alandb

Try Sharcnet-USA. Just google it and you will find it.

Glad I could help and that the solution worked for you.

You might want to check out this thread in the Garmin BaseCamp forum for Windows: https://forums.garmin.com/forum/mac-windows-software/windows-software/basecamp-aa/1304562-google-earth-problem

The calibration on my Oregon 550 fails occasionally on step 3, but I can almost always get it to work on the second try by being more precise in the rotation. I am kind of awkward and I find the third step (end over end rotation) to be the most difficult to do and I think I sometimes wobble it side to side when attempting that step.

Since almost all HS students are addicted to their smartphones, I would recommend looking into Geocaching apps. For students that don't have a phone, you can often find cheap prices on discontinued phones. You shouldn't need a data plan ... just use WIFi to install the app and load the caches.

Try putting the map files in folder \Garmin on the USB Drive. Also, copy file \Garmin\GarminDevice.xml from your device onto the USB drive. You don't actually install the map to Basecamp. When you start Basecamp, it should recognize the USB drive just like your device was connected. Give BaseCamp a few minutes to load and index the map (you should see a progress bar in the "Devices" pane while the map is loading. Once that finishes, you should be able to select the map in the task bar drop down map selection menu.

Basecamp should see the map if it is copied to a "removable" device connected to the computer, such as a thumb drive or in a SD card reader. In general, BaseCamp will not see this type of map if it is copied to a hard drive.

Thanks StefandD ... that explains it then, at least in my case.

Even my old Oregon 550 has a empty \Garmin\GGZ folder. I have no idea how it got there. It is not something I consciously created or tried to use as I know the old Oregon does not support GGZ files. My guess is that something in GSAK created it. Perhaps I had a wrong option checked in one of the GSAK functions or macros at some point in time, but if that is the case I don't remember it.

eTrex10 has limited internal storage and no micro SD slot for expansion, making it almost unusable except for very basic functions. I suggest you avoid it. The eTrex 20 and 20x are fine, very capable low end handhelds and worth looking at.

I have the 1.5.1 zip file. I updated my Sierra a long time ago with it and my computer is also a 64 bit (Vista). I don't recall having any problems with the software update so I think it should work OK on your 64 bit computer. I tried to send the zip file to you via the Geocaching messaging system, but it wouldn't allow me to attach a Zip file. If you want to PM me with your email address I will send the file to you in an email attachment. It is under 10 MB. Incidentally, the power button broke off quite a while ago on my SIerra too. I tried to get Sharcnet to repair it but they wouldn't touch a Lowrance. So I discovered I can still use the Sierra although it is a bit awkward. I turn it on by briefly plugging it into a USB power source, then unplug it as it is booting up. My car has a USB port, so I usually power it up before I start my hike. I have also used one of those portable USB charger/battery packs to turn it on. Then when it gets booted up, I go into the Settings Power Saving and set the Power Saving mode to None. I also set the Power Saving Timeout to Always On. That way the device doesn't go into sleep lock mode so you can use it until the battery runs down. I set the screen timeout to a short interval to help save battery power. To shut the unit off, I go back into the menu and change the Power Saving mode to Power Down and the Timeout to 5 minutes. Then all I have to do is let it sit for 5 minutes and it powers itself off.

I don't have answers to your questions, but what you propose sounds like a hybrid of Wherigo and Pokemon Go. Both were "flashes in the frypan" which took off with a bang but over time didn't retain their popularity.

Garmin could fix this with a software update. The algorithm to reindex the GPX files is apparently already in the firmware as that is what the manual workaround does by forcing the reindex process. It seems to me all Garmin would have to do is add a "Reindex" selection to the Setup/Reset menu that would access this algorithm and reindex the files. it is ridiculous that this problem has existed on multiple devices for many years and Garmin doesn't fix it.

Agreed ... the Garmin automotive devices are wonderful for street navigation, but they are definitely not the right tool for Geocaching or off road activities. That said, they are great for getting you to the best parking spot to start your geocaching adventure with your handheld device or smart phone app.

I participate is several GPS forums, and I can say many members of those forums have given that particular online vendor high marks. If I needed a new Garmin, I would not hesitate to order from them ... but again, just my opinion. I have never personally purchased from them.

In my opinion, one of the best automotive GPS devices available at the present time is the factory refurbished Garmin DriveLuxe 50LMTHD ($149.95 at gpscity.com). It is the top of the line model from the 2016 series. Note that Garmin Factory refurbs have the full 1 year warranty, same as new devices.

Yes, put them in folder \Garmin\GPX on the card and they will be read the same as when they are in internal storage. Again, my recommendation is to keep the GPX files on the card and not in internal storage for the reasons stated above (to allow for in-field reindexing). Note that when you create a waypoint on the device itself, it will go in internal storage, but that is not a problem as all gpx files (internal and card) are merged and indexed for display on the device.

Exhausted batteries shouldn't cause you to "lose" all your caches, whether stored in internal memory or SD card. My guess is that what happened is that indexing of GPX files became corrupt which can cause the caches not to load even though the correct cache files are still in storage. If that was the cause, you are actually better off having the files on SD card rather than internal storage. You can force a reindexing of the cache files in the field by removing the SD, booting the device without the card, shut down, reinstall the card and reboot. This will usually clean up the corrupt index and display all the caches. On the other hand, if the cache files are in internal storage, there is no way to force a reindexing without connecting to a computer.

It could be corrupt indexing of the GPX files ... a common problem on many Garmin handhelds. The fix is pretty simple as described in this post:

Not sure I fully understand your question, but the Garmin devices index the GPX files into a single list when displaying them on the device. You can have multiple GPX files containing caches on both Internal storage and SD card and the Garmin will index all of them together into a single list to display on the device. AFAIK, there is no way to show the items from a single GPX file on a separate list. As a side note, this indexing occurs when you boot the device, and occasionally a corrupt index is generated which can cause a partial or completely empty list to be displayed even though the GPX files are OK and still present on the device. It gives a false impression that the caches have been lost or deleted. This issue has been discussed many times in this forum and there are work arounds to recover the list by forcing a reindexing.

My advice is to try to borrow one or more dedicated devices from friends or relatives (if possible) and use them for a few caching excursions. That will help you decide what features are "must have". What you may find is that you prefer the smartphone app over the dedicated device. If you scan through the forum posts you will find some similar experiences from other users who switched from smart phone app to dedicated. Some folks think it was a waste of money, others think it was the best decision they ever made. It depends a lot on how and where you cache.

This sounds like the GPX indexing problem that has plagued many Garmin handhelds. The fix is pretty simple. Remove the .GPX files (or rename them to .SAV instead of .GPX). Then boot up your etrex without the GPX files. Now reinstate the files (by copying them back in or renaming them back to .GPX) and boot again. This will force the device to reindex the files. If you have your GPX files on SD card, you can do this procedure by removing the card, Boot without card, shut down and reinsert the card and boot again.

Try here: http://www.gpsrchive.com/Oregon%206xx/index.htm

You're right, it is the SD card slot that shows as a removable disk. Also, now that I look at it again, the Oregon 550 has 4 GB internal storage with about 3.6 GB usable, not 1GB as shown in the OP's image. @apradhana ... If your Oregon has a SD card installed, it may be corrupt. Try booting the device up without the card.

Here is what I would try ... on the Windows Properties window, click on the Tools tab and run the Error Checking dialog. You could run it the first time by unchecking the Repair option. Then if it turns up some errors, you can decide if you want to run it again and attempt the repair.