Steel City Seekers

Are you downloading in the form of a pocket query? At the bottom of the pocket query page, it gives you options to download a zipped .gpx, and unzipped .gpx, or a .loc file. I'd suggest the pocket query if you aren't doing it this way.

Are you a premium member on gc.com? I assume that you have to have a .gpx file for cachemate to open. You, therefore, have to be a premium member, download a pocket query in .gpx form, then transfer that over to the Pocket PC for cachemate to open. Again, I'm going to have to defer here and hopefully a cachemate user will chime in. I use GPXSonar. For GPXSonar, I simply create the query and copy over the .gpx file as described in my first paragraph.

Which one did you get? There aren't any for Lowrance, but there is one for the Brunton Atlas and another for the Atlas MNS. They appear to be slightly different.

Hmmm . . . I’m really looking forward to some of the discussion on this topic. I just took delivery of my new Lowrance Explorer Plus last night, and am anticipating playing with it quite a bit over the next few days. I, by nature, am the type of person that is an electronics junkie and will try to turn it inside out to find/test all of its features. This appears to be a bit of a daunting task, however, because the Lowrance’s do appear to have quite a number of features available. Hopefully, I’ll be a greater benefit in the near future. An initial impression of my not-yet-used Explorer is that it is a fairly large device. It is quite a bit bigger than the Explorist 100 I’ve been using. However, Garmin’s GPSMaps also appear to be pretty big as well, at least in comparison to the Explorist and Etrex lines. It does feel good in the hand, however. With regard to third party software, such as GSAK, it didn’t appear to me that decreased support would be an issue. Yes, it would be more difficult to obtain information from users because they are more limited, but the software certainly has options for export to Lowrance receivers. Also, AirMapper is building a website (as referenced in his signature) that details what appears to be a pretty straightforward export from GSAK. In my case, the Explorer is nice because it uses full-size SD cards as does my Pocket PC. In the GPXSonar program for the Pocket PC, there are options to export files to Lowrance, Magellan Explorist, and Magellan Meridian. This could be particularly handy for me away from home if I can download a .gpx file, translate it to Lowrance waypoints, and copy it to the SD card from my Pocket PC. We’ll see how that works out soon. Some people do not like the idea of using an SD card and reader for all of the map and waypoint transfers. In my case, this might be an advantage. Now, one of the topics mentioned by the OP is use for travel. Based on the research that I did, it doesn’t appear that the Lowrance will provide driving directions, so that should definitely be a consideration. I have a separate GPS and software for the Pocket PC to serve this purpose, so in this case, the Lowrance was a good solution for me personally because I intend to use it off-road only. A nice feature that I noted in the Lowrance manual is that you can use it in a mode where the receiver is not trying to obtain and update a GPS fix. This would be handy for just looking at maps while sitting in a hotel or the living room. I do this frequently with the Pocket PC to just get a lay of the land and look for nearby restaurants. It’s nice, too, because the Pocket PC software provides telephone numbers for POIs, so I can use it like a phonebook. According to the Explorer manual, it also provides telephone numbers for POIs, which is spectacular I think. I have read, however, that some of the POIs in MapCreate are way off their actual location. But, this is something I’ll have to check out with some experience. I ended up selecting the Lowrance based on an extensive amount of research, which is what I do with these types of decisions. However, I make my decisions based on my criteria alone. The Lowrances appear to have great locks and reception, and it’s rumored that the color models use the same SirfIII chip as the Garmin 60 and 76 Cx and CSx models, but this has yet to be confirmed. The Garmins were way above my price point, however, as I got my Explorer package for just under $250 including shipping. If I didn’t already have the Pocket PC with its GPS receiver and had to rely on only one receiver, I likely would have ponied up for one of the Garmin 60 x-series. Since automatic routing was not in my criteria, I would think this would eliminate the Lowrance for many users. Hopefully, I’ll get to play with it this evening.

Sharnie's advice is likely correct. Although I've never installed cachemate, I've installed many programs on my Pocket PC. Some programs are designed to be loaded to the Pocket PC and launched/installed on the Pocket PC itself. These files almost always have a .cab extension. Other files are designed to be launched from the PC with the Pocket PC docked and ready to receive the install. These are usually .exe files. In some cases, however, the .exe is a wholly contained program that is meant to be launched on the Pocket PC. It sounds a bit confusing, but isn't too bad once you get used to it. Generally, if it won't launch on the PC, then move it over to the Pocket PC and try. If this doesn't work, then revisit the manufacturer's website and see if there are installation instructions.

PQ, GASK, Asus A716, GPXSonar, Mapopolis, GPXtoMaplet, Haicom HI-303III GPSr, Haicom Bluetooth Slipper, Windows XP, and probably a thing or two I can't remember at the moment. Wow, all these posts and I'm only the second Pocket PC user. I do use mine for much more than caching, however, which likely explains the difference. I have the same as BlueDeuce, except mine is an Asus rather than an Ipaq. In addition, I also have Mapopolis and some associated software such as GPXtoMaplet that allows me to place a .gpx file into Mapopolis and see all caches as waypoints while I'm driving along or research them on the map while sitting in the living room. Also, I have a Haicom HI-303III GPS receiver with SirfIII, WAAS, a bluetooth connection, a few bells, and a couple whistles. I have in the past, but do not now use the Pocket PC+GPS for the actual cache hunt. I have what will tomorrow be two handheld units for this purpose, after UPS releases my new Lowrance Explorer from hostage status in a delivery depot a few miles away. So . . . in the original post, you didn't specify exactly what you'd use the handheld for. If you're just looking to grab some pocket queries and review detailed information while out and about, then just about any handheld will do the trick -- you can set your price point for under $50 and about any Palm will do. If you're looking to go beyond that, you'll have to up the ante. When I'm talking about going beyond that, I'm talking about having something like a unit with bluetooth and/or wi-fi built-in, and using the handheld for more than a geocaching purpose such as an MP3 player, movie player, etc. -- the list goes on quite extensively. I use mine with my bluetooth phone as just one example of expanded capability to access the internet. I could, if I wanted to, log my find while standing right next to the cache. I'm not starting a war here as some of the Palms will do the same, but you gotta up the price to get this functionality either way. If you want to talk about expanded functionality, I could point you in many directions for research that would extend beyond the scope of the forums at this site. If you just want basic PQ stuff, you're better off with a cheap Palm and a program like cachemate.

I would try manually selecting each port in Mapopolis (Tools > Settings > GPS Communications), rather than having it search for the correct port. The baud rate, while you're there, is likely 4800. Set the baud rate, then select each available port individually and let it try to find the receiver. You also might want to do a soft-reset on the Pocket PC before you begin to ensure the ports are accessible and perhaps to aid your bogging down issues. If that doesn't help too much, then I'd suggest you ask this question on a more Pocket PC related site like gpspassion.com, which has its own very active sub-forum for Mapopolis users. Or, if you by chance have a Dell, the GPS Talk sub-forum on aximsite.com would be a very good place for this question. Likely, someone there has the exact same setup as you. I use Mapopolis, but not the Arkon mount. It sounds like your problem is getting Mapopolis to "see" your receiver.

In looking at the Microsoft site, it says that AS 4.1 is compatable with the 2002 Operating System and newer. Yours is older than this, so I'm thinking 4.1 is a no-go. I looked up the E-100 and it comes with Windows CE 2.11. I found some resources that said AS 3.5 would work, but I couldn't find anything that would link me to a download. I did find where AS 3.8 is supposed to be an upgrade to 3.5, but couldn't find where it listed supported operating systems at all. I did find a link to AS 3.8 at: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/dow...tivesync38.mspx It doesn't specifically say that it works for CE 2.11, but I'd give it a shot. If this doesn't work, let me know. I used to use an E-125 and still have the CDs for it including the AS program. I imagine whatever version it is would support the E-100, and I'd e-mail it to you if you wish. Try the 3.8 first, though, as I think it might work okay.

The first step -- you didn't mention whether or not you did this -- is to load the ActiveSync program onto your PC. It should be on the CD that accompanies the device. If not, you can download it from PocketPC.com. The E-100 is a rather old device, however, so you'll want to make sure the version you download is compatible. There should be a link to tell you this. Download and install, then attach the USB, then dock the E-100. It should recognize it and allow you to sync. The E-100 runs Windows CE 2.0, I think. A program like GPXSonar requires at least the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system, which is newer. Not sure about Cachemate, though. I think it supports older operating systems. There are other solutions as well, such as downloading .gpx files into ebooks that some people like. I don't know much about that, though. Maybe someone else can help . . .

Probably Tom Tom for in-car navigation only.

Another vote here for Mapopolis. It has great support for uploading geoaching waypoints among other features. I've also read where delorme is not so great, at least for previous versions. Other software to consider is: On Course Navigator, iGuidance, Tom Tom, Destinator, and a few other lesser knowns. The thing of it is that each of these software packages come with different features and limitations. You have to look at the reviews and determine which is best for you personally. I'd suggest looking for additional information at gpspassion.com and aximsite.com has a subforum called "GPS Talk" that is very active and contains a great deal of information. One other advantage that Mapopolis has is that it is the only software that will let you run a trial before you buy. I'd suggest downloading the program and trial maps and giving it a go.

No, I'm pretty sure that people got it to work, but had to jump through some hoops. I know for a fact that you have to enter a secret code string -- something like ##dialup. Then, you should make sure you read up about differences between usign 1xrtt (about 100kb/s data) and whatever Verizon calls it's broadband (about 400-500 kb/s). The V710 can only use the 1xrtt network and apparently Verizon isn't too upset about people using their minutes for accessing data this way. I've seen mixed advice about using the broadband, however. I think I read that you can call Verizon and have broadband removed from your plan if you have an E815 so it will only use the 1x network. Not entirely sure, though, so you gotta head to howardforums.

I think the default code for all bluetooth devices is 0000. However, you also have to do some other things to the phone. One of them is to enable dialup access. I have the older V710 and have data working with a Pocket PC, however, the V710 was easier to get working as Verizon (if that's your carrier -- you didn't specify) added a few more restrictions on the E815. Anyhow, I don't know exactly what to do, but would point you to www.howardforums.com for the answer. Visit the Verizon subforums and you'll find a wealth of information on people's experiences getting this to work.

Not particularly good news, as it doesn't appear to be an option: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...opic=131249&hl=

where was this? just curious... Not sure where the OP was referring to (Beaver is close to Pittsburgh), but there is this one that I'm quite sure is still in the business: http://www.steelcityhobbies.com/geocaching.shtml They are in Bridgeville, PA just outside of Pittsburgh. Despite the similarity in names, we have no affiliation with the store, other than the fact that we bought an ammo can there once. I think they normally stock ammo cans, although they don't advertise it on their website.

Oh, if you're just using it in the vehicle, the SirfIIIs are spectacular. I think any of them will work well. Yes, there are several options for powering the Pocket PC. I have an Arkon non-powered vent mount. Then, I have one of those sync-and-charge cables from PPC Techs that has a connector for the Pocket PC on one end and a USB connection on the other. I can plug it into my laptop, and I have an outlet as well as cigarette plug attachment for it. You can goodle for Arkon and PPC Techs to see some of their products. This works well for me as I travel a good bit and I can put it in the rental car without too much trouble. Having the cable with the optional ends helps cut down on the size and weight that I have to carry. As far as a mount that is powered, I've read good things about Seidio products. I know Arkon also offers powered mounts. Some of them have the GPS receiver integrated right into the mount. But, I don't have any experience with these. If you'd like to spend some time doing some additional research, I'd suggest visiting Aximsite.com even if you don't have an Axim. They have a sub-forum called GPS Talk that is very active and there are lots of posts about people's experiences with the types of mounts you might be looking for.

Well, the use of these for caching is pretty subjective, I think. I suppose if you were only in small one-and-a-half star terrain parks and hunting micros, then it would be okay. The receiver's performance would be outstanding, I'm sure. Charging in the car between stops should be sufficient. However, please be advised that using the unit as a CF will drain the Pocket PC battery pretty fast. You might be in trouble on the 1.5 mile hike, especially if there is much searching time involved. We found our first few caches with the Haicom, since I already had it for car use. Once we decided we really liked caching, we bought a stand-alone. One time, we set out on a quarter-mile walk and got rained on. Not fun with $500+ of non-waterproof equipment. Some people buy waterproof, crushproof otterboxes and battery extenders. This becomes a pretty expensive investment by the time you're done, and I don't imagine an otterbox would accomodate the CF card. You have to use it with a bluetooth unit. Anyhow, with regard to receiver performance (signal fix and hold, accuracy, etc.), you would have no problems and it is a nice unit as you say. It doesn't seem like battery life is an issue for you, but also consider durability. Even on easy terrain, if you're clumsy and drop things alot, you might want to shy away.

I have a CF SirfIII -- a Haicom HI-303III. Actually, the Haicoms have a bluetooth slipper that I have and use most of the time. It's a CF receiver, but it has a module (the slipper) that you can slip it into to communicate with a bluetooth-compatible device such as a Pocket PC. To answer some of your questions directly (and based on my personal experience of course): Device and system: Asus A716 Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 2003 First Edition. Program software: Mapopolis is pretty much all I use with the Haicom now. However, I've used it with other programs such as Outdoor Navigator with success. I have little doubt that it would work with any NMEA-compatible GPS software designed for a Pocket PC including beeline, GPS Tuner, etc. Does the software do autorouting (a Garmin rather than Pocket PC term)? Yes, quite well. How much time before recharging? I think Haicom advertises 8 hours. I've found that this seems to be correct, however, largely irrelevant as a Pocket PCs battery only lasts for 2 or 3 hours. Cost in the $75 to $85 range? Probably. I bought mine when the SirfIIIs first came out, so it was a bit over $100. I wouldn't be surprised if they're less now. And the most important question -- are they any good? The answer: ABSOLUTELY times 1,000. I've read tons of reviews on these receivers and posts (other forums) about users' experiences. It seems to me that a SirfIII, regardless of the manufacturer, is excellent. These things have an insane ability to hold a signal. Foliage is nothing. Really, nothing. They get signals in basements and urban canyons (tall buildings in downtown areas) without skipping a beat. I was on the road a few months ago and walked from the parking lot into and through an eight-story hotel without the receiver missing a single beat into the hotel, through the lobby, to the elevator, to the sixth floor, and into my room. Sat in the middle of the room happy as a lark tracking my position with a 3D fix. It normally sits in the floor of my console in my vehicle for navigation. No problems with locks or losing signal. It grabs a lock in less than a minute for anything -- cold fix, warm fix, etc. I flew from Pitt to San Francisco and plugged it in upon arriving at the rental car in a parking garage. No, it did not grab a fix in the garage, but it did lock on shortly after exiting the garage. Mine's WAAS enabled, and certainly seems to be within a pretty small region of accuracy at all times. Now, I'd be happy to offer some additional opinions with regard to using one for geocaching. In fact, I'd recommend against it because of limited battery life (in the Pocket PC at least) and especially durabilty compared to just going out and buying a rugged stand-alone unit. You didn't ask about this though. I'd be happy to expand if you wish, but will save that for a later time. What else do you want to know?

I spent waaaaaayyyyyy too much time in PowerPoint drawing shapes, adding text, etc. It doesn't look all that great as an avatar and I might have to come up with something else, but we have a larger version in our profile. We have variations for our wooden nickel and our cache log sticker as well as 'official' versions that have not yet been used. I keep them all in a PowerPoint file that can be cut-and-pasted as necessary. I drew everything from scratch. Nothing in terms of pictures, etc. came from the official Pittsburgh Steelers football team except for a few ideas.

Oh, I get it. You can't put the parking coords. into the Dell system so the Dell system is not beneficial for the house to parking part. Wasn't thinking about it that way, sorry. For sure, ask about this on Aximsite. I expect you'll get a certain yes or no there. For unlocking from the road, do this: Tools > Settings > GPS Options, then uncheck the "Lock To Road" option. This is to show your location when you are off the road, obviously, and would be used pretty much if you used Mapopolis in the woods. If the box is checked it will only show your position on the closest road to where you are. I doubt it has much to do with your woes entering coordinates, though. In lieu of entering the coordinates, you can just click a position on the map and it should show a pop-up box. The information in the pop-up box is customizable (and can show coordinates if you choose -- Tools>Settings>Map Features, select the "Show Coordinates" checkbox). If you click a position that is close to parking, you can tap and hold the box which will show a sub-menu including a Route To option. If your GPS is running, it will route you to the location. If not, you can set a start point and save the route for later use. Or, you can save the selection as a maplet or favorite. So, you might be able to force Mapopolis to use the location if you can locate it reasonably close on the map. I've done this a few times because I knew I'd see the parking once I got close, but needed routing to get to the area. I've also done it because I was too lazy to enter the coords.

Techtravler, Speaking for myself and on behalf of matthewp over at Aximsite (because we're the same person), I'm not sure why you can't get Mapopolis to accept the coordinates. I select Tools > Find > Latitude/Longitude. There, I get a screen that lets me enter the coords and either add a landmark at the coords or just choose "ok" and see the location on the map. I thought the trial maps were full-featured, so I would think that this would work. If you continue to have trouble, I'd suggest heading over to the Mapopolis forums at gpspassion.com. They are frequented by Mapopolis people and other very experienced users that are very responsive to all questions. Mapopolis works very well for geocaching, and Alan2 has already turned you onto all the additional (and free) programs that really make it excel. You can download your pocket queries and translate them to maplets. As I'm driving along, I can see all the caches I'm driving by. Don't forget to unlock the software from the road. There are also some other programs such as Backcountry Navigator, Beeline GPS, Memory Map, and a dozen or so others that will aid you in finding the cache from the car to the cache (not the house to the cache because these programs don't do autorouting). BN and Beeline are much cheaper than Mapopolis, Memory Map is the same or more in price. I think all of these programs will import .gpx data. If you think you're going to get into caching in any serious way, however, I stand by my advice at Aximsite to go with a rugged, stand-alone receiver. If you're planning to do any type of hill climbing or get off a paved or well-established trail, then you're carrying several hundred dollars worth of very fragile equipment. What happens if you get caught in the rain? Trust me, you will. If you drop it, you could likely trash a $300+ Pocket PC, a $100+ GPS receiver, and your $100 software won't be much good to you with the other two devices broken. Also, the Pocket PC battery is good for only a few hours and you can't just pop in a few new AAs like you can with a stand-alone. It seems to me that, if you're happy with the Dell navigation system to get you to the cache location, then why not just spring the money you'd otherwise use on software on a stand-alone receiver instead. A stand-alone that can download data, that is. Now, as Alan2 says, the SirfIII receiver is absolutely unbeatable in heavy foliage, so I suppose that might be a consideration. But, if your system is two years old, then you don't have SirfIII. I would highly recommend against purchasing Mapopolis and an new SirfIII for geocaching given that you already have a good road navigation system. That would be over $200 and you can get a pretty nice stand-alone for that money. I'm thinking about trying to talk management into an Explorist 210 Outdoor package. It can be had from Tiger GPS for about $175 and Magellan is offering a $30 rebate on the explorer. This package includes the receiver, topo software, carrying case, charging cable, and data cable. I don't have any experience with Magellan's Geocache Manager because I only have a 100 right now, but it looks like it imports a good deal of info. to support your on-the-spur-of-the-moment caching. I can say from my experience with the 100 that reception is very good. Of course, this is all just my $0.02 and it's kinda specific to my experiences and opinions, but hopefully it provides some thoughts for you to consider.

Did you select the maplet to display? As you've likely learned, you have to select each of the county maps that you want to display from within the program. This is the same with the maplet files. You have to call up the maps in the program itself, and you should see the maplet file displayed and selectable. Once you select it, it should appear. Mapopolis, at least for the Pocket PC, had what some considered a glitch where you have to call up the map selection screen and refresh it for all recently added maps to appear. You might want to try this if the maplet file doesn't appear. If there isn't a refresh option, then point it to a different folder, then point it back to your map folder. It should show up and be available for selection.

Well, Mapopolis is not designed for geocaching. It is, as you say, for door-to-door navigation. It does, however, work quite well for geocaching. You can 'unlock' yourself from the road so it will show you your true GPS position. Otherwise, it automatically places you on the nearest road. It also has a 'pilot mode' that will route you to any point you choose. It will show you your position on the map, your heading, and distance from the point. It contains some bodies of water, but doesn't contain many bodies of water. It has no topographical information at all. Like Alan2 says, it is easy to dump a pocket query into Mapopolis. I always keep the closest 350 caches to my house in Mapopolis, and use GPXSonar to sort and organize caches, and view the web page as they are all in the GPX file. Very handy when you are out and about. Also handy when you're away from home on a trip. Just remember to grab a query before you go. We found several caches with Mapopolis, but relegated the Pocket PC to car duty only and bought a handheld GPSr that is designed for the outdoors. I know I would have trashed the Pocket PC at some point by taking it out in the woods all the time.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. What I saw, and what I based that comment on, was a price I saw on Amazon I think that was over $200 for the receiver alone. Are you saying that the H2O can be purchased with maps for $150? Also, I didn't think any of the handheld receivers did voice routing.

Very good. I am aware of briansnat's reputation and that is why I put a great deal of weight on his review. It's hard to search for individual posts here because each word in the search phrase has to have at least four letters, so you can search on lowrance and/or ifinder, but not go or go2. Obviuosly, there are lots of relevant results for lowrance ifinder that are not specifically applicable to the GO units. Thanks for the reply, Hairymon; the information is very useful. Even though I will continue to rely on my PDA for navigation and we are in the occasional cacher category, your comments are making me think it might be worth it to take a hard look at the H2O. Edit: Oops, scratch that -- looked at the prices and features for the H20. A nice unit for sure, but much more than we need. Again, however, thanks for the info. There are some pretty good deals out there for the GO and GO2 units right now.