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Edge / Chrome - No support for Garmin Communicator?


chas1745

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Absolute newcomer to Geocaching - thought I had done the right thing when I today bought a Garmin GPSMAP64 - but now I find that I cannot download caches as my p.c. is Windows 10 and uses Edge and Chrome browsers which apparently do not support the Garmin interface plug-in Garmin Communicator?

 

Garmin support suggest I revert to an earlier browser!!! Unbelievable.

 

Can anyone advise me how to download caches from Geocaching.com to my device using my existing pc / GPSMAP64.

 

Chas

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You could try a different browser (firefox worked for me when I tried it as an experiment), but you do not need the communicator to transfer cache files to your garmin. As a basic member you should be able to save .loc files and copy them to the garmin/gpx folder on the unit. These files give basic cache information, such as location and ratings, but do not provide the description, hints, or past logs - for that you will need premium membership which uses .gpx files. Since you just bought the 64, you should be able to get a 30 day free trial membership that will allow you to use gpx files.

 

In any event the process is simple. To transfer an individual file press the loc waypoint button on the cache page and save it to the 64. If you take advantage of the free trial, you could press the gpx button and do the same.

 

Premium members can download the cache information for up to 1000 caches through a pocket query. If you become a full member, you will probably want to learn how to use that feature, but the process is similar in that you want to move the cache information (gpx) file to your garmin/gpx folder.

Edited by geodarts
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You can also use Garmin's BaseCamp to load a PQ to the GPS. I am using Windows 10 and have found that works just fine. I have a script that I wrote that allows me to select a GPX that I have saved on a flash drive and load it to many different devices. ie. Garmin Oregon 550t, Garmin Dakota 20, Android phone using c:geo, etc.

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Absolute newcomer to Geocaching - thought I had done the right thing when I today bought a Garmin GPSMAP64 - but now I find that I cannot download caches as my p.c. is Windows 10 and uses Edge and Chrome browsers which apparently do not support the Garmin interface plug-in Garmin Communicator?

 

Garmin support suggest I revert to an earlier browser!!! Unbelievable.

 

Can anyone advise me how to download caches from Geocaching.com to my device using my existing pc / GPSMAP64.

 

Chas

 

It might not help you but just in case you have access to a Mac, Safari is still supporting the Garmin interface plug-in Garmin Communicator.

I also used to download everything from Chrome, which suddenly stopped working with my Garmin...Infuriating

 

Good luck!

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You can still use the NPAPI plugin in Chrome until version 45. See here: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6213033?hl=en

 

How to temporarily enable NPAPI plugins

If you must use a NPAPI plugin, there’s a temporary workaround that will work until Chrome version 45 is released later in 2015:

 

Open Chrome.

In the address bar at the top of the screen, type chrome://flags/#enable-npapi

In the window that opens, click the link that says Enable under the Enable NPAPI flag.

In the bottom left corner of the page, click the Relaunch Now button.

After the release of Chrome version 45, you’ll need to use an alternate web browser to load content that requires a NPAPI plugin.

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For just simply getting a few caches on your Garmin, you can manually do what "send to my GPS' was doing quite easily.

 

Just click the GPX File button on the cache page and select 'Save As'. Navigate to your computer, the Garmin drive letter, Garmin folder, GPX folder. Click OK/Save.

That's basically all that the "send to my gps" button was doing, anyway.

 

For downloading larger amounts of caches instead of one at a time, you would learn how to create Pocket Queries. And when you download them, send the unzipped files to the same GPX folder as shown above.

 

For more sophisticated operation, I recommend downloading BaseCamp since it lets you organize your downloaded caches and selectively send them to your Garmin, plus it lets you delete the ones that you have already found from the Garmin, too.

 

Start with the simple basics and progress to PQ's and BaseCamp or GSAK as your experience or needs grow.

Edited by JohnCNA
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Many thanks to all for the solutions. Now a Premium Member and using PQ's with direct interface to the micro-SD in the GPS. Hence no need for Garmin's plug-in at all. Must say Garmin Tech. support sadly lacking.

You're right about that. This change has been coming for some time and is no surprise. There attitude has been to switch to IE or Firefox instead of bringing their system up to current security standards.

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It actually seems to me that Geocaching.com needs to update the way it uses the browsers and change the links so that they work with the new browsers, that way they are safer too. Chrome and Edge work well.

The plugins didnt work with handheld devices such as phones which we are all using more of these days. i dont often get a chance to PC, im too busy using my phone.

Time to move with the times

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It actually seems to me that Geocaching.com needs to update the way it uses the browsers and change the links so that they work with the new browsers, that way they are safer too. Chrome and Edge work well.

The plugins didnt work with handheld devices such as phones which we are all using more of these days. i dont often get a chance to PC, im too busy using my phone.

Time to move with the times

 

The plugin, the item you are having trouble with, is the responsibility of Garmin, not Geocaching.com. Geocaching.com works just fine with the modern browsers so there is no need for them to "change the links." I have been saving caches directly to my eTrex 20 for several years and haven't had a problem nor have I had to change anything. I use both Chrome and Firefox but never use IE for anything unless it is specifically required by a Microsoft site.

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The Garmin Communicator plugin is the same excuse that Mapquest used when they quit supporting route/waypoint transfer to Garmin devices. I don't buy it. I understand why a plugin was used on the older serial and USB "Garmin mode" devices. But there is nothing that prevents Mapquest (or Geocaching.com for that matter) on modern Garmin devices from using the standard methods used in almost all browser based applications that have a download function. Modern Garmin devices connect to the computer in mass storage or MTP mode with drivers, not plugins ... just prompt the user to select the target folder for the the download ... no plugin required.

Edited by alandb
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I solved the problem with Windows 10 by doing the following: 1. Open Edge. 2. Click the three horizontal dots at the top right. 3. Select "Open with Internet Explorer". 4. Pin IE to the Taskbar or place the icon on the Desktop.

Assuming you have Garmin Communicator, all should be fine.

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Windows 10 has both Edge and Internet Explorer 11 browsers available to cater for problems such as this.

If you use IE11 for geocaching activity rather than Edge, everything should be as it was before, using the Communicator plug-in.

 

Nope It's grayed out. How ever I do have IE 11. It acts like it works but when you check the GPS it is nowhere to be found. In the past the communicator would say success. now it just flashes and nothing happens.

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Windows 10 has both Edge and Internet Explorer 11 browsers available to cater for problems such as this.

If you use IE11 for geocaching activity rather than Edge, everything should be as it was before, using the Communicator plug-in.

 

Nope It's grayed out. How ever I do have IE 11. It acts like it works but when you check the GPS it is nowhere to be found. In the past the communicator would say success. now it just flashes and nothing happens.

Add "www.geocaching.com" to IE11's "Trusted Sites" by following Microsoft's instructions.

 

I did it and instead of Communicator just going through the motions and not actually sending a file (nice touch, huh? :anibad:), now the file automagically gets sent.

 

Follow these steps:

a. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Internet Explorer, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.

b. Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.

c. Click the Security tab.

d. Now click on Trusted sites and then click on the sites button.

e. Enter the Website URL www.geocaching.com and click on Add.

f. When you are finished, click on Close.

 

When I tried it I also de-selected the checkbox "Requite server verification (https:)".

 

As mentioned, this may be only a temporary fix. If web browsers drop support for this kind of plugin, you will need to load GPX files manually. It's actually better to do it that way, since you'll likely need to remove old files at times, which the plugin won't do for you. And it's the same way you load an unzipped Pocket Query.

Edited by kunarion
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Modern Garmin devices connect to the computer in mass storage or MTP mode with drivers, not plugins ... just prompt the user to select the target folder for the the download ... no plugin required.

You can save a GPX file directly into a connected GPSr (at least in Windows, and with Garmin GPSrs), without using Communicator, if you click the "GPX File" button on a cache page, "Save As", navigate to the GPX folder on the GPSr, and save the file there.

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Windows 10 has both Edge and Internet Explorer 11 browsers available to cater for problems such as this.

If you use IE11 for geocaching activity rather than Edge, everything should be as it was before, using the Communicator plug-in.

 

Nope It's grayed out. How ever I do have IE 11. It acts like it works but when you check the GPS it is nowhere to be found. In the past the communicator would say success. now it just flashes and nothing happens.

Add "www.geocaching.com" to IE11's "Trusted Sites" by following Microsoft's instructions.

 

I did it and instead of Communicator just going through the motions and not actually sending a file (nice touch, huh? :anibad:), now the file automagically gets sent.

 

Follow these steps:

a. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Internet Explorer, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.

b. Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.

c. Click the Security tab.

d. Now click on Trusted sites and then click on the sites button.

e. Enter the Website URL www.geocaching.com and click on Add.

f. When you are finished, click on Close.

 

When I tried it I also de-selected the checkbox "Requite server verification (https:)".

 

As mentioned, this may be only a temporary fix. If web browsers drop support for this kind of plugin, you will need to load GPX files manually. It's actually better to do it that way, since you'll likely need to remove old files at times, which the plugin won't do for you. And it's the same way you load an unzipped Pocket Query.

 

This temp fix worked for me. I did have a problem at first as the trusted site entry was prefilled as https://www.geocaching.oom. It went through all the motions, but did not actually send the info. Once I changed that to http://geocaching.com everything worked fine.

 

And a reminder, there is no reason to leave the cache page to get to IE. While in EDGE just click the ellipses (...) in the upper right corner of the page for more options. One of the options is to open the current page in IE.

Edited by cheech gang
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I did have a problem at first as the trusted site entry was prefilled as https://www.geocaching.oom. It went through all the motions, but did not actually send the info. Once I changed that to http://geocaching.com everything worked fine.

I got the same thing, with the "HTTPS" URL from the address bar conveniently entered for me already.

Edited by kunarion
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Firefox under Win 7 no longer works when trying to download to a Garmin GPS. Are there any known fixes? Thanks.

Install the signed Garmin Communicator from the Add-on Store (Ctrl+Shift+A) and disable the one you had before.

Or use the GPX file button and save the GPX to \Garmin\GPX\ on your device.

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Absolute newcomer to Geocaching - thought I had done the right thing when I today bought a Garmin GPSMAP64 - but now I find that I cannot download caches as my p.c. is Windows 10 and uses Edge and Chrome browsers which apparently do not support the Garmin interface plug-in Garmin Communicator?

 

Garmin support suggest I revert to an earlier browser!!! Unbelievable.

 

Can anyone advise me how to download caches from Geocaching.com to my device using my existing pc / GPSMAP64.

 

Chas

 

It might not help you but just in case you have access to a Mac, Safari is still supporting the Garmin interface plug-in Garmin Communicator.

I also used to download everything from Chrome, which suddenly stopped working with my Garmin...Infuriating

 

Good luck!

The latest OS (10.12) for Safari no longer supports sending a single cache directly to a GPS unit.

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