Bad_Jason

Maybe I am not using a feature to it's full potential, but it seems like searching by zip code for NEW CACHES would be helpful.

Count me to this list (see my recent thread). I really think it's BS and will probably be returning this unit. They've had long enough to put out a firmware update. Maybe I'm spoiled by my other higher end Garmins and I'm all for understanding growing pains but this is a fundamental problem that renders the HC a pain to depend on.

Thanks to all who chimed in. The manual did infact have me confused on which models had the compass and which did not. Something tells me I should have shelled out the extra 80 bucks for the HCX but I just couldn't justify investing more money on a second unit at this time. My thinking was that I could use the Nuvi 660 to get me to the general location of the hunt and once there use a cheaper hadheld model to hike around and pin-point the cache. I thought the HC would be a nice compliment to the Nuvi. I'm now finding that I really miss some of the features I enjoy on Garmins higher end models. I suppose I could still return the Venture HC and go ahead and buy the HCX which has the compass, SD expandable memory, longer battery life, etc. but I've already invested so much money in geocaching already (between the maps, cables, software, carrying cases, memberships, etc) that at some point enough needs to be enough. I'm going to give the HC another week or so and if I ever get tempted to take out the Nuvi again, I'm returning the Venture HC. I'd really like the option of having the expandable SD memory on the HCX, though at this point I can certainly live without it. As far as the compass, I already carry one in my hiking pack, but it sure would be more than handy to have one on my handheld GPSr. Why couldn't Garmin just add this one little thing to the HC? Well, I guess one thing is for certain ... between all of my gear ... I certainly can not say that I am not well prepared to find a cache. Thanks again for your input.

Anyone else having trouble finding the compass calibrating button on the Venture HC?

So I pulled up to Griffith Park today with my BRAND NEW Venture HC. I was stoked that I no longer needed to hike around with my fragile, cumbersome and very expensive Nuvi 660. I located the waypoint for the first cache I was going to find on the Venture HC it looked like a rather easy little hunt. Well .... that is until I got started. Long story short: I climbed up a VERY steep 50 foot hill-side because that's where my "new" Venture HC was pointing me. Needless to say there was no trail and I just knew something was not right. After 45 minutes of aimless searching, mainly because the end point on the Venture kept changing and the arrow icon would NEVER point in the direction of where the cache was allegedly hidden, I slid back down the hill on my backside as not to break my neck ... all the while trying to dodge the used condoms and Colt 45 bottles. Once I hit the base of the hill I stood up, dusted off myself (and my ego) and shamefully made the walk back to my car to get my Garmin Nuvi 660 car Nav system. Sure enough, the Nuvi 660 pointed me to the tree (just at the base of the hill I had just climbed) and bingo! Spotted the cache in under 30 seconds. I don't know what's going on with the Venture HC. I tried to calibrate the compass, but the option is missing in the menu box. There doesn't appear to be a calibrate option where the user manual says there should be. If anyone could give me any tips/pointers on how to calibrate and get the most out of this GPSr, I'll give you a foot massage. I'm lying about the foot massage, but I'd atleast buy you a beer. I'm new to geocaching and handheld GPSrs, but I am a bit of a gadget geek and have had my Nuvi 660 for some time now. I skimmed through the Venture HC manual and played around with the unit itself before I went out and it seemed pretty straight forward. Again, any tips/tricks/etc. would be much appreciated. BTW: the unit in question has the So-Cal part of the Topo 2008 map loaded on it. And I just upgraded to the latest firmware. This was my first (found) cache in Griffith Park and after hiking uphill through heavy foliage, loose dirt and a very steep incline only to be way off track, I still had fun. Though I did curse alot. I've been hiking there for years. It's really nice to have a new hobby that gets my butt to the park more often. Now if I could just get this Venture HC to do what it is supposed to do. Thanks for listening! Hope my next outing is a little more direct and not too far up a 10 star (for difficulty), 90 degree mountain with loose dirt, mosquitos, used condoms and thick prickly bushes that rip into your arms, face and whatever else. All of this would have been okay with me if I had planned for such a hike and it sure would have been alot cooler if there were an actual cache up there. Believe me, I'm not bltching about it or anything. lol.

Yes it does. - Export as Vcards from MacCaching. - Enable Address Book syncing in iTunes. - Sync your Ipod

There IS an SD slot on the HCx.

Very good to know Teambarstool. Thanks for posting. Upon 3, I can't get MacSimple to recognize my Garmin. What preference settings are you using?

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I'd be interested in that.

Thanks G&G! That helps alot. Amazon has the Topo 2008 disc for 60 bucks. I think I'll go ahead and pick it up.

Sorry to hear that you're not digging your HC. I just ordered one off Amazon for $160 and am looking forward to getting it in my hands. The reviews have looked pretty solid. Are you having issues with the HC's accuracy while hunting a cache? i think the fact that it reportedly locks and holds a signal far better than the previous models in it's price point is alone worth the price of admission (assuming it's accurate). That and you can load additional maps to it unlike it's little brother, the Etrex H.

Ok, so I just purchased the Garmin Venture HC for geocaching. Do I need to purchase Garmin Topo 2008 for basic geocaching or will the base map do? I plan on going on urban and nature hunts. I do already have a Garmin 660 loaded with City Navigator 2008 and I plan to use that for turn by turn directions while driving to the hunt site. Once I arrive I'll use the Venture HC. According to the product description the Venture HC's base map offers "24 MB internal memory; detailed basemap with lakes, highways, railroads, and more." I understand that Topo 2008 is probably more accurate, but seeing that it doesn't offer an AUTO ROUTE feature, is even worth bothering with? Do you find it helpful on hunts? Also, the internal memory offers only 24mbs of memory. Is this enough to load Topo 2008? Thanks.

I have a Garmin Nuvi 660 automotive GPS and it has a "by foot" setting that you can turn on if you are walking somewhere. I'm not sure if the Tom Tom has this, you might want to look at your manual. Being new to geocaching, I have been using my Nuvi with pretty good results. Though the Nuvi works ok for geocaching, today I ordered a handheld device because my auto GPSR is cumbersome to hold on the trail and It's quite fragile. I would hate to drop or scratch up a $600 dollar GPSR. You can pick up a little Garmin Venture HC on amazon for $160.00 (shipping included). If you plan to do a lot of geocaching it will be worth the money.

Excellent! Thanks man.

Hello! I looked around and didn't see any LA threads. Introduce yourself here if you're local. My name is Jason, I live in the Hancock Park/Larchmont area, I'm new to geocaching. See ya around!

Hello, new to this geocaching thing. I am looking into purchasing a handheld GPS device and was wondering which ones (if any) are supported under the Mac OS X platform. I have a new Garmin Nuvi 660 that I use in my car and it supports OS X. Are there any Garmin handhelds that will do the same? Thank ya - Thank ya! Regards, Jason