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Paperless Caching, GSAK, cachemate, and LIONS OH MY


chasecity

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I am sending out a cry for help. I have been floundering around for since I started geocaching, a couple of months ago, trying to figure out this whole paperless caching thing and going crazy doing it. I need some help and I am hoping that someone in eastern NC will volunteer to help me out.

 

Here is my situation and the reason I am (finally) caving in and admitting defeat. I am going to Ohio this weekend and want to do complete paperless caching if at all possible. Its just too cumbersome at this point not too.

 

Here is what I have to work with:

A Garmin C330 that I use to get near the cache site via road

 

A Legend Hcx - I can work this fairly well but it doesn't really get me where I need to go until the car is parked

 

A Samsung BlackJack on AT&T - I am currently missing the HotSync cable but I will get a new one tomorrow

 

A Toshiba Satellite laptop running Vista - I hate Vista but that is another story - tried dragging this along this weekend to via GSAK but that was a PITA and the battery died long before I was ready to stop

 

A Premium Groundspeak Membership

 

GSAK - hmm on this one - I tried running a PQ and importing it and all that jazz this weekend but instead of giving me a radius from the zipcode that I entered I got a bunch of caches in one direction and none in the other - it was bizarre

 

and I downloaded Cachemate but I cant figure out how to get it onto the smart phone or what to do with it - the file I downloaded appears like a list of gibberish to me.

 

Can someone please help me? I am ready to pull my hair out trying to sort all of this stuff out and do what everyone on all the forums seems to make sound so easy.

 

I usually a fairly technically inclined person but all of this piled together has me beat. Can someone please explain all of this to me?

 

Like a "For Dummies" version is apparently needed.

 

Thanks,

Dessari

aka chasecity

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Get back to basics here. There is a lot of information on using either Palm or Pocket PC devices and the various machines that use these. I suggest you go to eBay and buy a cheap used Palm for around $25, install cachemate. Use some of the online resources to move your Pocket Query results to the Palm and you should be all set.

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I'm not sure about software for the SmartPhone, but you might do a Search of these Forums to see what others use. There are versions of Cachemate for both Palm and PPC.

 

I use GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) to handle the data from many "Date Placed" Pocket Queries I use to adequately cover this cache-rich area. From GSAK, I Export the data for Cachemate on my Palm m515. Here is a rudimentary GSAK tutorial that was created a while ago, but it might be useful.

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chasecity,

 

Since you have a wm smartphone, A Samsung BlackJack on AT&T , if it unlocked. Then you can used the inbuild GPS worked together with cachemate for navigating to the cache. I do not owned a wm smartphone, where I see the download page it was a cad file. You copy this cad file into your black jack, used filemanagee to open it. It will then started the installation for you.

For paperless caching. You just copy the PQ.gpx file into your phone, run cachemate, used import function. select the PQ file and it will import all the cache logs for you. Google for spoilersyn and installed into your PC. downloaded a spoilersyn plugin into cachemate. Then you not only have text cache log also have spoiler picture.

Myself using WM5 PPC, cachemate, spoilersyn. I used cacheNav to hunt for the cache. I really enjoy this setting. Not need addition GPS device.

More info at smityware.com or emil for further information.

Hope your problem solved and enjoy as me. Happy geocaching

 

Here was a link for your reading: http://www.malsingmaps.com/forums/viewtopi...?f=6&t=7133

Edited by thsalbert
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I am sending out a cry for help. I have been floundering around for since I started geocaching, a couple of months ago, trying to figure out this whole paperless caching thing and going crazy doing it. I need some help and I am hoping that someone in eastern NC will volunteer to help me out.

 

Here is my situation and the reason I am (finally) caving in and admitting defeat. I am going to Ohio this weekend and want to do complete paperless caching if at all possible. Its just too cumbersome at this point not too.

 

Here is what I have to work with:

A Garmin C330 that I use to get near the cache site via road

 

A Legend Hcx - I can work this fairly well but it doesn't really get me where I need to go until the car is parked

 

A Samsung BlackJack on AT&T - I am currently missing the HotSync cable but I will get a new one tomorrow

 

A Toshiba Satellite laptop running Vista - I hate Vista but that is another story - tried dragging this along this weekend to via GSAK but that was a PITA and the battery died long before I was ready to stop

 

A Premium Groundspeak Membership

 

GSAK - hmm on this one - I tried running a PQ and importing it and all that jazz this weekend but instead of giving me a radius from the zipcode that I entered I got a bunch of caches in one direction and none in the other - it was bizarre

 

and I downloaded Cachemate but I cant figure out how to get it onto the smart phone or what to do with it - the file I downloaded appears like a list of gibberish to me.

 

Can someone please help me? I am ready to pull my hair out trying to sort all of this stuff out and do what everyone on all the forums seems to make sound so easy.

 

I usually a fairly technically inclined person but all of this piled together has me beat. Can someone please explain all of this to me?

 

Like a "For Dummies" version is apparently needed.

 

Thanks,

Dessari

aka chasecity

 

My install of cachemate on a Blackjack II:

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...mp;hl=blackjack

 

Here's how I did it (for future generations):

 

1- Download the WM6 version of cachemate (it's a .cab file)

2- Connect your BlackJack to your computer and open Activesync

3- In Active Sync, open the "explore" folder

4- Double click the "My windows mobile-based device

5- drag and drop the .cab file into the "storage card" folder

6- Sync your phone

7- On your phone, open the "File Explorer" program located in The "Applications folder

8- Highlight Cachemate, and install.

Edited by Ed & Julie
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Here's how I did it (for future generations):

 

1- Download the WM6 version of cachemate (it's a .cab file)

2- Connect your BlackJack to your computer and open Activesync

3- In Active Sync, open the "explore" folder

4- Double click the "My windows mobile-based device

5- drag and drop the .cab file into the "storage card" folder

6- Sync your phone

7- On your phone, open the "File Explorer" program located in The "Applications folder

8- Highlight Cachemate, and install.

 

The problem you have there is Windows Vista. Activesync is not compatible with Vista, instead you have to use the mobile device manager that now comes with the WM6 smartphones. My workaround was telling my Moto Q Global to sync with a specific folder on the desktop, then simply dragging anything I wanted into that folder. I did that with the GPS unlock .cab file, the WM cachemate .cab, and now I just drag the unzipped pocket queries into that folder as well. Now I have my caches on my phone, and I can navigate using the built in GPS as well.

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You don't have an ipod, do you? That's what I use for paperless.

 

-- George

 

I have not heard thought about that! How do you use your Ipod? I would love to try that if you I could get a little guidance.

F1

 

If you look at the GSAK macros list you'll find it! My iPod has NEVER worked right, but you can either put your iPod into disk mode or just go into the task manager and end all processes that are related to apple/ipod. The macro I use will put them into notes.

 

If you look hard enough (search iPod on the forums) you can find something to key in to run a GPX the a custom export. This will put them into your contacts rather than notes. I find it to be a bit more appealing to the eye, though i hardly ever use it.

 

I run both just in case.

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You don't have an ipod, do you? That's what I use for paperless.

 

-- George

I also am using a Blackjack II with Cachemate & GSAK to filter the pocket queries. No problem syncing with Vista or transfering the GPX file to the Blackjack' data card, either. My problem is figuring out how to get Cachemate to display the records from the GPX file I imported. I followed the Import steps but it doesn't display any records. Am I missing a step? (Cachemate has no trouble accessing the BJ's built in GPS because Mobile 6 opened the port to it. I have been able to set the center point as my home using the BJ GPS.) Any suggestions on what I may be overlooking in exporting from GSAK and importing into Cachemate? My nav unit is a Garmin Forerunner 305, which works very well paired with Google Mobile Maps on the Blackjack II. . Now if I could just read the cache descriptions paperless

--lolagotit

 

I have not heard thought about that! How do you use your Ipod? I would love to try that if you I could get a little guidance.

F1

 

If you look at the GSAK macros list you'll find it! My iPod has NEVER worked right, but you can either put your iPod into disk mode or just go into the task manager and end all processes that are related to apple/ipod. The macro I use will put them into notes.

 

If you look hard enough (search iPod on the forums) you can find something to key in to run a GPX the a custom export. This will put them into your contacts rather than notes. I find it to be a bit more appealing to the eye, though i hardly ever use it.

 

I run both just in case.

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