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Jeeters

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Everything posted by Jeeters

  1. I like ExpertGps myself. Similar to USAPhotomaps in that you download the USGS maps and satellite images from the Internet. You can print them, whatever. Also has GPSr support, waypoint management, and can import/export gpx files, etc. It's at least worth trying the 30-day free trial. Broadband recommended, though. I picked up Delorme USA Topo when 5.0 came out and they offered the discount at the time of release. I've not been impressed. It's vector based so just isn't as detailed as what you get with expertgps or National Geographics state-specific maps.
  2. There's a More Detail (+) and Less Detail (-) at the bottom of the screen on my PPC that controls what you want to do. Doh! For some iditiotic reason, I'd never tried those before. Works great! Thanks.
  3. About 2 months ago I asked a question at their website regarding a problem I was having upgrading my Sportrak's firmware. They responded the next day with a nice answer.
  4. I could care less about any new features. All I'd be interested in is updated maps.
  5. I use Mapopolis on my PocketPC. I tried MS Streets and Trips once, but it was too slow to be usable when the map was stored to my SD card. The map needed to be in RAM in order to get any decent panning/zooming speed. Mapopolis has no such problem. I have about 20MB of contiguous counties all stored on my SD card. Mapopolis can load them all up and lets me zoom and pan with no performance problems whatsoever. The Mapopolis makers also have a free GpxToMaplet utility they which will covert a .gpx file into a 'maplet' (.mlp) file which can be used to see all the cache waypoints of your pocketquery in Mapololis. My one and only gripe with Mapopolis is there's no way to specify how much street detail you want for a given zoom level. As you zoom higher and higher, it hides more and more streets. So if you're zoomed high enough such that you can see both 'point A' and point 'B' on the screen at the same time, you often can't tell if there are any roads that easily connect the two together.
  6. If you have broadband, a far cheaper alternative is ExpertGPS which I love. It downloads mosaic tiles of the USGS maps from the software maker's website on the fly, which it assembles into full maps that you can pan around on, etc. It's full scans of the actual USGS maps, for the whole USA. You can zoom in and out to get different mapping levels. ExpertGPS also supports .gpx and .loc files so you can easily see caches and waypoints on the maps. It caches on the harddrive everything it downloads, so after a while, it stops going to the Internet and only needs to if you try and view an area you've never viewed before. Although I wouldn't mind having it if it were cheaper, I don't have much use for the NatGeo maps myself. The base data is scans of the USGS maps, just like expertGPS. But NatGeo has enhanced the data so that they can do fancy stuff 3D displays. Nice, but not worth the price, at least for me. I'd probably buy if I only needed one state, but I live in the corner of a state. Which means when I'm out hiking or whatever, I have as good of a chance of being in two other states as I do in being in my home state which means I'd need to buy three copies of the software to get any decent use out of it.
  7. An alternative solution is maybe to use some PC mapping software like ExpertGPS or OziExplorer that lets you use your own maps. If you have some maps that trails on them, you could load them in to the software, trace the trails and create 'Routes' for them, and then export the routes into your GPS receiver. I've done that with some State Game Lands maps that are available in PDF format.
  8. I've never heard of a waterproof case for a PocketPC. (That doesn't mean they don't exist). There are "ruggedized" PocketPCs available from several vendors. They aren't waterproof, but they are usually fairly water resistant and are good for drops to the pavement. They're intended for industrial use by plant floor people, deliveryman, etc., and are usually (and unfortunately) pretty darn expensive. The best protection for a consumer-grade PocketPC is probably an aluminum case from the likes of Rhinoskin or Innopocket. (There's a third company but I forget their name; but all three companies just sell the same case, re-branded). I have the Innopocket myself for my HP4150 and love it. I use a my iPAQ for paperless caching. i.e., for carrying around the cache pages (I use gpxsonar) and for some mapping software (Mapopolis). I usually keep it in my pack until/unless I need so see some info on a cache, or check the map in the car, etc. I have *zero* interest in having a GPS-enabled PDA... I'd surely drop it into the mud or down a hillside eventually. They're too darn expensive, and a GPSr is too darn inexpensive, to take the risk. Might want to ask in the PocketPC forum over at brighthand.com, too. They have probably about the best PDA forums on the web over there.
  9. Rounds that have full metal jackets do not expand. They make nice clean holes in the flesh. When retrieved from the flesh, the round looks very much the same as an unfired round. An unjacketed bullet (or partially jacketed bullet, like what's usually used in hunting) will expand/flatten on impact, tearing through the flesh making a painful mess of a wound. When retrieved from the flesh (assuming it hasn't distintegrated into multiple pieces), the round will look nothing like an unfired round. It will look very deformed, as if somebody set it on pavement, nose up, then smashed it hard as possible with a brick.
  10. The price of Mapopolis is highly dependent on what you want out of it. Yes, 100 big bucks if you want voice prompting, and GPS support. If you don't want GPS support then the price dives down to just $35. Gets even cheaper if you want only the maps and have no need for the voice prompting ($25).
  11. I have an HP 4150. I keep it in an Innopocket aluminum case which protects it really well in my backpack when hiking. I went with the 4150 because I wanted a PocketPC that could be used for more than just caching... I wanted something very small and light for carrying around town, etc., plus I wanted its built in WIFI ability. I've had zero problems with it. Not sure what the supposed HP "issues" are that somebody mentioned. A big factor is if you want the PocketPC to be GPS-enabled or not. If so, then you need one that has a CF Card slot. Otherwise, I'd go with one that just has SD card slots as the unit will be a little smaller that way. Personally, I have no interest in a GPS-enabled PDA: when out hiking, I'd just drop it into a mud puddle which would be the end of it. I use my GPSr mounted to the windshield which is fine, too; never have a want/need for a something talking to me giving me directions. As somebody mentioned earlier, Mapopolis is great software since you can use their GpxToMaplet software to see all your geocaching waypoints from your GPX file on Mapopolis' maps. btw, might want to check out www.brighthand.com, too. Probably about the best forums for PocketPCs (actually, PDA in general).
  12. A related similar thread here... http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=77427&hl=
  13. Perhaps a problem in the .gpx file? (which is really just xml) Does it startup without the gpx file or only when you tell it to load your gpx? If it's when you load the gpx, can it load *other* gpx files? Try opening up your gpx file on your PC using Internet Explorer. If the file has malformed XML in it, IE will likely find it and even be able to tell you the line number.
  14. The best place to get a question like that answered is the forums at brighthand.com
  15. fyi, ExpertGPS contains no address data. It's scanned images of the USGS's topographic maps and also satellite images. It's coordinate accurracy is dead-on, as far as I can tell (and I'd expect no less, since it's based on USGS data). I've not seen naming consistencies like mentioned, but I'd suppose they exist. More annoyingly, I've seen roads with names that I've never heard of or are rarely used. e.g. a state road commonly referred to by locals as "Route 518" and repeatedly marked as such by road signs is called something like "Lincoln Highway" in the software.
  16. I can't speak for the Garmin, but if you look at the Sportrak Color, make sure to try it outside in daylight. It sort of washes out in bright light, like PocketPCs do. It's still readable, but you have to strain a little. I'll stick with my B&W Sportrak Pro.
  17. lol. The one near me can be a little scary. It's a biker hangout. Bunch of hell's angels types are always there flirting with the 45ish leather faced biker 'babe' working behind the counter. sorry for the tangent.
  18. Detail looks fine to me. Looks to be the same data as on the CD version of the MapSend software. I've always considered MapSend and MapSource to be fairly equivalent.
  19. That doesn't mean the public can do with it as they wish, or is permitted to do anything at all with/to the "public property." Umm, that's right. Which is why I preceded that statement with "It depends on the laws and attitudes of the lawmakers in the state in question." Of course government property isn't all available for public use. If it was, we'd all be taking free joy rides on the space shuttle and having sleep overs at the whitehouse. I was only arguing against the orginal post's notion that state property is utterly forbotten.
  20. Well, I don't think the police officers would feel too safe seeing somebody poking around with some sort of electronic gizmo. Which might cause them to draw a gun on me. So, No, I wouldn't feel safe. I think if people want a 'rush' like that, they might want to just stick with stealing milk crates from behind the 7-Eleven.
  21. Not necessarily. It depends on the laws and attitudes of the lawmakers in the state in question. State property is paid for by tax dollars and so is 'public property'.
  22. I have the Sportrak and a window mount bracket and the bracket works great. (The meridian and sportrack mounts are exactly the same except for the cradle part that the GPSr sits in.). It stays put, doesn't slide around the window, and has never fallen off the window. I've had it on the window continuously for as long as a whole week, baking in the sun day after day, and no problems have occurred. In fact, I sometimes have a little trouble getting the suction cups to give up their hold!
  23. If you feel the cache is worthwhile, I'd initiate adoption proceedings. Then you can do what you want to the two containers, the page, etc. It would be a shame to archive the cache and start a new one because then all the log history would be 'lost'. There's a cache not that far from me that was adopted last fall. A series of DNFs occurred (1st one initiated by me ) that caused the Approver to try and contact the owner. The owner failed to respond and approver was going to archive. A previous finder of the cache checked up on it and found that it was really still in its spot and volunteered to adopt it. Cache is still going strong.
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