Nyarlotep

I just got CacheMate for my Palm m105 and it works like a dream. I do a pocket query for the 200 caches closest to my house (within a 30-mile radius, that I haven't found yet; there's a multitude of filter options when setting up the query), then when it shows up in my email 5 minutes later I load them into the Palm, via Cachemate, and into the Legend. I don't download the logs (though that's an option), but it has views that show all the info except pix that is on the cache information page online. I can have the Legend find the closest waypoint, then match the waypoint name in CacheMate and have all the info I need. It even includes the hints and will decrypt them for you. I haven't played around w/ GSAK much, and though everyone swears it's a great program I find it a bit dense to interpret, and don't really see the point of it. Maybe that opinion will change w/ better understanding and more use.

I remember D'Ononfrio from "Strange Days"; he and William Fichtner were the two bad cops. I didn't see him in other stuff 'til later. And since I got Cachemate I never cache w/o my Palm Pilot. The venerable (and soon to be replaced) m105.

I'm working on creating my first cache, and you all have given me a good idea: inside the container, right on top of everything, a big hot-pink sign which reads something like "Do not leave anything edible or drinkable in this cache. No food, candy, gum, or pop". Maybe even have that printed on the outside somewhere.

I want to get some map software for my Legend but I can only afford 1 disk. Is the Topo generally more useful, or would MetroGuide be a better bet? I live in a semirural area, but most of the caches I'll be likely to visit won't be too far out in the middle of nowhere or will actually be in/around cities & towns (Everett, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Snohomish, Arlington, maybe as far as Seattle); how far away from population centers does the MetroGuide have data for?

I signed up for membership on geocaching.com and I can do pocket queries and have the results sent to my email. So I did that, got the 200 closest to me, and uploaded the coords into my Legend just fine. I got the descriptions/logs into my Palm using mobipocket, but it comes in as a single, 300+ page document and is a pain to scroll through. Is there a way to modify/edit these so each cache will have its own "page" on the Palm, make it easier to locate each cache's info? I'll dink around with it this weekend, just wondered if someone who knows could help out.

I've been thinking of upgrading from my m105. I'm considering the m125, or zire 21 or 31. They're all expandable, and overstock.com has the 31 for only $10 more than a refurb m125. I wouldn't mind a faster processor, though I don't really need the color screen, but I like the 16mb onboard memory. What concerns me is batteries. I like that the m125 runs on 2 AAA batteries that can be easily swapped if it dies in the field. Is the inconvenience of the rechargeable batteries worth the upgrade? edited to add: All of these have 160x160 screens. does higher screen resolution make any difference? Is it so much better that it's worth paying more for a higher-res PDA?

I've been away from this site for a while. FTF? Is that first-time find? I recognize that as "face-to-face" or (in gun forums) "failure to fire/failure to feed". Someone should set up a dictionary of terms here, something that explains the various programs and their uses, basic information on various GPSr units, acronyms/abbreviations you're likely to see here, that sort of thing and leave it as a sticky that can only be updated by a moderator. That seems like it'd be handy.

Thanks for the reply. I'll try GSAK and Cachemate later. I already have mobipocket and easygps installed, and I finally figured out how to get the info in my Palm. Is there a way to just put in the cache specs and skip the logs?

Thanks for the replies. I'll try GSAK and Cachemate later. I already have mobipocket and easygps installed, and I finally figured out how to get the info in my Palm. Is there a way to just put in the cache specs and skip the logs?

OK, I can get caches into my Legend. But what info can I send to my Palm? I thought I could basically download the text on the cache page, hints, whatever as a document into my Palm so I could read it while hunting for the cache. Is that the case? Thanks

I remember a year or two ago when I got my Legend, I'd seen mentions here that sometimes the GPS would turn itself off if left in hot sunlight for extended periods, and I've had that happen when it was sitting on my dashboard. I saw "Arizona desert" and that's the first thing that came to mind.

I am a recent Premium member. I want to be able to download cache information into my eTrex Legend and also have the cache info in my old Palm m105. I installed EasyGPS in the PC and can send and receive info to my Legend, and I installed MobiPocket in the Palm, but I don't understand the method to get the cache text information into the Palm. Is there a way to have it download the waypoint info to the Legend and the text into the Palm simultaneously, or something like that? Any help is appreciated. Thanks. Graig

Thank you all for the help. Lord Saw, I think your suggestion is the closest to what I want. My Legend will only display 5 decimal places, and the coords I was given have 7 for lat, so hopefully I won't be too far off. Graig

PDOP's, I skimmed that and will read it in more depth later, but what I'm looking for is more either a form I can enter Decimal coordinates into and have them converted to WGS 84, or a formula I can apply to Decimal coordinates to manually convert them. I'd really prefer a form as I'm not a math whiz. Also, I didn't see any mention of Decimal coordinates there, or see a format demonstrated which matches the one I want to convert. I do appreciate the help though. Graig

I have been using my GPS for a while, though am nowhere near being proficient with it. I was given an address in decimal form (Lat 48.xxxxxxx, Lon -122.xxxxx) but I don't know how to convert that to the wgs84 format my Etrex is set for, and I don't see Decimal as an option in the "units" menu. Is one of the other formats an equivalent of the Decimal format? Also, does anyone know of a website which will do the conversion? I've found ones which will find a location on a map based on the decimal coordinates, but I want to put it in the Etrex and make it an adventure! Thanks, Graig K. edit: PS--this is time sensitive. I need to know for sure by Sunday night 8/29 for the little trip I'm taking Monday morning 8/30. Graig

MacBandit said: " I have the re-radiating setup hooked to my Etrex Vista " I'd be interested in that setup. Is there a link to the manufacturer? What's the cost?

I have an Etrex Legend I got less than a year ago. I haven't used it for caching much yet, between bad weather and weird work schedule and other projects I haven't made enough time for it, but I do use it when travelling to keep track of where I came from (so I can find my way back, I have poor sense of direction , but intend to get some software for it eventually.

I have a Legend; it will allow you to search through entered waypoints by "nearest to your current location". I haven't gotten any mapping software for it yet. Nyarlotep "God was my copilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I ate him"

I like my Garmin eTrex Legend, has 8MB for maps & good features overall. Easy user interface. It has a patch antenna, good in open spaces and near sheer faces (cliff, canyon wall, etc) Some people prefer quad-helix antennas, which reputedly work better under trees, though I haven't had significant problems keeping lock under foliage. Look at features you want (maps/no maps, compass, altimeter, barometer, # of tracks/routes/waypoints) and pick one in your price range. Remember that basemaps on most units show major highways and freeways, but not much in the way of surface roads or terrain detail, and mapping software can cost quite a bit. Also, if you'll be gone for long periods of time and going a long distance (hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, etc) you may need more memory to hold enough maps to include all the area you'll be covering. I'm sure you'll hear a lot of Garmin vs Magellan rhetoric; remember that they all use similar software and get the same satellite signals, and most have similar features. Just pick the one you like best. Happy caching! Nyarlotep "God was my copilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I ate him"

I agree that this *sounds* like a commercial, and I agree with the general idea of it. However, in Washington State, you'd be hard-pressed to find enough people willing to stop driving their Hum-V's and BMWs to make this worthwhile. There's too much status associated w/ having your own $40k car. Plus, I would be driven to violence if there were advertisements on my PDA. It's bad enough they're putting then onscreen during TV shows so I can't skip past them, and sticking them in before movies. I understand what you're saying, and it's a great idea for a Utopian future. However, without a government mandate, it's unlikely to fly; people are too stupid to see the big picture, and won't want to be sharing a car with strangers or not have a car available to them the instant they want to get in it on a whim and drive somewhere. I think you're giving people too much credit. I'd love to see it work, though. Perhaps w/ a good PR person you could change peoples' perception and win over customers. Nyarlotep "God was my copilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I ate him"

Just a thought, but could that 1000+ mph reading have been the speed of the satellite, and for some reason the GPSr was told the satellite was stationary and the GPSr was moving instead of the other way around. As I understand, the satellites would be moving at around 1000 mph to keep geosynchronous orbit. Just a guess though. Nyarlotep "God was my copilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I ate him"

I'm looking at getting an Axim so this interests me; I think what stunod and quakemap.com were getting at (or at least, this is what I'm wondering) is, What is the basemap based on? Is it a topo map, is it similar to the basemap on a Garmin or Magellan? can we add more detail like you can w/ map discs for those GPSrs, or use "skins" from terraserver or other maps and have the routes, waypoints, etc show up on those "skins"? I'm new to all this so please forgive me if I'm asking the wrong questions or sound ignorant; I just want to understand as simply as possible how it'll display on the pocket PC. Thanks! Nyarlotep "God was my copilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I ate him"

I'm happy w/ my Legend; it has a slightly smaller screen than the Magellans, but the resolution is way better. The Magellans are reputedly better under tree cover, and the Garmins better near sheer faces (mountains, canyons, etc), so where you'll be using it is another factor to consider. If you need more than the Legend's 8mb memory, you could look into the Vista w/ 24mb memory; it's generally around $300, but may be less if you have discounts, etc. Nyarlotep "God was my copilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I ate him"

I chose Garmin Etrex Legend when getting my first GPSr recently; I like the larger size of the Meridian, and its expandability, quad helix antenna, and the fact that it floats; but I prefer the Garmin user interface, and its resolution is much better than the Meridian (Garmin= 160 x 288, Meridian= 120 x 160), even if the Garmin screen is slightly smaller. Maps display very nicely on it, and as yet I haven't had need of more than the 8mb memory it comes with (though the Vista's 24mb would be a nice addition). Nyarlotep "God was my copilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I ate him"

I'm new to 'caching, so I only have 1 so far, the Etrex Legend. I plan to get a Meridian Platinum for the quad-helix antenna (have lost signal for a short bit under trees a couple times w/ my Garmin), and for its expandability via CF cards. The main drawback I see in the Magellans is the low screen resolution; people say the interface sucks, but at least it's ambidextrous; I can have my Legend in the left hand and the MeriPlat in the right. Nyarlotep "God was my copilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I ate him"