paperless, palm

[+sock-it-2-me]

I have a 50 dollar gift certificate for circuit city. They have a palm tungsten e2 on sale for 190 and a palm z22 for 90...

 

Is the tungsten E2 enough better to warrant the extra 100 dollars? I'll be using this for little else than geocaching... of course, that might change after I get it, but that's an unknown.

 

Thanks for any feedback..... oh, sale ends Sunday. so please respond soon.

[+gpsblake]

I am also thinking about getting the Z22. Not just for geocaching but for benchmarking as well. What I can't find is a detailed guide to using the z22 with geocaching. I know others have talked about them here in the past. Maybe someone can state what is needed to go paperless with the Z22 and other PDA's in simple English.

[+ThePropers]

If you're only using it for geocaching, there is absolutely no reason to spend more than $20 for a PDA. Look on Ebay and grab a Zire or Zire 21.

 

In fact, I just upgraded my Zire that I picked up for $40 years ago for a M500 (with a backlight) for a whopping $10 (I got that one used from the company I work for).

 

I only use them for geocaching, and wouldn't even think of spending $90 on one. One slip and the thing is smashed on a rock or in the stream and ruined.

 

If you don't like Ebay, you can go to the Palm Factory Outlet. They have a Zire 21 for $60, although that's more than I'd like to spend. They have a Zire 31 for $90 also.

 

There's a Zire 21 on Ebay right now that ends in 2 1/2 hours and the bidding is up to $4.25.

Edited September 28, 2006 by ThePropers

[+sock-it-2-me]

Darn, I was hoping to use that gift cert..... I buy most things online, so going to c/c to use it normally does not pay off, as I have to pay that much more for the item plus tax....

 

If you're only using it for geocaching, there is absolutely no reason to spend more than $20 for a PDA. Look on Ebay and grab a Zire or Zire 21.

 

In fact, I just upgraded my Zire that I picked up for $40 years ago for a M500 (with a backlight) for a whopping $10 (I got that one used from the company I work for).

 

I only use them for geocaching, and wouldn't even think of spending $90 on one. One slip and the thing is smashed on a rock or in the stream and ruined.

 

If you don't like Ebay, you can go to the Palm Factory Outlet. They have a Zire 21 for $60, although that's more than I'd like to spend. They have a Zire 31 for $90 also.

 

There's a Zire 21 on Ebay right now that ends in 2 1/2 hours and the bidding is up to $4.25.

Edited September 28, 2006 by sock-it-2-me

[+gpsblake]

Ok,

 

That unit has 7.2mb memory. How many geocaches in .gpx format from a pocket query (I will subscribe to premium membership when I get one) will that hold and the programs required for it to read the gpx format?

 

And what is a hot sync cable it comes with?

[+TrackerGirl]

I've been considering that Z22 at CC this week as well. We've been going paperless with an M500, but the battery is starting to show it's age, and I was thinking of buying a Z22 to upgrade then sell the M500. The M500 has been great for paperless caching, and I got a great deal on it off eBay.

[+ThePropers]

Ok,

 

That unit has 7.2mb memory. How many geocaches in .gpx format from a pocket query (I will subscribe to premium membership when I get one) will that hold and the programs required for it to read the gpx format?

 

And what is a hot sync cable it comes with?

 

I was using an old Palm Zire with 2MB of memory, and I had roughly 1000 geocaches stored in cachemate. Never ran out of memory, but I wasn't really using it for anything but geocaching (I didn't keep my contacts or calendar or anything else in it). I'm sure with 7.2mb you can store a lot more if you need to.

 

The hot sync cable simply connects the PDA to the computer so you can transfer data to it. They call it hotsyncing because it "syncs" up your contact lists, calendars, cachemate...etc.

 

I see the auction I mentioned earlier ended with a winning bid of $4.25, with another $3.95 for shipping. So for less than $10 you could've had a Zire 21. If you look at that auction though under the "Similar items" section you'll see several other Zire 21s for sale though with auctions ending in the next couple of days.

 

Again, if you're only using it for geocaching, I see no reason to go buy a new one at CC for $90.

Edited September 29, 2006 by ThePropers

[John E Cache]

I have a 50 dollar gift certificate for circuit city. They have a palm tungsten e2 on sale for 190 and a palm z22 for 90...

 

Is the tungsten E2 enough better to warrant the extra 100 dollars? I'll be using this for little else than geocaching... of course, that might change after I get it, but that's an unknown.

 

Thanks for any feedback..... oh, sale ends Sunday. so please respond soon.

OK. I will give the high end Palm addict view to confuse you. Depends on what you want to do. The E2 has Bluetooth and can be paired with bluetooth GPS. It also has a memory card slot so you can load caches with a memory card reader. I load 1000 caches into iSilo, an inexpensive ereader. There is a free ereader called plucker. The file size for me is 20mb because it grabs all of the pix. I have the Tungsten TX, which has a bigger screen. I have had Palms for many years and use it mainly for appointments and phone contacts. It talks to my bluetooth phone for dialing and transferring contact names and phone numbers.

[+team5150]

I use a Z22 for caching and it works very well, but I agree with the propers that you certainly don't need an expensive PDA to cache with...most of the posts I have read encourage the use of cheaper units for their ability to be replaced without breaking the bank. Paperless is definitely the way to go, it is a whole new dimension in caching!!!

As for gpsblakes question about instructions for using a palm for caching...it is all very easy and the florida geocaching association has a great article on installing, setting up, and using GSAK and Cachemate. If I knew how I would include a link.... Anyway thats my 2 cents on the subject....

[+sock-it-2-me]

well, since I want to get rid of the gift cert, I think I'll go with a z22...

 

Thank you for all the input.

[+hkps1]

well, since I want to get rid of the gift cert, I think I'll go with a z22...

 

Thank you for all the input.

The link for Paperless Caching from our brothers at the florida geocaching association;

 

http://65.34.18.106/content.php?article.15

 

That is one very good resource.

Edited October 5, 2006 by hkps1

[+sock-it-2-me]

Well, I popped for the tungsten e2. Now I have to learn how to use it... may wait till I get some free time. Right now, it is still in the box, unopened....

---------------------------

 

 

 

well, since I want to get rid of the gift cert, I think I'll go with a z22...

 

Thank you for all the input.

The link for Paperless Caching from our brothers at the florida geocaching association;

 

http://65.34.18.106/content.php?article.15

 

That is one very good resource.

[+GClouse]

Well, I popped for the tungsten e2. Now I have to learn how to use it... may wait till I get some free time. Right now, it is still in the box, unopened....

---------------------------

 

You chose wisely.

 

The E2 is expandable, and has bluetooth connectivity. In the future you can get a bluetooth GPSr and cut down on some of the bulk. ( I have thought about doing this with my tungsten T, but the BT GPSr are still too pricey for me.)

[+sock-it-2-me]

question on downloading to the palm using GSAK.... I have a trip broken into segments... when I do the sync on the palm, do I have to resend all the segments of the trip (5), or can I just send the one I want to replace, like CT2PA, which is my CT to PA segment?

 

It appears to my newbie brain, that if I do not resend all of them, only the one I send will be on the palm after it is sync'd...

[+Red90]

question on downloading to the palm using GSAK.... I have a trip broken into segments... when I do the sync on the palm, do I have to resend all the segments of the trip (5), or can I just send the one I want to replace, like CT2PA, which is my CT to PA segment?

 

It appears to my newbie brain, that if I do not resend all of them, only the one I send will be on the palm after it is sync'd...

 

What program are you using on the Palm?

[+sock-it-2-me]

I'm using GSAK and CacheMate. That's it....

 

I use Google Earth to create the route, then upload the kml file and use GSAK.... the pbd(?) file is created and I sync the palm and it uses cachemate.

 

What program are you using on the Palm?

[+Red90]

Ummm, Cachemate is for storing cache page information, not route data.

 

You can store cache pages in different databases and folders within Cachemate.