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MAC OS X software


shadefrog

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Before the change I used MAPSOURCE and GSAK for handling all my geocache waypoints.

 

I used GSAK to sort through the pocket queries and transfer them to my Garmin GPSR's and PDA (Palm m500). I used MAPSOURCE to manage all my routes, tracks, personal waypoints, etc.

 

Now I have no idea what to use. Anyone else using a MAC and into geocaching? What programs are you using to store / sort your pocket queries? How are you getting the data to the GPS? The setup from before was working very well for me.

 

One thing to note; I am not installing winblows. I am looking for a MAC alternate. I am running snow leopard v10.6.2.

 

Thanks.

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Before the change I used MAPSOURCE and GSAK for handling all my geocache waypoints.

 

I used GSAK to sort through the pocket queries and transfer them to my Garmin GPSR's and PDA (Palm m500). I used MAPSOURCE to manage all my routes, tracks, personal waypoints, etc.

 

Now I have no idea what to use. Anyone else using a MAC and into geocaching? What programs are you using to store / sort your pocket queries? How are you getting the data to the GPS? The setup from before was working very well for me.

 

One thing to note; I am not installing winblows. I am looking for a MAC alternate. I am running snow leopard v10.6.2.

 

Thanks.

 

I use Garmin BaseCamp, but it doesn't do nearly what GSAK will do. I love the program for what it does and I'm hoping they eventually give it more bells and whistles. Maybe take a look at Cache901. You can download that from the geocaching.com resources page.

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Doesn't Garmin's Road Trip for the Mac have the functionality of Map Source for Windows?

 

MacCaching on the Mac can sort and send waypoints to your Garmin handheld and the Palm. It's a very barebones program, though.

 

I used both these alternatives for a while, so I can attest that they do work in a limited sort of way..

 

picky mode/ And Mac isn't capitalized when referring to the Mac computer. /picky mode off :huh::(

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Not long ago, I tried a program for the Mac that was put out by the makers of GSAK. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name and it also hadn't been upgraded in a long time so it would work with the newest GPSr's. Like you, I'm not interested in running Windows on my MacBook Pro.

 

If you do happen to find a program that works like GSAK on a Mac, I'd appreciate if you would let me know. And one caveat regarding Garmin's BaseCamp software ... I had to purchase the Western US Topo 24k DVD to have a map for BaseCamp as you can't transfer your topo maps from your GPSr. BaseCamp is a free download, but the maps cost over $100 US.

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MacGPS Pro. Loads of features, altho not everything that GSAK has (or vice versa).

 

I looked at this software. It appears similar to BaseCamp and I like the maps for BaseCamp a whole lot more. Either way, they'll both cost you money. BaseCamp is a free download, so you could at least see if it will handle your caches, waypoints and routes like you want. Macgpspro is a $60 download. You could also look at RouteBuddy, but it's a $99 download and then you have to buy maps.

 

The only thing I don't know about BaseCamp is if it supports non-Garmin GPSr's.

Edited by cycler48
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Not long ago, I tried a program for the Mac that was put out by the makers of GSAK.

"The makers of GSAK" is not a large, unnamed entity where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. The development is one man, Clyde. In http://www.gsak.net/help/hs1070.htm#FAQ17 it's pretty clear that if you've seen a GSAK-like substance on Mac, it wasn't done by "the makers of GSAK". Geojournal and MacCaching are out there, but it doesn't seem like either are run-away successes, though I don't know why.

 

http://www8.garmin.com/macosx/ lists Garmin's (usually free) Mac offerings.

http://www.gpsbabel.org works the same on Mac and it does on Windows.

 

Edited to insert missing "not"

Edited by robertlipe
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Not long ago, I tried a program for the Mac that was put out by the makers of GSAK.

"The makers of GSAK" is a large, unnamed entity where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. The development is one man, Clyde. In http://www.gsak.net/help/hs1070.htm#FAQ17 it's pretty clear that if you've seen a GSAK-like substance on Mac, it wasn't done by "the makers of GSAK". Geojournal and MacCaching are out there, but it doesn't seem like either are run-away successes, though I don't know why.

 

http://www8.garmin.com/macosx/ lists Garmin's (usually free) Mac offerings.

http://www.gpsbabel.org works the same on Mac and it does on Windows.

 

Ahhhh yes ... you're absolutely right. I believe the software was MacCaching and on their website it says “Some people use a Swiss Army Knife to Geocache, we just use a Mac!” That's where I probably got confused ... Swiss Army Knife ... isn't that how GSAK is described? Anyway, it's seemed similar to GSAK, but would not support my Oregon 400t.

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Geojournal and MacCaching are out there, but it doesn't seem like either are run-away successes, though I don't know why.

 

Because they have practically no querying capabilities. Even the simplest of queries such as list all the caches north of my location within 5 miles can't be done on either Geojournal or MacCaching and sent to a GPSr. They have very limited utility. I finally found an old copy of Windows 2000 in a box around the house and installed it on my MacBook and use GSAK for finding and sending stuff to the eTrex.

 

BTW, I own a copy of MacCaching, and have used the demo of Geojournal.

Edited by jmd65
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If you've got a fairly new mac you've also got a machine that is more than capable of running windows extremely well. And there's no shame in using the capabilities of your hardware to its fullest extent. So go ahead and run windows on it! It doesn't take up much room, doesn't affect your mac setup, and gives you the capability to run GSAK and whatever other windows only software you might need. Of course, if ALL you're going to use windows for is GSAK, it's kind of silly. But if you're like me and a lot of other people, there are a handful of windows programs that you just can't do without, and there's no reason to be stubborn and do without just because you're a new mac convert.

 

I run XP in VMware's Fusion on my macbook, which is a really excellent way to integrate the 2 platforms - I can have gsak in my dock, have it open just like a mac app and have it behave just like any other mac app. Boot Camp and VirtualBox are free alternatives, and there's always Parallels.

 

FWIW I own both MacCaching and Geojournal, both of which may suit your needs. They both have issues that don't agree with me, so I don't use them anymore, but they may be worth a shot. I tried MacGPSpro a long time ago, it didn't do anything I needed at the time, but I should take another look.

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GSAK doesn't work with crossover, at least it didn't in the version previous to the current version.

 

Yes, I realize what the OP stated, I was just throwing some ideas out there. Sometimes the right ideas will help open a closed mind. Or words to that effect.

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Thanks for all the great ideas.

 

Yes, Windows will never touch my mac (thanks jmd65). I spent the big bucks to get away from that atrocity. Let's hope things work out for the better. Apple puts out a good package. Right now I am very happy with my move.

 

Anyways...thanks again. I will look into some of your suggestions.

 

I wonder how much work porting an application is since both PC's run an intel processor.

 

Keystone, thanks.

 

One note on installing windows on a mac....a friend of mine has a mac book. When he finished installing windows it somehow became the main operating system. The mac book would first boot into windows. Deleting the install did not help since the boot information was stored someplace else. He had to format and reinstall OS X to get things working again. I do not know the specifics, just what he told me. Perhaps he clicked something he was not supposed to. :)

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One note on installing windows on a mac....a friend of mine has a mac book. When he finished installing windows it somehow became the main operating system. The mac book would first boot into windows. Deleting the install did not help since the boot information was stored someplace else. He had to format and reinstall OS X to get things working again. I do not know the specifics, just what he told me. Perhaps he clicked something he was not supposed to. :D

In the System preferences, you can select the system you want to use to start up your computer.

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One note on installing windows on a mac....a friend of mine has a mac book. When he finished installing windows it somehow became the main operating system. The mac book would first boot into windows. Deleting the install did not help since the boot information was stored someplace else. He had to format and reinstall OS X to get things working again. I do not know the specifics, just what he told me. Perhaps he clicked something he was not supposed to. :D

 

That was user error, nothing to do with mac or windows. And it would have been easily fixable without reinstalling os x - sorry he went through all that trouble.

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GSAK doesn't work with crossover, at least it didn't in the version previous to the current version.

 

Yes, I realize what the OP stated, I was just throwing some ideas out there. Sometimes the right ideas will help open a closed mind. Or words to that effect.

 

I just downloaded the trial version of crossover and was able to get GSAK running on it with no issues.

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GSAK doesn't work with crossover, at least it didn't in the version previous to the current version.

 

 

I just downloaded the trial version of crossover and was able to get GSAK running on it with no issues.

Indeed, you seem to be correct. The last time I tried this was over a year ago, and the version of crossover pro I had then wouldn't run the then current version of gsak - I would get a fatal exception every time. New versions of everything, and it seems to work, and loads pretty fast, too! I haven't done any in depth use yet, - we'll see if it all works as it should later.

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I just downloaded the trial version of crossover and was able to get GSAK running on it with no issues.

 

I'd like to try that.... any settings or the like you could furnish?

 

Thanks.

 

I didn't set any specific settings, I just installed both apps. After playing with it for about a week I have seen that it is not perfect by any means but it works. I do get the occasional crash and I do have one GSAK macro that doesn't work. I am going to check this trial version out before I commit to it.

Edited by supertbone
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Yes, I've been trying the crossover/gsak combo and it seems to work fairly well. I only use it for my minimal needs - combining 8 large pq's into one gpx file for transfer onto my oregon, but it works well for that. I have gotten a crash once so far, but it recovered well from it.

 

I'm not sure I'll keep on using this combo this way - as I've mentioned, I already have a version of XP running in fusion on my macbook, and it takes about as long to start up in either platform, and the fusion version of gsak never crashes. But for someone who's looking for a budget way to run gsak on a mac, and can tolerate the crashes, it's definitely worth considering.

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Sduck, you know the OR will support multiple GPX files, right? You don't have to merge them before plopping them into /Volumes/Garmin/Garmin/GPX/ I use that feature on my CO pretty heavily to flip individual files in and out. I wish I could do it on the handset and not just from a computer, but it works out OK.

 

If you're doing something really clever in the merge, involving GSAK may still be necessary.

 

As an aside, the 1.3.6 MacGPSBabel GUI will let you read multiple files and merge them together. That feature is unlikely to make it to the rewritten 1.3.7 GUI.

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Here is an email I got that might help. I have an iMac 10.6 and an oregan 400t

Turn the Oregon off. Plug the cable into the Oregon and then into the Mac's USB port. The Oregon will mount on your computer as a volume called "Garmin." In it is a folder called "GPX" . Drag the .gpx file from your expanded PQ to that folder. Unmount the Garmin volume, the Oregon will turn off. Unplug it and turn it on, and your waypoints will be there. Also, Garmin has the web updater for Mac. Works great! In fact, they have lots of good software for Mac:

 

http://www8.garmin.com/macosx/index.jsp

 

A few points from the made-that-mistake file:

 

I change the name of my PQ to reflect it's location (local.gpx, Vallejo.gpx, etc.), to make it easier to identify and replace.

Copy the files to the Garmin one at a time. It sometimes chokes if you load them all at once. The Oregon holds 2000 waypoints, so you can utilize many PQs at once.

Always check the Oregon before flying out of the house to make sure the PQ is showing correctly. Once in a blue moon I have to delete the file from the Oregon and copy it back to get it to load properly.

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Sduck, you know the OR will support multiple GPX files, right?

Yes, of course. I just like to tweak some of the local geocaches in or out depending on my mood. There's a pair of caches I have in my ignore list that seem to sneak out past the pq settings, and some puzzle caches that I leave in or out depending on whether I think I'll get around to them this week or not. And basically it just gives me a chance to mess with some gimmicky windows software - otherwise this oregon would be just too darn easy to use, y'know what I mean?

 

I haven't checked if the newer oregon (550t) software has been fixed or not - while supposedly it'll hold up to 5K waypoints, my understanding is that if you throw more than 4K at it the sorting and de-duplication gets weird, although that may have been fixed. Anyway, I'm pulling 8 500 cache pq's, which is 4K caches (and child waypoints!), and feel a little safer if I let gsak do the sorting.

 

What the hell I'm going to do with 4K caches loaded on a weekly basis is a mystery for the ages. It took me 7 years to get to 2K finds! At least I'm ready if I'm out somewhere weird, and get the time for a cache.

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I work as an IT Director at a school district (we have a caching club for students). I have used Mac GPS Pro for years with a Mac laptop and their DVD topo's. Living next to the NJ Pine Barons (1 million acres of caching territory rich in history) it has been indispensable.

 

That's the driving and getting to side of things.

 

I liked how my PC friends could load their units with terrain/difficulty/size info. Enter "Geocache Manager" on the Mac. That will do that and have all the gpx file info on your laptop (description. logs, hints....)

 

Then I wanted true paperless caching...

 

Go to the iTunes store and search on Geosphere for an iPod Touch or iPhone. I use the touch..no need for the fees. It is an amazing piece of software for 7.99!!! It will download from your email account the gpx WITH PICTURES (what else does that) of the cache page and all the info, allow uploads with field notes to gc for found caches any easy logging...and way too many things to tell you here. It blew me away..... for 7.99. He has videos of how-to and a forum to boot. Any questions I've had were answered in less than 24 hours.

 

You can PM me with your results if you want...this guy is a cacher which will become apparent rather quickly. There is nothing out there like it. You have to check it out... <_<

Edited by JoenSue
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