california-jones

I normally keep my 60csx in the belt holster with the lanyard still connected to it so that if I released it accidentally, it will still be with me. I can do the same arrangement with Nuvi as well. I understand the touch screen issue and hope to have a good screen protector on it. Though Aquapac bags give better protection, it is not very convenient to use. I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions everyone is giving to me.

I normally keep my 60csx in the belt holster with the lanyard still connected to it so that if I released it accidentally, it will still be with me. I can do the same arrangement with Nuvi as well. I understand the touch screen issue and hope to have a good screen protector on it. Though Aquapac bags give better protection, it is not very convenient to use. I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions everyone is giving to me.

I am not as experienced as many of the folks in this forum.....but, fools venture where angels... you get the drift. I have a 60csx loaded with US Topo (the ancient one with 1:100K scale maps and with all the streets named "road"), City Navigator NA v8 and Metroguide Europe v7 (parts of each). It is useful to have street names even though you are on a hike, but most Garmin units can show only one map at a time and Street Maps seem to override the topo ones when you have both loaded for the same area. So, you have to painfully, disable the topo segment (you develop a permanent mark on your thumb trying to scroll down the map list - and they are not alphabetically arranged to the map segment that you want to enable/disable). I think the best option is the US Topo 2008 which Garmin website doesn't show a "release date" which means it is already out. I saw a price of US$ 89 at tigergps.com. This map shows street names besides showing topo details, but it is also 1:100K scale. I have never used US Topo 24K or tried to load National Geographic maps (I remember someone was trying to install them on iQue-3600 a few years back).

Thanks a lot for the answers to my questions. Appreciate that very much. I agree that having a compass helps, but I have done caches without them. It is a nice to have feature, not a must have in my opinion. If my 60csx had a better screen compared to the altimeter/barometer, I would happily choose that option. The reality is that these products have been designed for specific market segments, and when one tries to combine the needs, we need to give up on some of the requirements. I guess in this case, I will ask him to glue a small lanyard loop to the Nuvi or buy an Aquapac if he is worried about water as well. Again, thanks a lot for the replies.

Sorry, I don't know the answer to all those questions . . . I'm just curious though . . . if you own a 60CSx, why aren't you using that. It is waterproof, can hold thousands of waypoints as POIs, and with the CN maps installed, can even help with the auto-navigation? The simple answer is that I am recommending the Nuvi-350 to my friend. It is not for me. Also, the 60csx doesn't have voice guidance and Text to speech while doing so. Most importantly, the LCD display of 60csx is ancient (extremely poor quality compared to what one gets today like in Nuvi series). The Nuvi series uses the "NT" series maps which are much more optimized and takes less space compared to the ones with the NT suffix.

I have recommended Nuvi-350 as an all in one GPS for both auto nav and geocaching & hiking. I own iQue-3600, Mobile 10+GMXT and GMAP 60csx. I use GSAK for managing the cache database. Appreciate if I could get the following clarified. Can I load the .gdb file exported from GSAK into Mapsource and send it via USB to Nuvi-350? Will these waypoints appear with the geocache icon in the Nuvi database? The Garmin site makes it look like US Topo 2008 is already released. Is that true? Is it possible to search for POIs in the US Topo 2008 like we did in US Topo on other Garmin devices (iQue, 60csx, GMXT)? I have read about the SRTM vs NED resolution concern for US Topo 2008 and the fact that it is a 1:100,000 scale map, do simple hikers and geocachers need to worry whether the hill is 50ft higher? Does the shading/shadows on the US Topo 2008 appear on the GPSr display as well or is it only on the PC? I know that Nuvi is not waterproof, but I can live with that. But, does it have a provision for attaching a lanyard? iQue doesn't and that was one of the reasons I had to use a Aquapac bag which did double duty as waterproofing device.

Looks like one of the three scheduled for today was archived, so it won't run. The other one ran yesterday afternoon, so it's toward the end of the queue, but should run shortly. Elias Hi Elias, Thanks for the very quick reply. Which one is archived? And what do you mean by that? After your post, both the pending ones have run. When do you expect to get back to normal life?

I don't think it is working fully as yet. I finally received the 3 queries yesterday evening. Then, I created 3 more and set it for Friday. I have received ONE only, the other two haven't been run even. What's going on here? It is supposed to be "premium" service and I hope we get treated atleast the way it used to work earlier. If there are issues still unresolved, we should be kept informed. I haven't seen an update from the admin on this since yesterday.

I haven't received the pocket query results by email as yet even though the website says they have run many hours back. What's going on?

Thanks for the prompt advise. I have a iQue-3600 and I am currently experimenting with my BT-338+GPSProxy+Que running on my Cingular 8125 (aka HTC Wizard TI OMAP processor running WM5). I have shown him both the platforms. However, since he already owns a good PPC and he can use a "Aquabag" which has a neckstrap and carry the PDA safely thru wet conditions, I think a delicate PDA can work as an inexpensive way to do both auto navigation and geocaching GPSr. I am just trying to save him some initial investments. I would probably ask him to buy low cost maps (Microsoft street atlas or Delorme) to break him in and a SiRF-III chip based BT GPS. Before he buys the maps, I was wondering if there are any free map software with a small map for his area to play with my BT GPS.

I am trying to introduce a friend of mine to geocaching. I found that he has a Dell Axim X50V pocket PC. I want to use my Globalsat BT-338 Bluetooth GPSr to show the works with the few caches that are around in his area. If it works well then, I can recommend him to buy the necessary stuff (BT GPSr and the map). It would be good if he can use it for navigation on the road as well (auto-routing). Is there any free mapping software that I can download into his PocketPC that will show the map around his house to demonstrate the use?

I heard of this software only yesterday night (that probably classifies me as a caveman )......and I have already fallen in love with it. However, as a newbie I need some clarifications: I used GSAK to merge two .gpx files and then export them as .pdb file for Cachemate and also as html file for "Plucker". My questions are: 1. Is there a more efficient way (less number of steps) to transfer these caches into Garmin iQue-3600 as waypoints instead of using Cachemate to map them. I see that it can export to Mapquest. Is there a way to use that feature to transfer the caches as waypoints to iQue ? 2. Also, can it generate files compatible to Plucker viewer that resides on the handheld ? This way, I don't have to use the Plucker Desktop for conversion. Somebody said that this is the best software in the world!!! I second that. Cheers to the developer's generosity in sharing this software !!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to iQue. I have had my iQue since Aug'03 though I am fairly new to geocaching. I love this swiss army knife gadget which I use it as in-car navigation system, geocaching GPS, Palm pilot (address book, appointments), Yellow pages (thanks to excellent Garming database). You are right. This doesn't have a compass. So, unless you are moving, it cannot show direction. I use a nice free utility called Cetus GPS for bearing while moving though it is not a compass. I use Cachemate (very cheap s/w) that allows me to take the .loc files to iQue and then onto CetusGPS or as Waypoints in the addressbook of iQue. This is my first Palm device as well. But, I am told that this device allows ALL Palm features. I suggest you go to the iQue's best forum to: PDAStreet forum for iQue-3600 Good Luck.

We are a newbie and would love to participate in whatever form Joe decides. Maybe as a newbie, we don't know enough about the geocacher's unwritten rules, but I don't see why we are opposing Joe's suggestion.