Early Etrex and Geco viewing/transferring applications.

[kybishop]

Hello,

I have been out of the game for about 12 years. I didn't log all my finds when I was going but the last one I logged was in 2006 it appears. I have an early model Garmin Etrex and an early Garmin Geko 201. I fired them both up and they work fine. My data cable was of course out dated...

I purchased a new USB data cable from Amazon and was able to successfully update both Garmin's via the Garmin WebUpdater application that I downloaded to my PC. So they are updated and I have a successful connection to the PC. I am running windows 10.

I understand that the 'send to GPS' does not work. I have read quite a bit up on that and I am not a premium member so the GPX file transfer option doesn't work either. I may have to upgrade my membership. I just didn't geocache all that often when I hiked.

My question(s). What are the available applications out there for viewing these older GPS units on my Windows PC? Something that will open up these old Garmins in a window that I can drag and drop? Anything out there? Anything people like and have success with? These old units don't show up as a dive in folders on the PC when you hook them up. Garmin support informed me that they indeed do not. There may not be such an animal and I may have to figure out another option.

I used to use some software I had on my old PC but I can not remember the name. Some kind of GPS logger and viewer. I can update my membership and figure out the send to GPS issue. I just would like a way to view the info on my units on the PC in a window if possible.

Thanks for any help and advice.

 

 

[+HHL]

Downloading the Gpx file from the cache page does work for Basic members nowadays. Try it out. You may open and transfer the Gpx files with apps like MapSource, BaseCamp etc.

Hans

[kybishop]

Hmmm. Okay, let me give it a shot and see what I can come up with.

I had previously downloaded BaseCamp and it would not recognize or find either Garmin unit. Kept waiting and wanting me to plug one in. I looked on Garmin support and BaseCamp doesn't support those Legacy devices like I have.  https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch/en-US/faq/content/OTC4DbqwPt33jPUxBWrQQ6

Map Source looks like it would be an option thought.

Thanks for the response, I appreciate it. I will try the Gpx download again and check into MapSource.

[+HHL]

You may also consider trying out third party apps like EasyGPS (click here) or GSAK (click here).

Hans

[+kunarion]

50 minutes ago, kybishop said:

I had previously downloaded BaseCamp and it would not recognize or find either Garmin unit. Kept waiting and wanting me to plug one in. I looked on Garmin support and BaseCamp doesn't support those Legacy devices like I have.

I don't see a lot about "Geko", but I found three references online that say that the program "Easy GPS" works with a "Geko 201".  There's also a for-pay version by the company that makes Easy GPS (and there's other pretty fancy helper software available), but if you're ready to buy software, you may instead weigh the value of Premium Membership on geocaching.com, which then requires no messing with helper software just to load cache files.

A Premium Member can use "lists", and then use "Send To Garmin" (not to be confused with "Send To My GPS").  There's online info about using Garmin Express on a Geko, but I can't tell if the info is up to date. Wild guess, it still works with a Geko.  Maybe others who've tried it can chime in.  "Garmin Express" is Garmin's official software for updating firmware and maps on a Garmin GPS.  Plus now it's got an added capability of loading GPX files from geocaching.com "Lists".

As HHL mentioned, all members currently can click the "GPX File" button on a cache page, and you may be able to save that directly to your Etrex.  Or save a GPX and then load it with Easy GPX, if it recognizes your GPS. 

Or type the cache manually as a waypoint.  If it's just for a couple of caches once in a while, that could save you a lot of aggravation.

Edited March 9, 2018 by kunarion

[+HHL]

14 minutes ago, kunarion said:

...] and you may be able to save that directly to your Etrex.  Or save a GPX and then load it [...]

No. Unfortunately these old devices do NOT support GPX files directly. All data has to be transfered with a serial connection.

Hns

[+kunarion]

38 minutes ago, HHL said:

No. Unfortunately these old devices do NOT support GPX files directly. All data has to be transfered with a serial connection.

Hns

 

Yeah, not "Geko".  There were more words in that sentence beyond what you clipped from my reply, where I said that it might be loaded by Easy GPS. But as for Etrex, that depends on the specific model of Etrex, right?

Anyway, Easy GPS is very basic, but supposedly supports both.  So you'd first save a GPX file and then load it into Easy GPS (or type coords into the program), then send it to the GPS from there.  Not a lot of steps, I guess it could work.

However, I didn't see "Geko" specifically in Easy GPS's device menu.  And I can't test that, since I have no "Etrex" nor "Geko".

OK, after re-reading the OP, it seems that these GPSs both (?) have serial connections only, and cables which are connected to a USB serial convertor to work on a Windows 10 PC that has no hardware serial port.  This is gonna be fun!

For just a cache or two, I seriously would consider typing the coords. I have PM and a newer GPS, yet routinely must hand-type at least some waypoints on any given caching day.  It's easy.  If I was trying to just go find a couple of caches, getting all that computer equipment set up would be way overkill.

Edited March 9, 2018 by kunarion

[+NYPaddleCacher]

19 hours ago, HHL said:

You may also consider trying out third party apps like EasyGPS (click here) or GSAK (click here).

Hans

I was also going to suggest EasyGPS.  I used it before I actually owned a GPS in 2006 so it may support those older GPS devices.  Basecamp came along later as a replacement for Garmins Mapsource product and, for some reason does not support some of the older devices.  

[kybishop]

Thanks everyone. I will give easy GPS a look. Sounds like something I could use and would come in handy. I wish I could remember the one I used before. Easy GPS sounds familiar, I think I looked at it back when I was still Geocaching but seems like I used another? It was basic and simple but worked great. Anyway, I will check it out.

If I go the route of purchasing anything I believe I will bump up my membership to premium. Not a lot of expense and looks like there are quite a few advantages. Support of this site being one of them.

I completely agree about manually entering them. Not that big a task just for a few here and there. 

I am not sure why I just up and quit geocaching. We used to do it on our vacations with the kids and other family. My son is a junior in college now and my daughter just started driving but they both love the outdoors and hiking. The Geko was one the kids used and they used the Etrex some as well. I think I can get them geocaching again

One thing that interested me was when I pulled up the Geocaching map to see the locations of them around me I noticed within a couple miles down the road from me. I am out at the end of a one lane country road about 8 miles from town. I was surprised to see them that close to home. One was placed by my neighbor's (1 mile away) daughter. It is a close nit country community on the one lane road and funny, I never noticed anyone there looking for the Geocaches... 

I also noticed that some of the ones I remember being around and have found are now gone.

Thanks again, you guys have given me some things to look in to.

[kybishop]

Not related to my question but just a comment about the Geocaching map. The number of Geocaches out there now compared to when I last went out looking for them is incredible. 

 

Edited March 11, 2018 by kybishop