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What do I need to go paperless?


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I am going to purchase a palm pilot/PDA from ebay so I can go paperless. I guess I have two questions:

 

1. What type and model is the best for caching?

 

2. What accessories (software, cables, docks, etc.) should come with the so I don't have to buy each item seperately? I see some palm pilots/PDA on ebay for sell with only the unit, nothing else. Do I need anything other than the unit? I just want to make sure I get everything that I need at one time.

 

Thanks for your help!

Edited by P'ville Lions R Us
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I am going to purchase a palm pilot/PDA from ebay so I can go paperless. I guess I have two questions:

 

1. What type and model is the best for caching?

 

2. What accessories (software, cables, docks, etc.) should come with the so I don't have to buy each item seperately? I see some palm pilots/PDA on ebay for sell with only the unit, nothing else. Do I need anything other than the unit? I just want to make sure I get everything that I need at one time.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

I use the Palm TX and CacheMate when using my 60CSx. I also have a Garmin 400t which handles paperless caching all by itself. I'm still a big fan of the 60CSx and CacheMate...

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I am going to purchase a palm pilot/PDA from ebay so I can go paperless. I guess I have two questions:

 

1. What type and model is the best for caching?

 

2. What accessories (software, cables, docks, etc.) should come with the so I don't have to buy each item seperately? I see some palm pilots/PDA on ebay for sell with only the unit, nothing else. Do I need anything other than the unit? I just want to make sure I get everything that I need at one time.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

I use the Palm TX and CacheMate when using my 60CSx. I also have a Garmin 400t which handles paperless caching all by itself. I'm still a big fan of the 60CSx and CacheMate...

 

I am also a newb to caching (6 weeks) and just went paperless a week ago.

Picked up a Palm M515 ($60 on ebay) and love it.

It came with:

zippered case

charging cradle with wall plug and USB cable

software and manuals

Installation was painless even I could do it!!!

Running Cachmate Love it.

Running GSAK on PC Love it

Good luck!!!!

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I too just went paperless,

 

I have the Palm tungston E2 (from e-bay)

Garmin 60csx

downloaded GSAK and Cachemate.

 

Seem to work well, love it. I really love it....I hope to become more familiar with all the capablities of all units and software involved..

 

having some technical difficulties with GSAK cachemate converter pdb to my palm, found a way around it though.( think it has something to do with my OS vista)

 

Steel City Babes

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So, if I'm only going to use it for paperless caching do I really need anything more than a palm piolet? What are the benifits of say the TX vs. the M500 series? Do I really need to go Wi Fi? And if so, why?

 

Also, i've read on several posts that the color screen is sometimes harder to read outside than a black and white. I live in Alabama and visit the coast a good bit and the sun can be brutal at times. Plus, I have to wear sunglasses. Will the sun and sunglasses make it hard to read a color screen?

Edited by P'ville Lions R Us
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So, if I'm only going to use it for paperless caching do I really need anything more than a palm piolet? What are the benifits of say the TX vs. the M500 series? Do I really need to go Wi Fi? And if so, why?
You will find yourself using the Wi-Fi. Maybe you're out caching and come across a hotspot, you ca get a quick update, maybe log a cache. You get the idea.

 

Keeping in mind that Wherigo is an up & coming thing, it might be worth going with a Pocket PC with Bluetooth, or maybe a unit already GPS enabled. There is, at this point, no Wherigo player for the Palm OS, so if you want to play that game you need one of three things: a Colorado, a Pocket PC (with GPS capability) or a friend with one of the first two.

 

If you aren't worried about Wherigo, the TX is a popular Palm.

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So, if I'm only going to use it for paperless caching do I really need anything more than a palm piolet?

If caching is to be the only use, I would only say that any Palm that takes an SD card would be required. First, the extra memory will be most welcome. Second, you can load several cards with caches for different purposes. For example, one card for all caches within 30 miles of home, a second card for the vacation trip routes, a third if needed for caches around the vacation destination. This keeps the number of caches you have to scroll through down, and prevents overload. Also allows you to use smaller size cards which seem to be more universally accepted. (some units don't like the bigger cards) Edit to add, I have discovered that only one file will import at a time, and you must process that file in before uploading the next. So, just load different files on different cards.

Also, i've read on several posts that the color screen is sometimes harder to read outside than a black and white. I live in Alabama and visit the coast a good bit and the sun can be brutal at times. Plus, I have to wear sunglasses. Will the sun and sunglasses make it hard to read a color screen?

Different lights affect different screens in different fashions. I do occasionally have to remove the shades for a short time to read the screen, but also have to do this for small print on the GPSr. You can turn, hold hand or hat above, or even just step around the tree to change the light and improve visibility. This should not be a major concern.

Edited by Trucker Lee
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You don't need to spend more money than $30.00, which is what you should be able to get a Palm m500 for on eBay (including the shipping). I have used a Palm m500 for more than six years and it still works great, but I recently got an m515. The color screen on a friend's T/X is very hard to read in sunlight. :lol: Not so with either the monochrome m500 or m515.

 

I have no need for WiFi because I don't generally search for Urban caches, however if you travel and are "caching on the fly," that might be useful, or not.

 

I got an inexpensive hard case for my PDA, and got a 256 MB card. When I send the .pdb (Palm database file) to Cachemate on my Palm from GSAK, I use the card reader in my laptop (running Win XP "Media Edition), instead of the HotSync. That works slick and fast. :wub:

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Start by looking at the Palm m500, the model that connects to your computer with USB, instead of with the Serial Port. The next "best" model, IMHO, is the m505, then the m515, then if you want to spend more money, check prices on the Zire 72 "Silver Edition." That model has more features, but they are not necessary for caching.

 

Look at the "Completed Auctions" on eBay to see the "going rate" for these models so you don't pay too much.

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Start by looking at the Palm m500, the model that connects to your computer with USB, instead of with the Serial Port. The next "best" model, IMHO, is the m505, then the m515, then if you want to spend more money, check prices on the Zire 72 "Silver Edition." That model has more features, but they are not necessary for caching.

 

Look at the "Completed Auctions" on eBay to see the "going rate" for these models so you don't pay too much.

 

What is the difference between the M500 and the M515? Color screen, memory?

Edited by P'ville Lions R Us
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Start by looking at the Palm m500, the model that connects to your computer with USB, instead of with the Serial Port. The next "best" model, IMHO, is the m505, then the m515, then if you want to spend more money, check prices on the Zire 72 "Silver Edition." That model has more features, but they are not necessary for caching.

 

Look at the "Completed Auctions" on eBay to see the "going rate" for these models so you don't pay too much.

 

What is the difference between the M500 and the M515? Color screen, memory?

The M515 is color and has twice the memory (16MB) as the M500.
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Start by looking at the Palm m500, the model that connects to your computer with USB, instead of with the Serial Port. The next "best" model, IMHO, is the m505, then the m515, then if you want to spend more money, check prices on the Zire 72 "Silver Edition." That model has more features, but they are not necessary for caching.

 

Look at the "Completed Auctions" on eBay to see the "going rate" for these models so you don't pay too much.

 

What is the difference between the M500 and the M515? Color screen, memory?

The M515 is color and has twice the memory (16MB) as the M500.

So, is 16mb large enough to hold say 200 cache pages? Or will I need another SD card?

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So, is 16mb large enough to hold say 200 cache pages? Or will I need another SD card?
My PDA (Sony Clie TJ-37) has 32 megs of ram, and I currently have about 1000 caches loaded in. Don't know how much space is left & haven't tested the upper limits of this.

 

Processor speed will play a factor when loading large amounts of caches into Cachemate.

 

I have an older Sony (SJ series) that really bogged down when sorting thorough searches when I had large numbers of listings on it. The TJ is much faster, though.

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Start by looking at the Palm m500, the model that connects to your computer with USB, instead of with the Serial Port. The next "best" model, IMHO, is the m505, then the m515, then if you want to spend more money, check prices on the Zire 72 "Silver Edition." That model has more features, but they are not necessary for caching.

 

Look at the "Completed Auctions" on eBay to see the "going rate" for these models so you don't pay too much.

 

What is the difference between the M500 and the M515? Color screen, memory?

The M515 is color and has twice the memory (16MB) as the M500.

So, is 16mb large enough to hold say 200 cache pages? Or will I need another SD card?

16MB will give you tons of room. You could hold over 5000 caches with that much memory. The color screen on the M515 is also really nice especially if you want to use your Palm for other fun things!
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We're using a Garmin 60 CSx with caches loaded and a Palm Treo to manage logs and read the descriptions, hints, etc. On the Palm we have CacheMate (it's awesome, well worth the $8 or whatever he charges). I have also loaded Google Earth / Maps (Free) so that if the Garmin starts acting up I can copy / paste the coordinates and see them on a detailed map. Sometimes that helps you figure out if you're in the right area.

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So, what is a bluetooth wireless keyboard used for? Is that something that would be useful for caching? As you can tell I'm totally ignorant to all of this! LOL
The keyboard could be used if you didn't want to learn the Graffiti alphabet. For caching, while walking throught the woods, you'll either need to find a place to set it up, or try and juggle it as you go along. If it were me, I know I'd drop something & break it.

 

I wouldn't bother.

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So, what is a bluetooth wireless keyboard used for? Is that something that would be useful for caching? As you can tell I'm totally ignorant to all of this! LOL
The keyboard could be used if you didn't want to learn the Graffiti alphabet. For caching, while walking throught the woods, you'll either need to find a place to set it up, or try and juggle it as you go along. If it were me, I know I'd drop something & break it.

 

I wouldn't bother.

Do you mean graffiti alphabet as in each letter represents a symbol?

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Do you mean graffiti alphabet as in each letter represents a symbol?
The handwriting recognition software on the Palm.

284px-Palm_Graffiti_gestures.png

Most of it is pretty intuitive. For the amount of times you'll need to enter text while caching, it isn't worth lugging the keyboard around, plus the whole issue of juggling a GPSr, PDA and keyboard as you're walking through the woods...

 

<_<

Edited by Too Tall John
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