How do people bulk update GPS while travelling

mtrax · Post by **mtrax** » 14 January 08 11:11 am

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

Papa Bear_Left · Post by **Papa Bear_Left** » 14 January 08 12:40 pm

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...

mtrax · Post by **mtrax** » 14 January 08 12:53 pm

note I have a garmin Vista GPS .
I will have to investigate if its easy to copy a file directly into GPS either to add or replace WPs currently in GPS
PS I know there is a Garmin plugin for the browser but I'm not sure if I would be able to install on a Internet cafe PC etc..

Geof · Post by **Geof** » 14 January 08 2:26 pm

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.

mtrax · Post by **mtrax** » 14 January 08 3:50 pm

I was going to do this but I upgraded to a Vista which is USB and I'm pretty sure I can't download from PDA (PPC) to GPS

Mr Router · Post by **Mr Router** » 14 January 08 4:18 pm

Leaving home without your lappy

usually the first thing I reach for when we go in the car

Some more good things good things in a backpack to plug into it ! and we can usually find somewhere to update what we need

Big Matt and Shell · Post by **Big Matt and Shell** » 14 January 08 5:16 pm

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. 
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.
Finally I create a single GPX file to upload into the PDA so I don't have to change that at all.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.

mtrax · Post by **mtrax** » 14 January 08 5:56 pm

I understand that a laptop resolves all these issues, but wanted to know if there is another way?
I'm thinking the only way is to prepare a GPX file I can copy onto the GPS memory card to via the removeable drive option.
(assuming these are stored internally as some special GPX file)

ian-and-penny · Post by **ian-and-penny** » 15 January 08 7:03 am

As they used to say in the Army, P.P.P.P.P.P.P.

Prior preparation & planning prevents pi$$ poor performance. - So your best bet would be to do as much planning as you can, (then load the GPSR) before you leave home.

Shifter Brains · Post by **Shifter Brains** » 15 January 08 8:24 am

We use G7toCE on our PDA, and have a cable which connects the GPS (Garmin 76CS) to the PDA (and charges the PDA and runs the GPS via 12 volt).
We generate GPX and Oziexplorer files from GSAK and put them on the PDA. The program opens both and allows you to upload the waypoints to the GPS.

BaldEd · Post by **BaldEd** » 15 January 08 6:38 pm

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).

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.

mtrax · Post by **mtrax** » 15 January 08 6:59 pm

BaldEd 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).

thanks thats useful info
do you use GSAK to generate these custom POIs?

BaldEd · Post by **BaldEd** » 15 January 08 8:18 pm

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.

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.

mtrax · Post by **mtrax** » 17 January 08 12:03 pm

so you need this Garmin POI Loader to load them into GPSr right?
ie GSAK can't load them directly?

BaldEd · Post by **BaldEd** » 17 January 08 12:25 pm

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.

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.

Send me PM and I'll send further instructions on what I do and my settings