Help regarding Magennal Explorist 210

[AutumnRae]

Edit: I meant to say Magellan in the title

 

I bought a Magellan Explorist 210 last year so I could start Geocaching. Things came up last year and I never got to do much with it. I decided to try again this year. I found my GPS but couldn't find the software that came with it. I searched my PC and found the Magellan Geocache Manager software that I must have uploaded last year.

 

Anyway, I've been spending the past couple hours trying to get some cache points onto my GPS. The program I have allows you to "send" the cache points you've entered into the system straight to the GPS unit. However, when I try to do that, it says "GPS not found" even though I have everything plugged in and the unit says it is in USB file transfer mode. So I tried putting the files in the geocache file manually, but they are still not showing up in the GPS unit.

 

Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? Or can tell me how to do it right? I'm on spring break right now and I really wanted to do at least a few caches before school starts again, so I really appreciate any help I can get!!

 

Thanks,

Autumn

Edited March 10, 2010 by AutumnRae

[kayvon]

Autumn, I have that very same unit and, following a long geocaching hiatus, I have found it still works just fine for me.

First off, does the GPS show up as a drive when you look under "My Computer"?

Also, do you have a gmail account? Because it'll be a lot easier to help you over IM than it will going back and forth in the forum. Send me a PM.

[+briansnat]

Moving to the appropriate forum

[AutumnRae]

Thanks for moving it! Wasn't too sure where it ought to go.

[AutumnRae]

Kayvon and I have decided that the problem may be that my PC isn't recognizing my GPS as a GPS, but just another USB drive. That's why the Geocache Manager isn't sending the files I create to the GPS. I tried manually moving the files to the GPS, but that isn't working. I tried restarting the GPS, but that isn't working. Does anyone know how I could get my PC to recognize my unit as a GPS?

[kayvon]

PM'ed a couple more ideas about (a) renaming the GPS, if possible, or ( manually exporting the files from the Magellan software. If we work out a solution, will post it here in detail for future geocachers with same problem.

Edited March 10, 2010 by kayvon

[kayvon]

Figured it out.

The Magellan Geocache Manager determines whether a GPS is connected by looking at each drive connected to the computer and checking to see if a file exists. It looks for a file called:

 

\USBTRANS\UNIT_ID.DAT

 

The USBTRANS directory is hidden by default on the GPS itself, so most users don't notice it. Upon locating the file, it checks the file to make sure it contains the following line:

 

Model=eXplorist

 

If that line is present in the file, the Magellan Geocache Manager treats is as a GPS unit and will readily transfer data to it. So this problem is solved one of two ways:

Either (1) Make sure the file exists on your GPS unit when you connect it. If it does not, recreate it.

or (2) Create that folder and file on a normal USB thumb drive, let the Magellan software save data on the USB drive, then copy the created data onto your actual GPS.

Edited March 11, 2010 by kayvon

[+jeffbouldin]

I have two Explorists and used to have a 210. I found Geocaching Swiss Army Knife to be the best way to generate the .gs files. Then hook up the GPSr to the computer and move the files in just like a USB drive.