Problems with Caches Displaying on Oregon 600

[+alanfreed]

Hi folks... any Garmin geniuses out there?

 

I headed out on a big trip a few weeks ago, and loaded a few thousand caches into my Oregon 600. I immediately checked to be sure that they were appearing properly after I had loaded them, and they were working fine.

 

Then I started my trip... and the cache icons failed to appear from that point forward (nor would they show up in the caching profile). Along my trip, I would see child waypoints pop up (trail heads, parking areas, etc.), but no other evidence of the caches themselves.

 

I can assure you that I have already ruled out any of the semi-obvious problems... I was near the caches when trying to find them on the unit (not 100 miles away, where they wouldn't show up on the filter), for example. I have tried doing a hard reset, and I later updated to the newest firmware as well, both with no luck.

 

I have tried loading some caches as GPX files, both individually, and as a batch, with no luck. My normal routine of using GSAK to load them as a GGZ file is not working. Everything does work properly on my old Oregon 400 using the same techniques.

 

So it would appear that my unit is just not recognizing the caches for whatever reason. I did call Garmin, and they shrugged their shoulders because I had already done the things they would have suggested (factory reset, etc.).

 

I just wanted to see if there's anyone here who is smarter than Garmin at their own products Garmin can take my unit for $99 and either fix it or send me a refurbished unit, but if there is something I can restore on my own, that's obviously my preference. Many thanks in advance for any help that you folks might have. I have read a little bit about Garmins having a problem indexing GPX files, etc., but I'm not sure if that plays into this or not.

Edited July 28, 2016 by alanfreed

[+HHL]

[...] My normal routine of using GSAK to load them as a GGZ file is not working. Everything does work properly on my old Oregon 400 using the same techniques.[...]

 

What are those "normal routines" loading a GGZ file? You can't use the same techniques on your Oregon 400 because of lacking the GGZ support.

Please be more precise in explaining what you are actually doing - step by step.

 

Hans

[+JohnCNA]

[...] My normal routine of using GSAK to load them as a GGZ file is not working. Everything does work properly on my old Oregon 400 using the same techniques.[...]

 

What are those "normal routines" loading a GGZ file? You can't use the same techniques on your Oregon 400 because of lacking the GGZ support.

Please be more precise in explaining what you are actually doing - step by step.

 

Hans

 

Alan, First suspicion is that you have a filter set on the device that is preventing them from showing. Second is that the default map setting is to require zooming in quite a bit in order to see geocaches on the map. You might want to check your Map Zoom settings to be sure it's set to 'Auto' for geocaches.

[+alanfreed]

No, there are no filters in place, and I'm zoomed in plenty far enough that they would appear. I assure you that this goes beyond the normal, simple solutions.

 

[...] My normal routine of using GSAK to load them as a GGZ file is not working. Everything does work properly on my old Oregon 400 using the same techniques.[...]

 

What are those "normal routines" loading a GGZ file? You can't use the same techniques on your Oregon 400 because of lacking the GGZ support.

Please be more precise in explaining what you are actually doing - step by step.

 

Hans

 

Alan, First suspicion is that you have a filter set on the device that is preventing them from showing. Second is that the default map setting is to require zooming in quite a bit in order to see geocaches on the map. You might want to check your Map Zoom settings to be sure it's set to 'Auto' for geocaches.

[+alanfreed]

As mentioned, I was using GSAK to upload the GGZ file to the 600. I have tried uploading the file as a GPX file through GSAK, which works normally on the 400, but not on the 600. Something has become corrupt somewhere... I'm looking for someone who can help identify how the caches are read by the unit, and if something can be done to get it to index those files properly. I can't even send an individual cache to the unit through the GC web site... the attributes of the cache will appear (parking, etc.,) but the cache itself will not show up.

 

Weird things just seem to happen once in a while with Garmins. I had a Colorado once that stopped writing to the "geocaches.txt" file. Garmin eventually swapped out units for me when they weren't able to solve it that time.

 

 

Hi folks... any Garmin geniuses out there?

 

I headed out on a big trip a few weeks ago, and loaded a few thousand caches into my Oregon 600. I immediately checked to be sure that they were appearing properly after I had loaded them, and they were working fine.

 

Then I started my trip... and the cache icons failed to appear from that point forward (nor would they show up in the caching profile). Along my trip, I would see child waypoints pop up (trail heads, parking areas, etc.), but no other evidence of the caches themselves.

 

I can assure you that I have already ruled out any of the semi-obvious problems... I was near the caches when trying to find them on the unit (not 100 miles away, where they wouldn't show up on the filter), for example. I have tried doing a hard reset, and I later updated to the newest firmware as well, both with no luck.

 

I have tried loading some caches as GPX files, both individually, and as a batch, with no luck. My normal routine of using GSAK to load them as a GGZ file is not working. Everything does work properly on my old Oregon 400 using the same techniques.

 

So it would appear that my unit is just not recognizing the caches for whatever reason. I did call Garmin, and they shrugged their shoulders because I had already done the things they would have suggested (factory reset, etc.).

 

I just wanted to see if there's anyone here who is smarter than Garmin at their own products Garmin can take my unit for $99 and either fix it or send me a refurbished unit, but if there is something I can restore on my own, that's obviously my preference. Many thanks in advance for any help that you folks might have. I have read a little bit about Garmins having a problem indexing GPX files, etc., but I'm not sure if that plays into this or not.

[+Mineral2]

I have yet to experience the indexing problem with the Oregon 600 that was prevalent with older models. But it's worth trying this:

 

1. remove all geocache files from your device. If they're stored on a micro-SD card, just pull out the card.

2. Turn on the GPS and let it boot up.

3. (re) Load the geocache files on your GPS. Since you're using both GPX and GGZ files, maybe do this one at a time with each file type.

4. Turn on the GPS and let it boot up. It should index your geocaches during boot up.

5. Check that the geocaches are now listing.

[+The Leprechauns]

Greetings, Alan, from the slums to the southeast of your home.

 

Being that I live in the slums, I am still using a Garmin Map 62. I encounter this exact problem pretty regularly, most recently on my roadtrip to the Erie/Warren areas two weekends ago. I've learned to check that the caches have loaded before I leave the house, but that's no longer good enough. I need to disconnect from my laptop, power up, check the waypoints, turn off the GPS and then turn it on again to see if the cache icons are still there. They seem to mysteriously disappear on the second time powering up (which used to be in the car, with the engine running).

 

When I see that only the Additional Waypoints remain, but no cache icons, step one is to clear that GPS load and simply repeat the file transfer. And, I'm always careful to not even approach the stated capacity for the number of caches that can be loaded at once. Not sure if you rich guys with your fancy Oregons have such a limit, but I mention it as part of my procedure.

 

If a simple re-load doesn't work, my next step is to delete and re-load maps. I use free OpenStreetMaps and I've found that the probability of the "disappearing cache icons" increases in direct proportion to the quantity of USA map imagery loaded to the unit. I've taken to only loading the immediate area where I'll be geocaching with the related GPX file load.

 

If a fresh set of maps PLUS a fresh GPX load doesn't solve the problem, then I do a hard reset and repeat both the map and GPX loads.

 

I know that I am truly Not Worthy to advise you because of my inferior unit, but I thought that bringing maps into the analysis might still be helpful. Also, it might make you feel better knowing that another prominent local geocacher struggles with similar challenges.

 

I have never gotten to the point where none of the above options will work.

[+Walts Hunting]

I have yet to experience the indexing problem with the Oregon 600 that was prevalent with older models. But it's worth trying this:

 

1. remove all geocache files from your device. If they're stored on a micro-SD card, just pull out the card.

2. Turn on the GPS and let it boot up.

3. (re) Load the geocache files on your GPS. Since you're using both GPX and GGZ files, maybe do this one at a time with each file type.

4. Turn on the GPS and let it boot up. It should index your geocaches during boot up.

5. Check that the geocaches are now listing.

That is the most common solution to this problem which Garmin has never managed to fix and a good reason why I only load files to the SDCard. I have had it happen in the field in the middle of a long day and it always recovers.

[+JohnCNA]

I have yet to experience the indexing problem with the Oregon 600 that was prevalent with older models. But it's worth trying this:

 

1. remove all geocache files from your device. If they're stored on a micro-SD card, just pull out the card.

2. Turn on the GPS and let it boot up.

3. (re) Load the geocache files on your GPS. Since you're using both GPX and GGZ files, maybe do this one at a time with each file type.

4. Turn on the GPS and let it boot up. It should index your geocaches during boot up.

5. Check that the geocaches are now listing.

That is the most common solution to this problem which Garmin has never managed to fix and a good reason why I only load files to the SDCard. I have had it happen in the field in the middle of a long day and it always recovers.

 

I had this indexing problem several times with an eTrex 30. Often enough that I always checked before I left the house. I don't think it ever happened on the GPSMAP 64s. But I did have the GPSMAP 64s lock up due to something wrong with a waypoint I also had a corrupted map download give me a problem once. I put everything on the SD card and just pull it when something goes wrong. A boot up and reinsert of the card has always fixed an indexing problem and if it's a corrupt map or GPX file causing a problem, it's easy to put the card in a reader and delete the offending file(s).