SteveOr

I can totally see this catching on. It has the same techno appeal that attracts a great number of people to Geocaching in the first place. Granted it doesn't greatly enhance the caching experience but it does add another means of using existing technology to simplify the process. Once enough cache owners decide to take the extra step to add a bar code I'm sure others will want their caches to have them too. If it grows in popularity then there is no reason to think Groundspeak wouldn't incorporate it in some manner. The only problem is if the cache owner wants a bar code to link to his page he has to return to the cache after it is approved. But I'm sure some bright person could figure out a way around that. Too bad I don't have a phone that can read bar codes. But I'm sure I will eventually. This reminds me of CueCats, bar code scanning plastic cats sold by Radio Shack during the dot com days. In fact I think I learned of them in this forum when someone wanted to incorporate them in Geocaching some how. That effort obviously fizzled.

I just upgraded from a GPSMAP 60C to a 60CSx and loaded the 128mb micro SD card with MetroGuide V5 and Topo (old version) map data. When I try to find an address it only searches a limited area. It seems it can only search the map tile in which the cursor is pointing. I don't even have the option of selecting the city if it is outside the tile. So now if I want to search an address in a far off area I'm forced to move the map cursor to the vicinity of my search. Very problematic if I only have a general idea of the location of the city I'm headed too. When I had similar data (only 56mb though) in my 60C I didn't have this problem. FYI, I have the latest unit firmware.

I have a GPSMAP 60C and I have taken it apart many times to repair it. One issue was the screen blanking out after a hard or not so hard shock. The remedy was to apply some conductive grease to some electrical contacts between two halves of the unit. I've also had problems with the power switch. After separating the two sides I just pulled off the rubber top to look around. Didn't find what was wrong so I just have to push it harder every once in a while. A remedy for the cracked rubber is some black silicone sealant.

Thanks a zillion. When I go home today I'll load it up.

I downloaded the first Afghanistan map from this Mapcenter2 page, downloaded the "source" file and installed in Mapsource using MapSetToolKit. But when I zoom in closer than 75 miles Mapsource shuts down. All my other maps work (Garmin and custom) with no problem. I did a registry check with MapSetToolKit and it shows everything is ok. How can I fix it? Also why would I download the "binary" file for this mapset?

I'm headed to Afghanistan this summer and want to have usable maps in my Garmin 60C. This site sells what I'm looking for but at the princely sum of $250. On top of that I can only load it into one computer and it has to have internet access in order to register it (not sure I'd have that where I'm headed). I'd like to know if it is possible to make my own maps of Afghanistan with publicly available data. Thanks

Same here with a 60C.

Problem? Not at all. The photo was posted to help people who were bothered by the same issue. Funny thing is when I first saw the photo I wasn't even sure it was mine until I checked my previous posts. GeoScooter1 I had a similar power button issue. After a really hard fall, the power button was unresponsive. I ended up taking the unit apart probably a dozen times in search of a remedy. I concluded the problem wasn't in the actual button as pushing the tiny one on the circuit board posed the same issues. I could get the unit to work properly for a little while and then it would just stop working again. I vaguely remember also reloading the firmware and doing a hard reset. Eventually the problem went away. It happened in the dead of winter so maybe it was moisture/condensation related.

Woo hoo, that's my GPS! Check this link. I was on the first day of a 350 mile bike trip and at major bumps the screen faded out and the unit powered off. Extremely annoying. After much frustration thinking it was the battery contacts, I learned the problem was internal. My simple solution was to take the unit apart and apply some mineral oil to the contacts. Some suggested contact lube like that used on EKG contacts and such. But since I didn't have any of that lying around the house I used the nearest equivalent. After nearly a year I've had no problems. I figure it isn't a permanent solution but since I know how to disassemble the unit, it won't be a problem if and when it starts up again.

Go to Geodude. I use MetroGuide 5.0 on my GPSMap 60C. His compatibility list says it will probably work with MG V8. Good luck.

Nevermind! I fixed it with a gob of epoxy and some cotton flox.

After a crash on my bike, the little knob on the back of my handlebar mounted 60C was sheared (shorn?) off. In its place I now have a dime sized hole in the plastic case. Rather than pay Garmin $135 to fix it I'd prefer to replace the back from a unit that would otherwise be headed to the junk yard. Please email me at sj_oreilly7@hotmail.com. Thanks.

You might try MetroWizz instead. I used it to simultaneously download both TOPO USA and Metroguide 5.0 maps into my GPSMAP 60C. It worked great.

I have a Garmin 60C loaded with Mapsource Topo. I'm want to get autorouting and considered purchasing City Navigator. My concern is the size of the map tiles in City Navigator limiting my ability to also load Topo maps in my units 56mb memory. So I was looking at purchasing an older version of Metroguide and using Metrowizz to give my unit autorouting capabilities. However I've seen problems with people trying to load US Metroguide and US Topo maps together with Metrowizz. Anyone have luck doing this? And to those with City Navigator-how big are the tiles? I'm specifically looking to load maps in the Chicago area.

It is a common issue and could be a couple of things. The most likely cause is the batteries losing contact from a jolt which causes a break in power. The remedy for this is to bend the terminals back a bit. But be careful. I broke one off and had to replace it with a spring terminal I took out of an old radio. The other cause could be a break in the electrical contacts inside the unit. This also occurs after the unit sustains a jolt of some sort. The 60C and similar units have metal contacts between circuit boards instead of soldered wires or plugged circuitry. After a while I guess these contacts lose electrical conductivity and become more susceptible to separation causing the unit to power off. I had this problem when I mounted my 60C to my bike's handlebars. The problem came up after biking for months until one day it just turned off at the slightest bump. Very annoying. The remedy for this is to take the unit apart and apply some conductive grease to these contacts. If you are handy it is a pretty easy fix. Since you have a 60C I'm assuming it is out of warranty. Garmin charges about $135 to service this model so you really don't have much to lose if this is a chronic problem. After I fixed it, I could practically throw the unit against the wall and it would stay on. This link provides more info. Another cause could be the unit having a problem with the software. Others have reported their units repeatedly shutting off at a particular location. I guess the internal computer gets overloaded and decides to just turn itself off. Not sure what the remedy for this could be.

Since becoming a parent of kids not old enough to hike yet, I haven't done much other than maintaining my two caches in the last three years. In my semi-retirement TONS of micro caches now litter the area around my pride and joy. So much so that hardly anyone bothers to visit it anymore. I was really peeved by the proliferation of so many drive by micro caches. I longed for the days when there weren't so many caches in the Chicago area and the majority required at least some hiking in woods. It seemed there was a more rugged element to Geocaching then. But in reading the log entries of the micro caches I sneered at, I realized many people really, really enjoy going after them. So who am I to judge? Hunting for my type of Geocache requires much more effort now. Of the caches in my area, I don't even bother reading the description if it isn't at least a 2 terrain difficulty. And even that doesn't guarantee it'll be worth the read let alone the trip. Oh well, back to my rocking chair.

FYI, These are the contacts you should look for. I didn't notice them at first and disassembled the unit more than I needed to.

Hallelujah! This same problem creeped up on me the first day of a four day bike trip. I had the entire route in my gps and it became annoyingly more frequent as the trip progressed. Prior to that I had hundreds of carefree miles biking to work and such. At first I thought it was the known battery terminal issue. I nearly broke off my second battery contact (the first one I did years ago but found a quick fix) trying to solve the problem. That never worked and I knew it had to be something else. Reading this thread and squeezing the unit's sides confirms the problem. I was considering sending it back to Garmin but they charge $135 for a re manufactured replacement. I'll find some contact grease and silicone and crack mine open this weekend. Thanks a zillion Cryppie! Steve http://windycitybiker.blogspot.com

I'm attempting to make a 1:24k topo map of the Chicago area using this link as a guide. I downloaded the contour lines and the stream data from the respective USGS sites and uploaded them into GPSMapedit. The contour lines and the water are misaligned such that it looks as if all the water terrain has been shifted about a 1/10th of a mile to the north northeast. What am I missing in the process?

I have The Journal on my to do list. It is in East Peoria, Illinois. All you have to do is read the logs and you wont be able to get it off your mind.

I cant compare the Garmin V with the 60C but I can with the Legend. All I can say is HOLY COW! The same maps that took about an hour to load with the serial cable to the Legend took about 20 seconds with the USB to the 60C.

I'll second Desert Warrior on the PDA as the cause. My Pocket PC's synchronization program lead to my GPS headache after I formatted my hard drive and reloaded everything. The sync program's default settings used Com1 even though I was using the USB port. Hope that works.

This is a G7toWin screen shot from my Legend of a Topo display in your area (this is my first attmept at posting a picture; so no promises). [This message was edited by SteveOr on May 18, 2003 at 08:33 AM.]

I bought MetroGuide Europe for a trip to Ireland and loaded the maps into my US eTrex Legend. Much to my chagrin the areas of partial coverage had no coverage (contrary to what was shown on my PC). Apparently Garmin assumes users have a European basemap. Other than that it is great (or as good as Garmin can get). If you need an area that has full map coverage then it should work fine. Anders recently posted an extensive review of MG Europe and I believe he has an eTrex as well. Search the forum and I'm sure you'll find the link.

They are a series of caches placed to promote Planet Of The Apes. They were placed all over the world and contained a movie prop and promotonal items. A few are still out there. More info can be found at Project Ape's website.