Cheap Pda For Geocaching

[+retphoto]

If those who keep hearing about paperless caching, and looking to buy a PDA, check the Store for Palm PDA's Palm Zire Open Box this is there cheapest PDA and it's a refubished UNIT...

 

since you're getting it Direct from Palm, I feel you can't go wrong....

 

Palm Software requires Spinner and Plucker,

 

This is just an option....but for $45 it's hard to beat....

[+NightPilot]

Actually, neither Plucker nor Spinner is 'required'. GSAK works in place of Spinner, and actually does more. And if you use Cachemate, you don't need either. But GSAK will do the work on the PC, convert between most formats, and export to Cachemate. I do use Plucker, but for far more than geocaching.

[+Lone Duck]

An add that I got today can beat that. It's from a small chain called Microcenter that does have a web site if you care to look it up. They have a Palm IIIxe (refurbished) for $29.99 after rebates. They also have a Palm III (refurbished) for 39.99, no rebates. I'm considering one of those even though I have an Ipaq 3955. Cheap, don't care if I scratch it geocaching device.

[+SBPhishy]

I have a Palm III and it works awesome. I would actually HIGHLY recommend it over a Palm Zire, because the Zire's have no backlight. A caching too without a backlight? Now thats just crazy. I use my backlight quite often, and would have been cacheless many times if it didnt have one.

 

Oh yeah, and Cachemate is awesome too.

Edited March 4, 2004 by SBPhishy

[blocko1000]

OHH Yea, well I bought my palm zire about three months ago for only 38 dollars and some change. Brand new!!!! Amazon had a special with a 20 dollar rebate. That coupled with cachemate and you cant go wrong, and you wont go with paper again.

[+Deckyon]

I use a Sony Clie SJ20 and love it. It has a great backlight (white, not green) and a high-resolution screen. I have seen them as low as $49 referb on www.pricewatch.com I would recommend this one as a low-end PDA for caching. For one thing, there is 16MB memory built-in and with a Cachemate database that is 6MB, I still have plenty of room for other apps.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

A handheld that cheap works for caching? Honestly?

[+sledgehampster]

With all the money you save get a hard case! These things are fragile to a degree.

$15.00-20.00 investment will protect it if you drop it on a rock, ammo box, etc.

[+sledgehampster]

Sorry, double post. Darn dialup...

Edited March 4, 2004 by sledgehampster

[+Deckyon]

Well, think about what you need in a PDA. Take Cachemate 3.4.0 for example:

1. PalmOS 3.0

2. 83k for install

3. Memory for DB of caches (5MB for 2300 caches)

 

Most of the Palm-based PDAs here have at least 8MB memory. That is more than enough for cachemate. Granted, searching/sorting large databases will be slower on the older devices. It takes 3 minutes on my Clie (16 MB memory and a fairly fast processor) to search/sort 2300 records based on distance from a Lat/Long. Not bad.

 

Also, think about this: Would you rather drop a basic $38 PDA in a stream, or a $500 PDA with all the bells and whistles in the same stream?

[+The Leprechauns]

I have a Palm III and it works awesome. I would actually HIGHLY recommend it over a Palm Zire, because the Zire's have no backlight. A caching too without a backlight? Now thats just crazy. I use my backlight quite often, and would have been cacheless many times if it didnt have one.

 

Oh yeah, and Cachemate is awesome too.

I like the backlight on my Palm Zire 71 very much, thank you. Different models have different features.

 

I also like Spinner & Plucker 'cause it's free, easy & doesn't hog a lot of space on the PDA. Others like Cachemate.

 

As for the stream, my preference would be to drop neither PDA in the stream, but I use a water resistant neoprene case as insurance.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I am using an HP2315 with GPXSonar and Gpx view. My first choice is GPXSonar .

Being an old dog, it took me 5 weeks to figure out how to get the files from my lap to my pocket pc.