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Garmin Venture HC Question


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Hello,

 

I tried searching through the forums and on garmin etc to find this, so I apologize if I overlooked an answer. My question is on the garmin venture hc in the geocaching mode, what information is transfered from www.geocaching.com when you import caches.

 

I tried a magellan triton 200 and it transfered a ton of information and I really liked having a description, but this thing destroys batteries and I returned it. I wanted to know what info the venture hc will pull in.

 

Thanks,

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Welcome to the Forums! <_<

 

Since you are a Premium Member, you can get the .gpx files from each cache page, and from Pocket Queries. If you use GSAK to send the info to the GPS unit, you can use the "smart name" codes to get lots of information in both the Waypoint Name and the Comments section, depending on how you set up the codes.

 

Thanks for the speedy reply. So with the venture I should be able to get a site description/hints into a venture hc by using smart names. Thats what I was hoping for. I didn't want to buy a venture HC to try it without having some idea of this. My local store has it in the blister pack and returning items from opened blister packs is more difficult than the boxes the magellans come in. The triton was much easier to try out since it was just in a box.

 

I have seen some things regarding paperless geocaching and I guess that is what I am after and I have a limited budget. I did use the Pocket Queries to transfer caches to the magellan and was hoping the garmin venture hc is similar.

 

Thanks again

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What is the price on the Venture HC? If you can spend a bit more to get an 'x' GPSr, you can get a lot more info on the GPS unit using "Custom POIs." The Legend HCx is selling for less than $200 on Amazon.com.

 

To get useful information on my Vista HCx, I use this "smart name" code for the Waypoint name: %smart=9 %con1%typ1%dif1%ter1

 

The information included is part of the Name, the Size of the container, the Type of cache (Traditional, Multi, Virtual, Puzzle), the Difficulty and Terrain (based on a 10-point scale). To get part of the hint, I use this code in the Waypoint Description blank of the "Send To GPS" dialogue box:

 

%Name=8 %hint

 

For the .gpx Export for Custom POIs, I use a different code to get still more info. <_<

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What is the price on the Venture HC? If you can spend a bit more to get an 'x' GPSr, you can get a lot more info on the GPS unit using "Custom POIs." The Legend HCx is selling for less than $200 on Amazon.com.

 

To get useful information on my Vista HCx, I use this "smart name" code for the Waypoint name: %smart=9 %con1%typ1%dif1%ter1

 

The information included is part of the Name, the Size of the container, the Type of cache (Traditional, Multi, Virtual, Puzzle), the Difficulty and Terrain (based on a 10-point scale). To get part of the hint, I use this code in the Waypoint Description blank of the "Send To GPS" dialogue box:

 

%Name=8 %hint

 

For the .gpx Export for Custom POIs, I use a different code to get still more info. <_<

 

I would purchase the Venture from Amazon and its price is 136. I found a Explorist 500le for 169 at BIG 5, but haven't tried it out yet. I have been looking at the posts for Magellan and am a little shy of them with all of the complaints about customer service etc. I am pretty much a part time computer geek, so complicated setups etc don't stess me, but I am worried about the software glitches people report with the Magellans.

 

Also, I didn't want to go much over 150 until I am sure this is a long term hobby. I have this tendency to obsess on a hobby for a few months and then I let it go (I did that with RC helicopters) . With this hobby I get the family involved so there is a potential for this to last, but with my history... I need to be careful.

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A GPS unit is far more useful than just Geocaching, however, you need to purchase the maps to get those benefits. I use my Vista HCx for auto-routing and for finding Points of Interest (Motel, Restaurant, Stores, etc.) using the City Navigator maps. Although maps are not essential, they are certainly helpful for orienting yourself when you are looking for a cache.

 

Have you visited Garmin's comparison page to check the features of all the 'H' units . . . ? You might do that before making your purchase . . . just in case . . . <_<

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