+Shalimarjim Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I am aware that PDA choices have been brought up before but the PDA field is dynamic and things change daily that would affect which brand or system is preferred at the present time. I know little about them but do know that I am tired(my printer also) of printing caches prior to going out. If I am reading the logs correctly, PDA's are the way to go. I suppose I'm asking for "What are the basics I should be looking for in a PDA and which operating system is more user friendly for a cacher." Quote Link to comment
+IV_Warrior Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Ford/Chevy Garmin/Magellan you're asking the same question. everyone has their favorites and swears by them. basically just about anything is going to work. there are software choices available that work well for both palm and pocketPC based systems. if all you are going to use it for is caching.....ebay if you're gonna use it a lot, then consider new Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Here's my thoughts on this subject: 1. If you already use a PDA, go with that one. My understanding is your OK with any palm with at least 8MBs of memory. Pocket PCs require more, but I don't know the specifics. 2. I use a Palm M505 and love it. Pocket PC users lov pocket PCs. (kinda like the Garmin v Mag debate or PC v Mac) 3. PDAs can be easily broken in the field. Therefore, inexpensive is very important, in my opinion. Palms tend to be less expensive. I recently bought my dad a used one on eBay for $26 after shipping. It works great for caching. Quote Link to comment
+wildearth2001 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I agree with IV_Warrior above me about the OS. It is just like the Ford Chevy owners swering that there make is the best. I have asked that question more than once and got the same answer everytime "take what you can for cheap". That is assuming you will only use it for caching. For everyone else that reads this I think the poster is trying to ask what features must the PDA have (not software but hardware) to be a good choice for caching. As for that I have no idea and am trying to figure it out for myself. My printer got so tired of printing cache pages and topo maps that is took a poop. Over the weekend I got a new high speed photo printer. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 If it's only for geocaching...yup eBay. However if you are going to get used to having all your information at hand and use it for appointments and contacts and so forth do your homework and let your other uses decide for you. Quote Link to comment
+Shalimarjim Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Wildearth: You read my query correctly. I do not have a PDA nor have I ever had or even felt a PDA! My printer is tired and I am tired of printing. Which unit or system would provide me the basics for geocaching. I appreciate the Magellan/Garmin or Ford/Chevy comparisons but I have no opinion nor favorite among them. I am just looking for a basic unit that would fulfill the caching need. Quote Link to comment
+Shalimarjim Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 By the way Shell111, retired USAF here--same rank. Quote Link to comment
+wildearth2001 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Wildearth: You read my query correctly. I do not have a PDA nor have I ever had or even felt a PDA! My printer is tired and I am tired of printing. Which unit or system would provide me the basics for geocaching. I appreciate the Magellan/Garmin or Ford/Chevy comparisons but I have no opinion nor favorite among them. I am just looking for a basic unit that would fulfill the caching need. Well I wish I could help you with the unit that might be the best, but instead I will be learning along with you. As for software (incase you havn't figured that out already) try looking at the software page here at GC.com or at CYBrets webpage. I will post links later but It might take a while so someone else might be able to beat me to the links. Good luck. Quote Link to comment
+Geo Leo Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I just started using a PDA for caching a couple of months ago, and I love it. I can't speak for pocket pc's which I'm sure work equally well, but my Palm Tungsten with Cachemate is working great for me. I always have the info I need for all caches in my area, and I can search for nearby caches in the field. No more fumbling around with paperwork or finding out that I am missing a page. Quote Link to comment
+Imajika Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I usa a Palm Zire 21 and it works just fine. I got mine from a friend but you can get one for 60-100 bucks most anywhere. I use Cachemate and I absolutely love it. For basic caching, this setup has worked great for me! Quote Link to comment
+Shalimarjim Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Now we're talking--thanks Geo Leo and Imajika Quote Link to comment
+Mastifflover Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I looked at the zire 21 and it seemed very nice. I would seriously consider one if I just used one for caching. It has 8mb of memory which would be plenty for geocaching. I use one daily for work so I went with a higher end unit. Quote Link to comment
+Imajika Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I looked at the zire 21 and it seemed very nice. I would seriously consider one if I just used one for caching. It has 8mb of memory which would be plenty for geocaching. I use one daily for work so I went with a higher end unit. Yes, I only use my Zire 21 for caching and it works perfectly. A friend of mine upgraded so I bought his Zire for 25 bucks. Not bad and it's only 2 months old. But my hubby and I are coming into a little money soon so I am seriously considering a Tungsten PDA and a new Garmin 60CS. Quote Link to comment
+wildearth2001 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I looked at the zire 21 and it seemed very nice. I would seriously consider one if I just used one for caching. It has 8mb of memory which would be plenty for geocaching. I use one daily for work so I went with a higher end unit. Yes, I only use my Zire 21 for caching and it works perfectly. A friend of mine upgraded so I bought his Zire for 25 bucks. Not bad and it's only 2 months old. But my hubby and I are coming into a little money soon so I am seriously considering a Tungsten PDA and a new Garmin 60CS. Ok so you answered my question about 60 c/cs here. Does the Zire 21 have expansion slots? Quote Link to comment
+SBPhishy Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Yup. Cachemate is AWESOME. And you will be fine with any PDA with 2 megs also. It will easily hold 500 caches. The Zire 21 does not have expansion slots. Quote Link to comment
+Mastercacher & Geo"K" Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I have just purchased a Handspring Visor Deluxe. Initially I downloaded EasyGPS then realized it only imports .loc files so I don't have all the information I need. I tried to remove it using the add/remove feature on my PC but it wasn't listed there so it's still on my computer. I need advice about what software I'll need to download .gpx files so all the features in CacheMate will register on my PDA. I've read every OEM from software to hardware but still can't seem to get a straight answer. Please respond to kdpeddie@nettally.com. Thanks much! Quote Link to comment
+bigredmed Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Buy the cheapest model that works with a gps unit of some kind. DON'T spend alot of momey as these get lost and damaged easily. A pawn shop safari may get you a Handspring that would work or a cheap little GPS unit that you could use instead. The thing about using a PDA is you are spending 200 bucks to save 25 cents worth of paper and ink. Even if you don't recycle the papers or print on the backs of old papers, you really have to do a lot of caching before it even comes close to paying for itself. Quote Link to comment
+wildearth2001 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I think the Zire 21 would work great but I think I want expansion slots so I can have maps in it. Quote Link to comment
+NightPilot Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 But my hubby and I are coming into a little money soon so I am seriously considering a Tungsten PDA and a new Garmin 60CS. That's not a little money, that's a lot to me. I agree that buying a PDA just for geocaching may be overkill, but I already have a Palm that I use all the time, so caching is just one more app on the SD card. If you look around you can probably find a Palm M105 or equivalent for very little money. I certainly wouldn't buy a top-of-the-line PDA just for geocaching, but if you do buy one, you'll likely be hooked and use it for everything. To get rid of EasyGPS, just delete the entire folder from your computer. If you don't know how to do that, you need to start reading the fine manuals. GSAK will export the pocket queries to Cachemate, but you do have to have premium membership and pocket queries to get all the data you want. Just downloading from the cache pages won't work, since you only get a .loc file and those don't have all the information you want. Get the pocket query in zip format, drop it onto GSAK, play with the caches all you want, and then export to Cachemate. Quick and easy. If you use Plucker, you can export html pages that Plucker can convert. Quote Link to comment
+Imajika Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 I have just purchased a Handspring Visor Deluxe. Initially I downloaded EasyGPS then realized it only imports .loc files so I don't have all the information I need. I tried to remove it using the add/remove feature on my PC but it wasn't listed there so it's still on my computer. I need advice about what software I'll need to download .gpx files so all the features in CacheMate will register on my PDA. I've read every OEM from software to hardware but still can't seem to get a straight answer. Please respond to kdpeddie@nettally.com. Thanks much! No EasyGPS doesn't just read loc files, it reads gpx files just fine. Just get your pocket queries sent in gpx format each week (or day) and you can convert the gpx files in CmConvert (if you use Cachemate) and the next time you Hotsync your PDA it will load all the cache info into Cachemate. Then open the same gpx file in EasyGPS and upload all the info to your GPS. Works every time for me! Quote Link to comment
+Mastifflover Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 I have the Tungsten E. 32 megs of internal memory and an expansion slot, and a color screen. I love it! But I use a palm daily for work so the cost was justified for me. The saving money on paper and ink argument is not really valid like Bigredmed said but I like it just for the convienience factor. Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 The thing about using a PDA is you are spending 200 bucks to save 25 cents worth of paper and ink. Even if you don't recycle the papers or print on the backs of old papers, you really have to do a lot of caching before it even comes close to paying for itself. Thats true , but how much is the coolness, and 'ease of use'* worth? * I mean we could all leave the gpsr at home and go with the maps and maybe a compass right? I use a cheap palm IIIxe (8mb?) with spinner/plucker, check out Cybret's sans paper if interested in that route. Quote Link to comment
+GeckoGeek Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 No EasyGPS doesn't just read loc files, it reads gpx files just fine. That it does, but don't ever make changes to the files or else EasyGPS will turn the LOC file into Binary format and gut a GPX file of nearly all useful information. Quote Link to comment
+Team Tecmage Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Very much a personal choice. I went with a Palm IIIE, then m130. We use ExpertGPS and Plucker. I'm planning on doing some small research projects this summer, using PDAs as control for mobile robots- will use PalmOS there as well. Quote Link to comment
+UncleRMC Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 I started caching just a couple of months ago. I own a notebook with GPS and a PDA (ipaq H3650 - the original ipaq - 4 years old) with GPS. I took the notebook out on my first couple of caches since I had the best software on it. BOY was that a mistake. Too heavy and bulky, but it found every cache I was looking for. Next I updated the ipaq to PPC 2002 and got better GPS software for it. Using Mapopolis software the ipaq became my gps of choice. After a month and a few close calls I was afraid the ipaq was not going to last. I almost cracked the screen a couple of times. Also battery life is only about 1 hour. After looking at what others were using and reading the reviews I could find online I decided to buy a Magellan Meridian Gold. Tougher than the ipaq and gave me topo maps and directional maps. Plus battery life so I can go out there and kill myself and still find my way home. I use the Magellan to hold the waypoints and direct me, but I still bring the ipaq in my pack loaded with the .gpx files from Pocket Queries. GPXsonar is a great program. Very handy dandy. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment
+greengolftee87 Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 i do not have a credit card and therefore am not a premium member on the site. but i have been using cache pages on my palm even before i had a name on the website. I copy the printable verson of the page into a word document and then transfer it to documents to go, if i want to decode the clue i have a seperate program where i just copy it to Quote Link to comment
+Love2Fly Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 I bought a Palm Zire for geocaching. If I had to do it all over again, I would have waited a bit, or used paper. The Zire has only 2 MB of memory onboard. I cannot install MobiPocket Reader beacuse that program itself is over 2MB. I have to download my files in gpx format. Then use Spinner to turn them into html files , and then use plucker to convert them before I can Hot Sync them to my PDA. What a pain. This whole process takes at least a half hour, sometimes more. I wish that the GC.com would just provide the files in a simple palmdoc file as an option. On the smaller pda's memory is a premium. Normally I use TiBR (Tiny Book Reader) that is only 67kb. It reads palm doc files. Whole books are only 50-200k in doc format. By the time you put Plucker, and a small area full of caches in,, well,, there isn't much room left. Add that to the time it takes to do all the conversions, and you could have printed them all. Do yourself a favor,, and make sure your pda has at least 8mb of memory , so you can just download the MobiPocket file and be done in one easy step. Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 My old Sharp organizer crapped out and I needed another for work. So I got a Pocket PC and naturally loaded it with Mapopolis auto-routing software, a plug in GPS as well as 24K topo maps and GPSSonar and maplets for paperless caching. For work I sync it with of work's PC's Outlook for appointments, contacts, tasks and memos. Of course I'm nervous about taking it into the woods, but since I still have my 2 1/2 year old Vista, I use the PPC in the car to auto-route me to the trailhead and then the Vista in the woods. I have tried the PPC at a couple of urban caches, but for the most part it'll stay protected in my pocket while I use the Vista. Of course with the 24K topo maps, I'll probably be playing with that a little. Since the modem is a 2-mode unit with the second mode being very sensitive, I'm hoping it'll pick up signals in the woods under heavy tree cover where my Vista has problems. We'll see during Spring in a few weeks when the leaves come out. Good luck on whatever you buy. If you're like me, whatever it is you'll wish you got just the next higher model with just those few extra features if you could only explain to the wife how spending those few extra bucks is going to help you at work. Alan Quote Link to comment
+NightPilot Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Love, there may be a better solution. Get Cachemate. It's only $7, and works well on small Palms, it's only 80kb. Get GSAK, which is freeware that runs on your PC. Load the gpx file into GSAK (actually, you can just drop the zip file in it) and filter as you like. Then have GSAK upload the waypoints to your GPS using either the waypoints or cache names, shortened to the length you need for your GPS. Then have GSAK export to Cachemate, which will convert to a .pdb Palm database and queue it for hotsync. Takes less than 5 minutes, if you're slow about the sorting in GSAK. If you just drop the file, upload to the GPS and export to Cachemate, without changing anything, 2 minutes tops, not including the hotsync, because the hotsync time will depend on how much other stuff is being synced. The Cachemate display isn't as nice as the Plucker display, and you don't have as many sorting options, but the upside is that you can modify the pages if you need to, and you use less memory. If you prefer, and have a suitable cable, you can upload the waypoints to your GPS from Cachemate with a free plugin. Quote Link to comment
+Mastifflover Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 i do not have a credit card and therefore am not a premium member on the site. You don't need to have a credit card. My paypal account pulls funds from my checking account. Quote Link to comment
+mattopia Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Handspring Neo (8meg) + CacheMate = everything I need, and more. Bought it cheap on eBay almost 2 years ago, so I already had it laying around. Actually, I never used it much, and I use it for geocaching pretty much exclusively now. I like that it's tiny, very small form factor, and durable as hell. It holds thousands of caches without a problem. And there is TONS of palm software out there. Also, CacheMate is a top notch program for $7. You can find used Handspring's or Palm's for well under $50. Now, it would be really cool to do mapping with my PDA, and for that I would suggest something with a color screen and a lot more memory. I imagine there is going to be better mapping software available for PocketPC devices, but I don't know. Used palm + cachemate is a very inexpensive, durable, and reliable way to get into paperless. CacheMate has everyting you need (except maybe mapping) for paperless. Quote Link to comment
+Cache & Keri Posted April 22, 2004 Share Posted April 22, 2004 OK. A PDA, Cachemate and GSAK. Now, what about map software for the PDA? What is the best map software AND how much space will I need on the PDA? I suppose I should know how much space the maps will take-up before I take the plunge and purchase a PDA. Quote Link to comment
+blazerfan Posted April 22, 2004 Share Posted April 22, 2004 if I were going to buy a new PDA I would go with this one. I have considered buying one of these myself. Pocket PC seems to have more software available and less steps for getting caches into the PDA. I myself have a cheap pda that I bought in the garage sale part of the forums. It is really nice for taking on trips when you don't want to print lots of caches, but it has a lot of steps to get everything into the PDA. I often find myself printing cache pages because if I only go after a couple why go through the trouble of putting them in the thing. Quote Link to comment
+BadAndy Posted April 22, 2004 Share Posted April 22, 2004 I've owned many palm devices and use one every day, all day at work. I bought a pocket pc on ebay last week. It has wireless lan built in. Today I sat at a local expresso shop and downloaded cache pages from a wifi hotspot. I gotta say...the cool factor blew me away. This would be very handy when traveling, or those spur of the moment cache trips. Quote Link to comment
+Woof! Posted April 22, 2004 Share Posted April 22, 2004 (edited) Here's my thoughts on this subject: 1. If you already use a PDA, go with that one. My understanding is your OK with any palm with at least 8MBs of memory. Pocket PCs require more, but I don't know the specifics. I've been using an old Palm IIIe that was given to me by a friend. The Palm IIIe has only 2MB's and I was able to load Plucker and a 500 cache pocket query just fine. The unit was slow, and the 500 cache limit was sometimes a problem, but it more than did the job. I was just thankful not to have to print out pages anymore; the freedom it gives you to cache on a whim was also nice. 2. I use a Palm M505 and love it. Pocket PC users lov pocket PCs. (kinda like the Garmin v Mag debate or PC v Mac) I just bought a Palm M505 on ebay. I didn't do much research, I just needed a new one cheap and fast. The M505 seemed like enough of an upgrade from the IIIe without over doing it on bells and whistles I didn't need for geocaching. 3. PDAs can be easily broken in the field. Therefore, inexpensive is very important, in my opinion. Palms tend to be less expensive. I recently bought my dad a used one on eBay for $26 after shipping. It works great for caching. The reason I needed a new PDA cheap and fast was for exactly this reason... Edited April 22, 2004 by Woof! Quote Link to comment
AZcachemeister Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 OK. A PDA, Cachemate and GSAK. Now, what about map software for the PDA? What is the best map software AND how much space will I need on the PDA? I suppose I should know how much space the maps will take-up before I take the plunge and purchase a PDA. Outdoor Navigator by MapTech. They have Palm and Pocket PC versions, although the Palm version is a bit more 'feature rich'. $99 for a years 'membership' gets you the program and all the maps (USGS quads) you can download in a year. $29 renewall for another year's worth. You need a PDA with an expansion slot/card, that's where the maps go. Burn the maps to a CD, and they're yours forever. Good for out in the woods, lousy for uban areas. That's why I got Dirtect Route for the MeriPlat! There's more, but I'm late for work!!! Quote Link to comment
+PSUPAUL Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 (edited) I agree about a palm and cachemate. Yes you have to pay for it, WOW $7 whole dollars, but it works great and is quick. I tried the Plucker/Spinner option and it was a bunch of steps and I kinda got lost. I was using a Palm 3XE and would love to upgrade but I cannot really justify it. This one does everything I need and works great. Here is a link to a tutorial about cachemate and palms Using CacheMate Edited April 23, 2004 by PSUPAUL Quote Link to comment
+wingnuts Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Wow alot of sugestions!!! Some better than others. I have had bolth Palm OS and Pocket PC A few questions to ask yourself what is your budget? (Palm's can be cheaper than Pocket PC's) do you want to do anything else with it? (see below) Will it also be your GPS unit or just for going paperless?? I use a IPAQ 3765 I bought it new 3 yrs ago. (New HP 2200 series $399) A Compact flash card sleeve with a extra battery. (Not needed on a 2200) I have a Delorme Earthmate GPS antenna that works on my Ipaq and my Laptop. ($120 +/- It comes with maping software for your PC) I purchased Delorme X-Map for PDA. ($30) I have Gpx Sonar for paperless caching. (Free) I have a PDA Case made by Otter box to protect it while on the hunt I made a bracket to hold the GPS antenna. (Model 3600 $100) Total about $650 I Also use my Ipaq to play Full length movies I rip from DVD's. for a MP3 player. to play games. and it is also a Digital Camera. I like my setup, but I want to go to a Bluetooth PDA and GPSR. Good luck Quote Link to comment
CoyoteRed Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 (edited) Personally, I use: Palm m105. you can find those for less than $50 everyday on eBay. If you're careful you can get one used for about $15. GPXspinner. Free. I've been playing with GSAK recently and it looks like it might be a replacement because it also takes the place of EasyGPS and Watcher. iSilo. Pretty much the same as Plucker (free) but much faster conversion. It costs, but I feel it's worth it. If you automate, you can use Plucker and not worry about how slow it is. The problem I have with Cachemate is it's slow on the m105. It takes a long time to import the data and a long time to sort the sort the data which you have to do to fiind the next nearest cache. Because I carry a paper log--I letterbox as well--I don't need any of the logging features of CacheMate. For me, I'd rather let my desktop do the heavy lifting and use GPXspinner/GASK and Plucker/iSilo. Once in the field the searches are instantaneous. Works for me. Plus, you can automate the process so all you have to do is sync the Palm and go. Edited April 23, 2004 by CoyoteRed Quote Link to comment
+NightPilot Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 If you want to do mapping on a PDA, you need lots of memory and an expansion slot. The maps take many megabytes, but if you only load a few at a time you can get by with 16MB, but it's tight, and you have to keep your memory empty for maps. I have a Zire 71, 16MB, use Mapopolis, and I keep at least 11MB free just to hold the maps. I run everything I can from SD cards, using LauncherX. I can load maybe 3 or 4 counties into RAM, because most of them are at least a megabyte, and my home county is >6MB. You need to load the state major roads, another MB, and the app itself, which also needs extra memory for computations. Don't even think about running a real mapping program from an M105 or anything like it - you need OS5 and lots of RAM, and lots of processor power. The older, slower units just won't cut it. They work just fine for reading cache pages, though, and are a good choice for many. Quote Link to comment
+sledgehampster Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 I have a PALM IIIc using CacheMate http://tinyurl.com/26zoj and DeLorme Street Atlas 2004 Handheld http://tinyurl.com/2lgzl I also run DAOverclock to make up for a slower processor and everything works as advertised. DeLorme SA 2004 HH directs me (turn-by-turn) to the cache, I check CacheMate for descrirtion and hints (if needed). When I return to the car I log my find (or whatever) in CacheMate and then have SA 2004 HH route me to the next cache. Quote Link to comment
AZcachemeister Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 If you want to do mapping on a PDA, you need lots of memory and an expansion slot. The maps take many megabytes, but if you only load a few at a time you can get by with 16MB, but it's tight, and you have to keep your memory empty for maps. I have a Zire 71, 16MB, use Mapopolis, and I keep at least 11MB free just to hold the maps. I run everything I can from SD cards, using LauncherX. I can load maybe 3 or 4 counties into RAM, because most of them are at least a megabyte, and my home county is >6MB. You need to load the state major roads, another MB, and the app itself, which also needs extra memory for computations. Don't even think about running a real mapping program from an M105 or anything like it - you need OS5 and lots of RAM, and lots of processor power. The older, slower units just won't cut it. They work just fine for reading cache pages, though, and are a good choice for many. B.S.! I'm running Outdoor Navigator on an M 130 with noooo problem! All the maps are on SD cards and I can keep up to 32 7.5 minute quads on one 128 Mb card. I have up to six 30 x 60 minute quads loaded on one card for wide angle reference, and the 7.5's loaded separately on several cards, one card for each 30' x 60', for close scrutiny. Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 (edited) I bought an Ipaq 2215 Pocket PC after using a Vista for 2 1/2 years. My old Sharp organizer broke and I needed something for work anyway. With the 2215 loaded with Mapopolis color road maps and autonavigation with voice prompts, I now only use my Vista after I park my car and I'm in the woods. WIth GSAK and gpstomaplet and gpssonar, I go paperless and have all my waypoints in Mapoplis too for auto-routing from one cache to the next. I use the IPAQ for work - "to-do" lists, appointment,s addresses and store files on its 256meg interchanegeable; etc. The 2215 display pictures, documents, etc. It's got Bluetooth which I don't use. Other models come with WiFi. You can insert a modem card in the SD slot and use the 2215 for email, internet etc. I haven't used it for that yet so I can't report on how well it works. Since I continue to use my Vista in the woods and keep the IPAQ in my pocket, it's not open to too much chance of damage but certainly that is a consideration (I'll probably drop it next time out now that I 'm talking like a "big shot"!). The one other thing I bought is a dual reception GPSr that plugs into the 2215 SD card slot. (I also can connect the Vista through the 2215 serial port). Well I've tried it in standard reception mode which locks sats like the Vista. But it has an XT extra sensitive mode that locks sats from indoors. I'm looking forward to trying it next weekend when the foliage is out. Of course that means the PPC will be in more danger of damage but I can't wait to see what happens with reception that I always lose with the Vista. Oh, I also have loaded USGS 24K color topos from NG Topo for real time tracking and better topo maps. Garmin is 100K scale on the Vista. It's a whole new world out there. The Pocket PC's are amazing! Good luck Alan Edited April 24, 2004 by Alan2 Quote Link to comment
+Cache & Keri Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 OK. A PDA, Cachemate and GSAK. Now, what about map software for the PDA? What is the best map software AND how much space will I need on the PDA? I suppose I should know how much space the maps will take-up before I take the plunge and purchase a PDA. Thanks for all the help! Reading the responses for the last few days has given me some ideas. I think purchasing an inexpensive PDA and using it with Cachemate and not for map software would probably fit my needs. I want to purchase the Garmin 60CS and that should allow me to have the maps I'll need plus the auto-routing feature at the same time. Quote Link to comment
+K-9 Cachers Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 Could someone tell me if there is any way for Microsoft Streets and Trips to work with a Sony CLIE? I installed Microsoft ActiveSync on my computer, but then when it tried to detect my Sony, it couldn't find it. I don't know if this is because Sony is not a Microsoft driven PDA. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment
+programmer64 Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 (edited) I use an hp with a Pocketpc os. It connection with active sync I can just drag and drop all I need for caching. Maps,and cache pages. I use gsak to spin out the files I need. I have 8MB of memory and it serves well for maps,I use Microsoft streeets and trips, mapsource, and NG topo. Edited April 27, 2004 by programmer64 Quote Link to comment
+K-9 Cachers Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 not sure I understand-- how do I load Pocket PC to my Sony when it says it can't find it? Quote Link to comment
+NightPilot Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 A Sony Clie is a PalmOS device, not a Pocket PC. You cannot use ActiveSync with it, but you can use Palm Desktop. Streets and Trips won't work on it, either. Quote Link to comment
+K-9 Cachers Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 so i guess you are saying there is no way streets and trips will work on my sony? Quote Link to comment
+dzdiver Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 I just bought my wife a Palm Tungsten E for her business. This purchase was made for business/personal organization, not geocaching. It seemed like the most Palm for the money. She found it very easy to use and almost "foolproof". I liked hers so much that I bought one for me. I plan to use mine for our geocaching. I like the easy to read color screen, large amount of built in memory, and the expansion slot. Both of us have already dropped our PDA's onto the ground and fortunately they have not suffered any problems. I have not played with the software side of this task yet. Several users offered great ideas on the software. Quote Link to comment
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