Need help on two things

[+goin2drt]

First we are now starting to get a little more serious about this. I have a Magellan Triton GPS and it is not user friendly with geocaching.com and Vantage Point. I heard the Garmin's are. If we use it for Geocaching and ATVing what is the best model/brand?

 

Secondly, we finally got our First to Find. They had a cool certificate in it. Is there a template for that or were they just really creative?

[+TeamThom]

I use a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and really like it. Works well with GC.com.

 

Geocacher University has FTF certificates plus a lot of other stuff and information.

[+Dread_Pirate_Bruce]

I've got a Garmin 76map and am thrilled with it. It is very gc.com friendly, even with my Mac.

[Skippermark]

Garmin 60CSx is very good, but the new Colorado/Oregon units look promising, though they still may have some growing pains as they're pretty new.

[+BoggyWoggy]

My Magellan is my best friend...and does well with geocaching.com through GSAK with absolutely no glitches.

[+hydnsek]

I use a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and really like it. Works well with GC.com.

 

Geocacher University has FTF certificates plus a lot of other stuff and information.

What they said. LOVE my Garmin GPSmap 60CSx.

[+kraushad]

A quick vote for the Garmin Vista HCX - have had nothing but good times with it

[+scavok]

For the GPS recommendation, if you have the money the colorado is great. You can create profiles on it (I have hiking, automobile and geocaching) works with street maps too. I plug it in to the computer, find caches I want to do, click the "send to GPS" and once find it mark it as found in the GPS, come home plug it in and geocaching.com reads my finds off the GPS and gives me a log list of finds, DNF and other options.

 

Someone in these forums said that the colorado is to geocaching as a cannon is to killing a fly. Totally true, but it sure is nice

[GPS-Hermit]

I got the GPSMAP 76CSX and the price is right for a great reciever - the 60csx is the same GPS in a different housing and case - pick your perference - the 76csx floats if that matters to you. Save the money with these units and you can't buy a better signal catcher.

[+9Key]

My 60CSx has been razor sharp marking waypoints when hiding caches. Lots of positive comments regarding my cache coordinates with this receiver.

 

I'm not too fond of the dash mount clip though. Maybe it just takes getting used to. The eTrex clip was much easier to use.

[+busterbabes]

more kudos to Garmin 60csx... it has rarely failed me

[+goin2drt]

more kudos to Garmin 60csx... it has rarely failed me

 

Sounds like all really like the 60csx. So does that unit synced directly with www.geocaching.com? Can I load my caches directly to it and then when found directly back. I am tired of the extra steps with GSAK and Vantagepoint for the Magellan.

 

Thanks.

[Clan Riffster]

I've owned a 60CSx for a couple years now, and I'm quite impressed with it, as compared to other units I've played with. In a side by side comparison, it blows away the Vista HCx and the Magellan eXplorist 500. The Rhino 530HCx and the 76CSx are equals to the 60CSx in finding caches, so any preference there would be just on features. With the Rhino you get a FRS/GMRS radio, and with the 76, you get a unit that floats. I have not done a side by side comparison to the Colorado or Oregon, yet, so all I can offer is hype.

 

One factor I really like about the 60 is it's pretty darn rugged. Not sure how its inherent toughness compares to other models though, as I haven't abused any others. To date, I've driven over my 60 with my 'Yota, wrecked my motorcycle with it clamped to the handlebars and slid it off the roof of my buddy's car at 40 MPH, bouncing it merrily across the blacktop. Other than cracking the battery cover, (and a buttload of scratches), the unit is as good as when I bought it.

 

Another contender worth mentioning is the Delorme PN-40. I played with one yesterday, and I see this as Garmin's biggest threat. If Delorme follows through with their promised firmware upgrades, it'll put an already formidable unit at the top of the food chain.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Clan Riffster

[+The Blorenges]

...Secondly, we finally got our First to Find. They had a cool certificate in it. Is there a template for that or were they just really creative?

 

If you're creative, there's nothing to stop you designing your own FTF certificate for any new cache you might be planning. MrB has done a few himself using Paint Shop Pro (I think) or something similar.

 

MrsB

[+goin2drt]

Well I went for it. Just ordered me a Colorado 400T. I got a great deal on a new one.

[+goin2drt]

WOW this thing is awesome. I did get the 400T. Now I have a question. I loaded the MapSource software. I loaded a few waypoints but how about geocaches? I loaded them from geocache.com to the handheld but when I synced them to Mapsource I could not find them. Any help would be great.

[+Parabola]

WOW this thing is awesome. I did get the 400T. Now I have a question. I loaded the MapSource software. I loaded a few waypoints but how about geocaches? I loaded them from geocache.com to the handheld but when I synced them to Mapsource I could not find them. Any help would be great.

Take your PQ and unzip the file. Then open up your 400t on your computer. Just drag and drop your unzipped PQ into the main folder on it (I can't think of what the folder is named by default) but it's the top folder. From there what I do is in that main folder I have a bunch of folder's with names from different area's near me. I put the unzipped PQ into the corresponding folder. Then when you unhook the 400t from your computer and turn it on. Your cache's should then show up on the map in the 400t. And in geocaching mode. You can then go and look at the cache info by clicking on a cache or by scrolling threw the list of cache's under geocaching.

 

If you need this explained a little clearer send me a PM and I'll be happy to try and help you with it. Once you've done it a few time's it is very easy to do.

 

Enjoy that Colorado!!!

[+goin2drt]

WOW this thing is awesome. I did get the 400T. Now I have a question. I loaded the MapSource software. I loaded a few waypoints but how about geocaches? I loaded them from geocache.com to the handheld but when I synced them to Mapsource I could not find them. Any help would be great.

Take your PQ and unzip the file. Then open up your 400t on your computer. Just drag and drop your unzipped PQ into the main folder on it (I can't think of what the folder is named by default) but it's the top folder. From there what I do is in that main folder I have a bunch of folder's with names from different area's near me. I put the unzipped PQ into the corresponding folder. Then when you unhook the 400t from your computer and turn it on. Your cache's should then show up on the map in the 400t. And in geocaching mode. You can then go and look at the cache info by clicking on a cache or by scrolling threw the list of cache's under geocaching.

 

If you need this explained a little clearer send me a PM and I'll be happy to try and help you with it. Once you've done it a few time's it is very easy to do.

 

Enjoy that Colorado!!!

 

I can get the geocache to show up on my 400. I just go to geocache.com and hit send to Garmin. My issue is I can not get the geocache from the 400 to my MapSource software that they provided with the 400. I can not see the geocaches on the map on the computer.

[Clan Riffster]

Do you have GSAK? If so, rather than going straight from your 'puter to your 400, try loading the caches into GSAK, then export to Mapsource. You'll get to peruse the map at your leisure, then upload it to your GPSr.

[+FireRef]

After using a $150 gps for several years, I graduated to the colorado, and am extremely pleased with it - overkill or not, it was worth it

[We'reGoneAgain]

My Magellan is my best friend...and does well with geocaching.com through GSAK with absolutely no glitches.

 

I am new to geocacheing. I have 2 finds so far. I bought a Magellan Triton 200 after my first find. I don't find it very user friendly and am having problems with Vantagepoint as well. Every time I zoom in on the map view to see geocaches I've downloaded I only get so far and then Vantagepoint freezes up. Task Manager says its "not responding." I don't have a clue why. Any ideas on how I can fix this??