The Vault Regulars

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Satmap Active 10 and OSX Mountain Lion

I bought my Satmap GPS a few years ago and i have eventually sussed out most things. I have never found it “Easy” as numerous YouTube review vids suggest.
To me it uses “Negative Logic”.
That’s my terminology btw for something that works the opposite way round to the way i think. For example if you want a route to “start" you press “stop”. etc etc.

Now like i say, i have got used to it except that if i don’t use it often enough i forget steps. Probably a sign of old age creeping on. The other thing is, i use it on an Apple Mac so i have an extra step to do to be able to get my .map and .gpx files into a folder on my computer that Windows users don’t. Again this is more a nuisance than a problem.

I waited for quite sometime before i downloaded the latest version of Apple Mountain Lion software, thinking that the longer i leave it the more glitches will be sorted.

Wrong!

The first usb connected devices i used worked ok. Apple mp3 player and Sony camera.
Then i plugged in the satmap active 10. It didn’t work.
I checked the Satmap website to see if it was compatable and low and behold a complete new set of software to download was there.

I ditched all my 32 bit versions except Silverlight and downloaded all the new 64 bit versions.  (Silverlight wasn’t included in the must download).

I tried the Active 10 now thinking all was fine. Wrong! It still didn’t work.
I emailed the good people at Satmap and waited.

In the meantime and purely by chance i was looking through System Preferences, Security tag, and noticed that Mountain Lion had changed my default settings so that instead of me being able to download Apps from “anywhere" i could only download them from the App store. Naughty Apple and very selfish. (Satmap, please add this issue to your download page)

I changed the setting back to Anywhere. I can make my own decisions "thank you Apple software designers!”
So after about an hour i retried the Active 10. The Satsync and File converter worked and i was able to put my .map files into file converter and the converted .gpx file into my finder folder. Great. Yipee.

Wrong!

I went to the Satmap website and opened Xplorer, My Xplorer and clicked Upload files.
I got the “Browse” box and clicked it. I searched my folder and i clicked the file i wanted to upload.
I got a Yellow warning triangle with an exclamation mark inside. I clicked on the exclamation mark and get a message saying “There is no path.” Wonderful.

I contacted Satmap again and told them all the above.

They came back quickly and told me to try and drag and drop the .gpx file into planner. It didn’t work.
They told me to go to planner and use the Upload arrow in the “Tools” on the LH side. I did, and it didn’t work.
They told me to email them the .map and .gpx files which i did and they said there is no problem with the files.
They told me to ditch silverlight and download the latest version. I did and it still didn’t work.
They told me to "set up a new account" and start again. I did and yes you guessed. It didn’t work.

So i tried it on a windows set up and everything worked fine. So i now know the problem has nothing to do with anything on the Active 10 device itself and its all related to Mountain Lion and Satmaps interface. It must be because it worked perfect on OSX Snow Leopard.

There’s nothing i can do at all. I am now in Satmaps hands. I do hope they resolve it quickly.

Technology is supposed to make our lives easier and less stressful. Ha! If only it was funny. My recent encounters with this device, On Line banking, my printer, my cookers programmer, my Macs video card, my Nexus 7’s 2 x failures, Vodafone PAYG, my broadband speed with SKY, leads me to believe otherwise.
I think the customer is being used as a guinea pig to resolve problems so that companies can release devices faster than their competition.

So anyone out there who has Mountain Lion and Satmap active 10 and has had problems please feel free to get it off your chest. If you have a resolution please feel empowered to spill the beans. PLEASE.

Update:
Since this post i have now completely started again. Deleted everything and re-installed everything. I have upgraded Maverick and thought all would be well

Wrong. It still doesn’t work

I have been back in touch with Satmap Uk who replied saying they are at a loss as to why its not working and it will have to be passed over to the software developers and it may take months to resolve.
How do we get into this situation. This problem has cost me hours and hours. In fact no, days and days.
I don’t believe i can be the only one with this issue. I have very little 3rd party software and am just a home user with no networking etc etc. In other words i am the “Easiest” of users.

7 comments:

  1. I also use a Mac and have just updated with no problems so far, BUT I also have Parallels which runs a virtual PC on my Mac and that is excellent. I have Memory Map which is not compatible with Apple. Memory Map is easy to use on the computer drawing routes and printing sections, but finding your way round their website or transferring maps or routes from the computer to a device is not easy. They do have quite a good communication system for problems via email, and you can telephone as well. I am now using my iPad-mini full time when out and about. As it's the full model I have GPS and that fires up almost instantly and continues to give a position in the thickest of words, indoors, and in the car, and it is just the right size to slip into most map pockets on shirts and jackets. I have the whole OS GB country on at 1:50000.

    I sympathise with your problems. I reckon we have all been there with all these tech gadgets.

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  2. Hi Conrad. I presume that when you say you have updated so far without any problems i take it that you are not using Satmap?
    I haven’t heard of Parallels before but i will check it out.
    Thats good to hear about the iPad mini.
    I have no complains about Satmap support. They have stopped me being sectioned numerous times. I use xpedition to create routes which is part of Satmap so it makes sense to use it.
    Thanks for the sympathy, it is frustrating because it takes so much of my time.

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  3. Correct, I don't use Satmap. When I took the step to convert from PC to MAC I bought Paralllels and transferred most of the stuff from my old PC. I can have both PC and Mac running on the screen at the same time and can interact between the two in many ways. This is much better than Apples Boot Camp where I think you have to shut the MAC down before opening the PC. Parallels is usually well spoken of.

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    Replies
    1. Now that you have highlighted it. I have heard of it before but its not something i have encountered personally. Its a great idea. Good to hear you like it.

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  4. Gosh, I thought I was the only one, mind, I do have something of a techy phobia! A few years back I picked up a second hand SatMap active ten, complete with several of those sim card thingies. As yet I have not got my head around the operating procedure.Maybe I will take to Wales when I link up with Mike in a couple of weeks time?

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  5. I seem to have spent today catching up with some of your older posts Alan.
    I have had a Satmap Active 10 since they first came out. Used it heaps, especially on a bike.
    Had the firmware upgraded about 1½ years ago.
    Always found it to be an excellent bit of kit.
    For me it has been pretty good in damp conditions.
    The only drawback I have found is that although robust it is quite heavy, and although I use it for cycling (especially off road), when walking it is just too cumbersome.
    Especially since I rarely ever need it.
    Generally navigation with maps is fine, and on the odd occasion (1½ min) in last two years I have needed a correct grid reference for peace of mind on the TGOC, a Smartphone with ViewRanger and some maps is more than adequate.
    If you are walking, and need to use a GPS all day to find your way, you probably shouldn't go out in the hills at all (IMO)
    The biggest problem I think with the Active 10 in my opinion, is that it has not really evolved, and for the price now, bearing in mind the cost of the maps as well, are they worth the money anymore?

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  6. Andrew I agree with you. You don't need to take this on the challenge because it does much more than is probably required, its a bit heavy, batteries are a bit heavy too. I do like mine and the maps. I wouldn't upgrade to the new 12 though. JJ has just bought a new active 10 with UK complete map at 1:25000 scale for £350 so he got a good deal. A simple GPS to be used as a "where am i ", is all that's really needed to be carried IMO.

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