SandRaven

GPS is 5 or so years old, and I can't get maps for it any more.

At present only one map type per location can be displayed. I am under the impression this is suppose to be rectified in the next firmware upgrade. For what it's worth, you can cut and move one or the other map types out of the "Rastermaps" file and the device will display whichever one is left in the Rastermaps file. Thanks for they reply. what are Rastermaps? I just dropped my .at5 files onto the root of my GPS. Rastermaps are scanned images of maps. Apparently the maps will work from the root but I believe the original MapSelect instructions directed one to save the maps in a folder named "Rastermaps". Good to know. Is Mapselect the only place you can get maps for the Endura? Is there anyway to make you own?

At present only one map type per location can be displayed. I am under the impression this is suppose to be rectified in the next firmware upgrade. For what it's worth, you can cut and move one or the other map types out of the "Rastermaps" file and the device will display whichever one is left in the Rastermaps file. Thanks for they reply. what are Rastermaps? I just dropped my .at5 files onto the root of my GPS.

We just received our Out & Back today from tTheDigitalOasis. I quickly download a topo map and satellite imagery. I got both into the unit just fine, but it looks like the unit places the satellite imagery on top of the topo, and you can't switch between the two. anyone know if this is correct?

I use Delorme Topo, and it lets you save each route or track as a layer, so you can turn them on or off, and do whatever you want.

A couple of things, First, you may have the contrast all the way down, My 2 year old managed to set the contrast all the way up, so nothing could be read. (in about 30 seconds) to adjust the contrast, do the following: 1. remove and replace the batteries (to make sure the unit is off) 2. Press and hold the OK button, then press the power button for 5 seconds. The unit should now be on. 3. press the up arrow several times to increase the contrast. Second, try a master reset. after a master reset, all settings and data are lost, you are back to factory fresh. The master reset can be accomplished by pressing all the keys except the down arrow for 5 seconds. If you have to perform a full reset you will need to allow the unit to collect a full almanac before normal operation can be resumed. This can take up to 45 minutes with the gps outside with a clear view of the sky. Check the date to insure that the information was reloaded properly. Time will be shown as UTC time since your local time offset was lost in the reset. WAAS capable receivers will have to re-establish the WAAS almanac as well. Re-establish all of your preferences such as time zone, daylight savings flag, etc. Hope this helps, SandRaven

Here's another thing to keep in mind when caching with little ones... SNACKS. Hubby and I cache with our 18 month old and 2 1/2 yr old frequently. Depending on the length of the car rides between caches we can get up to 3 in 1 day. Beyond that and we have exceeded their attention span, and my strength to carry the 18 mo. child is gone. (He's heavy!) I keep a small baggy of crackers or grapes when we go out to avoid cranky tummies. That seems to help. Keep your expectations low and you will have fun!

Just to throw out another idea, how about Delorme Topo USA 5.0 There was a link posted somewhere on the forum so that you can get it for $60. You would not have much in the way of Points of interest, but you would have lots of trails. It also does autorouting. Just a thought.

Garmin Geko 201!

Any good ideas on how to keep ink-jet maps dry, I found some industrial zip bags, that seem like my best bet so far. Here's a picture: but they are $25 for 15 of them, and you need to spend $50 for free shipping. They can be found: HERE I also thought about water proof paper, or a spray fixative, but the protectors seem like the best re-usable solution. Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks, Bill

Any good ideas on how to keep ink-jet maps dry, I found some industrial zip bags, that seem like my best bet so far. Here's a picture: but they are $25 for 15 of them, and you need to spend $50 for free shipping. They can be found: HERE I also thought about water proof paper, or a spray fixative, but the protectors seem like the best re-usable solution. Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks, Bill

I have the Belkin F5U109 When I plug it in, the catagory Ports magically shows up under Device Manager. And under Ports it says Belkin F5U109 Serial Port (COM 1) If your not showing a serial port when you plug in the serial to USB adapter (without the GPS attached) then you need to reinstall your drivers.

Belkin has refurbished parts on sale on occasion, at the moment, the have USB to serial converters on sale for $11.99 Here is the Link I have one and it works great. You will also need a cable to connect from your Garmin to Serial. You can get that those for $8 bucks. Do a search on this forum, and You'll find the link.

If your using EasyGPS you can open 2 files which appears as 2 tabs at the bottom. You can then hit Ctrl+a to select all in one tab then Ctrl+c to copy switch to another tab and hit Ctrl+v to paste.

We have a Geko 201 and love it. The screen is fairly small, but since it store maps, your only looking at a few number and a compass, most of the time, and for that, the screen is more than adequate. I put velcro on the back of mine, and keep it on the shoulder strap of my backpack. We also have a laptop, so we can use it with mapping software on the road if we want, but rarely do. We got Topo USA 5.0, which does routes like MapQuest. I give it my home and my destination, and it creates a route. I then download the route to the Geko (201), now our Geko tell us how far till the next trun, and when We get to a turn, our Geko lights up and points the way to turn.

Delorme's Topo USA 5.0 is a little different from most of the other in that it is vector based, not just a collection of scanned images. So basically it "knows" whare everything is located, and draws a map based on the data, just like autocadd. The upside, is that you can do mapquest type routings, by giving it a start and finish. This goes for trails as well as roads. I like this, as I can use it for driving directions as well as geocaching. I give it my home and my destination, and it creates a route. I then download the route to my GPS, now my GPS tell me how far till the next trun, and when I get to a turn, my GPS lights up and points the way to turn. Also, since it is database driven, you can add your own roads parks, etc, turn different elements on or off, like contour lines, county boarders, view things in a quasi 3-D, and see the profile of the elevation, which is really nice if you are biking. On the down side, it does not do waypoint managment well for Geocaching. You will have to use something like EasyGPS (which is free) to do that, and then import your waypoints. Also, when you zoom in to the highest level, some shapes look a little blocky, but this is very minor. Delorme has even given Geocachers a promotional code, so they can get it for $60. A copy of their post is below. SandRaven Thank you for your interest in DeLorme products. We recognize that many of our loyal customers have posted priority codes on the Internet for discounts on Topo USA 5.0. Rather than using the codes that have been posted we ask that you use the following: Geocachers Priority Code This link will provide the same pricing opportunities to you as the other links and codes, while allowing us to properly track our marketing efforts. Thank you. DeLorme Marketing

I've come up with a fix for GPSbabel that also imports the URL into TOPO USA 5.0 I can put it together as a zip file if anyone is insterested.

My Geko 201 has the little ridge (bought in Jan 04), but I still had problems with the unit turning itself on in my pocket. My solution was to add a very thin coating from a hot glue gun. This increases the resistance required to push the button. Now I have no problems whatsoever. And if you don't like the way it come out, you can peel it off without too much trouble.

I need help with a style file I 'm making for TOPO 5.0 This is what I've got: # gpsbabel XCSV style file # # Format: DeLorme Topo 4.0 Cache URL # Author: SandRaven # Date: 01/21/2004 # # DESCRIPTION DeLorme Topo 4.0 Cache URL # # FILE LAYOUT DEFINITIIONS: # FIELD_DELIMITER COMMA RECORD_DELIMITER NEWLINE BADCHARS ," PROLOGUE BEGIN SYMBOL # IFIELD LAT_DECIMAL, "", "%f" # Latitude IFIELD LON_DECIMAL, "", "%f" # Longitude IFIELD SHORTNAME, "", %s # Name IFIELD URL, "", {URL=%s} # URL EPILOGUE END It's giving me back: 42.333017,-90.272367,GC5B2E,{URL=http://www.website} what I want is: 42.333017,-90.272367,GC5B2E{URL=http://www.website} Notice a Comma is gone here ^ Basically I wwant to combine two fields into one. Anyone have any ideas?

Does anyone know how to import a URL into TOPO USA 5.0. The docs discuss the formating for all the other types of data fields, but not the ULR. The URL would be the most useful of course, as you could import a cache's webpage.

The benefit of the Delorme is that it is vector based (like a cad drawing) That is to say it has all the lat/lon info stored as data. When you look at a specific place, the software looks up all of the data and draws a map of it on the screen for you (which it does in like a second). Since the info is stored as data, you can add more (like literally adding a new road), or use the data to create routes. Every other maping software is based on storing thousands of scanned images of paper maps. As far as comparing it to National Geographic Topo, I think the Topo USA allows you to zoom down to the 1:15k level, but there is some what less detail. The contour lines are somewhat interpretative as you can see here: (note the scale in the lower left corner 1" = 250 feet) Contour lines but Topo USA also allows you to vie the area in 3D as shown here: 3D And of couurse, your getting the whole us for $60. If you just want to print good looking maps, National Geographic Topo may be better. If you want a map you can add to, use for routing, and be very interactive with, Topo usa is the way to go.

heres the link BELKIN LINK

I have a refurbished Belkin for $12 + S/H, works great with my garmin geko 201 and dell 1100 paste the link below as ONE line. http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage...oduct_Id=137355 specs: USB PDA Adapter (Refurbished) Part # F5U109rw This product has been restored to the exact original specifications by Belkin. This product comes with the same manufacturer warranty and technical support as new products. Refurbished items have been returned to us for various reasons: use in field tests, use in sales displays, and cancellations. They are then cleaned, quality checked and tested. Refurbished products are not available to resellers. Due to fluctuating supplies of refurbished parts, Belkin cannot guarantee the ship date for orders containing refurbished parts. You will be notified via email when your order is shipped. Handheld PC users like their info handy, within reach and easily accessible at all times. Keeping in touch with clients and remembering important meetings is vital.The Belkin USB Serial Adapter provides one DB9 Serial Port and is the easiest and most convenient way to connect your handheld personal digital assistant to your PC or Macintosh computer. Attach your PDA to your PC through USB. Transfer data or perform HotSync® functions quicker with Plug-and Play convenience. Eliminates need to attach, re-attach, and install your serial mouse. Advantages • Status LEDs monitor data transfer activity • Works with PalmPilot organizers and other popular handheld PDAs • Lifetime Warranty • Plug-and-Play simplicity: The DB9 Serial Port of the built-in device cable connects to the PDA and the USB connector connects to the computer. • Completely portable- weighs an astounding 1.8oz. • Built-in USB Device Cable • Compatible with Windows® Me, Windows® 98, Windows® 2000, Windows XP, and Mac® up to OS 9.xx • Compatible with any of the Wireless Belkin Internet Connection Kits

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Scott Peterson's defense lawyer spent Wednesday morning grilling an expert who testified to the reliability of technology that police used to track the double-murder suspect before his arrest last spring. The hearing will determine whether evidence gathered from global positioning system devices secretly placed on vehicles Peterson drove in the weeks after his wife's disappearance can be used in his upcoming trial. Modesto police used GPS to track Peterson for nearly four months -- from Jan. 3 through April 22, 2003 -- when they arrested him near San Diego. He was caught carrying $10,000 and his brother's driver's license days after the bodies of his wife, Laci, and unborn son surfaced in San Francisco Bay. Defense lawyer Mark Geragos wants any GPS-related evidence tossed out and has hired his own expert to question how police used it in the Peterson case. On Wednesday, he suggested that the expert called by prosecutors was motivated more by profit than justice. "I assume you want the judge to rule that this evidence is admissable so you can sell more GPS receivers," Geragos asked in court. "Is that a fair statement?" "I'd have to say yes to that," answered Peter Van Wyck Loomis, who's worked for Trimble, a Silicon Valley company that produces GPS receivers, since 1988. Bound by gag orders, neither side has discussed what evidence would be lost or gained from the information gathered by the tracking devices. The military developed the satellite-based radio navigation system, which can pinpoint a user's location at any time, in all weather, anywhere in the world. The decades-old technology is now used by everyone from airline pilots to wildlife management officials, and weekend hikers to Sunday drivers. But GPS technology has yet to be tested in California's criminal courts. As a result, prosecutors first must establish its reliability using properly qualified experts, and then demonstrate the technology was used correctly. Only then could GPS-related evidence be introduced at Peterson's trial. That process began Wednesday morning when Judge Alfred A. Delucchi agreed with prosecutor Rick Distaso, who said Loomis qualified as an expert. Geragos said his client was electronically followed by GPS devices installed in vehicles he owned, borrowed and rented after Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002. He wants all the GPS tracking evidence excluded from the trial. "The GPS technology has not been generally accepted by the scientific community," Geragos said in court papers filed in October. "GPS has inherent inaccuracies." If his claims about general GPS unreliability fail to persuade the judge, Geragos hopes to prove the device used to track Peterson was operated improperly by Modesto police, casting doubt on the accuracy of its data. An expert hired by Geragos reviewed some of the information gathered and noted "strange occurrences" with the GPS data. "Due to the covertness of the device, it often cannot be put in an optimal position to see the GPS satellites," wrote Michael Peach of Orion Electronics Ltd. "It may be very hard for the receiver to get signals 100 percent of the time."

REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST WARNING: Do not attempt to play these games while driving a motor vehicle. It acutally says that in the manual.