shadefrog

I have a car GPS that came preloaded with a North American map data set. Is there any way to copy and use this data set to a mac? I have basecamp installed. It would make it a lot easier planning trips, etc. Buying a separate copy seems pointless since it does not gain me anything. If it is possible; where would the files by copied to? If not possible, is there a work around? Maybe another map set that I can use instead of Gamins. Thanks.

Thanks for all the great ideas. Yes, Windows will never touch my mac (thanks jmd65). I spent the big bucks to get away from that atrocity. Let's hope things work out for the better. Apple puts out a good package. Right now I am very happy with my move. Anyways...thanks again. I will look into some of your suggestions. I wonder how much work porting an application is since both PC's run an intel processor. Keystone, thanks. One note on installing windows on a mac....a friend of mine has a mac book. When he finished installing windows it somehow became the main operating system. The mac book would first boot into windows. Deleting the install did not help since the boot information was stored someplace else. He had to format and reinstall OS X to get things working again. I do not know the specifics, just what he told me. Perhaps he clicked something he was not supposed to.

Before the change I used MAPSOURCE and GSAK for handling all my geocache waypoints. I used GSAK to sort through the pocket queries and transfer them to my Garmin GPSR's and PDA (Palm m500). I used MAPSOURCE to manage all my routes, tracks, personal waypoints, etc. Now I have no idea what to use. Anyone else using a MAC and into geocaching? What programs are you using to store / sort your pocket queries? How are you getting the data to the GPS? The setup from before was working very well for me. One thing to note; I am not installing winblows. I am looking for a MAC alternate. I am running snow leopard v10.6.2. Thanks.

What does it cost to use your cell phone for geocaching? Is there an extra fee to enable the GPS function? For $100 you can get the Garmin eTrex H basic high sensitivity GPS and $260 for the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx with all the features. Not a bad deal like Matt7591 already said. Mind you there are more expensive models. Whether you get more out of them I can't say.

You can buy the eTrex H new for $100. Then add tax. You might want to lower your price.

Well now. I think we have something here. I will have to check it out. Thanks a lot people. Cache on.

Garmin's Mapsource stores the map data on the microSD. But all my waypoints are stored within the GPS. Is there any way that I can store the waypoints on the microSD? I want to use multiple microSD cards for multiple areas. Example: one for Ontario and one for British Columbia. If it's not possible to store the waypoints on the microSD then I will manually have to swap the data out of the unit before my trip. Thanks.

I have the Vista HCx. How do you recall a geocache from the calendar? I have the feature set to YES. But when I enter the calendar I see nothing that shows my finding any geocaches! Do you have to do something specific to label a geocache as found? I just change the icon to on open treasure chest. I could try duplicating this problem.

Okay. I admit I am new to this....just see how caches I have found. I have am question about muggles. Why are we using this word? I know I was not around when the geocaching community came to this decision. However, I just find using a reference from the Harry Potter universe a little strange. Couldn't someone have come up with something a little more unique? The Mundanes. Or the un-initiated. The lost boys / girls / souls / whatever (ie: they don't have a GPS). The shadow people. Or how about acronyms. We all know that geocachers love to use acronyms. NIPS (non initiated peoples). PITA (pain in the arse). GEOS (generally everyone obscuring our sport). TPTSUFTR (those people that sneak up from the rear) Just a thought. I'm sure it's been brought up a few times already. PS: All in good fun. And thanks to all who have hidden caches so far.

Thanks a lot for the help. I am looking forward to finding my first coin. FTFC I guess could stand for FIRST TO FIND COIN. Later.

No problem. I think my wallet is safe. But I do like those shiny new GPS's with the high sensitivity receivers. I'll have to spend some time reading the FAQ's. As much as I am drawn to it, I just hate sitting in front of the computer. I just wanted to know if it was 0k to keep a coin if I came across one. I don't want to be labeled a thief. I can't wait to make my first cache. Now, I only have to find a hole in a tree that is not already used.

Sorry I am late. Why did not anyone tell me about geocaching before? I bet this world would be a better place if everyone geocached. Except for the pollution (ie: number of camo taped plastic containers left out in the wild). But I must say it is a nice hobby. I still have a lot of ground to cover. Not just in the field but also in knowledge. Geocoins: What exactly are they? What is their purpose? Are they similar to travel bugs? As in, are their movements logged? Or does one keep the coin upon discovery? Are they expensive to mint? There must be a reason why someone would go through the effort of making them. I read that people collect them. In the caches I have found so far I have seen real currency in a few. Is that a good idea? Thanks for the help. Cheers!

If I OPEN the LOC file with mapsource I can only deal with one file at a time since opening another LOC files closes the previous one. Mapsource lets me add a new waypoint (via the EDIT menu). This way I can add as many waypoints as I want. This is the method I was using. This is the method that was causing discrepancies in the co-ordinates. Okay. Seems that when I ADD a new waypoint the program does not use the co-ordinates from the LOC file. Instead mapsource adds the waypoint where I last clicked on the screen. Bummer. I guess I'll stick to manually entering the co-ordinates. Thanks for the help. Can't wait to go out again.

Is it possible to properly importing LOC files into Garmin MapSource? I have tried and every time the co-ordinates for me new waypoint are incorrect. I have to manually enter them. I checked the help files for MapSource and found out the program can save information into a GPX file. Not sure if it supports that format when loading data though. Once I have all my waypoints entered, I then transfer this data to my GPS. It is a Garmin eTrex Legend. Any advice would be great. Thanks for the help.