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Loading a pocket query on to a Garmin eTrex 20


yodasands

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Greetings all,

I am having an issue loading a pocket query on to my eTrex 20. I have tried dragging and dropping the unzipped .gpx file directly into the Garmin\gpx folder and I have tried using Basemap to load it. Once I disconnect the device and power it on it will hang at the "loading waypoints, tracks, and routes..." screen. I have also tried loading the file on to my expansion card and get the same results.

 

If I download the individual .gpx files from GC directly to my device it works perfectly. I am just not able to get them to load in the bulk .gpx file generated by the pocket query.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

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Yep, I’m in exactly the same spot right now. Very interested in how folks have gotten past this point. Am I supposed to put *both* the main GPX file and the “xxx-wpts.gpx” file in the GPX folder, or just the main one? Thanks.

 

I have tried both to no avail. I have seen posts on here that others have made it work fine just by dragging and dropping the file into the garmin\gpx folder. They have said that their pocket queries contained 1000 geocaches. I am at a loss.

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Yodasands, when you said you tried using Basecamp to load the .gpx file, do you mean that in addition to trying to view the file's contents on your eTrex, you also tried to view them on your computer with no luck? I don't use Basecamp, but if it's a program that lets you view .gpx files on your computer, and you couldn't see the caches there either, then it sounds to me as though you may have a corrupted .gpx file.

 

I generated a pocket query yesterday and dragged the resulting file to the GPX folder on my eTrex 20, and the caches are showing up fine.

 

IndyBass, I wondered about that "-wpts" file, too. The description in the email that accompanied the pocket query sounded like it might have auxiliary waypoints such as parking areas. I opened it in MS Word and it had no coordinates, so I guess that extra file is generated even when caches have no additional information. Anyway, I didn't copy it to my GPSr.

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yodasands, are you running v2.30 of the software in your unit? I upgraded the software first thing, before I started loading maps and the GC file. I think it had v2.10 on it out of the box. Just trying to think of what variables there may be. Thanks.

 

I am now thanks for the heads up :D

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OK, here's some additional data for you all:

 

I deleted ALL the contents of the GPX folder (including the "Current" sub-folder). Then I ran a small pocket query (25 caches) and copied that .gpx file to the GPX folder on the eTrex. SUCCESS! The caches came up just fine, and everything looks great.

 

Then I cleaned out the folder again, and copied back in the 1000-cache file that I started with. No dice. The device hangs on start-up like it did before.

 

Then I ran another new query, this time with 500 caches. Loaded that file into the clean folder, and the unit hung at start-up again.

 

Then I loaded back in the small 25-cache file (again into a clean folder), and it works fine again.

 

Thoughts? Don't understand why it would work with one small file, but not the two largers ones, when others are using the larger files just fine. I would think that a hard defect would kill it across the board, not selectively like this. Should I exchange it tomorrow morning and try a different one? I wanted to take this with me on a family trip Saturday morning - running out of time.

 

Thanks,

Eric

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OK, here's some additional data for you all:

 

I deleted ALL the contents of the GPX folder (including the "Current" sub-folder). Then I ran a small pocket query (25 caches) and copied that .gpx file to the GPX folder on the eTrex. SUCCESS! The caches came up just fine, and everything looks great.

 

Then I cleaned out the folder again, and copied back in the 1000-cache file that I started with. No dice. The device hangs on start-up like it did before.

 

Then I ran another new query, this time with 500 caches. Loaded that file into the clean folder, and the unit hung at start-up again.

 

Then I loaded back in the small 25-cache file (again into a clean folder), and it works fine again.

 

 

I am having the same problem with my etrex 30.

I tested it and when i stay under 200 caches in the gpx-files(from gsak or gc.com)the etrex boots quickly and everything works fine.

When i go over it the gps won't start at all.

 

Maybe a bug in the firmware?

I am using 2.30

 

greets

 

eric

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IndyBass, I wondered about that "-wpts" file, too. The description in the email that accompanied the pocket query sounded like it might have auxiliary waypoints such as parking areas. I opened it in MS Word and it had no coordinates, so I guess that extra file is generated even when caches have no additional information. Anyway, I didn't copy it to my GPSr.

 

Two files in a PQ.

.GPX -Contains cache info description etc, and the coords you see at the top of the cache page.

 

.wpts.GPX -Contains 'Additional Waypoints' as seen on the cache page in the box Additional Waypoints. This file has the the Parking, Trailhead, waypoints, and the STAGES for Multi-caches if they have coordinates already. (eg Go *here* and get numbers =ABC, go *here2* and get more numbers =XYZ, then put the numbers in this equation ABC XYZ)

 

Always best to add both files!

Unless you don't do multis, don't want to know suggested parking, or the start of the trail. :laughing:

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Thanks all for the replies,

 

My firmware is up to date and I am using the most current version of the Garmin Communicator (downloaded directly from Garmin, not GC). I have tried multiple PQs from different geographic locations. I have tried deleting all of the files in the Garmin\GPX folder. All with no success.

 

I called Garmin Support this morning and spoke with Josh. He was very friendly and tried to help resolve the issue. While on the phone we did a factory reset on the unit (hold down the menu key, press in the stick, and hold down power until it prompts to reset). This did not work. I tried removing my micro SD card and installing the GPX file on the freshly restored unit and this did not work. I inquired on formatting and restoring all of the software. Josh called the software department and they recommend against this approach. In the event it doesnt restore the device would become a brick.

 

Josh stated that the firmware update from 2.10 to 2.20 included support updates for the Opencaching site. He said that an update to allow for support to the Geocaching site should be in the works.

 

He has collected my information and opened a detailed trouble ticket that will be forwarded on to the appropriate department. I also sent him a link to this discussion so that he can see that the issue is prevalent with other individuals also.

 

Its a new device and I have enjoyed using it so far. As with all new devices there will be some growing pains. I am sure a fix will be forthcoming.

 

Thanks again to all that replied and Josh at Garmin for the help.

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Josh stated that the firmware update from 2.10 to 2.20 included support updates for the Opencaching site. He said that an update to allow for support to the Geocaching site should be in the works.

Hmmm, I wonder what he meant by that, considering that Garmins have been communicating with the Geocaching site for years. And some of us with the new eTrexes are using that site just fine.

 

I hope the group he escalated your trouble ticket to can help you, "Yodasands"!

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Josh stated that the firmware update from 2.10 to 2.20 included support updates for the Opencaching site. He said that an update to allow for support to the Geocaching site should be in the works.

Hmmm, I wonder what he meant by that, considering that Garmins have been communicating with the Geocaching site for years. And some of us with the new eTrexes are using that site just fine.

 

I hope the group he escalated your trouble ticket to can help you, "Yodasands"!

 

Wintertime,

 

I am not sure exactly to what Josh was alluding to. I'm wondering if Opencaching uses a different .gpx format.

 

I just received an email from a Garmin specialist requesting the GPX files that I have been trying to use. I sent them to him for examination and will post back when I hear more.

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Josh stated that the firmware update from 2.10 to 2.20 included support updates for the Opencaching site. He said that an update to allow for support to the Geocaching site should be in the works.

Hmmm, I wonder what he meant by that, considering that Garmins have been communicating with the Geocaching site for years. And some of us with the new eTrexes are using that site just fine.

 

I hope the group he escalated your trouble ticket to can help you, "Yodasands"!

About the time chirps came out the communication has become progressively one way, mainly from Seattle to Otlahte. When the site launched no one answered the phone in Kansas.

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Downloaded the 1000-cache file from Geocaching.com again, but it still won't play. Small file still works fine. I may have to cut bait on this one, sadly. I've boxed it back up for return tomorrow.

Most likely there is some code in a cache description in the larger files that is giving the unit grief. Have you tried the larger files with another Garmin unit such as an Oregon or other paperless unit?
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I have loaded PQ with 1000 caches, apart from the slow start up they have worked. But I have also had a few times when it will not switch on. Trying a second time normally sorts that. I have found that its less likely to happen if I keep the cache count ~500.

 

To transfer the caches; I just copy them to the garmin/gpx folder on the SD card. (Using Ubuntu)

 

I am still running v2.10 firmware. Its possible that new versions are causing issues.

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I am still running v2.10 working fine for me had 1000 caches on there and just put another 200 on ready for my first days caching tomorrow with it. Am excited about getting out and using my new toy.

 

Just copy and pasting them across using windows. Havent upgraded as need to be sure batteries fully charged and dont want to brick the thing.

 

Was unhappy with the screen at first but then realised it was set to night mode as I have always been looking at it in the evenings after work. Changed it to day mode and screen seems much better!

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Was unhappy with the screen at first but then realised it was set to night mode as I have always been looking at it in the evenings after work. Changed it to day mode and screen seems much better!

 

LoL, glad to see I was not the only one!!

 

Guess we're best off sticking with v2.10

Edited by chillypenguin
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I was able to get a PQ to load when I set it for 250 caches. It came up fine and all of the info was intact.

 

Question to all of those that have made it work and those that didnt...

 

What was the file size of the GPX that you were using? Maybe this is a memory limitation and the unit does not like file larger than a certain size.

 

The one I was able to get working was 1,134 KB unzipped.

 

The files that didnt work were 2,400 KB (500 caches) and 5,099 KB (1000 caches).

 

I have an open conversation running with Cecil at Garmin and I have been keeping him updated on this thread as well as with the changes that I have been testing.

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It SEEMS to be a file size issue.

 

I tried a fresh PQ with 500 caches, would NOT load.

 

I tried a PQ with 200 caches, loaded just fine.

 

This is with V2.3 software.

 

HTH y'all

 

Some people may have been able to get a 500 cache PQ to load because it contained less data in the logs. I have noticed that when downloaded separately the caches range anywhere from 7 KB to 17 KB.

 

I just got an update from Cecil at Garmin, he said that they have been testing different PQs. He said that it may be related to a corrupt file or a file size issue. He said that they will be passing it off to the engineers.

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From my experimentation it looks like the magic size is around 2 MB. Any PQ i created regardless of the number of geocaches will work as long at the data size does not exceed 2 MB on any GPX file. Once over 2 MB it hangs the device. I have been able to get a PQ of 375 caches to work that was just slightly smaller than 2 MB. I have exceeded my limit of PQs for the day. Tomorrow when I can run a couple more queries I will test and see if I can load multiple GPX files under 2 MB on the device.

 

Anyone care to test this theory?

 

Dan

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Don't have an Etrex so can't do any testing, but one thing that might help would be to load a big pocket query into GSAK and then you can try splitting it into multiple queries. Maybe try different files for different types of caches, or try different files based on distances. V8 Beta can also download cache data via the API, separate from normal pocket queries. (GSAK's Search Filter system has a ton of options, so you could, for example, make one file for caches within 10 miles, another for 10-20 miles, and a third for 20+ miles.)

Edited by EdrickV
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I was able to get multiple PQs to load, all of them less than 2 MB. In total I was able to put close to 1000 geocaches on the device spread across 3 files. Besides this limitation I have enjoyed the overall use of the device. Hopefully Garmin will correct this with an update to allow larger GPX files to be copied to the device, but in the meantime we can import multiple smaller files to get the job done.

 

Dan

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Well this if frustrating.

I previously had over 2000 caches on my Etrex30 that had been installed using Basecamp. These were working fine.

Now I cannot install new caches either through Basecamp or by hand - I tried deleting the Waypoints.gpx file and copying another large one across but it just hangs on the loading screen. If I switch off (by removing a battery - it seems the only way to do it) and connect the USB cable I can look in the AllData folder in Basecamp and it shows all the caches which I copied across.

If I copy across a smaller file (2.06mb) then the unit works as I would expect it.

 

I've done the firmware upgrade to the latest version somewhere along the way and it would appear to be the only cause of the problem. There doesn't appear to be a way to download and install the original firmware.

 

I'm about to go on a 3 day trip and a solution would be really useful!

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Good morning all,

 

From Garmin this morning:

 

Dear Mr. Sands

I have made the engineers aware of this and it looks like it is a simple software correction. They should have that out soon ti fix it. However I usually do not get a ready date when they roll out an update, however on new devices they are usually pretty quick about it.

Thank you for all your time on Friday and have a great week.

Best Regards,

Cecil M.

Outdoor/Fitness Specialist-Day Shift

Garmin International

1200 E 151 St.

Olathe Ks, 66062

1-800-800-1020

www.garmin.com

Fax 1-913-397-8282

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A quick solution, download multiple PQ's and load them that way. Just make sure to try and keep them under 2 MB.

 

The problem is that I'm going away for 3-5 days to 2 different areas and I want some flexibility whilst away to enable do several different walks if I wish. I exported a GPX file for each area but the smallest was over 4mb and the largest approached 9mb (it included area1 and some of the journey between the 2 areas).

As far as I can see the only way to take all this data with me would be to split it into <2mb files and have each split file on a different SD card. Am I wrong about this?

 

I find it hard to believe that there's no facility in the software to select the GPX file that gets loaded at startup - it seems like an obvious piece of functionality.

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It's good that Garmin is working on this. I wonder if this sporadic issue? I have a pocket query on my eTrax 30 that is 4.44mb and have updated it a couple of times. It loads a little slow the first time the unit is powered up with the new file. After that is works fine. I have the 2.30 fw on the unit.

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A quick solution, download multiple PQ's and load them that way. Just make sure to try and keep them under 2 MB.

 

The problem is that I'm going away for 3-5 days to 2 different areas and I want some flexibility whilst away to enable do several different walks if I wish. I exported a GPX file for each area but the smallest was over 4mb and the largest approached 9mb (it included area1 and some of the journey between the 2 areas).

As far as I can see the only way to take all this data with me would be to split it into <2mb files and have each split file on a different SD card. Am I wrong about this?

 

I find it hard to believe that there's no facility in the software to select the GPX file that gets loaded at startup - it seems like an obvious piece of functionality.

 

So what your saying is that if you have more than 2.1 mb of data on it it won't load at all ?

 

I have loaded several PQ's on to my 20 totaling close to 2500 caches, just in steps.

 

I believe, and I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, That GSAK with split the files down to size needed.

 

My 20 claims that it has 1.7 gig of internal storage, plus a 2gig micro sd card.

 

 

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I have been able to add several PQs spanning multiple areas just as long as each of the files is smaller than 2 MB. I put 3 files on my device covering the areas I travel the most. In total between the 3 files I had close to 1000 geocaches. I found that if I selected 350 geocaches in the PQ filter my file size tends to stay below the 2 MB size limit. Until an update is released it is more of an inconvenience to run more queries. The device documentation says that it will hold a max of 2000 waypoints. In my estimation you should be able to do this with 5-6 queries and then move all of the the GPX files to the device. This doesnt appear to be a space limitation issue but more an issue with the device being able to process a single GPX file larger than 2 MB.

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

Dan

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A quick solution, download multiple PQ's and load them that way. Just make sure to try and keep them under 2 MB.

 

The problem is that I'm going away for 3-5 days to 2 different areas and I want some flexibility whilst away to enable do several different walks if I wish. I exported a GPX file for each area but the smallest was over 4mb and the largest approached 9mb (it included area1 and some of the journey between the 2 areas).

As far as I can see the only way to take all this data with me would be to split it into <2mb files and have each split file on a different SD card. Am I wrong about this?

 

I find it hard to believe that there's no facility in the software to select the GPX file that gets loaded at startup - it seems like an obvious piece of functionality.

 

So what your saying is that if you have more than 2.1 mb of data on it it won't load at all ?

 

I have loaded several PQ's on to my 20 totaling close to 2500 caches, just in steps.

 

I believe, and I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, That GSAK with split the files down to size needed.

 

My 20 claims that it has 1.7 gig of internal storage, plus a 2gig micro sd card.

 

Could you please give me a run-down on how you're loading the PQ's.

Are you copying them across using the device just as storage in Windows/MacOS or are you using Basecamp?

Are you copying to the device or the card?

What names do the files have (possibly not relevant, but just to be clear)?

Did you disconnect the GPS from USB and switch on between each file upload?

 

I can't see any option for GSAK to split GPX files (and I have the latest version). I've just done some work in GSAK and I now have 15 separate files which are all less than 2mb. now I just need to work out the steps to put the on the GPS.

 

Thanks for your time and sorry for all the questions

 

Duncan

Edited by duncanhoyle
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OK Duncan I down load the PQ right click the .gpx and the wpts.gpx file right to the device using it as a mass storage deice.

 

No I have not disconnected it, but I have not loaded them all at the same time. So Yes you could consider it a disconnect between each file transfer.

 

I am sorry about the misunderstanding about GSAK. I thought I read you could split down the files size. I guess that is not the case. I do not use it. Nor do I use base camp. I have been working right with the unit and the PC (Windows 7 X64).

 

Any further questions I will do what I can t answer them.

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Greetings from Norway

 

I have a Etrex 30 with 2.30 and have the same problem as reported before. Before the last f.w. upgrade, no problem was found. I am using gsak to generate my GPX files. Hopefully an upgrade is ready soon, so I can use this nice GPS searching for geocaches.

 

Hans Chr.

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Anyone know if GSAK will split a large file into smaller ones?

 

Kipper01

 

GSAK does not, to my knowledge, have a way to limit gpx files it saves by file size. However you can use filters to reduce the number of caches shown, (distance would be a good one) save a GPX file, and check the size to see if it's under 2MB. If it is, then you can use the number of caches as a general gauge on making the next filter. If not, then you'd need to adjust the filter to lower the number of caches shown.

 

For example:

Filter 1: not found caches 5 miles away from home location or less.

Filter 2: 5 miles to 10 miles from home location.

Filter 3: 10 miles to 15 miles from home location.

etc.

(Those numbers are just an example, in practice what numbers to use will depend on cache density in your area.)

 

Edit: Just for further reference, in my case I'm getting about 160-200 caches per file while remaining under 2MB, but I used GSAK v8's API features to download extra logs and stuff, so YMMV. (Most caches in my database have at least 10 logs, possibly as much as 30.)

Edited by EdrickV
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OK Duncan I down load the PQ right click the .gpx and the wpts.gpx file right to the device using it as a mass storage deice.

 

No I have not disconnected it, but I have not loaded them all at the same time. So Yes you could consider it a disconnect between each file transfer.

 

I am sorry about the misunderstanding about GSAK. I thought I read you could split down the files size. I guess that is not the case. I do not use it. Nor do I use base camp. I have been working right with the unit and the PC (Windows 7 X64).

 

Any further questions I will do what I can t answer them.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

I appear to have had some success last night and today. My Etrex30 now has several GPX files on it and they all load. The largest is 8.3mb and there are others of 5.1mb, 3.4mb and 2.1mb. There are also several less than 2mb.

These gpx files are inside the Garmin/GPX folder on the device. Most of them were copied across using Basecamp but the largest 4 were just dragged and dropped in Windows Explorer.

 

The only thing that I can see that I've done that is different from previously is that I installed 3 routes on the device. This was done by importing 3 route gpx files (from a mountain walking website) into Basecamp and them exporting them from basecamp to the device.

 

Since having routes on the device I've been able to export several gpx files of caches. After exporting each file from Basecamp I closed Basecamp and then did a 'Safely remove hardware' in Windows. The export worked every time.

With the files that I dragged and dropped I usually did a SRH between each one. In two instance I dragged and dropped 2 files - the time with small files both copied across and worked as expected but the the time with 2 large files the GPS hang as previously.

I've been able to copy across over 10 files now with a successful one at over 7mb.

 

It would be interesting to know if creating routes on the device works for others as well.

 

Duncan

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