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Colonel Carter

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Everything posted by Colonel Carter

  1. If you are using Geobeagle on your droid, yes, you can cache outside of cell serice. Why? Because the GPSR inside a Droid is a real, telco independent receiver. Using GPX files, you can load thousands of Caches into Geobeagle, including hints and log entires, for thousands of caches. I've got 1500 cahes loaded into Geobeagle now for the areas I'm usually around. Doesn't matter where I am, if there are caches nearby, I'm ready to go. I've been into areas where the cell signal is gone, but the GPS and Geobeagle are just humming along letting me find caches. GPSRs use orbiting satellite data for their location information, and those babies are always up there running. Even when there is no cellular signal. So yeah, use it in good health and enjoy! Sam
  2. I too would be interested in testing this. Right now I'm really enjoying Geobeagle. Thanks to Jacob and his well done video introduction. So and official app, het, that would be cool! Sam
  3. mention of unauthorized software deleted by moderator Geobeagle with GPS Status WILL allow you to be out wandering around somewhere, pull a cache up in the broswer, feed that information into Geobeagle and let you go caching on the spur of the moment whereever you are. Easy peasy. I don't know what xxxxxx is since i'm not really all that good with obscure acronyms, but from what it sounds like you want to do, Geobaagle will do that for you. Sam
  4. I am to be perfectly honest, a fair weather cacher. Sun shining, ground not to wet, some free time and I'm good to go. For years I was caching with a Garmin GPSMAP 76s. The "s" was supposed to be for sensors or some such and better sensitivity. It was great, but keeping a folder full of caches handy was a pain. Winmobile phone with a web browser let me lose the paper, mostly, but still it was just electronic paper. With the availability of 3G it was time to upgrade my phone. Enter the Droids I WAS looking for. After seeing a youtube by Knight007 (Jacob) I decided that yes, yes, these ARE the Droids I'm looking for! I started with a G1 (because it had a slide out keyboard) and then fairly quickly excahnged it for the MyTouch 3G because it was smaller, sleaker, sexier in Merlot, and had more than double the memory of the G1. Went to the app Market and got GeoBeagle and Radar and set about caching. Not bad, but not quite perfect because it used the wrong datum format and that annoyed me. Made things a little bit more frustrating requiring that I first translate the datum then store it for use. Then I found GPS Status and my world opened up. As Radar goes it's light years more advanced than plain old radar. Shows where I am, and where I'm going with elevation, bearing, compass, target coordinates and current coordinates all taken right out of GeoBeagle and in the right format no less! Oh baby, paperless caching and then some! The MyTouch 3G hardware is head and shoulder more accurate than my old Garmin, faster, in COLOR, bigger screen, with a built in camera (no need to carry a camera) and direct connection to Geocaching.com from the cache to log finds. I just load up all the GPX files into my phone and I can go caching on the drop of a hat. Total no brainer. Fast, easy, no fuss, muss, or paper! I take my phone, keys, a pen and off I go. Droid DOES! Sam
  5. I promised a report a while back and oh dear am I pleased. Took me a while to find exactly the right radar screen for caching, but so far I've hit half a dozen caches. The MyTouch 3G is awesome for caching. Fast, accurate, small, and because I do have a dataplan I log my finds standing there with the cache. The MyTouch simply rocks for caching. I'm using GeoBeagle and GPS Status and loving the Droidness! This IS the Droid I've been looking for! Google has updated the OS twice since I've had mine, and is quickly reaching the point where the G1 will not have enough memory for future upgrades, so whatever you do, get the MyTouch. For twenty bucks more, you get way more memory. I thought I'd hate the touch screen keyboard but I love it. Simple, easy to use and fast. You can't go wrong caching with a Droid!
  6. There are a bunch of threads talking about android related caching as well as the T-Mobile G1 and MyTouch. But it's just simpler to answer the question than make you go search. You can goto the Android Marketplace from your phone and get two papps that will let you use the MyTouch for caching. GeoBeagle and GPS Status work together to turn your MyTouch into a full on caching GPSR with database of caches, connection to the websites, and onscreen direction finding, radar, compass and map. I just came back from caching today with the Merlot MyTouch and had a wonderful time! Enjoy, Sam
  7. Okay, I thought I'd add my two cents here. I'm finally back into the hobby because of my anDroid phone. I have a myTouch 3G from T-Mobile and I'm very, very happy with it. It did however take me a while to get it to where I wanted and needed it to be to replace my dead GPSMAP 76S. In terms of sensitivity and accuracy, the MyTouch is actually MUCH better than the GPSMAP 76s. While that wouldn't get a GPS fix inside my apartment, the MyTouch does so easily. If I put the GPSMAP 76s in the window, it could "see" two or three birds to get a reading. The MyTouch, sees a sky full and locks in quickly and easily. To me this speaks of superior hardware. Now, in the field. I wanted to be able to see on screen what I was looking for in terms of my position in respect to the cache. I wanted to be able to take GPX files off the server, load them into the software, and have it show me things similar to the way I'm used to with the Garmin. Geobeagle with GPS Status (GPS Toolbox) are both available from the Marketplace and work together perfectly. I'd stared using Radar, but GPS Status is much, much better. I easily imported all the GPX files into Geobeagle, and set about looking for caches. Geobeagle will display complete information from the cache web page including logs, show your position and the caches on a map, and if you tap the arrow will bring up the GPS Status radar screen that shows the target coordinates, and your current coordinates with a compass read out/radar screen in one showing the cache as you move toward it. The data readout on screen with the Radar/Compass shows bearing, distance to target, target coordinates, and your current coordinates in a simple, clean, easy to use fashion that makes this a pleasure to use. As you move closer, the dot gets closer and it shows you where the cache is in the radar screen inside concentric circles. Does a wonderful job, and GPS Status is a much more informative radar app than the basic radar app you can find in the market. With these two tools, finding the cache is easy peasy. From there, you can either log the find with the touch of one buttone in Geobeagle via SMS, OR hit the webpage button and Geobeagle opens your default browser to the cache page and allows you to log the find while in the field. This is just an awesome way to fly! Best of all, both Geobeagle and GPS Status are free from the marketplace. So you just load them up and go. If you want to take GPX files right off the site and save them to your phone, get Download Crutch which will allow you to save GPX files right to your phone. Then point Geobeagle at the GPX and off you go! Simple. Soon as I figure out how to do screen shots, I'll post some. In the meantime, this is the way to fly as far as I'm concerned. Enjoy! Oh, and just a quick shout out to Jacob (Knight007) who did the great video a while back showing the G1 in use for caching. Jacob rocks! Sam
  8. Okay, while I've not yet managed to go caching yet, I thought I'd report what I have done. First thanks to Okiebryan I backed up my brand new G1, erased and then boxed it up, and took it back. I got the MyTouch (G2) instead because of Okiebryan's comments about the memory and my own tests. Plus to be honest, the G2 was more to my tastes. It's got a more streamlined feel in my hand, its sleeker, and so sexy in the Merlot color. The GPSR in the MyTouch is everybit as accurate as the G1, and out performed my GPSMAP 76s by a significant margin. I've taken a bunch of GPX files, dropped them into GeoBeagle, and am just plain wowed by this thing so far. Was one my way to my first cache when the heavens opened up on me. Sorry, I'm a wuss today, so not caching in the rain today. However. I did a drive by the first cache on my list to visit and parked next to it. GPS was spot on, and I could (and did) toggle through the different scenes of information available, including map and satellite view. My Garmin couldn't do ANYTHING like this little pocket wonder. The compass was accurate, and easy to use and took me right to the spot. About the only thing I STRONGLY advise is reading the faq at http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/GeoBeagle first. It makes the whole thing so much easier to use. Plus there is apparently a bug somewhere in the default Android browser that prevents it from properly syncing to GeoBeagle. I am planning to download Opera, which I'm told fixes the problem. Over all, this is more like using a Tricorder to go caching than a "normal" GPSR. Plus honestly it attracts less muggle attention when you are walking along looking at your "phone" instead of a GPS. As for the G1/G2 question, aside from those stated, the G2 also has a Lanyard loop (the G1 does not) and because it is fractionally smaller, it will fit into accessories for an iPod, including a waterproof case kind thing. Currently, the G1 is selling for $129 and the MyTouch (G2) for $149. Don't discount the worth of the additional system memory like I did when I bought the G1. Out of the box with the "Donut" upgrade, you have 71 meg of Ram, and only a 1gig SD card. Out of the box the MyTouch has just over 300 meg free memory which is WAY more than double the G1, has double the rom memory (for OS updates) and a 4gig SD card. Soon as the skys clear, I'll visit my first cache and let y'all know how that goes. I expect it to be simple, easy and fun. Sam
  9. I just got my G1 and so far it's head and shoulders above my GPSMAP 76s from Garmin. So far I've only run some preliminary tests, but it rocks. From inside my brick apartment building it had no problem locking onto the birds and showing my position with much greater accuracy than the Garmin ever managed. It has a complex array of internal sensors that include, yes, a compass that works in three axis. This think is so tricked out, the display automatically switches to landscape mode if you turn it sideways. Not only does it do terrestrial mapping really well, but with the GoogleSky app it does stellar mapping equally well. Want to know where mars is on a given night? As it, it will point you to it. It'll show stars and constellations, all in real time as you point the G1 toward the sky and pan around. For caching, will I'm going to be taking it into the field on the morrow, but I fully anticipate it out performing my Garmin by a long shot. So yeah, sensors galore. More to follow shortly. So far it's awesome!
  10. Depending on my mood, either in my hand, a fanny pack, or the SG field vest I use for longer trips. I prefer the vest because I have an external antenna attached to the shoulder so this way the GPSMAP76S rides in one of the pockets. Mind you most of the time it's in a fitted neoprene case regardless of how I'm carrying it... Sam...
  11. Actually MOST decent epoxy will once cured hold at 100mph from 0 to 150 degrees at least... That stuff forms a bond so strong that the metal will distort and tear before the epoxy gives... In the case of lolli, the paint will come off first... Sam...
  12. Actually I'm using MapSource's USA Metro Guide version 5.0 and GSAK to do this all the time. I have some standard pocket queries setup that give me everything I'm looking for, I load them into my GPS, I also drop the cache's into Metro Guide and when I plot a route, I just click on Cache's I'd like to hit on the trip and it factors those in too... Works AMAZINGLY well!!! An alternative I'm considering is just dropping in extra waypoints after MapSource has build a route for me, moving those into GSAK and then running filters based on that data, which would give me a tick by tick list of nearby caches... Lacking those two options, it is also just fun to drop a pocket query into the GPS and have them show up as you drive. Then you can choose which to stop and look for from there... I keep the query results on a CF card that I drop into my PDA while traveling... Works out well too! Sam...
  13. So is that before or AFTER they arrest you for false reporting? Reporting a bomb that isn't IS a crime in most states... Plus they'll bill you for the semtec they use blowing up those innocent caches... Sam...
  14. I have to agree with Imajika, I'm a long time geekette myself and caching is just the latest for me... Was never into sports in school, but really LOVE caching, though honestly the best part of it for me has nothing to do with the toys... Now as far as being a geekette, well I too have built my own computers and a bunch of other tech toys... I designed and built most of http://www.partysite.com that uses geographic location technology to pull up a list of sites near someones zip... Takes the zip, turns it into lat/long co-ordinates and then does a search of the database based on that... Kinda cool, very fast, and cheaper than what my company was quoted to lease this kind of thing... I'm heavy into Digital Photography and Video editing... Built my own PVCR (Tivo kind of thing) and edit out the commercials and burn things to DVD to watch later... SO that's just my two cents... Sam...
  15. Here we go again, I've logged out, and back in... ...twice... Sam
  16. I'm just testing too... Sam...
  17. Hello everybody! I'm new to geocaching but really excited about it! I've always been the outdoorsy type to start with but am always open to finding nice new places, geocahing is PERFECT for me!!! My husband isn't even slightly interested in going hiking with me, let alone cache hunting... My Sister-in-law now she's a totally different story! So while new to it, that would be a couple more women out there hunting! Sam... So I don't know why my avatar isn't showing up...
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