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Is the directory you created Garmin/GPX or garmin/gpx ?? Depending on the OS the Colorado is running, capitalizing one or more letters in the directory name may foul it up. Windoze doesn't care one way or another, but *nix based OS's do distinguish between upper and lower case letters in a filename or directory name.

Google Luecke. Not a cache, but a very visible work of art.

The $30 Geko on compusa.com is a Garmin Portable Friction Mount For Streetpilot Series -- no actual GPS there.

I went to the actual Garmin website, looked up the Colorado 300, clicked the accessories tab, and got the part # for the DC power cord. Went to Amazon and searched for that part #. Got quite a few other Garmin hits without that part # for some reason. Found the right one and ordered it.

Same part # here. I ordered one from Amazon and it works fine on my Colorado 300 when I plug it into the car.

I've not had GPS problems around here, but there are several places of late where my satellite radio has lost signal -- same places every night for a week. Tonight was OK. Several cell towers and a TV station in this area. Friends have reported GPSr's going nuts down around Crawford, TX -- probably for obvious reasons.

I thought about doing that too... Then I figured out the ID badge lanyard. I did make a RAM mount that would work in the car, but you have to take the whole thing off to remove the ball. Cycle Gadgets said they still don't know if today was D-day for the RAM Colorado mounts. Some sites said April 4.

There were apparently some language translation issues for some of the non-English stuff. Like wrong days of the week, etc...

I don't have a route active when this happens -- just have the unit on and mapping. Perhaps once you select a cache, navigate to it, then turn off the navigation it assumes a route is still active? Not sure why they want to keep a track active after you turn off the unit and turn it back on, unless this was a 'fix' for the older units that had flaky battery connections. It used to annoy me to no end when my eMap would shut off and started a new track when I finally got it to come back on. On the other hand, if I go geocaching around here, shut the unit off, then fire it up at work to cache there, I get a track from my house to work -- 25 or so miles worth as the crow files. I have to remember to delete the track and start fresh so I can have a clean log for the day.

According to what I have read, the magnetic compass only comes on when your speed is less than 1.5 MPH. The unit gets its direction from the GPS signal at higher speeds. You have to calibrate the compass in the environment you will use it in. If you calibrate with ferrous metals around then use it elsewhere, it will be off. Even jewelery, steel in a concrete path, etc... will throw it off if its calibrated with these items present and then used in another location. I just keep mine turned off because for caching it seems to get confused easily.

Its still an issue, but I forget the exact steps to make it happen. Got bit by that bug several times this weekend. I believe it has to do with manually selecting a cache by panning the screen, then viewing the full map. I'm going caching after work, so I'll see if I can document the steps needed to reproduce it.

Ran across a few more bugs this weekend. Some may be documented previously -- I forget. Looks like the newest firmware still connects the track from the point where you shut the unit off and where you turn it back on -- even if they are miles apart. Ideally it should start a new track. Also, if you are driving and pan the screen to place the arrow over a cache to check it out, the track stops where you started panning and connects it directly to your current location when you cancel the pan -- the unit does not log your true track while you are moving the cursor. One other issue is having both the base map and the NA NT 2008 map both active. I forget the exact steps, but initially it starts out showing only the NT map, but when you view a cache and switch back to the regular map the DEM shading appears on the map, visible through the NT map. Not a big deal, but the map changes color on you.

I did see a way to take some of the USGS maps and convert them for use with a Garmin, but it was a very long, drawn out conversion process. Don't know if similar maps are available for the UK. Might look into a Nokia N800 or N810 -- the N800 will work with a bluetooth GPS and the N810 has a built-in GPS. The only catch is they are Linux-based, so there is a slight learning curve. You can snag maps off many sites for free, and there are also 3rd party mapping programs that will let you use all sorts of different maps. I've even loaded aviation maps and actual satellite images as well. With the 3rd party stuff you have to load the map images at various zoom levels to get a complete usable set of maps.

I did have a routing issue this weekend as well. Colorado ran great with a pre-made route from my casa to the Texas Challenge with one minor flaw. The final turn off the highway into the park was indicated a good 300-400 yards beyond where it actually was. We missed the proper turn and it re-routed us down a dead-end road in redneck land. Other than that the routing works pretty well and it appears the auto zoom feature actually zooms a routable map in and out as your speed changes. When stopped, you zoom into the level you want, and when you start rolling the Colorado zooms out more and more as your speed increases. The warning for each turn occurs more in advance the faster you drive, and each warning turns the backlight on to the preset level so if you have the backlight time-out turned on you don't have to mess with it each time. If you think Garmin is bad about delayed updates, check this spoof out. Be sure to watch the battery meter and the release date.

My wife and I were out caching in a local botanical garden -- strolling along with a GPSr in our hands. Two women were walking towards us and stopped to ask us if we were geocaching. Turns out they were there for the same caches and one of them recognized my wife from high school -- 25 years ago. We tried to find one last cache together, but it involved some serious bushwhacking, so they let me try the last 300 feet or so, alone.

Looks like a Raven or Jennings. A pointed stick might be more deadly to a coyote than a .25 auto -- and more reliable. I was glad I stole some ideas off this list for some cache repair items. I found one the other day with a wet log and a rusty pen. Someone had placed a second dry log, but the bag was leaky. I hooked them up with a new bag and a fresh pen.

We were retrieving a cache just off a walking trail in the woods and were bushwacking back when I heard a strange hissing noise above me. As I reached the trail I turned back in time to see a buzzard going back into a giant hole in the tree. Apparently he wasn't happy with us being near his nest. Seems a large limb broke off years ago and as the tree healed around it a large hole or pocket formed -- at least big enough for a buzzard.

Novus makes a series of plastic polishes -- I got mine at The Container Store many moons ago. Cigarette ashes and water will work as a fine polish as well.

So, will Mapsource let you send a map to the card using the card reader, or does it need to see the GPS. It would be nice not to tie up the GPS for hours at a time waiting for maps to compile and download. Great. I'll have to try this -- I need to load NT 2008 and I only had time to do Texas the other night.

Looks like the battery meter issue is not fully resolved yet. I put a fresh set of the 2700 mAh Powerex batteries in the other day and ran it a good 4 hours with the screen turned down all the way and the battery meter only dropped one bar. Ran it to work and back twice and to the dog park once (another 4 hours -- no backlight) and it was down to two bars when I fired it up last night. Headed out to the dog park, and part way there I got the low battery beep and the backlighting dropped to the lowest setting -- still showing two bars. Turned off the backlight limiting and ran it with the backlight set mid-range, and as I got home, I got the battery warning message again. Battery gauge showed a small red bar. Never showed one green bar as the battery charge dropped.

I think the issue here may be the setting that tells it to lock to the nearest road (I forget the exact wording). In the geocaching mode this feature is turned off by default, and in the automotive mode its turned on by default. I haven't tried to seek any caches since installing NT 2008, but it will get a workout this weekend navigating to the Texas Challenge and then finding caches.

Or, if you are lazy and don't want to hook up the GPS to the PC, visit Garmin's Updates and Downloads for a list of files for all GPS units.

So, will Mapsource let you send a map to the card using the card reader, or does it need to see the GPS. It would be nice not to tie up the GPS for hours at a time waiting for maps to compile and download.

Yup. NT 2008 as available with a key generator that will unlock it for your unit. Hopefully they are releasing a new version and will update current users fee gratis if its buggy -- since I just received my copy yesterday from Amazon.

Thanks for the hints and tips. I was correct in what I figured out last night and I now have City Navigator NA NT and Topo 2008 loaded for my area. Unfortunately, NT overlays topo -- but if you turn off topo and leave the base map on you do get the 3d view if you want it.