South Africa

[+Blevdeb]

Hello everyone - just checking in - I am going to Capetown and Johannesburg South Africa next week and I wanted to grab a couple of caches while I am there. Not sure how I can go about doing this without South Africa maps for my Garmin - I just won't be caching more than grabbing those couple as I am there for something specific with folks who do not cache, so I don't want to spend the money on the maps - is there a way to download to my iPhone and use that without having the internet (which would also cost me a fortune) - any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

Blevdeb

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

You really don't need maps... just "wing it" to the coordinates.

 

Used to be, GPSr units (there were no smart phones) didn't have maps. Geocaching still got along OK.

 

But... I understand that you can load the map (Google map from the site) and save it for offline use there. Do it now, before you leave, caches too!

 

Edit to add: would you be in a wifi hot zone while there at all? Many smart phones are wifi capable without having to use their data plan, are they not? If that is so, problem solved.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+FunnyNose]

I'll be going to SA next year. I always used http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ They have always been reliable for my needs.

 

And if you want to use your phone just buy a SIM card from a SA company assuming you have an unlocked phone.

 

Usually you can get 500megs of data for about $20 US.

Edited March 4, 2013 by FunnyNose

[+Blevdeb]

Thanks for the information. I went to the site and chose the appropriate squares and downloaded the query format that would download directly to my GPSr. Then I downloaded the map into the "main" Garmin folder when it opened (there was another file with a similar name there so I thought that was the right place) Is that all I need to do? I ran a query for each city and have it loaded on my GPSr too. So, just trying to give myself the best chance to find a few

 

Thanks again,

Blevdeb

 

I'll be going to SA next year. I always used http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ They have always been reliable for my needs.

 

And if you want to use your phone just buy a SIM card from a SA company assuming you have an unlocked phone.

 

Usually you can get 500megs of data for about $20 US.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Thanks for the information. I went to the site and chose the appropriate squares and downloaded the query format that would download directly to my GPSr. Then I downloaded the map into the "main" Garmin folder when it opened (there was another file with a similar name there so I thought that was the right place) Is that all I need to do? I ran a query for each city and have it loaded on my GPSr too. So, just trying to give myself the best chance to find a few

 

Thanks again,

Blevdeb

 

I'll be going to SA next year. I always used http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ They have always been reliable for my needs.

 

And if you want to use your phone just buy a SIM card from a SA company assuming you have an unlocked phone.

 

Usually you can get 500megs of data for about $20 US.

 

I've also used the Garmin open street maps for a lot of different places, including South Africa. Which model Garmin are you using? If it's a more modern device you should be able to copy the gmapsupp.img file to the removable micro-sd card. Then, on your GPS you'll need to use the Setup screen to enable the OSM maps.

 

I usually download the osm_routable_mapsource.exe executable file instead. I create a Garmin/OSM_Data folder on my computer, then a "country name" under that. When running the executable I specify that folder as the destination for extracting the files. That way I can keep multiple OSM downloads in my system. Then you need to use Mapsource to load in the OSM maps, build the map image, and send it to your GPS.

 

You can also pre-download any PQs that you create to your iPhone (if you're using the official app) including the map tiles. That way you can have complete cache descriptions on your iPhone and you can even use it to find caches even if you don't choose to download the map tiles (which can take a long time). With data roaming turned off you can still navigate to caches using the compass screen. You might also want to print off some Google maps with the caches you want to find.

 

BTW, whatever method you use, I would make sure that you have the maps *on* your GPS before you leave and try panning and zooming in/out to make sure that the areas you want are covered. I would also recommended looking over cache listings in the areas you'll be visiting. There are some places in Joburg that are not very safe. Look over past logs on some of the caches in the area and you can probably get a sense for what the area is like. I don't want to sound too alarmist, but the first time I was in Joburg I was just looking for a hotel near the airport for an overnight layover before flying to Zambia. I looked at some reviews for the one I was first considering, read that people had been robbed at gunpoint in the lobby a few weeks earlier and decided to choose a different hotel. Of course, the fact that there was a cache just outside the grounds of the hotel sealed the deal.

[ground control 1]

Thanks for the information. I went to the site and chose the appropriate squares and downloaded the query format that would download directly to my GPSr. Then I downloaded the map into the "main" Garmin folder when it opened (there was another file with a similar name there so I thought that was the right place) Is that all I need to do? I ran a query for each city and have it loaded on my GPSr too. So, just trying to give myself the best chance to find a few

 

Thanks again,

Blevdeb

 

I'll be going to SA next year. I always used http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ They have always been reliable for my needs.

 

And if you want to use your phone just buy a SIM card from a SA company assuming you have an unlocked phone.

 

Usually you can get 500megs of data for about $20 US.

 

I've also used the Garmin open street maps for a lot of different places, including South Africa. Which model Garmin are you using? If it's a more modern device you should be able to copy the gmapsupp.img file to the removable micro-sd card. Then, on your GPS you'll need to use the Setup screen to enable the OSM maps.

 

I usually download the osm_routable_mapsource.exe executable file instead. I create a Garmin/OSM_Data folder on my computer, then a "country name" under that. When running the executable I specify that folder as the destination for extracting the files. That way I can keep multiple OSM downloads in my system. Then you need to use Mapsource to load in the OSM maps, build the map image, and send it to your GPS.

 

You can also pre-download any PQs that you create to your iPhone (if you're using the official app) including the map tiles. That way you can have complete cache descriptions on your iPhone and you can even use it to find caches even if you don't choose to download the map tiles (which can take a long time). With data roaming turned off you can still navigate to caches using the compass screen. You might also want to print off some Google maps with the caches you want to find.

 

BTW, whatever method you use, I would make sure that you have the maps *on* your GPS before you leave and try panning and zooming in/out to make sure that the areas you want are covered. I would also recommended looking over cache listings in the areas you'll be visiting. There are some places in Joburg that are not very safe. Look over past logs on some of the caches in the area and you can probably get a sense for what the area is like. I don't want to sound too alarmist, but the first time I was in Joburg I was just looking for a hotel near the airport for an overnight layover before flying to Zambia. I looked at some reviews for the one I was first considering, read that people had been robbed at gunpoint in the lobby a few weeks earlier and decided to choose a different hotel. Of course, the fact that there was a cache just outside the grounds of the hotel sealed the deal.

[ground control 1]

I have just returned from Cape Town. There are lost of good caches there. I started geocaching while there and found my first ever geocach while there. I am now back in Canada. Have a good trip. You will love it there. I used a samsung galaxy tablet. C:geo app. Worked perfectly. When in Cape Town try to hike up Steenberg mountain, you won't regret it.

Edited March 6, 2013 by ground control 1