New-Getting started with hand held GPS-Need help loading please

[+Hughey974]

Ok so my daughters and I have been doing this since last year but mostly using my phone. I bought her a etrex 10 and just dragged and dropped the GPX file from the PQ into hers and it shows up just fine. Ive got a Oregon 650 and when i do the same thing nothing shows up?? Please help i have no idea what i am doing wrong and we leave for vacation in a few days and had planned to do this the whole time. I really dont want to revert back to my phone.

[+kunarion]

Ok so my daughters and I have been doing this since last year but mostly using my phone. I bought her a etrex 10 and just dragged and dropped the GPX file from the PQ into hers and it shows up just fine. Ive got a Oregon 650 and when i do the same thing nothing shows up?? Please help i have no idea what i am doing wrong and we leave for vacation in a few days and had planned to do this the whole time. I really dont want to revert back to my phone.

Is the Oregon 650 brand new? That is, is it showing your current location? If not, leave it on, with a clear view of the sky for a little while, til the map is showing your location. It may take a few minutes to download the satellite database.

 

It's super easy to set filters that cause Caches to not display (that's a feature ). Also, the map can also be set to not show caches at certain zoom levels, so zoom in. There are a ton of settings to tweak, til everything is just the way you like, but as for Geocaching, Garmin has set them for you, in a way that may not be so great for Geocaching.

 

You can place GPX files directly into the /Garmin/GPX folder of the Oregon 650. I do that all the time. Important: Caches beyond about 60 miles won't automatically show up. Scroll the map to see them (or go to that place). Did I tell you that there are many ways that a Garmin Oregon by factory default might not show caches? Well there are.

 

Download the GPX file from Geocaching.com. Not "Send To", use the "GPX File" button on a cache page. For a zipped Pocket Query, unzip the file, and you should now have at least one “GPX” file, usually two, in which case, you should place both into the GPX folder.

Plug the Garmin into the USB port of the computer.

Find the Garmin as a [DRIVE] or [storage device] and open it;

Therein, locate a file folder named something like Garmin/GPX/;

Click, drag and drop (or copy) the downloaded GPX file(s) to that [DRIVE]:Garmin/GPX/ folder.

Before you unplug it, verify that the files are in fact in the folder.

Right-click and select Eject, unplug the Garmin;

Go Geocaching.

(From Gitchee-Gumee's excellent instructions)

Edited July 17, 2016 by kunarion