bassmig

I use pretty much the same combination. GSAK on PC and GPX Sonar on the PocketPC. I was using Cachemate on my old Sony Clie Palm. I also use pocket streets and maps on the PPC to help me see where the caches are in relation to each other. I find it helpful to know if there might be a highway or river between me and the cache. I have a Toshiba E series that I got at a great price on E-Bay. I get about 3-4 hours of always on battery life on the device, and the charger is the same for my PPC and my Magellan 500le so that's a bonus. 1 car charger, 2 devices!

one big question. Do you have an SD card in the unit? If so you might be trying to read the internal memory instead of the SD card. Just a thought. If you go to the menu>active map it will give you a choice of file. If you go up one level 2 times it will let you chose between SD card and internal memory I have never personally used Geocache Manager, I use GSAK myself. It must be about the same process though. The file should be placed in the folder called geocaching, The output file should be .gs format.

OK, are you trying to upload geocaches? If so there are many ways of doing it. You can use geocache manager software that came on your Magellan CD/DVD. This allows you to download pocket querries(if you're a premium member) or LOC files and manage them then upload them to your GPS. Keep in mind that the GPS is seen by your computer as a removable drive. There is another option, called GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) as you will be able to see, many people around here swear by it. It is NOT freeware however so you do need to pay for it(it has a trial "nagware" so you can try it's full functionality and decide if it's worth the investment). on the eXplorist series there is a maximum of 200 caches per file(geocaching file) , GSAK allows you to keep multiple files and manage multiple caches per file. Both of these are viable options, the 1st is free. In most cases there is a definite advantage to be a Premium Member, it will upload your GPX files and all the info including the hints directly to your GPS. The LOC files have just the basic info but will transfer fine through both of these. Hope this help!!

http://www.mtgc.org/robertlipe/exploristwi...tteriesAndPower has alist of the batteries that will work. Basically it's the Motorola batteries compatible with the T720/730 Series. I just happened to have a 720 kicking around doing nothing. Check the existing FAQs on top of this section, has a ton of useful info!

I currently have a PocketPC and Palm unit. Personally I prefer the pocket PC but that is just for the non geocaching related stuff I do with it. For the most part they do the same job. The combination that I have found that works best for me(being new to geocaching) is the following, and I'm sure that other stuff works for other people. I started out with a Sony Clie(palm OS) with cachemate(8$ for registered copy) and GSAK(25$). With GSAK I could manage the caches I wamted in multiple databases and export the data to both my eXplorist 500 and PDA. The Magellan does have some built in geocaching info however not nearly as good as cachemate. I currently have a Toshiba E350 Pocket PC. I run the same GSAK configuration with GPXSonar(free) I tried Cachemate PPC but I found the interface for GPXSonar a little more user definable. I have also found that with MS Streets and trip there is a plugin to export Pocket Street maps, which allow maps on the pocket pc with pushpins for caches. Handy when you're wondering what side of a river/highway a cache is. I found that both work well, there is definitely a learning curve! I would say that the Palm OS is probably easier to navigate. And you can probably find an older style Palm black and white for about 25$ which should allow you to store most of you local caches and then if you find it useful you can upgrade to a more powerfull, feature rich device. There's probably other combinations out there that work just as well as the one I've described, but this works for me. I am also very comfortable with technology and would probably consider myself a geek. lol This place is incredible for support so whichever way you decide to go, I'm sure you will be able to find your answers here.

I agree with the added screens. IMHO it is worth it, and you can turn them off. There has been a few people who have crashed their units while upgrading. I had no such issue, but had to re-install my basemap because of accuracy issues. once re-installed I have had no problems with the unit. I would definitely recommend reading the firmware upgrade FAQ that can be found on this forum. It has a lot of info including screen shots and some issues that some people have had with the FW update.

it's still there. You have to go into the 500LE European to be able to download it. here's the link. http://www.magellangps.com/support/notes.asp?supportID=424 You also need to have your unit registered as a 500LE Eur to be able to download it. It's not available for the North American model.

yeah, that's right. I actually do have one in my possession. Hoping the prior cacher who moved it from Alberta to NB will log it so I can log it!

OK, so maybe I peeked...just a little! lol I'll make it easy. What are the co-ordinates to Canada's 1st geocache?

local cacher lost his after leaving it on the roof of his car. Was found by a local farmer who finally managed to figure out how to turn it on and was returned to him about 2 months after losing it. Hopefully the finder will be one of those "good people"!! Good advice to always keep your name and contact info inside the battery cover and on the start screen.

Explosives, ammo, knives, drugs, alcohol and food

Once again this is an issue that would be solved by GSAK. If you are a Premium Member you can create pocket queries which contain multiple files and download them directly to your GPS or in GSAK and then create files with different filters.

I use GSAK(geocaching swiss army knife) it helps me to keep both my GPS and my Pocket PC synched with the same info. I can then export my info back to GSAK and keep up to date with log notes and whatnot. GSAK is 25$ but IMHO is the best geocaching application out there. The supportfor it is awesome.

I would LOVE to see a Pocket PC version of this!!!!

I had the same problem with one of my external card readers. New one worked, sometimes it depends on the model. I got an external optex cheapie model for like 15$ and it acts like a thumbdrive for my SD card, kinda handy to have.

it's not free but it's the BEST geocaching tool IMHO. you can get it at GSAK.net . there is a trial version that has nagware(the more you use it the more it nags you) but at least it gives you an opportunity to realize that it's well worth the 20$ or so they want for it.

check your PMs

Hi all, i just got a Pocket PC to replace my old Sony Clie, I am wondering what applications are invaluable to your pocket pc. I already have GPX Sonar which is great! I have a trial version of cachemate and I'm debating if I should get the full version or stick with GPX sonar. I am also wondering what mapping software exists for PPC? I have a 2GB card for it so memory isn't the issue. Basically I'm just looking to pack it full of goodies and am wondering what some of the goodies are. It doesn't have a GPS on the unit I will be using my GPSr for caching for the most part and use my PPC for paperless. Thanks for the info, Bassmig

Try GSAK, it's a nagware trial. (meaning that it nags you to buy it every time you start it) There is unfortunately no french(support for it is offered in french though) version but once you try it, you probably will never want to go back. I had to buy it, it's just so usefull, I now use it for paperless caching with my Palm and Pocket PC. I really don;t like the Magellan software, the only one I use is topo canada.

it will work with Topo 3D, when you export your maps remember you have to export them to Card Reader since your computer will see your GPS as an external hard drive. A lot of people have a hard time exporting because they chose export to GPS. If you have a card reader use it, you will see how long it takes to transfer maps when you attempt your first transfer!! i personally have 4.57 on my 500 and I think it's great, it adds a few more screens(all of which can be turned off) which i probably will never use as I don't plan on using my GPS for street mapping. Some people have fried their units when doing the updates. I've done it twice on my unit with no problems. It's basically a judgment call on your part! Best of luck and enjoy your new toy! happy caching!

I currently own both Magellan and Garmin units. I love my maggie and my Garmin. Both have their strong and weeker points. I personally don't think one is easier to work with than the other. Typically the more bells and whistles are on a unit, the more difficult they are to master. The 500LE is one of the more feature rich units vs price. If you can pick up a cheap li-ion battery for it, it is(in my opinion) an awesome unit. There are a few things that I prefer Garmin to Magellan but for the price I cannot complain. I have found a version of TOPO and I find they work great together!!

yup that should get 'er fixed!! I didn't need to set compatibility mode once the prog was installed. But this should work.

I'm not certain when I'll be back in town, If I see some I'll pick them up. They aren't the extra capacity versions though. They are smaller than my other battery I have. They still do approx 5-7 hours of life depending how high you back light is set.

conversion manager should have come with your software included in the GPS from Magellan. are you using the "upload to SD card programmer" option or upload to GPS option? You should be using the "upload to SD card programmer" option. The reason for this is that it does see the unit as a card programmer/external drive. Try this out just to see. I have never used Topo 3D, but this is what I need to do to get Topo Canada maps onto it. It's worth a shot! I'm warning you that it can take 10-15minutes to load onto the GPS, it might be worth looking into getting a card reader at WalMart or something.(if you have an SD card in the unti)

on the 500LE you need to choose the option of "upload to SD card programmer". The reason for this is that it does see the unit as a card programmer/external drive. Try this out just to see. I have never used Topo 3D, but this is what I need to do to get Topo Canada maps onto it. It's worth a shot! I'm warning you that it can take 10-15minutes to load onto the GPS, it might be worth looking into getting a card reader at WalMart or something.(if you have an SD card in the unti)