Oregon 600 - How to load multiple caches at once?

[+RTechS]

I know "of" GPX/GPZ files, but for the life of me I cannot seem to find any tutorial on how to use them, or get them to load on my new Oregon 600. I know I can browse to individual caches on the site & send them to the GPS, I've seen that when viewing the cache pages, but sending single caches is tedious and time consuming.

 

I can get the PC to recognize the Oregon using I.E., and I have the Garmin Communicator installed...but where to go from here? I'm sure this is old hat to you seasoned GPS users out there, but I've been using a smartphone up until now with no issues.

 

Also, after I get these all sent to the GPS, is there a way to sort by distance?

 

Can any of you GPS owners tell me how to make this all work?

 

Thanks so much!

[+kunarion]

The thing you seek is the "Pocket Query": https://www.geocaching.com/pocket/

 

You make a few selections, preview it to be sure it looks OK, set a day to run (today, for example), wait for notification, download it, unzip, and place the GPX files in the folder [ORDrive]:/Garmin/GPX on the Garmin GPSr. It's quite simple once you get some practice.

 

The Oregon will show a list stored by distance.

Edited May 24, 2015 by kunarion

[Pup Patrol]

I still pick and choose caches, but now I put them in a bookmark list, and then run the pq of that list. I used to spend a lot of time saving each cache/gpx file into a separate folder on the computer, then loading each one into the gps. NO MORE! Yeah, I'm kind of slow on the uptake.

 

It's great. I don't get a whole load of caches I'm not interested in, and get the quick and easy method of loading a bunch of caches all at once.

 

Help Center → Premium Membership

2. Pocket Queries

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=28

 

I use GPSBabel to load them into the gps.

 

http://www.gpsbabel.org/

 

B.

Edited May 24, 2015 by Pup Patrol

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Loading PQ data into the GPSr requires no "Communicator". It is loaded directly from the computer to the GPSr (as a removable Drive).

 

This link is a by-the-numbers instruction to run a Pocket Query (video as well as print): http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=118

 

This link is a wunnerful tutorial on loading the data to the Garmin: http://www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk/resources/files/paperless_garmin.pdf

[+RTechS]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

I had a pocket query that I ran a couple months ago for my tablet - I was going to load that on the Oregon but I guess I deleted it awhile ago. So, I set a new PQ to run - can't wait to try this GPS out! I know it will take some getting used to though, as I'm used to phone caching and I'm spoiled by the spoken turn by turn navigation. I know it will perform better in the woods though, which is one of the main reasons I purchased it.

[+RTechS]

Some issues here...

 

I did get the PQ loaded and can view all of the caches. However, I cannot figure out how to navigate with it, not very well anyway. When I click on a cache title, the word "GO" appears, and I can click on that, which gives me a map. From there I'm lost...there doesn't seem to be any way to start the navigation on the map. All I have is a starting point & and end point with a connecting line.

 

I guess I need to load maps of some sort that will provide me with street names and such? What am I missing?

[+kunarion]

Some issues here...

 

I did get the PQ loaded and can view all of the caches. However, I cannot figure out how to navigate with it, not very well anyway. When I click on a cache title, the word "GO" appears, and I can click on that, which gives me a map. From there I'm lost...there doesn't seem to be any way to start the navigation on the map. All I have is a starting point & and end point with a connecting line.

 

I guess I need to load maps of some sort that will provide me with street names and such? What am I missing?

There are routable street maps. But the Oregon doesn't speak. It just beeps. I downloaded routable Garmin maps for my old 450, and bought a Garmin map SD card for my new 650. Purchased map files are locked to one device, and I decided that it would be better to be able to just switch the SD card to another GPSr if needed. There are sources of free maps. Even if they don't have street routing, knowing which side of a street a cache is on can be handy.

 

If you're familiar with an area, you may not need maps for street routing. I often load one select cache into my Nuvi for directions to a cache area (to a park or parking lot), and go from there. The Nuvi is a lot better as a car nav than the Oregon is.

 

Once you've arrived at a parking place, switch to the Compass screen for distance and bearing. You can customize all the menus, and even have extra info on the various screen "dashboards". I changed a bunch of things, including placing the most-used icons on the start screens of the various Profiles.

Edited May 24, 2015 by kunarion

[+RTechS]

Some issues here...

 

I did get the PQ loaded and can view all of the caches. However, I cannot figure out how to navigate with it, not very well anyway. When I click on a cache title, the word "GO" appears, and I can click on that, which gives me a map. From there I'm lost...there doesn't seem to be any way to start the navigation on the map. All I have is a starting point & and end point with a connecting line.

 

I guess I need to load maps of some sort that will provide me with street names and such? What am I missing?

There are routable street maps. But the Oregon doesn't speak. It just beeps. I downloaded routable Garmin maps for my old 450, and bought a Garmin map SD card for my new 650. Purchased map files are locked to one device, and I decided that it would be better to be able to just switch the SD card to another GPSr if needed. There are sources of free maps. Even if they don't have street routing, knowing which side of a street a cache is on can be handy.

 

If you're familiar with an area, you may not need maps for street routing. I often load one select cache into my Nuvi for directions to a cache area (to a park or parking lot), and go from there. The Nuvi is a lot better as a car nav than the Oregon is.

 

Once you've arrived at a parking place, switch to the Compass screen for distance and bearing. You can customize all the menus, and even have extra info on the various screen "dashboards". I changed a bunch of things, including placing the most-used icons on the start screens of the various Profiles.

 

Thanks so much for that info., kunarion.

 

I did find some free sources for maps and I've heard about them on the various podcasts. It is disappointing that this GPS doesn't seem to be able to be used that well for driving navigation, though...

 

My smartphone navigation gets "confused" at times in certain areas and will direct me "around the block" a couple of times, like it doesn't have a good routing signal or something. I was really hoping that this GPS would pick up the slack in this area, but it would seem that a Nuvi would be better suited for the driving. I'm not sure I really have the patience to jump through all the hoops that seem to be required with the Oregon.

 

Maybe I'm just a bit overwhelmed with the newness of it, and I am too used to my smartphone features, since the phone pretty much just "works" without a lot of fiddling with it. I'll have to work with the Oregon for a couple of weeks, give it some time I suppose.

 

Note - One other thing I do have to mention; I have the screen brightness turned up to "max" and I don't get the impression that it will show up in bright sunlight, which is a definite problem with the smartphone. I've read in many reviews that the screen is easily viewable in bright sunlight.

[+kunarion]

My smartphone navigation gets "confused" at times in certain areas and will direct me "around the block" a couple of times, like it doesn't have a good routing signal or something. I was really hoping that this GPS would pick up the slack in this area, but it would seem that a Nuvi would be better suited for the driving.

With routable maps, the Oregon is somewhat convenient for driving, since it has both the cache and maps (yes, a separate purchase based on the user's map requirements). I have a nook on my dashboard where the Oregon fits. But I try not to do that often, since it's oh-so-much safer driving with the Nuvi instead.

 

Maybe I'm just a bit overwhelmed with the newness of it, and I am too used to my smartphone features, since the phone pretty much just "works" without a lot of fiddling with it. I'll have to work with the Oregon for a couple of weeks, give it some time I suppose.

Smartphone vs. handheld GPS is two different ways to cache. There are trade-offs either way. If you keep your Smartphone, and have it route you to an area, you may have the best of both worlds. Pretty cool!

 

In a suburban neighborhood, street routing fails. It directs you to the shortest route to a cache, and that route can be through a neighbor's yard. Maybe the phone is doing the same thing. So does the Nuvi. Sometimes I know that beyond the back yard is the soccer complex, sometimes I don't. Those neighborhood cache pages seriously could use some parking coords.

 

Note - One other thing I do have to mention; I have the screen brightness turned up to "max" and I don't get the impression that it will show up in bright sunlight, which is a definite problem with the smartphone. I've read in many reviews that the screen is easily viewable in bright sunlight.

You will be amazed at the screen visibility in outdoor lighting. I almost never use the backlight during the day. I frequently did in heavy forested areas with either the Oregon 450 or 550.

Edited May 25, 2015 by kunarion