how to use Garmin Fenix GPS watch

try searching UTube..

billy

The GPS doesn't just get turned on and off directly. The watch controls that depending on what features you access.

If you want to record a hike, stop/start for activities will record the tracks of a hike. Once you are in hiking mode, you can scroll though pages to get different stats and information. You can set those pages yourself down to every detail in settings.

If you simply want coordinates, under tools you can select "satellite" or under settings you can add it to your main menu. When you select that menu item the GPS will turn on and acquire a fix. IF it has synced to your phone or computer or had a fix within an hour or so it should be nearly instantaneous, so there is no downside to the GPS turning off automatically.

Yeah, "Satellite" worked on my recent trip, and I figured out how to move it to near the top of the menu. I wish there was a way to make it work with one of the "hot buttons" (so if I push&hold one of the scroll buttons, I get it). Even more, I wish there was a way to change the resulting position display (and maybe there is and I haven't figured it out yet, the whole "data pages" thing befuddles me) so that you only get the last 4 digits of each UTM coordinate; I mean, how often do you not know where you are within 10 kilometers ? With the full coordinates, my aging eyes have some difficulty reading them.

Unfortunately, on my recent 5-night trip, I let the battery die. Evidently I left the GPS running overnight at some point. I wonder the best way to prevent this in future. Turn it off at bedtime, except a problem if I need to use the alarm ? Select UltraTrac mode, which is probably fine if all I want to do is see my current position and set/use waypoints ?

Thanks for all the helps folks. Some hero should write a decent manual for this thing, because it's a great gadget.