New Garmin nuvi 500- frustration with incomplete downloads!

[+e-bird67]

I just received my new Garmin nuvi 500 last night, and have been playing around with downloading files from Groundspeak to the unit. I'm fairly new at this, so I don't have all the terminology. I do know that the files I downloaded were in gpx format. I did a search on the site here for caches within a certain mile range of my home address, and have been checking the boxes of the caches I want, downloading them, and going to the next page, etc.

 

I opened these up in EasyGPS and saved the files to the Garmin within that program. Upon disconnecting the unit and going to the Geocaching button on the unit, I can find all the caches, but the difficulty rating has been set to 1, 1 for each cache and when I click on "More" to go to the description and other info about the cache, it isn't there. It appears that the only info that came through was the coordinates and the name of the cacher who placed the cache.

 

I was really hoping to go paperless, but if I can't figure out how to get all the other information to load with the coordinates, I'm still going to have to print out paper.

 

Has anyone encountered this before? Am I doing something wrong?

Edited September 1, 2010 by e-bird67

[+New Jersey TJ]

I'm not specifically familiar with the Nuvi 500, but I'll get you started in the right direction.

 

When you processed the .gpx file with EasyGPS for loading to the Nuvi, EasyGPS stripped off some of the information you want on your GPS. With other Garmin geocaching-capable units, the .gpx files are loaded directly to the unit.

 

With your Nuvi connected to your computer, look to see if you have a \Garmin\GPX folder. If you do, copy the .gpx files there directly using Windows Exporer or My Computer. Don't go through an intermediate program, such as EasyGPS. If you can copy the .gpx directly and if the Nuvi supports it, you'll see the description, ratings, etc you're missing.

Edited September 1, 2010 by New Jersey TJ

[+e-bird67]

Oh my goodness, you rock, New Jersey TJ!!!

 

If it's this easy, then I don't see a need for EasyGPS.

[+New Jersey TJ]

Oh my goodness, you rock, New Jersey TJ!!!

 

If it's this easy, then I don't see a need for EasyGPS.

 

It's a quick an easy way of backing up waypoints (not caches) you've manually entered on your GPS.

 

I also use it to clean up waypoints instead of doing it on the GPS. I copy the waypoints using EasyGPS, delete what I want from EasyGPS, delete them all from the GPS, and then write the remaining ones back to the GPS from EasyGPS.

 

For what you're trying to do, for now, you're right, you don't need it!

[+CacheOCD]

Can someone please tell me if the Nuvi 500 does the hints and recent logs natively as well? If it does, I won't need to use the Nuvi macro in GSAK!

 

Thanks

[+W7WT]

I have the 550 and yes it does.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

e-bird67, do a pocket query and it will be even easier...

 

http://geocaching.com/pocket

[+New Jersey TJ]

e-bird67, do a pocket query and it will be even easier...

 

http://geocaching.com/pocket

 

I think she is doing PQs, she just didn't know the term. The original post mentions a radius search returning a .gpx.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

Mmm, we're reading it differently.

[+Bear and Ragged]

...

I did a search on the site here for caches within a certain mile range of my home address, and have been checking the boxes of the caches I want, downloading them, and going to the next page, etc.

Have to say, I read that as downloading the .loc file.

 

Second vote the PQ option.