Want to be paperless ...

[+Team Fehling]

Hi Everyone ..

 

I started thinking about "paperless" caching when I saw a geocoin on Ebay that said Paperless Caching, and started wondering what it was. From looking at some posts, I would assume that instead of printing out all the information on a cache on to paper, that you could just download it to a PDA or some device like that?

 

So, here is my question. I have a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSX. What do I need to buy / Download to be able to go to a cache with all the information I need without paper. And, will I be able to store all the information about the cache in a device (Including the info, and the hint, and whatever else it may say for the cache.)

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Heidi

[+Chrysalides]

So, here is my question. I have a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSX. What do I need to buy / Download to be able to go to a cache with all the information I need without paper. And, will I be able to store all the information about the cache in a device (Including the info, and the hint, and whatever else it may say for the cache.)

 

There are multiple topics here. But summarizing for my own benefit as well:

 

1. PDA (old Palm running Cachemate, Pocket PC) or iPod

 

2. Smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry, etc)

 

3. Garmin Nuvi with caches loaded as custom POI (what I'm using - there's a couple of threads on this)

 

4. Colorado / Oregon / DeLorme PN-20 and likely others

 

5. Notebook or Netbook running GSAK

 

6. Improve your memory

 

With most methods you will not have access to the images, so puzzle caches will be a problem.

[jholly]

Hi Everyone ..

 

I started thinking about "paperless" caching when I saw a geocoin on Ebay that said Paperless Caching, and started wondering what it was. From looking at some posts, I would assume that instead of printing out all the information on a cache on to paper, that you could just download it to a PDA or some device like that?

 

So, here is my question. I have a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSX. What do I need to buy / Download to be able to go to a cache with all the information I need without paper. And, will I be able to store all the information about the cache in a device (Including the info, and the hint, and whatever else it may say for the cache.)

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Heidi

 

Well you go to PDAParts.com or other internet vendor and look for a Palm M500. You can get a used one pretty cheap - they are used because they haven't been made for years. Then you pop $10 for cachemate. Since your already a Premium Member you get GSAK ($25) to load your PQ's in to GSAK. GSAK will export a palm compatible file that you hot sync into your palm. You go caching and do your logging on your palm. You come home and hot sync again. Now you start GSAK again and with cachematelogging.gsk macro you get the web pages brought up one at a time and with a quick click of the right mouse button you have your log on GC.com. They you run FindStatGen.gsk to update your profile page.

 

But it has been said you don't get the pictures. If you want more details give a shout.

 

Jim

[+Team Fehling]

 

Well you go to PDAParts.com or other internet vendor and look for a Palm M500. You can get a used one pretty cheap - they are used because they haven't been made for years. Then you pop $10 for cachemate. Since your already a Premium Member you get GSAK ($25) to load your PQ's in to GSAK. GSAK will export a palm compatible file that you hot sync into your palm. You go caching and do your logging on your palm. You come home and hot sync again. Now you start GSAK again and with cachematelogging.gsk macro you get the web pages brought up one at a time and with a quick click of the right mouse button you have your log on GC.com. They you run FindStatGen.gsk to update your profile page.

 

But it has been said you don't get the pictures. If you want more details give a shout.

 

Jim

 

Jim,

 

Thanks soo much!!! I was looking at the PDAPARTS.COM, and they are really cheap. They are refurb, would that matter? I actually like the M515 because it is color, would that matter??

 

I already have GSAK, but never have used it. If I just wanted the Palm to hold all my notes, like the cache information (whatever they wrote up on the page plus the hints), I could use it for that? When you say do your logging on your palm when out looking for caches, I am confused. My GPS is where I usually hit "found" and when I get home, I manually type them in to log them in. Is there an easier way??

 

Sorry if I sound like a real untechno newbie. I am actually good with computers, just never used a pda before.

 

Can you store a lot of info on the palm??

 

Thanks soo much!

 

Heidi

Edited November 13, 2008 by Team Fehling

[Ken in Regina]

You can still mark it Found on your GPS if you want to. But now you will also need to mark it Found in CacheMate on your spiffy refurbished colour Palm M515 (yes, refurb is good). You can also add any comments into the cache info in CacheMate, if you like. Then you can upload it from CacheMate back to the PC and thence up to geocaching.com using GSAK without having to do any more manual typing.

 

The point is that you use CacheMate for all the logging stuff. What you do on the GPS becomes simply a matter of convenience for you.

 

Something that has been pretty much unstated in all of this is that if you use the combination of a GPS and a Palm for paperless caching, you now have some duplicated tasks. You still have to get the location information into the GPS. Plus you now need to also get it into your cache program (eg. CacheMate or whatever) on the Palm.

 

That makes it a little more work getting the necessary data into the two devices but it eliminates the paper and, if you are logging on your PC and/or Geocaching.com you can automate most of that effort.

 

Does that make a little more sense?

 

...ken...

[+IBcrashen]

If you already have GSAK you could load the pages using this macro for GSAK and put them on your gps using Garmins POI loader (free). Depending on what size card you have in it you could load tons. I also load them as regular waypoints also and if I need the cache page they are there.

Edited November 13, 2008 by IBcrashen

[+scubahhh]

For using my PDA, I don't bother with GSAK (I'm sure it's great, but it's far too involved for me; I'd rather spend my time out wandering around than playing on the computer).

 

I just go to the cache description page, and save the whole thing on my PDA. Then I have the pictures, hints, cache logs, etc.

 

Or, I download the cache info. to Topo7; edit the comments to be short enough so I don't miss the good stuff; and stick it in my PN-20.

 

Works for me, a practically computer-illiterate idiot.

[+apfelmaus]

I am happy using a Smartphone (HTC Touch Cruise) with build in GPS. CacheWolf is a nice, easy to learn application that gives you the proper GPS support including pictures and logs for each cache you downloaded. At least for Europe it can also provide you with very detailed maps.

Using the phone capability of the device, you can also log your finds via wap.geocaching.com on the road.