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Can I still use old Etrex H with 7-letter GC codes?


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(edit - Sorry - not sure I mean the H - it is a very very old yellow that I got >10 years ago and was second hand at the time. Question stands though)

 

I've just started geocaching again after a long hiatus. My old GPSr is still perfectly functional. However, it being an old model, it allows entry of a max of 6 letters in the waypoint name. Now that all the caches have 7 letter names, will I still be able to use it by sending the .loc files (assuming I can find a computer old enough to have a serial port!) I don't really want to shell out for a new unit.

Edited by plaid-dragon
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You can use waypoint management software to truncate the waypoint names so they will fit within the limits of your GPS receiver. You could do this in something as elegant as GSAK or as simple as a Text Editor. The common fix is to drop the prefix "GC" - many people do this anyways as they find the extra letters redundant.

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You can use waypoint management software to truncate the waypoint names so they will fit within the limits of your GPS receiver. You could do this in something as elegant as GSAK or as simple as a Text Editor. The common fix is to drop the prefix "GC" - many people do this anyways as they find the extra letters redundant.

 

Thank you! I assume I would need to do this individually, rather than being able to do a PQ? Is the .loc readable as a text file if I open it with a text reader?

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The next question would be do you still ( or ever) have the serial cable and have you gotten a usb to serial adapter? That device doesn't have the newer USB connection. Strangely enough that device didn't come with the connector and it was purchased separately.

 

Many people (like me) found many caches with that simple device. All the newer bells and whistles do make it easier but you can do fine starting out with that.

 

You might want to view Amazon eTrex H adapter

Edited by Walts Hunting
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The next question would be do you still ( or ever) have the serial cable and have you gotten a usb to serial adapter? That device doesn't have the newer USB connection. Strangely enough that device didn't come with the connector and it was purchased separately.

 

Many people (like me) found many caches with that simple device. All the newer bells and whistles do make it easier but you can do fine starting out with that.

 

You might want to view Amazon eTrex H adapter

 

FYI you can usually find the serial cable (often with a usb adapter) for under $20 shipped on ebay. I still use my trusty yellow eTrex. I'll download the points to my phone, use the etrex to navigate, and pull out my phone to use the compass if I can't find the cache. The phone app is great, a great way to drain my battery.

 

This is the cable I have, works great. http://www.ebay.com/itm/310262434094?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

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Check out my thread about Etrex-H/Windows 8 problems for some information on cables and adapters. If you're still on Windows 7, though, the cable I have for that has the flat "slider" coonection at the GPS end and a regular USB connection at the computer end. I download cache data to a .loc or .gpx, then pull it into EasyGPS, and from there send it to the Etrex.

 

EasyGPS has a setting that scrunches the cache NAME down into a six-character ID, but that's problematic sometimes when a series of caches have almost identical names except maybe for #1, #2, #3 etc. way out at the end. The scrunched names come out the same, and the Etrex will take only the first one and reject the rest. I beat that by editing the names in EasyGPS, but that can be a bit tedious. Nonetheless, I prefer the sorta-names to the GC numbers when I pull them up on the Etrex. It's a memory jogger for which is which when I'm out in the boonies, and certainly cheaper than a fancier GPS that would show the full, actual names.

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Since this thread is about the Etrex-H: In my configuration, Etrex-H <--> cable using PL-2303 serial emulation driver <--> USB port <--> Windows 7 computer, EasyGPS talks back and forth to my Etrex just fine, but GPSBabel does NOT, saying I have no serial port. (My Windows Device Manager says otherwise.) And one of their head people who shall remain unnamed is far better at telling me there's a problem at my end than conceding that just maybe there's a glitch in GPSBabel. It may be a great program, and hey, it's free, but if you have questions, better have a thick skin, because you're likely to get the full idiot treatment.

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You can use waypoint management software to truncate the waypoint names so they will fit within the limits of your GPS receiver. You could do this in something as elegant as GSAK or as simple as a Text Editor. The common fix is to drop the prefix "GC" - many people do this anyways as they find the extra letters redundant.

 

I feel like a right noodle, as the above sounds easy. (I had tried excel first, then realised that was a no-goer)

When I open a .gpx file with a text editor (notepad) I can sucessfully replace all the 'GC's with a 'Z' and save it with a new filename to be extra sure not to make a mistake, but when I open the new file with easyGPS the cacheIDs have reverted to having a GC at the front, to my surprise and dismay.

 

This is my first attempt at running a pocket query in order to send to my etrex-h, a kind friend bought me a premium subscription recently, I would be grateful for any help.

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