buffmeister

Many thanks for all the replies which have been most helpful. On balance I think I will purchase a Garmin Gps and use my existing pda for cache info. I will also have a look for a cheap pda to use solely in the field so I can 'retire' my ipaq out of harms way. Just need to decide which Garmin model to get now A lot of you seem to love the 60 CX/CSX so I will look at the specs for those to compare to the Vista HCx regards buffmeister

Thanks for the prompt response. I have looked at 'GPS & Technology'which has added to my level of bewilderment - high to start with as well What I'm after is advice as to whether or not I should ditch my PDA/Gps unit combo and get a dedicated Gps unit? If so, would the 'Garmin etrex vista hcx' be a good buy for a newbie like myself? If not, what cheaper alternatives are people using and could recommend to me. regards buffmeister

At present I have an Ipaq PDA with an external Gps unit (BlueNEXT GPS) linked by bluetooth when I'm out geocaching. The s/w on my PDA is 'Beeline GPS' and I have GSAK on my PC. This set-up has enabled me to find a local cache BUT I do find carrying a PDA and a GPS unit a bit of a bother. I am also a bit concerned about potential damage to the PDA which was rather expensive and more importantly holds a lot of programs/personal data which I do not want to lose. ( Notwithstanding getting a cover). So I am thinking about getting a Garmin Gps and using the PDA for holding cache information. I have about £100 to £150 to spend, so I was thinking of getting the best spec I could for that price. There is so much info around on this and other forums that I am becoming rather bewildered From my brief perusal of Amazon I rather like the look of the etrex vista hcx: Is this going over the top? Is it a good purchase? Is it easy to use? I appreciate that there is no such thing as a 'best' Gps but any assistance you can give would be much appreciated. regards buffmeister

Thanks for your responses. I have used the SD card method in my PC's card reader exportibg from GSAK and then importing into Beeline - it works well many thx

Not sure. I am getting the files direct from the geocaching.com website using GSAK. Is it possible to then get them into Beeline GPS on the pda? Beeline has an option to import files but I can't seem to work out how to do it. Do I need further s/w such as the cachemate that you mention in your posting?

I have IPAQ pda with Beeline GPS s/w with GSAK on my pc. I have downloaded a number of waypoints from geocaching.com but am flumoxed as to how to get them into Beeline. I have looked at the help files for GSAK and Beeline but am none the wiser I'm sure that the process is simplicity itself and I am being a sledge so all guidance would be much appreciated.

many thanks for all your suggestions which are much appreciated. Plenty of info for me to consider. kind regards buffmeister

Hi all Just started this geocaching lark and looking for advice as to what s/w to put on my PDA. I have an IPAQ 4150 and a recently purchased bluetooth GPS receiver. I have looked at 'GPS Tuner', 'Trackypro' and others on various websites and am no nearer making any decisions as to what to get as all the packages seem to do roughly the same thing, (to my uninformed eye anyway) Any advice from PDA users out there would be much appreciated. I am after simplicity of use with the ability to possibly use google maps as I gain experience and/or cope with gpx files. regards buffmeister