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Nuvi 500 or 550


GeoTruckin

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Im looking at purchasing the nuvi 500 or 550. I want it for geocaching and car driving. I want to load coordinated in it from the computer ( We have windows XP and use GSAK). Any suggestions.

 

Just my opinion but you might want to consider a separate handheld GPS for strictly geocaching. Would hate to drop the Nuvi. They are made specifically for the car and not rugged like the handhelds are. Don't get me wong there are plenty of people who use the Nuvi for both but I use my Nuvi for the car and the Garmin for geocaching with no regrets. I also use Pilot Snipes macro for the Nuvi for all the cache page info. Hope that helps.

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Im looking at purchasing the nuvi 500 or 550. I want it for geocaching and car driving. I want to load coordinated in it from the computer ( We have windows XP and use GSAK). Any suggestions.

You can do that with almost any Nuvi. I have a Nuvi 500 and use it for the road then my PN-40 to get the cache. I guess it will work OK.

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Im looking at purchasing the nuvi 500 or 550. I want it for geocaching and car driving. I want to load coordinated in it from the computer ( We have windows XP and use GSAK). Any suggestions.

 

Just my opinion but you might want to consider a separate handheld GPS for strictly geocaching. Would hate to drop the Nuvi. They are made specifically for the car and not rugged like the handhelds are. Don't get me wong there are plenty of people who use the Nuvi for both but I use my Nuvi for the car and the Garmin for geocaching with no regrets. I also use Pilot Snipes macro for the Nuvi for all the cache page info. Hope that helps.

 

According to the Garmin website: -

 

Drive, hike, bike or boat. With the rugged, waterproof, multi-mode nüvi 500, you can do it all. Packed with detailed street and topographic maps, nüvi 500 is ready for adventure both on and off the beaten path. Like the 550, nüvi 500 switches modes to navigate your active lifestyle and provides spoken turn-by-turn directions to your destination.

Take It Anywhere

 

Jon.

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Im looking at purchasing the nuvi 500 or 550. I want it for geocaching and car driving. I want to load coordinated in it from the computer ( We have windows XP and use GSAK). Any suggestions.

 

I just wanted to give a heads up to all about this GPS. I just purchased the 500 this weekend and I LOVE IT! I belive if you had one choice of a single GPS to buy for driving and caching this should be the one. I love the fact that it will give me driving directions to the Cache then can switch to walking mode which brings up the compass with two taps!

 

The 500 model which I bought comes with both City/Street Maps and Topo maps for the whole US. This makes it the best of both worlds with nothing else to buy. I got the unit brand new for $199 at MicroCenter.

 

As far as accuracy all 4 caches I attempted this weekend were spot on. It was perfectly on par with my iPhone each time brining me within 10 feet of the cache. Now Im sure some of the other GPS units out there will give you better accuracy but there are none that I know of that will also give you driving directions with spoken street names as well as full discription, hints, and previous logs of caches.

 

So far I have no negatives of this unit. It is super easy to drop GPX files in the GPX folder and it auomaticly adds them to the Geocaching icon. I still have to see how the battery holds up but I dont think it will be an issue at all. After turning it on from leaving the house all the way from guiding me with directions both driving and walking it had plenty of juice left. It comes with a car charger so you can charge it while you are driving so I dont see battery being a problem.

 

If anyone else has this GPS let us know what you think. Also if you have any tips or ticks let me know!

 

EDIT:Also just as an FYI for anyone who picks this up make sure you update it first. There were a couple bugs listed with old firmware that crached the gps if the title of the cache was too long. Also out of the box it does not do spoken street names. This feautre was added free later on though a free update. Also it comes with 2009 maps but you get the free upgrade to the 2010 maps with the update.

Edited by MustangTim
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Im looking at purchasing the nuvi 500 or 550. I want it for geocaching and car driving. I want to load coordinated in it from the computer ( We have windows XP and use GSAK). Any suggestions.

 

I just wanted to give a heads up to all about this GPS. I just purchased the 500 this weekend and I LOVE IT! I belive if you had one choice of a single GPS to buy for driving and caching this should be the one. I love the fact that it will give me driving directions to the Cache then can switch to walking mode which brings up the compass with two taps!

 

The 500 model which I bought comes with both City/Street Maps and Topo maps for the whole US. This makes it the best of both worlds with nothing else to buy. I got the unit brand new for $199 at MicroCenter.

 

As far as accuracy all 4 caches I attempted this weekend were spot on. It was perfectly on par with my iPhone each time brining me within 10 feet of the cache. Now Im sure some of the other GPS units out there will give you better accuracy but there are none that I know of that will also give you driving directions with spoken street names as well as full discription, hints, and previous logs of caches.

 

So far I have no negatives of this unit. It is super easy to drop GPX files in the GPX folder and it auomaticly adds them to the Geocaching icon. I still have to see how the battery holds up but I dont think it will be an issue at all. After turning it on from leaving the house all the way from guiding me with directions both driving and walking it had plenty of juice left. It comes with a car charger so you can charge it while you are driving so I dont see battery being a problem.

 

If anyone else has this GPS let us know what you think. Also if you have any tips or ticks let me know!

 

EDIT:Also just as an FYI for anyone who picks this up make sure you update it first. There were a couple bugs listed with old firmware that crached the gps if the title of the cache was too long. Also out of the box it does not do spoken street names. This feautre was added free later on though a free update. Also it comes with 2009 maps but you get the free upgrade to the 2010 maps with the update.

 

When I checked Garmin's specs on the Nuvi 550 I didn't find anything about waypoints,tracks, or trackback. Are these features supported?

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"When I checked Garmin's specs on the Nuvi 550 I didn't find anything about waypoints,tracks, or trackback. Are these features supported?"

 

I'd like to know about that too. Does the 500 record track logs?

 

It does do waypoints, tracks, and trackbacks. Its not on the Garmin page but I checked the manual and its in there.

 

Thanks so much. Can you log a cache in the Nuvi?

 

You can log the cache! There is a section where you can pick found/not found. It takes it out of the "Unfound" group and takes them off of the map. It really is cool!

Edited by MustangTim
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"When I checked Garmin's specs on the Nuvi 550 I didn't find anything about waypoints,tracks, or trackback. Are these features supported?"

 

I'd like to know about that too. Does the 500 record track logs?

 

It does do waypoints, tracks, and trackbacks. Its not on the Garmin page but I checked the manual and its in there.

 

Thanks so much. Can you log a cache in the Nuvi?

 

You can log the cache! There is a section where you can pick found/not found. It takes it out of the "Unfound" group and takes them off of the map. It really is cool!

 

Thanks you.

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Just how rugged is the Nuvi 500?

 

I've considered purchasing one. I live in a very rural area, and for some reason, none of the local stores ever carry the 500 model. So I can't get a real good up close and personal look at it to see what I think. Meaning, that if I order one, it will be an online order.

 

It will be used probably 97% in the car for navigating, and 3% off-road out in the open. So, I want to make sure it's something that can stand up to the elements first.

 

Anyone with any opinions on this?

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Just how rugged is the Nuvi 500?

 

I've considered purchasing one. I live in a very rural area, and for some reason, none of the local stores ever carry the 500 model. So I can't get a real good up close and personal look at it to see what I think. Meaning, that if I order one, it will be an online order.

 

It will be used probably 97% in the car for navigating, and 3% off-road out in the open. So, I want to make sure it's something that can stand up to the elements first.

 

Anyone with any opinions on this?

 

Well from what I can see, the Nuvi 500/500 "looks" pretty much the same as any of the other Nuvis you may have seen. Garmin went through the effort of making that model more weather resistant than mainstream Nuvi's, but that effort really didn't change its LOOK very much.. So, if you've seen *any Nuvi* then you've basically seen the 500/550.

 

If ordering online make sure you do so from a vendor that has a good returns policy! :)

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Just how rugged is the Nuvi 500?

 

I've considered purchasing one. I live in a very rural area, and for some reason, none of the local stores ever carry the 500 model. So I can't get a real good up close and personal look at it to see what I think. Meaning, that if I order one, it will be an online order.

 

It will be used probably 97% in the car for navigating, and 3% off-road out in the open. So, I want to make sure it's something that can stand up to the elements first.

 

Anyone with any opinions on this?

 

The Nuvi 500/550 is very similar to every other Nuvi you see in the store. My 500 is slightly thicker than my girlfriends Nuvi 200. It is waterproof and even has a waterproof cover for the mini USB port. Obviously like every other GPS on the market its not made of rubber and if you drop it on a rock the screen will crack, but with that said it does feel very sturdy and solid.

 

They are very hard to find, in fact I only found one store within 25 miles of my house that had it. I dont think you will find it in a Best Buy, Target, or similar store because it is a cross over unit for both hikers and drivers and has a limited audience. To give you an idea what to expect play with any Nuvi and that is what it is like for driving. The only major thing that is different is when you push the "Geocaching" icon it takes you to Geocaching mode. It looks very similar to what it looks like clicking on the "Geocaching" icon on a Oregon or Dakota. It will give you all the descriptions, hints, logs, etc...

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Thanks for the replies.

 

I guess I should have been a little more clear about my usage and such.

 

I have an old Nuvi 200. So, I'm familiar with the Nuvi series. The model I have, I wouldn't trust to use in any outdoor situation except for nice clear sunny skies. I really don't think it would hold up to the elements well at all.

 

That's what I'm wondering about with the 500. If I were to use it outdoors, could it hold up to the elements fairly well? You never know when you'll get caught in a freak summer rain shower, or the occasional snow flurry. I'm just wondering if it could stand up to those general outdoor situations.

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Thanks for the replies.

 

I guess I should have been a little more clear about my usage and such.

 

I have an old Nuvi 200. So, I'm familiar with the Nuvi series. The model I have, I wouldn't trust to use in any outdoor situation except for nice clear sunny skies. I really don't think it would hold up to the elements well at all.

 

That's what I'm wondering about with the 500. If I were to use it outdoors, could it hold up to the elements fairly well? You never know when you'll get caught in a freak summer rain shower, or the occasional snow flurry. I'm just wondering if it could stand up to those general outdoor situations.

 

The owners manual states that it is waterproof and designed for hiking and boating. It also says "An IPX7 designation means the GPS case can withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes." I feel confident with it out in the rain.

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The owners manual states that it is waterproof and designed for hiking and boating. It also says "An IPX7 designation means the GPS case can withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes." I feel confident with it out in the rain.

 

The owner's manual for the Colorado said that too, and I was afraid to get the one I had in a light drizzle. It didn't take much for moisture to start creeping in the battery compartment on that one.

 

It's why I've been a little hesitant about the advertising with the Nuvi 500.

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I really wouldn't take any Nuvi, even the 500/550, out into the deep dark back country bush and depend on it to any extent..

 

..but I would be fine taking it out on a semi-urban day trip or out boating local waters etc,, I think that's about the extent Garmin intends they be good for.

 

The Colorado battery cover is intended to repel water but there have been a few people reporting problems with that.. Oregon battery covers are much better.

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I was real happy with my NUVI 500 until I loaded the free map update. Prior to the update, the original maps showed small lakes, streams and rivers, swamps, etc along with topography. After the update, it's just City Navigator 2010 plus contours. No rivers or lakes. I'm currently trying to find out from Garmin how I can reload the original maps. If I had it to do over, I would have simply loaded City Navigator 2010 on the SD card as an additional map set and selected it when I needed it.

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I was real happy with my NUVI 500 until I loaded the free map update. Prior to the update, the original maps showed small lakes, streams and rivers, swamps, etc along with topography. After the update, it's just City Navigator 2010 plus contours. No rivers or lakes. I'm currently trying to find out from Garmin how I can reload the original maps. If I had it to do over, I would have simply loaded City Navigator 2010 on the SD card as an additional map set and selected it when I needed it.

 

When I did my update toward the end of the download it said something like "Your Topo maps need to be upgraded", then it went out and did a Topo map update as well.

 

Now when I goto my map info on my GPS I have two maps listed:CN North America 2010 and CN Lower 49 States + PR DEM. The 2nd set is the Topo Maps. You can check and uncheck both maps to look at either the city or Topo maps. Check to see what yours looks like after the update. Im thinking either the Topo maps are not checked or that they didnt download correctly. If they are missing I would contact Garmin.

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Now when I goto my map info on my GPS I have two maps listed:CN North America 2010 and CN Lower 49 States + PR DEM. The 2nd set is the Topo Maps. You can check and uncheck both maps to look at either the city or Topo maps. Check to see what yours looks like after the update. Im thinking either the Topo maps are not checked or that they didnt download correctly. If they are missing I would contact Garmin.

 

Both are checked. Can you verify whether show a stream just south of N44˚ 17', W85˚ 23'. I did with the original set but not now.

 

Garmin is supposed to get back to me.

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Now when I goto my map info on my GPS I have two maps listed:CN North America 2010 and CN Lower 49 States + PR DEM. The 2nd set is the Topo Maps. You can check and uncheck both maps to look at either the city or Topo maps. Check to see what yours looks like after the update. Im thinking either the Topo maps are not checked or that they didnt download correctly. If they are missing I would contact Garmin.

 

Both are checked. Can you verify whether show a stream just south of N44˚ 17', W85˚ 23'. I did with the original set but not now.

 

Garmin is supposed to get back to me.

 

I checked it out and I do not see a stream. I have both the city street and Toto maps checked. Below is 2 screen shot's of what I see. Let us know what you find out from Garmin. Very interesting if newer maps are missing info that older maps had.

 

If anyone still has 2009 on their unit take a look at this location for us and throw up a screen shot if you can so we can compare, and have something to show Garmin.

 

4167336200_74a911c033_m.jpg

4166592727_20bdb72163_m.jpg

Edited by MustangTim
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If you have BOTH checked, you will see the CN with DEM. Uncheck CN and see what it looks like.

 

Checked it both ways and both look the same for me with no stream. I looked on Google Topo Maps and I see the stream that Frank and Peggy is looking for and it is defiantly missing from the maps.

 

I just hope this is a one time thing and not Garmin intentionally taking things off of the preloaded maps to force us to buy the 24K maps.

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