How do people bulk update GPS while travelling
How do people bulk update GPS while travelling
I've just returned back from a trip to NZ where I regretted not bringing a laptop, which brings me to my question.
If I'm travelling apart from manually keying in caches in GPS is there a "online" method to load Garmin GPS WPs?
eg say I was visting a town I wanted to grab a bunch of caches is three a technique I can do this from a Internet PC ( not my own)
Thanks
If I'm travelling apart from manually keying in caches in GPS is there a "online" method to load Garmin GPS WPs?
eg say I was visting a town I wanted to grab a bunch of caches is three a technique I can do this from a Internet PC ( not my own)
Thanks
- Papa Bear_Left
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I use a site called logmein.com which gives you telnet-like access to your home PC via a web browser.
Using this, you can get GPX files, process them through GSAK and email the resultant GPS file to yourself (using the free version of logmein)
I use a Magellan with an SD card, so all I needed was a reader and an available USB slot. I don't know how your toy works...
Using this, you can get GPX files, process them through GSAK and email the resultant GPS file to yourself (using the free version of logmein)
I use a Magellan with an SD card, so all I needed was a reader and an available USB slot. I don't know how your toy works...
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I'v used a Palm IIIxe with cachemate & garmin export plugin, nullmodem adaptor and garmin serial lead with a yellow etrex.
You devide your area of travel with GSAK before you go into blocks of <500 caches and store each as a seperate database in cachemate.
The most work is selecting / filtering your lots of 500. Not sure if GSAK 7.X has fixed this but I won't be upgrading in the forseable future.
You devide your area of travel with GSAK before you go into blocks of <500 caches and store each as a seperate database in cachemate.
The most work is selecting / filtering your lots of 500. Not sure if GSAK 7.X has fixed this but I won't be upgrading in the forseable future.
- Big Matt and Shell
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I use a Garmin Vista C and GSAK. If I am doing a run from Canberra to Bathurst for instance I just use the filters in GSAK to find caches along a route that I have exported from Mapsource. Most of these will have way less than 500 WP's on it. <P>
If I am doing a trip like last week to Melbourne and there are too many caches I take the lappy with me an pre create routes with no more than 500 caches in them. This allows me to update on the run. For last weeks trip I had three separate uploads. This is also handy as I was covering more area than the Garmin could upload in street maps so I could upload the maps as well.<P>
Finally I create a single GPX file to upload into the PDA so I don't have to change that at all.<P>Like the Routers I couldn't dream of leaving the lappy behind now on a long trip. I have wireless on my laptop and if all else fails all I need is a Maccas to run a new PQ or check emails, etc.
If I am doing a trip like last week to Melbourne and there are too many caches I take the lappy with me an pre create routes with no more than 500 caches in them. This allows me to update on the run. For last weeks trip I had three separate uploads. This is also handy as I was covering more area than the Garmin could upload in street maps so I could upload the maps as well.<P>
Finally I create a single GPX file to upload into the PDA so I don't have to change that at all.<P>Like the Routers I couldn't dream of leaving the lappy behind now on a long trip. I have wireless on my laptop and if all else fails all I need is a Maccas to run a new PQ or check emails, etc.
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- Shifter Brains
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- 6500 or more caches found
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One thing you can do if your Garmin is an 'x' model is to preload all your caches as Custom POI to the microSD card. The only limitation is the amount of free space you have on your card. Custom POIs can be hunted down just like any normal waypoints, except that the Garmin 'geocaching mode' isn't available - not a real hardship. Many cachers use Custom POI as their primary cache storage media as it offers other advantages. The increased size of the name and description fields (totalling 132 characters) enables you to store a lot of info about the cache and display it on your gps. You can also do selective choices on the type of cache you wish to seek e.g. Traditional, Multi etc (provided you have set up your Custom POI appropriately).
<p>
Another thing, if you have an 'older' PDA with serial output and your garmin is a 60 or 76 (both have serial and USB ports) is to preload the PDA and use a null modem to connect PDA to the gps serial port - as mentioned earlier in this topic. I used to do that when I had an old serial ported Palm (loaded with GPilotS) and a Gamin 12XL - I could upload and download both ways with that combo - when I went to Ozzie.
<p>
Another thing, if you have an 'older' PDA with serial output and your garmin is a 60 or 76 (both have serial and USB ports) is to preload the PDA and use a null modem to connect PDA to the gps serial port - as mentioned earlier in this topic. I used to do that when I had an old serial ported Palm (loaded with GPilotS) and a Gamin 12XL - I could upload and download both ways with that combo - when I went to Ozzie.
thanks thats useful infoBaldEd wrote:One thing you can do if your Garmin is an 'x' model is to preload all your caches as Custom POI to the microSD card. The only limitation is the amount of free space you have on your card. Custom POIs can be hunted down just like any normal waypoints, except that the Garmin 'geocaching mode' isn't available - not a real hardship. Many cachers use Custom POI as their primary cache storage media as it offers other advantages. The increased size of the name and description fields (totalling 132 characters) enables you to store a lot of info about the cache and display it on your gps. You can also do selective choices on the type of cache you wish to seek e.g. Traditional, Multi etc (provided you have set up your Custom POI appropriately).
do you use GSAK to generate these custom POIs?
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Yes. I use GSAK to create the the GPX export files that are saved to a folder from where the Garmin POI Loader program loads them to my gps.
<p>
I have a number of fairly simple formats that satisfy my needs - apart from storing all my owned caches and my personal waypoints as Custom POI I mainly just export 2 GPX files for each of my GSAK databases; 'unfounds' (all unfound cache types lumped together) and 'my founds' (so I can go back to those locations). On the GSAK.net forum there are macros available that provide for more complicated cache formats and that can even save all the hint detail in multiple pages if a hint is longer than 88 characters.
<p>
I have a number of fairly simple formats that satisfy my needs - apart from storing all my owned caches and my personal waypoints as Custom POI I mainly just export 2 GPX files for each of my GSAK databases; 'unfounds' (all unfound cache types lumped together) and 'my founds' (so I can go back to those locations). On the GSAK.net forum there are macros available that provide for more complicated cache formats and that can even save all the hint detail in multiple pages if a hint is longer than 88 characters.
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- 6500 or more caches found
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GSAK can't load them directly - the loading has to go through the Garmin POI Loader program. That is no big deal - whenever you plug the gps's USB cable into your PC and power up the gps the POI Loader program runs and asks, "what do you want to do?" and suggests 2 options, one of which is load Custom POI. Select "load Custom POI" and it is done in seconds, with your gps automatically performing a reboot ready to display all your newly loaded Custom POI.
<p>
I have a number of Custom POI files including many non-geocaching orientated ones eg traffic redlight and speed camera sites, personal waypoints etc. The Custom POI files on the microSD card are refreshed everytime you run POI Loader as it just overwrites what was on the card before - just as Mapsource overwrites your maps to the microSD card when you load a fresh mapset.
<p>
Send me PM and I'll send further instructions on what I do and my settings
<p>
I have a number of Custom POI files including many non-geocaching orientated ones eg traffic redlight and speed camera sites, personal waypoints etc. The Custom POI files on the microSD card are refreshed everytime you run POI Loader as it just overwrites what was on the card before - just as Mapsource overwrites your maps to the microSD card when you load a fresh mapset.
<p>
Send me PM and I'll send further instructions on what I do and my settings