kallt_kaffe

However, my Legend HCx has Software 2.8 and GPS SW 2.8 and came with those versions when I bought it.

Some info available here: http://www.geomatejr.com/GeoMateJr_Product_Sheet.pdf - SirfstarIII based - You'll get Size, Difficulty, terrain and GCID. - Update costs $25 I'm not sure that I am so positive about this. Getting through the trouble of getting a GC account and learning a "real" GPS makes sure you are somewhat motivated to follow the basic rules. Handing out a "toy" GPS to a couple of bored kids filled with cache locations and I foresee an increased frequency of muggled and vandalized caches. I haven't read the full user guide but the Quick Start guide says nothing about getting a GC account and logging your finds online. Also this is targeted for kids, no doubt about it. Not every cache is suitable for kids, and not having the full cache description increases the danger. I'd rather send out my kids with a real GPS where I've carefully choosen a bunch of suitable caches than to send them out with 250.000 positions that I have no idea where it will lead them. Yes, I know, it should be used as a complement for the kids when the follow you on a caching trip, but be realistic, there will be kids going out alone with these toys. I'm sorry to be so negative but the only postive thing I see about this is when someone hacks it so that you can transfer your own choice of caches to it.

2.7.6

Change %smartname to %smart EDIT: ... or maybe not. I thought I had seen this and done that but now when I looked I saw that I am using this string: %ShortName=11%bug=*(%dif1a/%ter1a/%con1/%typ1)

The accurancy of a modern GPS (like the eTrex H) is not spot on. It is normal to have an accurancy of +/- 3 meters (~10 feet) in open areas, sometimes a little less than that if you get WAAS/EGNOS corrections but that's as good as it gets. Normally it's more than that due to trees, weather, mountains, buildings etc... So consider that you may get +/- 5 meters in general and that one that placed the cache (if he did a good job) hade 2-3 meters accurancy (by taking multiple waypoints and taking an average). So while some people zeroes at the exact location you may 8 meters (or more) off even though you could be using the same kind of GPS. Also what someone considers to be "right on" can be when the GPS says that there is 3 meters left, while you may think that it should say 0 or 1 meter to be considered to be "right on". As some one else described it somewhere... When you are 20 feet away you put away the GPS and let the geosenses kick in. You can't fully trust your (and the cache owners) GPS to guide you 100% right.

Asfaik (I have not tried) the HCx cannot use map files larger than 2Gb and you can only use one map file. So the benefits of a larger card is limited. Sure a 2Gb card isn't actually full 2Gb so a 4Gb card (if it works) should give you a little more space. There is also a map segemt limit of 2025 segments so even if it did support larger files than 2Gb you'd still most likely never need an 8Gb card. A 4Gb on the other hand could be useful. There is however a small chance that the HCx do not support SDHC card (anything above 2Gb is SDHC) so your best bet would be a 2Gb card. I've never tried an SDHC card i mine so I do not know if it works.

Here's a trick that may work... 1. Power on the GPS without USB cable connected. 2. Press and hold the battery meter until it enters "diagnostic mode" 3. Attach USB cable and wait a couple of seconds. 4. Press "Exit" With previous firmwares on my Nüvi 205 pressing exit at this point rebooted the GPS and entered mass storage mode. With my Nüvi 255 at the latest firmware it boots up in navigation mode but powered from USB. You may get different results depending on model and/or firmware. Offtopic: Depending on model this "hack" may also enable you to use the GPS with nRoute. While nRoute finds my 255 in this mode it complains that it does not support PVT. I think it propably depends on what gps chipset is being used. I would not be surprised if the SIRFstar III devices like the Nüvi 200 works with nRoute using this hack. Offtopic2: GSAK actually managed to recieve center point from my 255 in this mode.

If you have a bluetooth capable phone you could get a cheap bluetooth gps like this one: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9415 Just make sure your phone supports a free GPS software like Trekbuddy.

I've teamed up my Nüvi 255 with a Legend HCx I am very satisfied. But I guess you'll get the same accurancy from an eTrex H if you do not feel a need for maps.

If you do not want to use a macro you can still include some basic information by using the "Send to GPS" feature in GSAK. See my post here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...p;#entry3857284 I still recommend the macro though. I'm using it and have it set up like this: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=3861333

You won't lose it but you you will have to manually switch back to your old vehicle when going to 3D.

1. There are different ways to load your GPS with caches. Non-premium member: 1) Use the "Send to GPS" saves the geocache coordinates on your GPS. 2) On my.garmin.com you can send 18 (or something like that) geocaches at a time to your GPS. Both above methods will give you waypoints with the geocache code and the coordinates. The rest you will have to carry with you as printouts, notes etc... 3) Load .GPX(or .LOC) files into Mapsource and export them to the GPS. With this method you can change waypoint name, include som limted notes (33 characters?). Premium member but NOT GSAK: 1) Get pocket queries (PQ = up to 500 caches in one GPX file). Import to Mapsource and send to your GPS. Premium member AND GSAK: 1) Get PQ:s and import them into GSAK. Use the Send to GPS function to send them to your GPS as waypoints. Suggestions on how to include some basic information can be found here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...p;#entry3857284 2) Get PQ:s and import them into GSAK. Use the 60CSxPOI macro to export the caches as custom POIs. Some suggestions on how I use it can be found here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=3861333 Premium memberships costs $30/year but you'll get 30 days free with each garmin GPS you have. GSAK costs $25 but you can use it for a while for free before the nag screens becomes unbearable. I suggest you start with method 1 for Premium member and GSAK (as you can do this 30 days for free before deciding). When you feel familiar enough with GSAK. Start looking at macros. 2. Anything above 2Gb is SDHC (or MicroSDHC in this case). I'm using a 2Gb microSD with my Legend HCx. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes SDHC cards but at the moment the largest map image you can use is 2Gb so you won't benefit much from a larger card even if it works. To be on the safe side. Get a 2Gb card.

Try my custom vehicle which have a visible centerpoint: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=213782

I wouldn't go for the Venture HC unless it is a lot cheaper than the Legend HCx since 24Mb will become a limitation sooner or later. I decided for the Legend HCx instead of the Vista HCx as I didn't thinkt it was worth the extra $$$ for the electronic compass. The Vista HCx and the Legend HCx are identical expect for the electronic compass and the barometric altimeter.

ANY Garmin Nüvi/Zumo if used with GSAK and a macro.

http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=8932

I recommend this GSAK macro: http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=8932 While you can configure it to include A LOT I have choosed to use just the bare minimum, see my post here for my setup: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...p;#entry3861333

Have you even TRIED a Nüvi? - You CAN enter coordinates and navigate to them. - You CAN download geocache coordinates with "Send to GPS" or från my.garmin.com. Just setup the Nüvi to pedestrian/off-road mode so that it does not lock you onto the nearest road and it works very well for Geocaching. Having found my first 140 caches with just a Nüvi I promise you it works for geocaching. It also takes TOPO maps if you want it to and with GSAK and a macro I currently store almost 15000 caches with spoilerpics and full cache descriptions on mine. It's not as accurate as the Legend HCx I recently bought and it's not waterproof, but it works surprisingly well for caching. However one may want to consider adding my custom vehicle as the built in vehicles aren't designed for geocaching. My custom vehicle can be found here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=213782

I guess that it may be a corrupt mapfile on the SD-card that causes the HCx to die while trying to read it. You really should get a microSD card reader for your computer so that you can check the card.

Looks like a third party cable. Seems like things have changed since I had my m505 (looong time ago).

In fact, with the Zumo being able to take care of the paperless part the Zumo + 60CSx combination will be very good for paperless caching. I'm using a Nüvi + Legend HCx combination and it works very well. For going paperless with the Zumo look here: http://garminzumo.wikispaces.com/Tricks#toc4

Well, I'll help you bump it up once more. I don't have a M515 (using an older Vx). Still on its original battery, and battery life has not been a problem. I'd assume the sync cable can be used to charge (by plugging it into a USB port that is powered). And you should be able to sync with it - after all, it is called the sync cable, right? A sync cable is a sync cable and nothing more. It does not charge the Palm. The cradle for the m515 has powerplug to which you connect a power adapter. It does not charge the unit with power from the USB connection. As for syncing Palms you can also sync it with infrared so I guess you could get away with a standalone travel charger and a computer with IR.

Attach the USB cable. You may need to powercycle it a couple of times but it should be able to go into mass storage mode. Delete everything in x:\garmin\gpx\ (or move it to your computer if you have waypoints that you don't want to lose. That should hopefully do the trick. If not, then a HW reset should work. Never needed it on my Nüvi though and I've hade the same issue several times. Usually making "Safe removal" before pulling the USB cable helps to avoid this in the future.

First off all, you won't get paperless like, Oregon-paperless with a Venture HC. What you can get is that you can export geocaches as custom POI. Each POI can hold 4 lines of text so the "paperless" macro will have to split the info into several POIs. - First of all, update your GPS with the latest firmware (download the webupdater on garmins support pages) - Get a premium GC account. You'll get 30-days free with your new garmin: http://www.geocaching.com/garmin/freetrial.aspx - Download and install GSAK (you'll want to pay for it later when it starts popping upp nagscreens) - Create a PQ and import it into GSAK (start with the 500 caches closest to your home coordinates) - Get and install this GSAK macro: http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=8932 - Download and install POI Loader (garmin support pages) To make it usable I recommend trying to minimize what you really need to export. I've checked ONLY these things in the macro: - Status of last for logs (will be included as four letters FFFN means Found, found, found, not found) - Hint On the Advanced settings: - Use Smartname... - Use abbreviations... That's it. I run it and then use POI Loader to put it onto the GPS. I'm using a Legend HCx but it should work the same with a Venture HC. Keep in mind that you will not see any caches on the map unless zoomed in a lot. This can be changed by changing one of the zoom settings on your venture to the desired level. I have mine on 1.2km, not sure what that is in feet. Don't remember which one at the moment but I believe there are only four different zoom settings so you can just try until you find the one.

The 76CSx is physically larger and has it's buttons placed above the screen. The reason for the larger is size is most likely to bring down the density as it is designed to float. You could say that it is the Marine version of the 60CSx. When it comes to non cosmeticals differences I believe there are none.