Garmin Nuvi 550 - geocaches,gpx vs waypoints.gpx

[+lugosi84]

Hello,

I was hoping to get a little help. I would like to find a way to keep all of my geocaching related items out of my Favorites list. As it is, when I go to look for a Favorite, I get this whole list of Geocache identifiers and parking places that take forever to scroll through.

Is there a way to do this?

Thanks in advance for the help,

Jim

[+kunarion]

That's how it works... add waypoints and they're added to the Nuvi's Favorites. I added 1000 caches from a Pocket Query to my Nuvi and, yeah, instantly regretted that idea. But it's kind of useful to see the icons as you drive.

As for separating cache waypoints from the non-Geocaching Nuvi Favorites, use “Search” and type at least the first part of the name of the Favorite to avoid scrolling.  That's all I do.  For Geocaching, I search for the GC Number of the cache or waypoint.  That's to get to a parking spot.  I use the Garmin Oregon for the actual cache hunt.

If you use a handheld GPS (handheld hiking GPSr or phone/tablet with an App) and use the Nuvi only as a way to get driving directions, you can cherry-pick only a small number of waypoints to place on the Nuvi to find a parking spot. Then the whole list is easily managed on the GPSr or phone.

There is helper software such as "GSAK" than might help, and in particular it can create useful names for the waypoints.  And it can strip out the cache info that doesn't even show up on the Nuvi (yet clogs its memory).  AND it can help you delete "Favorites" all at once, when manually that could be a chore.

If you asked the software to prepend maybe a “Z” to all the Geocaching waypoints, they'd all be at the bottom of the list after a lot of non-Geocaching Favorites (just thinking out loud ).

Good luck!

 

 

Edited January 26, 2018 by kunarion

[+Red90]

4 hours ago, kunarion said:

That's how it works... add waypoints and they're added to the Nuvi's Favorites.

A Nuvi 550 is different.  It is designed to be a waterproof handheld as well as an auto unit all in one.  It has the full, proper geocaching app built in.

The items that are becoming waypoints are the child waypoints.  If you do not want them, do not put the child waypoint file on the Nuvi.  It comes as a separate file in the pocket query.

[+kunarion]

49 minutes ago, Red90 said:

A Nuvi 550 is different.  It is designed to be a waterproof handheld as well as an auto unit all in one.  It has the full, proper geocaching app built in.

Cool, so it handles child waypoints appropriately?

 

49 minutes ago, Red90 said:

The items that are becoming waypoints are the child waypoints.  If you do not want them, do not put the child waypoint file on the Nuvi.  It comes as a separate file in the pocket query.

Yikes!  Well, that's no good.  You want stuff like parking waypoints available on your car Nuvi GPS.  On a Garmin Oregon, the waypoints have their own place away from the Geocaches.

But I do remember, the Nuvi 550 was the one that had "Geocaching capability".  It was discontinued about 5 years ago.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2018 by kunarion

[+Mineral2]

31 minutes ago, kunarion said:

Yikes!  Well, that's no good.  You want stuff like parking waypoints available on your car Nuvi GPS.  On a Garmin Oregon, the waypoints are sorted from the caches.

 

You mean that on an Oregon, the waypoints are sorted separately from caches? I've not figured out how to associate child waypoints with their caches. Thus the child waypoints tend to clutter the map. Therefore I just leave them off of the GPS and find my own route to the cache. Usually the parking spot I choose is the one provided with the child waypoints anyway.

[+kunarion]

16 minutes ago, Mineral2 said:

I've not figured out how to associate child waypoints with their caches.

 

Yeah.  On an Oregon or I guess most any GPS, you have to mentally associate the waypoints with a cache.  On a Garmin Oregon, waypoints can be brought up with the cache description, but you can't directly click to use a waypoint from a cache page.  At least they aren't in one long list with the Geocaches!  That would be way worse.

But I couldn't bring myself to delete all the waypoints, for decluttering purposes.  Those are kind of important, sometimes.

Edited January 26, 2018 by kunarion

[+Mineral2]

2 hours ago, kunarion said:

But I couldn't bring myself to delete all the waypoints, for decluttering purposes.  Those are kind of important, sometimes.

I only see them as important when they are part of multi caches or multi-stop puzzles, and the occasional multi-stop earth and virtual cache. In that case I download those waypoints and make routes with them. Otherwise, I do keep my phone with me for those times when looking up the waypoints is necessary. But where I live, even though the caches aren't super dense, the waypoints make the Oregon's map too difficult to read. I can hope that someday Garmin makes a better system to connect geocache waypoints with their caches, even letting them hide/appear according to the geocache filters.

[+Harry Dolphin]

5 hours ago, kunarion said:

 

Yeah.  On an Oregon or I guess most any GPS, you have to mentally associate the waypoints with a cache.  On a Garmin Oregon, waypoints can be brought up with the cache description, but you can't directly click to use a waypoint from a cache page.  At least they aren't in one long list with the Geocaches!  That would be way worse.

But I couldn't bring myself to delete all the waypoints, for decluttering purposes.  Those are kind of important, sometimes.

I use eTrex30 and nüvi 255w.  I upload my GPX files using Garmin POI Loader.  That loads all the waypoints.  For the parking coords, I use the eTrex to determine what the parking waypoint is named.  (Too many seem to be named 'parking'.)  It works for me.  I want the additional waypoints!