delorme PN40

[+North Fork Seeker]

I have recently purchased a new computer with windows 8 and when I try to download caches to my gps it says the computer can not find the delorme plugi. I have downloaded it 2 times and still cant transfer to my Gps. any ideas or suggestions would be great.

[+briansnat]

Not a getting started issue. Moving to a more appropriate forum.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Internet Explorer is your problem, not Win8 nor the plug-in.

 

Change the "Compatibility Mode" settings. Find it in your browser tool-bar in "Tools"....

 

--or--

 

Switch to another browser that doesn't have this problem, i.e. Mozilla Firefox.

 

 

 

SIDENOTE: This problem exists because you are using "Send to GPS" with needs to go through the browser.

Use Pocket Queries and you load the device directly from the computer.... eliminating use of a browser.

 

Pocket Queries are a Premium Member bennie. You are paying for them, you should use them.

[+North Fork Seeker]

What do I change the compatiability too......I have no idea how to use pocket queries......what program pits them on to the pn40 then.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

What do I change the compatiability too......I have no idea how to use pocket queries......what program pits them on to the pn40 then.

I quit using IE a long time ago... but I believe the Compatibility choices are simply an on/off toggle.

 

Pocket Queries: http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=118

 

In loading the data, there is no program needed to use --

Run PQ as directed in the link above; download that data [GPX files] and save to computer >

Plug the PN-40 to the computer >

Turn the '40 on; when prompted (by the GPSr) select either internal memory or SD card >

On your computer START menu, open "Computer" and note the drives. One will show up as Delorme or removable storage device (that is your unit), if you are using an SD card (preferably) it may show as Mass Storage device, also. >

Open your Downloads window and locate the downloaded PQ data -- if it shows as a single zipped file, you need to unzip it and it will result in two (2) files designated as .GPX files. >

Click and hold one, drag and drop it to your unit/SD card; repeat with the other. >

Right-click the mouse and select "Eject" -- it will then tell you it is safe to remove (unplug) your unit -- but you *should* power it down before unplugging.

 

Done. You are loaded and set to go geocaching.

It may sound complicated, but doing it a couple of times, it becomes as easy as pie.

 

Other tidbits: NAMING each query is helpful. You can load multiple query results and they will not interfere with others as long as each is distinctly named. An SD card of 2mb to 8 mb will hold many, many PQ results that way.

With named query downloads, you can select which caches you will be going after at any time.... we usually load and name them for locales. You could name and load them as cache-types or sizes, or just about any way you can think of.

 

If you are using an SD card, you access those query loadings through "file" on your unit.

[39_Steps]

What do I change the compatiability too......I have no idea how to use pocket queries......what program pits them on to the pn40 then.

First item on the Delorme PN-40 agenda is to determine the PN-40 firmware version. If the firmware is the older <2.5/2.6 version that originally was delivered with Delorme Topo8, you may have to make several changes to use the new Win8 computer.

 

If you have PN-40 firmware version 2.8 or 2.9, and/or Topo9, the process of loading PQs as unzipped gpx files, to the SD card can be used. It is not possible to copy Waypoint(Geocache) PQ gpx files to the EM_User Memory area of PN-40 Internal Memory with Windows Explorer, as the process is unsupported in any mode in this device.

 

So, find and post the firmware version for a start.

[+North Fork Seeker]

The firnware is 2.6

[39_Steps]

The firnware is 2.6

Let's see what we have here:

1)A Delorme PN-40 device with 2.6 firmware. The 2.6 firmware was designed to give full featured Waypoint (Geocache), Track, and Route file data transfer only in proprietary format with the Delorme Topo8 application.

 

2) Delorme Topo8 is designed to be compatible with Windows7 at the latest, but the user has a new Win8 computer, presumably with the 8.1 upgrade. The user is likely not familiar with either the use of Topo8 or unzipped Groundspeak Pocket Queries in gpx format.

 

3) If the user is an active competitive geocacher, he is accustomed to forwarding his Finds back to Groundspeak for posting. No can do with MS Win8 and combined MS Internet Explorer 11 plus Groundspeak download/upload security gotchas.

 

4) User can try installing Delorme Topo8 on the Win8 computer so that Pocket Queries (Waypoints) in unzipped gpx format can be imported into T8 for transfer to the PN-40 internal memory in proprietary format.

 

5) Or user can download PN-40 2.9 firmware upgrade to the device. Then it would be possible to copy PQ files in unzipped gpx format directly to a folder named Waypoints on the removable SDHC memory card without using Delorme Topo8. That's just to get started searching for geocaches again.

 

Perhaps an actual active geocacher will run across this semi-hidden message on this new forum by accident and give further instructions. Good luck.

[+dprovan]

Perhaps an actual active geocacher will run across this semi-hidden message on this new forum by accident and give further instructions. Good luck.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this, but as an actual active geocacher, I will confirm that your analysis and solution sound right. Upgrading to the latest firmware is probably the best course. I believe this takes topo8 out of the picture: I don't use topo much, but as I recall, newer firmware isn't compatible with the older topos. Just as well, since you're saying topo8 won't work on windows 8. CacheRegister is also gone, so I believe that requires GPX file copying. I've always copied GPX files, anyway, since I've always found that much more convenient than using Topo. How to copy GPX files has been covered in other forum posts. I believe GSAK also supports PN40s now, so that's another thing for the OP to consider if he's into that.

 

I always log on-line, so I don't know anything about uploading logs from the device.

[+North Fork Seeker]

Thanks for all the help folks but the users wonderful children just bought him a garmin 450 to use strictly for geocaching, now if the user can get sometime off work he will cachimg again after a long absence due to a family members battle with cancer........Thanks again for the help.

Tom