Newbie Here

[islandwheeler]

Hi, i just got a Garmin etrex and i want to try geocaching.

I just started playing around with Ozi explorer and theres still lots to learn that im sure will come with time.

What im wondering mostly is what the easiest way to upload waypoints i have downloaded from here and upload them onto my GPS.

Do i need to convert them from a .loc to whatever it needs to be to be imported to Ozi then onto the GPS through it as well?

Whats a good program to convert them? and whats the best way to upload them to my GPS?

 

thanks in advanced

[+DeerChaser & Company]

Try EasyGPS. It's the best as far as I'm concerned.

[+Renegade Knight]

EasyGPS (from the links section of this site) is the easiest way to load them to your GPS from this site.

 

Not sure about Ozi but I hear good things about it. If you do like things like maps and Ozi sooner or later you will need to track down GPSbabel.

[islandwheeler]

thanks a lot guys

[+Solar Max]

Do i need to convert them from a .loc to whatever it needs to be to be imported to Ozi then onto the GPS through it as well?

Whats a good program to convert them? and whats the best way to upload them to my GPS?

 

Either is good, but I thinks we should clear up the differences between EasyGPS and OziExplorer.

 

EasyGPS is a way for you to get existing waypoints (geocaches) from the site to your hard disk, then via serial, USB, or other connection, to your gps receiver.(eTrex I believe you said. Do you mean the Yellow eTrex? If so, you will need, or maybe you already have, a cable to connect the two.) It works very well with every receiver I have ever tried with it, about 6 different models.

 

OziExplorer is mapping software of the very first order. If you have calibrated Topographic maps, or any other maps for that matter, you can transfer your track and waypoint files to your computer through the cable, and into Ozi. This helps you to see what the terrain is like (if you haven't been there) or any access there is to the waypoint (roads, trails, etc.) On the flip side, you can plot a waypoint, then see where that waypoint is on the planet. This is very handy for "puzzle" caches, that require projections. Ozi is much more accurate (that is, it has a better model of the Earth in it) than your eTrex does. We use Moving Ozi, in which you run Ozi on a laptop, connect a GPS receiver via Serial cable, switch the GPS receiver output to NMEA, and start Moving Ozi. Immediately, you will see a big yellow arrow show you where you are on the map. Very handy driving along a lonely logging road, knowing exactly how far away the next turnoff is. Come to think of it, it's not bad in town either .

 

You can also CREATE your own maps in Ozi and calibrate them, but you'll need the Full version for an accurate calibration.

 

And yes, you can convert the two with GPSBabel. That's pretty cool too, when you are a Garmin/Magellan family. Two versions of the same waypoints, thanks to GPSBabel.

[islandwheeler]

thanks again

 

easy gps was super easy to learn how to use for sure, already got my first cache ready to head out tomorow and look for it.

 

the reason for using ozi is because what i got the GPS for. I do a lot of 4 wheeling and exploring all over southern vancouver island and its very useful for finding old de-comisioned roads and so on.