Explorist 500 Questions

[+Muddy Buddies]

We recently got a Magellan Explorist 500.

We loaded a set of "geocaching points" and it shows the caches close by.

However, I'm told that you cannot delete individual caches from this file.

That's what we would like to do. Normally, once we have found a cache, we delete it from the GPSr and move to the next location. Leaving them on would get really confusing.

I have manually entered in a few POI's. These we can delete at will.

 

1. Is there a way to automatically download multiple POI's from something like a GPX file? This way we can have a faster input.

 

2. We are considering buying either Mapsend Topo 3D US, or Mapsend Direct Route NA. We want to be able to see the streets and how to get from A to B. In Houston, the topo is not that critical.

Any recommendations?

Edited August 22, 2005 by Muddy Buddies

[+D_Able_Cachers]

You can download geocaches individually, open them using GSAK and send them to Magellan's Geocache Manager. Each file will show up individually and can be deleted this way. This is neither fast nor efficient but I discovered the ability to do it, because not being able to mark or delete was bugging me. I have ask Magellan Support about this......uh...uh let me get back with you.....what's your email address?

 

I hope this helps.

 

600 owner........love the way it tracks, love the screen, hate the way it loads files

[+Muddy Buddies]

D_Able_Cachers,

So you're saying to bring 1 geocache into GSAK, then send it to the Geocache manager. This will create 1 file. I can see the initial setup would be time consuming, but daily or weekly updates won't be that bad.

If I do this, do all of the geocaches show on the map screen at one time, or do I have to select a new file whenever I go to the next cache?

[+JohnnyVegas]

This is what works for me. Reopen the GSAK file on your computer and delete the caches from this file. Then resend the file to the explorist 500, this will allow to replace the old file in the GPS with the new one.

 

Or just run a new PQ and load that to your GPS, if you filter out caches you have found thei will not be there anymore.(This is my prefeared wat as it will add any new caches in the area also) I have never bothered with deteling caches in the field.

 

Loading each cache into it's own file will not allow you to veiw all the caches on the screen at the same time.

 

As far as software, if you want turn by turn navigation go with Direct route. That's if you do not need topograpy. The topo software from magellan will have street info, but it will not auto route you to the cache area

Edited August 22, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[+EScout]

Muddy Buddies, from your .GPX file, first use GSAK to create a standard waypoint file (Export>Magellen Explorist POI.) The file can be 500 caches. You can use the descriptions on 200 of them or you can use the 20 character name to include information such as type of cache, container size, dificulty, terrain, last 4 finds, date of last find. If you do the later, you can have all of this info on all 500 cache waypoints. Configure the "Smart" name and special tags to get what you want.

[+Jhwk]

Hoping for a fix on the whole geocache file and 200 limit soon. Sounds like you need to go with Mapsend DirectRoute - great for getting close to that cache. I have both, but rarely need the topo...

[+JohnnyVegas]

Hoping for a fix on the whole geocache file and 200 limit soon.

That is not a real probem , You just set up PQs for smaller areas, Most of mine are set for areas with radius of 5, 10 or 20 miles based on the cities they are near. IF I am caching in one city there is not need to have a cache listed that is in a city that may be 20 miles away, chances are I am not going to that city that day, If I decide to I just switch over to that file. It might take two minutes to switch the file.

Just the other night I was caching for a few hours with a bunch of people, We would up doing caches in two cities about 15 miles apart so I just changed files.

 

The entire issue of a limit of 200 caches per file is a bunch of rubish, you can have as many files as you want in the GPS. I must have over 20 files in mine, I limit my files to about 100 maybe 150 caches per file, even at 100 per file that would be 2000 caches, no one is ever going to do 2000 in one day.