Paperless Caching Question

[+snickers104]

I have been caching for about 7 months now and I have a Garmin Legend C and I use GSAK. I was thinking about buying a cheap PDA to go completely paperless, but I was wondering once I put the waypoints in the PDA can I transfer them directly to the GPSr??

[+Miragee]

I don't know how one would go about doing that. I have a Palm M500 that works great for Geocaching. One like it can be gotten on eBay for less than $50.00. It connects to my computer through a USB cable. My GPSr connects to my computer via serial cable. I don't know how I would get the two to "talk" to each other.

 

I usually download the waypoints to the GPSr from GSAK and then export those same caches to the Palm (.pdb file) from GSAK. That way the data should be the same on each.

[+snickers104]

With the Legend I hook up to the computer with a USB cable, couldnt I hook up to the palm with the same usb cable?

[+Renegade Knight]

As far as I know you can't yet do that with a Pocket PC (though it would be nice to do so). Cachemate in the Palm world may be able to but as I don't use it I can't verify that.

[+Renegade Knight]

With the Legend I hook up to the computer with a USB cable, couldnt I hook up to the palm with the same usb cable?

The USB Cable is only one part of the equation. The program on the PDA has to be able to communicate with a GPS, hopefully the one you are using.

[+snickers104]

I have read about Cachmate but dont know if this will talk to the Garmin or not.

[+Miragee]

If you are using GSAK, you don't need the GPSr to communicate to the Palm. GSAK formats the data for the Palm and also downloads the waypoints to the GPSr.

 

Cachemate works on the Palm OS. It doesn't communicate with the GPSr.

[+snickers104]

That is what I was wondering, I guess I dont understand why you would put the info on the PDA when I have all the info on the laptop, and with the laptop I can communicate with the GPSr and with the PDA I cant. OR am I all messed up??

[+GPScooterphish]

That is what I was wondering, I guess I dont understand why you would put the info on the PDA when I have all the info on the laptop, and with the laptop I can communicate with the GPSr and with the PDA I cant. OR am I all messed up??

My Palm treo 650 has CacheMate loaded and also the CacheNav plugin. CacheNav does communicate with my bluetooth GPSr.

I download Pocket Queries from gc.com, use MacCMConvert to make them into a PDB (palm database) that I load on to a SD card in my Treo. CacheMate imports it.

I only recently discovered that I can use CacheMate to mark my current location as a waypoint and find my way back (I probably would've already known that out if I RTFM).

But again, it comes down to your PDA having some way to talk to the GPSr - either built in or as an addon accessory.

[+IV_Warrior]

That is what I was wondering, I guess I dont understand why you would put the info on the PDA when I have all the info on the laptop, and with the laptop I can communicate with the GPSr and with the PDA I cant. OR am I all messed up??

Because the PDA is a LOT easier to carry to the cache site. Unless, of course, you only do parking lot caches, then the laptop would be fine.

[+hidnseek]

It is possible I got my M505 to talk to my sportrak color. I can upload waypoints to the GPS and get the gps to give location to the pda. Cachemate plus plug-ins, and a cable to connect the two. cable found on the internet through a google search will try to find the site again.

[+Miragee]

That is what I was wondering,  I guess I dont understand why you would put the info on the PDA when I have all the info on the laptop,  and with the laptop I can communicate with the GPSr and with the PDA I cant.  OR am I all messed up??

I never take my laptop with me. I don't want to leave it in my car as "bait" if I am off hiking for a few hours.

 

Before I leave the house, I update my GSAK database with the most recent Pocket Query/Queries.

 

Then I send the newest waypoints to my GPSr. Then I send all the data to my Palm M500.

 

After that, I have all the information I need, including the past logs and the hint, in the Palm. I never have the need for the GPSr to communicate to the Palm, but if I need to enter a waypoint for some reason, I just create it manually.

[+LthrWrk]

I am using GSAK and Cachemate.

 

When I had a Palm IIIxe it took 8-10 minutes to load it from GSAK. Now I have a Zire 31.. totally happy.. with usb connection.. only about 2 minutes from opening pqs to having it on the Zire. So it does not take that long

 

GSAK loading up to the GPS,, a merigold.. takes a couple minutes. I been loading between 300 and 400 caches every morning I go out caching.

 

So I dont see loading from PDA to GPS is a big deal if your working with GSAK for pqs.

[+hidnseek]

I got me connection for travelling, when i will not have access to a computer it lets me get around the 500 waypoint limit. Not knowing what areas I will be in i can have 1000 caches on the palm in different city folders and when get to that city up load info to GPS. Ususally though I do not have them connected. Just have palm ready for clues when having difficulty.

[+Maeglin]

That is what I was wondering,  I guess I dont understand why you would put the info on the PDA when I have all the info on the laptop,  and with the laptop I can communicate with the GPSr and with the PDA I cant.  OR am I all messed up??

If the PDA is old enough (isn't limited to USB communication), and the Legend is the kind that can use a serial cable (not up on the per-model limitations there), then you can get the two to communicate, either with a special cable or serial cables for both and a null modem adapter. There's no chance of that using USB in any case, though... the USB hardware in those devices just doesn't work that way.

 

Of course, IV_Warrior is right on the reason to take a PDA over the laptop... it's smaller and a LOT lighter

Edited July 11, 2005 by Maeglin