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Beginners Guide For Garmin 60cs?


cajunrose

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I am new to geocaching and new to the 60cs. I tried to read the informational thread here, but I think it is for more advanced geocachers and such. I am so new to gps systems and geocaching. I am VERY confused and don't even understand the basics. I would love to understand it enough just to look for one cache. I can't even get that far! Is there a basic beginners place to look? The manual isn't helping much.

 

I am so excited to get into this but am upset that I can't just run out there and search for the cache that is .5 miles from my house!

 

Thanks so much

Stephenie

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Here's the easiest way to get started.

 

Download EasyGPS from http://www.easygps.com and install it. It allows you to send waypoints you download from geocaching.com to your GPS easily.

 

Once it is installed you can download GPX (if you're a paid member) or a LOC file from the cache page. The icon to download it is located towards the top of each cache page. You can also download a few caches at a time if you use the search page.

 

Once you have the LOC file downloaded to your computer, you would then open it in EasyGPS. It should show the lattitude, longitude and code for the cache. Assuming things are good so far, you would tell GPS to send the waypoint(s) to the GPS. If everything works, you'd now have the coordinates for the cache in your GPS.

 

On your GPS, fire it up, click on Find, select Waypoints or Geocache, tell it you want to find it Off Road and it will show an arrow to where the cache is located and how far away you are.

 

Try that and let us know where you have questions.

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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

LOL

Ok, I got the waypoints onto my gps, but the only place I can see them is in waypoints. When I go into the geocaching icon, it asks me to set up my geocache and has the little open treasure chest and the closed one. When I click on the open one, it pops up these icons. I am not sure what these are about at all.

Also, is there a way I can name the geocaches other than by their number/letter name? I am not sure which one is which when I look at it.

Thanks so much!

Stephenie

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Here's how I would start, without a lot of computer stuff.

 

Print out the page that lists the cache, so you have the coordinates with you. Print out the map page too, so you know about where to go.

 

Go outside and get a clear view of the sky. Wait until you have at least 4 bars filled in on the satellite page.

 

Press "Mark" to mark your current location. (This is called "marking a waypoint). Then scroll up to the coordinate field and edit it so that the numbers of this waypoint are those of the cache, instead of your current location. If you want to, you can also edit the name of the waypoint to the name of the cache. Save this.

 

Press "Find" twice. The waypoint you just entered should be at the top of the list. Hightlight "goto."

 

Here is the tricky part. If the GPSr has been set to "follow roads" it will try to take you there via roads. If it has been set to "Off road." it will lead you there "as the crow flies." If it has been sent to "Prompt" it will ask you what you would like to do. If you are only .5 miles away, you probably want to go off road.

 

Press Page until you get to the compass page, and follow the arrow. It should tell you the direction to the cache (bearing), and the distance. You don't have to walk straight there. If you get off track, the bearing will constantly change to point you in the right direction.

 

Most important part: When you are within, say 15 or 20 feet of the cache, stop following the arrow. You are about as close as the accuracy of your GPSr (and the hider's GPSr) can get you. Put down the GPSr and look around, asking yourself, "Where would I hide this container?"

 

Good luck and hang in there! You are going to have a real rush when you find it.

 

P.S. Best to start with a cache rated 1/1.

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I don't use EasyGPS and haven't for a while. I use a program called GSAK at http://www.gsak.net and it's a really comprehensive program, but if you only have LOC files and are just getting started it could be overkill.

 

I downloaded EasyGPS and set it up to see what you can do to make things easier. You can select one or all of the caches that are listed in the active window in EasyGPS so they are highlighted and then select the Edit menu and then Edit Waypoint. Since you have multiple selected, it will apply the changes to all waypoints. In the drop-down list for Synmbol, select and scroll until you find Geocache and select it. Then click ok and it will set all waypoint symbols to the geocache icon. The open treasure box is the symbol for a found cache. Since you haven't found these, you set them to the closed treasure box.

 

If you just double click a specific individual waypoint you can, if you want, change the name. Other programs such as GSAK will do this for you and give you tremendous flexibility in how they show on your GPS. I'd recommend not spending the time to do it manually and just use the default cache code.

 

Now if you upload the waypoints, they should show under the Find / Geocache option since it uses the closed treasure box icon by default to identify geocaches from other waypoints.

 

When you select Find / Geocache on the GPS and then select Off Road (vs follow road), the compass will be displayed and there will be a couple buttons on the bottom. Found is the first button and when you click that it will mark the cache as found, automatically change the icon to the open treasure chest and then ask if you want to find the next closest one. If you accidently press Found, you can set the icon back by going into Find / Waypoints, selecting the cache and using the touchpad go to the icon, select it, and change it.

 

Hope that helps some more.

David

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Yes it does help! I will read through it more when my eyes aren't closing..LOL

We did go and look for the one close to my house and found it!!! I am so excited. It was so much fun!

It amazed me to watch the gps device and all it could do. I ran some errands before I went and it showed me my path from my house to the cache. It was so neat. It got us within 7 feet or so before we had to look for it. It was so interesting to see it work. I can see us using this for many many things in the future! I don't completely know how to use the device yet, but it has so many possibilities! I need a Garmin 60cs for dummies book.

You have been such a help! I was sorry that we got to the cache at dusk. I wanted to go find more!

Thanks again

Stephenie

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Congratulations on logging your first cache. I remember my 1st cache that I did with both the kids and how excited they (and I were). That was 430 caches ago and I still get excited to find it (and bummed when I don't).

 

As for getting within 7 feet, that's great, but don't expect it to always get you that close. Normally, within 30 ft or so is when you need to stop looking at the GPS and start looking at likely spots. Though the units are accurate, 30 ft is a good area to cover.

 

I see you already became a premium member, so you can download the GPX files which do have more information in them. The GPS won't take advantage of much of it, though the 60CS can take the hint (well the first few words of the hint) and put that into the cache note on the unit, though I don't know if EasyGPS does that.

 

Anyway... don't worry about learning everything about the unit right now. Go out, find a few caches, get comfortable with it and enjoy the hobby!

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I am new to geocaching and new to the 60cs. I tried to read the informational thread here, but I think it is for more advanced geocachers and such. I am so new to gps systems and geocaching. I am VERY confused and don't even understand the basics.  I would love to understand it enough just to look for one cache.  I can't even get that far! Is there a basic beginners place to look?  The manual isn't helping much.

 

I am so excited to get into this but am upset that I can't just run out there and search for the cache that is .5 miles from my house!

 

Thanks so much

Stephenie

 

Yet another beginner here! And Stephenie (cajunrose) couldn't have expressed my sentiments any better. It's as if I wrote her post myself, right down to the cache .5 miles from my house. I am VERY confused and don't even understand the basics. I’m not trying to get fancy and set up a Geocaching page; I’m simply trying to enter coordinates so I can take my grandson Geocaching. It’s awful to be such a dunce.

 

And like Stephenie said the owners manual don't help.

 

Sputnik 57.... Press "Mark" to mark your current location. (This is called "marking a waypoint). Then scroll up to the coordinate field and edit it so that the numbers of this waypoint are those of the cache, instead of your current location. If you want to, you can also edit the name of the waypoint to the name of the cache. Save this.

 

Sputnik 57

I press "mark", then use the rocker key to scroll up to and highlight the location coordinates, I press "enter" and a chart opens up, but I can't figure out how to change the coordinates to those of the cache. I am able to change the waypoint symbol and name without a problem.

 

If someone can give a more detailed click by click instruction, I would be in your dept for life.

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I’m simply trying to enter coordinates so I can take my grandson Geocaching.  . . . I press "mark", then use the rocker key to scroll up to and highlight the location coordinates, I press "enter" and a chart opens up, but I can't figure out how to change the coordinates to those of the cache. I am able to change the waypoint symbol and name without a problem.

 

Hide-and-Seek,

 

When the little chart opens up, you'll see a number keypad with some arrows at the border. highlight the ">" arrow (the chart should open with it highlighted) and press enter to move the cursor right until to get to the first digit you need to change. When the digit that needs to be changed is highlighted, use the rocker panel to move through chart to highlight the correct digit and press enter. The cursor will move right as you do this, allowing you to change more digits until you have entered the cache coordinates. If you make a mistake, you can use the "<" and ">" symbols to move around. [The up and down arrows only work to change the N to S, and the W to E, so unless you are changing hemispheres, forget those :lol:] When the coordinates are right, use the rocker panel to highlight "OK" on the little keypad, and press "Enter." Use the same method to change the name and symbol. When everything on the waypoint page is right, use the rocker panel to highlight OK at the bottom of the page, and press "Enter" again.

 

Viola! Cache entered manually! I hope this helps.

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When the little chart opens up, you'll see a number keypad with some arrows at the border. highlight the ">" arrow (the chart should open with it highlighted) and press enter to move the cursor right until to get to the first digit you need to change.  When the digit that needs to be changed is highlighted, use the rocker panel to move through chart to highlight the correct digit and press enter.  The cursor will move right as you do this, allowing you to change more digits until you have entered the cache coordinates.  If you make a mistake, you can use the "<" and ">" symbols to move around.  [The up and down arrows only work to change the N to S, and the W to E, so unless you are changing hemispheres, forget those :lol:]  When the coordinates are right, use the rocker panel to highlight "OK" on the little keypad, and press "Enter."  Use the same method to change the name and symbol.  When everything on the waypoint page is right, use the rocker panel to highlight OK at the bottom of the page, and press "Enter" again.

 

Viola!  Cache entered manually!  I hope this helps.

 

Sputnik 57,

 

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

 

Worked like a charm on the first try, cache coordinates entered manually!

 

Now I can't wait to try it out.

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