Paperless Caching

[+angel_nix]

Evening everyone!

 

We're considering buying some way of doing paperless caching - am fed up of all the little pieces of paper and time taken to write the info down when we could be out caching! So am after your advise.

 

We have a Garmin EtrexH, got the data cable on order because I swear that my fingerpads are now flat from inputting the co-ords and now need the paperless bit. Does anyone have any recommendations please? Can't afford to pay a fortune for one and we're just after it really to store the cache info on and some route planning.

 

Thanks and sorry for all the Qs!

 

Nicky

[+Bambography]

Hi there,

 

Its very easy to go paperless. The main bit is getting the set up right for what you want and how far you want to go with it all.

 

I've spent about £30ish and the only paper I now carry is OS mapping, although with a little more expense this can be paperless too.

 

1. Pocket Queries - You need to be a Premium Member to get these but they are essential for paperless.

2. PDA - I got a Palm M515 from ebay for about £10 + p&p. This then runs:

3. CacheMate. This Displays all the cache information you chose to send it. The best method for doing this is from:

4. GSAK - Geocaching Swiss Army Knife. This is a database software that you can use to load the GPS and palm.

 

The alternative to the Palm is a pocket PC. In my experience these have both advantages and disadvantages. The con is Battery life (although others may disagree) but the Pocket PC I uses wouldn't last a day caching, my palm will last a weeks holiday. The Pro is the other things you could run on it.

Memory Map is a mapping program that gives you OS mapping on yourhome computer but you can also send it to a Pocket PC to carry in the field. If the Pocket PC is GPS enabled/attached, then it will pinpoint your location directly on the map!

 

Anyway, I hope that gives you something to be working on, i'm sure others will give thier opinion before too long!

Edited March 30, 2008 by Bambography

[+Munkeh]

cheapest way 2nd hand palm off ebay - cheap but can be basic

 

ebay buy a pocket pc 2nd hand, hooked up to a bluetooth gps or to your via a lead will allow you to run tomrom

 

or

 

buy a mio digiwalker pda (£120) this will enable you to do Wherigo caches,run tomtom

[+angel_nix]

That's fantastic, thanks for your help!

 

Will go and have a peek on ebay!

[+Beyond The Wall]

GPS enabled pocket PC or smartphone such as Nokia N95 or pocket and Geocache Navigator from Trimble, allows caching on the fly. You can download cache details, find the cache and log on the move. Geocache Navigator is a free download, link available from GC.com site.

[+reddeeps]

Hi

Does a palm have map on as well, or do you just download a word type doc. I am fed up of having tons of paper, especially if on holiday. As i print tons of paper off as not sure what direction we will go on holiday, so something that could hold a hundred or so caches would be great, even better if it had maps on so I could see the ones closest to where I was , as we only have a basic handheld gps that we have to input everything into.

To avoid the input will a palm do it, or will I need a PPC.

[+Team Sieni]

GPS enabled pocket PC or smartphone such as Nokia N95 or pocket and Geocache Navigator from Trimble, allows caching on the fly.

Caching with the N95 + Geocache Navigator is - in my experience - completely hassle free: No messing around with PQs and GSAK, downloads to the GPSr etc.

 

The only drawbacks are: A- the N95 can be very slow to get a lock, and doesn't have the other GPS-related features (tracking, odometer etc) that a dedicated unit has, and B- you do have to pay for the (pretty small) amount of data downloaded over GPRS.

 

I'm pretty sure this will be the way caching will evolve ... I've seen the future! Of course I could well be totally wrong.

 

That said I still set out this weekend with a bundle of good ole paper cache printouts in my rucksack. And only found one

 

GSAK + PQs is, I'm sure, great for the regular power user, but for light users like myself I found it way too complex, confusing and hassle-prone.

[+Delta68]

 

3. CacheMate. This Displays all the cache information you chose to send it. The best method for doing this is from:

 

Does CacheMate do anything that GSAK html exports doesn't do?

[+PopUpPirate]

Not really, and it's just another thing to have to update. There are lots of Cachemate converts but GSAK HTML does it all, really.

 

N95 Caching is great, it gets a fix quicker than my other devices now I updated the firmware. It triangulates mobile phone masts to get a rough lock, then hones in with satellites. Pulled up at the Services yesterday, started Navigator, saw there was a cache 800' away, read the listing (and hint!) and found the cache, in about 60 seconds flat!

 

http://www.geocachenavigator.com/NokiaEdit...29/Default.aspx

Fast forward the video to 2 minutes to ignore all the waffle

Edited March 31, 2008 by PopUpPirate

[+MartyBartfast]

 

3. CacheMate. This Displays all the cache information you chose to send it. The best method for doing this is from:

 

Does CacheMate do anything that GSAK html exports doesn't do?

 

The GSAK html exports work well on a Sony PSP too, I wouldn't buy one specifically for caching but if you or the kids have one it's a quick & easy way to go paperless.

[+purple_pineapple]

Not really, and it's just another thing to have to update. There are lots of Cachemate converts but GSAK HTML does it all, really.

 

N95 Caching is great, it gets a fix quicker than my other devices now I updated the firmware. It triangulates mobile phone masts to get a rough lock, then hones in with satellites. Pulled up at the Services yesterday, started Navigator, saw there was a cache 800' away, read the listing (and hint!) and found the cache, in about 60 seconds flat!

 

http://www.geocachenavigator.com/NokiaEdit...29/Default.aspx

Fast forward the video to 2 minutes to ignore all the waffle

 

There are a couple of things cachemate will do in addition...

 

1) You can mark finds and make field notes, then automatically upload these to GSAK (and log on GC.com) when you return home

2) You can filter and/or search around a specific location.

3) If your PDA (palm or PPC) is GPS enabled, you can search for nearest caches to your current location.

4) Hints can be decoded on the fly!

5) With a PPC with Memory Map installed (whether GPS enabled or not) you can link the map icons direct to cachemate) (A HUGE plus, in my book!)

 

In summary, there are three options - I've tried two of them...

 

Cheap PDA (probably a Palm) from ebay etc. Install cachemate, and then use GSAK to send caches to it. Pros - its cheap, and very easy to set up! Cons - no GPS functionality, and no mapping functionality (Fugawi is available for Palms, but Memory Map is much more popular and has more functions) I started with this setup.

 

More expensive PPC, with GPS. Install cachemate and Memory Map, link the two, and have everything you need on one unit. Pros - everything you're likely to need, all fully integrated, with mapping. Cons - expensive and more time consuming to set up. This is my current set up, and is similar to many other cachers.

 

the Nokia N65 route - no experience of this!

 

Hope that helps!

 

Dave

 

PS - I forgot the 4th, and still very popular, option ... An old etrex and printouts! Does have a lot going for it....

[+SidAndBob]

It all depends on how much you want to spend. Palm is a huge step up from paper. PPC just takes it to another level, but for a much greater cost.

 

I would only consider PPC if you have Memory Map. Don't forget you can run TomTom on it too.

 

 

I prefer Cachemate to HTML. Two more advantages (there are many, but I won't bore you here) are that you can voice record your notes for each cache and the plug-in will guide you to the cache from within the application, just like the arrow on your handheld GPSr.

 

 

Check out our Palm Paperless caching guide. I'll try and update it for PPC very soon.

[+reddeeps]

 

Check out our Palm Paperless caching guide. I'll try and update it for PPC very soon.

 

Many thanks for that will have a good read before I part with my cash

[+angel_nix]

Thanks for all the advice - we're going to stick with the etrex h that we have and buy a cheap palm pilot off of ebay and combine the two!

[+uk89camaro]

Thanks for all the advice - we're going to stick with the etrex h that we have and buy a cheap palm pilot off of ebay and combine the two!

 

I think that's a very sound decision. so lets' summarise once again.

 

0. Road maps, & OS maps, an Austin A7, no sunscreen, and no boots.

1. Paper & an Extrex or equivalent, and probably a separate car SatNav unit.

2. Extrex and Palm with at least cachemate.

3. Pocket PC with GPS, that runs cachemate/beeline/Tomtom, downloads from GSAK probably.

4. GPS, Web browser Phone. N95, Iphone. Doesn't need GSAK interface. Although I have no experience of using these, I'd like to try it.

 

I went from 1. to 3. but never really lost the content of 1. either. I have a Navman PiN with integrated GPS, that in theory can do everything once I've downloaded enough data from GSAK. However, I travel a lot and daily updates for the next probable 500 caches can be a pain. So I generated enough PQ's to create 13,000 caches (2.5's or less) for most of central England, and from that about 1,000 spolier photo's from spoiler sync. I also use memory map to pinpoint my position in relation to footpaths.

 

However, I still find myself using the original TomTOm for the initial road navigation, (although the waypoints can be downloaded to the PPC also) because the signal acquisition is quicker, and I still use my Venture HC from the car to cache, as my Navman pings around all over the place in trees or near buildings.

 

So, I think 1 to 2, to 4 might be a better route, when the tech storm dies down a little.

 

Paul

[+HazelS]

I'm a bit stuck....

 

I have a great Palm vx which I loved, until I got a laptop... the lappy has Vista on it and no serial port. The lappy hates the serial port software and / or the Palm.

 

I've had to go back to bits of paper over the last year!

 

Anyone else use Vista with the palm???

[+SidAndBob]

 

Check out our Palm Paperless caching guide. I'll try and update it for PPC very soon.

 

Many thanks for that will have a good read before I part with my cash

PPC Geocaching Introduction first draft.

[+TheWhoUK]

I add clues to my phone in the form of a draft text message. and have a look if needed. so no need for paper. not very Hi tech but works for me.

 

TheWhoUK

[+Kryten]

Remember that there are cheap Pocket PCs to be found on ebay. Try looking for "Mio 168" or "Mio a201" models which have integral GPS.

[+Fuchsiamagic]

One point worth mentioning is that cache pages which use photos as clues cause big problems. I decided to do a cache at the weekend while I had an hour to spare and I was in a particular place where I remembered there was a multi-cache. I used the info in my Palm M505 and was doing well until I got to the bit where it said "look at this photo and..." Then I was stuck!

[+melmur]

If you take paperless seriously & get a device like the one in my signature, then just connect to wifi/3g/GPRS/Edge, whatever available, and look at the cache page whilst out & about. It's only happened to me once and I used Starbucks' wifi, so it didn't even cost anything.