Palm Z22 And Auto Routing

[+Poidawg]

I am wondering about a Palm Z22 for auto routing and for storing waypoints. Any thoughts on this product. I dont need it for much more. I would like to go paperless, and the Palm is pretty inexpensive and without all the bells and whistles I dont need.

[+Team Dubbin]

Palm, cachemate and gsak bundled to gether = greatness

[+Poidawg]

so the Z22 haas enough memory and whatever else is needed for auto routing and waypointing to work...this is great news, thanks

[+Hynr]

While I share the sentiment of Team Dubbin, that by itself does not give you autorouting. You will need software that specifically uses routable maps and you will need to store maps, which will require a bit of memory. If you look at the Garmin iQue series, you will see what is technically feasible in terms of a Palm OS device. There are one or two software packages that claim to do it on a generic PDA, but I do not use these. You may find that if you are puchasing a new PDA and the needed software, that one of the Garmin Palm PDAs may do the job you want for a similar price.

[+Poidawg]

Thank you, the more details you can give me the better. I am new at computing as well as at caching.

 

Oh dear, the I,Que series from Garmin is WAY too expensive for me to even think about purchasing. The Z22 is less than $100. and the keyboard is $70....No where near the amounts the garmin series are. And I would prefer not to travel with my lap top...SO the more specifics on the Z22 the better, but thank you just the same

[+Hynr]

I don't have a Palm Z22 (I have two others)... so I can't help you with it's specifics. Here is what I can help you with:

 

If you are going to integrate all the needed pieces to do autorouting on any Palm PDA, then you need a PDA that can interface with a GPS, you will need the GPS, a cable to connect the two (or use Bluetooth interface), you will need the mapping software that run on a Palm OS device, you will want to buy routing-enabled maps for that (that might come with the maps software), you will probably need an SD card slot and a SD card because maps hog a bit of memory, and you will need to amplify the voice of the routing software loud enough so you can hear it in the car, ... I am probably missing something (Note, you do not need a keyboard).

 

The iQue 3600 (which I have) does all that. I think that there are two cheaper models.

 

As for price, look at the on-line sellers of GPSrs; you will find prices for the iQue that are much lower than the numbers you see on the Garmin website.

 

Autorouting is sweet. I select a cache that I have loaded into the iQue's map and let the unit talk me to the cache site. That sweetness comes at a price. Sorry about that.

[+Poidawg]

I am looking for pretty basic stuff, I would rather listen to the radio than a computer telling me which way to go, but that is personal preference. If the Z22 only downloads waypoints that is okay by me, I am not going to be upset if I can not autoroute. Money is a HUGE factor here, so I have to get what the budget allows. Thanks again for the information on the garmin site, and to check with other GPSR's. I appreciate it.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

I have a Z22 and DeLorme Street Atlas Handheld (SAHH) 2006.

 

You cannot connect a GPSr to it (even a USB capable one) since it does not have a serial port, and a Z22 and GPSr are both considered USB "slaves".

 

However, SAHH will do autorouting both on the PC and the Palm (or PocketPC). To get a map onto the Palm, you select a region of the big map and synch it to your Palm. This way you only take what you need (but does require a littel pre-hunt planning). I have synched several maps for several different cache excursions, and you can probably get 2-3 good sized area onto your Palm.

 

I use autorouting on the host computer, for things like getting from my Hotel to a cache site (when on travel). These route(s) can be synched as well, and selected for display on the Palm. Like I said, you can also do it directly on the Palm, as long as you know where you are (can't use the GPSr) and the final location. It is not fast, however.

 

Additionally, if you have GSAK and Cachemate you have added functionality. GSAK will export a file directly into SAHH waypoint format. This is a bit tricky, and since I don't have my Z22 right in front of me, I can't give the details. The export needs to go to a specific file on the host computer, and between synchs you need to delete the file from your Palm (using something like zfile). When I get home I will post the instructions. GSAK will also export into Cachemate format for all the listing details.

 

So, with the above, you have a map of the area, all the caches from your PQ displayed on the map, as well as all the listing for those caches in Cachemate. A very nice set up indeed.

 

Also, I recommend the AirCase for the Z22. It's about $15 at Staples/OfficeMax. It's hardplastic and will protect against minor bumps and scratches. I keep my Z22 in it all the time.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

Here's how you export waypoints from GSAK to DeLorme's SAHH on a Palm:

 

In GSAK, Select File/Export/DeLorem TopoUSA, SA Plus etc

 

Everything can stay as default, but save the export to:

C:\DeLorme Docs\Mobile Maps\Wpts Transfer\XMapHHWptsSend.txt

(You can browse, or just cut and paste from here)

 

Synch with your Palm.

 

You should now have blue diamonds where there are caches on the map you exported from the desktop version of SAHH. Tapping on them will give you the basic info on the waypoint (Name, Lat/Lon).

 

Now comes the tricky part. When you next want to send over the waypoints, you need to first delete the old database from your Palm. Synching a new set of points merely adds them, even if they are duplicates.

 

Get a file management utility like FileZ which is free, and install it on your Palm. Fire it up, and select View & Edit Files. Drill down in "Internal" (for a Z22; location may be different in other Palm types) and find "XMapWptsDB". Select this file (gets checked) and then select the menu and delete it. Now you are ready to send over a new set of waypoints.

 

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Hope all of this helps you make a decision as to what you want, and how to use it. SAHH was about $50, and works nicely for me. Email me directly if you have any specific questions.