ElevenBravo Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 (edited) Previously, I was using my trusty Megallen GPS-315. I used it at several bases, and it was of great help at Ft.Irwin California where I was doing desert warfare training... It had MGRS, so I could plot right off the paper map, and vice versa. Life was good. So, I try some Geocaching... with an 8 year old GPS. No so grand. Lat/Lon was limited to DDMMSS. Our first GC trek led us several places, but never to find the cache. Under heavy canopy, signal was in and out. I would have to walk 20 to 30 feet to get a new reading, only to find I just went 30 feet the wrong way. No joy here. Searching for *3 weeks solid*, I determined the best GPS was right in my hand... My PocketPC! No worries with data ports, or graphics, or anything... but having not putting together a setup like this before, I wasnt sure how it would work out. Previously, I used my PocketPC with my GPS-315 and some ad-hoc patch cables sending NMEA sentances to Mapopolis, and it worked! However, at that time there was almost NOTHING in the way of GPS software, that could allow you to eliminate your traditional GPS! So, I get the GPS compact flash card, plug it in, and run GPSDash2 software, and volia! It workie! I was so impressed, I registered the software. After 2 hard days of fiddling with the combo, I take it out for the true test. Revisit the first cache. My daughter and I follow the nav screen with blind faith. Were going in a totally different direction than last time... the signal is exceptional, keeping as many as 7 sats IN USE, and DOP was as low as 1.4! This is IN THE WOODS where my 315 took a nap. We keep moving until distance read off .004 miles. Knowing this is about as close as we can get, I tell my daughter "Keep and eye out, were at the center of where the reading was taken from... look around the ground, beside logs and at the base of trees." About 1/2 a second, she screams "Daddy! I found it" and jerks up an ammo can! The dang thing was about 1 foot away from my foot on a log! Whew! Alibit it was semi-covered up, you can appericiate we previously were as much as 200 feet off course. Since then, I have used it in several GC hunts, have not been so lucky to get a great set of CoOrds like the first one, but were not giving up! I am also using Mapopolis for street and driving navigation, and have found it to be excelent! If your looking for a GREAT combo, total paperless solution with great accuracy, give this a try! Equipment: -Dell Axim X5 PocketPC running WM2003 operating system -GPSDash2 (http://gpsdash.com) software for GPS navigation -Mapopolis (http://mapopolis.com) software for street navigation -PMG-272 Compact Flash GPS (http://www.pocketmapstore.com) for GPS hardware In the works: A fully water/dirt proof bag to run it all in! I have several links, will try the one that I identified as the best, and report back! More about the CF GPS: Link to store: http://www.pocketmapstore.com Link to unit: http://www.pocketmapstore.com/pohiprcfgpsr.html I was very lucky, I got mine off Ebay for $60. It is exceptional! Works perfectly great! More about GPSDash2: Ive tried a few others (see below) but found this to be the best solution, although it didnt seam to be rated the highest. The Dash allows navigation with about 5 or 6 dials, 1 of which is pretty big. Tapping it makes it full screen. I keep the compass as the biggest dial. The cycle time is FAST! With other software, or with my GPS-315 you would have to travel several feet (20-30) before an update is issued on screen. With GPSDash2, as long as you go at least 1 MPH, you can have an update in as little as *4 feet*. Several times Ive moved only 2 to 3 feet and get an accurate update toward waypoint/target. It has a Map feature, but so far I have not been able to get a really good calibration... however it DOES work. Ive downloaded a few maps that was generated with there Map Manager, and it does work... but is off by about 20 feet. Id rather calibrate it and have it on the money. Im pretty sure there is something I need to do different, or my CoOrds that I used to calibrate are off, so Im holding off passing judgment on that for now, and will report back later if I figure something out. Other software tried, but passed on: -BeeLineGPS (http://www.visualgps.net/BeeLineGPS/) - I did try the demo version, its pretty rough, but does function. The thing I wanted to try the most was the blank map... however, its cycle time was so slow I cant see using it for precise work. GPSDash2 was the closest you can get to a precision instrument. Its very bland, no real good compas at all. Not worth the trouble to install, would be good if it was closer to Dash and cycled a lot faster! -GPSTuner (http://www.gpstuner.com/index.htm) - Though this one showed a LOT of promise, and looked like the best package, with an attractive price... it is an EXTREAM memory and resource hog. I dont feel like adjusting my paging/virtual memory every 5 seconds just to make the program happy. I ran it just long enough to see that Dash was a better solution. As soon as I can get some time, Ill post some photos, and maybe some video to support this report. If you have any questions, please ask them in this thread. Take care all, and safe hunting! ElevenBravo Edited June 16, 2006 by ElevenBravo Quote Link to comment
+IVxIV Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Thanks for posting your review it is excellent, and perfectly timed! I just picked up an Asus MyPal A636 PPC, and am also going through the process of determining the *best* software to use on it for GeoCaching purposes. If possible I would LOVE to use a MINIMUM number of seperate applications to achieve a goal of "caching in harmony with technology" The A636 has a builtin GPS receiver, and one reason I bought it was that it's battery life is phenominal as compared with other PDA's with onboard GPS receviers, it claims to be good for around 7 hours continual use, which combined with the included car kit (windshield mount & charger) just seemed perfect to me. It also came with "Destinator PN" voice navigation software which so far I am very impressed with! Currently I am trying out the BeelineGPS trial software and, so far so good, except as you mentioned, the cycle time seems pretty relaxed on it. It seems like I can walk forever before it updates my position(!), you say GPSdash2 is better for that? I have read about GPSdash2, but haven't tried it yet because I don't think it holds all the GeoCaching info (description, past logs, etc) within it? I guess I could use something like Cachemate as a seperate software for that purpose, which I do like, as I've been using cachemate for a long time on my previous PDA, a Sony Clie Palm based unit that didn't have a GPS receiver interface. Quote Link to comment
ElevenBravo Posted June 22, 2006 Author Share Posted June 22, 2006 I just looked up that PPC you have... http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=porta...=reviews&id=763 Looks pretty slick! Yeah, BeeLine is pretty much designed to make Geocachers happy... as far as features. But its laggy. GPSDash will allow imports of LOC files, and I can comment the waypoints as I wish. Dash is not setup to make GCing "easier", BUT... with a rapid cycle time, it makes THIS cacher extreamly happy, as I get right on top of a co-ordinates with a lot less leg work... I can, using my own GPS, mark a waypoint... travel from it, and select it/goto it, and I am within 2-3 feet of where I marked it... keeping in mind your DOP is about 1.5-2 at the time... The card I have (GPSr) is extreamly sensitive, and overhead cover doesnt bother it as much. My GPS-315 lost signal just going down the trail about 4 times yesterday... and once I got in the woods with the canopy, all signal was gone. I was still USING 5 sats in the woods, down 2 from the trail (you have to move fast to be able to tell, the satellites move fast too!) Anyway, I just finished trying MEMORY-MAP, which is nice... but its almost strictly MAP ONLY... the compass on the Dash is what I use (along with distance readout) to zero me in on the exact position. Mapping is great... for hiking TO the cache. I load mine up with a 1:4 topo (that I made and calibrated) and I can see how to get on top of the hill, what ridgeline to run, etc.. etc.. (I do a lot of hiking too...). Anyway, Dash is the schiznets, dont get anything else. Though IMHO, it has its shortcomings in lack of certian features, but that is to be expected of anything (you can please some of the people all of the time, and you can please all of the people some of the time, but you cant please all of the people all of the time). I *wish* I had the programming talent to interface with a GPSr, and the graphics ability, and knowledge of datums, and map calibration and tracking on the PPC, or Id write my own program that would blow Dash out of the water... sadly... I dont have those programming abilities. :-) HTH, Andrew Quote Link to comment
+SparkyInCali Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 I would also recommend giving cachemate a try with the cachenav plug in.It does not give you maps just the gps and cache data.It allows you to have every cache page you have downloaded in your hand and if you use gsak they work together perfectly.It is a great $9 investment.The one other to think about is gpsgate.It will allow you to have 2 applications recieving the gps data at once so you can have something like mapopolis or the other navigator running while also using cachemate or beeline without having to stop one or the other. Quote Link to comment
ElevenBravo Posted June 24, 2006 Author Share Posted June 24, 2006 I would also recommend giving cachemate a try with the cachenav plug in. Thank you for your follow up post.. but you can track all that in the waypoints menu of GPSDash... mate and nav AFAICT have no interface to guide you, which IMHO makes it usless (if you are already running a PocketPC with GPSr and navigation software, as I was outlining). 11B Quote Link to comment
malcolmspeak Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) Previously, I was using my trusty Megallen GPS-315. I used it at several bases, and it was of great help at Ft.Irwin California where I was doing desert warfare training... It had MGRS, so I could plot right off the paper map, and vice versa. Life was good. So, I try some Geocaching... with an 8 year old GPS. No so grand. Lat/Lon was limited to DDMMSS. Our first GC trek led us several places, but never to find the cache. Under heavy canopy, signal was in and out. I would have to walk 20 to 30 feet to get a new reading, only to find I just went 30 feet the wrong way. No joy here. Searching for *3 weeks solid*, I determined the best GPS was right in my hand... My PocketPC! No worries with data ports, or graphics, or anything... but having not putting together a setup like this before, I wasnt sure how it would work out. Previously, I used my PocketPC with my GPS-315 and some ad-hoc patch cables sending NMEA sentances to Mapopolis, and it worked! However, at that time there was almost NOTHING in the way of GPS software, that could allow you to eliminate your traditional GPS! So, I get the GPS compact flash card, plug it in, and run GPSDash2 software, and volia! It workie! I was so impressed, I registered the software. After 2 hard days of fiddling with the combo, I take it out for the true test. Revisit the first cache. My daughter and I follow the nav screen with blind faith. Were going in a totally different direction than last time... the signal is exceptional, keeping as many as 7 sats IN USE, and DOP was as low as 1.4! This is IN THE WOODS where my 315 took a nap. We keep moving until distance read off .004 miles. Knowing this is about as close as we can get, I tell my daughter "Keep and eye out, were at the center of where the reading was taken from... look around the ground, beside logs and at the base of trees." About 1/2 a second, she screams "Daddy! I found it" and jerks up an ammo can! The dang thing was about 1 foot away from my foot on a log! Whew! Alibit it was semi-covered up, you can appericiate we previously were as much as 200 feet off course. Since then, I have used it in several GC hunts, have not been so lucky to get a great set of CoOrds like the first one, but were not giving up! I am also using Mapopolis for street and driving navigation, and have found it to be excelent! If your looking for a GREAT combo, total paperless solution with great accuracy, give this a try! Equipment: -Dell Axim X5 PocketPC running WM2003 operating system -GPSDash2 (http://gpsdash.com) software for GPS navigation -Mapopolis (http://mapopolis.com) software for street navigation -PMG-272 Compact Flash GPS (http://www.pocketmapstore.com) for GPS hardware In the works: A fully water/dirt proof bag to run it all in! I have several links, will try the one that I identified as the best, and report back! More about the CF GPS: Link to store: http://www.pocketmapstore.com Link to unit: http://www.pocketmapstore.com/pohiprcfgpsr.html I was very lucky, I got mine off Ebay for $60. It is exceptional! Works perfectly great! More about GPSDash2: Ive tried a few others (see below) but found this to be the best solution, although it didnt seam to be rated the highest. The Dash allows navigation with about 5 or 6 dials, 1 of which is pretty big. Tapping it makes it full screen. I keep the compass as the biggest dial. The cycle time is FAST! With other software, or with my GPS-315 you would have to travel several feet (20-30) before an update is issued on screen. With GPSDash2, as long as you go at least 1 MPH, you can have an update in as little as *4 feet*. Several times Ive moved only 2 to 3 feet and get an accurate update toward waypoint/target. It has a Map feature, but so far I have not been able to get a really good calibration... however it DOES work. Ive downloaded a few maps that was generated with there Map Manager, and it does work... but is off by about 20 feet. Id rather calibrate it and have it on the money. Im pretty sure there is something I need to do different, or my CoOrds that I used to calibrate are off, so Im holding off passing judgment on that for now, and will report back later if I figure something out. Other software tried, but passed on: -BeeLineGPS (http://www.visualgps.net/BeeLineGPS/) - I did try the demo version, its pretty rough, but does function. The thing I wanted to try the most was the blank map... however, its cycle time was so slow I cant see using it for precise work. GPSDash2 was the closest you can get to a precision instrument. Its very bland, no real good compas at all. Not worth the trouble to install, would be good if it was closer to Dash and cycled a lot faster! -GPSTuner (http://www.gpstuner.com/index.htm) - Though this one showed a LOT of promise, and looked like the best package, with an attractive price... it is an EXTREAM memory and resource hog. I dont feel like adjusting my paging/virtual memory every 5 seconds just to make the program happy. I ran it just long enough to see that Dash was a better solution. As soon as I can get some time, Ill post some photos, and maybe some video to support this report. If you have any questions, please ask them in this thread. Take care all, and safe hunting! ElevenBravo Hi Dash is good, but it relies on NETCF sp3 (there goes a chunk of memory and sometimes it disappears from the system) Tuner is good, but needs at least 20MB to run - you're right about it being a resource hog.(I have an old ipaq and this is an issue for me, but may not be for you. ODGPS is excellent, though sluggish and slow on the menu response (again, it depends on the system you're using). It has the features af being able to append a photo and voice recording to waypoints, and also to stop tracking while resting, then append the track when starting to move again. Loxtrax is annoying in that it is always Nth up (I like course up, but thats only personal).The best Ive found is Tracky. It looks a bit cartoonish, but whats under the hood is impressive. The Author is going to make it more geocaching compatible . He's open to reasonable suggestions too. Just be aware that he does some things slightly different to most authors, but once used to it, its very intuitive. For the price range of $20-40USD this one is a winner. happy 'cahcing Malcolm Edited December 18, 2006 by malcolmspeak Quote Link to comment
+Jeeperman Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Go to BackCountryNavigator.com and take a look. It costs $30 for the whole thing....and It works GREAT for Geocaching. You can download TOPOs and Aerial maps down to 1:1 pixel ratio on the Aerials!! Right onto your PDA......No PC needed.....As long as you have a Wi-fi hotspot.....You can even download GPX files directly from Geocaching.com!!!!!........And it's getting better every day.........they even offer a 10 day trial period for free..... GSAK on your PC ...... and all you have to do is export your pocket queries...... and then you can Import them right onto your maps.....Works great..... Then with GPX Sonar or something similar you can go paperless........ it's definitely worth a try! Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 (edited) elevenbravo: Have you tried Mapopolis's GPS screen for in the woods navigation and if so how do you compare it to geodash? Edited December 22, 2006 by Alan2 Quote Link to comment
+Jeeperman Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I don't know about elevenbravo.........but if it doesn't have contour lines......I'm not using it off road! Quote Link to comment
emariu Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 I didn't see anyone mention Pathaway or PPC Oziexplorer..The first one is extremly nice and featured... Quote Link to comment
+Team Real McCoy Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 I didn't see anyone mention Pathaway or PPC Oziexplorer..The first one is extremly nice and featured... Good question. Between Microsoft Streets and Trips and Outdoor Navigator running on my ppc, I'm pretty well covered in teh USA. But what about the rest of the world? Not much there that I can tell, in the way of maps except oziexplorer. Last I checked it was pretty expensive solution. Any experience out there? Quote Link to comment
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