Caching With A Blackberry

[+Trizumi]

I know a Palm device is the way to go, but you use what you have ….

 

In a previous post, I mentioned how I use my blackberry for some paperless caching. It is not very automated and at this point I have only used it on local caching trips where I bag just a few caches. I send myself an e-mail with the cache name in the subject and all other information in the body of the message. This involves a lot of "cutting and pasting" and I know it would work very well on out of state trips.

 

Are other people using their Blackberries and if so, how do you use it?

[+Kealia]

Do you not have the data access / Internet access plan for yours?

 

I know a few folks who use thier Treos, etc. and use the WAP site so make it move faster (runs to find WAP site link).

[+Trizumi]

Yes, it has a data plan. I guess that is a added feature of blackberry caching (I know you can do this with a treo device). I have browsed out to the Geocaching site a couple of times to look a the cache's web page.

 

This adds a whole new dynamic to paperless caching, doesn't it

 

What is the URL of the WAP site?

[+Kealia]

http://wap.geocaching.com

 

Good luck!

[+Trizumi]

I just tried this on my BB and it worked. Thanks!!!

Edited May 26, 2006 by Trizumi

[+jaredl]

I use my blackberry and i have mobi pocket reader instsalled, when ever i get a pocket quarry, i also get the cache discriptions also. i have the 2000 closest caches in my blackberry with room to spair, when i want to go look for on i use the search feature and just type in the waypoint name for the cache and it always pops up right away. it also saves the waypoint name in hte search so iwhen i go to search for hte clues i dont have to re enter it.

 

i try and up date it at least once a week so the ones i have found arn't on there any more.

 

if a cache isn't on my pocket quarry ie. a new listing from that day, i add it to my watch list which is book marked on my blackberry explorer progeram. sometimes i carry an external antenna for my black berry ince in in the woods and i need to look something up

[+Wile E. Dragonfly]

I use a PDA and as I'm not a premium member (yet) I simply copy and paste the info off of the site into a word document... Save it as a short name that matches in my GPS and I'm off to the caches. It's not automated, but still paperless and really not that hard to do... and I don't have to have all of the map pictures in it, so file size is limited.

 

Wile E. Dragonfly

[+JZ6563]

Where do I get this Mobi Pocket reader? Is it from RIM?

[+Klatch]

Where do I get this Mobi Pocket reader? Is it from RIM?

http://tinyurl.com/44m7

[+tands]

I use my blackberry also, but prefer the full site over the wap version. I just scale my fonts all the way down as small as possible and don't load images. This way there's a lot less clicking on 'next page' links.

 

- T of TandS

[+DeskJocky]

I've cached with my Blackberry a few times. The WAP site worked well. Add that and Google Maps in and it isn't bad. I've only used it while caching in other countries. In the US, who needs those toyes

[+mgbmusic]

I've cached with my Blackberry a few times. The WAP site worked well. Add that and Google Maps in and it isn't bad. I've only used it while caching in other countries. In the US, who needs those toyes

 

I use a simiar method with my Treo (since someone else brought up PDA...), but what I do, and what might be even more ideal for a blackberry (it's what the things were built for) is on a reg web browser (computer) look up cache locations for where I'm gonna be, and email the links to the pages. Then, I load the links into Blazer, and save the pages. Treo provides 5 pages of bookmarks - 5 different cache locations based on where I'm gonig to be, or just my cache wish list, broken down by locations.

 

I know the topic is Blackberry specific, but i only brought it up b/c a similar method could be used on a BB.

 

Works for me...

 

--MGb

[+cache_r_joe]

I have my blackberry with me all the time. I don't always use it, but it has come in handy when a cache goes Archived since my last PQ. Usually when I can't find the cache, I'll go to the actual cache page on my bby and check it out. I also carry a palm with Cachemate, but that's only as up to date as your last PQs that you loaded.

 

I find the WAP site good for logging and quick checking, but the main page, although a little longer to navigate through, is better. I have an unlimited web and email plan so I can surf all I want. I will often check these forums on the bby while on the road also. Its a great rig.

 

I just downloaded Mobipocket. Would be nice to be able to generate an ebook from GSAK, anyone know of a way to do this and get it onto the bby?

 

Joe

[+tands]

I just d-l'd Trimble to my BB7520. Holy agent of darkness Batman!

 

Sif chipset in my BB gets coord lock in 5 secs cold! Marked parking spot sitting in car, went to store, bought pop, go-to'd my parking spot, drove back to work, drinking pop, BB guided me back to spot and zeroed out at 1'.

 

My 60Cs is on the floorboard now. I told it I wasn't sending it to the Island of Misfit GPSRs. I stll loved it.

 

Must...resist....buying.....app....resistance....futile....

 

- T of TandS

[+HortonK]

I use my Blackberry to check out cache info as well. I usually add caches to my watchlist in advance for easy loading, then visit the page as needed. I confess that I sometimes browse the forums from my Blackberry while walking my dog...

 

The MobiPocket idea is a good one as it would work even with weak or no signal. My 7-year-old niece can get impatient just waiting for pages to load, so faster is always better.

 

I also maintain Took and Left logs in MemoPad until I can get back to the website to log finds, as well as clues from multi-caches.

Edited December 3, 2006 by HortonK

[+stipman]

I use my blackberry for paperless caching. I originally received my pocket queries in eBook format but the results were in alphabetical order by cache id instead of ordered by distance. I tend to go caching by distance. I really don't go caching alphabetically (although that would be a unique way of caching). The solution I came up with involved using GSAK to export my caches in HTML format and then using the Mobipocket Creator (free from Mobipocket) to create the ebook from the HTML. It has worked out very well. I really enjoy the many different relations that the HTML eBook presents. You can view by name, by distance, nearby caches, density, caches with travel bugs etc etc. To make the process a little easier, I created a macro in GSAK that automatically creates the mobipocket ebook. I do have to admit, I did write a small visual basic script to create the input file that Mobipocket Creator uses, but I could provide if anyone would like to look at it, simplfy it etc

[FlagFinder]

i use my dads blackberry its got everything and his work pays for all the services so i use the internet to view the pages and the gps to get around its a good deal! plus my dads boss does geocacher thats a good thing because he introduced me to it.

[+FBS67]

As some others have mentioned, I am using E-books to get PQ info into my BB 7520. I also have a version of EOffice on the device which I use to log the finds. When I know I know I will be in a service area for the BB, I would simply log the caches on the fly. However, we travel to many areas that no service is available and this was the best solution I could find. I would certainly purchase a version of CacheMate that could be used with the BB, if it were available. I enjoyed the functionalityof it on my Prism PDA when first going paperless.

 

I tried this e-books/EOffice method on our last trip to SW Virginia and logging them into GC.com after returning home was a breeze. It was great to not have to remember each cache in detail. Next best thing to CacheMate.

 

The E-books for BB is available from the site link provided in the PQ result e-mail. I also installed this on my wife's Pocket PC but she wass happier with the Palm OS applications. Looking into going back to that for her.

 

I have not tried the GPS function of the BB for caching as I found the accuracy not to be as good as my 60CS, so I won't be going that route any time soon.

 

Good hunting BB users!