Geocaching With Tomtom?

[+Phil and Ruth]

We're introducing some of our friend to Geocaching and they have a PDA with a bluetooth GPS adaptor and the TomTom software. We've downloaded the details of some local caches for them in TomTom format from the GeocacheUK site and have managed to get them on to their PDA but we haven't been out with them yet to see how well it works.

 

Does anyone else use this set-up in place of a conventional GPSr? If so, how well does it work? Is there any way to emulate a traditional GPSr on a PDA?

[+John Stead]

I would not want to even try finding a cache with TomTom.

There is however GPS Dash which emulates a GPSr on a PDA running PocketPC and goes much further if you want to use maps and analyse data. http://gpsdash.com/overview.ppc2.php

I think it cost 23 euros if you want to go beyond the trial version.

[+The Knights who say Ni]

I use TomTom for the drive up if it's not local (setting a Cache POI as the target), then GPS Tuner for the final part on-foot.

 

GPS Tuner is excellent! Can't hype it enough...

 

It can be found at www.gpstuner.com

 

I shortlisted VITO Navigator II and GPS Tuner, and the latter won hands down for me, for its wealth of features, moving maps and averaging of points (v.useful when cache setting).

 

You really need that big red pointer and distance to target when you get close, even in the car - I find I'm needing TomTom less and less as I get more moving maps loaded onto GPS Tuner (unless I need turn-by-turn instructions and I'm a bit bleary eyed!)

Edited October 7, 2005 by The Knights who say Ni

[+The HERB5]

I use TomTom to get there and then use the Garmin from there on.

 

For a software compass try looking here...

 

http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/modules.php?name=Downloads

[+McDeHack]

I have used my Tomtomgo quite a few times now succesfully for cache finds.

With the downloads and updates (I do it weekly) from GCUK. The first one that I did was one of the Regents canal series. I was in the area and the Tomtom gave a beep and the cache flashed on the screen. At the time I did not know what this cache was. I actuly parked the width of the pavment from the cache.

Of course the Etrex is easyer to handle when out in the wilds but the Tomtom will do the job.

[+Mad H@ter]

I use TomTom to get there and then use the Garmin from there on.

 

For a software compass try looking here...

 

http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/modules.php?name=Downloads

This is what we do, but you do have to be cautious about where TomTom takes you, it will try and get you to the nearest point on a road to the geocache, this may well be on the wrong side of the river rail track etc. and not necessarily the nearest point by footpath. What I do try to do is upload waypoints for parking which is either published on the cache listing or I plot it on Fugawi before hand. This does take a little bit of pre planning but I find it is time well spent.

 

I also have Fugawi OS maps on the PDA but I don't tend to use them as it takes too much attention away from watching the road and therefore a bit dangerous

[+Moote]

It you use GPSDash or GPSTuner along with TomTom it is worth checking out GPSGate so that you can run both applications from the same PDA. (PocketPC only) This will prevent the needed for the continual shutting down of each application to use the other.

 

As I have tried both GPSDash and GPSTuner, here is my humble opinion on each. GPSDash is better with PDA which have a small amount of internal memory, GPSTuner can give greater accuracy due to it's multi-sample function but requires a lot of base memory to run.

 

Take a look at my PDA help file which can be found Here

 

Milton (aka Moote)

[+The Knights who say Ni]

I use TomTom to get there and then use the Garmin from there on.

 

For a software compass try looking here...

 

http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/modules.php?name=Downloads

This is what we do, but you do have to be cautious about where TomTom takes you, it will try and get you to the nearest point on a road to the geocache, this may well be on the wrong side of the river rail track etc. and not necessarily the nearest point by footpath. What I do try to do is upload waypoints for parking which is either published on the cache listing or I plot it on Fugawi before hand. This does take a little bit of pre planning but I find it is time well spent.

 

I also have Fugawi OS maps on the PDA but I don't tend to use them as it takes too much attention away from watching the road and therefore a bit dangerous

Yes indeed. I must admit to having driven round in giant circles before, using TomTom

 

With a better map (OS 1:25,000 or even the 1:250,000 is better than TomToms) you get a much better idea of where to sensibly start

 

I forgot to mention Anquet, which will give you a moving Landranger map of your area (split into 'whole of south east' and so on) for £30 ! That gives you an idea of where footpaths start or cross roads. But you do still need that Big red pointer, which GPS Tuner or similar will give you.

 

It is a case of watching the road though, as the Phillimore Clan also said, and all this detail can be distracting.

[+The HERB5]

I do no planning at all

 

When I get within about 1/2 mile I start looking for the green Public Footpath signs and then park up.

 

Generally works, but not always.

[+Happy Humphrey]

When I'm planning to seek a fair number of caches in a day, I use Memory Map on the PC to waypoint the likely parking coordinates for each cache and visualise the best order to attack the caches in, then use GSAK to transfer these waypoints to Tom Tom as Points Of Interest, numbering them so I know which one to go for next. I also use GSAK to make up the list of target caches in a GPX file which is transferred to the PDA so the descriptions and logs are available in the field.

 

As soon as the car is parked, I get the Garmin GPSr out which is pre-loaded with the cache waypoints, and switch to GPX Sonar on the PDA (sorry about the acronyms!) to read the cache details. It works brilliantly, and although it takes a little bit of planning it makes for a relaxing day's caching with no navigational hassle at all.

 

HH

[+John Stead]

I was about to set out my own method of working - then read Happy Humphrey's description and it has saved me the trouble as it is almost identical to my own!

I am glad though to pick up the idea of numbering the POIs as next nearest is not always the logical next to do. I sometimes also load spoilers with Spoiler Sync and contrarily will also take out paper prints of cache pages especially multis or puzzles.

Edited October 7, 2005 by John Stead

[+McDeHack]

I think all this modern gadgetry is wonderfull. But you still can't beat a yellow Etrex and sheets of paper in plastic covers.(and that includes OS maps printed on the back of the cache sheets.) All you need is two spare AAs for the Etrex.

[+Happy Humphrey]

But you still can't beat a yellow Etrex and sheets of paper in plastic covers

Well, I think you can! But I can understand people preferring the paper version even if it does end up costing more than a cheap PDA, and even if it does restrict your caching once outside your own area.

If that's how you like to do it, I'm not going to criticise - it's meant to be fun and there's no prescribed method. Freedom is the strength of this pastime.

 

John - yes, I also take spoiler sync pictures and also occasionally print out a cache if it's a complicated-looking one (you can't beat paper and scribbled pencil notes for these).

 

I wonder if this whole approach is becoming more or less standard now (at least to those who can afford MM and Tom Tom)?

 

HH

[+The Blorenges]

I use TomTom to get there

..... and then bang it really hard to let others know you've found the cache?

OK, I know.... I'm not technically-minded ...I'll just go back to another thread where I understand what folks are talking about (usually) Mrs B

[+Mr'D]

Tomtom is an excellent piece of hardware and I use it virtually every time I go caching to get me to the recommended parking coordinates.

Yes OK... sometimes it tries to take me down the odd by-way or super-narrow lane, but if I don't fancy it, I just drive on by and it automatically re-calculates an alternative route.

Tomtom has contributed more to my road safety than anything else I can think, recalling several near disasters whilst trying to map read whilst on the go before my investment

I generally use Streetmap to give me post-code co-ords for downloading to Tomtom (by far the easiest way to program TT), then print out a hard copy of the cache area from MemoryMap to take with me whilst on foot.

Others may have alternative methods, but I find this very easy and am continually amazed in the trust I place in TT when caching, not having a clue where I am but just following 'Jane' and her arrow!

[+D_Skids]

I forgot to mention Anquet, which will give you a moving Landranger map of your area (split into 'whole of south east' and so on) for £30 !  That gives you an idea of where footpaths start or cross roads.  But you do still need that Big red pointer, which GPS Tuner or similar will give you.

 

 

Where can you get Anquet for £30 please as I always thought it was at least £100?

 

Many Thanks

[+The HERB5]

not having a clue where I am but just following 'Jane' and her arrow!

I put my trust in Yoda, 'Left, you must turn, at the next junction'

 

99p download, probably free somewhere.

[+The Knights who say Ni]

I forgot to mention Anquet, which will give you a moving Landranger map of your area (split into 'whole of south east' and so on) for £30 !  That gives you an idea of where footpaths start or cross roads.  But you do still need that Big red pointer, which GPS Tuner or similar will give you.

 

 

Where can you get Anquet for £30 please as I always thought it was at least £100?

 

Many Thanks

From Anquets own website, if you just buy your particular region of Landranger rather than Explorer. I think it's gone up to £39, but I got it cheaper from a third party map supplier (www.mapkiosk.com I think, now priced at £35).

 

Here's the Anquet site link for Southeast Landrangers as an example.

 

Really useful to see it accurately tracking along public footpaths at this scale. Only major thing missing (that I miss) from Landranger as opposed to Explorer are field boundaries.

 

Here's the coverage map, each region includes about 20 Landrangers for the price! :

 

[+Birders]

GPS Tuner web site appears defunct. Anyone have any info please.. or where the prog may be obtained?

 

Thanks

[+Moote]

GPS Tuner web site appears defunct. Anyone have any info please.. or where the prog may be obtained?

 

Thanks

It's working for me OK GPS Tuner

[+The Knights who say Ni]

GPS Tuner web site appears defunct. Anyone have any info please.. or where the prog may be obtained?

 

Thanks

It must be up and down at the moment. I can't get to it either right now.

 

Try it again later I guess.

[+McDeHack]

GPS Tuner web site appears defunct. Anyone have any info please.. or where the prog may be obtained?

 

Thanks

See! I told you so. All this high tec stuff don't always work.

Etrex and paper all the time. (And Tomtom)

 

" Retires back into the cave to chew on dinosaur bone".

[+Sue and Bernie]

See! I told you so. All this high tec stuff don't always work.

Etrex and paper all the time. (And Tomtom)

You've gotta smile when some-one routinely uses 2 GPS units, one to accurately route his car, the other a small hand-held, battery powered device - to access a network of 24 orbiting atomic clocks to fix their location on the planet to within yards, 24/7 in support their sport/game/pastime - and yet they consider this to be a low-tech activity...

 

...says it all really!

 

Only a few years ago we would have marvelled at all this.

[+jsmith1908]

I'm new to geocaching, but I use a TomTom One 3rd edition which found me 10 caches in my first couple of days of caching. Haven't really had any problems with reception under trees yet, but once the leaves come in it might be a problem. I like how you can use it to navigate to the parking coordinates, then switch to map view and zoom in for accurate foot tracking the rest of the way.

[+TheWhoUK]

Hi All,

 

I've read this and still confused. I have a HP Ipaq HX2110 PDA with tom tom 5 software loaded is there a way to set it up so it will alert me to a cache site in any area I might be driving.

 

Regards TheWhoUK

[+Big Wolf]

Shamless Plug:- If you want to get your caches to the tom tom from GSAK then suggest you download my macro fromthe GSAK library. It will copy over the caches and child waypoints along wth all the correct graphics. After that you would just set up the alerts on the tomtom as if it was any other poi.

 

 

click here to get the latest version

[+TheWhoUK]

Shamless Plug:- If you want to get your caches to the tom tom from GSAK then suggest you download my macro fromthe GSAK library. It will copy over the caches and child waypoints along wth all the correct graphics. After that you would just set up the alerts on the tomtom as if it was any other poi.

 

 

click here to get the latest version

 

Hello,

 

Thanks for this I've created Waypontov2 file how do i load it into my tomtom

 

Cheers

 

TheWhoUK

[+SidAndBob]

Shamless Plug:- If you want to get your caches to the tom tom from GSAK then suggest you download my macro fromthe GSAK library. It will copy over the caches and child waypoints along wth all the correct graphics. After that you would just set up the alerts on the tomtom as if it was any other poi.

 

click here to get the latest version

We used it yesterday for the first time. It worked beautifully. Thanks.

[+Big Wolf]

Thanks for this I've created Waypontov2 file how do i load it into my tomtom

 

Cheers

 

TheWhoUK

 

Before you run the macro connect up your TomTom to the PC and it should link up with a drive letter showing in the list of available drives (just like it would if you connected a flash drive, camera etc)

 

Open up this drive and look for the subdirectory which holds the maps as this is where you need to export the .ov2 and .bmp files. Typically the directory name is the same as the map i.e. my own TT connects up as a K: drive and Iexport the files to K:\United_Kingdom_and_Republic_of_Ireland

 

Hope this helps

Edited April 13, 2008 by Big Wolf

[+BobCats Fife]

It you use GPSDash or GPSTuner along with TomTom it is worth checking out GPSGate so that you can run both applications from the same PDA. (PocketPC only) This will prevent the needed for the continual shutting down of each application to use the other.

 

As I have tried both GPSDash and GPSTuner, here is my humble opinion on each. GPSDash is better with PDA which have a small amount of internal memory, GPSTuner can give greater accuracy due to it's multi-sample function but requires a lot of base memory to run.

 

Take a look at my PDA help file which can be found Here

 

Milton (aka Moote)

[+BobCats Fife]

It you use GPSDash or GPSTuner along with TomTom it is worth checking out GPSGate so that you can run both applications from the same PDA. (PocketPC only) This will prevent the needed for the continual shutting down of each application to use the other.

 

As I have tried both GPSDash and GPSTuner, here is my humble opinion on each. GPSDash is better with PDA which have a small amount of internal memory, GPSTuner can give greater accuracy due to it's multi-sample function but requires a lot of base memory to run.

 

Take a look at my PDA help file which can be found Here

 

Milton (aka Moote)

 

Hi the link you have provided for the PDA help file takes you to chooseahome.com website???

[+rutson]

The link *was* posted 3½ years since!

[+mickyz]

I use my Ipaq 5935 PDA/tomtom on its own now with

gpsmap , gspsonar, gpsview, gpsviewer

 

I have been having problems loading local caches on gpsview so

needed different software to load gpx files

 

Tomtom poi takes me straight to cache location , although if near a road or track use the gps status for lat-long co-ords as it will not budge from them.