Good Pda / Gps Combo?

[+Scifi Man]

Is it good to get a GPS / PDA combo or would it be better to get 2 seperate devices? i need something that works real well when im travelingh in my car that is under $400.

Edited February 11, 2006 by Scifi Man

[+embra]

Opinions will vary. I tend to not look favorably on GPS/PDA combos because you are much more limited to battery life. However, you may not be concerned about that if you are primarily operating in a car, where you would have an external power source. The iQue might be a candidate, it looks like it runs only a little more than your budgeted amount (iQue 3600 bundle at CompuPlus.

 

If you are mostly in the car, though, you should also take a look at the Quest which, with the recent release of the Quest2, represents a very good value in a complete package. It's weighted toward automotive use, but also works reasonably well as a field handheld.

Edited February 11, 2006 by embra

[+Alan2]

A Pocket PC like an Ipaq $250 with a CF slot to slip in a Globalsat Sirf III GPS. $85. Add Mapopolis software $100 with a 512m SD memory card $35 for all the maps and you'll have excellent voice/visual turn by turn auto routing. Add gpxtomaplet (free) for overlay all the cache point on the Mapopolis maps and gpxsonar (cobntribution) for paperless caching. Get a cable to keep the PPC posered from the car lighter and you can use th whole setup in the field after you leave the car with a fully charge PPC. Cable=$15-20 or so

 

No need for a separate BT GPS in my opinion. Just two devices to worry about charging or changing bats.

 

There ya go.

[+HAHAMICE]

If you have a PDA and can interface a GPS I recommend Mapopolis Software. Mapopolis application is freeware, but you have to purchase the maps.

 

The maps are county-level street maps and can be purchased individually or an annual subscription (about $100) allows unrestricted download. All depends on your needs.

 

I borrowed a bluetooth GPS from a friend (my Dell Axim has bluetooth). I spent about a week testing Mapopolis and I think it works great. I made a couple of round-robin cache trips into neighboring counties. "Next turn" directions are given by voice commands as well as a large-font screen display. The display also gives a quick graphic of the intersection and an arrow showing the turn maneuver. You can use the "proximity" feature to find nearby caches along the route.

 

If you accidentally miss a turn or get off route for some reason, Mapopolis automatically recalculates a new route.

 

If the waypoint you happen to be looking for it near a road, you're in luck. If not, you're routed to the closest on-road location, nearest the wayppoint. That's not always the best point from which to start, but at least it gets you in the neighborhood.

 

I still use my Magellan Platinum to go portable and find the cache. I used to use it on a car power adapter for about two years as well, but I'm definately switching to Mapopolis for in-car navigation. The features allow you to keep you eyes on the road, rather than the GPS.

 

Like I said, I'm using bluetooth and it works great, but any GPS solution that can interface with the PDA should work. Bluetooth GPS receivers average about $100.

 

Good luck.

[+Scifi Man]

Is is better to go with a Palm OS PDA or a Windows based PDA? or does it matter?

[+HAHAMICE]

Is is better to go with a Palm OS PDA or a Windows based PDA? or does it matter?

 

Mapopolis has versions for both. Also, there are demo maps available that are good for 30 days.

 

http://www.mapopolis.com

[+Scifi Man]

Nice, the mapopolis ones looks great, are there any real nice SD GPS adapters for the Dell Axim or should i just go with a wired antenna and mount that on my dash? im not sure about going BT because i dunno how long the BT adapter lats and if im going to conect a wire to it then its not worth that. Also i want to see if the software i get will say "In 200 feet, turn right onto main street" instead of "In 200 feet turn right".

Edited February 15, 2006 by Scifi Man

[+Alan2]

You can use the "proximity" feature to find nearby caches along the route.

 

I use Mapopolis. What do you mean by Proximity?

 

As an aside I use gpxtomaplet program that overlays all teh caches on the Mapopolis maps so you can see the geocaching waypoints. Is that what you're referring too?

[teamvavroch]

I have a palm tx and run a garmin gps 10 a like well

[+Tervas]

You can use the "proximity" feature to find nearby caches along the route.

 

I use Mapopolis. What do you mean by Proximity?

 

As an aside I use gpxtomaplet program that overlays all teh caches on the Mapopolis maps so you can see the geocaching waypoints. Is that what you're referring too?

 

Proximity alert: You'll get a notification when a pre-determined waypoint type is closer than a certain distance. Some people use it to reveal speedcams. I use it to tell me there is a cache nearby when I am on the road. Exists in TomTom too.

I tried Mapopolis but bougth Tomtom, both are good.

[+Nikon-Guy]

Before buying my Garmin Vista C, I was using a Ipaq hx2410 with Pharos' Bluetooth GPS.

 

I tried the Pocket Streets from Microsoft, however, you'd have to upload a different map with the route that you are taking.

 

Pharos' Ostia program for Pocket PC was actually quite good. Using voice prompts to show you which direction to take and it had autorouting capability.

 

The Pocket PC's battery life isn't very good if you are travelling long distance, especially without a car adapter, the pocket pc will shut off to conserve battery power. You'll need two car adapters, one for the pocket pc and one for the bluetooth GPS (again, if you are travelling long distances).

 

In both cases, Pocket PC and Garmin GPS, it was really hard to see the screen on both of them since I drive a '98 Honda Accord and the vent mount was a bit further away from me.

 

I have also even used my laptop with Microsft Streets and Trips with the Pharos IGPS-360 with usb connection. It has auto routing capability, but no audio prompts.

 

In my recommendation, if you need to use a GPS unit for driving directions, I would recommend a vehicle GPS unit, like the Garmin Street Pilot or Magellan Roadmate.

 

I work in the hotel industry and one of our regular guests always brings her Roadmate with her to use in her rental vehicle. And she swears by it.

 

However, try to find a place that'll let you buy the unit and try it for a few days and if you don't like it, you can return it and try another unit.

 

It is to be noted that operating a GPS 'while' driving a vehicle is dangerous. First hand experience.

 

Hope this gives you food for thought.

 

Zeph

[+Hynr]

Here is the set-up I have: Garmin iQue 3600 which came with a map set and with autorouting software (which we have dubbed "Blondie"), 512mB SD card, a Glisson GPS antenna (fantastic item), and a power inverter to turn car voltage into AC voltage so I can plug in anything (the iQue 3600 is a bit short on battery life). I don’t have a purchased dashboard mount, but I made one (it is important to have one; I would advise buying one). This iQue is a Palm OS device on which I run Cachemate which can put the geocaching waypoints on the iQue’s map. I can select one of these and "Route to" it and Blondie gives my driver instructions verbally. I find that my driver (who happens to be my wife) is pretty good about following Blondie, and pretty persistent about second-guessing me. So Blondie is a valuable asset in more ways than one.

 

I have been considering another solution (PocketPC/Wireless GPS) but have not yet found a combination that generates as good a price as the Garmin line of integrated PDA products.

 

I would add that among the iQue Palm OS PDAs, I definitely like the 3600 better than the other Palm units because is has the largest screen of any of them. And when it comes to dealing with maps you ALWAYS wish the screen were a bit bigger.

 

If you find a combination for under $400, let us know, but be sure that it includes the entire continent for maps and gives voice instructions. You will probably find the best deal from one of the on-line out-of-state retailers. I see that the iQue 3600 with the car kit can be had for around $480. I doubt that you can do much better with any other voice-navigation solution.

[+naviguesser74]

I use a Palm. It has TomTom and a BT GPSr. Works great. I put the geocache locations (as a ov2 file) into TomTom so that they show on those maps and you can "navigate to" them. The same cache locations are in a Palm pdb file for use with GeoNiche, a Palm application that keeps track of the cache sites (apparently much like CacheMate) and also has a handheld GPSr-like screen.

[+Scifi Man]

I found the iQue 3600 for $430 after shipping and taxes from amazon.com, it includes all the stuff to use it in the car. I think ill get that.

Edited February 17, 2006 by Scifi Man

[+HAHAMICE]

You can use the "proximity" feature to find nearby caches along the route.

 

I use Mapopolis. What do you mean by Proximity?

 

As an aside I use gpxtomaplet program that overlays all teh caches on the Mapopolis maps so you can see the geocaching waypoints. Is that what you're referring too?

 

Tip for using gpxtpmaplet utility with proximity alerts:

 

With the current version of Mapopolis you can only set proximity alerts to one landmark catagory. By default gpxtomaplet saves the cache "type" as the landmark catagory in the mlp file. You may have noticed that each cache type (traditional, multi-, virtual, etc) has its own landmark catagory. That's a nice feature, but if you have proximity alert set to Traditional cache you might drive-by a multi without getting an alert.

 

If you change the cataory output in gpxtomaplet from the default (<type>) to "GEOCACHE" it will lump all the waypoints in your gpx into the same catagory. I just add the <type> info into one of the additional information fields.

[+JDandDD]

As far as GPS goes, if you buy a PDA, get bluetooth and then get something like the USGlobalsat BT338. It will sit on your belt, no wires needed, and keeps signal very well even under trees.

 

JDandDD

[+HAHAMICE]

Nice, the mapopolis ones looks great, are there any real nice SD GPS adapters for the Dell Axim or should i just go with a wired antenna and mount that on my dash? im not sure about going BT because i dunno how long the BT adapter lats and if im going to conect a wire to it then its not worth that. Also i want to see if the software i get will say "In 200 feet, turn right onto main street" instead of "In 200 feet turn right".

 

I have an OnCourse BT-339. It's bluetooth. It has a rechargable Lithium ion bat that is rated for 17 hrs of continuous operation. Also comes with a vehicle charger with a "Y" cable so you can power both the PDA and the GPS off the same circuit.

 

I usually set mine on the dash, but actually you could probably set it anywhere in the car and be OK. I was able to get a fix on the ground floor of my house with the BT-339. My Magellan can't do that.

 

As for voice ... try setting it to "text to speech" rather than one of the "human" voice options. It will give you more information and will do it's best to phonetically pronounce the street name. Takes a little getting used to. If you don't mind having Stephen Hawking as your navagator, you'll be OK. I've been told that you can upload custom wav files, but I haven't figured that out yet.

[+Ellteejak]

But what do you have for software?? Will it do automatic re-routing if you go off path?

 

Nice, the mapopolis ones looks great, are there any real nice SD GPS adapters for the Dell Axim or should i just go with a wired antenna and mount that on my dash? im not sure about going BT because i dunno how long the BT adapter lats and if im going to conect a wire to it then its not worth that. Also i want to see if the software i get will say "In 200 feet, turn right onto main street" instead of "In 200 feet turn right".

 

I have an OnCourse BT-339. It's bluetooth. It has a rechargable Lithium ion bat that is rated for 17 hrs of continuous operation. Also comes with a vehicle charger with a "Y" cable so you can power both the PDA and the GPS off the same circuit.

 

I usually set mine on the dash, but actually you could probably set it anywhere in the car and be OK. I was able to get a fix on the ground floor of my house with the BT-339. My Magellan can't do that.

 

As for voice ... try setting it to "text to speech" rather than one of the "human" voice options. It will give you more information and will do it's best to phonetically pronounce the street name. Takes a little getting used to. If you don't mind having Stephen Hawking as your navagator, you'll be OK. I've been told that you can upload custom wav files, but I haven't figured that out yet.

[+Ellteejak]

So it looks like the refurbished Ique 3600 at $280 (includes maps) with the $50 car kit. Grand Total $330

 

All other combinations require more expenses, with maps, and interfaces, etc.

 

The only weakness in this is the Ique IS NOT SirfIII chip; and the Ique 3600 hardware looks a little unreliable.

 

If you want to get a Bluetooth BT338 for $130, and Mapopolis Navigator ($100) and a T3 Palm PDA at $180 for a grand total of $410.

[+Ellteejak]

No one is mentioning PDA battery life??

 

I bet the PDA with bluetooth running (If you have a Bluetooth PDA and a Bluetooth GPS), or just with the GPS running (like the IQUE 3600) will KILL your PDA fast. IQUE 3600 per Palm web site says that it lasts maybe five hours in the field.

 

YOU CAN"T USE THIS IN THE FIELD!!!!

 

***********

 

I was looking for PDA, autorouting, good battery, GPS interface, SIRF III combination solutions and I am not finding anything.

 

The key stone/ linch pin/ point of failure seems to be battery life of a PDA in the field with either bluetooth running constantly, or the GPS on constantly.

 

Now I am thinking two units again. Owning a Legend Color, and a Ique 3600 both.

 

Can anyone suggest a more efficient combination?

Edited March 12, 2006 by Ellteejak

[+Red90]

YOU CAN"T USE THIS IN THE FIELD!!!!

 

Sure you can. I have one and use it for most caching other than long hikes. For city caching, you are in and out of the car and it charges in the car cradle between caches. I've done many long days of caching without losing the battery. There are many options for external power as well.

[+DrAwKwArD]

The Bt-338 has 17 hours of battery life. I don't really see this area being an issue especially with the power save feature. Yes, it comes with a car charger, but I don't really see myself ever using it.

 

 

No need for a separate BT GPS in my opinion. Just two devices to worry about charging or changing bats.

 

There ya go.

[+Ellteejak]

Red90,

 

Maybe you can. I still think I need the backup GPS like you mentioned. Do you ever use an antenna, under heavy tree cover, while using the Ique 3600?

 

 

YOU CAN"T USE THIS IN THE FIELD!!!!

 

Sure you can. I have one and use it for most caching other than long hikes. For city caching, you are in and out of the car and it charges in the car cradle between caches. I've done many long days of caching without losing the battery. There are many options for external power as well.

[+Ellteejak]

I ordered an Ique 3600 from Harmony Computer for $262 refurbished with 90 day warrentee.

 

Now I need to get a Glisson mag mount antenna ($30?), and the car mount kit ($50 maybe less).

 

YOU BETTER BE RIGHT "MR. RED90"!!!

 

Just joking. I looked at all the options. Every PDA dies after use of up to five hours, best case. No one sells a SIRFIII portable GPS that I can afford (all are at least $100 more expensive than the Ique 3600), that connects direct to a PDA, and has updated/current map software. I wanted autorouting and maps (latest version) and this gives it.

 

I will use my existing new Garmin Legend Color during my trip (hiking/walking) to plot tracks. Crossing my fingers that I can use my map software twice to install on my Legend and on my Ique.

[+Red90]

Red90,

 

Maybe you can. I still think I need the backup GPS like you mentioned. Do you ever use an antenna, under heavy tree cover, while using the Ique 3600?

 

I don't use an external antenna while walking. I personally don't like cables and multiple devices in the field. I have an external antenna for one vehicle. Mostly because I 4WD in heavy tree cover and narrow trails and want to map the trails when I am back at home. The reception is quite amazing with the external antenna. I have never lost reception with the external. In on road situations, it is normal to have 10 full strength bars and WAAS.

 

With the normal antenna in the car I very rarely lose reception on the road. The only exception is in the deep downtown jungle.

Edited March 13, 2006 by Red90

[+Red90]

For $262 you can't go wrong. The screen on the 3600 blow almost every PDA out of the water. The easier to use Palm OS, tends to make life simpler. There are a few good programs that really help integrate well with caching, so check out that other forum.

 

You can get the Gilsson on eBay from GPS Geek for less than $20.

 

Traditional Gilsson $14

 

GPS Geek $19

 

The newest Gilsson Antenna $19

 

Oh, make sure you get a screen protector. I have liked both http://www.pdascreenprotectors.com/ and http://www.shieldzone.com/

 

And the Garmin car mount really is magic. Watch eBay.

[+Red90]

Oh one other bit. The boyz on the iQue forum are testing out larger batteries. A cheap 1350 mAh unit may be possible. All fingers are crossed.......

[+Hynr]

The two things I have found the greatest weaknesses of the iQue 3600 are: (1) battery life (5 hours that's a joke. I get maybe 1 hour of continuous use while geocaching) and (2) it is fragile (drop that baby, and 2 times out of 10 it's toast (I know, I have paid the price). But it's strengths are amazing. If you compare to other combinations, remember the screen, processors speed and the voice navigation.

 

I think most of the optimistic battery life estimates assume that the unit will be in some sort of power-save mode or auto-off mode for part of the time. If you want to walk around with the iQue 3600 and not see the screen display, but still have it keep a lock on the sattelites and tell you when to turn, then it can probably go the full 5 hours. But if you are cache-hunting, then you do need to see the display a lot, so that is not feasible. When my battery was new, I did get longer life. I would be interested to a link to the forum on extending battery life.

 

I have tried various things to deal with the fact that it is fragile. My current solution is to use an Etrex Legend when I am out of the car. I do sometimes take the iQue out of the car for a quick one, but when I do, I do leave the external antenna in the car (too much hassle as mentioned above).

[+Red90]

If you only get an hour, you need a new battery. They only last a couple of years. Like I say, 3 hours of normal geocaching use with the backlight on low. 5 hours is the "normal" for a "rundown" test. A rundown test involves the backlight off and no applications running other than the rundown software. It is simply used as a benchmark to determine if your battery is bad or not. The software logs the battery voltage throughout the test and supplies a report.

 

This is the thread on the larger battery. He has it installed OK, we are just waiting to see if it will charge OK and then get a rundown test.

Edited March 13, 2006 by Red90

[+Ellteejak]

Then I will need to get instructions on exactly how to do this. How much does the battery and parts cost?

 

If you only get an hour, you need a new battery. They only last a couple of years. Like I say, 3 hours of normal geocaching use with the backlight on low. 5 hours is the "normal" for a "rundown" test. A rundown test involves the backlight off and no applications running other than the rundown software. It is simply used as a benchmark to determine if your battery is bad or not. The software logs the battery voltage throughout the test and supplies a report.

 

This is the thread on the larger battery. He has it installed OK, we are just waiting to see if it will charge OK and then get a rundown test.

[+Ellteejak]

Does MAPSOURCE have proximity??

 

Does MAPOPOLIS for the Palm have Proximity?

 

You can use the "proximity" feature to find nearby caches along the route.

 

I use Mapopolis. What do you mean by Proximity?

 

As an aside I use gpxtomaplet program that overlays all teh caches on the Mapopolis maps so you can see the geocaching waypoints. Is that what you're referring too?

 

Tip for using gpxtpmaplet utility with proximity alerts:

 

With the current version of Mapopolis you can only set proximity alerts to one landmark catagory. By default gpxtomaplet saves the cache "type" as the landmark catagory in the mlp file. You may have noticed that each cache type (traditional, multi-, virtual, etc) has its own landmark catagory. That's a nice feature, but if you have proximity alert set to Traditional cache you might drive-by a multi without getting an alert.

 

If you change the cataory output in gpxtomaplet from the default (<type>) to "GEOCACHE" it will lump all the waypoints in your gpx into the same catagory. I just add the <type> info into one of the additional information fields.

[+Ellteejak]

$500 grand total.

 

A Pocket PC like an Ipaq $250 with a CF slot to slip in a Globalsat Sirf III GPS. $85. Add Mapopolis software $100 with a 512m SD memory card $35 for all the maps and you'll have excellent voice/visual turn by turn auto routing. Add gpxtomaplet (free) for overlay all the cache point on the Mapopolis maps and gpxsonar (cobntribution) for paperless caching. Get a cable to keep the PPC posered from the car lighter and you can use th whole setup in the field after you leave the car with a fully charge PPC. Cable=$15-20 or so

 

No need for a separate BT GPS in my opinion. Just two devices to worry about charging or changing bats.

 

There ya go.

[+Red90]

You can use Birdwatch for proximity alerts.

 

With the 3600, you want as a minimum:

 

Cachemate with 3600 plugin installed.

BrightiQ

Birdwatch

WayQue

Fastfinger

FileZ

[+Ellteejak]

More Ique web sites for discussion

 

http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/forumdispl...?s=&forumid=108

[+Team Yarber]

I use a Toshiba e-830 with a USGlobalSat BC-307 CF GPS Receiver with Pocket Streets when I'm driving & GPSDASH 4 when I'm caching. Ive found Pocket streets & trips more than adequate for my navigation needs. Maps can be easily made on my desktop and are relatively small in size when compared to other software, There isn't any update fee and you can make a map & route from Canada to Mexico. Total cost including software was around the $600 mark but I purchased the PDA well before catching the Geocaching bug so my GPSin' cost was around $190, so for under $200 I have a killer GPS, with the largest, best looking color PDA screen, on the market, that can play mp3's, videos or video games, connects to the internet, oh and is a neat little office work station in a pinch.

 

I get about 5 hours with the back light on the lowest setting on the main battery. When I plug in my Nimh rechargeable external battery pack(4-2500 AA's) I can get 16+ hours total run time (Bonus of the battery pack setup is I can use the batteries in my digital camera and recharge my cell phone with it). If I use "screen off" software, i'll last for days. (The screen off software turns off your screen, saving battery power but leaves your PDA on keeping your GPS hot, also one the cool options is linking the screen off function to a pda button so you turn your screen on & off quickly & easily) You can get a freeware version here:

 

http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=14498

 

I chose the CF card over bluetooth just because of the power drain issue and the multiple batteries/charging complication (although I do have to charge the battery pack). With bluetooth on I get 3-4 hours on my main battery.

 

I use my setup in the woods all the time but I bought an Otterbox 3600 case and use it religiously. My first night out with it, I (275 #'s) fell fully on top of it after slipping on a patch of ice. I came out bruised, the PDA didn't even turn off, the case wasn't scratched but my stainless steel thermos looked like a crushed pop can. If you use your PDA on the trail I'd suggest you invest in one of these cases, they are absolutely bullet proof!

 

http://www.otterbox.com/products/pda_cases/3600/

[+Ellteejak]

Even though I just bought a Garmin Ique 3600 PDA-GPS (with Palm software) I have to admit that your setup is a slick efficient optimal solution.

 

I was looking to see what the total could cost me if I switch platform to MS Pocket PC with a CF GPS. Glad you were fully honest about the $600 cost. I would say the equivalent on the Palm platform with some compromises in performance but still competitively functional (not the largest screen, not the fastest processor, not the easiest software) is the Ique 3600 with auto/car kit and some kind of protective case (to be bought for $400 total).

 

The only change from your system I would suggest is to trade up to the BC-337 with SirfIII chip. Your older CF slot GPS card is a SirfII card. With the SirfIII the rumor is that if you cant find and use satellites, you must be inside a metal elevator, shielded from all RF energy. I guess you are implying that the OTTER BOX can handle the CF card and patch attenna sticking out at the top, and protect it as well?? Wish these CF GPS cards had some kind of external antenna connector, to allow me to attach a glisson antenna if I wanted to use one.

 

I use a Toshiba e-830 with a USGlobalSat BC-307 CF GPS Receiver with Pocket Streets when I'm driving & GPSDASH 4 when I'm caching. Ive found Pocket streets & trips more than adequate for my navigation needs. Maps can be easily made on my desktop and are relatively small in size when compared to other software, There isn't any update fee and you can make a map & route from Canada to Mexico. Total cost including software was around the $600 mark but I purchased the PDA well before catching the Geocaching bug so my GPSin' cost was around $190, so for under $200 I have a killer GPS, with the largest, best looking color PDA screen, on the market, that can play mp3's, videos or video games, connects to the internet, oh and is a neat little office work station in a pinch.

 

I get about 5 hours with the back light on the lowest setting on the main battery. When I plug in my Nimh rechargeable external battery pack(4-2500 AA's) I can get 16+ hours total run time (Bonus of the battery pack setup is I can use the batteries in my digital camera and recharge my cell phone with it). If I use "screen off" software, i'll last for days. (The screen off software turns off your screen, saving battery power but leaves your PDA on keeping your GPS hot, also one the cool options is linking the screen off function to a pda button so you turn your screen on & off quickly & easily) You can get a freeware version here:

 

http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=14498

 

I chose the CF card over bluetooth just because of the power drain issue and the multiple batteries/charging complication (although I do have to charge the battery pack). With bluetooth on I get 3-4 hours on my main battery.

 

I use my setup in the woods all the time but I bought an Otterbox 3600 case and use it religiously. My first night out with it, I (275 #'s) fell fully on top of it after slipping on a patch of ice. I came out bruised, the PDA didn't even turn off, the case wasn't scratched but my stainless steel thermos looked like a crushed pop can. If you use your PDA on the trail I'd suggest you invest in one of these cases, they are absolutely bullet proof!

 

http://www.otterbox.com/products/pda_cases/3600/

Edited March 14, 2006 by Ellteejak

[+Team Yarber]

Check, I do have the 337, (307=late night, bleary eyes). This card does come with an antenna port (the retailer tossed in the antenna for free. cool!) I've only had to use the MMCX external antenna once though, I get 3d locks inside warehouses, buildings, deep woods, where ever with no external antenna all the time.

 

Yes, the model 3600 otter box handles the cf card with ease, it also has add-on case components, top and bottom to fit your cards or battery packs. My PDA is probably the largest you can buy now & it fits in the case with the CF card perfectly.

 

Even though I just bought a Garmin Ique 3600 PDA-GPS (with Palm software) I have to admit that your setup is a slick efficient optimal solution.

 

I was looking to see what the total could cost me if I switch platform to MS Pocket PC with a CF GPS. Glad you were fully honest about the $600 cost. I would say the equivalent on the Palm platform with some compromises in performance but still competitively functional (not the largest screen, not the fastest processor, not the easiest software) is the Ique 3600 with auto/car kit and some kind of protective case (to be bought for $400 total).

 

The only change from your system I would suggest is to trade up to the BC-337 with SirfIII chip. Your older CF slot GPS card is a SirfII card. With the SirfIII the rumor is that if you cant find and use satellites, you must be inside a metal elevator, shielded from all RF energy. I guess you are implying that the OTTER BOX can handle the CF card and patch attenna sticking out at the top, and protect it as well?? Wish these CF GPS cards had some kind of external antenna connector, to allow me to attach a glisson antenna if I wanted to use one.

 

[+Ellteejak]

Now I am extremely jealous!! You must killed on sight so I can steal your toy!! Well looks like I know what I want sooner or later for my next toy.

 

Is there any pocket PC software that emulates/simulates/does as good as an IPOD? I can sell my IPOD and just consolidate into one SUPER universal device. I have the 30GB IPOD video. Can your PPC PDA play video?

 

*********

Check, I do have the 337, (307=late night, bleary eyes). This card does come with an antenna port (the retailer tossed in the antenna for free. cool!) I've only had to use the MMCX external antenna once though, I get 3d locks inside warehouses, buildings, deep woods, where ever with no external antenna all the time.

 

Yes, the model 3600 otter box handles the cf card with ease, it also has add-on case components, top and bottom to fit your cards or battery packs. My PDA is probably the largest you can buy now & it fits in the case with the CF card perfectly.

 

***********

[+Team Yarber]

It's not the latest greatest though & won't be available for much longer unless you buy it used. The Toshiba e830 is Toshiba's last production PPC, they decided in 2005 to discontinue making PDA's. I chose it back in Apr. 2005 because of the large, VGA screen, the processor and the dedicated graphics chip, plus CF &SD expansion slots and built in WiFi, built in Bluetooth. In 1+ years it hasn't let me down. Not only does it play video, with Pocket DVD studio software, I convert any DVD into a PPC sized video file. On my last business trip, I watched Spiderman 2, Ronin & The Village from my home collection.

 

I haven't used an Ipod so I can't compare, but there is lots of PPC video & audio/music software out there. But the largest SD or CF memory card available I believe is 6 GB and is quite pricey. The largest memory card I have is 1gb, but i have several along with all the "grandfather" cards from previous PDA's & digital camera's (6-32's/4-128's/2-256's/3-512's mb's). Memory wise you've got me beat by far.

 

 

Now I am extremely jealous!! You must killed on sight so I can steal your toy!! Well looks like I know what I want sooner or later for my next toy.

 

Is there any pocket PC software that emulates/simulates/does as good as an IPOD? I can sell my IPOD and just consolidate into one SUPER universal device. I have the 30GB IPOD video. Can your PPC PDA play video?

 

[+Ellteejak]

I would have thought that there would be PPC models out there that have internal drives and 30GB or 60GB. If the IPOD can do it why not a PPC? Well if you (or any) see such a PPC with a large hard drive let me know. (let us all know).

 

 

 

I haven't used an Ipod so I can't compare, but there is lots of PPC video & audio/music software out there. But the largest SD or CF memory card available I believe is 6 GB and is quite pricey. The largest memory card I have is 1gb, but i have several along with all the "grandfather" cards from previous PDA's & digital camera's (6-32's/4-128's/2-256's/3-512's mb's). Memory wise you've got me beat by far.

 

 

[+Ellteejak]

I just looked and found the Palm Lifedrive that has a large internal hard drive. I can even find a SD card with GPS that will work in the Lifedrive. The combination cost does not seem too optimal to replace my GPS-Cellphone-PDA-IPOD, at least not yet. Give it five years and we should see a better combined solution that is proven and hardened for real life use.

 

I was also looking at the Blackberry GPS applications. There is quite a lot available for the Blackberry. You might be able to pull off a combined PDA-GPS-Cellphone by getting a Blackberry.

 

 

I would have thought that there would be PPC models out there that have internal drives and 30GB or 60GB. If the IPOD can do it why not a PPC? Well if you (or any) see such a PPC with a large hard drive let me know. (let us all know).

 

 

 

I haven't used an Ipod so I can't compare, but there is lots of PPC video & audio/music software out there. But the largest SD or CF memory card available I believe is 6 GB and is quite pricey. The largest memory card I have is 1gb, but i have several along with all the "grandfather" cards from previous PDA's & digital camera's (6-32's/4-128's/2-256's/3-512's mb's). Memory wise you've got me beat by far.

 

 

[+Ellteejak]

Just wanted to say thankyou to RED90 and TEAMYARBER for all the great technical advice/comments. I am learning a lot more about what technology possibilities are out there.

Edited March 15, 2006 by Ellteejak

[+knitter]

This iQue is a Palm OS device on which I run Cachemate which can put the geocaching waypoints on the iQue’s map. I can select one of these and "Route to" it and Blondie gives my driver instructions verbally.

 

Would someone please explain how to do this? I've searched the forums, and I still cannot figure out how to transfer the waypoints from Cachemate to the maps on my Ique .

[+Red90]

You need to install the iQue plug-in. This comes in the ZIP file with Cachemate.

 

Once that is installed, there is an "Ex" box when in list mode at the bottom that exports all logs to the address book and a "Map" box when viewing a specific cache page.

 

I would also suugest installing "WayQue", http://software.blairkids.com/palm_pages/wayQue.html as this makes managing the address book entries easier than the stock program.

[+knitter]

That's done it! I knew it had to be something simple that I just couldn't see. I didn't have the "Ex" box and couldn't figure out why. Thanks ever so much. Now to play with these new programs

[Cracker.]

No one is mentioning PDA battery life??

 

I bet the PDA with bluetooth running (If you have a Bluetooth PDA and a Bluetooth GPS), or just with the GPS running (like the IQUE 3600) will KILL your PDA fast. IQUE 3600 per Palm web site says that it lasts maybe five hours in the field.

 

YOU CAN"T USE THIS IN THE FIELD!!!!

 

***********

 

I was looking for PDA, autorouting, good battery, GPS interface, SIRF III combination solutions and I am not finding anything.

 

The key stone/ linch pin/ point of failure seems to be battery life of a PDA in the field with either bluetooth running constantly, or the GPS on constantly.

 

Now I am thinking two units again. Owning a Legend Color, and a Ique 3600 both.

 

Can anyone suggest a more efficient combination?

 

Check ebay. There are cheap "battery extender"s out there for many PDAs.

I just picked one up in an 8 item travel package for my Palm Lifedrive for $18. I've seen just the battery extenders for as low as $3 + $5-$8 S&H...

 

What they are is basically a switched battery case that holds 4 AA's, with a power cord that has device specific power jack.

 

Heres an example (by the way, this is NOT my auction, and I am NOT condoning this user, just wanted to show what I'm talking aboot):

http://cgi.ebay.com/Battery-Extender-Charg...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Cracker.]

No one is mentioning PDA battery life??

 

I bet the PDA with bluetooth running (If you have a Bluetooth PDA and a Bluetooth GPS), or just with the GPS running (like the IQUE 3600) will KILL your PDA fast. IQUE 3600 per Palm web site says that it lasts maybe five hours in the field.

 

YOU CAN"T USE THIS IN THE FIELD!!!!

 

***********

 

I was looking for PDA, autorouting, good battery, GPS interface, SIRF III combination solutions and I am not finding anything.

 

The key stone/ linch pin/ point of failure seems to be battery life of a PDA in the field with either bluetooth running constantly, or the GPS on constantly.

 

Now I am thinking two units again. Owning a Legend Color, and a Ique 3600 both.

 

Can anyone suggest a more efficient combination?

 

Check ebay. There are cheap "battery extender"s out there for many PDAs.

I just picked one up in an 8 item travel package for my Palm Lifedrive for $18. I've seen just the battery extenders for as low as $3 + $5-$8 S&H...

 

What they are is basically a switched battery case that holds 4 AA's, with a power cord that has device specific power jack.

 

Heres an example (by the way, this is NOT my auction, and I am NOT condoning this user, just wanted to show what I'm talking aboot):

http://cgi.ebay.com/Battery-Extender-Charg...1QQcmdZViewItem