Newbie Thread: Help! How do I get waypoints onto my etrex h?

[greeneyedalikat]

Hi, I have just purchased a etrex H. How do I put in coordinates of caches? I cant figure out the instruction booklet at all
Do I need the data cable? and if so where do I get one? Thanks Heaps

[mundoo]

Hi, I have just purchased a etrex H. How do I put in coordinates of caches? I cant figure out the instruction booklet at all
Do I need the data cable? and if so where do I get one? Thanks Heaps

I have done the same after finding my iPhone GPS less than accurate, especially when not in 3G coverage (which is most of the time for me) and I wanted to place caches.

I went for low end GPS and bought this. I have to admit I was disappointed it didn't come with the data cable and the Garmin store didn't have them listed. My old Garmin76 (which died) cable was a different fitting at the gps end.

I bought a cable off of eBay. $32.85 included postage. It arrived. I installed it but I still can't work out how to get waypoints into it because now it says I need some map? software installed on my computer.

The Etrex H is just sitting in my cache box, unloved and I am considering selling it.

[Philipp]

you need a data cable. yes. this one will do:
http://www.jens-seiler.de/etrex/datenkabel.html

now you need software:
http://www.gpsinformation.org/ronh/g7towin.htm (website is crap but the program works just fine)

I used my 1998 etrex for 10 years in this set-up and I still keep it just in case something happens to my other devices.

[g_ordo]

If you have a windows pc, you can use the button to send wayloint to gps.

It will automatically install the appropriate software and sent the file.

I got my gps and cable from Johnny Appleseed, I have the êtrex h as well.

[pwags]

It is also possible to manually enter waypoints into an eTrex H without a data cable. Simply "Mark" a new waypoint, then scroll down to the long/lat coords, hit the enter button, and then change the figures one at a time. Quite a painful process, but works well when out in the field, away from your PC. (I've found hundreds of caches by manually entering them into my trusty little yellow eTrex H.)

[greeneyedalikat]

Thanks everyone for your help. I was having no luck at all figureing it out myself. Now I do beleive it'll be easy.

[tronador]

You can enter waypoints 2 ways.
1. Via a data cable
2. Manually

I suggest you buy a data cable. I started with an etrex and bought the data cable. It was a serial cable.
When you have this, you can send the waypoints individually from the cache page. Just click on Send to GPS or if you do a search of nearby caches from a particular cache you can send all of them at once by checking the box.
OR you can use a program called GSAK which allows you to send a lot in one go.
If you are learning maybe start out by sending individual waypoints from the cache page.

[greeneyedalikat]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I have now successfully mastered how to get the waypoints on to my gpsr. Many Thanks

[Yurt]

It is also possible to manually enter waypoints into an eTrex H without a data cable. Simply "Mark" a new waypoint, then scroll down to the long/lat coords, hit the enter button, and then change the figures one at a time. Quite a painful process, but works well when out in the field, away from your PC. (I've found hundreds of caches by manually entering them into my trusty little yellow eTrex H.)

After more than a year that's how I still do it. I had a cable that was compatible with my old computer (it wasn't a USB - some other multi pin port) and that worked fine. Since I changed computers I got a USB adapter and it's never worked properly. I haven't bothered wasting time trying to work it out. Have found it far easier just to get close to where the cache is then take a mark and edit it - that's the lazy way as if it's only a few hundred metres away you'll only have to change a couple of digits.
The other thing about manual entry (and I'm pretty quick at it now) is that you can give the waypoint a meaningful name unlike all the GC1XRTE type names you get from the direct download.

One day I'll get a proper machine but it's an amazing beast the Etrex H - so old fashioned but still as accurate as anything else out there and miles (well metres) better than any phone GPS I've tried.