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Am I off my rocker, or what?


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Let me set the scenario quickly. I started geocaching in April, purchased an Oregon 300, got the Topo 2008 and City Navigator DVD along with an 8gb microSD. Everything loaded, geocaches were readable from both the internal and external memory. All was good.

 

Then I see the 550t/550 series has a camera on it and is coming out. Since I am comitted to taking pictures of all of my caches, that means I will have one less thing to tote around with me. Ordered it on Monday, got it Wednesday and have been playing with it. One thing jumped out at me right away. While I am able to load GPX files to from the geocaching website to both the internal and external memory, I can only see them if they are installed on the internal memory. I contacted Garmin about this, and was told that I needed to have a map program installed on the external card before it would see any of the caches. Since that was what I had done with the 300, I tried it. I purchased another copy of City Navigator, installed it to the card, and still can't read any GPX files from the external memory. I again called Garmin support, and this time I was told that none of the Oregon series GPS's are designed to read GPX files from the external SD card, but only from the internal memory. So I said that what is happening with my 300 is just a fluke, and was told, yeah it was.

 

So my question is, was it a fluke? Has anyone else tried using GPX files from their microSD cards on any of the Oregon series? Or am I just experiencing a senior moment? Any ideas/suggestion/comments are appreciated.

 

Thanks

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It's Garmin having a senior moment. Hope I don't get banned for this, because 2 weeks ago people got angry on me not being friendly about Garmin "helpdesk"

 

From the beginning of the Colorado and last years june the Oregon, I have all my .gpx files on a SD, that's tracks and WAYpoints plus multiple maps, no caches because I don't use them.

 

Tracks, routes, waypoints AND gmapsupp.img (you can rename them now) are seen by the GPS if they are on a SD no discussion about that. The Gps will not WRITE to a Sd.

 

To make it complete; waypoints, if deleted you have to rename the new waypointfile else the gps thinks it's the old one and won't read the file.

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Let me set the scenario quickly. I started geocaching in April, purchased an Oregon 300, got the Topo 2008 and City Navigator DVD along with an 8gb microSD. Everything loaded, geocaches were readable from both the internal and external memory. All was good.

 

Then I see the 550t/550 series has a camera on it and is coming out. Since I am comitted to taking pictures of all of my caches, that means I will have one less thing to tote around with me. Ordered it on Monday, got it Wednesday and have been playing with it. One thing jumped out at me right away. While I am able to load GPX files to from the geocaching website to both the internal and external memory, I can only see them if they are installed on the internal memory. I contacted Garmin about this, and was told that I needed to have a map program installed on the external card before it would see any of the caches. Since that was what I had done with the 300, I tried it. I purchased another copy of City Navigator, installed it to the card, and still can't read any GPX files from the external memory. I again called Garmin support, and this time I was told that none of the Oregon series GPS's are designed to read GPX files from the external SD card, but only from the internal memory. So I said that what is happening with my 300 is just a fluke, and was told, yeah it was.

 

So my question is, was it a fluke? Has anyone else tried using GPX files from their microSD cards on any of the Oregon series? Or am I just experiencing a senior moment? Any ideas/suggestion/comments are appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Well, for some reason my caches were on the Oregon's internal memory. I can't remember why I did that because I always put them on an sd card. Anyway, for the heck of it I created a GPX folder inside a Garmin folder on the card. I put my GPX files (all caches) into the GPX folder and they did show up on my Oregon.

Oh, I did delete the GPX files from the internal memory of the Oregon.

 

Senior moment it is :ph34r:

 

Oops, forgot to mention that I do have a map from city nav. on the sd card as well.......it is in the Garmin folder.

Edited by Evshro & son
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Make sure that they are in the {Sd card drive letter}:\garmin\gpx\ folder, and not just in the root of the card.

That's where I put them, just like I did on the old 300 I had. I just talked to tech support (again) and was told (again) that it is not supposed to be possible to read ANY gpx data from the SD card. I read a review of the 550t on the gpsfix.com website, and it seems that 550t/550 handle the database differently than the other Oregon devices:

 

"There have been changes in the 550 around how data is managed...... The GarminDevice.xml file mentions a “UserDataSync” mode for the content in \Garmin\GPX which is different than the x00 Oregon. Based on my initial testing it looks like waypoints and routes created on the unit are stored in daily gpx files in \Garmin\GPX. Deleting these files or the waypoints and routes contained in these files removes the objects on the unit itself. If this is the case it would be a hidden but somewhat radical difference from the x00 Oregon’s which keep separate internal databases that are not directly accessible by external software programs like BaseCamp and Mapsource. From a user perspective this would eliminate a lot questions around how data is managed."

 

Here is a link to the entire review:

 

http://www.gpsfix.net/garmin-oregon-550t-first-impression/

 

This may explain the situation I'm having. It would be interesting to see if anyone with a 400t is having the same experiences.

 

Thanks for the inputs.

 

:anicute:

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This does seem to be an issue. I'm sure it was an issue introduced on the 550t because of the UserDataSync support. I wonder if it is a bug or they are eliminating the support for gpx files on external memory entirely?

 

Can't believe I missed this one! I'll report it to Garmin.

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This does seem to be an issue. I'm sure it was an issue introduced on the 550t because of the UserDataSync support. I wonder if it is a bug or they are eliminating the support for gpx files on external memory entirely?

 

Can't believe I missed this one! I'll report it to Garmin.

 

Thanks, I'd appreciate that. I'm not trying to make a big deal out of it, but after having such good luck using the 300 to store lots of data, thought it funny that the 550t wouldn't do the same. What suprised me most was that all the support techs I talked to were adamant that all Oregon GPS units wouldn't do this. I suppose I could live with only putting the data on the internal memory, but dang, what would I do with that brand new 16gb microSD card I bought just for this unit. :anicute:

 

;)

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I just returned my 400t for a 550 I ordered at REI. Low and behold the 550 will not read the GPX files on the card!! This does bum me out as I too like to have multiple cards with me. :anicute:

 

I'll bet if you call Garmin tech support, they'll tell you that none of the Oregon series will read GPX files from the SD card, and if yours does, it a fluke. ;)

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It really doesn't bug me all that much that the 550t can't read the GPX files from the SD card. What really cheeses me off is their tech support people telling me that none of the Oregon series devices will and when you tell them yours does, "it's a fluke". Why don't they just own up to it and admit it. be up front, tell everyone about it, and then go on their way. I'd accept that if they changed the database management software and it can't do it anymore, then great, it won't do it. But don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. Hopefully this will be resolved in short order.

 

:anicute:

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Just recieved this from Garmin. It looks like there is a difference between the old and the new.

 

Dear Cunningham, Rich,

 

Thank you for contacting Garmin International.

 

The 550t stores data, such as geocaches and waypoints much differently than previous Oregon and Colorado devices. It stores them as a single overall file, and uses a UserDataSync to upload, erase, and otherwise manage that information on the device. It does not break them up individually like prior units, and this allows for the greater number of geocaches and waypoints. This is most likely the reason that it is not allowing you to put those files on the mSD card, as the unit needs to have them in that specific GPX file to read and use them.

 

With Best Regards,

 

Cristin E

 

Product Support Specialist

 

Outdoor/Fitness Team

 

Garmin International

 

913-397-8200

 

800-800-1020

 

913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Cristin E

 

www.garmin.com

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So, this is what you have now

1 helpdeskpeople saying you need a map(program) on the Sd then it works

2 you bought a new map and installed it on a SD, it''s still not reading data

3 helpdesk people saying it is not possible

4 helpdesk writing, the data is in ONE gpx file therefore it's not working??????

 

Well wake up Garmin, Colorado And Oregon have data like Waypoints\Tracks\Routes (caches I don't know) ALL IN ONE workingfile Gps\Garmin\Gpx\CURRENT.GPX

and in my case my Oregon is reading data from ??? The SD

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FWIW, here is the file structure from the 550t. Since the tech support email is telling me that is it different, if some of the Oregon 200/300/400 owners could look at this and see how it compares to theirs? (This is the Garmin folder on the 550t):

 

\ExtData

\006-D0952-05.bin

\006-D0952-06.bin

 

\GPX

\Current

\Current.gpx

(there are also a lot of GPX files in the root GPX directory, that is where I have to keep my geocache files)

 

\JPEG (currently empty folder, this is where the 550t stores pics internally)

 

\PROFILES

\Automotive.gpf

\Camera.gpf

\camera.jpg

\camo.jpg

\cracks.jpg

\desert camo.jpg

\Fitness.gpf

\Geocaching.gpf

\grass.jpg

\Marine.gpf

\pine needles.jpg

\Profiles.ver

\Recreational.gpf

\river rocks.jpg

\tire marks.jpg

\track and field.jpg

\water drops.jpg

\wheat.jpg

 

\RemoteSW

\006C013600.GCD

 

\TEXT

\many language files, all with .gtt extender

 

(all below are files)

fs_image.ver

\GarminDevice.xml

\Garmintriangletm.ico

\geocache_visits.txt

\gmapprom.img

\gmapprom.sum

\gmaptz.img

\startup.txt

\system.xml

 

It would be interesting to see how this differs from the \Gamin directory on other devices.

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So, this is what you have now

1 helpdeskpeople saying you need a map(program) on the Sd then it works

2 you bought a new map and installed it on a SD, it''s still not reading data

3 helpdesk people saying it is not possible

4 helpdesk writing, the data is in ONE gpx file therefore it's not working??????

 

Well wake up Garmin, Colorado And Oregon have data like Waypoints\Tracks\Routes (caches I don't know) ALL IN ONE workingfile Gps\Garmin\Gpx\CURRENT.GPX

and in my case my Oregon is reading data from ??? The SD

 

There were two seperate calls to the helpdesk, both with the same answer after I installed the map program. Otherwise, that pretty much sums it up.

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Its kinda funny how your can do one thing and the so called TECH's tell you that you can't, i bet the majority of them have never even turned on a Orgeon unit let alone used one on a daily basic, anyone can read from a cue card. I'm sure there is away around the 550 reading from the SD card, just like they said you could not load the preinstalled basemap from the 400t into Mapsource, guess what there was away around it and works. If techs are going to give you advice i would surgest they actually know the unit inside out and back to front by actually using it.

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What the tech support guy at Garmin said probably is true, the 550t uses a different model for data management, the details are in my recent posts on GPSFix so I won't rehash it here, but essentially the Oregon 550t works directly from the gpx files you load into \Garmin\GPX rather than keeping a separate database in memory like the 300/400. This is good because the GPS and programs like Mapsource are using the same data, but the implementation is confusing and it is very possible that Garmin either intentionally removed the support for reading GPX files from the SD card or just broke in the process.

 

I'll try to find out from Garmin on Monday if this is going to be fixed or not.

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Here is the latest email I got from Garmin:

 

 

Dear Cunningham, Rich,

 

The Oregon series units can access files from the mSD cards, if they are

placed in a similar Garmin/GPX folder, on the card. If they are just

"sent" to the card, they will just remain on the root of the mSD card,

and the unit won't be able to read them.

 

I will experiment with a 550t here, and see if I can determine if the

ability to do that is specifically disabled on the 550t for a reason, or

if it is something that will be corrected in future releases.

 

With Best Regards,

 

Cristin E

Product Support Specialist

Outdoor/Fitness Team

Garmin International

913-397-8200

800-800-1020

913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Cristin E

www.garmin.com

 

 

Original Message Follows:

------------------------

Then why is it that when I call tech support (two times yesterday) I was

told that none of the Oregon series could access GPX files off the mSD

card, and that if my Oregon 300 did, it was a fluke? This

limitation/change to the way the 550t handles data is a serious issue,

not only for me, but for all geocachers. Go to the forums on

geocache.com and you'll see that it's a hot topic. Had I known that it

would not be possible to do this, I most likely would not have upgraded

to the 550t from the 300. As it stands now, I'm seriously considering

returning it and getting another model, not necessarily a Garmin.

 

What information is it that can be read from the mSD card? I can see

that it has no problem reading maps and photos.

 

 

________________________________

 

From: techsupp@garmin.com [mailto:techsupp@garmin.com]

Sent: Fri 7/17/2009 5:35 PM

To: Cunningham, Rich

Subject: Re: problem with 550t reading from ext. microSD card

(KMM13688982I15977L0KM)

 

 

Dear Cunningham, Rich,

 

Thank you for contacting Garmin International.

 

The 550t stores data, such as geocaches and waypoints much differently

than previous Oregon and Colorado devices. It stores them as a single

overall file, and uses a UserDataSync to upload, erase, and otherwise

manage that information on the device. It does not break them up

individually like prior units, and this allows for the greater number of

geocaches and waypoints. This is most likely the reason that it is not

allowing you to put those files on the mSD card, as the unit needs to

have them in that specific GPX file to read and use them.

 

With Best Regards,

 

Cristin E

 

Product Support Specialist

 

Outdoor/Fitness Team

 

Garmin International

 

913-397-8200

 

800-800-1020

 

913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Cristin E

 

www.garmin.com

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...

So my question is, was it a fluke? Has anyone else tried using GPX files from their microSD cards on any of the Oregon series? Or am I just experiencing a senior moment? Any ideas/suggestion/comments are appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

I haven't yet been able to figure out how to use the SD card in my oregon. It appears to be a placebo. Put a GPX on it. Can't find it on the GPS. Install maps, nothing pops up asking me if I'd like to use the SD Card.

 

The garmin manual details nothing on how to use the SD card.

 

They need to update the manual so we can use our GPS.

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I haven't had the nerve to try this yet, but what if the GPX folder were deleted from the Oregon and replaced with a GPX folder on the sd card. Then there might be one GPX folder for the Oregon to read from, OR would the Oregon automatically recreate a GPX folder to replace the one deleted??

 

Just a thought

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Actually, what Garmin is saying, is happening on the 'old' colorado and oregons

In the current.gpx is stored all the data and this file is the workingfile adding and deleting data in and out this file.

 

Start data can be in the

Gps\Garmin\Gpx tracks waypoints routes

and\or

SD\Garmin\Gpx tracks waypoints routes

 

Data from both GPX folder will be read and brought in the current.gpx file

the current.gpx and all other read\writing in the gps will ONLY be done IN the Gps

 

Therefore you must not delete Gps\Garmin\Gpx folder, deleting the current.gpx and if there temp.gpx is possible but might result in loss of data like wp tracks and routes.

 

Bottom line is, my oregon is working like they say the new 550T is working, only we can read ALL DATA FROM the Sd, sounds like another silly Garmin answer.

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...

So my question is, was it a fluke? Has anyone else tried using GPX files from their microSD cards on any of the Oregon series? Or am I just experiencing a senior moment? Any ideas/suggestion/comments are appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

I haven't yet been able to figure out how to use the SD card in my oregon. It appears to be a placebo. Put a GPX on it. Can't find it on the GPS. Install maps, nothing pops up asking me if I'd like to use the SD Card.

 

The garmin manual details nothing on how to use the SD card.

 

They need to update the manual so we can use our GPS.

 

What model of Oregon are you using? When I used the 300, I could load GPX files on either the internal memory in the \Garmin\GPX folder, or on the SD card in the \Garmin\GPX folder. The Oregon didn't care where it was located, internal or card, it would find and display them no matter where. When I got the 550t, I did the same thing, but any of the caches I loaded on the SD were invisible. I then them all onto the SD and it saw nothing. When I put everything on the internal memory, it saw them.

 

As for the map selection, the only place I know where you can change the selection of which mapset you are using is in the set screen, under map, the last selection is map information - select map.

Edited by ivhs72
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There seems to be some confusion around what is working and what isn't so I ran a quick test on both my Oregon 400t and 550t where I copied the same two gpx files into \Garmin\GPX on both internal and external memory and checked to see what appeared on the unit. The files contained waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches. The 400t was running 3.01 beta and the 550t was running 2.10.

 

400t internal: works

400t external: works

550t internal: works

550t external: does not work (no waypoints, tracks, routes or geocaches show up)

 

Garmin does seem to be aware of the issue, but no word of if it will be fixed or not.

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...What model of Oregon are you using? When I used the 300, I could load GPX files on either the internal memory in the \Garmin\GPX folder, or on the SD card in the \Garmin\GPX folder. The Oregon didn't care where it was located, internal or card, it would find and display them no matter where....

 

I'm using the 300 and used the root of the SD card to no avail. I read you use the Garmin/GPX folder but the Garmin only had one on the main memory. Not the SD. Nor does the Garmin create the directoires on the SD that might clue you in. I figured out to use the one in main memory.

 

So looks like if I create my own Garmin/GPX folder I can put GPX files on the SD card. Thanks.

 

I know how to switch between mapsets (Topo vs CityNavigator for example) and while I wish they made that simpler, it's not too bad. What I didn't see was how to use the SD card for mapsets. It appears that I didn't use more map memory than main memory though so for now I don't have a need.

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...What model of Oregon are you using? When I used the 300, I could load GPX files on either the internal memory in the \Garmin\GPX folder, or on the SD card in the \Garmin\GPX folder. The Oregon didn't care where it was located, internal or card, it would find and display them no matter where....

 

I'm using the 300 and used the root of the SD card to no avail. I read you use the Garmin/GPX folder but the Garmin only had one on the main memory. Not the SD. Nor does the Garmin create the directoires on the SD that might clue you in. I figured out to use the one in main memory.

 

So looks like if I create my own Garmin/GPX folder I can put GPX files on the SD card. Thanks.

 

I know how to switch between mapsets (Topo vs CityNavigator for example) and while I wish they made that simpler, it's not too bad. What I didn't see was how to use the SD card for mapsets. It appears that I didn't use more map memory than main memory though so for now I don't have a need.

 

Yes, if you create the \Garmin\GPX folder on a 300 SD card, it will work fine.

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