A GPS unit question & clarifying a term

[tcmr]

Hi, A newbie here. We bought a Garmin nuvi 250 & are new to geocaching. We read how the coordinate format is important. We don't know how to find out if we are set for WGS84 or NAD27. I know that the setting is h ddd mm.mmm . Does this tell me what format it is? Does anyone know what downloading software is compatible with this unit? I picked(I think) EasyGPS but our unit was not listed there for us to select. Last question, one of the caches said it was a "lock-n-lock container" - what does that mean? Thanks.

[+Lovey Pigs]

I can help with the lock & lock at least. It's a Rubbermaid type plastic container that has a good lid on it with a tight seal to keep moisture out. It's a brand name. sorry can't help with your GPS, I'm sure soemone will jump in! Welcome & enjoy!!!

[+briansnat]

I'm not sure that a Garmin Nuvi can be used for geocaching. It's chiefly designed for automobile navigation. Can you enter coordinates?

 

Even if it is usable for geocaching I'm not sure if I would. It isn't waterproof and probably not designed to take the abuse a handheld unit will receive while geocaching. Your Nuvi may become an expensive paperweight if you're caught in a sudden downpour or if you take an unexpected dunk in a stream.

 

You are probably better off getting an inexpensive handheld (Garmin eTrex, Geko 201, Venture CX, Lowrance H20 Plus, etc....) and use the Nuvi to get you to the parking lot.

 

Lock n Locks

 

 

Edited May 21, 2007 by briansnat

[+Airhead-kb]

A nuvi is not the best caching tool out there. They do have the ability to enter coordinates, but will only get you within about 30' of the cache at best.

 

No screen to get you closer and zero in on the cache.

 

And, they are made to be mounted in the auto, not carried in the field.

 

I have a Nuvi 660 and love it, but it is NOT the tool to use once I leave the car to get to a cache. It is a wonderful tool to get me within the parking lot of a cache - especially if you have to go around several dead end or one way streets to get there.

[tcmr]

Thanks for the help on the container.

Our nuvi lets us manually put in coordinates, but does have settings for bicycle & pedestrian use besides automobile. The salesperson told us we could use it for geocaching. It also has a disk slot for downloading(?) and a cable that connects to our computer. On one cache hunt, set to pedestrian use, it said we were within 1 metre & we were able to find the cache. So maybe we have a compatible format. The size & shape of our GPS is similar to a blackberry.

The downloading software is still a mystery to us.

[+Chuy!]

A nuvi is not the best caching tool out there. They do have the ability to enter coordinates, but will only get you within about 30' of the cache at best.

 

No screen to get you closer and zero in on the cache...

 

As long as a GPS has a satellite page where you can view the coords of your present location, you can zero in on the cache coords as accurately as any other commercial-grade GPS and as the skys permit. Coords #s go up for N and W; knowing this, just walk in the appropriate direction to GZ.

 

What is lacking for the Nuvi's is battery longevity and relative ruggedness to take a drop - 'cause I can almost guarantee you will drop it one day.

 

As for EasyGPS, do you have latest version? I think it's 2.3.7; I have 2.3.3 and Nuvi 300's show up. This may work anyways. I originally used the 2610 (a Garmin dash model) to download coords into my new Venture Cx.

[tcmr]

Will check the software version. Thanks!

[+briansnat]

Does the Nuvi have a navigation screen with course and bearing pointers? You can find a geocache by trying to match coordinates, but it is a tedious method. The navigation screen is a key feature for geocaching.

[+StarBrand]

Does the Nuvi have a navigation screen with course and bearing pointers? You can find a GPS by trying to match coordinates, but it is a tedious method. The navigation screen is a key feature for geocaching.

I tried the "matching" way on my first 10 or so caches. Not fun. Then I discovered the "compass" screen with pointer. Much easier.

[tcmr]

Our nuvi has a navigation screen.

Checked on the EasyGPS software version & it is 2.3.8

Have now emailed them to see if it supports my nuvi. So I guess I'll just wait for their reply.........

[tcmr]

Our nuvi has a navigation screen.

Checked on the EasyGPS software version & it is 2.3.8

Have now emailed them to see if it supports my nuvi. So I guess I'll just wait for their reply.........

[mirxx]

Hi everyone.

 

I've got a Nuvi 300 and I was using it in one of the caches found in Singleton (NSW Australia) - Hewn in Stone by Mix.

 

This cache has got really great reviews and it kinda disappointed me that my Nuvi took me to forbidden areas like a private gated land with warnings like "bypassers will be persecuted" and also an Army Camp. I was even asked for an ID or I'll be treated as a trespasser, until I showed them my GPS that I was really geocaching at this specific coordinate. They let me off easy and I was on my way back home, sad and disappointed.

 

So, my question is - is Garmin Nuvi 300 following the WGS84 datum? As tcmr has nicely put it, we could enter coordinates in the form of:

N/S xxx° xx.xxx

W/E xxx° xx.xxx

 

Thank you.

 

Cheers,

mirxx.

[+Moore9KSUcats]

Lock-n-locks seem wonderfully waterproof! We had one float about 20 feet in flood conditions and remained nice and dry. Everything inside was in perfect condition. It was washed out from under its pile of vegetation and ended up on a pile of that little chipwood you see after a flood... just waiting for me to rescue it. (It is actually a letterbox rather than a geocache.)

 

The only warning I have heard is on the imitation Lock-n-Locks... if something gets in the way of the seal, they aren't very waterproof... I am sure that could be true of the real one, also.

[+jwe4i]

the lock in lock container is a tupperware type container that has a plastic tab that locks down on each side...as far as the datum (coordinates), on your gps unit under menu there should be a map units tab, then a preferences tab, select this and scroll through the different selections, one of them should be map datum. here you can change between the different types of datum.

Edited May 26, 2007 by jwe4i