[pct-l] Garmin Oregon 450T On Sale

[Tortoise]

Hi Bill and all,

I am using a SanDisk Micro SDHC 4 gigabyte card.

I got the Garmin MapSource TOPO! US 24k West Topographic Coverage for 
Washington, Oregon,
California, and Nevada (DVD) [DVD-ROM].

I have a card reader that I can use to connect the microcard to my Mac. Not 
that this seems to do me any good. I tried loading the files from Yoshihiro 
this way to no avail.

When I connect the Vista HCx to my Mac via a USB cable:

1) ordinarily it does not show up as a new drive on my desktop nor in the 
Finder. But I can get waypoints and tracks from it into both Garmin 
BaseCamp and NG TOPO!.

2) but if I go to the main menu, then "setup" then "interface" and select 
"USB Mass Storage", the GPS goes into an interface mode with all other 
functions disabled and the GPS shows up as a drive in Finder.  As I recall, 
I tried loading Yoshihiro's file this way and I couldn't access it with the 
GPS.

The only access I have to a Windows computer is when I use Parallels and 
run Windows XP. I have not tried loading the maps from Yoshihiro this way.


When I simply connected my HCx to my Mac via an USB cable and use Garmin 
MapInstall, I could load some quads to my unit. When I tried to load all of 
California, I had problems so I settled for now for the area of California 
and Oregon around here which is what I need now. Maybe someday I'll try to 
figure out what the problem is.  Maybe I'll just get another MicroCard and 
see if I can load everything to that.

When I get ready to do some of the PCT, I'll see if I can load that portion.

After using my GPS with the maps on a few trails around here, I'm not sure 
how useful having the topos on my GPS will be.  The small screen doesn't 
show enough area with enough detail to be of much use. Maybe with more 
experience I'll have a different opinion.



Tortoise

<> Because truth matters! <>

On 06/29/10 19:19, Bill Burge wrote:
>
> First, let me state:  I do NOT own an eTrex and I do not have access to
> one to test with.  I do use a Mac and I have experience with some
> different types of Garmin devices (but not the eTrex).
>
> So, out of curiosity, you got the Trex Vista Hcx:
>
> Questions:
>
> What size microSD card did you get?
>
> Which "Garmin DVD" you get?
>
> Do you have a "card reader" that will allow you to attach the microSD
> card to your computer?
>
> What happens when you plug the Garmin, via the USB cable, to your Mac?
> Does a new "drive" appear on the Desktop?
>
> Do you have access to any computers running Windows?  (When the eTrex
> was created, Garmin "didn't do Mac")
>
>
> Observations:
>
> eTrex waypoint storage: 1000 max,  HalfMile's maps: CA alone is almost
> 4200 waypoints!  You could carve them up into subsets of multiple
> Sections and swap sets along the trail, but you would have to get
> comfortable with the process.
>
> A reduced set of waypoints in general might be a better idea.  Postholer
> has a set that are 1151 waypoints, so it might still need to be
> shortened or loaded in pieces at different points along the trail.
> http://postholer.com/gmap/trails/pct/pctWaypoints_2009.gpx
>
> On HalfMile's waypoint file for Section A, there are 295 waypoints to go
> from the Mexican border to 110 miles north.  If you strip out the
> waypoints that are just distance markers from the border, and keep the
> ones that indicate locations like campsites and water sources, etc - it
> becomes 75.  All of CA goes from about 4200 to about 730 - loadable on
> the eTrex!  (It would be awesome if HalfMile had an alterego: ZeroMile
> and maybe also TwoMile - hint, hint...  ;-)
>
> BillB
>
>
>
> On Jun 29, 2010, at 6:15 PM, Tortoise wrote:
>
>> I spent a lot of time and a little money trying to load the file
>> Yoshihiro load on my Garmin etrex Vista Hcx and finally gave up. I
>> don't know what the problems were but I was tired of spending my time
>> on this and move on to other activities.
>>
>> I got the Garmin DVD and after a couple tries was able to load a bunch
>> of maps. But not all of the DVD.  I haven't yet figured out how to
>> load Halfmile's .gpx PCT waypoints onto the GPS. For now though I'm
>> using my unit to log my hikes around here.
>>
>> For each of us, it is a question of how much time and effort we want
>> to spend as well as how much expertise we have versus spending money
>> for a solution.
>>
>> I could get a sewing machine, etcetera, and learn and then make my own
>> gear, but I'd rather pay to have someone else who knows how and is set
>> up to do so make the gear and I'll just buy it. Others for various
>> reasons prefer to make their own gear. Each to his own way.
>>
>> Tortoise
>>
>> <>  Because truth matters!<>
>>
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/