Mineral2

Except when you read the original post, the OP deleted the file and had the GPS create a new one: Some thoughts on this: When the GPS creates a new Geocache_visits.txt file, it doesn't consult the XML file to recreate past logs. It simply continues writing the next time you log a geocache. It's possible (though unlikely) that deleting the .txt file but not the XML file is the source of the problem. I almost always delete both when resetting my geocache files on the device. Trying to manually edit or create the .txt file will result in a file that the GPS can't read or write. But because the file with that name exists, a new one won't be created. I don't really understand why Garmin writes this file in some other encoding other than UTF-8 or Latin-1. Maybe it's a limitation imposed by Groundspeak to prevent average users from making their own field notes file to upload to the site. Whatever the reasoning, editing the geocache_visits.txt file before uploading it to drafts will cause an error there as well. It sounds like something else was causing issues and the soft reset fixed it. If this occurs again in the future, it might be worth testing to see if it was a corrupt database. The entire SQL folder can be deleted and will be recreated upon boot without having to delete all of your GPX files or reset your settings.

Macs don't have a Blue Screen of Death? As far as compatibility goes, I haven't yet found much that can't work with a mac. Ok... I admit I'm not a gamer and so I'm not as concerned with game studios and programmers who choose not to compile their programs for the Mac OS. But as far as work tools go, MS Office, Adobe Suite, etc. are all cross compatible. And almost all hardware just works. Plug n' play. That's really just my opinion (and the opinion of a lot of mac users) based on experience. I don't care what system you use. Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS... if you have a problem, I will search Google for an answer (something you all should be able to do yourselves, but I digress). But if you're going to snark against macs, I have plenty of snark to throw back at PCs. Let's keep this thread on topic please.

Yeah, but then you have to deal with stability issues of Windows, or you have to know your way around Linux. Often, Macs are just easier.

Yes, there is some similarity. Though Wherigo can be played completely offline whereas Adventure Labs require an internet connection. Also, Wherigo is so much more than just geofencing a location and answering questions. It is fundamentally a game within itself. Cartridges can be programmed so that you go to a location and find objects that open other locations. There can be "walls" programmed in to make a virtual maze to solve. There are reverse caches in which the location is hidden, but the cartridge will tell you your location to the final coordinates at any time. Wherigo has been somewhat abandoned by Groundspeak, but there is so much potential. Unfortunately, it requires some programming knowledge if you want to make a more advanced game with your cartridge.

Yes, they are listening. No, they don't have time to reply to every single thread. If you have a great way to integrate labs into the main game, design it with an API token. GeoohGo has already made it happen (for android users anyway).

I'm not sure what you're looking for in a response, but this model is extremely basic and also quite old, being first released in 2004. GPS technology (both the user / software interface and the back-end hardware) has improved immensely since then. I don't think it's worth trying to find parts to repair, nor is it worth replacing with the same one. Consider something newer (released in the last ~10 years) as these models will be fully compatible with geocaching and modern hardware without proprietary cables and software. Or consider just geocaching with your phone. The apps and hardware are just as good as a GPS for users who aren't going out in extreme terrain. Either way you'll have more up-to-date maps that you can install along with a better visual interface. Color makes a big difference in adding information to maps while retaining readability.

I'm with you on this too. However, this is just a guess: I think with COVID still spreading when this was designed, they didn't want to encourage event attendance or disadvantage anyone living in an area where events/gatherings might still be banned.

Extreme heat will also soften the rubber. And if you live near the coast, the salt in the air doesn't help either.

The gpsMap line up (64x, 65, 66 series) are also button GPS, in which the buttons are a bit more durable than on the eTrex. Buttons will always wear out at some point because the motion produced weak spots in the rubber covering. But the more advanced models are built with higher quality materials. I've had my Oregon 600 now for 6 or 7 years and the rubber over the power button has now developed a crack.

There had been a bug where logging a cache as found gave you points, deleting the found log did not erase the points, and then logging it as found again would award you points again. Maybe it's been fixed?

Congratulations? Some of us as cache owners do appreciate your detailed logs. Many of the logs I get are simply "found it." or "tftc" with many more just being a simple sentence or two. Admittedly, many of my logs aren't as detailed as yours, but then I find that the effort for my log tends to correlate to the effort put into the hide. Regardless... that mult that took you a week to complete still only gives you one find count, the same as a LPC that took you 5 minutes to run out and find. So I'm not sure that comparing effort between a Lab stage and a traditional hide is a valid argument against the way lab finds are treated.

Great maps there. Very few are routable in the locations the OP is inquiring about.

Yeah. I think HQ came up with a solution to that problem and recognized that so solution was going to satisfy everyone. For anyone who wants to both participate in Adventure Labs and keep track of their "pure" stats (no AL's counted), ProjectGC does that.

Not to mention that multiple locations can be set at the same coordinates, both in the same adventure and across adventures. But that's not really the point. Think of Adventure Labs as a hybrid between virtual caches and Wherigo, in which the most common Wherigo format is to visit a location and answer a question to get the next location. Well, it was the most common until the reverse Wherigo became popular.

If you still have the DVD, you may still be able to use it if your current computer has a dvd drive. That said, streets in many suburban areas have changed since 2013 so an updated map is the best way to go. OSM maps also have hiking and cycling trails* where city navigator does not.

It's not a problem. If you choose not to complete a full adventure, you still get credit for the stages you did complete. Labs aren't multi caches, so I'm not sure why there's an expectation that they should be treated as such. But they are designed to be a small series of related locations to visit (the Adventure part) which is why they get packaged together instead of each stage being listed separately. If you don't like the way labs contribute to your find count, you can simply ignore them. They aren't a reason to abandon geocaching altogether unless you're also no longer having fun finding the more traditional hide types.

Are you suggesting that individual lab stages be treated as geocaches, or the adventure package itself? At least on the official app, whole labs do appear on the map. And it would be nice if they appeared on the website's map as well, but the lab would still need to point to / open in the app (maybe) to see the locations and details. Also regarding find counts, maybe a happy medium is to still count individual locations as a find, but not award them until the adventure has been completed. I do recognize that some may choose not to complete an adventure but would still like to have a record of the stages they had completed. Also, your images appear to be broken.

By the way, if you purchased City Navigator as a download, Garmin should have record of that and allow you to re-download it to re-install on the same GPS device. The option would be available in Garmin Express.

I've been using the maps over at https://garmin.opentopomap.org. The contour lines are a separate layer, but it's the nicest topo map display based on OSM that I've found so far. There are also a range of OSM maps in different visual styles over at https://extract.bbbike.org. Here you can choose the area that you want to download, though you will be limited by map size whereas opentopomap has North America broken down into large regions.

Thank you. For Clarification (quick access to the answer): It's the first explanation. 1600 points total for a five-stage adventure.

Sounds like it's more efficient to complete more 1-3 stage adventures than 5+ stage ones.

The new points for next month's Everest climb came out. Question for clarification: Adventure Lab locations are now worth 125 points, but completing a lab is worth 975 points. Is that completion a bonus in addition to the 125 points per location, or is it the maximum point value for a complete adventure lab? In other words, if I complete a lab with 5 locations, will I get 975 points for completing the Adventure + 5*125 points per location for a total of 1600 points? Or will all five locations cap out at 975 points?

Fingers crossed they get whatever Oregon replacement they are working on right.

Are they... handhelds? Because even the more recently released Montana 700 and gpsMAP 66 series still uses a micro-USB. I'm getting my information from Garmin's historical practices - using their proprietary serial connection in the 2000's and even using their modified serial protocol over USB up to 2008, long after standard USB had been in practice. Switching from mini-USB to micro-USB at a time when the rest of tech was ditching micro-USB for USB-C in the mid-2010's. I'm not as concerned about what they do with their automotive, aviation, and marine line-up. I can't take those hiking with me.

I imagine it will be another 10 years or so before Garmin starts supporting USB 3.0 or higher, let alone USB-C. Garmin does GPS rather well. Integrating current technology with their latest models... not so much.