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How to load cache details onto a Garmin GPS


Jambocacher

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I also got a Garmin etrex 20x today! Im slightly in disbelief for the reviews that were provided by the Geocaching website and Garmin. The way it was explained was that you could download the LOC file without issue to the etrex and be on your way to locating caches at no additional fees! 

 

After the day slowed down, I pulled the unit out and began to play around with it. First, the map is not a TOPO like the pictures had showed or even explained. I guess I will not have to pay $59.99 to get the TOPO map for the northeast. Second, it appears that Geocaching now requires you to purchase the upgraded membership to send/download the GPX files. I have been unable to download the LOC files or even locate under the LOC tab. I guess this is another $29.99/yr. 

 

If either of you have any luck or better ideas to help solve this issue, I would greatly appreciate it. So much for the $50 dollar savings on Black Friday. 

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33 minutes ago, niraD said:

The way that I handle lists is to create a PQ for the list, run the PQ, and then download the resulting file. I think there is also a "Download to Garmin" function for lists, but I don't have a Garmin, so I use the list-to-PQ-to-GPX method.

Thanks for the response. I did try the "Download to Garmin" option for the list, but when I clicked on it nothing downloaded at all. I will try the PQ method and see what happens.

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2 hours ago, niraD said:

The way that I handle lists is to create a PQ for the list, run the PQ, and then download the resulting file. I think there is also a "Download to Garmin" function for lists, but I don't have a Garmin, so I use the list-to-PQ-to-GPX method.

 

1 hour ago, cast_and_cache said:

Thanks for the response. I did try the "Download to Garmin" option for the list, but when I clicked on it nothing downloaded at all. I will try the PQ method and see what happens.

Tried the pocket query option and still had no luck, not sure what to do now. It appears to be a Garmin issue.

 

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2 hours ago, niraD said:

The way that I handle lists is to create a PQ for the list, run the PQ, and then download the resulting file. I think there is also a "Download to Garmin" function for lists, but I don't have a Garmin, so I use the list-to-PQ-to-GPX method.

 

1 hour ago, cast_and_cache said:

Thanks for the response. I did try the "Download to Garmin" option for the list, but when I clicked on it nothing downloaded at all. I will try the PQ method and see what happens.

 

18 minutes ago, cast_and_cache said:

 

Tried the pocket query option and still had no luck, not sure what to do now. It appears to be a Garmin issue.

 

So, I went back and realized that I did not run my PQ properly ( I have been out of caching for a while). After fixing my mistake all went smoothly, although the Garmin issue still remains. Thank you for your help!

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Do you have Garmin Express installed? If not go to Garmin website and download it. Also ensdure your device is registered with Garmin. This can be done once you have Garmin Express installed. You will also need Garmin Express to keep firmware on your Etrex 20 up to date.

I have been using an Etrex 20 for 6 years now and have not had any problems with it although most of my cache downloads are done via GSAK.

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20 hours ago, Jambocacher said:

I used to be able to send cache details to my Garmin etrex.20 but can no longer. Whats happened and how do I load info  onto my GPS

 

18 hours ago, cast_and_cache said:

I am a phone cacher who just got a Garmin etrex20. Is there a way to download a .gpx file directly to my device without having to click and drag the file on my PC? Also, I can't seem to be able to download a list from my geocaching.com profile at all, not even through the click and drag method. Thanks for any help on this!

 

Connect the Garmin to your computer and it will be recognized as a drive.  For downloading single caches individually, on the cache page or from the pop-up box on the map, click the "Download GPX" button.  Your computer should give you a choice to "Save" or "Save As". Choose "Save As" and direct the file to be saved to the Garmin\GPX folder on the Garmin.  GPX files must go into that folder for the Garmin to recognize them.

 

15 hours ago, cast_and_cache said:

Does anyone with a Garmin device have issues using Garmin Express to download lists? When I use the "Download to Garmin" option in the list menu I receive a notification that my browser will ask to allow Express to download, but then it never does. I just got a Garmin Etrex20 and am still learning how to use it. Thanks.

 

 

 

Check to make sure you have the latest version of Garmin Express (6.10.0) installed.  To check, open GE and click the settings gear on the top right.  Select "About" and then click check for updates.  I have had the issue you describe happen to me when I've had an out-of-date version of GE.  Connect the Garmin to your computer, click the "Send To Garmin" option next to the list you want to send from your My Lists page.  When it works properly it should open Garmin Express and bring up a dialog box saying your list is ready for download.  Click continue and it will send the caches on that list in a single GPX file directly to the Garmin\GPX folder on the unit.  If you send multiple lists, each list will be a unique file.  Each time you resend a list it will overwrite that particular list file on the Garmin.

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On 12/26/2018 at 12:23 AM, colleda said:

Do you have Garmin Express installed? If not go to Garmin website and download it. Also ensdure your device is registered with Garmin. This can be done once you have Garmin Express installed. You will also need Garmin Express to keep firmware on your Etrex 20 up to date.

I have been using an Etrex 20 for 6 years now and have not had any problems with it although most of my cache downloads are done via GSAK.

Sorry for the delay in responding, this is the first I have been on since Tuesday. I do have the updated Express and have my device registered with Garmin. It appears that the problem is with my browser. I use Opera which would not allow Express to download any of my lists. However, when I switched to Microsoft Edge, it worked perfectly. thanks for the advice!

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On 12/25/2018 at 7:48 PM, cast_and_cache said:

I am a phone cacher who just got a Garmin etrex20. Is there a way to download a .gpx file directly to my device without having to click and drag the file on my PC? Also, I can't seem to be able to download a list from my geocaching.com profile at all, not even through the click and drag method. Thanks for any help on this!

 

On 12/25/2018 at 10:55 PM, cast_and_cache said:

Does anyone with a Garmin device have issues using Garmin Express to download lists? When I use the "Download to Garmin" option in the list menu I receive a notification that my browser will ask to allow Express to download, but then it never does. I just got a Garmin Etrex20 and am still learning how to use it. Thanks.

 

 

 

On 12/26/2018 at 2:40 PM, icezebra11 said:

 

 

Connect the Garmin to your computer and it will be recognized as a drive.  For downloading single caches individually, on the cache page or from the pop-up box on the map, click the "Download GPX" button.  Your computer should give you a choice to "Save" or "Save As". Choose "Save As" and direct the file to be saved to the Garmin\GPX folder on the Garmin.  GPX files must go into that folder for the Garmin to recognize them.

 

 

Check to make sure you have the latest version of Garmin Express (6.10.0) installed.  To check, open GE and click the settings gear on the top right.  Select "About" and then click check for updates.  I have had the issue you describe happen to me when I've had an out-of-date version of GE.  Connect the Garmin to your computer, click the "Send To Garmin" option next to the list you want to send from your My Lists page.  When it works properly it should open Garmin Express and bring up a dialog box saying your list is ready for download.  Click continue and it will send the caches on that list in a single GPX file directly to the Garmin\GPX folder on the unit.  If you send multiple lists, each list will be a unique file.  Each time you resend a list it will overwrite that particular list file on the Garmin.

 

Sorry for the delay in responding to your advice. So, two things were working against me that I finally figured out: 1)My browser settings were directing all downloads into my "Downloads" file automatically without "Save" or "Save As" prompts. I changed that and now I can direct the GPX files into my Garmin\GPX folder. 2)I use Opera as my browser and it must not be compatible with Garmin Express because I do have the updated version installed, however it would never open when I attempted to download a list, even with my popup blocker turned off.  When I tried the same procedure on Microsoft Edge, it worked perfectly.

 

Thank you for taking the time to offer your help!

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5 hours ago, J'nK said:

I have a Magellan 310 that I used to be able to download directly to, however something has changed and it seems to only download to my MAC which I then have to transfer manually to my unit.

 

I'm very confused as to what happened here...

 

There used to be a "Send to GPS" button which utilized a plug-in to move the GPX files to the Magellan.  That plug-in used a protocol that was deemed to be a security risk so browsers quit supporting it so Groundspeak developed the current method which doesn't require a plug-in.  I don't use a Mac so I don't know how they work compared to Windows but if you have the option when downloading, save the GPX files directly to the same folder in the Magellan where you manually move them.

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On 12/25/2018 at 5:25 PM, allsfamily said:

I also got a Garmin etrex 20x today! Im slightly in disbelief for the reviews that were provided by the Geocaching website and Garmin. The way it was explained was that you could download the LOC file without issue to the etrex and be on your way to locating caches at no additional fees!

LOC files contained only bare minimum information, the coords and cache name/type/size/ratings.

GPX files are fuller files that has the additional info of cache description, hint, recent logs.

It used to be that Basic Members could only download LOC files, but a relatively recent change is that Basic Members can now download GPX files. It's possible the reviews/documentation you read were not updated after the change.  You can use the "Download GPX" button on either the cache page or the map preview, then save the GPX file to the Garmin/GPX folder of your connected etrex.

 

 

On 12/25/2018 at 5:25 PM, allsfamily said:

After the day slowed down, I pulled the unit out and began to play around with it. First, the map is not a TOPO like the pictures had showed or even explained. I guess I will not have to pay $59.99 to get the TOPO map for the northeast. Second, it appears that Geocaching now requires you to purchase the upgraded membership to send/download the GPX files. I have been unable to download the LOC files or even locate under the LOC tab. I guess this is another $29.99/yr.

You can get free maps for your Garmin from this OSM site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, noncentric said:

LOC files contained only bare minimum information, the coords and cache name/type/size/ratings.

GPX files are fuller files that has the additional info of cache description, hint, recent logs.

It used to be that Basic Members could only download LOC files, but a relatively recent change is that Basic Members can now download GPX files. It's possible the reviews/documentation you read were not updated after the change.  You can use the "Download GPX" button on either the cache page or the map preview, then save the GPX file to the Garmin/GPX folder of your connected etrex.

 

 

You can get free maps for your Garmin from this OSM site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much for that info. Which map is best to download from OSM? Transparent Overlay or Generic Routable? Thanks again for your insight. 

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3 minutes ago, allsfamily said:

Thank you very much for that info. Which map is best to download from OSM? Transparent Overlay or Generic Routable? Thanks again for your insight. 

 

When I just brought up the OSM page it wouldn't let me select "Transparent Overlay".  It might only be available for a few specific areas.

 

I have always used the "Generic Routable" or "Generic Routable (new style)" maps from OSM.  They aren't topo maps but the detail is quite good and the maps include many other features like businesses and other places of interest.  The best part of the maps (other than being free) is that they're world wide and one doesn't have to create a map with contiguous tiles.   For example, a mapset can be created with an area in San Francisco and an area in Los Angeles, but not the maps tiles in between (which, if one is flying between LAX and SFO, wouldn't be needed.)

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