GPS: For Work or Play?

The c330 won't read Custom POIs from the SD card. But the internal memory will hold around 13,000 - 20,000 Custom POI locations (about 2MB).

My advice would be to become a Premium Member at geocaching.com so that you can get Pocket Queries which are files that can contain up to 500 caches. You can get up to 5 Pocket Queries per week. The data comes in the form of GPX files. You can load these GPX files as Custom POIs to your c330.

If you aren't sure if you will like geocaching enough to pay for it, you can pay for a single month for $3 to try it out.

My recollection (which could be entirely wrong) is that the c330 doesn't have a "Delete All" function for the Favorites, so I wouldn't recommend loading bunches of caches to the Favorites.

If your unit has settings for a "Pedestrian" vehicle and a routing mode of "Off Road" it will work for geocaching. Not well, but enough to play with and see if you like the sport.

Setting to Pedestrian and Off-Road mode will turn off the routing to roads and rsend you via a straight line from where you are to where your destination is. Doesn't matter if there are buildings in your way, it will direct you to take a straight line right through them. The best practice is to use normal routing until you get as close as you can. Park the car, and set the GPS for Pedestrian and Off-Road use. Set for North Up or Track Up display and zoom in as far as it will go. It will get you close to your goal. I'm not sure of the accuracy of your unit, but my Nuvi 350 gets me within 10 to 12 feet and that's a fairly small radius to search. I only tried it a couple of times, but with temperatures in the single digits here, I'm waiting for warmer weather to see if it's worth it to buy a dedicated handheld GPS with compass and topo maps.

According to the manual, it does not offer an Off-Road setting. Therefore, to get around the problem of snapping to the road, I think she might have to resort to my previously suggested workaround in Favorites.

My recollection (which could be entirely wrong) is that the c330 doesn't have a "Delete All" function for the Favorites, so I wouldn't recommend loading bunches of caches to the Favorites.

checking....okay, the StreetPilot c330 has factory loaded POI's which cannot be deleted. However, I'm finding that the addresses, POI's that I entered to My Favorites can be deleted one at a time. There is a choice in the toolbox: "Restore Settings". Selecting that will return eht entire GPS to factory settings.

You are saying that I could connect my GPS to my laptop with the usb cable and then download from geocaching.com directly to the Garmin?
/sharon

Yes. You can load the files as Custom POIs. If you click on the getting started links at the top of each page here at POI Factory, you will find instructions for loading Custom POIs to Garmin unit. It involves using Garmin's free POI Loader software.

Then if you go to the forums at Geocaching.com, and search around a little bit, you will find lots of posts on how to do Pocket Queries. Alternately, if you become a Premium Member there, you can download individual GPX files from the cache pages. You could also load these individual GPX files, but the process would be much longer.

And you can use the "Restore Settings" function, but be aware that it will delete all your Favorites. And as you found out, the built in POIs can't be deleted.

A little of both.

I have frequent out of town meetings. GPS comes in handy to find the meeting places.

My first encounter with GPS was in San Francisco for my nephew's wedding. Never been to SF before. Rented a car with GPS for a week. I did not get lost at all. Saved a lot of bickering with my better half. She has a better sense of direction than I do. I was totally convinced after that.

Sharon...
Go to your my account and click on edit. Go to the signature box. Put in your signature in the box.
Comment or type of GPS units you have or what ever.

joemac

I have c320 & c340 a friend has c330 I would by the c340 gives U more and talks U into the turns with names of street insted of turn r or l 300 ft/

Ifund that the c340 is not that much more but more enjoyable

enjoy whatever U buy

rberr

i use it for both. I do alot of long distance driving for work, and it helps alot with avoiding traffic on main highways. But who am i kidding its a cool new toy.

I bought my c330 from a friend that lost their job...and like most of the others thought it was "toy" until I used it myself. I travel 3-5k a month at times. Normally driving to a facility isn't a problem, but sometimes a repair comes up where I need to go somewhere else. Being able to go cross-country has saved lots of time. My wife found it great for garage sales and visiting friends...so I bought another one so she can use the c330 when I am on the road.

My folks, boss and others have taken the c330 on their trips and they then have wanted one of their own.

Daniel

I got my GPS just as a fun toy. I have a fairly good sense of direction, and have plenty of maps and the like.

Basically, I use it to learn the off-the-beaten-paths. I know the main stuff. Usually it routes me the same way I'd go on my own.

It's helpful in finding new places (i'm an amateur boxing judge, which tends to bring me to plenty of obscure locations), but I was ok doing that before my GPS, so... it's helpful, but not necessary.

I also like to play the 'beat the clock' game, or 'find a better route than the computer.' Nothing like going your own way, getting the 'recalculating' and shaving 2 minutes off the ETA

My first GPS was a C330 and I still have it, it gave me lots of pleasure and never again got lost.
Very good.
Now I have a nuvi 250W and My C330.

I used my Garmin c340 both for alternate direction and traffic avoidance. Its great for going to place evem on the same town for easy direction.

Thank you, Joemac. I was trying to find a writing tool to sign....like signing for credit purchases at stores that use the "magic slates" and stylus. I'll go take care of that.