Lucanos
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Everything posted by Lucanos
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Having Some Dramas - Importing From Email Details: GSAK Version 6.0.2 (Build 24) Gmail Email Account Windows XP Using a "Get data from email" profile which I saved pre-V6, I have been unable to download the GPX files through my Gmail account. Settings: Username - 'username@gmail.com' Password - 'PASSWORD' POP3 Server - 'pop.gmail.com' Port # - 995 (as per note regarding GMail) SSL Login - Selected (as per note) Only check new messages - Selected (tested both ways) After matching download - Delete If Attachment exists - Rename (by adding number) Get files that match - Contains '[GEO] Pocket Query:' (ignore case) Load folder... - Load '...Last active' When I hit "Get Mail" I see a message "Connected OK. Getting msg headers..." However I do not see the subjects flashing by in the statusbar, nor the download progress bar. A second later the update status messages flash past (updating DNF, etc.) and the summary - 0 Added, 0 Archived, 0 Updated (or whatever it says) Any ideas?
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I have had similar problems with 2 eTrex Vistas here. The first one I swapped 1 for 1 over the counter, but the second one has been experiencing the same problems. Battery levels (which I initially thought may have been the problem) is not the cause (and like mtwolfe I find the battery size argument very shaky!). If only Garmin would offer a 1 for 1 : my eTrex Vista for a Vista C... /Living in a fantasy world...
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Whilst they are not as feature-packed as the eTrex units, have you checked out the Gekos? All are "Waterproof" (IEC 529 IPX7 Standard) None have basemaps (as far as I can tell) nor the ability to load maps (only able to load waypoints and other basic data) Geko 101 - RRP $113.32 USD - 3,000 trackpoints - 250 waypoints NOTE: One of these are on offer in this thread for $60 USD Geko 201 - RRP $149.99 USD - 10,000 trackpoints - 10 saved tracks - 500 waypoints - 20 routes (between 125 waypoints) - WAAS Enabled - 4 interactive games that transform the great outdoors into a virtual board game: + Enjoy a good workout while chasing a virtual lizard in Geko Smak, + match symbols in a grid version of Memory Race, + navigate to reference points without crossing one’s trail in Nibbons, + collect symbols along a path in Virtua Maze. Geko 301 - RRP $246.61 USD - 10,000 trackpoints - 10 saved tracks - 500 waypoints - 20 routes (between 125 waypoints) - WAAS Enabled - 5 interactive games that transform the great outdoors into a virtual board game: + Enjoy a good workout while chasing a virtual lizard in Geko Smak, + match symbols in a grid version of Memory Race, + navigate to reference points without crossing one’s trail in Nibbons, + collect symbols along a path in Virtua Maze, + dodge and blast virtual meteors speeding toward you in Geokoids (using the Geko 301's electronic compass) - Electronic compass - Barometer (I hope I copied the stats correctly...) The Geko 201 & 301 would be good as the integrated games would assist you in teaching your little one about how to use it, and the compass & barometer would add to the longevity of the interest (the more bells and whistles...) But I reckon the 201 would be a good, basic but powerful unit.
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Hi, The 6 character strings are (as you guessed) Cache Waypoints. They were designed as alot of GPSr units have limits on the number of characters in a waypoint name (and having alot of characters on the screen can make it very cluttered). The co-ordinates used in Geocaching (at least through this site) are on the WGS Datum. So to enter them into your GPSr you can either: 1) Change the setup of your GPSr to WGS (see your manual) and then enter the co-ords as per the GeoCaching.com data, and then (if you need to) change the GPSr back to your previous Datum. (I think the unit will automatically convert the co-ords when you do this). 2) Google for a converter to help you change the WGS Data here into whatever Datum you want to use. I think you'll find keeping your GPSr on WGS will be alot easier (unless you specifically use it for other purposes which require a different datum). Luke
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Unfortunate for myself and my Australian Caching Clansmen is that an item like this one would probably be classes as a Concealed Weapon by the Australian Government and as such would be Prohibited. I don't need to give the Federal Police any more reasons to kick in my front door than they already have... Nice idea though - if they offered wooden staffs I would be very interested...
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Yeah, In a trend becoming more and more synonymous with the purchasing of nearly any electronic doo-dad I recently bought the Garmin eTrex Vista only a few weeks before the eTrex Vista C was released here in Australia. The questions were targetted at figuring options for connecting my Vista to a laptop with the minimum fuss. I was (of course) hoping that instead of purchasing one of the third-party power/data cables with a serial plug & 12V jack in order to keep my Vista chugging along when on the road (as changing batteries every few hours is no fun) I might have been able to simply wait for the Garmin USB cable to become available over here and then use it to connect my Vista & laptop. But, from your response, and the responses others have offered, it seems that is not to be. Although I am sure that a Serial ==> USB adaptor would allow me to connect the standard Garmin Serial Data Cable to a USB port the potential for problems with the COM port being assigned to the adaptor is a bit of a niggling issue. Call me a complainer (AUDIENCE: "You're a complainer!!") but I was just hoping for a true Plug-&-Play solution... Oh well, maybe I will be able to offload my Vista on some unsuspecting newbie and upgrade to the Vista C.
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Experience Using An External Re-radiating Antenna
Lucanos replied to jmason4531's topic in GPS technology and devices
Makes sense... I guess (harking back to HS Physics here) the unltimate solution would be to enclose your GPSr in a Faraday Cage or some sort (maybe fine metal mesh). Dunno how you'd do that and still make it visible & easy to carry, maybe a wire mesh? No doubt there are posters here with a better understanding of RF Engineering than I who can comment. -
Unsed Bits In Gps Signal And Possible Cool Useage
Lucanos replied to raouljan's topic in GPS technology and devices
Is there that much bandwidth left unused? -
Thanks for the reply. I know that there are Serial <=> USB converters available out there (although I must admit that the one you linked to is by far the sexiest yet), but this just causes more questions... When using a converter like this, does the eTrex get powered via the cable? Or does it need battery power/a third part data cable with a power inserter? Also still looking for replies about the Genuine USB Cable... Thanks
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Fair point, but then again, the standard Garmin cover doesn't contain (in and of itself) any electronics - it's just a plastic/rubber cover for the batteries. My concern would be that I night dunk the eTrex and, instead of writing off $<1 of batteries I have killed $60 worth of charger. Realistically, for covers like this to be widely accepted they need to: - Be compatible with all holders/cradles provided by the manufacturer - Be waterproof/waterresistant to the same degree as the actual unit (in the eTrex case - waterproof) - if the unit itself is cactus losing the charger with it is no big deal. I'd almost like to see Garmin change their units so that when connected to an external power source (car or mains) the batteries are bypassed and the unit is powered by that power source AND the batteries are charged at the same time. Alot of CB radios, etc have this functionality, normally with a small switch in the battery bay that says "NiMH"/"Alc"...
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Experience Using An External Re-radiating Antenna
Lucanos replied to jmason4531's topic in GPS technology and devices
Hi All, As a quick aside - I notice that PC-Mobile offers the amplifier with 2 different antenna types. Being the GAS3Tx & the GAS76x. Which of the two do you guys have? (Just wanting to ensure that if when I purchase one I can be confident that it will work) Thanks Luke -
Hi All, This is just a quick post to voice a couple of queries about the eTrex USB Data Cable, which I believe comes as standard with the Vista C & Legend C. I purchased a Vista (B&W) which came with a Serial Cable. Whilst this is fine for when I link it to my Desktop PC at home, it also means that I am unable to directly connect it to my Laptop when I am out and about (as it has no Serial ports). I have seen many posts in this forum for people in my situation, directing people to sites which sell aftermarket cables with USB plugs, some of which allow for power to be provided to the eTrex when connected to a USB port &/or a 12V Auto outlet. My questions are these: - Does the USB Cable supplied with the eTrex "C" models work on the earlier "B&W" models? - Does the USB Cable provide power to the eTrex unit when connected? Is this the case for both "C" & "B&W" units? - Does anyone know where these cables can be purchased individually? I'd rather not go through the processes of finding an adaptor or an aftermarket cable if Garmin offer an original cable that satisfies my needs. Anyway, I appreciate your help and look forward to your responses. Thanks Luke
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Cherokeecacher - I am quite interested to know the results of your tests on this unit. Was it easy to use? How water-resistant/-proof did it prove to be? How well did it charge the batteries? How comfortable was it to carry when out 'caching? Regardless of some of the posts above, I see this product (maybe when it's a bit cheaper) being a possible option to ensure that I am never out of power when in the field (I'd always carry a couple of spare AAs, but this would help to ensure that everytime I left the car/house I'd know that the batteries were 100% charged.
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Is there an export opportunity here? If I buy up a couple dozen and ship 'em to you, can we make some profit? Of course, i'm not in it for the money - I'm just interetsed in helping out the poor oppressed wax-tablet users. With those kinds of prices I am sure that there would be more than enough room for a bit of a mark-up if you were to sell them here... Even the, supposedly cheaper, prices on eBay are quite high in comparison (and I personally don't like the idea of sending AU$200-$300 (US$140-$200) off to Honk Kong or wherever in the hopes I don't get ripped off!). Check out eBay yourself - if you can get these cards that cheap it may be a little money-spinner for you.
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Hi Keystone, Forgive my newbie-ism and all (and I have tried to research this myself prior to asking) but why aren't moving/travelling/dynamic caches allowed anymore? Having only been looking at this site for a month or so now I think that they are quite a fun idea - a cache which might very well come to you rather than you having to go to it. Thanks
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The only bastard of these places is that, for some reason, they don't want to ship these items overseas!! So us poor cachers in Australia are stuck running around with our WaxTablet PCs...
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Hi Guys, Just a quick suggestion if it may please the court... I have noticed that there are a few caches (often labelled as "Mystery" or "Puzzle" Caches) where the objective is to find the Cache, then to relocate it to another location. An example of this is the "Traffic Control" Series by "The Rats" in Australia (GC678F, GC7C01 & GC7D6E) My suggestion is that, when a GeoCacher logs these finds they are prompted to enter the new Co-Ords into the form and this information would then be used to update the Cache Page Co-Ords. This would mean that the GC.com feature allowing us to find GCs close to entered co-ordinates would be more accurate. It might even be worth adding a new category for "Dynamic Caches", being caches which are designed so they do shift around... Just an idea to try and make these caches easy to find online, yet still as challenging to find in the real world...
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Hi, I haven't dealt with Garmin myself, but I have read in other threads here that they are normally quite good... I don't know whether you could chase this as part of the warranty - the disclaimer you see at the start-up of the unit says that the information it provides is for reference only, and as I would assume the packaging says that it has a basemap of the US pre-loaded it is not really misleading... Your best bet may be to ask them very, very nicely if they could replace the US basemap with the AUS basemap supplied with the AUS model? Have you had anyone with an AUS version check to see whether the same inaccuracy exists? How much were they going to charge you for the map? (Was it the MapSource product that they were trying to sell you?) Also, for topics specific to Geocaching in Australia I strongly recommend that you check out the Geocaching.com.au Forums
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Hi Lee, I've been looking about for SD Cards myself (for my PocketPC), both through online stores and through eBay. The prices you have found seem to be pretty good, in fact better than alot! Where'd you find them? Thanks Luke
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What about a Cache-Making Bot? Have it retrace a track that you might make by driving along the trails, etc. in your area and then randomly pick a spot, turn to a side and drop/throw a container into the brush. Mark a WP for the location and then come home. Finally your own hide-and-go-seek-bot!!!
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Just a couple of further, purely aesthetic suggestions for the PQs. As Caching Fever has spread beyond the bounds of the Pacific Coast of the US (I am in The Land of Oz) the fact that the caches are run on Pacific Standard Time creates a little confusion for me. What I would like to see on the PocketQuery Page is: - The Date/Time the page was loaded (in PST) - A New Column for "Next Scheduled Run", so that I know whether my PQs have or have not been run (if the Current Date/Time is greater than the Next Scheduled Run there is a problem!) - A Message that can be shown when issues are affecting the delivery of PQs, so that we don't end up with 3 discussion threads saying "Did you get your PQ for Monday".... Also, adding an option for those users out there who run their PQs less regularly than every 7 days, might be to allow them to be scheduled fornightly, or monthly (ie "On the Xth day of the Month"). This would allow users the ability to spread out their PQs (for areas they may not visit as often) and reduce, once again, the load. And (as I am in the suggesting mood) it could be a good idea for newbies like myself if, when you subscribe as a Premium User a PQ is automatically designed (but not necessarily scheduled) for Xkm/mi from your Home Co-Ordinates. It could prove to be a good option to help people get into PQs without us trying to develop a mesh of interconnecting/overlapping PQs to get what we think we need.
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Well put GrizzlyJohn.
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I know this may be percieved as a bit of a dummy-spit, but I am quite disappointed in the added functionality I have access to as a "Premium Member". Just trying to setup a good off-line database so that I can try and start using GSAK and my HandheldPC in my cache searches is not much more pleasant than root canal minus the anesthetic! Between the posts in this section regarding the limitations of the PQs and the difficulties nearly everyone has with them, and the fact that not a single one of my PQs have run as yet I am starting to get a bit frustrated here!! I know that this frustration may be due, in part at least, to the fact that I am new to a few of the concepts here and haven't yet tweaked my setup, but having an unreliable base to try and work my configurations to definitely isn't helping. Considering that one of the main sticking points people speak about is the load PQs place on the servers when they run, I'd rather have the option to just download a dump of all the caches in my country as a GSX file and then perform my own filtering off-line! // Grrrr!!!!!
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I'm not sure if this is related or not (God I hope so, as it would at least give me a reason for the problem!) I just recently became a Premium Member (due, in no small part, to the ability to download GPX files and finally start on the path to paperless-caching). I have set up 10 PQs (to get a good set of basedata for GSAK) and had a set of 5 set to execute on Monday and a second set of 5 to execute on Tuesday. As yet not a single PQ has executed for me! Am I doing something wrong?!?!?!
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Trying to avoid the quagmire of mud-slinging that seems to have become an alternate purpose to this thread, I am interested in people's thoughts regarding my suggestion made above. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the main issues people have with PQs (as both Users and from an Admin side) are: - The load PQs put on the server is quite high due to the depth of the search options and the number of records returned - There is confusion between Users on how to best utilise PQs to gain the information they want to use offline (whether that is just a small hit-list of nearby caches or, as some would like, a list of every cache in their hemisphere) - The limits currently imposed by the PQ system (500 records per search, 5 searches per day) mean that people have had to develop work-arounds to gain the information they need. - The workarounds developed by some seem to cause "overlaps" in the data returned, meaning that the PQs are working harder than they really need to. I think that one thing that we all need to remember here is that, just because someone is doing something in a way we might not doesn't mean it's wrong, just means that it's different. We need to look at improving both sides in order to get the most out of this service. We need to try and help other users to develop techniques to get the most out of their PQs whilst at the same time doing so economically. We also need to try and develop ideas for solutions from a system side that may help in making the best use of the system resources. Realising that some people do like to have a "basemap" of caches over a large area, and that gaining this information through a PQ can be quite intensive on the system (ie multiple PQs to get around the 500 result limit), and also realising that some people have difficulty gaining the most up-to-date data for their local caches due to the density of finds in their area (I am sure some people have more than 500 caches within their hunting grounds), my suggestion, as mentioned above, is this. Why not run large-scale batches once a month (or at an interval decided as best by all) which would dump a file containing all caches within a selected State. Provide the option for Premium Users to download this file and use it as a base for their offline systems. Then these users can customise their PQs to specifically return the most recently updated data for the caches they wish to target. I see the benefits of this being that the load on the PQ server is reduced (as only one large-scale query would be performed monthly/whenever), whilst the bandwidth load is roughly equal (people downloading the files would use about the same volume as people receiveing them via email). I also see the benefit that people who do just want to keep a copy of the GC.com database offline can do so quite easily, even if their data only gets updated monthly/whenever. Personally, as a very recent subscriber to GC.com and to the GC scene altogether I am having difficulty trying to get the information I want (which may be different to the information I need, but that's my prerogative) from these PQs. I think that trying to design a system or technique to assist everyone in getting what they want is what we should be striving for, rather than simply saying "You're doing it wrong" and failing to open ourselves to other options. </RANT>