John Drake

Perhaps this has more to do with your loaded maps than with the eTrex? I have an eTrex 30 and can find all kinds of Restaurants under the 'Food and Drink' category, and I can find all the local gas stations under Fuel Services. But then again, I'm in Germany using an Open Street Map map. However, I'm still pretty sure that the map is the deciding factor here. Cheers.

For Germany, try the following two free OSM-based maps: http://www.easyclasspage.de/karten/index.html or http://www.kleineisel.de/blogs/index.php/osmmap/ Both Web sites include installation instructions (in German). Cheers.

Also remember that you can contribute back to the Open Street Map project which will make the maps even better. You can correct mistakes and add missing features and streets. Your updates will then appear in the next edition of the TalkyToaster maps. As others have already pointed out, see http://www.openstreetmap.org/ for further details. Cheers.

Geobeagle and Geohunter are both nice free applications, although you need to be a premium member to take full advantage of these apps. You can still get started with them though. You could also just use a free app such as GPS Status and simply enter the cache coordinates by hand. Cheers.

For what it's worth, I upgraded to Lion a few weeks ago. All my Garmin programs, such as BaseCamp, MapInstall, etc. work fine, and I've had no trouble connecting and transferring data to and from my eTrex HCx and Nüvi. The eTrex 30 is not even available yet, right? I would be extremely surprised if Mac OS was not supported (Lion or otherwise). Cheers.

Try the following for free routable worldwide OSM maps: http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ You can also get further information on the OSM project (including how to contribute) here: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Main_Page Cheers.

You might wish to let us know what kind of device you have. If you have a Garmin, there are free Open Street Maps which are good: http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ or http://mapas.alternativaslibres.es/index_en.html Cheers.

As far as I know, the only online documentation for Geobeagle can be found here: http://code.google.com/p/geobeagle/ You can also ask questions on the discussion list which is listed in the above page. Cheers.

No, Geobeagle does not use Google Maps for the starting location. Geobeagle uses the GPS and other location sources to determine this. Google Maps just convinced you to do the right thing: turn on the GPS to get a much more accurate location. Glad you got your problem solved. Have fun caching! Cheers.

It would help us if you let us know what phone model (and Android version?) you are using. By your description, it sounds like one of the following is happening: Your GPS is turned off. You don't have a GPS fix. For #1, check your Android settings. For #2, make sure you are outside with a clear view of the sky and give your phone some time to get a fix. A utility program such as "GPS Status & Toolbox" could be useful too. Cheers.

When I was in Patagonia, I used the free map from the following site: http://www.proyectomapear.com.ar/ The map is rather good. Open Street Maps should have good coverage by now as well. Cheers.

Actually, I can use Communicator quite well with Safari. I recall having troubles with older versions of the Communicator plugin and Safari -- make sure all your software is up to date. You should also check if other software, such as Basecamp for the Mac can recognize your device. See the Mac OS X download page: http://www8.garmin.com/macosx/ Cheers

Please let us know which Garmin model you are using. It will normally take some time for the GPS to readjust when you travel long distances. eTrexes and other similar devices even have an option to set when the device first tries to acquire satellites in a completely new area. But don't worry: I have used my eTrex in Europe, North America, and South America without a problem. Cheers.

You could also try some alternative approaches: 1. You could borrow a "real" GPS, or get someone who has one to go with you when you place the cache. 2. Instead of making your cache a traditional cache, you could make it into a Letterbox Hybrid. Letterboxes are a kind of cache with origins from the time before there were GPS devices. Instead of having coordinates, the letterbox description tells you how to find the cache (e.g., "Go down the path to the first fork, look for a tree stump...", etc.). Often the only equipment needed is a compass (if that). (Stamps are also usually part of the process: If you're interested, look up further information on letterboxing.) Cheers.

Er... I don't have a Droid X, but are you sure that the GPS is turned on in your phone? If you're not sure if the GPS is working, you can also download one of the other (free) GPS type apps, in particular "GPS Test" give a lot of information about GPS reception. Cheers.

The cache description appears as the owner wrote it. If they write the description in French, German or any other language, that is what you will see. (As a courtesy, some owners provide an additional English translation, or at least a summary in English.) It makes no difference in what language you are logged on as. If you can't understand the language, probably the best you can do is to run the description through Google translate: http://translate.google.com/ This has worked for me, although the translations can sometimes be... surprising. ;-) Also note that if you are from the U.S., or elsewhere outside of Canada, remember to turn off data roaming on your phone (if you use such a thing). International roaming costs can be horrendous. Cheers.

The newer Garmin devices work well with Macs. The Mac-native software is pretty good too: http://www8.garmin.com/macosx/ There are lots of free maps as well for the Garmins. For example, depending on where you live, there are specialized bicycling maps available which are based on Open Street Map data, e.g., http://openmtbmap.org/ Cheers

The free (ad supported) app GPS Status will let you enter coordinates in the standard Geocaching format: http://m.eclipsim.com/gpsstatus/ Also, the free and open source (and for what it's worth non-TOU violating) apps Geobeagle and Geohunter both allow you to add coordinates like this too: http://code.google.com/p/geobeagle/ http://code.google.com/p/geohunter/ The latest version of Geohunter now has a waypoint projection function, if that's something you use. Cheers.

Someone posted a Flickr howto for just this situation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mac/sets/72157604984866335/ Their solution involved installing the PL2303 USB to Serial Driver, and using GPSBabel to transfer data. It looks awkward. I don't know if the modern Mac programs from Garmin (BaseCamp and the Garmin Communicator Plugin) will even work with your device. Cheers.

When you log your caches, Geobeagle stores the logs in a text file called GeoBeagleFieldNotes.txt. The file is stored on the SD card of your phone. You can then upload the file from the following page: http://www.geocaching.com/my/uploadfieldnotes.aspx There's a good description of the process here: http://groups.google.com/group/geobeagle/w...and-feild-notes Cheers.

If you are a premium member, you may wish to check out the free and open source apps Geobeagle, and Geohunter: http://code.google.com/p/geobeagle/ http://code.google.com/p/geohunter/ Both these apps will index your pocket queries, and function quite nicely even when you have no data connection (provided you have already downloaded the pocket queries for the area you are in). Cheers.

Yes you can. Although the tall buildings and narrow streets will often give you a poor signal. Sadly, there aren't too many good caches in Paris. GCQTP6 is a classic though. :-) Cheers.

If you can, connect your SD card directly to your Mac with a card reader. MapInstall will recognize the card. Using an SD card reader can be faster as well. Cheers

You should also check out the Open Street Maps (OSM) available for Garmin devices. In particular for the UK and Germany, these maps can be very good. See for example the free talkytoaster maps of the UK and Ireland: http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm Unfortunately, I haven't yet found a good OSM application for Android which works as well as the maps on a Garmin device. Cheers.

OK, you solved it yourself. For what it's worth, I too have a Desire and have had no problems using Geobeagle (or its branch Geohunter). Cheers.