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I think there are about 6500+ files on the DVD. I assume each one corelates to a map segment. Like I said, I did it for fun just to see how long it took and what happened. I'm thinking City Navigator North America NT is gonna be the way to go for me. In an urban caching environment the topo maps are not of much use, especially since the roads are 2-3 years out of date for this area. Just have to figure out how to sneak the purchase past the wife. She likes the Colorado, so I'm OK with that buy.

Nope on the large files. Just for grins, I tried to load the entire Topo 2008 map onto a 4 gB SD card the other day using MapSource. Took 26+ hours to compile the maps, then got an error message in MapSource. The 2.7 gB file gmapsupp.img did go on the SD card in the Garmin directory, but the Colorado doesn't seem to recognize it. It takes forever to boot, but the file doesn't show up when you go in to select the maps you want. Will have to try on of the utilities to combine the segments and see what happens.

To clarify: When you connect the Colorado to a Windows box, one or two new drive letters will appear in My Computer. The first drive will be the internal memory of the Colorado. The second drive will be the SD card, if you have one inserted. You can move / copy / delete files from these drives just like a PC. Just don't delete or overwrite the wrong files.

What are the IMG file names on your unit when you have all those maps loaded? I wonder if MapSource sees the existing map and changes the name of the second one so it won't erase the existing one. Anyway, this was the stuff I ran across on the map names: gmapbmap.img (Base map file, can only be internal) gmapprom.img (Built in maps like City Navigator, only internal) gmapprom1.img (Built in extra maps, only internal. City Navigator EU and US need two files) gmapsupp.img (Maps you download, van be both internal and external on a SD card) gmapoem.imb (OEM maps, only internally)

This topic came up recently on another thread, and someone mentioned renaming one map as OEM something to make the Colorado think its a factory map, and leaving the other named as it was generated. Do a search and see what you find.

The main reason the Colorado has the whole found caches thing is for the fieldnotes tool on GC. Once you upload your field notes and add your comments, the logs are added to the appropriate caches and GC marks them as found by you. Once you do another pocket query those caches are no longer in the GPX file -- just upload the new GPX file to your Colorado and go. Assuming you are using the 500 cache limit with no mileage restriction, the new pocket query would pull in additional caches to replace the ones you found. I really don't see a problem with the way it works, unless you have alot of DNF's and mark them with the Colorado. Then they are removed from the haven't found list and won't show back up until you do the field notes and generate another pocket query.

My Colorado beeps when we get close to a waypoint or cache and says something like "Arriving at...) Haven't tried it with a POI and I don't recall seeing any speed alarm, but I didn't mess with the automotive profile much.

One of my major gripes with my HCx (and my Cx, and my Blue Legend before that) is that marking a cache as found does not prevent it from showing up if I select Find Next Cache (I'm not referrring to the option that shows immediately after the Found It option, but the more generic Find Next Nearest option). Its always been my opinion that Found It needs to put the cache into a totally separate "folder" that shoud NOT show up unless I chose to look at those files. Is the Colorado any better in isolating Found caches from Not Found caches? Yes. It puts the caches in the found area. If you go back to the main 'Geocache' shortcut the found cache is gone and the next closest one is at the top of the list. The left soft key will have an entry to view found caches when you are looking at the list. Not sure what it does if you log a DNF or other option though. Don't have my Colorado handy right now to check.

I guess you could get some nylon-2 neoprene and make your own case, sans window plastic. Just surge around the window opening to make it look purty. If you wanted a plain, ugly (but protective) case, you could design it with the seams on the outside. Corners would have extra padding that way. Wish I still had a working sewing machine -- would take a shot at this.

For paperless caching, it works great. Being able to send individual caches direct to the unit from the geocaching.com site is a nice touch, and the pocket queries work fine. Sure beats the heck out of carrying a handful of printouts -- I can view the hints and whatnot while on the path. My wife, who couldn't find her way out of a paper bag, figured out the interface really quickly and actually found a few caches by herself the other day. She was able to use the hints and logs to figure out where to look. She could log the cache as found and see the next closest cache without going back to the map. I think that says something for their concept. Haven't been brave enough to let her upload and update the logs on the PC yet. My only major gripe with the 2.4 firmware and caching is the fact it doesn't autozoom when you view the map on the whole screen, and sometimes the arrow pointer gets confused and points the wrong way. Its been suggested that more frequent compass calibrations might fix the arrow issue, but the autozoom is a big deal for me. I want to see my location and the cache on the screen at the same time, and as I get closer I want the map to zoom in to the appropriate scale. So far this only works when you have the cache header displayed at the top of the screen.

I was looking at an Otterbox, but it takes a pretty large one due to the shape of the Colorado. I'm thinking an eyeglass case might work. Victorinox Case Clamshell Case

Could be the reference to the trebuchet font or the rainbow graphic. The rainbow graphic is a jpeg and its URL is copied to the GPX file -- not sure how the Colorado deals with this. Try this cache (GCNA2W) and see how it looks -- it has a jpeg down towards the bottom of the page, but no alternate fonts.

Have no idea about Macs -- your mileage may vary. but it works fine on the PC -- here is what I see: You must have Garmin Communicator installed and it must pass the test where it finds your GPS. When you are on geocaching.com and looking at the list of caches, there is an icon on the far right of each line item that should say 'Send to GPS' when you mouse over it. Click this icon and Garmin Communicator should pop up in a small window. It will find your device, and there should be a 'Send' button there somewhere (I don't have my GPS available to see the exact wording). This sends the one cache to the GPS as GCxxx.GPX file. Communicator will tell you if the transfer was successful. You can close the Communicator or leave it open. But if you leave it open, it will stay in the background and not pop to the foreground when you click the next 'Send to GPS' icon. You will have to bring it to the foreground manually and click the 'Send' button to transfer the file. If you close it, it will pop up the next time you click the 'Send to GPS' icon. Seems to take about the same amount of time whether you close it or not. I'm guessing Groundspeak doesn't want you to be able to send more than one GPX file at a time because they want you to be a premium member, which makes financial sense. I only use it when I need to upload a particular cache thats not in my local area. What Garmin should do is set up Communicator to transfer the pocket queries for you. They should also have a way in MapSource to upload and download geocaches like you do maps, tracks and waypoints .

Each time you click 'send to GPS' you have to let the Garmin Communicator find the device and then click the box in Communicator to send it. If you leave Communicator open after the first click it hides and you have to switch back to it to send the next one. Also, you can't click 'send to GPS' multiple times and then send it once with Communicator. Kind of slow if you want to do multiple caches, but fine for one or two. Best deal is to become a premium member and do the pocket queries -- up to 500 caches at one time, plus you can pick and chose which type you want.

Its sewn or glued / heat-sealed together, and the joint is on the back where it interferes with sliding the piece on and off. You can work the strap around just enough to see that the clip fits, but I mangled a couple of fingernails trying to get it back off. Were it sewn in a loop, you could work the joint around and out of the way. Unfortunately they made it into a loop and then sewed across it to make a figure 8.

I wondered what was up with R.A.M. and why they listed the mounts as available when their resellers said March or April. I always order my mounts from cyclegadgets.com, and they plainly stated the mounts were on backorder from R.A.M. I checked R.A.M.'s website and it implied they had them in stock, ready to ship -- now I know. I was thinking of ordering one of the small universal phone mounts to use until the Colorado mount is available, but its on backorder as well. Since my carabiner clip thing won't fit the back of my Colorado due to the strap being sewn wrong, I was thinking of butchering it up to make a temporary mount. In the mean time it works pretty well in the cup-holder.

The Colorado auto adapter is a 12-volt to USB cable. Its possible another USB cable might work, or not (with possible warranty-voiding spectacularity). Lots of other retailers sell the Garmin car kit -- just get the part number off the Garmin site and Google it. Just be sure to check the shipping cost on the ones that seem like a very good price -- many work out being higher than paying retail. I'm not keen on Garmin's mounts after several failed eMap bicycle and windshield mounts. I've ordered a R.A.M. mount and a Garmin cable for my Colorado so I can move it from car to bike to motorcycle easily. R.A.M. mounts are da bomb. Between two GPSrs, two satellite radio receivers, a tablet PC, a laptop and several scanners, I have yet to see a failure.

Not yet, but I could do that. There is still a segment limit of 2025, no?

Don't know about *all* SDHC cards, but I have a 4 gB Kingston SDHC and it works fine in my Colorado 300. I borrowed some maps and loaded some photos on it and it works great. Kingston model SD4/4GBKR -- snagged it at Best Buy because I was in a hurry.

Will try the north up thing and see if that helps. I did notice when you have the cache overlaid on the map, the map stays north up. Can't remember what it does when you switch to the full page map view. I usually just compare the current location with the cache coordinates and walk accordingly, but I thought I would try using their tools this time. May let the wife use the Colorado and I'll use the old iFinder Go2 and see which one does the trick.

According to Garmin's site, the hardware is identical. The difference is the pre-loaded maps, although they also have differing amounts of internal memory. Unfortunately, Gamin site only shows the memory amount for the 300. Unless you are into lake or ocean fishing, sailing, etc... there is no reason to buy the 400i or 400c. If you are going to do caching and hiking and need to topo maps, the 400t would be the one to get, but if you want to cache and use the unit for travel and don't need the topo maps, get a 300 and buy the City Navigaor NT maps. I chose the 300 and got a cheap 4 gB SDHC card for any maps I may get in the future.

So we finally got to test the 2.4 firmware with some real caches. I did a pocket query, snagged all the local traditional caches, copied the two files to the Colorado and we set out for a few hours of fun. Using the geocaching shortcut, I selected the closest cache to the house and set off. I left the cache heading on the screen rather than selecting the full page map. Navigating with the red arrow and the distance indicator, the Colorado got us pretty close, although sometimes the arrow got confused and pointed back the wrong way, despite the distance decreasing. When in doubt, trust the distance. It appears you have to walk around at a pretty good pace to get the arrow pointing back the right way. If you have a pretty good idea where the cache is, circle it and watch the arrow. Being able to log the cache as found and the Colorado showing you the next closest cache worked very well and the field notes upload went off without a hitch. I just wish you could delete the file from the Colorado while online, rather than having to browse the internal memory and manually deleting the file. One oops may delete something important. Anyway, we were 10 for 11 this morning, with one DNF cache off in the briars and the arrow leading me back and forth quite a bit. It looks like they still need to tweak some stuff as the unit gets lost in fairly light tree cover. We got about 6 hours out of a set of questionable Never-Ready rechargeables with the backlight turned down all the way and the screen was very readable in moderate sunlight.

I've loaded caches with parking areas one at a time from the GC site using Garmin Communicator as well as pocket queries. The cache goes into the geocaching area and the parking area goes into waypoints. Rather confusing.

All the flurry of activity about the Colorado has people discussing, documenting and reporting bugs, and hopefully forcing Garmin to resolve this issues quicker. Once the Colorado family is stable, all we'll see is a few noob posts from people who shouldn't own anything more complicated than a stick. This isn't Clockwork Orange. No one has you head strapped down and eyes held open, forcing you to read these threads. Look away!

Is there a tool or method to allow you to compile the maps and generate a gmapsupp.img file on the PC for manual loading onto the SD card? I've seen the tool for joining the map segments and was wondering if that generated the file as well. If all else fails I guess you could load it on the GPS and then pull it back of and store it in a directory on the PC for later use. Can you reformat the SD card into multiple drives and store different maps on each one? Haven't bought maps yet as I want to figure out if the topo or NT maps are what I want.