skillett
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Posts posted by skillett
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skillett -
It is not up to us to update the NGS database with survey disks that are not included in the NGS database. They do not want us to be trying to do that. In fact, they don't want us to try to communicate anything at all with them about survey disks that are not in their database.
We have no place to log these disks on either the Geocaching website or the NGS website.
floolw this link to a post discussing updating datasheet info
http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=80447
Unless i am reading it wrong. the ngs is activly seeking updated info from us.
skillett. :Dex.php?
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Here's a link to a prior discussion about the USGS benchmarks. There are a large number of them, especially off the beaten path. The crux of the matter is in the middle of what evenfall said:Many, probably a majority, of benchmarks appearing on USGS topo maps are not in the NGS or Geocaching database.
It's not in the database, and you'll have to look for it with just the X to guide you. Or, you could contact the USGS from above and get a paper copy of all of the data for your area.
It's bad luck that you live in an area of the country where the PID designation is somewhat confusing with the topographic BM markers. Imagine living in Burleson county, TX, altitude 290 ft. or so, where you're looking for stations like BM0225 A 208
So if I find one that's not in the database should I try to do an update to the ngs database per a previous disscussion here? there are some Bm's on my quad that are not in the database. some are out in the boonies. I guess I will have to do some studying to figure out how to get LAT/LON coords down to the second off the quad to pinpoint the location. BTW there is a degree confluence point in the SW corner of my quad. 31.00N 98.00W I plan on visiting it too. It has already been found But woulld still be cool.
thanks again guys for all the help.
skillett
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thanks for the info. But. How can I use the quad to retrieve data from the NGS database. I went and tried this morning and could not find the datasheet for a BM that I have found near my house. (I got the sheet from here) it is BM1071 on the map. I must have been doing somthing wrong in thinking I had the data sheets for the benchmark on the quad. BM1071 is not listed in the ngs database under that name. HELP!!
skillett
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testing new avatar
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I am volunteering with the national map corps. My quad is copperas cove ,tx. There is a BM listed " BM1034" that is listed as being on the edge of town. and the data sheet for BZ1034 says it's forty miles north. I can find no reference for BM1034 Just BZ1034
In the description it says on the last recovery attempt by the USPS that the mark was not found. the data on my quad is pretty old. Has the usgs changed the the designation of BM's from BM to BZ?. the benchmarks that I have done so far were right where they were supposed to be. But, they are listed in the datasheets as BZ not BM When I plug the lat/lon into my mapping program it is close to where the datasheet says it is. Should I try to correct this through the usgs or not? The usgs NMC project is only interested in gps data for certain structures and not benchmarks.
skillett
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UIview is an excellent aprs tracking program and will work with SA 5 and earlier.but it has minimal support for SA. it will not work with sa 2004 or later. another good program is APRS+SA which works with sa5 But it costs 20 bucks You can also hook either program to the internet via an aprs server to familiarize yourself with them before you get your tracker buillt .DElorme changed thier interface with the 2000 series and will not let go of the code for programming interfaces.. Maybe some day some one will make an opensource mapping software program for us all.
BTW here is a neat little program for overlaying tracks onto an SA map it's free too' follow this link and download waypoint+
http://www.tapr.org/~kh2z/Waypoint/
skillett
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Skillett,
I have an issue I can't resolve with Cachemate. I am trying to hotsynch a pdb from GSAK. When I open Cachemate all I get for a benchmark name is the station name i.e. X217 instead of the PID. I have set GSAK to use %code which is the PID in my database. Any ideas? All software is registered b-t-w.
mrh
Sorry I can't help you with that one. I have Gsak but don't use it that much and am not familiar with it. The process I described in my first post was a simple one. Just 2 steps. The only thing I didn't like was that it put the PID that is in front of every line on the datasheet in with it. check up this thread for another post I found about using dswin.. you may have to experiment with to get just the data you want. I don't use cachemate for this process I use Plucker which is a free HTML viewer for a PDA. Sorry I couldn't help.
skillett
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when I started this thread I was excited that I had found a simple to get datasheets into my pda. it was a simple 2 step process but, the data sheets had the PID at the beginning of each line that threw off the format of the datasheet when put on the pda. making it hard to read. I have learned much through the replies to this post. I had been searching for a way to eliminate the PID at the beggining of each line to make formatting easier.. there was a recent post that explained how to do that. I posted the link here yesterday. I do not want a whole counties worth of benchmarks at once I only wanted a few of the BM's I was going to hunt that day. I learned of a product called dswin from the NGS that fit the bill and it's FREE!. I encourage any one interested in going to paperless datasheets to get this program and experiment with it. I dont care about having a spreadsheet format because I use one datasheet at a time anyway. I like dswin because it easily lets me eliminate the column with the PID and makes datasheets easier to read on my PDA. As we all know the GPS coords on datasheets are usually way off and we all depend on descriptions to find the marks. So thanks to you all for the repiles to my post. I have learned a lot from all of you.
Skillett
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Artman,
follow this link for a way to strip extra data from datasheets and convert a spread sheet. I have been following the instructions and although I dont want a whole counties data I can also "Grab" any datasheet or combo of datasheets and do the same thing. I would save the resulting spreadsheet as an HTML file then use plucker to export it to your pda
http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=97962
Hope this helps
Skillett
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the ifinder go seemed like a screamin good deal.I mean;, A mapping gps for 80 bucks! it would be nice if you could upload cache coords into it though. I have been using gps for years I use them for Ham radio APRS which is an application that lets other hams track me on a map and I can track them and send and recieve messages to and from them. I also use an application called waypoint that will download tracks and waypoints from the gps and project them onto a street atlas map All these apps nead is a way to get data FROM the gps. So I guess if a person didnt want to use it for geocaching it would still be usefull and a good deal. but hey, geocaching is why we are all here right?
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Here is an email I got from Lowrance tech support about the Ifinder go's ability to Up/download data to a Pc. had asked numerous times in the forums and no one could supply an answer. So here it is.
Thank you for your inquiry. The Go To does have NMEA output
capability, but will not accept direct downloads into its memory from a computer.
Thank you for your interest in Lowrance products.
Lowrance Customer Service
12000 E. Skelly Dr.
Tulsa, OK 74128
Customer Service: 1-800-324-1356
Lowrance website: <http://www.lowrance.com/>
LEI: Parts & Accessories 1-800-324-0045
online at <http://www.lei-extras.com/>
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skillett -
I'm sorry to hear that you interpreted my post as derogatory. I certainly didn't mean to be derogatory. But I'm an old-fashioned, analog kind of person and I really love toposheets. I'm so technologically unsophisticated that I don't even know how to make those smiley-face emoticons show up at the end of my posts. So, please accept my apology for causing you even an instant of grief.
Now, don't get me wrong; I can be derogatory. But I wasn't when I said that PDA's are not as cool as quads. It's just that they're not, is all.
[imagine smiley-face here]
Will
As in a previous reply I guess I am overly sensitive. I guess I need to Man up a little.
I agree with you on the quads. They are a lot easier to find benchmarks on that the databases. I got a quad for my area and there are a lot of them close to me that i didn't know about. I just use the PDA for the datasheets. I find it more convienent than having a bunch of sheets fo paper and trying to shuffle them around on a windy day. Unless I spent a LOT more money than I am willing to spend. I will continue to use paper maps. BEsides have you ever tried to read a PDA on a Sunny day. IT ain't easy pal.
regards,
Skillett
P.S. just click on the clickable smiles on the left of the text window and they will be put into your replies. But, you wont see them until you actually post the reply. You will only see the HTML code for them
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I like both But prefer benchmark hunting. The thrill I get when I find one and the history behind the placement is what gets me. If I find a particularly old one or one that hasen't been found for a while I think of just what exatlyit took for it to get there. the old ones in particular. I haven't found many but it is exciting when I am able to go. Take one placed in the 1800's for example. The people that placed it were probably away from home for weeks or months at a time. they were on horseback or in a wagon with primitive camping equipment at best. No airconditioned winnebago with a refridgerator
and microwave. no gas stove to cook on. no fresh food other than that which they could hunt or forage for. hardscrabble men doing a hardscrabble job. no paved superhighways. hacking thier way through thick brush. in the heat of the summer with no A/c to retreat to at the end of the day. no running water.to cool off with. Its the history that gets me. The sacrifice and effort these men put into placing that particular benchmark.
Skillett
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Skillet,
I guess that smile I put at the bottom of my post was not enough for you to catch my attempt at humor...
So *Ahem* <<I was attempting to be a little funny there.>> Out of character for me I know...
So Sheesh! In fact don't make me become one of the knights who say Nee, and say Nee unto you, until you appease me...
Now, go get me, A Shrubbery!
Rob
Yeah I guess I jumped the gun on that one. But the first 2 replys to an innocent post seemed derogatory to me. I guess I was just being over sensitive.after I reread your reply I saw the smiley and figured it out. guess i'm not the brightest bulb in the pack. Would you prefer Boxwood or Holly
skillett
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Skillett
Which pda are you using? I am kicking around getting a IIIXe. I don't know anyone around here who is using a pda. I use a laptop currently with USAPhotomaps and NGS datapages saved into a spreadsheet. Works great when I'm driving but with Summer coming I like to ride my mtb. My laptop is light but not THAT light!
ooh ooh new lyrics: I ride my, I ride my mtb
I'm using an old Palm III. Not a lot of bells and whistles or memory for that matter. I have used delorme street atlas 5 in the past to load maps into the PDA But haven't tried it with a benchmark yet. A Printed map is a lot easier to read when you're going down the road. There is one thing I would like to figure out how to do though. That is how to easily eliminate the print at the beginning of each line that has the PId of the benchmark. I would make the datasheet easier to read on the PDA. BTW do you save the datasheet as a comma delimited text file? if so how. I tried importing one into excel and it worked ok but if I could import it into a spreadsheet and eliminate the column with the PID THEN save as html that would be great.
skillett
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What is he world coming to? They try to eliminate paper and then make the Cookie Monster become politically correct?
I gotta get Mark Knopfler to rewrite Money for Nothing so as to include the new line, I want my, I want my, I want my datasheeeet!
Sheesh!
:-)
SHEESH MAN! lighten up a little. I am not saying the whloe world has to go paperless. as a matter of fact I wouldn't go COMPLETLY paperless my self. The quads are a good source of BM info. as a matter of fact I find them considerably more convenient that trying to use the database here. I just look on the map go to the NGS database and type in the PID for the BM I'm looking for and get the datasheet then put it on the pda. I have enough stuff to keep up with and every peice of paper I can eliminate the better I lkie it. ( My car eats paper. sometimes i think it runs on the stuff)
skillett
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Thanks for the info. You have answered a qustion for me that I can't seem to find the answer to. Mainly Does the I findergo have a computer interface. according to the manual at lowrance IT does. I have posted numerous messages here trying to get an answer but have'nt. I even emailed lowrance tech support but just got back a canned reply.(that was a week ago) So thanks again for the update
skillett
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I figured out how to do paperless benchmark hunting today. Just go to the NGS datasheet and save it as an HTML file then use plucker to get it ready for the PDA then hotsync and your done! I guess you could cut and paste to make the file smaller so as to have more room. But I haven't tried it yet. It shure beats lugging all that paper around!
WAY COOL!
skillett
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Iused to be an over the road truck driver. And am active on 2 meters and hf. I Bought a copy of mapbook and compaired it with the ARRL repeater book. Mapbook is fairly inaccurete as to the area repeaters and PL tones as well as the repeater offsets. The arrl handbook is lots MORE ACCURATE. But it requires a knowledge of the geographical area to know when the repeater is in range.
I dont know what kind of mobile you have but a trick i used when going through a city is to scan the band untill i heard a qso. then I would monitor for a while to see if i wanted to call break or not. If I got no response I would do a PL tone scan and then I would have them and could have a qso. alot of repeaters I,m sorrry to say are not very active today and no body even bothers to monitor them. I have found that the active repeaters will have some one on especially during drive time. I have also had good luck monitoring the national 2 meter simplex calling frequency{144.520} while out in the country. I have found a lot of hams will monitor that freq and will direct you to a local repeater for a qso.
hope this helps
Skillett
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OOPS!
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You can get a Lowrance iFinder GO from TigerGPS currently for $69US. It has 32mb memory that includes base maps and a 16 channel WAAS receiver. Personally I think it's a better buy than a Cobra.
There is no data cable provision on the iFinder GO, but it is an entry level GPSr, and keying coordiates is not a big deal if you're a casual "weekend Geocacher".
There is a data cable for the ifinder go. as a matter of fact tigerGPS sells one cheaper than lowrance does. That IMHO Makes the I finder a SCREAMIN GOOD DEAL!!!
IT is not mentioned in the normal users manual but is mentioned in the advanced users manual. Go to www.lowrance.com and look at the ifinder go when oyu get there click on the advanced user manual. it's a pdf and I think the com port setup is on page 57
I will buy one for myself as soon as I can afford it. the display lookes awsome and a mapping gps for 70 bucks is right up my alley BTW Follow this link for a product comparison.
http://www.lowrance.com/ProductComparison/..._comparison.asp
skillet
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I'm no "big dude," but I am a "big chick."
Ewe's not fat, Ewe's just fluffy.
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Here's a link to the suction cup mount I use. I used to drive a big rig and they do a lot of bouncing and shaking. It never fell off on me. I had it attatched to a mount for a etrex venture with a data/power cable hooked to it. It is so small it fit be hind the gps and did not obstruct my view anymore than the gps did. the model number is rapsb182. I highly recomend Ram products. Though expensive they are well worth the money. They Back thier lifetime warranty too. I had one crack on me and didn't have to pay to ship it back. I just emailed them a picture and they sent me another one free of charge. I highly recomend them.
http://www.rammount.com/ramwebcompthumb/Page0019.html
Hope this helps
Skillett
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Does anyone have any experience with the ifinder go. It looks to be a too good too be true deal. Bass pro shops has them for 79 bucks. It looks like it has nema in/out too. the pc data cable is kind of expensive (39bucks). The maps look cool too.
skillett
Bm Vs Bz
in Benchmarking
Posted
Ah!, I see. I should have read a little closer. Oh well back to the drawing board. I'm gonna need a bigger board! Tkanks all for the help.
Skillett