SriSoKoSu

Regardless of which unit and protective case you get, I'd highly recommend using an InvisibleShield (or some other such) screen protector on the unit. I use the Garmin protective cases for both my 60CSx and Vista HCx. For the 60CSx the case is quite nice and does not hinder regular operation or viewing. For the Vista HCx, I find the case to be constantly coming in the way of my using the unit. So I don't use the case most of the time. I may try a Foarm case for this some day. http://www.foarm.com/portfolio.htm more detailed review -- http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=183887

I have both the 60CSx and the Vista HCx. Have been using the 60CSx for the last 3 years or so and it has been extremely reliable and spot on for location most caches. I really like it but recently got the Vista HCx primarily for its size. Have been using the Vista HCx for a couple weeks now and I am VERY happy with its performance. It seem just as fast and realiable as the 60CSx. Sat acquisition time seems about the same, thoug I have not really done a side by side comparison ... lets just say it is fast enough that I did not feel the need to do the comparison I am finding that I am using the Vista HCx more and more for its smaller size and it fits my palm nicer than the 60CSx. The 60CSx screen is a tad bigger though. Also the Vista HCx screen seems slightly less bright than the 60CSx. Overall, they are VERY similar units performance wise, so I would recommend getting the one that you like better physically. Some people like the 60CSx for its buttons on the front. I actually like the buttons on the side for the Vista and REALLY like the ability to do the one hand operation. If possible, go to a store that carries both, hold both in your hand and see which one you like better. The Vista HCx is also supposed to give you longer battery life, but the 60CSx battery life is already so dadgum long that I don't think it is a signifcant factor. Good luck and let me know if you have any other specific questions !

Cachemate + Dell Axim X50V (+ GSAK on the PC)

We always try it first and only decrypt the hint on the field if we don't find it within 15-20 minutes of searching. We do paperless caching with Cachemate and a PPC, so decrypting hints on the fly is not a problem at all.

Hopefully a very basic question for most of you. If I search for a cache, don't find it in the first attempt, log a DNF, then later go back and find it, what is the correct way to log this find ? 1) Should I keep the existing DNF log and just log a second time with "Found" ? -or- 2) Should I edit the existing DNF log to change the status to "Found" ?

I use the InvisibleShield listed above and it is a perfect fit. Buy it using this link to get it for 50% off -- http://www.zagg.com/showspecial

I used to use a setup similar to yours when I started geocaching. I used a Dell Axim X50V with a GlobalSat BT338 Bluetooth receiver. I tried various GPS softwares for the PocketPC (BeelineGPS, Vito Navigator, GPS Tuner etc.). I personally liked GPS Tuner the best. However, after a few months of caching, it became obvious to me that this setup is too fragile and I didn't want to risk losing other important data on the PDA. I have sincel then switched to a "real" GPS ... I use the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx and Vista HCx now.

An update on this - I just spoke to InvisibleShield today and they are aware of this problem and have already updated their stock with the shield of the new (correct) size for the Colorado 400t screen. The guy I spoke to also said that when you return the shield, it is sufficient to return just the piece of plastic (i.e. $0.41 stamp); no need to return the whole package.

I recently started using a eTrex Vista HCx. I have been using a 60CSx with GSAK so far, so I am VERY used to the 14 char waypoint names and mixed cases ... so I immediately noticed the 10 char limit in the Vista HCx. Thanks to this thread (and the forum search capability), I could find this solution quickly and it worked great in sending 14 char waypoint names from GSAK successfully. However, the names sent from GSAK are still all upper case. Does anyone know of a solution for this ? I really like the mixed case names since they are so much more readable. UPDATE: Found the answer to my question above from the GSAK support forum. Using the latest ver 7.2.1 patch for GSAK (build 33) fixes both these issues. See this thread

Does anyone have a cheap used etrex Legend blue unit for sale ? If so, please send me a PM (or e-mail me using my profile). Thanks !

Does anyone know if the Vista HCx will work with the newer 4GB microSDHC cards ? Note that I am NOT looking for the unit to recognize the entire 4GB capacity and I certainly don't plan on filling up the card. If the unit recognizes upto the first 2GB on the card, that'll be just fine. Given how cheap 4GB microSDHC cards are these days, since I will be buying a new one, I'd rather pay a few $$$ more than the price of 1 or 2GB cards and get the 4GB microSDHC. Thanks for any pointers, or better yet, reply from people who own a Vista HCx AND a 4GB microSDHC and could please try this out real quick. P.S. I did search the forum for a similar topic and found this old thread, but it is old and does not address the question I am interested in. If mods feel like merging the two threads, please feel free to do so.

I ordered 4 InvisibleShields for my various "toys" in the last two weeks and all orders went thru just fine. I paid with one time use credit cards, if that makes a difference. In each case the orders shipped the next day (I mostly placed orders in late afternoon/evening and was in my mail box 2 days after that. And yes, I used free shipping on all orders. Customer service has been EXCELLENT !! In one case I botched up the installation (my fault). Wrote to InvisibleShield customer support asking them if the shield can be removed and re-applied 24 hours after installation. In the same mail I told them that it was completely my fault with bad installation, and if the same shield can't be re-applied, I will be happy to purchase another one. I heard back from them couple hours later, and much to my surprise the customer service rep said that installation errors are not covered by their lifetime warranty, but as a valued customer they are making a one time exception and offered me a free replacement. I just had to pay $3.95 shipping. Obviously this was beyond my expectation ! I am their customer for life now.

I'd stay away from those. They are most certainly illegal software, and I wouldn't be surprised if they are virus laden as well.

Like many (most?) people here that do paperless caching, I use GSAK and CacheMate (for PPC) and this combination has worked really well for me.

Thanks Markwell for yeat another helpful reply ! Stacking in GSAK is actually a really good idea. I generally don't delete records from my GSAK database, so they should stack. For removing archived caches from my GSAK database I do the following. If there is another better way to do this, I'd love to know. 1. One of my PQs returns only the "Not Active" caches in a 100 mile radius. I run this once a week 2. Each Friday I import the caches from this PQ into my GSAK database (the main one). This seems to clean up the database.

Is there a way to configure Pocket Queries to include more than just the 5 most recent logs per cache in the GPX file ? Most of the time just the 5 is enough, but occasionally when we get really stuck trying to find a cache, it helps to be able to go check out all the logs. We do paperless caching using GSAK + CacheMate on PPC

I really like the idea of having a rating system. Is this going to be a perfect system ? definitely not ! Could it be abused ? Sure can ! But is it better to have one than not ? Absolutely ! Just like any rating system, if someone depends on the rating alone to decide which caches to go after, they will get what they deserve. But for others, who will use the rating system as just a guidance, and read logs, description and other things to make a final decision - it could be immensely helpful.

Thanks ! As I am browsing the forum some more, I am seeing some mention of a "cache rating" system that is going to be added to the site. Is this true ? If so this will be a dream come true for me. I did a few searches but am unable so far to narrow down to some definitive threads that talk about this. If the rating system indeed is in the plans, can someone point me to the thread that has correct information about this. Thanks in advance !

Sounds like a really good idea !

I see various shared bookmark lists from time to time when visiting specific cache pages. Is there a way to search for all shared bookmark lists ? Preferably in a given area ? I am particularly interested in finding the various "favorite caches" lists that people created, to find out some of the most popular caches that are nearby.

To get the most helpful answers, I'd suggest you list out what are the various usages of the GPS you have in mind and in what priorities (e.g. geocaching, hiking, auto routing etc.). What's your tolerance to live with a beta level product that has strong potential to become very good over time (if you answered positively, go with the Colorado, otherwise stick with the trusty, if somewhat older, 60CSx). What's your budget and how long do you plan on owning the unit (if you can spend ~$400 or so now and again in another year, go with the 60CSx for now and upgrade to the Colorado a year from now ... if you are investing for a good number of years, may be get the Colorado). Then look at the other anciallry features these products have and see how important they are to you (do you plan to do paperless geocaching ? are you interested in Wherigo ? how important are 3D maps and DEM to you ?) Personally, if I were exactly in the same boat as you, I'd probably get the Colorado (yes, I am the adventerous type ... in true sense of the word ). I already own a 60CSx which I am very happy with ... but I still might get the Colorado couple months down the road.

Don't want to start a war here, but if you had the slighest idea how much time and money it costs to produce any decent software, you'd probably think twice before making a statement like this. If you are really curious to know, this is a good starter -- The Mythical Man-Month

Like most other folks here, I too use GSAK (on the PC) and CacheMate for my PocketPC for paperless caching. The combination works great ... both for getting the waypoints into the GPS (I use a Garmin 60CSx) and getting the cache details into the PocketPC

Thanks Markwell for your reply as well ! BTW, I found your PQ FAQ to be very useful ... especially the tip on how to get more than 500 caches using multiple PQs created by different date placed.

Thanks Rattlebars for the reply. I will look into GPSBabel. When GPSBabel converts the .LOC files into .GPX files, will it pull in the cache details, hints, logs etc. into the GPX file as well ? Yeah. That's what it looks like. Although the workaround I use here is to create a PQ for the bookmark, then load the PQ GPX into GSAK and sort that. However, I really wish the website allowed a quick sort option (by clicking on the header field, maybe) Yes, I noticed this, but unfortunately I can't do a user based search this way