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Apple Computer + Gpsr = Sore Thumb!


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I am going to Holland in the next couple of weeks and need to input as many caches in to my Garmin Legend as possible. My problem is that I have an Apple computer and cannot upload waypoints into my GPSr with my Apple. I don’t really want to input over 100 caches by hand. I am wondering if anyone can help me solve this conundrum.

 

I am also wonder if there is any other advice for caching in Holland.

 

Thanks

TeamGeoduck

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Everything worked fine until Garmin made a USB connector for their GPS's. Now there is no driver for some of these programs to work. I contacted GPS Pro and they told me that without a USB drive their program would not work. I just bought a Legend C

 

I regretfully have to go to a friends house and use his machine :blink::blink:;);) to load my maps. I will just have to input my geocaches by hand until someone writes a driver for this problem. :P

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Well, I downloaded MacSimple GPS and bought a Serial to USB converter. The First Serial to USB converter I got (Belkin) did not work on OSX but it worked on my old iBook running OS 9.1, but the "classic" version of MacSimple was really buggy. I got a different Serial to USB converter (Keyspan) that states it can be used with OSX and my old iBook, and it did. Ohh yeah, now I'm cookin' with gas! Thanks everyone or your help, now I can sleep for the eight-hour flight to Holland instead of inputting waypoints and going cross-eyed! :D

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Get a real computer

I did, thanks.

 

This forum was helpful in getting me up and running with my Garmin 60CS on both my G5 and Powerbook. My system works like a charm!

 

Keyspan USB PDA Adapter

 

Mac GPS Pro

 

Add paperless caching into the mix for the ultimate in paperless caching with an OS X Mac:

 

MacCMConvert

 

CacheMate

 

A little setup time and effort pays off way-mega-super-bigtime for the serious/semiserious geocacher who knows what a real computer is.

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thanks for your answers! i looked for all the noticed software. but my problem is now that my gps60 has not a serial port but only an usb port and a 4 pointed big female plug.

and therefore i could not find an adaptor. and in my ibook i cannot install a serial card. there is only usb and firewire.

Edited by UteHans
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One ultimate option you could use would be to put virtual pc on your mac. PM me and i can tell you how to get it for free. Then you can even run windows programs on your mac. The only downside is that now you are open to all those viruses and spyware junk that is out there to get those "real computers." It's funny how people who know nothing about macs always have to put in some comment......haha only teasing....

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...my problem is now that my gps60 has not a serial port but only an usb port and a 4 pointed big female plug.

You need one of these adapters. You'll plug the serial cable that came with your Garmin into the "4 pointed big female plug" and the other end into the adapter, which is plugged into a USB port on your Mac. I got mine on eBay for about $20 and it works great. We identified the problem on Garmin's side (I've been round and round with them), as in not staying true to the actual USB specs, but they aren't willing to make the improvements on their receivers.

 

One ultimate option you could use would be to put virtual pc on your mac....It's funny how people who know nothing about macs always have to put in some comment.

As a true mac Freak (hey, look at my GeoName!), my first idea is never to resort to a Windoze solution unless there is absotively-posolutely no other alternative. With this issue there are plenty of Mac-only solutions (see my above post) that don't involve any Microsuck products at all. Virutal PC on a Mac is never an "ultimate solution," but rather a last resort.

 

Virtual PC does seem to run more with more stability on a Mac than on an Intel/AMD box, in my experience.

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Everything worked fine until Garmin made a USB connector for their GPS's. Now there is no driver for some of these programs to work. I contacted GPS Pro and they told me that without a USB drive their program would not work. I just bought a Legend C

 

I regretfully have to go to a friends house and use his machine :lol::lol::P:P to load my maps. I will just have to input my geocaches by hand until someone writes a driver for this problem. :lol:

I have had no problem using the Keyspan serial-to-USB converter with my iMac and iBook. I have to admit that I envy GSAK, but using MacGPS Pro to manage waypoints and Mobipocket to load data into my Palm. All I lacked was the ability to load maps, as far as I could tell. That was a small price to pay to use a better machine.

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Get a real computer  :lol:

reminds me of a great quote by my friend:

 

"Upgrading a mac is way easier than upgrading a PC... I mean, to upgrade a PC, you have to open up the case and like, tinker around in it, but with a Mac, you just hit it with a sledgehammer and throw it out the window and then go buy a new one! Simple as pie!"

 

Yeah, I'm pro-linux, myself... Yay Fedora!

 

BTW: When I first read the title, I thought TeamGeoduck was trying to hold on to his Mac when he hit it with a sledgehammer.... :lol:

 

Happy Caching

Jeff

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This is a nice little thread.

 

here are my problems so far.

 

 

1. USB/Serial (belkin) has no mac drivers so I'm out $20.

 

2. I can't the palm to sync with the ibook. I have tried palm desktop and missing sync.

 

3. Everything locks up when i try to open a GPX file with Mac simple gps x. I got a mac because I was tired of my computer locking up :lol:

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Yeah, I'm pro-linux, myself... Yay Fedora!

 

I can't get this iBook to burn an iso without screwing something up, so i have to wait for my shipment of ubuntu cd's to come in. I can't wait to get this thing running on Linux! i was going to start on a really old compaq, bit this one is actually small enough to be a "laptop" and not a "small desktop" computer.

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This is a nice little thread.

 

here are my problems so far.

 

 

1. USB/Serial (belkin) has no mac drivers so I'm out $20.

 

2. I can't the palm to sync with the ibook. I have tried palm desktop and missing sync.

 

3. Everything locks up when i try to open a GPX file with Mac simple gps x. I got a mac because I was tired of my computer locking up :laughing:

I have a Mac Mini with OSX.3.9

 

I have a keyspan serial-USB adapter. Works great.

 

It is probably the Palm Deskop software that is the problem. The conduits have to be set up right. When I got the Mini, I downloaded the Palm Desktop but it wouldn't install correctly. Reading through the Palm site, the idiots there didn't put a necessary file in the installer! You have to install it from a CD and then upgrade.

 

Make sure you have the most recent version of MacSimple GPSX- An earlier version was freezing up on me, but the newest version has been rock steady. There are so many caches in my area, that I have several databases for loading into my GPSr (a Garmin Venture). No problems.

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...I have no serial plug at my mac or iBook, only usb and firewire.

You don't need a serial port on your Mac; that's what the adapter is for. The serial cable goes out of the back of your GPSr. The other end of the cable goes into the serial-USB adapter. The other end of the adapter goes into a USB port on your Mac. And it just works.

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@Mr. Fantastic and Pablo Mac:

Thanks for your notes, but I have no serial plug at my mac or iBook, only usb and firewire.

Thanks again

I don't have a serial plug on either of my Macs. That is where the Keystone serial to USB converter becomes the solution. Happy caching.

I'm sure Keystone is flattered you named a USB adapter for him, but the brand is Keyspan. :lol:

Edited by robert
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