Garmin Dakota 20 Maximum number of Geocaches in GPX

[+Schnitzel Jaeger]

Hello all,

I bought a Dakota 20, 4 weeks ago.

It is a very cool GPS device.

I use GSAK to combine the results of all my pocket queries and export it to as *.gpx file and then beam it on the Dakota 20.

Now my GPX-File has more than 2000 caches.

It seems that there are some caches missing.

Is there really a maximum number of 2000 caches for the Dakota 20 or is t just a maximum for one *.gpx file?

Thanks in advance

[+g-o-cashers]

The 2000 geocache limit is for the entire GPS not per file.

[+fegan]

1,000 waypoints

- and -

2,000 geocaches or 200 gpx files, which ever comes first

 

So, if you create a single GPX file with 2,001 unique geocaches in it, one will be missing.

Or, if you create 201 GPX files each containing one unique geocache, one will be missing.

 

Which one is missing, no one has taken the time to figure out. We just learn to keep things under 2,000 geocaches, or 200 files, to make sure everything gets loaded.

[RJHT]

1,000 waypoints

- and -

2,000 geocaches or 200 gpx files, which ever comes first

 

So, if you create a single GPX file with 2,001 unique geocaches in it, one will be missing.

Or, if you create 201 GPX files each containing one unique geocache, one will be missing.

 

Which one is missing, no one has taken the time to figure out. We just learn to keep things under 2,000 geocaches, or 200 files, to make sure everything gets loaded.

 

Is there a way to see the number of geocaches on the GPS unit?

[+osquadrados]

why its not possible to store the caches on SD card?

With a 4GB SD card i could store a endless number of caches.

[+ecanderson]

why its not possible to store the caches on SD card?

With a 4GB SD card i could store a endless number of caches.

You can store caches there (just create the Garmin/GPX folder to match your internal storage and put the *.gpx there) -- BUT -- Garmin plays games with how they let you use memory on ALL of their handhelds. You're stuck with the 2000 limit. My Summit HC had all kinds of spare memory after the basemap was loaded, but do you think they'd open up availability of that memory for more than 500 caches. NO! Twerps.

 

The only advantage of the 4GB microSD on a Dakota is the ability to keep lots of maps.

[+Chrysalides]

why its not possible to store the caches on SD card?

With a 4GB SD card i could store a endless number of caches.

You can store caches there (just create the Garmin/GPX folder to match your internal storage and put the *.gpx there) -- BUT -- Garmin plays games with how they let you use memory on ALL of their handhelds. You're stuck with the 2000 limit. My Summit HC had all kinds of spare memory after the basemap was loaded, but do you think they'd open up availability of that memory for more than 500 caches. NO! Twerps.

 

The only advantage of the 4GB microSD on a Dakota is the ability to keep lots of maps.

I'm also not too thrilled about the limits Garmin placed on their GPS receivers.

 

You can store geocaches as custom POI on the microSD.

[+ecanderson]

why its not possible to store the caches on SD card?

With a 4GB SD card i could store a endless number of caches.

You can store caches there (just create the Garmin/GPX folder to match your internal storage and put the *.gpx there) -- BUT -- Garmin plays games with how they let you use memory on ALL of their handhelds. You're stuck with the 2000 limit. My Summit HC had all kinds of spare memory after the basemap was loaded, but do you think they'd open up availability of that memory for more than 500 caches. NO! Twerps.

 

The only advantage of the 4GB microSD on a Dakota is the ability to keep lots of maps.

I'm also not too thrilled about the limits Garmin placed on their GPS receivers.

 

You can store geocaches as custom POI on the microSD.

Sure - you can put zillions on it as POI files... and lose all of the functionality of cache logging and notes. Winds up about 1/2 paperless. Stupid, just plain stupid.

[+fegan]

why its not possible to store the caches on SD card?

With a 4GB SD card i could store a endless number of caches.

You can store caches there (just create the Garmin/GPX folder to match your internal storage and put the *.gpx there) -- BUT -- Garmin plays games with how they let you use memory on ALL of their handhelds. You're stuck with the 2000 limit. My Summit HC had all kinds of spare memory after the basemap was loaded, but do you think they'd open up availability of that memory for more than 500 caches. NO! Twerps.

 

The only advantage of the 4GB microSD on a Dakota is the ability to keep lots of maps.

I'm also not too thrilled about the limits Garmin placed on their GPS receivers.

 

You can store geocaches as custom POI on the microSD.

Sure - you can put zillions on it as POI files... and lose all of the functionality of cache logging and notes. Winds up about 1/2 paperless. Stupid, just plain stupid.

 

With the Colorado/Oregon/Dakota models (I have a Colorad) I agree. 2,000 (or 5,000) geocaches is more than I could find in a week or even a month...no reason for me to load up a bunch of POIs that I can't mark as Found or log Field Notes.

 

As I understand...on a 60-series you can convert a POI to a waypoint/geocache on the fly, so you can load everything as POIs, leaving your waypoints/geocaches empty, and convert the ones your find as you find them.

[+mtrax]

does anyone know where the limit is documented?

[+Chrysalides]

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=30926

 

Get into paperless geocaching with Dakota 20 by quickly downloading up to 2,000 caches

 

I couldn't find any mention of the 200 GPX limit on Garmin's site.

[+Chrysalides]

Sure - you can put zillions on it as POI files... and lose all of the functionality of cache logging and notes. Winds up about 1/2 paperless. Stupid, just plain stupid.

Didn't see this when I originally posted.

 

Store up to 2000 as geocaches. Full paperless functionality.

 

Store the remainder as custom POI. You don't have full paperless functionality, but at least it is in your GPSr.

 

I have a filter to select the 2000 caches I'm most likely to encounter in my GPSr, but occasionally I travel out of this area and forget to reload my GPSr before heading out.

[+geojibby]

I don't get why Garmin limits the number of caches on a GPS unit and then starts their own "open" caching website. hehehhe...... Close one door and open another!

[+dfx]

I don't get why Garmin limits the number of caches on a GPS unit and then starts their own "open" caching website. hehehhe...... Close one door and open another!

it's roughly "technical" limitations. garmin devices don't operate on GPX files directly, instead they import the data into an internal memory. the size of this memory dictates how many caches can be loaded. of course the maximum number is not a hard limit but rather a safe guess depending on how much memory your average cache takes.

 

and then there's the aspect of trying to sell more expensive units over the cheaper models. so there's some business politics involved as well.

[+GrateBear]

Why is there a need for more than 2000 caches? I've been using a Legend Cx (and just got my new Dakota 20) that stored 500 caches. At best I found 30 or so before doing a new pocket query. And if I need more, I put them on GSAK and download when I get to a new location.

[+Chrysalides]

it's roughly "technical" limitations. garmin devices don't operate on GPX files directly, instead they import the data into an internal memory. the size of this memory dictates how many caches can be loaded. of course the maximum number is not a hard limit but rather a safe guess depending on how much memory your average cache takes.

I've always assumed, perhaps incorrectly since it is only based on how I would have implemented it, that what Garmin stores in internal memory is just a pointer to the file, and an offset pointing to where the cache entry is within that file. That would explain the hard limit of 2000 / 5000.

[+Chrysalides]

Why is there a need for more than 2000 caches? I've been using a Legend Cx (and just got my new Dakota 20) that stored 500 caches. At best I found 30 or so before doing a new pocket query. And if I need more, I put them on GSAK and download when I get to a new location.

It all depends on your workflow.

 

I usually update the caches in my GPSr once or twice a week. Every time I do, I'll load it with caches that I would reasonably be in range of when going between work, home, and other places I usually go to during the week. I do not usually plan "ah, I'll go try these 10 caches today" and load them explicitly into my GPSr.

[+geojibby]

This is a good point. Best I've ever done in one day of caching is around 30 or so as well. But it's nice if you're going on a family vacation to a new area for a few days to have tons of caches available just in case the opportunity to go caching arises where you're at. 2000 is probably enough to cover bases, but it depends on what you want.

 

Why is there a need for more than 2000 caches? I've been using a Legend Cx (and just got my new Dakota 20) that stored 500 caches. At best I found 30 or so before doing a new pocket query. And if I need more, I put them on GSAK and download when I get to a new location.

[+Styk]

Yah, hardware, CPU horsepower, battery consumption, they all play into the mix. However, an easy fix would be to add a file manager, load cache files with unused or reserved dummy extension, ie ".bac". Then using the built-in file manager, rename the current gpx file extension to .bac, select one of the other cache files and change it's extension to .gpx and reboot, viola, new caches in old caches out.

 

I have a work around for this scenario, I have a old iPaq PDA, which conveniently has an SD card slot. I power down my GPS, remove the microSD card, insert it in a full size SD adapter, plug that into the PDA and do the same thing as described above, change extensions, shutdown remove adapter and microSD, place it back in the GPS and power it up. Viola, new caches on the GPS.

 

Now, there is also a GPS file size limit, around 10 megs in size and things start misbehaving. I find, if I want to hit close to the upper limit of 5000 caches (oregon 450) I have to limit the logs to 1or 2.

[+dfx]

I've always assumed, perhaps incorrectly since it is only based on how I would have implemented it, that what Garmin stores in internal memory is just a pointer to the file, and an offset pointing to where the cache entry is within that file. That would explain the hard limit of 2000 / 5000.

good thinking batman! but there's gotta be a bit more that's being stored internally, i'd say at least coordinates, name, or rather only the first part of it (it gets truncated if too long) and cache type, as this is what has to be available on the fly for display on the map or in the cache list. but this is minor technicalities, it would still be a fixed amount of memory

Edited December 9, 2010 by dfx

[+Chrysalides]

Now, there is also a GPS file size limit, around 10 megs in size and things start misbehaving. I find, if I want to hit close to the upper limit of 5000 caches (oregon 450) I have to limit the logs to 1or 2.

Can someone else confirm this? Seems like 1 or 2 logs per cache, if you want to load 5000, makes the ability to have 5000 caches quite useless.

 

Are you running into the "Oregon hangs on start-up when loading new GPX" problem that was discussed in another thread?

 

If you encounter this every time you load a large GPX, perhaps you can try multiple GPX files, each under 10 MB?

[+dfx]

Can someone else confirm this? Seems like 1 or 2 logs per cache, if you want to load 5000, makes the ability to have 5000 caches quite useless.

negative, i've previously loaded GPX files with 30+ MB without problems. right now all my GPX files are well under 10 MB and i am running into problems. seems to me it's unrelated to file size. of course this may not be true for all versions of all devices (450 here).

[+Styk]

I first read about it I believe in a thread here but it also shows up on the Oregon wiki but it needs verification as there are reports on the 450 of bigger file sizes being used.

Edited December 9, 2010 by Styk