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60c/cs - Downloading Waypoints Over Usb


Greg&Patty

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It looks my GPSMAP 60CS is now only a few weeks away. So I thought I'd get ramped up on all the software required to download waypoints and Geocache "comments" to the 60CS. The Garmin page shows "Terrain" and "Difficulty". I downloaded EasyGPS and GSAK. Sadly both only offer serial interface. I contacted the authors of both. At this point there are no firm timelines to add USB connectivity. I also contacted Garmin who redirected me to the free software and never did answer the question about downloading the "comments".

 

Any other options?

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keep in mind that serial is fine for downloading waypoints. usb will be particularly valuable when it comes to loading many megabytes of map imgs. the 60cs uses as it's serial connection the relatively low cost 4 pin round connector used by the garmin 12xl, 72 and 76 series, 176, spiii, gpsv and more. you can pick up one of these serial cables for low $$ and even less if you buy from one of the clone cable companies.

 

life is good... B)

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keep in mind that serial is fine for downloading waypoints. usb will be particularly valuable when it comes to loading many megabytes of map imgs. the 60cs uses as it's serial connection the relatively low cost 4 pin round connector used by the garmin 12xl, 72 and 76 series, 176, spiii, gpsv and more. you can pick up one of these serial cables for low $$ and even less if you buy from one of the clone cable companies.

 

life is good... B)

Good point. I didn't realize that. Although stings a bit have to pay for a low tech cable that will only be needed until EasyGPS is updated. I did a quick search for the cable and found the lowest price is $25.00. I couldn't find any clones (any help is appreciated).

 

On the other hand, I'd rather see all 60C/60CS owners give thier $25 bucks to the author of EasyGPS to have him add USB support. Because once USB support is added, I won't need a serial cable any longer and I rather he get the money instead of an etailer.

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I'd rather see all 60C/60CS owners give thier $25 bucks to the author of EasyGPS to have him add USB support.  Because once USB support is added, I won't need a serial cable any longer and I rather he get the money instead of an etailer.

[i'm the author of EasyGPS and ExpertGPS]

 

I hope to add USB support to EasyGPS and ExpertGPS as soon as I can, but until I get a GPSmap60CS in hand, I can't get started. In an ideal world, Garmin would make units available to developers ahead of the general release so that 3rd party software would be ready to support your cool new toys as soon as they arrive at your doorstep. Unfortunately, this is not an ideal world.

 

I'm currently working on major updates to both EasyGPS and ExpertGPS. USB support, assuming I can make it work, will be rolled into those releases.

 

I appreciate the support that geocachers have given me over the last few years. To those of you who have adopted ExpertGPS - thanks! To those who haven't and would like to give it a try, visit ExpertGPS.com.

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On the other hand, I'd rather see all 60C/60CS owners give thier $25 bucks to the author of EasyGPS to have him add USB support. Because once USB support is added, I won't need a serial cable any longer and I rather he get the money instead of an etailer.

Please don't let me discourage anyone from sending Topografix money, but as the author of a different free program that implements Garmin serial communications, I'll spew some sour grapes.

 

When I've approached Garmin for developer information, eval units, simulators, and such they've been downright rude to me. I've just checked the revenue stream generated by GPSBabel (hint: it's free) and while I'd like to budget one of everything on the planet and the development time to reverse engineer everything, I'm not particularly motivated to do it. Until that information arrives or someone else does the work, GPSBabel users will stay on serial ports for tranfers.

 

I will offer that while Magellan doesn't shower me with eval equipment, they DO publish their protocols and file formats to developers that ask (and actually keep it consistent across products and releases) so kudos to them.

 

As for Garmin cable clones, search for "pfranc" for one operation that makes them...

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When I've approached Garmin for developer information, eval units, simulators, and such they've been downright rude to me.

 

I will offer that while Magellan doesn't shower me with eval equipment, they DO publish their protocols and file formats to developers that ask (and actually keep it consistent across products and releases) so kudos to them.

My experience with Garmin and Magellan has been similar to Robert's. Garmin seems to modify their transfer protocol every six months. (There are 15 different internal representations just for waypoints at my last count)

 

One of the nice things to come out of the GPX development effort is that there's more of a spirit of cooperation among 3rd party developers. Perhaps we should create a dedicated channel for discussing GPS development issues and sharing solutions.

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I received my GPSMAP 60C today, and have been having a blast playing around with it. This is really a great little unit.

 

In terms of downloading waypoints to it over USB, it is really not that difficult if you have a MapSource software product. I ordered City Select with my 60C. All you have to do is take a GPX file and covert it to Garmin PCX5 format using GPSBabel. Save the file as a .wpt file, which you can then import into MapSource, and download to the 60c over USB.

 

Although this sounds a little convoluted, it is actually quite fast to do. I did the all the steps above in less than two minutes for downloading 100 waypoints.

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So when selling my Vista I can keep my old cable for my new CS.  I won't need another cable for the USB?  ExpertGPS will be able to load my waypoints and routes right to my new CS without a new cable?

 

murph

I think the Vista have a different plug on the serial cable than the 60CS, so you will need to get a new one.

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Does this techinque preserve any of the "comments" for the cache, like terrain and difficulty level?

When I did the steps that I outlined, what came through into the "Notes" field on the GPSMAP 60C was the cache name field (full cache name plus name of hider). The terrain and difficulty did not come through, but I haven't had a chance yet to play around and see if I can find a way to make it work. I am sure it is possible by remapping the GPX fields (maybe using GPXSpinner first??).

 

Unfortunately I am now on the road so I will not be able to experiment further for the next week.

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When I did the steps that I outlined, what came through into the "Notes" field on the GPSMAP 60C was the cache name field (full cache name plus name of hider). The terrain and difficulty did not come through, but I haven't had a chance yet to play around and see if I can find a way to make it work. I am sure it is possible by remapping the GPX fields (maybe using GPXSpinner first??).

 

I have been doing this on my Garmin V already. I like meaningful waypoint names so I use spinner. If the cache name is short it also adds terrain.

I'm looking forward to 2 and 1/2 times more map space and twice as many waypoints on the Garmin 60CS.

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Question for Topografix?

Will I be able to use the Easy GPS to transfer waypoints to my new GPS map 60?

(I have a 4 prong cable from a GPS III plus) If so, what unit do you select in the type

of GPS menu, since the new one isnt listed yet <_<

If you have a 4-prong serial cable, you should be able to transfer waypoints and routes between a GPSmap60 and EasyGPS. I'd use the Garmin Rino 120 setting for now.

 

Other people have asked about the picture of Garmin's new Geocaching mode which shows a GPS displaying Terrain and Difficulty ratings. There is nothing automatic about this. Someone at Garmin just typed that text into the Note field of the GPS when they took the screenshot. EasyGPS will transfer to the Note field whatever appears in the Comment field in the GPX file. You can use a program like GPX Spinner to put custom data in the Comment field.

 

- Dan

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