i had a full (10k point) tracklog in my garmin e-trex and various programs kept freezing up intermittently when i attempted to download the tracklog... sometime hanging after a few points, sometimes after fetching several thousand.
i don't think it's the software or the cable, could be my e-trex, not sure really. it's been like that for a long time, but i've never left so much data on the device without downloading it.
here's how i got the data.
gpsbabble includes garmin data downloads now (yah!), plus has a debug mode. this is helpful. didn't work on the first shot but with the right settings i got it to work.
command prompt :
gpsbabel -D9 -t -i garmin -f com2: -o pcx -F tracks.pcx
switches i've used here are for: debug, download tracklog, garmin format input, com port 2, pcx output file, my file name.
there are a couple of error message to watch out for.
error: GPS_Packet_Read: No DLE
solution: reset the com port, connect / disconnect any other application occupying the port.
error: GPS_Packet_Read: Bad count
solution: try alternate port settings
the "Bad count" error is the one that kept tripping up the download. appears the serial line chokes on some data, and the whole process freezes on the spot. either that or there's some garbage data in the line? again, maybe my unit is just faulty, dunno.
to help things along i set the com port to these settings :
14400,8,n,1
no flow control
low fifo buffers (1 in, 1 out)
combination of port settings along with setting the debug mode may have adjusted timing on the serial line to work, and i made it through all 10k points in the tracklog.
normal settings for the port should be 9600,8,n,1 (no flow control) with normal full buffers. lately seems downs have been working, not hiccuping midstream.