What good is having additional memory?

[+beartooth72]

I have a Garmin eTrex30, which comes with 2GB of internal memory, and a spot to add a microcard. So I added a 16GB card, hoping that I'd be able to load more caches, maps, etc. It doesn't appear to work that way. Using any Garmin subscription service (Bird's Eye, or topos) they will only let me load them into the internal memory. This makes some sense since I could technically load up the card and then use it in another unit that isn't registered. But I always load caches into the microcard, and I recently reached the limit! I think it was around 5,000 caches. I still have over 14GB of memory left on the card! What is the point of having all this memory capability if I can't load it up with more caches or maps?

[+BlueDeuce]

Not saying this is it, but are you sure it's loading on the card? My nuvi/gask/poi data goes straight to the unit and not the card. Never topped out 2k.

 

 

 

bd

Edited November 3, 2012 by BlueDeuce

[+Team CowboyPapa]

I make extensive use of the additional memory on my DeLorme PN-60. I have about 8GB of the color aerial photo imagery for my local area where I usually geocache and about another 4GB of photo imagery for the back country where I go for my 4WD sightseeing and exploring trips. But wait there's more ... for the back country, I also carry scores of square miles of the USGS 3DTQ maps as imagery, however, they do not take up very much storage on the card. With SD cards so cheap nowadays I really should upgrade from my current 16GB card to a 32GB card.

[team tisri]

I have a Garmin eTrex30, which comes with 2GB of internal memory, and a spot to add a microcard. So I added a 16GB card, hoping that I'd be able to load more caches, maps, etc. It doesn't appear to work that way. Using any Garmin subscription service (Bird's Eye, or topos) they will only let me load them into the internal memory. This makes some sense since I could technically load up the card and then use it in another unit that isn't registered. But I always load caches into the microcard, and I recently reached the limit! I think it was around 5,000 caches. I still have over 14GB of memory left on the card! What is the point of having all this memory capability if I can't load it up with more caches or maps?

 

You'll have one limit how many geocaches the device can handle and then the combined memory determines how much mapping you can store.

 

On my Montana I can hold something like 12000 geocaches and with 3GB of internal memory and 16GB memory card it means I've also got detailed maps of the whole UK, OSM maps of the whole of the UK and also OSM maps of just about everything in the US east of the Mississippi.

[+beartooth72]

I'm sure that things are loading onto the card. Whenever I save anything to my GPSr, I have to specify the unit itself or the card. I guess I need to buy maps and not load things from a subscription service. I've been trying to only load maps as I need them for caching, but as I said, the subscription services will only let me load to my GPSr itself. I'm sure that if I had the topo discs I could fit all the topos I need into my external card. It is just frustrating to me that I have all this free memory, but I couldn't load any more caches. I had to go through and delete a bunch so I could add some new local ones. Luckily I have the ZIP files for some of my Pocket Queries, so I'm not losing anything except my time. I thought, when I bought the eTrex30, that the external card would be of great benefit. I'm guess I'm just disappointed. Otherwise, this is a great unit.

[+Cacheoholic]

The only Garmin subscription service I use is for City Navigator Lifetime Maps but it’s hard for me to believe they don’t give you an option to download your maps to external memory. I know in the City Navigator download it’s very easy to blow thru the setup and miss the option to also download to your computer. Did you try BaseCamp or MapInstall to load your maps onto to your external memory? What happens if you cut the maps off your internal memory and paste in the appropriate folder in your external memory?

[+Red90]

There are fixed limits of 5000 caches. Also not there is a limit on the number of FILES, so if they are individual GPX files, you run into a limit that way. You can add more with custom POIs, although they are not as nice to use.

 

All information, maps, waypoints, caches, birdseye, etc.. can be on internal or external memory. The main value of the card is too have a lot of maps. I run 10 GB of maps on mine. Caches and such do not take up very much memory. For the Birdseye, you may need to manually move them to the card after the download.

Edited November 4, 2012 by Red90

[+Mr Kaswa]

Create a folder on the memory card Drive Letter:\Garmin\Birdseye (basecamp may create this on it's own when you try to copy the images, but I do not recall). You can then select the images you wish to transfer and either drag them up to the memory card in the "Devices" section, or right click and choose, "Send to".

[+beartooth72]

Thanks for the "How to"s on moving images to the memory card. Makes a lot more sense for me to have all that external memory now. I do have to wonder about the 5,000 cache limit, especially since they are such small files. I like to have as many caches loaded as possible, because I never know where I'm going to find myself, and I believe its best to be prepared. But, 5,000 caches is quite a few caches. I'll just have to pare down what I think I need, and leave the rest until I know I need them.

 

Thanks again everyone!

[+Hynr]

Since you have lots of extra memory on the SD card, you might also consider the following use: go to this page

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download

and download a map for your favorite country and put it in the garmin folder on the sd card: The entire USA is under 4 gB and should fit. You can then use the map setup in the GPSr to enable/disable whichever maps you want it to use. These maps are not locked. Want topo maps? That too can be in the unit. Do a bit of searching.

 

Be careful as you copy the img files to the unit that you do not clobber ones that are already there since many are named gmapsupp.img - in older Garmin units you could only have this one file; in newer units you can have many as long as they have the file extension .img. My Montana seems to let me put many img files on the unit so perhaps your unit allows that also.

 

Note also that you can also use custom POIs - There seems to be no limit to how many you can load, but you don’t get all the descriptions and logs when you use that method.

 

I have all my geocache waypoints in one or two gpx file. They get there through use of GSAK data manipulation.

[+Great Scott!]

For the BirdsEye maps, when creating them in BaseCamp, don't send them to the gps right away. After they are saved in BaseCamp, right click on the BirdsEye map and select Send To... to select where you want to store it on your device.

[+beartooth72]

Thanks to Hynr and GreatScott for the ideas. All of the US maps fit easily on my card, so I'm stocked up there. Hynr: I never thought of not saving the file to my unit itself, but your idea worked perfectly for me! Now I know what all the additional memory is for! I do find it weird that there is a 5,000 cache limit, but I've discovered that with more data in my unit and card, it takes a really long time to load up now. It is just something I'm willing to deal with so I can be prepared for where ever the day takes me. I appreciate all the ideas!

[+Team CowboyPapa]

Hey, it just goes with the territory and remember: "Today's luxuries will be tomorrow's necessities." Or was it: "Yesterday's luxuries are today's necessities?"

 

So I am no longer using a Sony Walkman with a 60 min analog, audio cassette with 12 songs. I now use a 4GB SanDisk ClipZip player with hundreds of songs.

 

I did go to Fry's several days ago and upped the SDHC card in my GPSr from 16 to 32GB for $10.

 

Then Amazon to jump my flash drive from 1GB to 16GB for another $10. Sooner or later, if it matters, I might figure out what to do with it.

 

Looking back, I can't recall what is in my Atari 400 desktop, 4KB or 8KB? Anybody?

[+Atlas Cached]

Looking back, I can't recall what is in my Atari 400 desktop, 4KB or 8KB? Anybody?

 

The 400 came with 8Kb RAM, and maxed out at 48, I believe.

 

We had an 800, with 32Kb RAM. My first home computer!

 

Edited November 30, 2012 by Atlas Cached

[+Team CowboyPapa]

Looking back, I can't recall what is in my Atari 400 desktop, 4KB or 8KB? Anybody?

 

The 400 came with 8Kb RAM, and maxed out at 48, I believe.

 

We had an 800, with 32Kb RAM. My first home computer!

 

OK, that answers the question....eventually, additional memory is always good!