I just have to ask. Sorry if I have asked this before, but I can't get this out of my head.

Reading the news letter from GC I was looking at the GPSr they featured. I noticed it can download 2000 caches. Also it does all the paperless stuff. I looked at the price. About $400.

I got a Nuvi 200 a couple of years ago. Cost was about $100. So far I have 25,000 caches in it.All paperless functions included.

Why are the handhelds so limited on the storage of caches? It doesn't make sense.

Oh, and GC says te 1000 PQ's will come online May 2nd

Hey there Ekidokai send this question to rcwhit, he has just gone paper less and he also bought the garmin paperless one. i think it's a oregon, and he did a lot of looking around before he did this.

Why are the handhelds so limited on the storage of caches? It doesn't make sense.


Sheesh! What doesn't make sense is that Garmin has had expansion memory for years, but you still can't download waypoints to the expansion memory - only the internal memory. What's the purpose of expanded memory if you can't really use it???

:confused::confused:

I'll tell you something else. My Nuvi has been flashing me that my maps are over a year old. And it is right. It costs $70 to update the maps.

I got a card with a code on it for Christmas to update the maps. I have been trying off and on ever since to get this done. Could not get the code to work, could not sign on to my account. Nothing was going right.

Last two days I have spent 8 hours getting this to work. Even the service people at Garmin could not get into my account. Twice they set up a new account, transfered my two devices over, the code for the maps and then neither one of us could get into the account.

Finally after 38 minutes on the phone we gt it fixed. I went through the process of updating my maps. It took 2 hours 26 minutes. So I did some checking. Pilots Grill is no longer listed. Millers Restaurant still is. That's been closed three years, maybe four? And the developments where some of the caches are located are not there. I know one has been there for four years.

My conclusion is $70 spent for very little improvement and way to difficult.

My question is, I know TomTom has features that update maps for free and allows you to map out new roads. How much trouble is it?

I'll tell you something else. My Nuvi has been flashing me that my maps are over a year old. And it is right. It costs $70 to update the maps.
It took 2 hours 26 minutes. My conclusion is $70 spent for very little improvement and way to difficult.

I have to agree. My NUVI had 3 year old maps, so decided to update before driving to NJ last month. It was $70, at various times I could have bought a new one for a few dollars more. The update was ok, and obviously this is a nice profit center for Garmin, but the 3 + hours that it took was painful. I most likely will not do it again.

The Nuvi can not hold any more waypoints in it than any other GPSr (1000 for my 255w). You can only put 1000's of points on them as points of interest. There is a good chance that even the Lowrance models mentioned in the newsletter will take unlimited (well, limited to external card memory) caches as POIs.

But it seems dumb to load caches into a GPSr as POIs when it has ability for caches, and that cache memory is limited. I've been asking this question for years now.

The Lowrance models are neat in the fact you can filter by cache type/size and d/t. Maybe by the 20th year anniversary they will get the cache storage limit fixed!

The Nuvi can not hold any more waypoints in it than any other GPSr (1000 for my 255w). You can only put 1000's of points on them as points of interest. There is a good chance that even the Lowrance models mentioned in the newsletter will take unlimited (well, limited to external card memory) caches as POIs.

But it seems dumb to load caches into a GPSr as POIs when it has ability for caches, and that cache memory is limited. I've been asking this question for years now.
!

Sheesh! You CAN load geocaches as POI's. I've done it, but I don't remember how. You can designate the geocache symbol for the POI's, you list POI's by symbol, and they show up just like geocaches normally do.

But I can't figure out how I did it. Was I dreaming??? :confused::confused:

Sheesh! You CAN load geocaches as POI's. I've done it, but I don't remember how. You can designate the geocache symbol for the POI's, you list POI's by symbol, and they show up just like geocaches normally do.

But I can't figure out how I did it. Was I dreaming??? :confused::confused:

Yes, that is what I was saying, you can load them as POIs. That's how Mike and myself and everyone else can load thousands of caches on the Nuvi. There are a couple methods, but I use a GSAK macro to create a file which the Garmin POI loader can load into the SD card on the Nuvi. From my calculations, a 2 GB SD card can hold about 750,000 caches as POIs. GSAK also has an "Export to Garmin POI" feature which I think works for the Garmin handhelds. There are subtle difference between the way standard waypoints and POIs are displayed and accessed on the GPSr.

And that's what gets me, if they can do it with POIs, why can't they do it with the Caches????

I did not know that. I am going to try the Garmin export on my etrex Venture HC and see what happens. Although I really don't need more than 500 in there at a time.

I don't need it yet because Maine caches have only filled up half the memory on the regular drive of the Nuvi, but can you give me a quick leson oh how to process the POI's on to the SD card?

I did not know that. I am going to try the Garmin export on my etrex Venture HC and see what happens. Although I really don't need more than 500 in there at a time.

I don't need it yet because Maine caches have only filled up half the memory on the regular drive of the Nuvi, but can you give me a quick leson oh how to process the POI's on to the SD card?

That is easy, when you use the Garmin POI Loader, just choose Custom Folder (advanced) when it asks where you would like to save your data. When you click next, it will ask you for a folder to save your data, make sure you choose the Garmin directory on the SD card, not on the Nuvi's internal memory - in my case I would save it in Removable Disk (H:).

With my PN-40, and the 2.7 Firmware update for it, I can use either the internal or the expansion memory (SD card, and in my case a 32 gig SD card) to save GPX files each with up to 1000 waypoints. This pretty much allows me to hold an unlimited amount of caches on my device. I think that I could actually fit every cache in the world onto the PN-40 and still have PLENTY of room left over for maps and imagery from Delorme's online map library.
Most GPX files with about 1000 caches generated through my GSAK are about 800kb. So lets round that off to 1mb for a GPX file of 1000 caches. With about 1,040,000 active caches word wide, that means that it would take 1040 GPX files to hold them all when you have 1000 caches per file which means it would take 1040mb of room which would be a little over 1 Gig of memory and that leaves 31 gig on my SD card plus several hundred MBs of internal memory available!

With my PN-40, and the 2.7 Firmware update for it, I can use either the internal or the expansion memory (SD card, and in my case a 32 gig SD card) to save GPX files each with up to 1000 waypoints. This pretty much allows me to hold an unlimited amount of caches on my device. I think that I could actually fit every cache in the world onto the PN-40 and still have PLENTY of room left over for maps and imagery from Delorme's online map library.
Most GPX files with about 1000 caches generated through my GSAK are about 800kb. So lets round that off to 1mb for a GPX file of 1000 caches. With about 1,040,000 active caches word wide, that means that it would take 1040 GPX files to hold them all when you have 1000 caches per file which means it would take 1040mb of room which would be a little over 1 Gig of memory and that leaves 31 gig on my SD card plus several hundred MBs of internal memory available!

Sheesh! Sounds like a terrible waste of a 32gig SD card... :D:D

How do you figure it's a waste? Right now I have almost all of Maine's color sat imagery on that card, plus all the USGS topo maps, and of course Delorme's TOPO 8.0 maps and that is only using about 16 Gigs....

How do you figure it's a waste? Right now I have almost all of Maine's color sat imagery on that card, plus all the USGS topo maps, and of course Delorme's TOPO 8.0 maps and that is only using about 16 Gigs....

Oops. Sorry. You stated that it "leaves 31 gig on my SD card plus several hundred MBs of internal memory available!". I didn't infer that you were going to use it. :D:D

My point was merely that the featured of the PN40 allow you to hold a huge amount of caches and have room left over ;-)

My point was merely that the featured of the PN40 allow you to hold a huge amount of caches and have room left over ;-)

This is most interesting. Your saying you have all those caches or could have if you wanted to take the time to load them in, and you would be able to have all the information of the cache page available to you on the PN-40?

If thats the case, I'm going to have to consider one. Haven't used the mapping features on any of the unites yet, but that would just be gravy.

Well this is the deal Ekidokai..... Delorme's new PN-60 is being released in about two months with this capability as well, only more streamlined. However you will pay an arm and a leg for the PN-60, and really just for snazzy new graphics. You can get PN-40s now for bargain basement prices. Plus, like you said, the mapping functions are gravy, and the accuracy of the units are amazing. Anyone who has done any of my caches will tell you how good my cords are.

Now, if you get a PN-40 you will have to do the 2.7 firmware update, which is mainly meant for X-Map GIS users. However it works well for us Geocachers too. Delorme is releasing firmware 2.8 around the same time the PN-60 is released but you will have to buy it with TOPO 9.0. It will however have the capability of having attributes from cache listings on the unit as well. Right now, you have no attributes but you do have cache type, placer, description, inventory of cache, difficult, terrain and past five logs and hint and all the same logos of caches that you see on Geocaching.com

I do not have all the caches in the world on my unit.... obviously ha ha... but I have every cache in Maine on my Pn-40 organized based on overlapping areas of the state. Each area has a GPX file dedicated to it on the unit. Plus I have GPX files of my hides, my disabled caches, my archived caches, I even have GPX files set up based on specific cache owners, and you can take and do a Google Maps route in Geocaching.com and a PQ based on it and save it onto the unit. It is pretty much unlimited. Plus, you can modify them as you go. So say you add a waypoint or change one, you can save it, and then move to another GPX file, or you can export the GPX file to your laptop mapping software. Mind you, I also have all the caches in Maine on my netbook which I couple to an LT-40 and either TOPO 8.0 or StreetAtlas and can see my surrounding caches on the larger screen as I navigate.

So.... based on this.... I'd have to say that the PN-40 is the unit to use for holding all those caches, as long as you have the proper firmware update.

Very nice. How much are the fireware updates? Can the PN-40 do whereigo caches?

Well the firmware updates are free, EXCEPT the new 2.8 one for the PN-40 is only available apparently if you purchase or upgrade your TOPO to 9.0.

Nope, no Whereigo on PN-40.... but really, why would you care? If Whereigo is the deal breaker, then oh well, you are missing out on a great unit on a cache type that has only two in all of Maine, and one of them I can show you the final location if you like ha ha

Not a deal breaker just would have been the deal maker.

Well, that's still too bad....

I have never heard of having to pay for a firmware update for a GPS. That type of attitude from DeLorme is one of the reasons why I use a different brand.

Tried it, like some of it, disliked some of it.

I do like the easy user interface that my current GPS has!

I do like the easy user interface that my current GPS has!


Magellan?:D

That maybe so Gob-ler however this thread was discussing the ability of a GPS to hold countless waypoints and caches, and the only one I know of with that capability if the PN-40 with the 2.7 firmware update. As I explained, it has the ability to hold every cache in the world and STILL have excessive amounts of room left over for maps and color imagery which is way better than any you will see on your Oregon sir...

I like the new Garmin nüvi® 3790T
https://static.garmincdn.com/en/products/010-00858-20/g/group3790.jpg

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134&pID=63940&ra=true

Um, Cano..... the only time this Garmin nüvi® 3790T would be useful for a Geocacher would be if some nut job (say Ekidokai ... ha ha) decided to move to Los Angeles and put out a Stud Mill series there...... this is not for cachers.... who in their right mind would bring this out of the car? It isn't even waterproof.

Some of the Nuvi's are geocaching friendly. While they may not be waterproof, many caches even in this state are nowhere near water. Lately we have been limited to less physical caches and instead of loading the caches on my PDA (Which is also not waterproof), I have just been taking the Nuvi with me so I have access to the logs and hints if needed. I still use my 'Ol Yeller to find the cache, though. A lot of people cache with their cell phones as well, most likely not waterproof either. I also nearly always carry a digital camera with me, also not waterproof.

I'm not saying it would not be nice to have all the best stuff and have it built for the outdoors, but I think for most that is not the case. It's not a matter of being in their right minds, it's a matter of wanting to play the game with what you can afford and/or want to play it with. I chose to risk a $120 GPSr to cache, others chose to risk a $220 ticket. :rolleyes:

Oh quite to the contrary Chad, the Oregon does imagery now and it also holds a whole bunch of caches and information without having to go through all the key punching you have to do with the PN-40. Actually the work flow or key punching processes on the PN-40 were a bit of a turn off for me. The Oregon has that part of it to the better hands down or fingers down as the case may be.

As to your "sir" reference, was that a comment of respect for my person or just a touch of sarcasm?

It is a case of to each his own. Plus and minus - most GPS's have them and that includes the ones you own as well as the ones I own. Fact is they will get you there.

Now for all those caches in the world, I wonder if GC.Com has any plans to make that pocket query available to premium members and above?

There was a time in the not to distant past, actually a little over a year ago when I needed less than one thousand to have them all in the State of Maine, but that has certainly changed in the recent times.

See you all in a couple of weeks.

There was a time in the not to distant past, actually a little over a year ago when I needed less than one thousand to have them all in the State of Maine, but that has certainly changed in the recent times.

See you all in a couple of weeks.

I bragged for a long time in national chat that I could have all my unfound Maine caches in one 500 cache PQ - toward the end of 2004 (oddly enough, about the time all the puppies came :o).

A few weeks? The 10 year events?

Ah, the puppies, almost the good old days! Actually one of my puppies is my most visited cache and it is actually a good one.

I may not make the ten year events, but there is an event in Lewiston. That is if the turkeys do not take me hostage!

Send me an email and let me know where you may be showing up. We do need to catch up.

Gob-ler, are you saying that the Oregon has all the various imagery options as Delorme does in their online map database? As of now, I can use my TOPO 8.0 maps layered with USGS Topo maps, Color Aerial Imagery, SAT 10, and USGS SAT data sets, pretty much making it like looking at Google Earth.... I can do the same using my iPhone as well if needed. And when I said "sir", it was a touch of tounge in cheek humor combined with friendly sarcasm. Nothing negative. Kind of like "And what say you, sir?"

How do you like touch screen? I know that my iPhone's touch screen is not as senstive when it is raining, and water is on the screen, and I find it enters the wrong input when I hit keys on the screen.... I have an Otterbox case for the iPhone..... I think a waterproof GPS is more important for rainy conditions, than for caches near water....

And as far as all the key punching to get to info, I don't mind it because it is the unit I started with for Geocaching so I was used to it from the beginning. I dont plan on upgrading to the PN-60 though... Delorme really pissed me off with that one, but I am happy with my 40!

I wish GC.com would come out with a higher level premium membership... that would offer those types of PQs of larger volume. I'd pay $100 a year for that kind of access, and no limit on PQs run in a day. Heck, this rumor about PQs increasing to 1000 soon would be VERY nice!

Heck, this rumor about PQs increasing to 1000 soon would be VERY nice!

No rumor it will be here very soon!!!

No rumor it will be here very soon!!!

I understand it already is no longer a rumor for Platinum members. :p

Platinum members?

Platinum members?

One Member, BRDAD!

I got Platinum after we talked about it last time. Tat got me in.

BRDAD, you know you are not supposed to be talking about the "other" levels of membership. After all, they are by invitation only!

Chad, relax, I knew exactly what you were saying.

As for the touch screen, it works very well. On par with or even better than my Blackberry.

As for imaging, I don't think all those different ones are currently available, but the satellite stuff is and maybe one more. If I need any of that stuff I use the phone cause the cell phones actually work they way they are supposed to in PA.

Ok... So how do I get this mythical platinum membership? Who do
I have to pay off? Seriously.... I am SeriousTool and all ha ha

All the information needed to attain the next level of membership has already been divulged. It is kind of like a puzzle cache!

I really can't say more than what I have.

Having already been a Platinum member I think the Titanium Membership is much better. There are many more perks!

I am fine at my plastic level. WAYYYY better than the paper level was. That's for sure!!:rolleyes:

Well guess I ought to give up as I doubt I'd be allowed an invitation...

I'm sticking with my aluminum membership :D

I went from rock to paper to scissors and thought I was on top of the world and now you're telling me there's better?

Apparently so.....

I'm sticking with my aluminum membership :D

Aluminum Membership . . . how in heck did you get an aluminum membership . . . I'm stuck with the Saran plastic wrap membership . . . and I have to tell you it isn't that much fun.;):D