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It sounds like you are "marking" a waypoint. To navigate to something you want to "find" a waypoint.

On my other garmins you can scroll to a part on the map and hit enter and it will make a waypoint, then you can navigate to it.

I would like to set up my handheld with some nautical maps. I love the SE US one that I got here on gpsfiledepot, I have not seen any nautical ones.

Right now I'm using my astro 320, which is the garmin 62 only it tracks doggies. I am thinking of getting the new garmin 64. The power button is getting stubborn on my astro and I've been lusting after the 64 for some time now. My other option is the garmin stiker with fishfinder.

We have a plotter on the boat but it's used and we are still working out the bugs, plus learning how to use it. I would like a handheld as a backup, and because I like them and I'm used to them.

It's my understanding that there are different garmin maps depending on which garmin unit you have, there are some available for the handhelds. This is fine, it's just to suppliment the chart plotter/fish finder.

Anybody have any suggestions or ideas? Thanks in advance.

I perused my gps files that I had backed up over time and found a different initialization file. I replaced the one that was on the gps with that one and I get no more error, and everything seems to work.


That doesn't answer my question though about what that file does, it seems to have a few waypoints that were made awhile back.

Ok, as an experiment, I removed the "Initialization" file to my computer desktop and disconnected the unit.

I started it up and everything seemed great! However, when I connected it to the computer it did not recognize it!!  No program could "find" my unit either!

I then put the file on the card and put that in the unit, then hooked it up and it could see it again. whew!

I copied the file to the unit storage and got rid of it on the card.

So I still am unsure of what it is, and why I get error messages, yet my data seems to download on the programs I am using.

I keep getting this error:

The Receive from GPS command could not be completed.  An error occurred while receiving data from your Garmin Astro 320.
An error occurred when reading saved GPX data from your Garmin Astro 320.
This XML file contains one or more errors.
E:\Garmin\gpx\initialization.gpx


In basecamp it will actually still import the other gpx files. In easy gps it will not. I get a message that it can be "repaired" if I send the file to them.

What is the initialization.gpx?    I seem to remember having to rename gpx files when I import them so they do not overwrite other gpx files. And I seem to remember there is a file on the units that you must remember not to delete.

All I want to do is organize my waypoints and tracks and back up my data, which I used to easily be able to do in easygps. I also used mapsource but I guess now it has been replaced by basecamp.

Anybody know what's going on? Thanks in advance. The astro 320 is based on the garmin 62 if that's any help. I have installed the SE topo map on the unit as well, which works fine.

UPDATE: I've been using the astro320 for awhile now and have learned to love it. I even got another one. I still have a few quirks now and then but nothing too serious.

It's awesome to know where my beagles are! I love watching how they track, and how they backtrack their same trail.

so how do you like your astro, are you tracking dogs with it? I really like knowing where mine are at when we walk at the club.

Some of the features aren't well documented but I have it figured out pretty good now. I have noticed mine "flips" more than my oregon, which is wierd. Sometimes it takes me more than once to calibrate the compass. Overall I like it though.

I am trying to get used to basecamp myself. Apparently you have to go into file, then import. You navigate to your gps folder garmin, and in there somewhere are .gpx files.

When you save a waypoint it is saved in a .gpx file in this folder. This is also where your caches are. When I get a PQ, I rename it something descriptive so I don't have to figure out which one is the one with the geocaches.

I don't have mine plugged in now, I'm not sure how the found ones will show up. YOu can select "all data" when you are importing (I think) and that should get them all.

HOpe this helps, I don't have my gpsr plugged in now to confirm part of this process.

Oh, yea right. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm babbling about. 

I need to do that too actually. I will use the drag method.

I do find that easy gps is simpler for doing some things. It works on my tiny netbook as well. Some of my problems with basecamp come from attempting to use it on my netbook.

Welp, I've tried out the collars some more, I also called garmin. They seem to work great when the dogs are about 100 ft away. I don't get the "near" message when I am near a collar.

We did a super duper reset and I did get near when setting up the first collar again but that was the only time.

I've tried it on my doggies a few times and it has worked will in use so far. As long as they are almost 100 feet away.

I've had it spontaneously shut off 2x but it has not happend since.

I have an oregon 450 and wireless transfer was hit or miss. I found that both units need to be on the same profile, it works fine then.

I use the oregon side by side with the astro and am kind of surprized that the astro compass sometimes jumps a little while the oregon one is stable.

All in all , I really like it. I'm thinking there are still a few minor bugs to work out. The ability to keep track of my dogs is awesome! I have a big yard so it's not like they are all cooped up. I take them hiking in parks but on a leash of course.

I'm a member of a hunt club that drives dogs on weekends. I have beagles but they are pet suburb beagles. I can finally let them act like the beagles that they are! One of them is 13, the look on her little face was priceless! She gouged her shoulder and was limping so she was sidelined the second day. She can't wait to go back!

The pup is only 6 months old, she acts more like a hunting dog. I have 2 collars and at first put them on my older dogs, the pup didn't go to far from them. After abbie was in the camper recuperating, I zip tied her collar to lucys harness, her neck is so skinny. She was a lot braver on consequtive walks, I got to hear her hollar! She has a little squeely mouth!


I have a couple weeks vacation coming up so I will be able to test the collars extensivly. What problem did your hunting partner have with the collar?

another vote for eneloops. I even tried the high cap ones but even freshly charged they act up in my camera and other gps. I've only used eneloops in my new oregon. They work great.

Get a good charger for those eneloops. I have two lacrosse and one maha charger. I like the lacrosse better but the maha holds more batteries. Once you have an endless supply of charged batteries you can really use your stuff the way you want to. I use them in cameras, headlamps, and gps's.

I guess it's bugs. Ive been testing mine in the yard and around the neighborhood by placing the collars on a stationary device. I've read some reviews online that were good but mine doesn't really track the collars well. Plus for some reason I cannot make the dog tracks not display.

THey are supposed to be based on the 62 but the software and buttons are differant. I wanted to do a master reset but cannot figure out how.

I did the reset that is on the unit and all it did was revert all the settings back to default. The system is still the latest, thw tracks ans waypoints are there, even the dogs are there. I don't think much was reset.


I have tried having it connect to the collar units several times. I even made it do a software update on one of the units. It connects just fine and displays the dog names. It doesn't point to the collars though.

I got it from amazon, over 800 bucks for the unit and 2 collars and I'm afraid I will lose my doggies on it. I couldn't even use it to find one of the collars I had placed. I had to try and remember where I put it. Luckily I was in my yard and would have found it eventually.

It jumps a lot and sometimes it will say the collars are behind me or to the side. I expect a little drifting but I also expect the direction to be sort of right. I never get a message that I am approaching a dog, because it never knows where the dog is I guess. I didn't even know I was supposed to get a message like that but the new update was supposed to fix this feature.


Garmin is closed right now. I am making a list of copious problems (I am not mentioning some of them in the name of brevity). I got everything from amazon and could send it back but I would rather call garmin and try to resolve the issue.

Most issues are really user error. There have been several things on my oregon I had trouble with but it was just me. I also have a vista and venture. I've had others in the past. I'm very familier with the garmin software, I just don't think it's me this time.

I am afraid of spending too much time trying to resolve these issues I won't be able to return teh stuff. I thought of returning it and getting the astro 220 that has a lot more reviews but the new model has a longer antenna and range that I would like.

Can anyone offer any tips and suggestions? If I knew how to do a super duper master reset I would try that but I can't find it.

Bummer. 

I have ordered a garmin astro 320 to use with my doggies. I wonder if the 62wiki would apply to it, it's supposed to be based in the 62.

I thought the units could only utilize 4gb.

Another way is to use a program like easy gps. That way you can edit your files to make them more meaningful, esp if you are consistant with your icons.

for instance, I have an easygps file called "huntclub" where all my waypoints and tracks from the huntclub are on there. That way I can use the same name for more than one locatation. I can only think of so many ways to say "bridge".

If I am going to the mountains to see my friend, I delete (or backup) all files on my oregon, then load the ones specific for that area.




I have not done this yet but I have noticed that the oregon saves all the waypoints you make in a day in one gpx file. This file can have many waypoints. So you can have many gpx files and many waypoints. Or you can backup your gps and save the file. then delete all waypoints and gpx files, then reload the single gpx file with all your waypoints.

I still have to find out if this is really important. It seems like something to do everynow and then to keep your files organized.