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Solution for Macintosh downloads


Guest WaylandersMA

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Guest WaylandersMA

Larry James of MacGPS Pro just added the ability to download geocaching waypoints. I just tried it and it works like a charm. As a test I click downloaded the 150 geocaches nearby and 10 minutes later I had them on my map on my Macintosh.

 

Go to www.macgpspro.com to buy this program if you have a Mac. 30 bucks well spent.

 

nb: Clicking all 25 downloads on a "seek cache" page will make one xml file. MacGPS Pro will then extract them in one shot.

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Guest bridaw

quote:
Originally posted by WaylandersMA:

... Go to www.macgpspro.com to buy this program if you have a Mac. 30 bucks well spent.

...


 

Could not agree more! The program is great and just got better now that it takes the XML files from Geocaching.com!! icon_smile.gif Very nice update to find in my Inbox this morning.

 

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Brian & Terry

San Diego, CA

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Guest bridaw

quote:
Originally posted by WaylandersMA:

... Go to www.macgpspro.com to buy this program if you have a Mac. 30 bucks well spent.

...


 

Could not agree more! The program is great and just got better now that it takes the XML files from Geocaching.com!! icon_smile.gif Very nice update to find in my Inbox this morning.

 

------------------

Brian & Terry

San Diego, CA

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Guest Cucumber Jones

Is one GPS more mac-friendly than another? I'm currently using the Magellan for palm, so it's pretty mac-friendly, but I'd like to upgrade to something a little more rugged and with a little better reception. I'd hate to get the sweet setup home and find out I need windows to do anything with it.

 

How much computer interaction is involved with the handheld units?

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Guest bridaw

quote:
Originally posted by Cucumber Jones:

Is one GPS more mac-friendly than another?


 

I don't believe it matters, select the best GPSR for the job. Most GPS receivers do not favor a platform since most don't bundle software (some GPS don't interface with PC/mac at all). You may need a converter for the cable but sometimes PC users do as well (USB).

 

The software you choose to run on the mac is what makes all the difference. I went the Virtual PC/Win98 route for awhile running Garmin MapSource software on my mac. I wanted a mac native app for obvious reasons but I started using my GPS with a PC first and already had Virtual PC.

 

I read about several mac applications and tried two. I selected MacGPS Pro and love it. If you end up selecting a Garmin unit, you should purchase MacGPS, IMO. MapGPS will work with practically any map. Search the topics for "MacGPS Pro" and "mac" for more posts with detail on features.

 

-Brian

 

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Brian & Terry

San Diego, CA

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Guest kbraband

quote:
Originally posted by WaylandersMA:

Larry James of MacGPS Pro just added the ability to download geocaching waypoints. I just tried it and it works like a charm. As a test I click downloaded the 150 geocaches nearby and 10 minutes later I had them on my map on my Macintosh.


Can you then upload those waypoints from the Mac into your Garmin?

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Guest bridaw

quote:
Originally posted by kbraband:

Can you then upload those waypoints from the Mac into your Garmin?


 

Yes, within seconds. Your speed may vary, GPS model and size of file will determine final upload speed to GPS.

 

I downloaded several pages of geocaches, the closest 300 to my location in San Diego. I opened BB Edit and copied the data from all the files into one file and uploaded that one combined file to the GPS.

 

Of course the combination step is optional. I was uploading to both a IIIp and Legend so in the end I knew a few copy and pastes to combine the files first would save me time in the end. icon_smile.gif

 

------------------

Brian & Terry

San Diego, CA

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Guest bridaw

quote:
Originally posted by kbraband:

Can you then upload those waypoints from the Mac into your Garmin?


 

Yes, within seconds. Your speed may vary, GPS model and size of file will determine final upload speed to GPS.

 

I downloaded several pages of geocaches, the closest 300 to my location in San Diego. I opened BB Edit and copied the data from all the files into one file and uploaded that one combined file to the GPS.

 

Of course the combination step is optional. I was uploading to both a IIIp and Legend so in the end I knew a few copy and pastes to combine the files first would save me time in the end. icon_smile.gif

 

------------------

Brian & Terry

San Diego, CA

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Guest bridaw

Oh yeah!! One of the great features MacGPS Pro is the fact that Track Log, Waypoint and route files are stored as simple text files.

 

This is really great when you want to edit these files or extract data for other applications. I took old saved MapSource track log files from my VirtualPC drive -uploaded to my IIIp, then used MacGPS Pro to pull them back down to the mac. Now I can actually use the data!!

 

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Brian & Terry

San Diego, CA

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Guest bigeddy

"I downloaded several pages of geocaches, the closest 300 to my location in San Diego. I opened BB Edit and copied the data from all the files into one file and uploaded that one combined file to the GPS."

 

Have any problems with the GPS unit not displaying geocache waypoints converted by MacGPS Pro? Here's what happens on my Garmin GPS II+: MacGPS Pro converts, uploads and downloads waypoints and they appear as expected on the computer screen; but as soon as I create a waypoint manually on the Garmin roughly half the waypoints DISAPPEAR from the GPS track display, but they are still in its Waypoint List and upload OK to the computer. I can delete the manual waypoints and the lost points REAPPEAR.

 

The files (when downloaded from the Garmin to the computer) look normal in BBEdit. The only difference in the converted and manual records is the date format. I edited the dates to make them consistent but that doesn't matter.

 

Ever seen this display problem before? I'm stumped!

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Guest WaylandersMA

quote:
Originally posted by bigeddy:

 

Ever seen this display problem before? I'm stumped!


 

I've never seen it but haven't had that many waypoints in my GPSR.

Are you putting more than the 500 limit that your Garmin unit can take?

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Guest bigeddy

quote:
Originally posted by WaylandersMA:

I've never seen it but haven't had that many waypoints in my GPSR.

Are you putting more than the 500 limit that your Garmin unit can take?


 

Nowhere near the limit. I contacted Garmin and they said this is normal behavior for older units (3 years is old). Evidently, the processor can't display more than a handful of points on the Map Page. Bummer. What do I want for Christmas?

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Does anyone have any suggestions for easy ways to convert GPS files into Shapefiles for use in a GIS that supports this format. I use MacGPS Pro for my GPS needs and I love it. I just wish MacGPS Pro had a utility or feature to convert the GPS data it processes into shapefiles. Would anyone else find this feature handy?

 

Thanks!

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