I need more info.

[Idaho Ron]

I understand that a person can use a palm pilot or other unit like it linked to a GPS. What are all the benefits of doing this?

Also I understand that maps can be loaded onto the palm. I don't have one right now but I would like to get one to link to my Garmin Camo. I would like to know which palm units or other types that would work. If some one knows a place I could read more about using one like this I would appreciate any info I can get. Ron

[+travisl]

I use a Handspring Visor Deluxe with a Magellan GPS Companion, and have used it to find 96 caches and hide 7 so far. Benefits?

 

Essentially unlimited memory for waypoints (up to the 8MB available in the Visor).

 

Ability to load the Geocaching.com pages (and Pathetique.com pages) into the Visor using AvantGo.

 

A hint decoder program that will ROT-13 anything typed into it.

 

It seems to get a better signal under tree cover than the yellow Etrex, (with a sample size of... two... YMMV)

 

It comes with street maps of every county in the US, although they can't all be loaded at once.

 

Drawbacks?

 

It isn't as rugged as regular GPS units, so I have to be more careful with it that I otherwise would.

 

If my schedule has an reminder notice go off, it often crashes the OS.

 

Other observations:

 

Waypoints can't be imported into it. You gotta enter them in by hand.

 

The Visor takes 2 AAAs. The GPS takes another 2. I'd advise against the handhelds that charge from their cradle instead, because it'll be dead in a couple hours, whereas the AAAs last for about two day-log multi-stop geocaching trips.

 

I'm happy with it.

 

"If a boy has enough intelligence, he ought to go into the ministry, except that if when he enters college he is given to carousing, drinking, and wenching, then in that case he should enter the law." - Harvard Student Review, 1796

[+mattb5]

Check out this link:

 

http://celia.mehaffey.com/dale/pilotgps.htm

 

Particulary, the Pros and Cons are interesting.

 

Personally, I had a Palm VIIx, which was nice. It has web access and I used it once to pull up a map because I was looking for a cache but only had the coords. I didn't realize all the winding streets I had to take to get to the trail head. I never actually hooked that up to the GPS though.

 

Now I have a Kyocera 6035 cell phone with Palm and wireless web. (If they could have just added GPS to this thing I'd be in geocacher's heaven!) So, I put together the cabling to connect it to the GPS (Garmin eTrex yellow). I just did this a few days ago and haven't had too much of a chance to play around with it but it looks cool so far.

 

I've downloaded a few programs from links on the above-mentioned site to try out but have been waiting for some nicer weather here in MA to go geocaching and actually try them out for real.

 

I need to figure out how to get maps in there because when I originally went with the cheapo yellow eTrex my intent was to use the Palm for mapping. I just needed the cheapest GPS receiver.

 

The thing that's a pain in the butt is that I basically have twelve feet of cable with a female-to-female adapter and a null modem adapter in the middle. Very bulky and not conducive to trekking through the woods. Ideally I think I'm going to snip the ends off of both of those cables and make it one short cable.

 

Hope this helps,

Matt

[+Renegade Knight]

IdahoRon, I've been drooling over the same Pocket PC GPS/Map software combo that you might be thinking off.

 

First of all. Batter life is a real problem. It needs to be solved. In your part of the state, you are going to have to trek to get to any cache you are looking for. Unless you head over to boise. You would have ran out of batteries on the Three Springs cache (with a pocket pc).

 

However having a hand held topo map, so you can figure out a route in the field then follow it with your GPS would be invaluable. Routes to the more remote caches have been both my bane and saving grace. When they work the backroads are no sweat no matter how many twists and turns there are.

 

However if you find (like I did last week) that a bulldozer has torn up your chosen route you are SOL unless you can plot a new route. Having said all that a pocket PC will give you a better map, more screen spact to see where you are going, and some other nifty features. But once you are on foot, nothing will beat your eTrex.

 

Also, if you can find a used Laptop (200 bucks for 200mhz can be found out there...) and plug your GPS in you will have a better screen and a better solution in general.

 

Still, I'm going to keep drooling over the pocket PC combo. Compaq' iPaq does have a add on batter pack sleeve. It's only money...

[Idaho Ron]

I like to bird hunt out in the Owhyee desert, and big game hunt in other ares. I would also like to be able to down load Geocaching pages to take with me.

I have all the paper BLM maps and I also have the National Geographic TOPO map. I have been trying to figure out if i want to get a lap top to take with me or if a palm type unit would work. Since I already have the topo softwear I am leaning that way. I am not sure which laptop I would get either. Do you have a suggestion on a laptop? What about the pocket pc are they big enough to load the NG TOPO on? Ron

[OFF RODE]

I dont think you could load Natl Geo Topo Software to a palm...I use the Az state version and its 8 CDs although there is some file duplication from CD to Cd, to load the entire state takes about 3gig.

I use a laptop with a Cd for live tracking on Topo while in the Jeep, can D/L all the cache pages I want to the laptop, reveiw them before I head out on foot, then just pull the GPSr (G3+) when I get as close as I can and use the stored waypoint to get the final distance to the cache. But my primary use isnt geocaching (BLASPHEMY!) its offroading in general. You dont really need a super laptop if it has a CD, the base program is pretty small and if you are only in one area you can upload only those maps...I think it will even run on an old 486 but at least a P1. The only drawback is when you leave the vehicle you only have the GPSr.

 

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." Yogi Berra

[+Renegade Knight]

For bringing the cache descriptions with you a Palm V would work and you can pick one up for a song (Elvish Archer uses his for this).

Topo doesn't have a Pocket PC version that I know of yet. Mapquest I think does but I do not know how much you can download, though with a cache you are in specifica area. As for the laptop...That's a hard call. Depends on all kinds of factors not the least of which is what else you would use it for. If all you are going to do is have it in your rig and beat it up. Then one with a full install of your topo software and a couple of other programs would suit you and anything 200mhz or higher would work. This opens up the used laptop market.

[Idaho Ron]

I went to NG TOPO site. They do have a version for pocket pc and PALM. I didn't look to hard at it.

I did find a laptop for a good price. Only problem is no 9 pin serial port. How would I hook up the gps? It does have a paralell port & USB port the guy says.

Ron

[+Renegade Knight]

You would have to get a USB connection for your GPS, or a Parallel to Serial Converter or any of several combo's that might work.

 

Garmin may have the USB conversion since USB is now king and Serial and Parallel ports are considered legacy devices. The trick is your software has to support a "Parrallel Port" if you convert the Parallel port to a serial connection for your GPS.

 

I'm glat Topo now has a PockePC version out, i've come to like the software.

[+mattb5]

I just bought a USB to 9-pin Serial Port Converter cable for $11 from Salcon at a computer show, since my new Toshiba laptop doesn't have a serial port. The place I bought it from does have a web site at http://salcon.11net.com/cquest.html and they have it there for $11, although I'm not sure how much for shipping.

I checked around the web and couldn't find a better deal than that. The closest was $19.95 from TigerDirect.com, but it was an adapter that plugs right into the port - no cable. And it looked too big to attach to the back of my laptop, or my desktop for that matter, since the USB is crammed in between the mouse/keyboard ports and the VGA port and the NIC port on my CA810e motherboard.

I had to download XP drivers ( http://www.ftdichip.com/FTDriver.htm ) but it works great! It just assigned the next available com port (4 for me).

Works great on my desktop too since now I can plug the GPS into the USB and still have my Palm synch crable hooked up to the serial port. Now I just need to buy another adapter cable so I can have both on the laptop too.

[+mattb5]

I just bought a USB to 9-pin Serial Port Converter cable for $11 from Salcon at a computer show, since my new Toshiba laptop doesn't have a serial port. The place I bought it from does have a web site at http://salcon.11net.com/cquest.html and they have it there for $11, although I'm not sure how much for shipping.

I checked around the web and couldn't find a better deal than that. The closest was $19.95 from TigerDirect.com, but it was an adapter that plugs right into the port - no cable. And it looked too big to attach to the back of my laptop, or my desktop for that matter, since the USB is crammed in between the mouse/keyboard ports and the VGA port and the NIC port on my CA810e motherboard.

I had to download XP drivers ( http://www.ftdichip.com/FTDriver.htm ) but it works great! It just assigned the next available com port (4 for me).

Works great on my desktop too since now I can plug the GPS into the USB and still have my Palm synch crable hooked up to the serial port. Now I just need to buy another adapter cable so I can have both on the laptop too.