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It can't be this hard to upload caches, can it?


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I'm looking for any help out there. I have a new Colorado 400t and a premium membership for starters. I'm new to caching, but not new to GPS's or computers, nor am I technologically challenged. Am I wrong to have expected to be able to:

1- find caches near me on Geocaching.com

2- upload them into my GPS

3- have fun!

 

Apparently I need a degree from MIT to make this happen. As instructed, I have tried to download and run ALL of the GPX applications listed on the site, but none of them run. From the "Downloading GPX/LOC/KML Files" page, there are 5 GPX manager programs for Windows and all 5 of them freeze before even getting past a splash screen and I have to close them with Task Manager. When I try to upload caches individually, they show up on my GPS as gibberish and with none of the details and descriptions I specifically bough the unit for! I'm trying to plan a trip with my family for a week and if I have to manually load a couple hundred potential cache sites, I'll make new plans!

 

I'm hoping I just missed a small but vital step. I am running the most up to date software on the GPS.

 

Can anyone give me a glimmer of hope here? At this rate, I'll save the $500 bucks and go back to map and compass!

 

Thanks in advance for the lifeline!

 

~Threewhitebears :huh:

Edited by Threewhitebears
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If you have a Colorado, then downloading caches is simple. Here are the steps I followed:

 

1) Create an account on geocaching.com

2) Become a premium member

3) Click the "hide & seek a cache" button on left side of screen

4) Enter the zipcode in the zipcode field of the area you want to search

5) Change the default radius if you want more/less than the default 100 miles

6) Hit the "Go" button to the right of the zipcode field you just filled in

7) The list of cache result will be sorted in descending order by the distance the cache is from the zipcode center

8) Browse the cache's to figure out which ones you want to find.

9) Once you find a cache you are interested in finding -- if you are in the listing of caches page, click the "send to gps" button to the far right of the listing line OR if you are in the cache, click the "Send to GPS" button.

10) If this is the first time you have used this feature, the website will prompt you to download/install a small program called "Garmin Communicator".

11) Make sure your Garmin is connected to the computer using the usb cable and then download/install the program.

12) After the install, click on either "send to GPS" button already discussed in #9 above. It may already know that you clicked the "Write" button already to install the s/w (I don't remember that part). If you are technical, this part should be easy.

13) The program will search for attached devices to your computer. Choose your Colorado from the drop down box and then click the "write" button.

 

That's it! The gpx file is automatically transferred to your GPS. Repeat steps 12 and 13 for each cache you want to send to GPS. If you want to bulk load caches to your GPS, you must use the pocket query function. There is great documentation on the geocaching website for pocket queries when you are ready to explore that option.

 

I hope this helps!

Edited by yukionna
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I know it can be frustrating when you are trying to get something to work right. But, you really need to provide more specific information. People here are willing to help but no one one can read your mind and what appears obvious to you becomes a guessing game to people reading your post.

 

"Tips for asking questions

 

* Pick good subject lines. The odds of you quickly catching the attention of knowledgeable help go way up when you. Subjects like "Error 403 transferring waypoints on 60C under BlerfoMAP 3.34" are much more servicable than "Newbie question".

* Punctuate the subject correctly. Interrogative sentences (questions) end in question marks.

* Include brand and model info when you're asking about problems. If you're using a program that runs on more than one OS, include info on that, too.

* If you're asking advice about maps, include what country/continent you're interested in."

 

I might add that you should list all the steps you've tried and results so far. Be VERY specific.

 

I'm looking for any help out there. I have a new Colorado 400t and a premium membership for starters.

 

Are you using pocket queries? If so, are you downloading them as gpx file or .loc files?

 

As instructed, I have tried to download and run ALL of the GPX applications listed on the site, but none of them run. From the "Downloading GPX/LOC/KML Files" page, there are 5 GPX manager programs for Windows and all 5 of them freeze before even getting past a splash screen and I have to close them with Task Manager.

 

Assuming Clayjar Watcher, EasyGPS, GSAK and GPSBabel correct (since GPXSpinner does not do what you are trying ot accomplish)?

 

You're saying that none of these applications will run on your computer?

 

What OS?

Are you running under an admin account?

If not, do you have sufficient rights to run these programs?

Do you need to run in a compatibility mode?

Doesn't the fact that all of these programs freeze on you indicate the problem is with your computer or a setting on your computer?

 

When I try to upload caches individually, they show up on my GPS as gibberish and with none of the details and descriptions I specifically bough the unit for! I'm trying to plan a trip with my family for a week and if I have to manually load a couple hundred potential cache sites, I'll make new plans!

 

I'm hoping I just missed a small but vital step. I am running the most up to date software on the GPS.

 

I'm not familiar with the Colorado line. But again, in order for someone to help, you really must be very specific and detailed in writing what you've done so far. How are you trying to upload the caches individually?

Edited by cliff_hanger
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If you have a Colorado, you already have the software necessary to get the GPX files into your GPS. I assume you installed the MapSource application that came with it. It's sometimes also called Trips and Waypoint Manager. If you haven't yet, do so.

 

MapSource can directly read GPX files. Connect your GPS to your PCs USB port. Open a GPX file in MapSource. Click the Download to Unit icon. In a few seconds, it should recognize your unit, and send the data to the GPS.

 

If you're unable to get this working, I think there's something seriously wrong with your PC.

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If you have a Colorado, you already have the software necessary to get the GPX files into your GPS. I assume you installed the MapSource application that came with it. It's sometimes also called Trips and Waypoint Manager. If you haven't yet, do so.

 

MapSource can directly read GPX files. Connect your GPS to your PCs USB port. Open a GPX file in MapSource. Click the Download to Unit icon. In a few seconds, it should recognize your unit, and send the data to the GPS.

 

Doh! I forgot all about Mapsource since I never use it to load waypoints. Thanks for the reminder.

 

If you're unable to get this working, I think there's something seriously wrong with your PC.

 

I really think this is it since OP wrote "programs for Windows and all 5 of them freeze before even getting past a splash screen and I have to close them with Task Manager." If true, there's not much hope that Mapsource will install and run properly, either.

 

I mean how could ALL of them have a bad download and install?

Seems either a permissions issue, computer does not meet minimum hardware / memory requirements or Anti Virus / Firewall software is interfering with the loading. I can't think of anything else.

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I had the same issue with GSAK, and found out some of these programs do not talk directly to the colorado. Once you great the GPX file just drag and drop to your Garmin through explorer.

 

Yuk had the right advice, I also pull up the area and click on the ones I want to go staight to my colorado. You can also do pocket queries, copying the GPX file directly to your Garmin.

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I bought my Colorado 400t about a month ago, and I had a struggle to use the Topografix Geobuddy software to manage cache downloads to the Colorodo. So I really dug into it and figured out a nice process for managing Geocaches with the Colorado directly from the PC and not needing any additional software. Since you are a premium member you should use the "Build Pocket Queries" feature available to premium members in order to get large groups of Geocaches with all of their details emailed to you as a .zip file from Geocaching.com. Here is the rest of the process once you have the .zip file:

 

The process to use a Pocket Query with the Colorado is this:

1) Unpack the .zip file which will contain two files like 1796017.gpx and 1796017-wpts.gpx, the first one should be larger and contains the Geocaches, the second one usually has a few waypoints in support of some of the Geocaches, for instance parking lots.

2) Connect the Colorado to your PC and it will be treated as two drives on your PC, for instance E: and F: The first drive is the internal memory of the Colorado and the second one is the SD card slot in the Colorado.

3) Copy gpx files to the Colorado's E:\Garmin\GPX directory. And if you have more than one Pocket Query you can put multiple GPX files in the Colorado and they are all read nicely. I read somewhere that you are limited to a total of 2000 Geocaches among the GPX files that you deposit into the Colorado. And folks think that there is a limit of 128 GPX files, but that may be just someone's wild guess. I have some GPX files in my Colorado, and it still shows over 1GByte of free space on the internal memory.

4) Manage the GPX files on the Colorado yourself. If you need to do some house cleaning then just remove whatever GPX files you want to remove from the Colorado. I think the one caution would be to not touch the gmapprom files in the E:\Garmin directory I think the Colorado's paper manual even cautions that deleting them is unrecoverable.

5) E:\Garmin\geocache_visits.txt contains what www.geocaching.com refers to as Field Notes in a plain text file. Here are a couple of lines from my geocache_visits.txt file:

GC13WB6,2008-04-18T04:39Z,Found it,""

GCN30G,2008-04-19T04:40Z,Needs Maintenance,""

6) The www.geocaching.com site can directly read your E:\Garmin\geocache_visits.txt file and then gives you a nice page where you can easily log your finds. Look for the link called "Access My Field Notes" within your "My Account Details" or you could just go to this URL http://www.geocaching.com/my/fieldnotes.aspx

 

Following this approach you will come to love the Colorado. You'll have the full cache description, recent logs, and even the hint available for each cache. It makes for fun and spontaneous Geocaching having everything paperless in the GPS receiver.

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