Need Help setting up my Explorist 500

[+EsoxStalker]

Im pretty un tech savy. I need help getting this thing set up and getting caches downloaded onto it. Anyone have any advice ot info ? Step by Step ? Anything will help and I greatly appreciate your time !

 

Thanks,

 

Nate

[+jeffbouldin]

Do you have Magellan's Mapsend Lite installed? If not you will need to do so. After installing open it up. Since you are not a premium member, your only option is to download the .loc files. You can do this off each cache page or when you do a search there is a link at the bottom of the page to download a .loc file of the caches. Drop the .loc file into Mapsend Lite, continue to do so with each file until they are all loaded. Click on GPS Contents, Geocaching, Save to File. Choose PC Hard Drive, name the file, and choose where to put it on your computer. Hook your GPSr up to your computer with the USB cable (when hooked up correctly to the GPSr the cord will go down the back). Turn it on and it will pop up like a USB drive. Open up the Geocache folder and drop the .gs file you created with Mapsend Lite.

 

This is easier if you are a premium member and run Pocket Queries. Keep in mind that each .gs file can only hold 200 geocaches. When I use Mapsend Lite I limit my PQs to 185 instead of the 500 they can do, this leaves room for parking coords. If you move up to GSAK you can do the full 500 and do multiple PQs, then GSAK can filter and create the right sized .gs files.

[+briansnat]

Moving to a more appropriate forum

[+hukilaulau]

Im pretty un tech savy. I need help getting this thing set up and getting caches downloaded onto it. Anyone have any advice ot info ? Step by Step ? Anything will help and I greatly appreciate your time !

 

Thanks,

 

Nate

Good answer above.

It's really hard to give specific directions without knowing some stuff:

Where did you get your 500? Did you get the mapsend disk with it?

Did the cable come with it?

Do you have a memory card in it?

Does your computer have a card reader?

I've used the explorist 500 as my main handheld for several years now and I love it. I also am very "untechy". It took me (really) months to get everything running.

But it was well worth waiting for!

 

If you don't know how to enter cache coords by hand, we can easily give you step by step for that.

If you want to learn how to download a bunch at once, I'll put it bluntly: It's not even worth learning if you don't get a premium membership so you can do PQ's. And then you might as well get GSAK (free).

Then you can load caches even if you don't have the disk or the cable. You can put them directly on the memory card.

[+EsoxStalker]

Good answer above.

It's really hard to give specific directions without knowing some stuff:

Where did you get your 500? Did you get the mapsend disk with it?

Did the cable come with it?

Do you have a memory card in it?

Does your computer have a card reader?

I've used the explorist 500 as my main handheld for several years now and I love it. I also am very "untechy". It took me (really) months to get everything running.

But it was well worth waiting for!

 

If you don't know how to enter cache coords by hand, we can easily give you step by step for that.

If you want to learn how to download a bunch at once, I'll put it bluntly: It's not even worth learning if you don't get a premium membership so you can do PQ's. And then you might as well get GSAK (free).

Then you can load caches even if you don't have the disk or the cable. You can put them directly on the memory card.

 

I just purchased the GPS. So now when I receive the money I will be upgrading to a premium membership. Just got to save a few pennys !

 

I got the GPS Explorist LE on-line. Yes the mapsend disk was included.

The cable did come with it.

No memory card. Can I purchase a regular SD card at wal-maet or does it require a certain kind ?

Yeah my computer does have a card reader.

 

Hope that info helps you all help me !

[+embra]

I've forgotten 90% of the Explorist stuff I ever knew. But there is a pinned FAQ topic at the top of this forum that might provide some help. In addition to the Explorist FAQs, much of the Meridian material applies, too.

[vagabond]

Yes you can use a sd card from wally world also you might want to think about picking up a Li-on battery or 2 for it as the triple As do not last that long. here is 1 place for batteries

[+bittsen]

When I was using my Magellan Explorist 500 I found it was a pain to use without at least having GSAK. You can use GSAK for free with nag screens so I would encourage you to download and install it.

You can drag and drop the LOC files into GSAK to make a minimal database of caches and then load them to the Magellan in a single file instead of one at a time on the explorist.

 

I would encourage, however, that you get a premium membership as soon as you can because that makes a whole lot of difference.

 

Step by step of what I did when caching with the Magellan.

 

1. Download LOC files and store them in a specific folder on the computer hard drive.

2. Open GSAK (and configure it for a Magellan)

3. Drag the LOC files to a database in GSAK

4. Connect the GPS to the computer using the USB cable

5. use "send waypoints" under the "GPS" tab in GSAK

6. Before sending the file, in the "filename" field, name it so you can load more files.

7. In the "Name" field put %con1-%Name to add the size of the container in front of the cache name (just helps when you are out looking)

8. Disconnect the GPS from the computer and Go caching.

[+hukilaulau]

oops

Edited January 27, 2010 by hukilaulau

[+hukilaulau]

I got the GPS Explorist LE on-line. Yes the mapsend disk was included.

The cable did come with it.

No memory card. Can I purchase a regular SD card at wal-maet or does it require a certain kind ?

Yeah my computer does have a card reader.

 

Hope that info helps you all help me !

This is what I meant to say before I messed up that last post:

 

Great! you've got all the stuff you need!

Yes, get any old SD card.

Since you've got a card reader, it is possible to load caches directly onto the card with GSAK if you have problems connecting your handheld to the computer. (Windows Vista would not recognize my 500.)

 

Try bittsen's excellent step-by-step. When you're ready to step it up we'll help you get there...

[+fishgeek]

I'd recommend at least a 1GB SD card. When you get one, you'll need to upload the detail maps from MapSend to it. (Don't try uploading them to the internal memory - you can lock it up if you overload it.) Each region map that you upload is limited in size by the software, but you can have as many as will fit on your SD card. The same is true for geocache and waypoint files. I periodically save waypoint and track files to the SD card. I delete waypoints from the default file if I'm not using them, but they are there on the GPSr if I need to go back and find them.

 

Are you getting a WAAS fix. It will say so in the Accuracy field on the main screen. If not, you can do a firmware update to improve the unit's accuracy.

 

I've been using MapSend Lite (free from the Magellan website) to manage everything, but it looks like I need to take a look at GSAK.

 

I got the GPS Explorist LE on-line. Yes the mapsend disk was included.

The cable did come with it.

No memory card. Can I purchase a regular SD card at wal-maet or does it require a certain kind ?

Yeah my computer does have a card reader.

 

Hope that info helps you all help me !

This is what I meant to say before I messed up that last post:

 

Great! you've got all the stuff you need!

Yes, get any old SD card.

Since you've got a card reader, it is possible to load caches directly onto the card with GSAK if you have problems connecting your handheld to the computer. (Windows Vista would not recognize my 500.)

 

Try bittsen's excellent step-by-step. When you're ready to step it up we'll help you get there...

[+EsoxStalker]

Ok I have a question for you all... I upgraded my membership and everything, but now VISTA wont recognize my 500. SO how to you transfer the data from gask or vantage point to the SD card ?

 

Also how do you get the pocket queries ? I have checked my email and they havent showed up ? I only made one with 200 caches to start out around my home location... I figured 200 would sufficent for at least a month or so...

 

I got the GPS Explorist LE on-line. Yes the mapsend disk was included.

The cable did come with it.

No memory card. Can I purchase a regular SD card at wal-maet or does it require a certain kind ?

Yeah my computer does have a card reader.

 

Hope that info helps you all help me !

This is what I meant to say before I messed up that last post:

 

Great! you've got all the stuff you need!

Yes, get any old SD card.

Since you've got a card reader, it is possible to load caches directly onto the card with GSAK if you have problems connecting your handheld to the computer. (Windows Vista would not recognize my 500.)

 

Try bittsen's excellent step-by-step. When you're ready to step it up we'll help you get there...

[+Woodstramp]

Ok I have a question for you all... I upgraded my membership and everything, but now VISTA wont recognize my 500. SO how to you transfer the data from gask or vantage point to the SD card ?

 

Also how do you get the pocket queries ? I have checked my email and they havent showed up ? I only made one with 200 caches to start out around my home location... I figured 200 would sufficent for at least a month or so...

 

You said that your Vista PC won't "see" the Explorist? When you connect to the PC does the 500 give you and option to go in to "file transfer" mode? It should just after you connect to the USB.

 

Also, are the unit and cable new or used? The Explorist cables are very delicate from my experience. I broke two cables in a year's time. If one of the data transfer conductors in the cable opens your 500 and PC won't communicate.

 

As far a PQ's, you will have to limit each PQ to 200 or less, but if you have an SD card you can have as many 200 limit files as you can store.

[+EsoxStalker]

Yes the 500 gives me the option to transfer but Vista isnt showing that there is even an external unit plugged into the computer. So I have been using vantage point to put caches directly onto the SD card.

 

However can anyone help me with the pocket query stuff ? Im new to it and really could use some help as Im pretty confused to why it wont show up to my email so I can upload all the caches at once

 

Ok I have a question for you all... I upgraded my membership and everything, but now VISTA wont recognize my 500. SO how to you transfer the data from gask or vantage point to the SD card ?

 

Also how do you get the pocket queries ? I have checked my email and they havent showed up ? I only made one with 200 caches to start out around my home location... I figured 200 would sufficent for at least a month or so...

 

You said that your Vista PC won't "see" the Explorist? When you connect to the PC does the 500 give you and option to go in to "file transfer" mode? It should just after you connect to the USB.

 

Also, are the unit and cable new or used? The Explorist cables are very delicate from my experience. I broke two cables in a year's time. If one of the data transfer conductors in the cable opens your 500 and PC won't communicate.

 

As far a PQ's, you will have to limit each PQ to 200 or less, but if you have an SD card you can have as many 200 limit files as you can store.

[+T F T C]

I wrote a website for eXplorists: chimbisimo.googlepages.com

[+bittsen]

Spam filters like to munch on Pocket Queries.

Make sure to put a check in the box that says to send the files in zipped format. It might help.