Nuvi 500

[+Miner_85]

 

Just purchased the Nuvi 500 and was quite impressed with what it can do. Am using it to locate the caches and then "switch over" to my "60" for the final 50 ft.

The problem I'm having is that when I connect the Nuvi to my PC, locate the Garmin\GPX folder and then load the .GPX file with the caches I want to search for, when I then query "Geocaches" it returns a "No Geocaches Loaded" message. By loading, erasing, reloading I have occasionally managed to get the info into the Geocache section but more often than not, I find it under "Favorites" instead.

 

The "Manual" is quite "sketchy" about loading, saying just to put the info in the Garmin\GPX folder ...

 

Comments, suggestions ??

[+Miner_85]

 

Just purchased the Nuvi 500 and was quite impressed with what it can do. Am using it to locate the caches and then "switch over" to my "60" for the final 50 ft.

The problem I'm having is that when I connect the Nuvi to my PC, locate the Garmin\GPX folder and then load the .GPX file with the caches I want to search for, when I then query "Geocaches" it returns a "No Geocaches Loaded" message. By loading, erasing, reloading I have occasionally managed to get the info into the Geocache section but more often than not, I find it under "Favorites" instead.

 

The "Manual" is quite "sketchy" about loading, saying just to put the info in the Garmin\GPX folder ...

 

Comments, suggestions ??

Believe I have an answer to my own "question" - With a little more "experimentation" I've found the following ... The Nuvi will NOT accept a "bundled" list of caches ( as can be produced using GSAK's export utility. If I load each and every .GPX file individually, each and every one now appears under "Geocaches".

Not exactly quick, if you have say, 30 or 40 caches you want to seek for the day ...

Hope Garmin puts out a software update that will allow for this !

[+Red90]

How exactly are you getting the caches on the unit. It should work, but they need to be in a certain format.

 

Have you tried to simple copy a Pocket Query to the unit?

 

Why switch to the 60 when close? The Nuvi should work just as well.

[+small oaks]

Mine works this way that I copy pocket query gpx files in garmin/gpx folder.

This works otherwise very nicely but if there is some caches with very long cache names among caches in gpx file, these would then cause nuvi 500 to shut down. if one of them is chosen as destination. Anyone else experiencd this "feature"?

Edited August 10, 2009 by small oaks

[+MAKCachers]

Mine works this way that I copy pocket query gpx files in garmin/gpx folder.

This works otherwise very nicely but if there is some caches with very long cache names among caches in gpx file, these would then cause nuvi 500 to shut down. if one of them is chosen as destination. Anyone else experiencd this "feature"?

 

We have certainly experienced the long cache name/shut down issue. Can't wait until they fix that considering we don't print anything now that we use the 500. I have never tried the pocket query feature yet with the 500; will have to give it a try. Thanks.

 

As for an earlier comment from another poster regarding why switch to the 60 instead of using the 500...the 500 is waaaaay to slow to update the compass. It has literally taken us minutes of walking before the compass updates direction or distance. We switch over to the old Magellan to make the find, but use the 500 for our paperless caching.

[+CondorTrax]

If you use GSAK to manage your cache list, there's a way to limit the character length allowing those caches to be accessed without having the Nuvi crash.

 

Within GSAK, the cache list you want copied to the Nuvi should be listed

Click on File -> Export

Select GPX/LOC

In "Waypoint Name" type: %Code

Max characters: 20

Cache Description: %smart=20

 

With these settings I have had no issues with the Nuvi crashing.

Hope this helps

 

 

Mine works this way that I copy pocket query gpx files in garmin/gpx folder.

This works otherwise very nicely but if there is some caches with very long cache names among caches in gpx file, these would then cause nuvi 500 to shut down. if one of them is chosen as destination. Anyone else experiencd this "feature"?

 

We have certainly experienced the long cache name/shut down issue. Can't wait until they fix that considering we don't print anything now that we use the 500. I have never tried the pocket query feature yet with the 500; will have to give it a try. Thanks.

 

As for an earlier comment from another poster regarding why switch to the 60 instead of using the 500...the 500 is waaaaay to slow to update the compass. It has literally taken us minutes of walking before the compass updates direction or distance. We switch over to the old Magellan to make the find, but use the 500 for our paperless caching.