that.

Try the onboard data logging and see how that goes. The card reading/writing has been shot on my GT-11 for about 9 months but it still works reliably with the data logger. When I get home I write the data to the card as that works and then upload the data to the computer. Once on the computer I then wipe the onboard memory.

My rationale is all this stuff is getting cheaper and there may be a great waterproof GPS around the corner.

Mobydisc said...

Try the onboard data logging and see how that goes. The card reading/writing has been shot on my GT-11 for about 9 months but it still works reliably with the data logger. When I get home I write the data to the card as that works and then upload the data to the computer. Once on the computer I then wipe the onboard memory.

My rationale is all this stuff is getting cheaper and there may be a great waterproof GPS around the corner.

OK Mobydisc thanx for that. Yep data log is still recording, i think. I can read the distance and my 2 sec peak etc, but how do i get it onto a card to upload data to a computer? Can't do that as it won't save to a card, even I go to 'save to card' command in data logger?

I modded my card by building a bulge of alredite on the car on the other sides to the contacts. I did this in the rationale to get the contacts to connect to the pins. It works but for who know how long?

Yes you can use the navi application to read the data too but I think thats Windows only.

I use Parallels Desktop which then runs Windows.

Works a treat, lets me download to my MacBook no problems

For the price (~$5) of a jewellers screwdriver and a trip to a junk shop/most supermarkets, you can rescue a drowned GPS if you catch it early enough. Also its good for resetting one thats frozen on a good day right when you want it most. Its handy to have to help out guys on the beach who dont have one.

Pull the case open and disconnect the battery lead.

If the GPS was frozen (and not drowned), wait about 5-10 seconds before reconnecting the power cable. Should be good to go again.

In the case of a drowned GPS: Disconnecting the battery significantly reduces the corrosion rate. The slower you get to the battery, the greater the damage. Rinse the top circuit board in fresh (preferably distilled) water or isopropyl alcohol (better) to displace the salt water. If the unit is already corroded from a prior event, you can gently scrub with a toothbrush to remove the loose debris. Let it dry out for a couple of days if you used water. Should be good to go within the hour if you used isopropyl. It takes a while to dry out underneath the GPS chip and the LCD.

If you spray contact cleaner into the unit it can help with corroded SD card reader terminals, but you risk getting it into the LCD. Some contact cleaners eat plastic so beware, it might wreck the display. wetndry can be used to polish the terminals but this usually wrecks the plating and it will corrode more readily.