rlridgeway

I use a Dell Axim X51, a bluetooth receiver and Backcountry Navigator as the GPS software. I like the setup.

I have a PDA/GPS setup that includes software called Backcountry Navigator. This software handles geocaching files very well. I do not need paper at all. You could get a GPS receiver for around 75 dollars and Backcountry Navigator costs additional 30 bucks. GPS receivers for PDAs can be found here BuyGpsNow Backcountry Navigator can be found Here That being said. If there is a chance you could get lost in the wilderness it is not prudent relying solely on electronic devices. An old fashioned map and compass should be part of the trip.

There is a little bit of a learning curve using a PDA. Check out Aximsite An absolutely great site devoted to Dell Axims. This site also has an excellent section on GPS. You should be able to get most of questions answered there.

I will give my 2 cents worth. I use a PDA/GPS combo and it works great. If your Axim has WM2003 try Backcountry Navigator software. For thirty bucks you get all the topo maps of the US you can download for free. The software also handles geocaching files just fine. Check it out at www.backcountrynavigator.com

So not to hijack the thread I have sent you a PM.

The battery life on such a unit . . . not to mention how fragile they are . . . is a big reason to not go that direction. I frequently go on long hikes with my Garmin Vista C. It has been dropped and has gotten wet. A PDA would not be very happy after such incidents . . . I have my Palm with me, but it is protected, in my pack. I only need to get it out to read the cache description or the hint if I am having trouble finding the cache. For $450.00, someone can get a Garmin Venture Cx, City Navigator and Topo maps, the automount, and cigarette-lighter adapter. That rugged GPSr will work for more than 12 hours on fresh batteries. For $30.00, they can pick up a Palm M500 on eBay to use for "paperless" caching. Not to turn this into a tit-for-tat thing but... I am a forester and have used several types of GPS units in the past dozen years or so for work. I have tried high end trimble units, garmins and other GPS solutions. My favorite is the PDA. I use a protective case and am able to run it in all kinds of weather and have dropped it several times with no ill effects. The battery life is a minor issue. I am able to use mine several hours with no problems. With the $450, I get all you said plus Internet, and music and pictures and books and PIM, and calulator,ect. The PDA/GPS may not be for everyone but it is another geocaching option.

When I ask questions such as yours I hate people like me who chip in and make things more complicated. You don't necessarily have to go with a Garmin-like product. There are other GPS options. There is the PDA/GPS option. In some cases it can be cheaper than a stand-alone unit and a PDA has a lot more functions. Besides mapping, you can also listen to music, have a contacts list, surf the Internet, read books, and display pictures. My biggest complaint with Garmin is they charge extra for topo maps and they have limited coverage of the most detailed maps (1:24000 maps). I have about 450 bucks invested in my PDA/GPS setup and I get all the topos of the US I want for free. But there are some advantages to a Garmin-like product. They are rugged and battery life is great. A lot of people use them.

I am a forester and have been using USGS topographic maps for 30 years. I am comfortable using them. It seems people who are familiar with these maps seem to prefer GPS software which displays a USGS maps over software (like Garmin) which have their own proprietary maps. Is this just an indication people like what they are used to, or are USGS maps generally superior to other maps for hiking type purposes? Or am I barking up the wrong tree and even these folks perfer other maps over a USGS topo?

I think in the future, the big guns of United States in trail management, the Park Service and the Forest Service, will start supplying hiking information in some type of GPS format. Many trails have been GPS'ed for internal agency mapping purposes. Its only a matter of time before this is released to the public.

Thanks for the reply. Backcountry Navigator only works with maps it downloads from Terraserver and these are converted into the native .db3 extension. Backcountry Navigator can now use the GPX files imported from USAPhotoMaps. As far as I know, all the info I need can be loaded as GPX files. This combination of USAPhotoMaps is a great low cost solution. For some good whiz effect I also import GPX files into Google Earth. The process is fairly simple and works great.

The problem with the GPX files was on Backcountry Navigator's end. They have corrected the problem. We can now create routes in USAPhotoMaps and export them into Backcountry Navigator.

Thanks for the replies. I was wanting to create routes for Backcountry Navigator. It is a great program but does not have a route creation function. It does however have a function which allows tracks to be imported as a GPX file. I have seen several free applications that routes can be drawn and exported but most of these use a "road" background. I was looking for an application which uses a topo background. It seems USAPhotoMaps does this but the GPX files from USAPhotoMaps does not open in Backcountry Navigator. I am able to export the GPX files in Google Earth just fine, however. The problem may be on BN's side. I plan to contact them. The developer of Backcountry Navigator has been very good to respond to customer's imput. Any thoughts?

I have been searching for a cheap desktop topographic application that would allow me to draw a route and then transfer the route to my PDA as a Gpx file. I hve seen some online applications that can do this but they use a "road" background. I would like to use a topograghic background. I think Memory Map and a couple other program do this but the price has me a little boogered.

Has anyone compared the power usage on a PDA of one with a CF receiver and one with Bluetooth? I appreciate all the comments.

I appreciate all the imput you all have given. I bought the CF/GPS receiver over 2 years ago. The PDA I owned at that time (an Axim 5X basic) did not have Bluetooth. I now own a PDA with Bluetooth. Is there a compelling reason to replace the broken CF/GPS receiver with another CF/ GPS receiver instead of a Bluetooth model? Thanks

What GPS receiver for Pocket PC would you recommend for hiking in a wooded, mountainous environment? I was in the middle of testing some mapping programs when my Haicom 303 MMF CF receiver went caput. It is no longer functional. I have a Dell Axim X50 (416) running WM 2003SE. The 303 separated at the neck of the CF attachment. To avoid this problem in the future I am looking strongly at Bluetooth receivers but am open to suggestions. I have scanned the reviews of GPS receivers on this site but am still a little confused. By the way how has receiver performance changed since the 303 came out? I was fairly pleased with the reception I got from it. I appreciate any comments.

I know I am asking for a lot. I would like a low cost mapping solution which does the following on a Pocket PC: 1. Displays pre-calibrated topographic maps ( I currently use Outdoor Navigator and like the type of quality it gives.) 2. Has a tracking and waypoint option (ON has the waypoint option but not tracking) 3. Ability to upload tracks and waypoints and convert these to an ESRI Shapefile. ( I am aware of a couple of applications which converts tracks and waypoints from one format to another, and this may be a part of the package.) I have a Dell Axim(416) running WM2003 SE and a Haicom 303-MMF CF/GPS receiver. I have tried several of the "moving map" programs. Many of the ones which have the tracking option utilize uncalibrated maps. The calibration process has not worked well for me. I find the process clumbersome and producing less accurate maps than those that are pre-calibrated. Thanks for any advise and I appreciate the patience you have shown.

Thanks for the reply but I tried this and ran into a couple problems. Neither GPS Proxy nor Quemap do not seem to reconize my GPS receiver My GPS receiver is a CF card and is listed on Com port 4. GPS Proxy lists Com Port 4 as a serial port. Also Que map does not list a Com port 4 at all. Am I barking up the wrong tree or is this Garmin software set up for blue tooth only?

Thanks for the reply. That's what I thought but some others have indicated there was a work around with an emulator or something. The software I tried did not seem to work. I am actually interested in low value mapping software that can manipulate ESRI shapefiles. I know that Garmin itself does not do this but there is some 3rd party apps that converts Garmin info to shapefiles and that was the reason for the inquiry.

I have a Dell Axim X50 (416) running on Windows Mobile 2003SE. The receiver I use with this is a Hiacom 303-MMF. Does Garmin sell any mapping software that is suitable for my setup without buying additional hardware?

What is your favorite GPS program for PDAs that shows topo lines?

Thanks for the reply. Your accuracy is not too bad but I am usually within 50 feet with the pre-calibrated maps. I think there are two issues: 1) The accuracy of the pre-calibrated maps vs. the self-calibrated maps, and 2) the complicated and clumbersome set up of the self-calibrated maps. Actually, I am used to dealing with Trimble's GPS units and ARC/GIS at work and yet I am impressed with the simplicity and accuracy of Outdoor Navigator and Backcountry Navigator. (Outdoor Navigator is no longer being sold) I just wish these programs had the functions of programs like GPS Tuner, like tracking and area calculations. The big downside with programs like GPS Tuner is the hassle of dealing with maps that are less accurate.

For geocaching and hiking I have experience using raster based software which displays topographic maps. I use a Dell Axim X50 with a Hiacom 303 MMF CF/GPS receiver. The software I am most familar with is Outdoor Navigator and Backcountry Navigator. I have been pleased with the accuracy of the pre-calibrated proprietary maps these programs have. As good as they are,these programs lack some features I am interested in. I have tried other programs like GPS Tuner, but have had a hard time with any program that uses maps that have to be calibrated. The process of calibration seems terribly clumbersome(The maps have to be downloaded to a PC, converted,tiled,calibrated,and then transfered to a PDA). After all this is done, the maps I have calibrated do not have the accurracy I get using ON or BN. Are there any GPS mapping programs that combine the best of both worlds? Or am I missing something, that the calibration process is much easier and accurate than I am making out?

I am a forester and we use GPS units to map timber stands. We have a couple of Trimble's GPS receivers. These are the Rolls Royce of GPS units but with some Velcro we attach an external antenna to our hardhats . This way, the receiver can be stored in a pocket and our hands are free to tie flagging, ect. The receiver makes a beep when it gets a hit so I know if the unit is working properly. You may be able to perform similar functions with GPS/ PDA receivers.

Oh gee, just when I thought I figguring this out! So WAAS slows the process and uses more energy. Hummm...