nchmura

Topographix expertGPS does this also - you just specify how many legs you want to reduce your track by. easy as pie Though the best way is probaly to map your track and hand plot your route turns - just seems safer and more accurate!

I have an old CLIE PEG-S300 that i have been planning to throw up on ebay. Has 8mb internal memory and a Memory Stick port with an 8mb stick in there. I haven't used it for a while now, i will have to make sure it still works and such, then i will probably throw it up on the gps garage sale if you are interested... I never really thought about using it for paperless geocaching!

Ahhh another great mind! Mountain biking and GPSes (See my signature)! Indeed. I use an older magellan map 330 to map trails and such while riding and have come out with pretty solid results reception-wise. My previous garmin 12 did lose its signal a lot more - and statisically speaking this is a horrible study - but i am a magellan fan, something about the garmin internal antenna's turns me off. Magellans little nub antenna has served me well!!! Again, my study is statisically moot, but i figured i would at least share my experiences!

Have you tried uninstalling and then reinstalling (the latest version if there was a newer one) easygps? Windows is kinda funny like that sometimes! (thats the best i could come up with)

I have a magellan map 330 and probably 1 out 5 times that i download tracks and stuff into expertgps (easygps'es big brother) i get a similar error - though i can't remember what the exact error message is.... Anyways, i usually just close down expertgps and my gps, and try again. Eventually it works. Thats the best i got. Also, I am always paranoid that the serial cable contacts on the gps are dirty as well, so i clean those off (probably not the problem though). You could also try to upgrade your gpses firmware?

I wonder what they do with the trade in units they get? Didn't see anywhere on the site they are selling them. Unless i am completely missing something (which is more than likely)

I got me a Map 330. Does the job, though i am kinda craving WAAS

Very cool, Thanks! Quakemap kicks a** by the way

Off the top of my head, i can think of no perfect solution, but here is a few options: 1) Something like topozone.com that can show you topos, enter in the lat/lon of the geocache and hope the topo has trails on it. You can also do something similar with software like expertgps, NG topo, or topofusion. 2) You can search around the internet for sites that provide gps trail information* , grab those files and upload the tracks AND the geocache to your gps. Which i imagine would be helpful. Of course you can use these files with the said softwares too. Thats all i can think of right now. * My site (www.crankfire.com) collects gps bike trails in and around Connecticut for free download and use - but there are others out there as well covering other areas. Shameless plug? Yeah, but it might help Edit: Haha! Just saw your signature... that might work out kinda

NG Topo certainly does have the nicest/highest resolution topo maps - but you might want to give topofusion (www.topofusion.com) or expertgps (www.expertgps.com) a look. They will upload and download from and to most gps units, they allow you to look at topos and aerials, create waypoints, routes and tracks (and upload them to your gps). Expertgps is very polished and easy to use, while topofusion has an amazing assortment of cool features (3d map creation, adding photos to tracks, etc..). They both download topos from the terraserver so they are not as crisp as NG's, but they do the job just the same. Oh yeah, you can check out demos of both for free. For trails specifically, you might want to search around for more recent gps tracks or trails of the sierras, topo maps were created long ago and never really updated, so the trails you see on there will probably have meandered big time or vanished completely!

I have never ordered from here, but people swear by this guy and his cables: http://pfranc.com/ Just another option.

Hey, I map trails while mountain biking.. I have a magellan map 330 - it has streets and such (which you dont need) but it does the whole gps job quite well! Great reception on that thing as well. I originally had a Garmin GPS 12, which was good, but it did lose its signal in some of the heavier tree covers. I am currently eyeing some of the sportraks... they look nice. However, since i have been really no help on your question... If you like to share the tracks and waypoints you collect while biking, please visit my biking website: www.Crankfire.com We are mostly focused on just the northeast, but will accept any trail submissions and gps trail data! Its been a tough time so far to find other mountain bikers who have gps units!

Just was playing with the 3d stuff in topofusion, thought maybe someone would want to see Just threw up a quick bike ride, its pretty friggin cool if you ask me! Apparently you can do the 3d elevation thing here with aerials as well.... Edit: that was easy (different bike ride this time though):

I bought expertgps as well, it is really good software. Highly recommended! Also, check out Topofusion as well (www.topofusion.com), does most things expertgps does, and more, lots more. Free trial download as well. Its really good stuff. PS - i don't work for them, this is probably my 5th post about them in as many days! i just really like them and their stuff!

Don't forget this online interface to gpsbabel http://wayhoo.com Saves you the trouble of installing something! But... they seem to be down for maintenance right now!

You might want to give Topofusion a look (www.topofusion.com) - there is a free trial to download and try out. It does have support for 3d visualizations and such - however, you have to spend a few minutes to gather up some DEM data from the usgs. They spell it out pretty clearly on their site here : http://www.topofusion.com/3d.php I have not tried it out yet, but from the examples they show, 3d-ing with tf looks amazing! Its great great great software. Good peoples too. Give it a look! Edit: oh yeah, i just wanted to agree with everyone that the NG Topo series of stuff does indeed have the nicest quality topos!

On the most basic level, getting waypoints into your gps is pretty simple... Assuming you have a pc connector cable, all you really need is some software! And there is plenty to choose from I would recommend EasyGps (www.easygps.com) - its free, easy to use and works with most every gps unit! Of course there's plenty of other softwares out there as well, expertgps (by the same people) costs 50-60 bucks but has mapping (topos and aerials) and can display your routes, tracks and such. If above is not any help, please provide some more details on exactly what are you looking to do?

dadgum, beaten!

I have a 330 (somewhat similar) and do like it. However, i have been on the lookout for deals and typically see these sell brand new for as little as $100 and used from anywhere $70 - $100. If you end up looking to sell a few of these on the cheap, keep me in the loop

Yeah, Easygps would probably be what you are looking for, and if it wasn't, its a great choice regardless! However, in case you are looking for some alternatives, i maintain / am building a listing here: http://www.crankfire.com/resources/gpssoftwarelist.php

i too was intrigued by the explorists and was rather disappointed when i learned there was no pc connection

PDOPs right on, gpstrackmaker should do exactly what you want. I never played with fugawi though - but i only hear good things! Good luck!

Firefox has trouble with the adobe svg plugin. Though i am not sure about the latest version of firefox. Edit: re post above, good to know. going to have to give it another try!

Check out topofusion (www.topofusion.com) - allows you to download and upload data from and to your gps and to see your tracks and waypoints on topo maps and such. Has tons of nifty features as well like distance calculations, elevation info....

You can purchase topo maps from some stores like Eastern Mountain Sports and other such hiking/outdoor type stores. There are also several softwares (both free and not free ) available that will let you pull up (and print if you want) specific areas. And lastly, you can always use websites like www.topozone.com, www.maptech.com, or terraserver.microsoft.com to pull up topo's online.