JeremyA

MacCMConvert 1.2.2 is now up. No big changes - the confirmation dialog for Geocaching.com LOC files now works as it should do, along with a warning that these contain very little information. There was also a small bug in the filtering code which is now fixed. JeremyA

I pretty much have everything that I want already, so here it is. GPSr: Garmin eTrex Legend. Why?... it seemed to compare favourably with everything else in the price range that I was looking at, and I like the form-factor. PDA: Palm Tungsten T. Why?... I have used the PalmOS for a long time and like it a lot so when my Palm V broke I upgraded to the latest equivalent. Now I wish I had waited until the T3 came out because it is cool. Software: On the Mac I am using Terrabrowser which I love. It links into the Microsoft terraserver for aerial photos and topo maps. It will also overlay waypoints from GPX files onto the aerial photos, and upload/download waypoints to my eTrex (by way of an IOGear USB-Serial adapter). Other apps I use on my Mac include GPSBabel, GPX2HTML, and BMGPX. On the Palm... CacheMate all the way, so far I have seen nothing better. I also use Mapopolis, but mostly for things other than geocaching (like finding my way round this huge city that I moved to two weeks ago!). Misc: I've already mentioned the IOGear cable - for me this was a great buy and I have had no trouble with it. Next I am thinking of getting an interface cable for my Palm so that it can communicate directly with my GPSr. The one that I have been looking at comes from Semsons & Co. and is $30. JeremyA

Thanks for the Applescript lesson... That'll be version 1.2.1 available on the website then ;-) Geocaching LOC files should convert OK (now even if they have spaces in the name!), however there is a small bug with the dialog confirming successful conversion for the LOC files (more text than space). I hope to fix this soon. JeremyA

Try the 'Advanced Find' option on Terraserver, once it pinpoints your address you can read the coordinates from the URL field. It got close (but not quite spot on) for my address. JeremyA

I've updated MacCMConvert. It's now based in CMConvert 1.42 and includes some of the extra options that were added to CMConvert in its last two updates. JeremyA

quote:Originally posted by SirRalanN:i used bmgpx in virtualpc on a mac and then tried to convert the gpx file for cachemate using MacCMConvert. it didnt work Email me: 1) I can let you have a copy of my Mac build of bmgpx (no need to use virtual PC) 2) I would like to know if you are still having problems with MacCMConvert so that I can fix it. JeremyA

Assuming that you have Palm Desktop installed correctly, you should be able to just double-click on the PDB file to put it in the install list for the next hotsync. Otherwise, look for the 'install' item in the menus of Palm Desktop to run the install tool. JeremyA

robertlipe: A Mac OS X GUI front-end for GPSBabel is something I have been looking into. It is actually very simple to do, I just have a couple of things to work out before I am ready to start work on it. If you already have GPSBabel installed then I have some droplets for automating various conversions (e.g. LOC to GPX). Jeremy quote:Originally posted by robertlipe:GPSBabel runs on OS/X and will talk directly to Garmins and Magellans on usb/serial converters. I'm not a "Mac Person" so if JeremyA or other Mac users would like to contribute tools like the "applescript droplet" or binary kits to make it easier for Mac users, please contact me.

I didn't specify the accuracy because I was sure that someone would take me to task. It is my understanding that the accuracy of those positioned by GPS will be centimeters (or less). JeremyA

One way to test accuracy is to go to the NGS website put in your current coordinates and see if there is a recent benchmark in your area. Most of these will be positioned with great accuracy. If there is one that is out in the open go to it and see how the reading from your GPSr compares with where the NGS says the benchmark is. JeremyA

mtnmunch, Monkeybrad and anyone else who has tried MacCMConvert and found the same problem: I have tracked down the problem and uploaded a patched version of MacCMConvert to my website. Please let me know if you are still having problems. FarSideX: I am sure that I can fix expat for you... email me and I will let you know what to do. Jeremy

Deleted this post: Problem should be fixed, see next post. JeremyA [This message was edited by JeremyA on September 25, 2003 at 08:08 PM.]

40,001 and counting... JeremyA

It's a small app, so beta testing didn't take very long... MacCMConvert an OS X graphic front-end for CMConvert for CacheMate is now available from here JeremyA

Hi, I have been using Smittyware's CacheMate software on my Palm for paperless geocaching. This software is great but, as a Mac user, getting geocache information onto the Palm is a little more difficult. Cachemate comes with a windows converter for loc/gpx files, or you can download a UNIX application called CMConvert. After downloading and building CMConvert I could never remember what I needed to type into the terminal to get it to work. This meant reading the manual pages every time I wanted to use it. So I made myself a little Applescript Studio application that does all the hard work for me. The working title of this application is MacCMConvert. It is very easy to install (just drag it to where you want it), easy to use, and it looks and feels just like a Mac OS X application. Thinking that this might be useful to others I am looking for some beta testers to try it out on their system. In order for this application to be useful to you you need to be a registered user of CacheMate (it only costs $7), and have a Mac running Mac OS X. If anyone here is interested in beta testing it please email me. thanks, JeremyA

Hi, I visited this benchmark today. When I got back and logged it I noticed that it has a skull next to it in the list. I had thought that the skulls were for destroyed benchmarks, but this benchmark is very plainly not destroyed - it is easy to find and even comes complete with it's own bright orange witness post. So how do some benchmarks in the gc.com database come to be marked with skulls? And, maybe more importantly, how do you get rid of the skull? For this one, the misplaced skull might be causing some confusion - I think that at least one of the people who have logged BARTLETT RM1 may have actually found BARTLETT but didn't realise it because the gc.com database thinks that it is destroyed. JeremyA

Thanks for the replies. GPS matches the given coordinates exactly. I tried to find someone to talk to but there was no one there when I visited. I'm relocating soon so I don't think I'll get the chance to go back. Jeremy

I know that this benchmark is a building, which makes it uninteresting to most. But I found this one interesting because of the marked difference between what is actually there and what the NGS describes. So, is this a destroyed benchmark? Memphis St Marys Catholic Church

WARNING - stupidly complex solution to a simple problem follows. If you want a geeky solution to viewing the pocket queries on your mac you might try this: I get the pocket queries in GPX format instead of the palm format. If I want them on my Palm I can then convert them to a .prc and view them with cachemate. For viewing on my Mac I downloaded an OS X build of some useful XML libraries (from here) and put the various bits where I was instructed to. Then I stole the XSL file from the GPX to PalmDoc converter (here). Having done all that it is relatively simple to use the terminal to convert the GPX pocket query files to a simple HTML file that can be viewed in any web browser. Jeremy

You are correct - GPSConnect cannot open .loc files. What you need is a .gpx file. There are two ways to get a .gpx file, the easiest is to sign up with Groundspeak as a premium member and use the pocket queries. Alternatively, if you are savvy with the terminal you can download GPSbabel which will convert .loc files into .gpx files. I wrote myself an applescript droplet to access GPSbabel so that I can convert .loc into .gpx by just dropping the .loc file onto the droplet icon. Jeremy

Hi Fuzzy, I just wanted to say thanks for distributing the source code of bmgpx - After a quick recompile I'm now able to use it on my Mac. JeremyA

quote:Originally posted by Bull Moose:Well, be glad we're not doing this in the UK. I was stopped about 25 times in 2 weeks there from photographing "Her Majesty's Property." Strange, in the 27 years that I lived in the UK before I relacated to the US I was never once stopped from photographing anything - and I photographed a lot of stuff! JeremyA

Thanks again for the replies: quote:Originally posted by Black Dog 1. If you stand on the side of the building where the flagpole is nearest the street, how many feet away does your GPS say the mark is and is it within 50 feet or so? Will try that tomorrow when my GPSr arrives. quote:2. How old is that building; older than (or equal to) 1929 or not? If it is that old, and it looks like it is, then you've got the same structure. I'm sure that if you entered the building, they'd be proud to tell you when it was built. I know that the building was built in 1924. However, there is no one to proudly tell me the age of this building - like most of the more historic buildings in Memphis it is currently unoccupied. thanks again, Jeremy

Thanks for the replies. I saw that the flagpole is the benchmark. The building in question is actually a pretty cool building (IMHO), it is like a minature version of the Woolworth building in New York. The flagpole is at the highest point of the building and I can see it as I type this post (I'd guess that is is about 500 feet from me). I agree that the Columbus/Columbian thing might be a typo - I'm not a native Memphian but I have done quite a bit of research into the history of downtown Memphis and have never seen any mention of a Columbus Tower. I guess that I'll photograph it and put a note in the log rather than logging a find. I'll probably leave the recovery note to someone more knowledgable in this field than I am. thanks, Jeremy A

Hi, I am a total newbie so please forgive the silly question. As I live in downtown Memphis I have started by trying to see the many benchmarks that are within a couple of miles of me. The nearest benchmark to my apartment is FF1997, however the designation of this benchmark is confusing - Memphis Columbus Twr Flagpole. The reason I am confused is that there is no Columbus Tower that I know of in downtown Memphis. However, the co-ordinates given point to the Lincoln American Tower, a building that I can see from my apartment window and which has a very prominent flagpole. This building was built in 1924 and the benchmark was first observed in 1929. Also, when first built this building was called the Columbian Mutual Life Tower and was the tallest building in Memphis (and therefore ideal as a benchmark?). I am fairly confident that this is the correct building so my questions are 1) should I log it as a find? and 2) should the incorrect designation be reported to the NGS? thanks, Jeremy A