a couple of questions from a newbie

[jeniferdwn]

Can someone answer a couple of questions for a newbie? I want to get a GPS for Christmas, but I'm not familiar with the units. I've done alot of letterboxing and I've found some of the easier geocaches without a GPS, but it's time to move up a little!

 

1. is a card necessary if the unit has 24 mb of memory? what is the card used for other than memory.

 

2. what is a card reader?

 

3. if a unit holds 500 waypoints, is that like 500 caches or is each cache more than one waypoint?

 

TIA for any info.

 

Dawn

[+StarBrand]

1. Memory is generally used to download addtional map information - not necessary for any geocaching but nice to have

 

2. A Card reader is something like a floppy drive for your computer - only you put memory cards into it instead of floppy disks.

 

3. Yup 500 waypoints is equal to 500 caches - however, multi-caches generally require you to visit several points so it is never a good idea to fill up all 500 before heading out as you will have no room for the new ones you add during a multi-cache.

[jeniferdwn]

thanks!! that answered all my questions!!

 

Dawn

[+Scare Force One]

Remember that once you find a cache you can always deleate the waypoint from your GPSr in orde rto accomadate more. I always leve 10 open slots in order to enter multi's.

 

~.~Scare Force One

[+briansnat]

1. is a card necessary if the unit has 24 mb of memory? what is the card used for other than memory.

 

A unit with 24 megs of fixed memory doesn't usually also have memory cards. Cards are used for map memory as well as holding additional waypoints. For instance some of the newer Garmin units hold 500 or 1,000 waypoints in their internal memory, but you can hold thousands more (as Points of Interest - POIs) on your

memory card.

 

24 megs of fixed map memory isn't a lot. It might provide sufficient map coverage if you don't travel a lot, but being that some fairly inexpensive units now use expandable memory cards it makes more sense to get one of those for the sake of flexibility.

[+Miragee]

Remember that once you find a cache you can always deleate the waypoint from your GPSr in orde rto accomadate more. I always leve 10 open slots in order to enter multi's.

 

~.~Scare Force One

Although I know others who do this, I never delete the Found caches because I like to download the tracks from my GPSr to my Mapsource maps after my caching adventures. The Found caches on the map helps me remember which caches I found and in which order. After I save that file to my computer, then I delete the waypoints in order to send a new, fresh batch of caches to the GPSr.

 

Back on topic. If you don't travel very much 24 MB of memory might be enough, but the new GPS units with the High Sensitivty receivers are a better choice.

[+admo1972]

I have a Vista (old greyscale one, no expandable memory, or high sensitivity receiver). It has 24MB internal memory, and is enough to hold topo maps for all of New Jersey, and small portions of New York and Pennsylvania, and the Asheville, NC area.

 

I am looking to upgrade, and would love the expandable memory to add a bit more info for each cache as a POI, rather than pulling out my Palm just to see the size of the container I am looking for.

[+Miragee]

I have a Vista (old greyscale one, no expandable memory, or high sensitivity receiver). It has 24MB internal memory, and is enough to hold topo maps for all of New Jersey, and small portions of New York and Pennsylvania, and the Asheville, NC area.

 

I am looking to upgrade, and would love the expandable memory to add a bit more info for each cache as a POI, rather than pulling out my Palm just to see the size of the container I am looking for.

If you used GSAK to send the waypoints to your Legend, you could get that info in the waypoint name by using the "Smart Name" codes. I don't remember how many characters the Legend has for the Waypoint name, but for the Vista C, which only had 24 MB of memory, I used this code:

 

%smart=6 %con1%typ1%dif1%ter1

 

This includes part of the Name, the Size of the container, the Type of cache (Traditional, Multi, Virtual, Puzzle), the Difficulty and Terrain (based on a 10-point scale).

 

For the Legend, you might have to use %smart=4 %con1%typ1 which will give you part of the name, the Size of the container, and the Type of cache.

 

You can even get part of the hint in the Waypoint Description blank using this code:

 

%Name=10 %hint

Edited November 29, 2007 by Miragee

[+Firespinner]

Can someone answer a couple of questions for a newbie? I want to get a GPS for Christmas, but I'm not familiar with the units. I've done alot of letterboxing and I've found some of the easier geocaches without a GPS, but it's time to move up a little!

 

1. is a card necessary if the unit has 24 mb of memory? what is the card used for other than memory.

 

2. what is a card reader?

 

3. if a unit holds 500 waypoints, is that like 500 caches or is each cache more than one waypoint?

 

TIA for any info.

 

Dawn

 

I think most have already answered your main questions, but another good use of way points is to get you back to your car. If you park your car at X, you store that as a way point. Then as you trapse through the woods, you can store locations along the way as waypoints. That way if you've been on a long hike and get lost, the waypoints can help you re-trace your steps and get you back to your car. Its a huge safety benefit.

[+salpal]

Can someone answer a couple of questions for a newbie? I want to get a GPS for Christmas, but I'm not familiar with the units. I've done alot of letterboxing and I've found some of the easier geocaches without a GPS, but it's time to move up a little!

 

1. is a card necessary if the unit has 24 mb of memory? what is the card used for other than memory.

 

2. what is a card reader?

 

3. if a unit holds 500 waypoints, is that like 500 caches or is each cache more than one waypoint?

 

TIA for any info.

 

Dawn

 

I think most have already answered your main questions, but another good use of way points is to get you back to your car. If you park your car at X, you store that as a way point. Then as you trapse through the woods, you can store locations along the way as waypoints. That way if you've been on a long hike and get lost, the waypoints can help you re-trace your steps and get you back to your car. Its a huge safety benefit.

[+salpal]

Oops about the above post.

 

I wanted to add that I have my home coords and the kids' school's coords in my 60CSx, so that I can route back to either of those places. It's handy if I've been caching all over, say southern KY, and haven't a clue as to how to get back home!

 

And I'm hoping that if I ever lose it, someone will bring it back home to me! ;-}

[+WRASTRO]

We usually carry a map as well.