capjap
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Posts posted by capjap
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If you use GSAK, then go to triton forums and find the strip HTML macro from within the forums Add that macro to GSAK Load GSAK with the points you want, and then move them into another database. I call mine STRIPPED. Check all the new geocaches you have added to stripped (or delete them...I do that before moving new ones in) and then run the macro. Export the gpx file to your computer and then upload the gpx file to vantage point. From start to finish it takes about 10-15 minutes for 1000 caches.
This eliminates all the crashes. The HTML sometimes causes difficulty, and you have effectively eliminated that possibility. That will give you 5 past logs plus all the other info you want.
I have been using the Triton 1500 for about a year, and I rarely have trouble with it. It is not a happy machine if you try to do something while it is trying to shut down, and you get impatient, or press the on/off button too many times in a row. But the triton forums have all the info you could want to help you out of any messes you could make.
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I bought mine at Canadian Tire for $199. My friend got a price match at Walmart. BTW, the Triton is a pain to load, but it is really sweet to use. Sats are quickly acquired, and no boomerang. Takes me right to the cache. Plus it is paperless if you strip the HTML out first.
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I looked up Street Atlas...very reasonably priced, but if I understand you, it can't be loaded to the PN series, but could be cut out and edited with XMap and then loaded? If that is the case, how difficult would that be for a novice? I just want to geocache and know I am not on the wrong side of the river! I have a tomtom for navigating.
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I was reading a bit about the Delorme and I have seen nothing about Canadian maps. Is the PN unit suitable for use in Canada?
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Sure...garmin. The Colorado's base model is over $500 USD. The base model Triton is just over $100. I paid $199 for the equivalent of an explorist 500 which I paid over $300 for and the Triton is much better. And Garmin maps suck. The Triton will be using NG TOPO...an improvement over anything either Magellan or Garmin puts out.
They make their money not on the hardware as much as the software. So a new Garmin would cost a small fortune to get started in. My Triton uses my old Mapsend products too. Total investment with taxes (13% in Ontario) is just around $225. Don't think you can beat that for a good product.
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Personally I love the Triton 400. Mine had issues and went back to the store, but I will purchase it again. My Walmart ran out of them. In the meantime, I will continue to use my explorist 500.
There are a lot of bugs to be worked out yet, but I remember the explorist line had similar issues. I also remember friends who had other types of new units also experiencing issues. I think it is the nature of a new product. There is also the learning curve that goes hand in hand with using a new product. I spent a day playing around with my Triton, manually inputting coordinates. The unit was FAST, and deadly accurate. It had very little, if any, boomerang. It was hard to tell for sure since I automatically slow down at 30m to let the unit catch up, but it led me right to the caches dead on...almost as if I were using a *gasp* Garmin. My friend also bought one, and we used it yesterday caching in Niagara. It was fantastic. There were 4 of us all with different units. Hers came closest to the cache with the best accuracy at each one.
The only thing that annoys me about the new Triton is that the features that I like best about the explorist are missing on the Triton, but the Triton has additional features that I would love to see on the explorist.
I would like to see bigger fonts used on the screens....My old eyes have trouble with small fonts. The explorist fonts were perfect in size. Also on the GOTO screen, it is missing the little dialogue boxes at the bottom of the screen to let you know how far the cache is. You have to actually select the cache to get all the information about it, and then escape if it isn't the one you want. There is also no way to mark a cache as found, unlike the explorist.
The buttons are a little slow to respond sometimes, so it was hard to know if I had not pressed it properly or it was still responding, and then I got impatient and pressed again and confused the thing.
You can add comments to waypoints, but not geocaches. Hints in geocache mode show the whole hint, and are not truncated.
The screen resolution is amazing, but it is hard to adjust screen brightness. Unlike the explorist where you can click through 3 levels of brightness, the Triton has basically 2 settings...off and on to the level you preselect in your settings. People have complained about the dim screen...you can just barely see it when it is set to off. I think that is a good feature...you know what I mean if you have ever used an explorist in the dark.
There are no projections. I know I hardly ever use this, but it seems to me that this should be a standard feature.
I HATE the way you have to manually enter coordinates. It takes much longer. You have to use a < button to scroll through to where you want to change the number, then go to the numbers and change all of them, even ones that are staying the same. If not, then you have to switch between a 123 and an ABC screen. Seems to me that on a manually entering coordinate screen, you should have all the options available for entering coordinates, NSEW, numbers and any signs used (degrees, feet etc) And really why even signs? If you have selected the navigation units, the gps should understand and not need that info.
There are minor bugs that will probably be fixed in uncoming firmware updates. Some people have complained about odometer settings...mine didn't have that issue. But if you change batteries, some of the settings have to be reset...so that is a pain. Hopefully they will add some tweaks in future firmware updates like they did for the explorist line (I remember getting a firmware update just before Christmas one year that added projections!)
I didn't jump right in buying the explorist and was glad that I hadn't. This time I did jump right in, and was frustrated when my unit acted up. (It locked up after downloading waypoints, and I couldn't get it unlocked. Nobody knows of a three button reset, so I just took it back...someday some person is going to get a great refurbished machine for half the price!) But I will definitely get one again. I think in about a month, a lot of the bugs will have been dealt with. If you can put up with it for that long, keep the machine. Otherwise, return it and buy a crappy Garmin.
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I know they are having some issue communicating through Vista operating system. If you are using XP,
when you are in connectivity-Vantage Point, make sure you hit escape on the unit, and it seems to be recognized then.
A great place for info is www.tritonforum.com Lots of useful information is there.
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the words "Bunny Busters" into spanish (or something that means the equivalent of that)?
Thanks...online dictionaries are no help!
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I actually have a RAM mount and tried it out as an alternative to the screw, but it does not make good contact. I thought there might be an easy way to fix it myself, like with that tape you put on pipes, or something like that. So I guess it will be a trip to Mildmay at Christmas! And of course, the warranty just expired.
Oh yes, I would buy a Garmin, if there were no trees in Ontario.
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I have a explorist 500 that I have a tough time recharging. I just discovered the reason is that on the unit, the little hole that you screw the cable into, is stripped. It's not stripped all the way...my husband took the washer out of the cable and it attaches again. However I have a hard time getting it to recharge because I have to get it recharging, and gently place it down and turn it off before it loses connection.
Is there any way I can fix that? If not, does anyone know where I can take it for a repair in southern Ontario?
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I heard about Tony the morning after our evening at Harvestfest. I have been in shock most of the week. I have never lost a friend before.
The first time I met Tony, my son Agent 13 and I were doing some caching before the Cave Springs event. We were walking down the trail when we spied Tony and CheeryO's. Tony threw his gps over his shoulder trying to look like anything but a cacher. I said something sarcastic, and he came back at me with something else. We both laughed and then he tagged me with one of those geotags KW started. Tony was the first cacher we ever met on the trails. Little did I know then that he would become a caching buddy.
Over the years I've cached with Tony and had fun trying to keep up with him. He was always busting away so that he could grab the cache before anyone else. Buttons never lets me forget the time a group of us let Tony pick up a cache and bring it down the trail to sign, leaving Buttons still searching for it in the pines. He blames me but it really was Tony...and you know he had that kind of sense of humour.
The most fun was during the A'quasying race. Tony was so competetive that he wouldn't help out with the puzzles. But Allan kept sneaking them to us, and then we'd give him what we had. It was pretty funny because I don't think Tony knew where Allan was coming up with the stuff.
New Year's was pretty funny too. Tony in his snowshoes, sinking in the swamp as Nozzletime led us the "dry way" to a bouncy bunny cache. Lots of fond memories of Tony...way too many to mention.
I'd like to think Tony is on an Away Mission seeking lots and lots of tupperware. Warp speed Mr. Sulu, and away.
My prayers go out to the rest of the family. I hope you can take solace in the thought of how many people Tony's life has touched.
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I see no one has suggested the explorist line. I have a 500 and I love it. It has all the features you are looking for, plus it is colour. You can get a b&w 400 for even cheaper. It comes in a package for around $300 that I think is an excellent deat.
The 210 has 22 mg of memory but is not expandable. It's probably enough memory, but I like using SD cards to hold even more stuff.
Only drawback to 500 is the lithium battery...but I bought a battery pack that replaces the li-ion battery and you can use AAA's. It is available to buy without the li-ion battery for $50 less.
I like using gpscity....calgary based. They ship quickly and you save pst. The shipping is less than the tax.
GPSCentral is also in Calgary. I have not used them, but have heard good things about them. They have these units too. They have a bundle for the 500 that is an excellent deal.
http://www.gpscity.ca/item-magellan-explor...xplorist210.htm
http://www.gpscity.ca/item-magellan-explor...xplorist500.htm
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I assume you have an explorist or a magellan if you are using mapsend. If you are using an explorist it will not take the older software (Mapsend S&D) as it was made for the Meridian and Sport trak lines.
If you have an explorist and Mapsend Topo or Direct Route, you have to download the maps you want, then use Magellan Conversion Manager to change the maps into ones the explorist can use. As soon as you launch the conversion manager, just follow the on screen directions. It's pretty easy once you get on to it, but it does take a bit of time for the conversion.
The exporist must be on and plugged into a USB port before the card can accept the data.
Direct Route 3, as I understand it, was written for the exporist and so needs no conversions. I don't have that software so I can't tell you for sure.
Not knowing your unit or the exact software you are using makes it a little difficult to answer the question, but I hope I have helped.
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Here is how I do it:
You need to be in file transfer mode on your explorist
Open up GSAK
File: Export: Magellan Explorist and SD card
That brings up the export dialogue box
Required format: Explorist POIs
File to create: I upload directly to the card so mine will say
F:\My POIs\hamilton.upt
If you want to upload geocaches then you have to drop the Required format to Explorist Geocaches and your save string would be
F:\Geocaches\hamilton.gs
Remember it can only take 200 geocaches in one file before it drops them off. I put most in My POIs, and if I know I am going to a particular area for the day, then I will upload just those to a gs file.
I had a hard time at first, but now find it very easy. Sometimes I make mistakes though....last weekend I forgot to drop it to Explorist POIs and couldnt figure out why I had nothing in my active file.
Don't forget you have to make the file active afterward on the gps....Menu.....Preferences.....Active Setup
You will love how easy it is once you get going. I love my 500.
Good luck...I hope it helps
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I couldn't remember the model number when I saw a bunch of batteries at Princess Auto today, and grabbed one...but its a SNN5582B. It is slim. I was wondering if these work as well...I saw an earlier reference to it, but it wasn't clear if it worked or not.
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I read that the Motorola SNN5595B or A were good alternatives to the Magellan battery, and at leat 1/4 the price. I was in Princess Auto and found a whole bunch for $24 canadian, but I did not have the product number with me and bought a SNN5582B. It is 3.6v and 700mAH. Does anyone know if it will work, or worse, damage my Explorist?
Alternately, I need another cheap solution to the li-ion batteries. I'm almost totally drained after a couple of hours caching, and I've been keeping the gps in my coat until the last 80 m or so to keep it out of the cold. Powering up and down takes too long. I already keep the light at its dimmest all the time.
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My Meridian guide says to use alkaline batteries, but I have used lithium and they last much longer. I recently bought a recharger that takes NiMh batteries. Are they okay to use in the gps?
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I like stats too, and I think that it is erroneous to base the cache percentage on the provincial population. A better way to compare the numbers would be caches found divided by number of cachers in the province. Too bad we can't track that...I think that would be rather interesting.
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I can understand all that too, but it has been over 3 months since I started doing this.
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Well, I have emailed them twice, Jeremy himself once, and cache-tech a couple of times, as well as posting in the forums. There just has to be a solution! I'm sure someone somewhere can reset the password!
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This is an on-going problem and I still need help. My son had an account under a certain name. He uses my email address because he does not have his own. Suddenly he couldn't use his account. It had been taken over by someone else. SO that problem was resolved, and his account was returned. Then, the account was taken away again when the other person complained, and my son was given a new name and password. Now that password is not working. When I request his password, it comes back with mine due to the email address.
My son has a bunch of finds to record, an account and no password. Can anyone help?
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Geez Annie..you have to ask? I'm in!
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Geez..hate to be a bearer of bad news, but we didn't win the war of 1812. It has historically been referred to as "The War that Nobody Won" So we may have burned the US government buiding (it was called the White House AFTER the burning when it was painted to cover the scorching), but they also burned our parliament building. tit for tat and all that.
And as far as splitting Canada up...we have enough problems with East/West and French/English...who wants to create MORE controversy?
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I have had my breath taken away many times while caching...whether because of the view or the terrain. Some of you have to remember that this is not an iron man competition and that the sport has been designed for everyone. That is why there are ratings on the caches. Then families with little ones can still go on a little adventure and find the plastic in the trees.....or grandparents, or people with canes, or those of more delicate health.....A little exercise, a little outdoors and some family time go a long way to making this an activity that is truly for everyone. I think it's great that this is a sport where success is measured in the satisfaction of finding what you set out to look for, and everything else you get along the way is a bargain. My son's friend sometimes comes with us, and at just about every cache, he says, "This one is my favourite."
That being said, here are a few of my favourites.
This is not especially challenging in terms of terrain, but it was the first one that I did that was tricky. The container was unique.
We did this in late winter. The sun was shining, the river was flowing, and we just enjoyed the spot so much. We spent a lot of time looking in a hollow tree because there was something in it, but it turned out to be a birdhouse and not the cache. The kids had a great time floating sticks down the river. It was a peaceful spot.
This is a pretty neat area. I enjoyed crawling through the labyrinth. I especially enjoyed finding the cache, since I was told it couldn't possibly be where I was directing my fellow cachers to look. It helps if you have a tall agile person with you to retrieve this one.
..and all the others down in the gorge. Getting down was easy, but going up....well....it was a bit of a challenge to my asthma. It is breathtaking here along the river and in the rocks.<p>
The Battle of Queenston Heights
Okay, so I'm a history major. I enjoyed reading all the information and imagining what it must have been like. I didn't enjoy ripping my pants while searching for one of the stages though.
I've also enjoyed every puzzle cache. There is a real sense of satisfaction in solving the puzzle. However, I have solved a whole lot more than I've gone to get!
New Magellan
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
If you send directly to gps, is it stripping the html? I still do that with the Triton. Not sure if it is still necessary, but I haven't had a fatal exception error since I started stripping the html. If we can skip this step ..it would save me the 20 min it takes me to load my gps compared to my friend's garmin of 30 seconds.
The GC is tempting. Only the map issue concerns me.