# Any other frustrated Garmin Etrex 35t users out there?



## jkirby (Nov 1, 2008)

I have a 2 year old etrex 35t. Deep down I know it is a quality unit, however I am wondering if others struggle as much as I do. Part of the issue is undoubtedly me (first GPS...some things don't seem intuitive), however is just seems possessed.

After a couple of years of recording rides and using it for navigation on bikepacking trips, it decided to stop recording tracks and saved rides as "activities". I didn't catch that for awhile, and now have a big data gap (I can live with that). So, I get it saving tracks (*.gpx) again, it it won't bluetooth to my phone - which is how I dump data into Garmin Connect.

I have removed the device from my bluetooth list, turned off phone and gps, and tried to start over...wont recognize each other now (it did a week ago!). Any suggestions to reestablish the bluetooth connection? Not rocket science, but...frustrating. Maybe someone can recommend a good book or manual to read (other than the Garmin Users Manual). Thanks.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

there's a chance some of the things you note happened as a result of a firmware update at some point.

First step I'd do is clear out ALL of your old tracks/activities. If it's still funny, then give it a hard reset (you will have to google the exact button combo for this, as each device is different).

Pretty much all Garmins will start behaving oddly as the memory starts to fill up and approach the max limits. Would be nice instead if it gave me a notification about how full the track memory is on startup. That'd have saved quite a bit of bellyaching over odd behavior over the years.

As for the hard reset, that's sometimes necessary after a significant update to the firmware because again, sometimes things get crossed. Be sure you write down any important settings you prefer before doing this.


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## Loch (Apr 29, 2011)

Also make sure a Garmin connect update didn't screw up your Bluetooth connection. This happened to me with my vivoactive and a new version of the Connect app. It was very difficult to connect and it would not sync anymore, also would drain the battery. I reinstalled an older version of the app and all the problems went away.

There have been a few more updates to the app since then and I have now updated the app to the newest version and everything is working fine. Garmin must of fixed the problem.

I had/have a Dakota 20 that had some major issues after a firmware updated. I called Garmin and they talked me through the reset process and everything worked fine after that (it must not have been a hard reset because I don't think I lost any of my data).


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Loch said:


> Also make sure a Garmin connect update didn't screw up your Bluetooth connection. This happened to me with my vivoactive and a new version of the Connect app. It was very difficult to connect and it would not sync anymore, also would drain the battery. I reinstalled an older version of the app and all the problems went away.
> 
> There have been a few more updates to the app since then and I have now updated the app to the newest version and everything is working fine. Garmin must of fixed the problem.
> 
> I had/have a Dakota 20 that had some major issues after a firmware updated. I called Garmin and they talked me through the reset process and everything worked fine after that (it must not have been a hard reset because I don't think I lost any of my data).


There are a couple different types of resets. You can try the "soft reset" before doing a "hard reset" on the off chance that you can fix the problem without re-entering any settings. But it's also worth pointing out that handhelds deal with settings differently than fitness models. Handhelds have a bunch of factory defaults (few of which I have ever changed on any handheld I own), but don't necessarily require you to enter settings immediately on first startup the way fitness models do. On the fitness models, there are some settings that don't have a default, as there are some metrics that are determined based on information about YOU, the user. And so you're REQUIRED to enter something the first time you boot the device. If you wipe the settings, you'll figure that out really quickly when your device starts asking you those questions again.

It's definitely true that there are lots of things that can muck up Bluetooth. I find it just flaky enough that I'd never rely on it for my primary data transfer method. I use it occasionally, but my preferred method is to plug my Edge into my computer for both data transfer and charging duties. At least it isn't as flaky as using ANT+ as the ONLY POSSIBLE data transfer method, like my Forerunner 310xt watch. THAT was a really bad idea on Garmin's part.


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## jkirby (Nov 1, 2008)

Thanks everyone for the help. I pulled off all data, did a hard reset, and it seems to be working as intended. All setup and configurations had to be re-done (still working some of that). Looks like I will use Bluetooth only when I have no hardwired option. Going riding tomorrow - we’ll see if I can capture the track and get it into Garmin Connect. Thanks again.


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## Klippies (Feb 13, 2021)

Hi everyone,
I have a etrex 35 and today whilst navigating around on it it suddenly, after changing batteries, won't go past the start up screen or allow me to switch off.The only way I can switch off is by removing battery.
I have tried all the resets that you guys have mentioned and have not succeeded?
Thanks


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