Montana 680 cabling quirks

[Joe Wessels]

Greetings all,

I heard about the android app (CGEO) not long after my wife purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet (Model SM-T350) that uses Android version 7.1.1.

Up to this point I have been creating Pocket Queries using GSAK and then cabling them to our Montana 680 using my laptop with Windows 7.

The tablet’s light weight and size is attractive for traveling, especially when it comes to flying commercially. But with different operating systems I knew I was in for some head scratching. I downloaded the free app to the tablet and started the learning curve (read: frustrations) of getting the Laptop, GSAK, Android Tablet, CGEO and the GPSr to work and play nice with each other. Here’s some of the things I discovered:

Exporting a GPX file directly from GSAK from the laptop with a cable to the tablet causes the laptop to freeze up. What DOES work is to export the GPX file from GSAK to My Documents on the laptop. Then, copy the file from My Documents to the CGEO/GPX sub-directory.

From there you can use CGEO to create a list and import the GPX file into the list for viewing.

Using the Samsung On The Go (OTG) cable and the Garmin data cable connected to it and the tablet, I was able to then ---COPY--- the GPX file to the Montana GPX sub-directory and the Montana recognizes it. Notice I was screaming COPY and not move. For some reason the Move funtion will only move the file name to the Montana GPX sub-directory but not the data. Strange.


Montana 680 GPSr - Another unusual discovery was that the tablet would not recognize (read: connect) to the Montana when the lithium battery was installed. It is as is there is no connection at all. Now AA batteries work just fine – even the Energizer lithium AA batteries. Or you can have no batteries in at all and the tablet will recognize the Montana and allow you to transfer data/delete files, etc.


I was able to refresh and export a CGEO list of caches and then later transfer – (again read: copy it)- to the Montana with cables.

NOTE: the refreshed caches may contain up to 40 log entries, depending on the cache (like older caches with a lot of finds).

Oh, and I realize I could just use CGEO and not GSAK and dump the laptop, but while the two are similar, GSAK has more capability for what I like do when it comes to working with geocache databases.
Hope this helps anyone out there who has is interested.
Happy caching.

 

[Nuvi-Nebie]

As far as I can see you have 2 problems :-

1) When transferring a *.GPX file from a Windows laptop to a samsung tablet, the laptop freezes

2) The laptop will not 'see' the Montana gps when the gps is fitted with the rechargeable lithium battery pack

For 1) above, This may be due to some incompatibility between the the two, can you transfer other files from the laptop to the tablet successfully?

I wasn't sure why you wanted to send the *.GPX to the tablet running cgeo and then send the *.GPX from the tablet to the Montana, why not send the *.GPX from the laptop directly to the Montana?

For 2) above, I think this is failing because when the re-chrargable lithium is in place the USB cable has insufficient current to power the GPS and charge the batteries at the same time

 

[Joe Wessels]

Good Day Nuvi-Nebie,
thank you for your thoughts and comments.
for 1) - incompatibility between laptop and tablet - I will experiment with transferring other file types back and forth and see what happens. As I recall, file types such as JPEG and PDF have not presented any problems, such as locking up or viewing them. I think the problem is specifically between GSAK's export function and the tablet, since I can export the GPX file to a sub-directory on the laptop and then connecting the tablet to the laptop I can copy the GPX file from the laptop to the tablet.

for 2 ) - the lithium battery issue - I think you are correct about the tablet having insufficient power to power the GPS and charge the battery at the same time. That never crossed my mind.

Oh, and the one thing I don't like about CGEO is the limitation to download only 20 caches at a time from a Pocket Query. The GSAK feature of creating a getting a lot of caches with the rectangle/circle/state option has me spoiled, as well as some of the other capabilities and features. But - that said - I am impressed with CGEO.
Thanks again for taking the time to help,
Joe W.

 

[Nuvi-Nebie]

one thing I don't like about CGEO is the limitation to download only 20 caches at a time

I don't get that limitation when I have cgeo ( version 2018.02.05) logged into geocaching.com, if I clear everything from 'stored' and then goto Live Map >> [zoom out to display 106 caches] >> Store All >> [select a stored folder] >> OK, I get Downloading Caches and when finished I have all 106 caches in the stored folder and can then export them to a *.GPX

 

[Joe Wessels]

Ah so! Wonderful!! I han't looked into that part of CGEO. That does what I want - mostly...I live in Delaware and with GSAK, "Geocaching.com icon at the top I am able to pick Delaware as a state and get all and only Delaware caches I haven't found. Now over to CGEO - If I you the Live Map and zoom out to get all of Delaware, I also get a lot of Maryland, New Jersey and PA. Do you know if there is a way to select or specify a single state? It won't keep me from using CGEO if it can't do that. I'm getting the ability to couple CGEO and the Montana for transferring GPX files, so it's still a win-win for me. Thanks again for that last tip.

 

[Nuvi-Nebie]

Do you know if there is a way to select or specify a single state?

No, there are filters for 'already found', types of cache etc. but not that, my only suggestion would be to download smaller areas and add them together in a single store folder

 

[Joe Wessels]

Yeah, roger that. I had considered doing as you suggest, but figured maybe there was a long shot I had overlooked something.
Thanks,
Joe W.