team-grannygear
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Posts posted by team-grannygear
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I got a new 210 for X-mas an I was wondering what software to load for Caching mostly. I don't think I will be using this unit for much highway travel. IS the software that came with the unit good or is there something else I should use insted? Thanks for the help. Brad
If it is like the 400 I bought, the Geocache Manager (I think from memory?) will get the job done.
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I'm a Premium Member with an eXplorist 400 GPS & a HP Pavilion computer & MS Windows XP. After reading the instructions, and downloading an application to allow me to download waypoints directly, I still am unable to do so. I'd appreciate any help or hints.
CarlGurt of "The Two Reprobates"
What application did you download? The Magellan comes with two programs. One is Geocache Manager. When that is installed on your PC, you can download .loc or (I would imagine .gpx...never tried that one) files from GC.com and place them on a folder somewhere...desktop, etc, name it cache downloads or whatever. Then you can open them with the Geocacahe Manager and put them into your GPSr.
That being said, I would look into third party software to do all that. I use GSAK and it seems to work well although it may take me a lifetime to figure out all the options.
Then you can generate a pocket query and open it all AND transfer it to your 400 with GSAK.
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Well, I am pretty darn newbie, but I am a quick study
I have not seen anyone write about interfacing the two, but I have heard it referred to. Typically, and I use a Handspring PDA with Cachmate (and GSAK on the PC) the PC is the common link between the two worlds of PDA and GPSr. -
When the "x" series of Garmins came out, they had upgradable storage via micro-SD cards, not unlike some of the Magellans. I wrote an E-mail to Garmin & Magellan suggesting that one of their software designers look at Cachemate and either replicate its function, or purchase it outright, with the ultimate goal of having a hand held GPS with PDA type data storage. I suggested that, which ever company came out with such a GPSr, would own the Geocaching market.
Neither company bothered to reply.
It does not surprise me that they did not reply. If they developed something like that and you had some record of your suggestion/their reply then some lawyer could get involved $$$. Of course, I am cynical that way.
So, you can pick one as you like:
#1 - Your suggestion was so stunning in its clarity and insight as to render them speechless and set a fantastic chain of events in motion that has not been revealed yet
....or#2 - You are an insignificant gnat on the flyscreen of GPSr-dom and you were dismissed as so much gibberish from the common man.
Personally, I like the first one.
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Yeah, I have that stuff in the Explorist...geocache folders, got to, found, etc. But some of the other posts are closer to what I meant. I think that they have not quite figured us out yet, but if I had to bet, I would not be surprised if somewhere in meeting rooms and drawing boards if there is not a marketing plan for us cachers.
If not, there should be.
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I was wondering this as I was getting myself set up for paperless caching. I am happy with GSAK and Cachmate, etc, but I could not help but wonder why the Garmin/Magellan/whatever folks do not step up to the plate and bundle a native software that works seamlessly with GC.com and the GPS, allowing a one step jump to the unit with features like GSAK offers, or at least close to it.
My Magellan software does this...sort of, but is really rudimentary, maybe Garmin is better. I wonder if it is because:
- we are a new sport/hobby and they have not caught up yet
- we are not that big of the market to spend the time and money on developing that kind of thing
Maybe I am missing something, being rather new to this stuff, but it seems like there is a market for a more dedicated to Geocaching GPSr with a nice bundle of user friendly software to take a lot of the 'hoops' out of the jumping in process.
But hey, I am having a blast anyway.
- we are a new sport/hobby and they have not caught up yet
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Doesn't any one read the manuals any more?
That little process was not in my manual for my Explorist 400...I figured it out for myself. Or, at least I could not find it anywhere in there.
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I have played it a couple of times since we bought it. I like it. The graphics on the cards are really neat and it plays well. If you like games like UNO, then I think you will like it too.
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We made my son work for one of his presents. It was a soft sided guitar case and was too darn big to wrap. Just for fun, I went around and set three waypoints in my GPSr in various parts of the street where we live, hid micros with written clues and the next waypoint, finally ending with a puzzle clue that led him to his room where we had put it when he was running around the block staring at the GPSr.
I think the grandparents who were watching enjoyed it more than he did!
Good fun.
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I got one of these http://www.armysurplusworld.com/product.asp?ProductID=1130 that is just dandy for carrying the geo stuff with me. The GPSr, PDA, goodies, eyeglasses, etc, all carried nicely in a rugged canvas shoulder bag.
Also, two travel bugs, two hiking staff badges, and a handfull of mini-compasses and other goodies for placing in caches.
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It adds another reason to get out as a family and spend time away from nagging phones, hypnotizing TVs and the tyranny of the urgent.
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I bought a Magellan and was frustrated with the inadequate users manual.So I got my money back and went to a local pawn shop and bought an old Garmin GPS 12. Put new batteries in it and 15 minutes later I was on the trail. Just my $0.02 worth. Garmin rules.
First time cachers, full of frustration. We wandered a cemetary for an hour and every time we thought we were getting close, the other coordinate was way off. Is there a secret? And is there a way to enter the cache coordinates in this GPS?
thanks!
I agree...the users manual could be better, but once I figured it out I have found the 400 Explorist I bought to be quite accurate and easy to use. However, I have never tried a Garmin, so who knows.
Maybe some day I will see what I am missing with the garmin vs magellan thing, but so far it has NOT been geoacaches!
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If you cache hunt as well as you explain things, you must be quite good.
Tragically, that is not the case
But I maintain my enthusiasm for the activity nonetheless.
What model Palm do you use? I will do some forum searching before I hit e-bay. I would like to have USB, but other than that, it can be pretty simple.
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So, I understand the PDA idea now. Sounds great, but I never see it talked about where you link the PDA to the GPS unit and send files over. Is this not done? Then I assume the coordinates are keyed in by hand? I have a Magellan GPS with a USB interface.
For the most part, you don't actually 'link' your GPS to your PDA. There are some devices that allow it via Bluetooth, but I am somewhat dubious of the usefulness of doing so.
Going paperless actually has two facets. First, there is loading a large set of coordinates on your GPSr with your computer, so that you don't have to enter them by hand; and carrying the equivalent of cache listings printouts in your PDA.
The first step is to become a premium member. You probably don't really need to do this, but it gives you access to more capabilities (pocket queries) and at $3 a month - the equivalent to a couple cans of pop - I consider it so close to free as makes no difference.
You'll also need some third party software. There are free programs available that will get the job done, but I don't know what they are. I use Cachemate and GSAK, so that's what I'm familiar with. Both have free trials, so you can decide if they meet your needs. If you like them, Cachemate (which runs on your Palm or PocketPC handheld) costs a whopping eight dollars - about the same as a movie, and ultimately a lot more satisfying. GSAK, after a certain amount of time, starts displaying a nag screen asking you to register. Registration is $20. However, if you don't mind the nag screen you may continue to use it without registering. I use GSAK several times a day and I consider it well worth the $20.
Where was I going with all this? Oh, yeah, I remember.
Paperless, part 1 - loading the GPSr. I run a couple of pocket queries for my local area, which results in over a thousand cache listings. I import the data from these pocket queries into GSAK (a very simple procedure). Since my GPSr can only hold 1000 waypoints, I use GSAK's filtering capabilities to narrow down the list a bit. Maybe I'm searching east of my house today, so I only want caches in that direction, and so on. GSAK is able to send the waypoint list directly to my GPSr via USB. Viola, my GPSr is loaded with more waypoints than I could shake a stick at.
Paperless, part 2 - loading the PDA. I use a Palm brand PDA, with Cachemate. Unlike on my GPSr, I don't have a 1000 waypoint limit on my Palm - I can load as many entries as the memory can handle. Once again, GSAK does the grunt work for me. I select a menu item in GSAK to create the Cachemate data file, and it does it, even setting the file to by sent to my Palm the next time I hotsync. Sync my Palm as I normally would, and my Cachemate database is up to date and ready to go.
Sometimes I set out with a specific goal in mind (today, I'm doing every cache in this park if it kills me!) and sometimes I'm just rambling around. With almost a thousand waypoints loaded on my GPSr, and every cache in a 30 mile radius of my house listed in my Palm, odds are I can find a cache any time I want.
Ahhh, I see. That makes sense. Thanks. If you cache hunt as well as you explain things, you must be quite good.
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So, I understand the PDA idea now. Sounds great, but I never see it talked about where you link the PDA to the GPS unit and send files over. Is this not done? Then I assume the coordinates are keyed in by hand? I have a Magellan GPS with a USB interface.
I have not seen anyone write about interfacing the two, but I have heard it referred to. Typically, and I use a Handspring PDA with Cachmate (and GSAK on the PC) the PC is the common link between the two worlds of PDA and GPSr.
explorist
in How do I...?
Posted · Edited by team-grannygear
Assuming...dangerous, I know...that the 100 is like my 400, use the set-way point button (IIRC, it looks like a push pin) and a screen will pop up with your present coordinates. You need to have satellite lock to do this.
Then using the 'mouse' button, scroll up to the coordinates you have on the screen and edit them to what you want them to be. Rename the POI as something that you can remember...cache GC# or partial name, then save. You edit by highlighting and incrementing/decrementing with the mouse button.
Then hit the Go To button and navigate down to the POI folder you saved the file to. Highlight it and choose it as your new Go To file. Then you should start tracking it. I like to hunt in the compass mode. If you did it right, the screen will show your current Go To by name. If you still have the normal compass screen and no distance to Go To point or any other POI info, you did it wrong.
My Explorist 400 manual never told me, or at least I could not find it in there, how to manually enter coordinates. I just stumbled upon it.
Edit: How odd...I see the Personalized Postion in the PDF for my 400....maybe I was just too newbie to realize it was telling me the right info. Odd, though, I do not recall my manual being 100 pages long.