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Mac Computer & Geocaching?


Hunt4Fun42

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I’m a complete newbe to GPS except for a Garmin StreetPilot in our car. I have an Intel Mac computer and want a GPS handheld that is compatible with it. I am considering a Garmin 60CSx for geocaching.

 

Can a Mac be used successfully in geocaching? Is the 60CSx a good unit for a novice? Does a Mac and a 60CSx play well together?

 

Sorry for all the questions but the more I read, the more questions I seem to have. Will appreciate any and all input.

 

Thanks ... Bob

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HI Bob

 

I to am a Mac person, and I have the 60CSx. I love them both. I use a program 'MacCaching' to transfer the way-points. As a free member you can download, right from the cache page, what is called a LOC file. It has the coordinates in it. Then I just drag and drop into MacCaching to load to the GPS. All pretty simple.

Once you get into caching more and you become a premium member there is much more info that can be sent to the GPS. There are others who know much more about that, than I so I will defer to them.

 

BTW, if all you need is the coordinates and if you carry a printout from the cache page, there is no need for any other software. Except you would have to enter the coordinates by hand into the GPS. I did that for about 4 years, but then I only looked for about 6 caches a day, like once a couple of weeks too!

 

Brian

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Thanks Guys,

 

Hearing from seasoned users that what I am trying to do is actually possible is very comforting to a complete tenderfoot. Years ago I read some articles indicating that using a Mac for any GPS work was somewhere between very difficult and impossible. Evidently that has changed. Thanks for the advice on the MacCaching program and procedures. Sounds like it may be fairly easy.

 

Am looking forward to getting out and finding some caches. I love my Mac. May soon love a 60CSx too.

 

Bob

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:laughing:

 

Please bear with me. I too am very new to GC, digitally challenged, and have spent most of the morning trying to download chosen coordinates from my Mac to my Vista E trex.

 

I have downloaded and installed the software from the Garmin Site, OK'd the disclosure stuff . Then, when I try to download the chosen cache info using "send to GPS" from the GeoCache website I get an error message that says GC cannot see my Garmin device and that I need to download the stuff.

 

Do I need to down load the MacCaching software as well?

 

(Please note, I am digitally challenged, not really understanding a lot, so if you have the time I would appreciate a low tech response)

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:D

I have downloaded and installed the software from the Garmin Site, OK'd the disclosure stuff . Then, when I try to download the chosen cache info using "send to GPS" from the GeoCache website I get an error message that says GC cannot see my Garmin device and that I need to download the stuff.

 

(Please note, I am digitally challenged, not really understanding a lot, so if you have the time I would appreciate a low tech response)

 

I have had issues with the Garmin Communicator plug-in for Mac. It worked once and only once for me. It was very disappointing and I have tried to re-install, re-boot, re-you-name-it and it has not worked since the first time. The Communicator window says it sees the unit, but when I tell it to write the geocache information to the 60Csx, it says it can't.

 

I am going to remove it from my MacBook Pro (Intel) and try MacCaching or other programs. What was nice about the Garmin Communicator plug-in was the fact it was supposed to transfer cache info directly from geocaching.com. Bummer that it didn't work consistently as advertised.

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