Geomate Jr Update Kit

[+Adjel]

Has anyone purchased the Geomate Jr update kit (which apparently only consists of a cable to connect it to your computer)? Is it really worth the extra $25, or is it really not worth the trouble ?

[+achtung6]

Has anyone purchased the Geomate Jr update kit (which apparently only consists of a cable to connect it to your computer)? Is it really worth the extra $25, or is it really not worth the trouble ?

 

I've been wondering about this myself. How often does Apisphere release updates for the Geomate and how can I tell if my device is up to date? I wrote them with these questions but have not received a reply.

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

Hello. I own a Geomate Jr. and update kit. The updates are updated once every 24 hours. Is it essential to buy the update kit? My personal opinion is no. The biggest downside to not having the update kit is that new caches are being published daily and if you don't have the update kit you won't know about the new caches. Also you may end up searching for a few that have been archived since the time the info was loaded onto your Geomate Jr.. So I'd say that an update kit is not needed, but it sure is nice to have.

 

Achtung6. Basically if the information is more than one day old then it's no longer the latest and greatest. Like in my reply to Adjel above the updates are updated once a day so if you want to update your Geomate Jr. every day of the year then you're going to have info that is at worst 24 hours old. I think the idea of having approximately 250,000 geocaches updated and loaded on your Geomate Jr. every day makes it pretty special. I don't recall ever hearing of any other GPSr that you can load that many geocaches on and have a one click update every day of the year to ensure you've got the best data available.

 

If you don't get the update kit (cord) then your data in your Geomate Jr. will not be as up to date as say somebody who updates theirs daily. However, the good folks who manufacture the Geomate Jr. have devised an excellent way of selecting which caches are preloaded into the Geomate Jr. when you buy it off the shelf from a retailer. Basically they've screened caches and only included ones that have a proven track record of surviving. By screening which are included they've ensured that while there are bound to be some that are no longer available the odds are significantly less than say if you used an old PQ that was 6 months old.

 

Hopefully this answers your questions and if not I'm sure one of the Geomate Jr. reps will pop in and answer them clearer than I did. Happy caching!

[+Maingray]

Yes, the last reply was a bit wordy

 

I think it is worth it if you want the latest (traditional) cache information. The information you add to the unit is refreshed every day by Apisphere.

 

I use the unit as a backup for kids and people on cache runs who havent loaded the route caches... so I can;t see any reason to not have the most recent information. Makes the unit more useful, otherwise it will degrade over time.

[+achtung6]

Hello. I own a Geomate Jr. and update kit. The updates are updated once every 24 hours. Is it essential to buy the update kit? My personal opinion is no. The biggest downside to not having the update kit is that new caches are being published daily and if you don't have the update kit you won't know about the new caches. Also you may end up searching for a few that have been archived since the time the info was loaded onto your Geomate Jr.. So I'd say that an update kit is not needed, but it sure is nice to have.

 

Achtung6. Basically if the information is more than one day old then it's no longer the latest and greatest. Like in my reply to Adjel above the updates are updated once a day so if you want to update your Geomate Jr. every day of the year then you're going to have info that is at worst 24 hours old. I think the idea of having approximately 250,000 geocaches updated and loaded on your Geomate Jr. every day makes it pretty special. I don't recall ever hearing of any other GPSr that you can load that many geocaches on and have a one click update every day of the year to ensure you've got the best data available.

 

If you don't get the update kit (cord) then your data in your Geomate Jr. will not be as up to date as say somebody who updates theirs daily. However, the good folks who manufacture the Geomate Jr. have devised an excellent way of selecting which caches are preloaded into the Geomate Jr. when you buy it off the shelf from a retailer. Basically they've screened caches and only included ones that have a proven track record of surviving. By screening which are included they've ensured that while there are bound to be some that are no longer available the odds are significantly less than say if you used an old PQ that was 6 months old.

 

Hopefully this answers your questions and if not I'm sure one of the Geomate Jr. reps will pop in and answer them clearer than I did. Happy caching!

 

Thanks Michigan. I did receive a direct response from Apisphere and as you state, they update their data every 24 hours. So, it would seem like the update kit is certainly a good thing to buy. My Geomate has quickly been relegated to use by my son but just the same, I'd like it to be current as it's always a very valuable asset. Like you said, 250,000 caches is hard to get with anything else including the PN-40 I've got in the mail....

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

Yes, the last reply was a bit wordy

 

You are quite correct in your observation. Pointing out the obvious isn't a skill I personally strive to excell at, but I do compliment you on your power of observation that allowed you to make that informative observation.

 

There are 2 main reasons for my wordy posts. The first being that unfortunately that's my personal writing style and no matter how hard I try to shorten what I write it just doesn't work for me. The second reason is I've had lots of people contact me and thank me for not just giving a quick one liner answer to their question. You see they point out to me that a detailed explanation is appreciated and a one liner like say, "I would not recommend any less than a Garmin eTrex Legend HC" (or whatever model you choose to recommend) as not being of much help to them in trying to make an informed decision.

 

I have no doubt that a large percentage of the folks who read my posts agree with you that I'm too wordy. Heck, I even agree somewhat that I'm too wordy. However, just taking an educated guess I'm thinking that I've probably received more thank you E-Mails for giving detailed replies than probably most of the one liner folks who can't seem to spare a few minutes to write some meaningful content in their replies.

 

Of course if you or any reader is really bored silly reading my posts they are always welcome to scroll on past my post to get to a shorter reply. Happy caching!

[+Maingray]

Yes, the last reply was a bit wordy

 

You are quite correct in your observation. Pointing out the obvious isn't a skill I personally strive to excell at, but I do compliment you on your power of observation that allowed you to make that informative observation.

 

There are 2 main reasons for my wordy posts. The first being that unfortunately that's my personal writing style and no matter how hard I try to shorten what I write it just doesn't work for me. The second reason is I've had lots of people contact me and thank me for not just giving a quick one liner answer to their question. You see they point out to me that a detailed explanation is appreciated and a one liner like say, "I would not recommend any less than a Garmin eTrex Legend HC" (or whatever model you choose to recommend) as not being of much help to them in trying to make an informed decision.

 

I have no doubt that a large percentage of the folks who read my posts agree with you that I'm too wordy. Heck, I even agree somewhat that I'm too wordy. However, just taking an educated guess I'm thinking that I've probably received more thank you E-Mails for giving detailed replies than probably most of the one liner folks who can't seem to spare a few minutes to write some meaningful content in their replies.

 

Of course if you or any reader is really bored silly reading my posts they are always welcome to scroll on past my post to get to a shorter reply. Happy caching!

 

Thanks!

[+achtung6]

Yes, the last reply was a bit wordy

 

You are quite correct in your observation. Pointing out the obvious isn't a skill I personally strive to excell at, but I do compliment you on your power of observation that allowed you to make that informative observation.

 

There are 2 main reasons for my wordy posts. The first being that unfortunately that's my personal writing style and no matter how hard I try to shorten what I write it just doesn't work for me. The second reason is I've had lots of people contact me and thank me for not just giving a quick one liner answer to their question. You see they point out to me that a detailed explanation is appreciated and a one liner like say, "I would not recommend any less than a Garmin eTrex Legend HC" (or whatever model you choose to recommend) as not being of much help to them in trying to make an informed decision.

 

I have no doubt that a large percentage of the folks who read my posts agree with you that I'm too wordy. Heck, I even agree somewhat that I'm too wordy. However, just taking an educated guess I'm thinking that I've probably received more thank you E-Mails for giving detailed replies than probably most of the one liner folks who can't seem to spare a few minutes to write some meaningful content in their replies.

 

Of course if you or any reader is really bored silly reading my posts they are always welcome to scroll on past my post to get to a shorter reply. Happy caching!

 

Wordy is alright so long as it's useful and your reply was very useful to me....so thanks! I get wordy myself so I can relate