Garmin GPS III Plus

[+paraflier]

OK, so I have a dinosaur of a GPS. The little hamster can only run so fast inside the thing. (Insert joke about old GPS unit here)

 

What I would like to know is: Is it worth buying the PC adapter, as well as the 9-pin to USB adapter from Garmin (or another outlet) so I can transfer waypoints to the unit? Or have things advanced enough in the 10-12 years since the unit was new to not even make it worth the money and effort?

 

I have tried to find literature as well as instructions regarding the whole "download waypoints" but whenever I try to make the search brand and model specific, I get nothing. Except that that unit is discontinued.

 

So what do you think? The unit itself works great, just would like to bring it up to date. Worth it? Or do I have to bite the bullet, and get one of those shiny new units?

 

Thanks for reading/ helping.

[+fratermus]

What I would like to know is: Is it worth buying the PC adapter, as well as the 9-pin to USB adapter from Garmin (or another outlet) so I can transfer waypoints to the unit? Or have things advanced enough in the 10-12 years since the unit was new to not even make it worth the money and effort?

 

I am cheap/frugal/stubborn, so I'd buy the cable and adapter cheap off eBay or similar. The USB adapter will be usable for other legacy serial devices also.

[+paraflier]

That's the way I was leaning.... Just needed a push!

 

So when I get the waypoint files, is it as easy as drag n drop to the Garmin as a removable device? Or is there a lot more to it. (I'm all about easy...) I want to make sure I can actually make the downloadable waypoints work before I shell out $ for adapters and cables. I'm cheap like that.

 

Thanks for the help!

[+PDOP's]

Downloading GPX/LOC Files

[Mr Vista HCX]

I would buy a new unit. If you want functionality at a low price the Garmin Legend CX is on sale at www.costco.com for $140. This model has been discontinued because Garmin has Released the Legend Hcx that has a new High sensitivity reciever.

[+paraflier]

I would buy a new unit. If you want functionality at a low price the Garmin Legend CX is on sale at www.costco.com for $140. This model has been discontinued because Garmin has Released the Legend Hcx that has a new High sensitivity reciever.

 

Thanks for the great ideas, and the link...That I probably would have found if I looked a little harder, and not jumped right to a post!

[+fratermus]

That's the way I was leaning.... Just needed a push!

 

So when I get the waypoint files, is it as easy as drag n drop to the Garmin as a removable device? Or is there a lot more to it. (I'm all about easy...) I want to make sure I can actually make the downloadable waypoints work before I shell out $ for adapters and cables. I'm cheap like that.

 

EasyGPS is free (and easy) and is probably the go-to software for uploading waypoints to GPSr of all flavors.

[+Team Chinook]

That was my mainstay GPS for a number of years. I used the old serial cable...gave it to a family friend who bought a generic usb serial adapter (radioshack) and uses it. We borrowed that unit last Summer when we went on a multi-state National Park's trip so we could download caches along a route. It worked great - got us close enough to find caches in CA, AZ, NV.

 

My recollection is there was an update a couple of years ago for the III+ so if you haven't loaded that update, I'd do that and get a couple of cables for $50.00 and try it out. At worst, you have a decent backup GPS when you finally go out and buy a newer model.

 

my 2 cents.

 

OK, so I have a dinosaur of a GPS. The little hamster can only run so fast inside the thing. (Insert joke about old GPS unit here)

 

What I would like to know is: Is it worth buying the PC adapter, as well as the 9-pin to USB adapter from Garmin (or another outlet) so I can transfer waypoints to the unit? Or have things advanced enough in the 10-12 years since the unit was new to not even make it worth the money and effort?

 

I have tried to find literature as well as instructions regarding the whole "download waypoints" but whenever I try to make the search brand and model specific, I get nothing. Except that that unit is discontinued.

 

So what do you think? The unit itself works great, just would like to bring it up to date. Worth it? Or do I have to bite the bullet, and get one of those shiny new units?

 

Thanks for reading/ helping.

[+hogrod]

newegg.com has the Venture HC for $130, it has a color screen newer gps chipset and a usb computer connection.

[+twolpert]

I have a GPS III+ which I successfully used for some time on a PC with no serial adapter. I used a cheap Belkin USB to serial converter. Worked fine with Mapsource and the like. However, it did NOT work with Garmin Communicator. I have not tried it lately, but the symptoms (and Garmin's support response) were such that I think it's just not a supported configuration. This eliminates one of the easiest ways to get cache waypoints down to the device.

[+afh3]

I still have a III+ and used it until last month when I picked up an Oregon 400t.

 

Save the LOC or GPX files from the site and open them in MapSource. Then save them to your III+. You'll need the cable, obviously. It worked for me.

 

-Art