Paperless Geocacheing

[+OmniCitadel]

ok so i have a pocketpc and i was wondering what software is out there for geocaching and how effecient is paperless geocacheing. I plan on always having atleast 100 benchmarks on my gps and i was wondering how fast it would be to run the paperless setup onto my pocketpc

[+kb7sei]

I find it very nice to have all that data with me. I have a Palm Zire72 and I have all of Utah in there right now. I did it more as a test to see how it would work, and it's doing quite well. For your PocketPC I hear GPXSonar is what you want.

 

I had an easy time getting my Palm up and going, and I wouldn't think you would be any worse off with a PPC. Make sure you have a premium membership and set up a Pocket Query to test the system out. I suggest just trying a basic PQ and loading up the software on your PPC to see if you like it. If you do, then you can get into GSAK and more advanced PQs for some really interesting possibilities.

 

Personally, I think paperless is the way to go. I can plug into my computer once in a while to get updates and all the latest caches and I'm good to go. No need to worry about out of date printouts, cost of paper and ink, or clutter.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I use GPXsonar in my pocket PC, I keep cache data for about 20 cities. The night before I head for a day of geocaching I run a new PQ for that area so that I do not end up looking for any cache with problems.

No paper to pay for, No ink to pay for, and Up to date information.

With all the holiday season deals around now on Pocket PC's and PDA's those that are thinking about going paperless, this may be the time.

Edited December 8, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[+OmniCitadel]

I use GPXsonar in my pocket PC, I keep cache data for about 20 cities. The night before I head for a day of geocaching I run a new PQ for that area so that I do not end up looking for any cache with problems.

No paper to pay for, No ink to pay for, and Up to date information.

With all the holiday season deals around now on Pocket PC's and PDA's those that are thinking about going paperless, this may be the time.

so how do you go about loading the cache info into your gps? manual waypoint type? or cache loc. duplication?

[+WildGooseChase]

so how do you go about loading the cache info into your gps? manual waypoint type? or cache loc. duplication?

Manual?? Might as well go back to paperless!!

 

Try EasyGPS or GSAK both will take the .GPX file you get from the pocket query and allow you to put it directly on your GPSr.

 

Edit:

 

And GPX Sonar is the way to go for the PPC!

Edited December 8, 2005 by WildGooseChase

[+JohnnyVegas]

I use GPXsonar in my pocket PC, I keep cache data for about 20 cities. The night before I head for a day of geocaching I run a new PQ for that area so that I do not end up looking for any cache with problems.

No paper to pay for, No ink to pay for, and Up to date information.

With all the holiday season deals around now on Pocket PC's and PDA's those that are thinking about going paperless, this may be the time.

so how do you go about loading the cache info into your gps? manual waypoint type? or cache loc. duplication?

Well. when I run the PQ I load it into my pocket PC and my GPS. I load it onto my GPS with GSAK

[+briansnat]

Not a getting started issue so moving to the Units and Software forum.

[+PocketSierra]

I use and work on BackCountry Navigator for Pocket PC. I find that 100 or more caches isn't hard to do if you import them in a GPX file. If you are in the US, you can add Topo Maps and Aerial Photos.

 

I think I've had up to a 1000 at a time with a map. Not that I've found them all, but I had plenty of options.

 

It makes it a little more efficient if you have a Pocket PC GPS instead of a separate unit.

[+Team Cotati]

ok so i have a pocketpc and i was wondering what software is out there for geocaching and how effecient is paperless geocacheing. I plan on always having atleast 100 benchmarks on my gps and i was wondering how fast it would be to run the paperless setup onto my pocketpc

ok so i have a pocketpc and i was wondering what software is out there for geocaching and how effecient is paperless geocacheing. I plan on always having atleast 100 benchmarks on my gps and i was wondering how fast it would be to run the paperless setup onto my pocketpc

 

- gpxsonar

- very efficient

- once the waypoints are in gsak, it takes about 30 seconds, maybe less to have the ppc updated and ready to go.

 

All of this is basically irrelevant info. What is important is how comfortable do you feel with navigating around in the ppc device and how concerned you might be with damaging the device. Using the cheapest device possible is the best alternative. If you need a useful pda for business/personal non-geocaching purposes then buy a nicer unit for that purpose alone.

 

Once you have loaded the device and gpsr a few times and logged a few caches, it is pure mechanics and not much of an an issue to worry much about. Useability in the field should be your biggest concern.

Edited December 9, 2005 by Team Cotati

[+Ace3]

I'm new to the forums side of geo caching but I have a question for anyone about paperless caching. I'm looking for any info on what I need to get started as far as what kind of PDA I need. I have looked at the HP hx2795. Do I need a unit that has word for downloading web pages from geocaching.com and how much memory does the PDA need to download possibly 200 pages of information.

Thanks Ace3 (Bob)

[+Alan2]

You ought to close your other forum topic. I answered to it rather than here.

[+Team Cotati]

I'm new to the forums side of geo caching but I have a question for anyone about paperless caching. I'm looking for any info on what I need to get started as far as what kind of PDA I need. I have looked at the HP hx2795. Do I need a unit that has word for downloading web pages from geocaching.com and how much memory does the PDA need to download possibly 200 pages of information.

Thanks Ace3 (Bob)

A Palm m500 off of e-bay will work just fine and is cheap. It breaks or gets damaged....get another. And of course you would use cachmate as the cache managment software. GSAK will round out your paperless combo. Happy caching.