JDCincy

I'd been using a Palm m500 (8MB, SD card slot, rechargeable) I picked up on ebay, using either my Garmin Legend or RadioShack Digitraveler GPSr attached to it for CacheMate/CacheNav (great piece of software). Lately, I picked up a pair of Palm m125s (8MB, SD card slot, AAA batteries, screen is physically smaller than m500 but same number of pixels) on ebay so I can take youth groups from my church out geocaching (eventually), and I've started using one of those in the meantime. The stylus stays in the m125 much better than in my m500, which is always threatening to fall out. I got the m125s on ebay for about $15 apiece, plus shipping, with sync cables and BodyGlove cases (and appear to be almost brand new). And my nephew is using a Palm vX (8MB, rechargeable) with Rand McNally Street Finder wrap-around GPSr with CacheMate/CacheNav, which makes a very convenient package (no cables to snag). No real complaints on any of these Palms. Good deals are always popping up on ebay.

Nope, it says for serial devices only, not USB. Legend C is specifically named, in fact. It's a lot easier to connect older devices, like a couple old Palm m125s and RS Digitraveler GPSrs I've got sitting around, instead of newer USB devices. Jim

Extrex Legend is my primary GPSr. Nice, small unit, simple easy-to-use controls, and it fit my price range. Seems to do quite well under tree cover. Lately, I usually have it connected to my Palm m500 running Cachemate and CacheNav. It's worked very well for me. I also have a couple headless GPSrs as well; they're Radio Shack Digitraveller units. I've also used them connected to the Palm, and they seem to work just as well as the Legend does. Excellent sensitivity, so they work well under tree cover. In fact, I'm thinking of taking the youth at church out Geocaching (if they'll go - kids...), so I'm trying to scrounge up a couple Palm IIIs or Palm Vs to use as displays, so I can have a couple teams using them. My nephew is using a Palm Vx with Magellan-made Rand McNally Streetfinder wrap-around GPSr, running Cachemate and CacheNav. I found this combo on a table at the 2005 Dayton Hamvention, dirt cheap. It also worked very well under tree cover when we took it out for its inaugural geocache hunt this past weekend. I don't think he lost signal once. I wouldn't hesitate to use this sort of arrangement if your primary interest in a GPSr is for geocaching. In fact, I wouldn't mind getting one of the Magellan GPS Companions for my m500 (the connecting cables snag a lot in the brush, so a wrap-around would be great). Jim

I've had few complaints with my Legend. I've always held it flat, and it's done just fine. I did lose signal for a couple minutes under tree cover this past weekend while searching, but I was on hilly terrain, and was paying more attention to my footing than the GPSr. I could have had it on its side for a bit without noticing. My nephew's GPSr (actually, a used Palm Vx and Rand McNally Streetfinder wrap-around GPSr I picked up at the Dayton Hamvention, running CacheNav) was still going quite strong. It's a quad-helix antenna; it prefers to be held upright. Laying it flat is useless. Jim

I had a Mag 2000 before I gave it to my nephew to get him started in geocaching. I took it with me from Cincinnati to Florida right after I got my Legend. After traveling that distance it needed to be initialized. Instead of inputting the nearest city like it says in the manual, I input the coordinates I was being given from the Legend sitting right next to it. It initialized immediately, and it had taken over an hour and a half to do so using the nearest city method right after I got the 2000. And, like suggested above get an absolutely clear view of the sky - but don't worry about clouds. Jim

"Men In Black II" was one long puzzle cache, which turned out to be a hidden spaceship that they put Rosario Dawson (second piece of the puzzle) into. Lara Flynn Boyle was giving Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith a lot of trouble for FTF bragging rights, though. Jim

Apparently, I was LTF on Topsail Beach Treasures. My nephew and I hunted it while on vacation in Florida. We were very careful to hide it again safely, although I'm really surprised that it wasn't found my muggles easily anyway, considering it's location. Jim

I found one regular cache using my Magellan 2000, and that was mostly because the description was really good, and the GPS really wasn't needed all that much. The 2000 simply wouldn't work under any kind of tree cover. My eTrex Legend does a much better job under tree cover. The .10 mile resolution was frustrating. I was tempted to give it to my nephew to use for caching, but I feel he'd be needlessly frustrated and would get little enjoyment out of it. Of course, your mileage may vary, but I wouldn't fool with it. Jim

Actually, I believe the m130 has the same Universal Connector that my m500 has, and it has BOTH USB and serial on that connector, you just need to buy the right cable (in fact, there is even a Y-cable with both USB and serial on it). I've connected my Legend to my m500, and I've also used my m500 with a Radio Shack Digitraveller GPSr, which I'm pretty sure listed the m130 as a compatible unit (I'm at work, and don't have that info with me right now). Check ebay for cables, they list the m500 and m130 as taking the same cable, and you can get cables pretty cheap there. It's where I got mine, search for "m130 serial cable," you'll get lots of hits. You'll need a 9-pin null modem connector and gender changer connector to attach your GPSr's cable to the m130's cable. If you want some free Palm GPS software, check out Freeware Palm Jim in Cincinnati

I keep a pair of heavy work gloves from Big Lots (deep discount/closeout store) in my fanny pack, and I'll often poke around with a stick first. The telescoping inspection mirror sounds like a great idea, I'll pick one up next time I'm out. Jim

I've got an old MP100 that I acquired cheap a few years ago, and I downloaded a little program called GPS Monitor that I used to read the data from my Rand McNally GPS. GPS Monitor doesn't do much, but it at least would give you some idea of whether or not your MP and GPS are talking. You can find it and other Newton GPS software at http://guelph.unna.org/mirrors/download.planetnewton.com/download/scitech/GPS.htm "The more 'Buck Rogers' I try to be, the more 'George Jetson' I become." - James S. Dalton

I'm in Rossmoyne in Sycamore Township - a suburb of Cincinnati. Jim "The more 'Buck Rogers' I try to be, the more 'George Jetson' I become." - James S. Dalton