Help w/ Nuvi 350

[rhallva]

Hi all-

I have a Garmin Nuvi 350 I use in my car. How do I set this up to do some Geochache hunting?

 

I figured out how to add in Long/Lat coordinates but it is very tedious to type in. What is the quick and easy way to load coordinates into the Nuvi?

 

Do I need to do this with the Nuvi in "Walking" mode rather than "Car"?

 

Thanks for any info or any tips to get started. This sounds like it might be a fun way to spend some outdoor time with my kids.

 

Thanks!

RH

[+Snake & Rooster]

Hi all-

I have a Garmin Nuvi 350 I use in my car. How do I set this up to do some Geochache hunting?

 

I figured out how to add in Long/Lat coordinates but it is very tedious to type in. What is the quick and easy way to load coordinates into the Nuvi?

 

Do I need to do this with the Nuvi in "Walking" mode rather than "Car"?

 

Thanks for any info or any tips to get started. This sounds like it might be a fun way to spend some outdoor time with my kids.

 

Thanks!

RH

 

 

I hope it's not your only GPSr if you want to cache. It was designed to take you from place to place, following roads--which it does quite well. It is not set up for caching and has no arrow to follow along an azimuth. Walking mode simply slows down arrival estimates and the like. It will still lead you along the roads.

 

 

The good news is, you can download batches of waypoints from either MapSource or GSAK, and use them to get to cache areas. After that, you really need a GPSr designed for caching.

 

 

We have a Nuvi as well, but just use it to navagate the roads to a cache site. It does this much better than the Garmin 60CSx that we use to find the cache. Each has its place, at least for us. The voice prompts, large screen and better directions are the Nuvi's strong points and will get you to an area along the roads, but something like a 60CSx is what you need to find the cache--IMO.

[+jasond]

I figured out how to add in Long/Lat coordinates but it is very tedious to type in. What is the quick and easy way to load coordinates into the Nuvi?

I don't have a Nuvi, but this may be the quicker and easier way of loading coordinates.

 

To be honest, it looks like that's not going to be an ideal geocaching GPS, but that doesn't mean you can't make it work.

 

What you will need to do is concentrate on the lower-rated terrain caches so your vehicle can drive almost right up to the cache location. You should also view the google maps (on hybrid or satellite mode) before you leave for a good idea of where the actual hiding spot may lie. Finally, you should bring the hint with you in case you need it. Good luck!

[+StarBrand]

Also consider ruggedness. While many of the small handheld units can be dropped in a puddle of muddy water - the Nuvi will not recover from that very well. Geocaching hazards abound.

[+cerberus1]

I have a Nuvi 660. Has it's own "touch" page for coordinates.

We've used it for roadside micros, memorials and such. Actually quite accurate on the road.

I'd never think of bringing that critter, with it's soft "touch" screen into the woods.

Could buy a number of handhelds cheaper, with no risk.

I don't believe my warranty covers smashing it into a log...

[+jsndrsn]

I started using a nuvi 360, but if I got close to a cache, and went past it, yhe unit tried to take me back to the road directions to get me back to where I was. EX: Went past a cache by about 300 Ft. Nuvi 360 said to go back to the main road, drive 300 ft, and arrive at destination.

 

I now have a Garmin Legend, and it eliminates the problem.

[+jayaway]

I have had my Nuvi 350 for a week and am having a blast geocaching. It does a great job! First, I change the setting to pedestrian, and off road. That way it doesn't keep telling you to turn when you don't want to.

 

I found a website that told me how to make it MAC compatable, and then added a few more apps that allowed me to add written descriptions that show on the POI screen ( I cut and pasted from the geocaching website- including the hints). SO cool! In these apps (Babel) it changes the poi id number to the name so it is easier to find them too.

 

And if you touch the bottom right of your screen while looking for your waypoint (or POI) the voice tells you how far you have to walk to the next cache ( or turn, or whatever is next).

 

The only thing I don't know how to change is to get the little chests instead of the various flags, dots and such. Any ideas?

 

If you want to check out the info I got, google everything digital with alan joyce. lots of info there!

 

Cheers,

 

Jayaway

[+briansnat]

moving to appropriate forum

[+briansnat]

moving to appropriate forum

[+briansnat]

moving to appropriate forum

[+mstetz]

Here's how we used our nuvi 350 for geocaching. Print out the descriptions of the caches you are interested in from Geocaching.com. Find an approximate location of each cache using a Google map. Now, drive to the approximate location of the cache (parking lot, etc). Once there, we would leave the nuvi on and carefully bring it with us. When you touch the green bars located on the main screen, you will get the satellite screen with the coordinates for your current location. You might have to change the setting first to get the decimal display right. From that point, we would just walk in the correct direction until the numbers for our location closely matched the numbers for the destination. It'll take some walking around to determine if you're walking towards the cache or away from it. You'll get the idea.

 

Our way is probably more complicated than other recommendations, but you don't need to change a lot of the settings.

 

This might be a good way to determine if you like geocaching or not. If you get hooked, I would highly recommend purchasing a hand-held unit. So much easier, lot of features, and a lot more rugged.

 

Marty

[GhstRider]

I have the Nuvi 660 and I started to using it to geocache. I change the settings once I am out of the car to the following:

 

Settings>Navigation>Route Preference> OFF ROAD

 

Then

 

Settings>Navigation> Vehicle> PEDESTRIAN

 

I hope this will help you out!!