Zen Cooker #1

I uninstalled/reinstalled the app and now see the geocaches. Thanks! It's too bad that some apps are so flaky. 8^(

Yes, I have been able to do that. My location and the surrounding area shows fine but there are no cache indicators, even though there are many around.

I have the geocaching app on my Android phone and I can't load geocaches onto it. This is no problem loading them onto my Garmin GPS and I used to be able to see the caches on the old geocaching app on the same phone. Can you help me to see the geocaches on my Samsung S7?

My brother has the Montana. It has a nice car charger mount that converts it into a car nav GPSr, and it speaks loud and clear. But I don't need another car GPSr. If my hiking GPSr is out of commission for whatever reason, it will be nice to still be able to do street routing*. So if the 650T is great, I'd consider it instead. *OK, I could carry the Nuvi as a backup... Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure if the Montana is too cumbersome for hiking with GPS in hand (or on the belt). And I will always have the 550t as a backup. (BTW guys, the display Montana in my local REI wasn't working. )

Thanks for the heads up about the new Montana. What do you know about it? What improvements will be made? When will it be available? I never thought about looking at them in person. What a novel idea!

The time has come for me to upgrade my GPS to a newer, brighter model. I have been using an Oregon 550t for several years and have no real complaints other than the underlit screen. My primary uses are 1) geocaching, 2) wilderness hiking, and (3) automobile routing. I have been considering the Montana but now there is the new Oregon 650t. What are your thoughts about choosing between these two models?

I bought the Groundspeak app today for my LG Lucid 4G phone running the Android OS. When I started it I got a message about setting the correct time zone -- that never went away. I closed the app and restarted it, with the same results. I looked at an old thread that suggested uninstalling/reinstalling the app, which I did. The time zone message is still there! Does anybody know how to get this app to work or am I out The too high price of $9.99? Thanks for your help, Zen

I have the same problem Nicole. I purchased the app for my LG Lucid 4G phone with the Android OS today, June 3. The time zone notice appeared when I started the app and wouldn't go away. I uninstalled the app and reinstalled it and have the same problem. How do I get this app to run? Zen

Thanks for the suggestion but as far as I know, GSAK can't do general mapping. You can locate a cache on geocaching.com, but I'm looking for a general mapping program where I can see my waypoints and tracks.

I was using NatGeo's Topo software to view my waypoints, tracks, etc. and foolishly upgraded to TopoExplorer which, as far as I can tell, is just an online application. I don't like it at all. I can do a system restore to get back to the Topo software, but before I do... What mapping software do you use for your geocaching, as well as general hiking (waypoints, tracks, POIs, etc.) I would like something that can handle 1:24000 quads, but not the quads that ExpertGPS/Geobuddy use. I like the 1:24000 Garmin maps -- I use a Garmin 550t -- but their software (Base Camp and MapSource) is too primitive. What do you like/dislike about the mapping software that you use? Thanks for your input.

It's well known that the downloadable NatGeo superquad maps are really nice. Supposedly they can be loaded onto a Magellan GPSr only. However... NatGeo says that the only reason that their maps can't be loaded onto a Garmin GPSr is that the Garmin map format is proprietary. However, on Garmin's own site they give instructions to take a .jpg map image, load it into Google Earth, georegister it, then save it as a .kmz file, which can then be viewed on a Garmin GPSr. (I've done it a number of times). Does anybody know of a way to convert the downloaded superquad .pdf to five separate .jpgs? If this could be done then .kmz files could be created from the individual map images and could be viewed on a Garmin GPSr. If you don't have a complete solution, do you have at least a partial one?

I have City Navigator North America NT 2010, so I suppose those are the data that were upgraded. I want to get back to "square one", i.e., the data on the disk, so that I can upload those data to my 550t without it being tied to the 400t.

I use some 2600 mAh rechargable batteries labeled "Powerizer" and a Powerizer charger that I bought from batteryspace.com The batteries have performed well for a couple of years, and the charger is excellent. It can handle 2 or 4 AA or AAA batteries, charges them quickly (with an indicator bar), then shuts off when they're charged. I noticed today while on their site that there are now 2700 mAh AA batteries made by Sanyo. BTW, Garmin now supplies rechargables with the 550t (and others?) but they're rated at only 2000 mAh. I may use them as a backup set or in a non-critical device at home.

I have upgraded my Oregon 400t to an Oregon 550t. I have upgraded the original MapSource data with the numaps lifetime upgrade, but of course that won't work on the 550t because the data are tied to the 400t. What can I do to get back to the original MapSource data (before the upgrades)? Must I remove MapSource and scrub the apps folder and the registry of related data or is there another way?

Rather than recommend specific geocaches, I recommend any cache hidden by HartMan-CatWoman Team. They are very creative and their caches are accessible. The favorite that I hid is Nuestra Senora. You should also go to http://www.nmgeocaching.com It's a good site and a great bunch of people.

I never owned a Meridian, but I have owned a SportTrak Color and an eXplorist 600. I just upgraded to a Triton 500 and, despite the "bad press" it has been getting I am very satisfied with it. The graphics resolution is much better than the old units, and I have been able to transfer both Magellan maps and NatGeo TOPO! images. The modus operandi is different than the older Magellans, but once you set it up properly it's fine.

Thanks for the information. It doesn't look like this is the complete manual as there are no instructions for transferring data between a PC and a Triton nor any index or technical support information.

I have noticed that the Triton 500 has the same pin configuration as the eXplorer 600, but with four buttons instead of six. Does anyone know if it's possible to use the eXplorist cable instead of buying a new cable for the Triton?

If my post is a rant to you, that is your call. I'm not sure what point you're trying to prove, but I'm not at all interested in your opinion of me. BTW, personal attacks are not appropriate in a forum. -> Moderator take note <- FYI, I have been in "Magellan's World" for years, much longer than you. I have owned four Magellan GPSrs; all were satisfactory. I have no complaint with Magellan, their products, or customer service.

I have pre-ordered a Triton 500 as an upgrade to my aging eXplorist 600. The main factor is the ability to upload TOPO! maps; second is that my 600 is pretty beat up. I'll keep it in reserve. I have read through the entire thread and have some comments to make... 1) Very little of the thread is about the Triton series 2) Most of the thread is about Magellan's poor customer service 3) Too much of the thread is devoted to the Garmin GPSrs. 1) Since the Triton series is just becoming available, I won't make any judgments about it until I have tried it. I believe others should do the same. I'm sure that there are other threads to discuss older Magellan GPSrs, but the Triton thread is not the place to discuss them. 2) It is wrong to discuss Magellan's customer service here, as none of it has yet been applied to the Triton series. If you have a legitimate gripe, discuss it with Magellan's management, or if you need to vent, please do it elsewhere. I don't care about your opinion about the way they handled a problem with your Meridian. Magellan was recently bought by another corporation, so give them a chance. 3) Why are people discussing Garmins here? If you're happy with them, fine, but I don't really care about why you chose a Garmin over a Magellan, any more than you want to hear why I prefer Magellan products. Magellan, like most vendors, tries to sell good products (that they are continually trying to improve), and to provide good customer service. If they didn't, they would go out of business. I give them kudos for bringing out a new line of GPSrs that are superior to the older ones at a lower cost; it's proof that they want to sell a better product than the previous line. I'm sure that it really hurts them that the Tritons will not be fully available for the Christmas season; that is a LOT of lost revenue. If there are still problems to be worked out with the units, I'm thankful that they aren't dumping what they have to make Christmas bucks off of us. If you really feel the need to complain, ask yourself why. Does it make you feel good inside to bash Maggie? Do you think that you look good in the eyes of others because of your criticism and rage? I can't speak for others, but your posts have done nothing for me except make me feel sorry for you, so please, calm down and try to participate in a reasonable fashion, or go elsewhere. BTW, the Triton manual available for download from Australia is incomplete. While what they post is informative, there is nothing about uploading/downloading or technical specifications. Someone please post when the full manual becomes available. I tried downloading and installing VantagePoint, but got an error at installation. Has anybody else experienced this?

Is there a convenient way to print the Magellan eXplorer symbology? I managed to do it by displaying the points of interest (POIs) in MapSend 3D Topo, then transferring them to MS Word and printing that page, but the results weren't too great. Is there another way? Zen Cooker #1

GPSr's (GPS receivers) have different sensitivities, but none of them perform well under heavy tree cover. (The satellite signals are not very strong.) Probably the most important deal breaker for geocaching is WAAS capability, which gives accuracy to about ten feet. Without it, the accuracy is about thirty feet. That difference can mean a lot of extra hunting for the cache (nine times as much area to search). Another deal breaker is connection to a PC (or Mac). It's the only way to go to manage more than just a very few geocache locations. Eventually you will want to download a list of 100 or so geocaches in your area directly to your GPSr. My advice is don't skimp. A good medium-priced unit is the Magellan eXplorist 210. The eXplorist 500 is another good one, but more expensive. I don't know about Garmins, so listen to the Garmin folks' recommendations as well.

It's important to understand that GPSr's don't make maps. None of them. They collect point data that can be used individually (for single locations) or collectively (for routes/tracks). Recreational units collect data with a maximum general accuracy of about 10 feet, which is not sufficient for things like property boundaries, wellheads, etc. You need a mapping grade unit, e.g., Trimble, for that kind of accuracy. Software makes maps. There are quite a few software packages out there to choose from. My favorites are ExpertGPS (with the GIS option) and Google Earth Plus. I am a GIS professional and use much more sophisticated (and expensive) GIS mapping software at work, but IMHO these two will do a decent "baseline" mapping job for you.

The link to the eXplorist hidden codes is http://rhamphorinkx.newmail.ru/sf.htm You can check the firmware version, do a full self-test, put it in firmware upload mode (light + enter + power simultaneously), etc. Be careful with some of these hidden commands, as you can REALLY screw up your eXplorist, with the possibility that Magellan won't honor the warranty.

Thanks for the info Robert. The review convinced me to stay with v1.