Geocaching software for a Mac

[+Two Pairs]

Can anyone recommend a software package for a Mac that can handle GPX files?

[+Davequal]

There was a mention of something like GSAK on G+ the other day.... Let me see if I can find it quick.

[+Davequal]

I can not find it at the moment. I will throw up a post and see if someone remembers it.

[+Waldo-Otto]

I've tried three." icaching" and "geocache manager" are available for purchase on the apple app store. A program called "maccaching" is my nominee for being the closest to GSAK, but it's not really in the same league. It's available to try (shareware) at www.maccaching.com.

 

If you find something better, please let us know. Right now I run GSAK using a PC emulator (VMware Fusion) -- works but kinda slow.

[Wintertime]

Can anyone recommend a software package for a Mac that can handle GPX files?

What do you want to do with the GPX files?

[+Two Pairs]

I would like to load the files to my Oregon 450.

[+mtnbikerik]

Hi TP....I have a MacBook Pro and an Oregon 450. I am a premium member and download 1000 caches at a time to my 450 via the Pocket Query feature. Just copy and paste your downloaded GPX files to the GPX folder of the Garmin 450 using Finder. I believe the 450 can hold 5000 caches.

Edited February 25, 2012 by mtnbikerik

[+user13371]

I would like to load the files to my Oregon 450.

If that's all you want to do, you don't need any additional software. Connect your o450 to your Mac, wait for it to appear to the computer as a disk drive, then copy your GPX files to the Garmin/GPX folder on the device. Then eject/disconnect the Garmin, and restart it.

[+Two Pairs]

Thanks so much mtnbikerik and Portland Cyclist, your advise worked wonderfully!!

[+Davequal]

http://www.garmin.com/us/products/onthetrail/basecamp

[+mpbamberg]

As far as using MacCaching, it was fantastic until recently. Geocaching.com has done something to the GPX files and MacCaching will no longer import them. Two emails to geocaching have not brought a response let alone an answer. Meanwhile it is back to paper caching.

[+dakboy]

I've tried three." icaching" and "geocache manager" are available for purchase on the apple app store. A program called "maccaching" is my nominee for being the closest to GSAK, but it's not really in the same league. It's available to try (shareware) at www.maccaching.com.

Maccaching is essentially abandoned. As far as I can tell, it's coming up on 3 years without an update. And I really don't see how it's anywhere close enough to GSAK to be called "closest to GSAK" except maybe in basic appearance.

[+dakboy]

As far as using MacCaching, it was fantastic until recently. Geocaching.com has done something to the GPX files and MacCaching will no longer import them. Two emails to geocaching have not brought a response let alone an answer. Meanwhile it is back to paper caching.

It's not Groundspeak's responsibility to fix other peoples' software. They do advertise when changes are made to GPX files and it's up to developers to handle them appropriately.

 

That said, the GPX format preference can sometimes get wonky. Go to your account settings & check the format. Switch it to 1.0.1, save, then set back to 1.0 & save again. That may get you back on track. But you may just be using outdated software that isn't getting updated when it needs it.

[+mpbamberg]

As far as using MacCaching, it was fantastic until recently. Geocaching.com has done something to the GPX files and MacCaching will no longer import them. Two emails to geocaching have not brought a response let alone an answer. Meanwhile it is back to paper caching.

It's not Groundspeak's responsibility to fix other peoples' software. They do advertise when changes are made to GPX files and it's up to developers to handle them appropriately.

 

That said, the GPX format preference can sometimes get wonky. Go to your account settings & check the format. Switch it to 1.0.1, save, then set back to 1.0 & save again. That may get you back on track. But you may just be using outdated software that isn't getting updated when it needs it.

[+mpbamberg]

There was nothing wrong with the software Groundspeak screwed things up!

[+user13371]

There was nothing wrong with the software Groundspeak screwed things up

If that were so, there would be many other programs having similar problems to MacCaching.

 

One of the defining features os XML (which is where the GPX format comes from) is that it's extensible -- in other words, any GPX file contains information that explains to the reader (whether built into a GPS or software program running on a computer) how to parse the contents, and it's up to the parser to roll with that rather than Groundspeak to stick to a locked-in format. Groundspeak could change some aspects of their GPX format daily, and as long as they stay within certain formal rules for XML validity you could sift the good programs from bad by the ones that could cope with changes.

 

That may be an an over simplification, and I'm sure that a lot of folks will be happy to offer corrections. Some of them might even know what they're talking about

Edited March 1, 2012 by Portland Cyclist

[robertlipe]

It actually is a bug on the site. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=290984

 

Is actually placing blame in the wrong place. GPX specifies the files are in UTF-8 and UTF-8 never has/needs a Byte Order Mark and the presence of one makes the file invalid. But they are working on it.

 

You can pull the PQ into TextEdit and save it as UTF-8 to nuke the bogus BOM.

[+user13371]

Thanks for the pointer, Robert - I didn't think this class of problem existed in GPX...

 

I always figured if something in a GPX file broke only a few programs while most others still worked, it was fair to blame those programs for not being robust enough -- but if something broke the majority of programs it was likely a problem in the GPX. So invalid UTF-8 falls in between? Most processors can handle it, but it's still wrong... hmmm....