+slumbersix Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Hey guys... I'm planning on getting a new Palm Pilot soon(Probably the Palm Tungsten E2). Since the Palm will have bluetooth on it, I'm thinking of getting another GPS receiver that uses bluetooth. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks Quote Link to comment
Dr_Dajom Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 GlobalSat BT-338. Quote Link to comment
+JDandDD Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 GlobalSat BT-338. That's the one I've got as well and its easy to use and accurate. Uses Sirf III. Dead easy to set up too. JDandDD Quote Link to comment
+slumbersix Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 Cool, I'll take a look into that one more than I have already... Any other recommendations? I'd really like to stay around/under the $100 mark... Quote Link to comment
+rrinnv Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I hope this isn't off-topic. I also bought a USGlobalSat to use with my Zire 72. Incredible accurracy. I went out with a friend with a Garmin, and while he was walking around, I was walking right up to them using Cachemate. But I'm having trouble getting good mapping software for the Palm. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment
+Guitar4Him Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I used a Fortuna GPSmart for a while with my Palm Tungsten T running Mapopolist software. The setup was accurate and worked good. I now have a Garmin 2610 for my SUV/Motorcycle and a Magellan Explorist 500 for geocaching, in addition to the Fortuna, which I will be probably be placing on Ebay soon. If you're interested in the Fortuna, send me a PM. You might just convince me not to pursue the Ebay route. Quote Link to comment
+JDandDD Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I hope this isn't off-topic. I also bought a USGlobalSat to use with my Zire 72. Incredible accurracy. I went out with a friend with a Garmin, and while he was walking around, I was walking right up to them using Cachemate. But I'm having trouble getting good mapping software for the Palm. Any ideas? A bit off topic I suppose but without the search feature what the heck. Check out TomTom and Mapopolis. Mapopolis is primarily just the US while TomTom is all US & Canada. Not that good for caching. Then there's Fugawi which gives you US or Canadian Topos and you can buy specific topos for specific areas including around the world. You can also can and calibrate your own maps. I use it on my palm and have been able to use Landsat satellite maps with it as well. Works well with my USGlobalsat BT-338 bluetooth GPS for geocaching. JDandDD Quote Link to comment
OGBO Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I have been using National Geographic's Topo! on my Tungsten e2. These are scanned USGS topo quads and can be loaded to zoom from the 7.5 min out to the "continent" overviews, just as they can on the PC. I have been using Topo! since their days as Wildflower, before NatGeo bought them. I have tried many other mapping programs and find Topo! to be the best for topographic maps. I have also been using Delorme's Street Atlas for street maps on the Tungsten (I have 1G cards with the data that I swap). I have had various versions of Delorme's topo program, including their state series that has scanned 7.5 min quads. But I find NatGeo's version better. On the other hand, the tiny screen on any PDA is really too small for topo maps in the field, and there is the battery limitation. So when locating caches, I prefer by far to use paper maps (printed on waterproof paper, of course). Quote Link to comment
+japtkd Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 So how does the user interface of the GlobalSat BT-338 compare to say a Garmin Etrex legend. The most important functionality that I see for geocaching is a navigation tool of some kind. Also, I assume that there is no limit to the number of waypoints with this kind of setup. 1000 on the etrex is just too few, IMHO. Last, how easy is it to mark a waypoint with this setup? My wife and I spend almost as much time placing caches as we do hunting them lately. Thanks! Quote Link to comment
+japtkd Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Popping this one back to the top so someone will hopefully answer my question... Quote Link to comment
+Pasha Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 So how does the user interface of the GlobalSat BT-338 compare to say a Garmin Etrex legend. The most important functionality that I see for geocaching is a navigation tool of some kind. Also, I assume that there is no limit to the number of waypoints with this kind of setup. 1000 on the etrex is just too few, IMHO. Last, how easy is it to mark a waypoint with this setup? My wife and I spend almost as much time placing caches as we do hunting them lately. Thanks! I don't know for sure, I don't own one, but from reading reviews I don't believe the GlobalSat has any user interface. You have to pair it with a PDA or other BT device that is capable of reading the data stream from the unit via installed software (such as TomTom or CacheNav or whatever). I could be completely wrong. Quote Link to comment
+JDandDD Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 (edited) So how does the user interface of the GlobalSat BT-338 compare to say a Garmin Etrex legend. The most important functionality that I see for geocaching is a navigation tool of some kind. Also, I assume that there is no limit to the number of waypoints with this kind of setup. 1000 on the etrex is just too few, IMHO. Last, how easy is it to mark a waypoint with this setup? My wife and I spend almost as much time placing caches as we do hunting them lately. Thanks! I don't know for sure, I don't own one, but from reading reviews I don't believe the GlobalSat has any user interface. You have to pair it with a PDA or other BT device that is capable of reading the data stream from the unit via installed software (such as TomTom or CacheNav or whatever). I could be completely wrong. Well, it does and it doesn't If you use the BT-338 with a Pocket PC it does and if you use it with a Palm it doesn't. They've created a Windows CE checker program but not a Palm OS version. This program only verifies that the BT-338 is working and is not at all helpful and not a reason to buy a PPC. But one isn't needed at all. The BT-338 really is plug and go. What you are buying in the BT-338 is the receiver engine The BT-338 needs no settings to work beautifully. It sends the NMEA standard sentences giving the position information via bluetooth to your software on your PDA. That's all it does. Receive satellite signals and output its position calculations. Its upto the receiving PDA to display those calculations. The interface for displaying the positions on a map is then your PDA's software such as Cachemate, Fugawi. TomTom etc. Think of it like you are buying the receiver portion of a Garmin x series (both use the SirfIII GPS receiver chipset). Garmin provides an interface to its SirfIII board via its OS and Mapsource maps and you, by buying GPS mapping software, are providing the interface for the BT-338. edited to add: so Pasha is quite right in their post! I use it with my Palm T|X and love it with the software I've bought. JDandDD Edited January 21, 2006 by JDandDD Quote Link to comment
+BourneSniffy Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Can anyone tell me where you would place a bluetooth GPS receiver when geocaching or would you carry them with the other hand? I'm thinking that you could attach one to the back or shoulder strap of a backpack, would this be sufficient? Cheers Dave Quote Link to comment
+Klatch Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I use it with my Palm T|X and love it with the software I've bought. JDandDD May I ask what software you bought? I also have a TX and am investigating using it for road navigation, not geocaching (I use my 76CS for that). Thank you. Quote Link to comment
+nerys Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Maybe someone can help me. I am also looking for a BT GPS puck and I cant seem to find one that meets my needs. I have one need really. I dont want a rechargeable battery I want it to run on DRY cells (AAA preferably AA) anyone know of one ? none on ebay that I could find they all take lithium packs :-( Chris Taylor http://www.nerys.com/ Quote Link to comment
+japtkd Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I've recently gotten my Globalsat 338 setup on a Palm TX and absolutely love it. Nervs mentioned an adversion to using a rechargable unit, but this one is supposed to have in the neighborhood of 15-17 hours of continuous battery life. Can anyone confirm this? Also, has anyone had a problem with the 338 obtaining a WAAS lock? Mine keeps flipping between sat 33 (this one is an EGNOS, correct?) and sat 35. I don't think I've gotten differential data from the unit yet. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment
+nerys Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 My problem is not with run time - lithiums usually give far better run time. my problem is 3-5 years from now when that rechargeable pack is toast and I cant buy a replacement. :-( then my perfectly good not obsolete GPS (it cant really go obsolete since its using the same satellites) would be renbered useless :-( Chris Taylor http://www.nerys.com/ Quote Link to comment
+japtkd Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 Hi Chris, Not that I'm trying to sell you on the 338, but fyi the US sub. of the company does sell battery packs for the unit. $18.99 plus shipping. http://www.usglobalsat.com/item.asp?itemid=54 Given your concern, I may well purchase a batt to put back for when the current one fails. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.