Jeeters

ExpertGPS also does downloading of satellite maps and allows printing. The software is free yet fully functional for the 1st 30 days of use so it's worth checking out. Their photos also come from terraserver i believe.

The gpx files that come from geocaching.com's pocketqueries have the last 5 log entries in them. That doesn't mean the gpx file format is constrained to that limit (the gpx files are just xml, btw), but that's the amount of log entries that PQ's currently put in them.

Magellan's upcoming Explorist XL is supposed to have a 3.5" color screen - largest (i believe) for any consumer handheld. Supposed to out in "September", whatever that means. http://www.magellangps.com/en/news/release...ease.asp?id=394 http://www.magellangps.com/en/products/pro...asp?PRODID=1113

For map software, I vote for Mapopolis, too. Very fast at panning around the maps and zooming in/out. (If you want an example of slow "bad" software, try the pocketpc version of Microsoft Streets & Trips.) The gpxmaplet utility (google for it) is was what sealed the deal for me. I paid for a "map pack" subscription (something like 30 bucks) and then spent a lunch hour downloading all the maps for the entire U.S., plus some of Europe. To read cache pages and logs, google for GpxSonar. Also decent is GpxView.

I ended up going with a Sportrak Pro primarily because I liked Magellan's interface better than Garmin's. I played around with a borrowed etrex for a couple days and didn't like the thumb button at all. It's especially not a friendly interface if you're interested in having the GPSr mounted in the car like I do with my sportrak and Magellan's windshield mount. I do like the smaller form factor of the eTrex units, though. As for other differences: I think it's comparing apples to apples. Mostly. There are arguable pros & cons to the maps each company provides, you can argue about "helix" and "patch" attennas, etc. Which ever one you go with, there will be things you like about it and things you don't like about it. A lot of it is personal preference so I'd say that it's better to do full research into the features (or lack of) that each has and know what you're getting (or not getting). And not just purchase one brand and/or model over another because "it's what all the cool kids have".

Seems like if you're going through so many units that you can use the word 'many', you'd never own one long enough for for the alleged stress cracks to ever show up let alone become a problem.

There's a free PC utility called GPXToMaplet (just google for it) that will take a .gpx file and convert it to a Mapopolis "maplet" (i.e. ".mlp") file. You copy this maplet file to your PDA and then load it into mapopolis along with your map(s). (When Mapopolis asks you what map(s) to open, make sure the maplet file is selected along with your map file(s) ). Mapopolis then shows all waypoints that were in the .gpx file as locations on the map. If you click on one of these map waypoints, you'll get some basic information about them: the cache name, the cache number, coords. And don't know if you've noticed or not, but there are various versions of Mapopolis. The priciest is the 'navigator' version that you said you're not interested in. There are much cheaper versions that are just the maps, though. it's also much cheaper to download the maps from the mapoplis website than it is to buy a CD of maps from them. When I bought Mapoplis last yeare I think I paid around $30. I then downloaded all 50 states over two 1-hour lunch breaks.

You should be able to get suggestions by doing a search of this forum since this topic gets asked over and over and over again. Some quick suggestions: right now, GpxSonar is probably the most recommended app these days for viewing the cache pages (.gpx files). Another one is GpxView. For mapping software, I believe Mapopolis has UK maps and it's really great map software. There's a free utility for it called GpxToMaplet that converts a GPX file to a mapopolis 'maplet' file that lets you see all the caches in the gpx file on the Mapopolis maps.

I've got an iPAQ 4150 that has a tft display and it's not all that nice to to try and read in in sunlight at all. you can read things if there'a good contrast between the letters and the background, but the colors themselves become pretty washed out and the display looks more like B&W than color. (I'm talking about in bright sunlight of course; in doors it looks beautious )

The ability isn't actually a feature built into GpxSonar. I use "PIEPlus" which is an add on to PIE (Pocket Internet Explorer). With PIEPlus, I can open up multiple browsers. So, if I'm currenly viewing a cache page, I can tell PIEPlus to give me a new brower window (*exactly* like Ctrl-N in regular Windows IE). Once the second window comes up, if I tell GpxSonar to let me see a different cache, it will display the page in the second browser window and leave the first browser window alone. You can have an infinite number of cache pages up simultaneously; but, in reality, due to memory limitations, etc., I can usually only get no more than 5 or 6 pages up at one time.

Exactly. I use a PDA while caching but only for viewing cache pages. It stays in my backpack and only comes out when I need to look something up. No way I'm going to trudge through trails with it. It would surely end up drowning in a mud puddle or cracking its screen when droppped on rocks. On the other hand, I've dropped my Magellan GPS into a lake *twice* with zero harm done.

If you have your own map, perhaps scanned in on a scanner, or downloaded as a PDF, or whatever. And that map has on it at least three points with known coordinates, then you can 'import' that map image into ExpertGPS. After you import the map in, you view the map in ExpertGPS and click on each of the three known points and tell ExpertGPS the coordinates of those points. Once it knows all three coordinates, it can then compute the coordinates of any other location on the map. I believe OziExplorer also does this (actually, I believe OziExplorer *only* works this way with maps since it doesn't have terraserver access like ExpertGPS does). Like somebody else said, this is a great feature. My state (Pennsylvania) offers PDF maps of all its State Gamelands and most of these maps have coordinate markings on them allowing me to import them into ExpertGPS. These state maps are often more useful than the terraserver USGS maps (although they lack the terrain contour of the USGS maps), because they have a lot more extra detail on them: extra roads and trails, old mine locations, old railroad bed locations, etc.

You definitely need to take a look at it as it's still very popular, even with all the competition from newer 'offerings' like GSAK. Also, since you said you'd be perhaps writing something that's a cross between GSAK and USA PhotoMaps, you should also take a look at ExpertGPS. EasyGPS is the free version of ExpertGPS. ExpertGPS has the same wapoint management as EasyGPS but also ads terra server mapping and the ability to view waypoints on the maps. Although you have to pay for it, they have a fully functional 30 day version, so give it a look.

"ExpertGPS" also uses real scanned topo maps (i.e. "Raster" maps). There are also a few other products that use rasters; NG is not the only one. Delorme's "3-D TopoQuads" comes to mind. Those other applications use "vector" maps. You're right, the detail isn't as good as raster images. But they're usually cheaper.

The thing I like about PocketPCs (I have an iPAQ 4150) is they're ability to *fully* multi-task applications. I can have GpxSonar running which lets me view&manage the caches in my .gpx pocketquery. From it, I can launch off multiple browser windows with each browser containing the cache page of different cache. I can toggle back and forth from browser to browser comparing them. And at the same time I can have Mapopolis up and running letting me scroll and zoom around on a map of the area I'm in along with where the caches are on the map. While all this is running, I can do things like bring up the calculator to help out with a puzzle cache, or bring up a saved email to check a note somebody sent me, etc. Can toggle back forth through all the applications and the pocketpc won't miss a beat.

That's primarily what caused me to go with my Magellan Sportrak Pro. Software-wise, both comanies offer similar features and there are pros & cons to how each implements things. Buying from either company I knew I'd be both happy and disgruntled. Hardware-wise, I liked the smaller form factor of the Garmin Etrex line, but didn't like that little single 'thumb' button that does all the menu navigation. When I played with that in the store, it was a show stopper for me. Besides carrying on my person when hiking, I wanted something I could mount in my Jeep and manipulate while driving. That seemed like it would've been too hard to do with the etrex, so I went with the Sportrak. The sportrak seemed a little more rugged to me, too. All just IMO, of course.

Also look into Mapopolis mapping software. You can pay around $30 and download maps for up to all 50 states. You can then use the free GpxToMaplet utility they have to convert a GPX file of caches from geocaching.com into a 'maplet' file. That maplet file can be loaded into mapopolis and will show all the caches right on the map.

USAPhotomap uses/shows the same map data that ExpertGPS shows (terraserver). Which the original poster isn't too thrilled with. But, what nobody's mentioned is that this data is made up of scans of the actual USGS maps which is about as good as it gets. Those maps are admittedly pretty busy looking when zoomed out, but I think the high detail ones when zoomed in, are pretty nice. NG Topo's map data is also based on the USGS data; they've merely 'enhanced' the data so that they can present it in 3D format, etc.

You need a USB/Serial adapter. There are several brands out there. Should be able to get one just about anywhere (amazon, etc.). We have several from IOGEAR that we use here in the office that we've never had any problem with (albeit, we use them for things other thatn GPSr units, though)

? There's nothing really to figure out. The software just downloads directly from it; you wouldn't even know it's coming from terraserver if they didn't tell you. I'd try downloading and trying expertgps. It's fully functional for 30 days free in order to let you try it out. NG Topo is nice, but I don't think it's *that* much better to justify the extra $$$. Two things that keep me from getting NG Topo: 1) A given $100 purchase of a single state isn't all that useful to people who live near a state border such that they really need map info 2 or even 3 states. 2) It's ridiculous that they don't offer a DVD version of the software.

If I recall correctly, from day 1, many people have criticized the ST Color's display as not being all that swift - murky, need backlight on even in daylight, etc.. Then Garmin came out with their 60c which had a superior color display which made the ST Color's display seem even worse.

I had an old versionof MS S&T (probably 2001 or so) that had no install option to run from the harddrive. But, if you manually copied the contents of both CDs to a single folder, then installed it from that folder, it would work. (The installation would basically copy the program files over to 'Program Files" then wire the program to point at the map data in the directory you copied everything to.

I love expertgps. Bought it last year after using the 30 day free trial. The way the maps download is pretty darn cool use of the Internet, imo. I pretty much always fire it up by double-clicking my latest pocket query .gpx file. Nice to instantly have my nearest 500 caches laid out on a topo map (or satellite photo) that can be zoomed in&out on. Try the 30-day free trial before you buy to make sure your internet connection can handle it. I'd not recommend dialup myself. Although, admittedly, it caches the map data so once you make through the downloads, you can even run it 'offline'.

Mapopolis has maps for Western Europe, but not Eastern. http://www.mapopolis.com/home.jsp?v=c&pg=g...82218768&p=&q=2

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