Oregon 6x0 - Mixing GGZ and GPX

[+BlackRose67]

This past weekend I had loaded up my Oregon 600 with a GGZ file containing a specific set of caches in the area.

The GGZ file was placed in the \Garmin\GGZ directory on the external microSD card.

 

Once I was out on the road, another one from my buddy was published, so I took the single GPX file and placed* it in the \Garmin\GPX directory on the external microSD card.

The Oregon 600 never picked up the new GPX file when it restarted.

 

Where should I have placed the GPX file so the unit would detect it?

 

*The GPX file was loaded to the external microSD as follows:

• Turn off GPS
  
• Remove external microSD card
  
• Insert microSD into USB microSD adapter
  
• Connect USB microSD adapter to OTG cable attached to my smartphone.
  
• Transfer GPX file to \Garmin\GPX directory
  
• Safely unmount USB microSD adapter
  
• Insert microSD card into Oregon 600
  
• Turn on Oregon 600
  

 

BTW, the procedure noted above worked fine on a GPSMAP 62s, as all files on it were in GPX format.

Also worked somewhat on a Nuvi 2595LMT.

[+JohnCNA]

I do this sort of thing frequently and the steps are the same as yours. I don't use GGZ much any more but I have had both loaded at the same time with no problems. How about some of the basics? New cache within 130 miles or so? Geocaches filter set to Show All? I would boot up with the card out, then boot up with the card in again. Every once in a great while I get an indexing issue, and the double boot with card out and in again usually cures it.

[+BlackRose67]

I loaded it and then tried to do a spell search, and it wasn't there.

I noticed that when it booted that it did not redo the indexing (the 62s my wife was using did redo the indexing).

 

I never thought to do the "boot without the card" trick.

 

I'm still trying out GGZ files, since I live/cache in an area that is very cache heavy and I can cover a large area on an outing.

Loading 3000 to 4000 unfound caches at a time is common.

[+ecanderson]

FWIW: If you're only loading 3000~4000 caches, there's no reason the regular *.gpx wouldn't serve just as well. That's about my typical single file *.gpx load each week.

[+Red90]

FWIW: If you're only loading 3000~4000 caches, there's no reason the regular *.gpx wouldn't serve just as well. That's about my typical single file *.gpx load each week.

 

The GPS boots and works faster with a GGZ.

[+Mineral2]

FWIW: If you're only loading 3000~4000 caches, there's no reason the regular *.gpx wouldn't serve just as well. That's about my typical single file *.gpx load each week.

 

The GPS boots and works faster with a GGZ.

Now see, that just seems weird to me because if the GGZ format really is just a zipped GPX, then it would have to uncompress the file before reading it to work. So it must be more than just a compressed GPX file.

[+Red90]

Now see, that just seems weird to me because if the GGZ format really is just a zipped GPX, then it would have to uncompress the file before reading it to work. So it must be more than just a compressed GPX file.

 

The GGZ file is a ZIP archive containing the GPX file and an index file. The index file provide a list of the items in the GPX. The GPS does not open and read the GPX file until you look at a specific cache. By knowing where to look within teh GX file, the GPS can work much faster.

[+Red90]

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=333215&view=findpost&p=5519295

GGZ is basically a zip file that contains an approximation of a .loc file (coords, cache name, container, size) with a few new elements (index into gpx for corresponding wpt open and close tags) that allows Garmin's inefficient XML reader to read a tiny, simple XML for an overview (search by name, splash points on a map) and then read the "big" content (cache description, logs) only after you've expressed non-passive interest in that specific record.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Red90