Need help loading geocaches to Garmin GPSMap 60cx. Was:gpsmap60cx

[+docksboy]

I am unable to download Geocaches to this device. Help!

[+StefandD]

The GPSMAP60cx is from an older generation, so modern solutions don't work. You will need MapSource, BaseCamp, EasyGPS or GSAK (all free) to transfer caches to your device.

Also, the Garmin USB Drivers must be installed to recognise the device.

 

1. Click on GPX File on any cache page to download the GPX. Or create, download and extract a pocket query. You can also turn a list into a PQ.

2. Import the GPX file(s) into one of the programs mentioned above.

3. Send the data to your GPSMAP.

[+cerberus1]

If you're only gonna do a couple caches a month, maybe consider loading caches manually, using a small notepad for notes n hints.  

It doesn't take that long to do, and it's simple...

I've loaded caches manually since starting to my 60csx.  It still works fine, and I don't have the desire to upgrade yet. 

If/when I ever upgrade, I'll probably stick with the same.  I'm kinda selective what gets loaded, and most times only a cache or two a day.

[7rxc]

My query exactly... right to the GPSR model...  take some time off and the world moves on...  maybe time to buy a new GPS and watch as it goes obsolete a few months later...

 

Thanks to StefandD for the comments  I'll have to see what is up that way...  I think I have it all on my OLDer computer... might even work... for this OLDer cacher... ha.

Seems to me there was... long ago... another popular program that did this kind of thing loading caches that is... but also not direct... but it was outmarket stuff...mmm.

Getting OLDer... don't remember quite as well any more...  was that the GSAK or something like that. but it was for sale... and complex to boot...  I have to look for that as well... only used it a few times.

 

Meanwhile as cerberus1 says... going back to old school for now... but it's already too late for more than one...

I also do the condensed  hand printed notes for field use...   I've always done that, even sketch map of the site if it's a navigation nightmare... just hand sketch the landmarks from the air photos... Did you know that you can often trace them on a paper over the sreen... but gently so as not to harm the screen... you can also set a screen capture of that into your camera or even one of those pocket radios people have stuck to their faces these days... if it has image storing... good offline reference... you can even add marks on the picture... for more info.

For now... where is my P.E.N.C.I.L.  ?

[+Mineral2]

GSAK is now free to download and use - no paid version anymore. That is probably your best solution for using these old GPS units for geocaching until you decide to switch to using a phone or a newer GPS receiver. By all accounts, the gpsMAP60 series is only obsolete in that the hardware and software are no longer supported or maintained by Garmin. Otherwise, they still communicate with the GPS satellites and will still help you navigate from one point to another. Newer models have features that make their use easier. They also have bugs that make their use sometimes aggravating, but general consensus is that the benefits of the new features outweigh the aggravation of the bugs. Most of the time.

It's been well discussed in these forums why the Communicator Plugin no longer works, and consequently, why Groundspeak chose to retire that old "Send to my GPS" feature that utilized it. And, of course, the replacement feature - "Send to Garmin" requires that your GPS mount to a computer in Mass Storage Mode, essentially as an external hard drive or thumb drive, which the gpsMAP60 series does not do. Ironically, the next model introduced, the Garmin Colorado series in 2008, and everything released since then does support mass storage mode. So although the Colorado series is also "obsolete," it is substantially less obsolete than the 60csx because the new features have been relatively unchanged since then: full USB support, mass storage mode, direct support to read and write data to GPX file format, paperless geocaching. Every progression of the units since 2008 simply add faster processors, improved antennas, more storage space and capacities on the number of tracks, waypoints, routes, and geocaches, and nicer screens. Those are the real reasons to upgrade your GPS if you still wish to continue using one. A newer model (doesn't have to be the newest) will interact nicely with geocaching, work with a standardized data format, and let you carry more mapping and display it much nicer. The rest of the new fangled features are simply icing on the cake. Though it will be interesting to see if the latest models have the same robustness and lifespan as the models in the gpsMAP60 series, many of which are still going strong other than losing some of that software support.

Whatever you do, there is no real need to bring paper descriptions and directions to a geocache. That's one old method that needs to remain obsolete.

[robertlipe]

Dockboy, I fixed the subject. Please use good subject lines because that's your "elevator pitch" to get your question found by experts, such as those that served you well above, and search engines.

I'll also humbly request some love for  my creation, GPSBabel, the original cross-platform and open source option of loading geocaches to these devices. It can load them with a smart name, making the most of the ten character name that appears on the screen instead of "GC12345' that also keeps them unique.

Paper or flat text files have a place. If you're planning to seek a handful of finds in one park that you're visiting, a few seconds of <command+P> and folding a paper for your pocket is hard to beat instead of an hour fighting a software and a cranky inkjet. You can also use a lesser known feature of GPSBabel that converts the GPX from your pocket query to a text file so you can print many caches per page or load them into Google Docs and pin them offline in your smartphone or whatever. Just "convert" from GPX to 'text' .

StefanD calls it out, but on Windows (only) there is a device driver from Garmin that's required for these. It's telling that it talks about Windows 8 as an afterthought and doesn't mention Windows 10 at all. Some people have reported it working and some people have reported some crankiness, but using a 15 year old GPS with a 15 year old PC isn't unreasonable, and the newer OSes let you virtualized the older ones if you get really desperate.

This forum has plenty of people that have been frustrated with and replaced models way newer than this, but this line was Garmin's workhorse for a long time and some groups like Search and Rescue teams stockpile these because of their simplicity and reliability. I found thousands with mine of this age, as did many others. It's a bit quaint now, but it's a very workable device. 

[+Team Lucky]

Most fun I ever had was in the beginning using pen and paper and printing descriptions...