complete newb. lost. help. new etrex 30

Former Member over 10 years ago

ok guys and gals, i have a new etrex 30 and I'm already lost !!!!

will be using this for mostly hiking.

no maps downloaded or installed. will use a mac laptop as my base computer. (will this limit me? can i switch to a PC later?)

no chip installed.

where on earth do i start? looked on Garmins web site and there are several apps. obviously there are a couple that i don't need, but what are the most used? i don't even know how to connect this thing to a computer (lost my box in a move. I'm assuming that the chip will fit into some adapter that will connect to comp by a USB connection? suppose i could download a manual online. but i like asking people who actually are using the stuff and have opinions on heats working.

i will probably just add point, make routes on the computer then plug them into the GPS, i guess typical hiker stuff. not sure how to use one of these.

i will probably install a north america general map, then specific areas with finer topo.

any direction would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance.

0 SUSSAMB over 10 years ago

I suggest first you download and use Garmin's free Basecamp program. There are videos that explain how it works under the Help section in the Basecamp toolbar.

For the Etrex a good initial guide is here http://www.aukadia.net/gps/lw3_0.htm

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

The etrex units are quite nice once you figure them out; I have the 20! It connects to the computer via a usb cable. On the 20, there is a rubber flap on the top of the back of the gps that opens up to reveal the port. I would imagine that by "chip" you mean a memory card. The gps has a built in memory, but if you put a memory card in it, you can write to it directly through the unit itself. The memory card slot is tucked neatly in the battery compartment (at least on the 20 that is) :D

USB connection; it uses a standard micro usb connector.
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For maps I highly recommend you check out Openstreetmaps (they're free and updated regularly); unfortunately, as I don't own a mac I'm not familiar with the process for installing maps into basecamp on a mac, but I can recommend a few places to get them! Switching to a pc would just require downloading either basecamp or mapsource for windows; most of the maps come with installers for windows users.
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download
http://www.openfietsmap.nl/downloads/worldwide
http://www.openmapchest.org/

Custom maps are relatively easy to make as well,
http://garminbasecamp.wikispaces.com/Custom+Maps

The easiest way that I've found to plan routes is to do them in google earth, and then save them as gpx files.