Paperless Caching with a Sony PSP

[+callard01]

Paperless Caching with a Sony PSP. Assuming that you have a basic understanding of how to save files to the PSP using the USB Connection Cable.

 

Here are the steps that I use for paperless caching using my Sony PSP. I am not a good writer. But I will do my best.

 

1. From the geocaching.com website I create a GPS Exchange Format (*.gpx) Pocket Query.

 

2. Download the .gpx Pocket Query.

 

3. Go to GPS Babel Online at http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/gpsbabel/gpsbabel_convert and "Convert a GPS file with GPS Babel" using the online interface. Select "GPX XML" as your Input File Format. Select "HTML" for your Output File Format. Browse to your .gpx file on your computer and then click the "Convert the File" button. When the new web page opens up "GPS Babel Output" with the link to your converted html file, right click on the html link "Save Target As..." and save the web page to your computer. (Rename the file to something easy like "Micros.htm". Short names will payoff in the next steps.

 

4. Close the Internet Browser or click on your HTM file to preview it, and then close the Browser.

 

5. Connect your PSP to the computer and connect with the "USB Connection" menu option.

 

6. Save the "Micros.htm" file to the root directory of the PSP.

 

7. Disconnect the "USB Connection" from the PSP and Load up the PSP "Internet Browser".

 

8. In the PSP Browser menu go to "Address Entry".

 

9. Enter: "file:/Micros.htm". This should open your ".htm" file for you to browse. Very Simple format, but it works for me. No more papers.

 

10. "BOOKMARK" this page. Or you will have to retype the "Address Entry" each time. You always resave a new "Micros.htm" file to your PSP with new information and not have to redo anything just use the same bookmark. Currently I have files on my PSP for "Micros, Small, Medium and Large" Caches. I just pull up the "BOOKMARK" for the file that I want to view.

 

11. Go to "Tools"..."Settings"..."Cache Settings" and set it to "none" if your PSP starts having memory issues.

 

I hope this helps someone else out. I am a fairly new Cacher and still learning the ropes. Comments to this little "blurb" are welcome. Let me know if there is something else that might make the article better and I will add it. Thanks. My first print of this article was posted on www.keenpeople.com and was written late in the evening. I fixed a few of the typos on this one.

[me_chris]

works great... if you are ok with taking your PSP into the woods...

 

I would rather take my Palm Zire 21 that I bought for 9.99 on Ebay and leave my PSP and my Palm T|X at home...

 

I do however use a similar process to get ebooks onto my PSP.

[+Jeremy Grist]

WOW! I have been looking all over the internet for the same thing!

This worked Great but only one problem.

ATM I am running 4.01 on my psp and i have 2 gpx files on it.

One from GCA (no descriptions but everything else) and one from GC

I can open either file but if i then want to open the other when I do so it will show up the one I want to see for a few seconds and then it will jump back to the first one I viewed!

The only way to see both of them is to do a full reset (hold power for 5 seconds)

This way I can pick which one to view but it must be switched off again to view a different one.

But this can be put up with.

Very easy to do cant wait to road test it!

Thanks heaps for the tutorial!

[+wyld_bill2003]

If you already use GSAK, it can be used to export an HTML file (step 3). All the other steps would be the same.

Thanks for the tip on the cache memory problem. I was wondering how to fix that.

[+Quiggle]

Moving to GPS & Tech forum.

[sp13215]

I think I am either doing something wrong or I don’t understand the usefulness of this trick. In my apartment I got it work. The page loaded and I bookmarked it. I thought great I’m good to go. Then I turned the psp off and took a walk down the street. Once I was out of range of my router I could not get the browser to open because I didn’t have a network connection. Once more even if I did get the browser to open and let me view my bookmarked page I would not be able to use the google map to find my way because the browser wont be able to refresh with out internet access. Can you guys help me out I’m confused.

[+oldschool]

I'm going to have to give this one a shot, should make life a whole lot easier.

[+oldschool]

Thanks!