Pda Usage

[+Beansouper]

I am what would still be considered a newbie. I have a question concerning Premium Membership and PDA integration. As a premium member, I understand that you get access to information via ebook format. My question is, what information can be put onto the PDA. Specifically, what I am wondering is if you are able to display a description of the cache and any hints on the PDA.

 

Thanks.

[+welch]

yes, you can get descrptions and hints (sometimes called paperless caching), thats one of the big things people use their pda for when caching.

The ebooks are for mobipocket, which IMO isn't very good. It will work of course, but you can only sort by like one option, and I hated how it displayed... the fonts etc. It seems more people preferr to get the gpx files and convert them as needed.

If you read the many paperless caching threads you'll see there are lot of better programs, depending on what kind of device you'll be using. Spinner and plucker is what I use on my cheap little Palm IIIxe.

[+JamesJM]

Yes. Using various software made for PDA's you can basically see the web page for individual caches exactly as you would on your PC.

 

You can also use mapping, once again many software programs. You can mark geocaches on the maps, navigate to the geocaches, read about the caches, make notes regarding your finds, and then use all that info to help log your finds when you once again access the site. - JamesJM

[+Team DEMP]

Many PDA geocachers seem to really like CacheMate

[K-Zoo1]

I use Documents to Go. Just copy the cache info to a MS Word doc and export it to your PDA.

[+strikeforce1]

Specifically, what I am wondering is if you are able to display a description of the cache and any hints on the PDA.

 

Thanks.

What you see on your computer screen and what you print out to hard copy is exactly what you get on the PDA. It's just what add in software you use, that gives you the options as what you can do with the information. Ditto to welch's and JamesJM's statements. Do some investigation and see what the softwares offer. At the top of the forum pages, is a mag glass "search", click on it and punch in "Paperless", in keyword. Then at the bottom of the page press perform search, you'll see many threads on it. Good Luck going Paperless. SF1

[+Beansouper]

Thank you all for the info. I just signed up for premium membership and am investigating software options.

[+texastracker]

I'm considering going paperless....Does anyone know if the spinner and plunker works with the HP Jornadas?

[+NightPilot]

No, Plucker only works on Palm OS devices. Spinner runs on the PC, not the PDA, as does GSAK. My recommendation for a PPC is to get GSAK and use it to generate the html pages, and then use whatever browser you have to view them. GPXSonar runs on PPC, but I don't know much about it because I don't have a PPC.

[+KG7JE]

I use GPX Sonar on an older Compaq IPAQ (3670). Upgraded to PPC 2002 in order to run both GPX Sonar and GPS Tuner. And that's it. I have my GPS CF card plugged in and a hunting I go.

 

GPX Sonar will give you everything you can get off the WEB (including the web pages with the first 5 log entries). You can take notes, sort the listings, etc. All on the PPC/PDA.

[+MeIsMook]

I use an old Jornada 520 and GSAK.

 

Become a paid up member and use Pocket Quirery to email yourself .GPX files.

 

Open the .GPX file with GSAK then export the information to the Jornada as HTML.

 

Makes life a lot easier than fighting with pieces of paper.

[+Imajika]

I LOVE paperless caching!

 

I use a Palm Tungsten E and Cachemate.

 

And think how many trees I am saving!

[+FrkBrum]

Seems like you all know what you are talking about here, I don't have a clue....

 

Can I use my palm m105 for downloading coordinates and other info?

 

[+BaldEd]

Hi elimmen,

I have a m105 too.

A good site to see is :

Paperless caching

Cheers

[+Imajika]

Seems like you all know what you are talking about here, I don't have a clue....

 

Can I use my palm m105 for downloading coordinates and other info?

 

Yes you can!

 

There is a GREAT program for palm based PDA's called "Cachemate". It's $7.00 and it will be the best 7 bucks you spend on caching!

 

It let's you send cache information to your PDA. Info like the description, hints, other people's logs, if there are bugs in the cache, etc. You'll have all the cache info in your PDA and you won't have to worry about printing stuff and carrying around large reams of paper to go caching.

 

www.smittyware.com

 

Check it out!

[+FrkBrum]

Yippy! And thanks to both of you!

 

*Collecting the palm from the drawer*

 

[+NightPilot]

I use my old M105 with the bad backup capacitor every now and then. I just beam Cachemate and its data files to the M105 and it works until I have to change the batteries, when it loses all data. This is a common problem with all Palms that use AAA batteries, and eventually they all fail. It still works, it just loses all data when you change the batteries. I put in freshly charged batteries, and it's good for at least a day of caching, and if I lose it, drop it, or get it soaked, I'm not out much. Hotsyncing a full 8MB of stuff uses most of the battery charge, though, so I only put on essential stuff, usually by IR from my Zire 71, because it's a pain to hook up the serial cradle just for this. If the M105 is your only PDA, then you'll obviously have to hotsync the data to it, but it's not a huge problem. Get GSAK, and use it to send the caches you want to do to a Cachemate .pdb file, hotsync, and have a ball caching.

[+FrkBrum]

It's going to be a long and hopefully rewarding night.

 

[+tastom]

Does anybody know, if there is some software available to download pictures on a PDA?

 

IMO, paperless caching makes only sense, or should I say more sense, if you also can download the hint pictures to your PDA.

 

Of course, the gpx files give the most important information about the caches, but if you want the pictures in case of difficulties to find the cache, then you still need a printout = no paperless caching!

 

I am aware that I would have to reduce the size of the pictures, but it's still better than nothing at all

 

I work with a Tungsten T

[+greengolftee87]

i know i can transfer pictures through documents to go onto my handspring but you have to select each picture by hand "so to speak"

[+gussys]

Im looking for a way to include pics on my Palm Zire 71. I use Plucker and Cachemate.

[+tastom]

i know i can transfer pictures through documents to go onto my handspring but you have to select each picture by hand "so to speak"

Can you get more specific, please? Do I need additional software, and if so, which one?

I don't mind to select pictures one by one. My main requirements though, are possibities to pan and zoom the picture.

 

I'm working with GSAK, CacheMate and Palm OS 5.0 (on a Tungsten T)

 

Thanks

Edited July 18, 2004 by tastom

[+NightPilot]

You can transfer any .jpg file to your SD card with a card reader or the QuickInstall tool and view it. The Photo app will work, or you can get fancier programs. Have you glanced at the Zire 71 manual?

[+gussys]

I was hoping to get Plucker bring the pics with all the info

[+marmetion]

I was hoping to get Plucker bring the pics with all the info

I use a Zire, with Plucker and Spinner, and I have not been able to get the pics off the caches, but I also down loaded the Grocaching Today E-Zine in pdf format and it shows the photos, so I am still trying on the cache jpg's, if anyone knows how, let me know also, please

[+NightPilot]

The pocket queries don't have images attached, so there is no way to get the pictures from them. You can have Plucker go directly to the cache page and get everything, but Groundspeak gets in a snit when you do. There is just no easy way to get all that onto your Palm, or PPC or even you PC. You have to go to each individual page, and individually save the pictures to your PC, and then transfer them to your PDA. If you have a card reader, you can download the pictures directly to your SD card, bypassing the PC. You'll still have to use a separate viewer to see the pictures, because there is no way to make them show up on the cache pages without editing the html in the raw .gpx files. One would think Groundspeak would try to make things a little easier, but one would be wrong.

[+tastom]

Has anybody any suggestions on WHICH software I could use on my Tungsten T to view the jpg's?

Transferring is no problem, to view them is one!

 

I tried with FireViwer (freeware) but it messes up my palm and makes it reboot every time, I try to open a picture.

 

Any other ideas?

[+NightPilot]

Try VFSi. Google will find it for you. With the right search terms, it will find others, also.

[+tastom]

Try VFSi. Google will find it for you. With the right search terms, it will find others, also.

Hi Stan

 

Thanks a lot for your suggestion, VSFi works fine! NOW we speak about paperless hunts. This is great, no to have to bring harcdopies on caching tours

 

Regards

 

Tom

[+NightPilot]

I've never used paper, so I can't even imagine having to carry around a briefcase full of cache printouts. I carry my Palm with me everywhere, so if I decide to do a quick cache, all I have to do is turn it on. I have all the caches within about a hundred miles, which is far more than I'll likely ever do, but they're there just in case. If I take a trip, I run a pocket query on the destination, and maybe in between, depending on how I'm going. Flying on a commercial airliner, it's not worth the time to look up the caches enroute.

[+RokMartian]

Im looking for a way to include pics on my Palm Zire 71.  I use Plucker and Cachemate.

I am using the same thing -- what I am going to start to do is name my photo the same as the waypoint, then add a note in my log like "P" to remind me that I took a photo when I post the log.

[+switchdoc]

I recently downloaded a trial of CacheDragon

 

It's primarily geared for PDAs that also function as a GPSr but has great features for showing the .gpx file info. It organizes them with the description, logs, etc in different tabs so its a little more handy than just having a download of the web page. In fact it looks a lot like Cachemate for the Palm OS. You can mark things as found, there is a place for writing notes, and if you download a picture of the cache area with the same name as the waypoint, it automatically displays it for you.

 

I may use that feature in conjuntion with USAPhotoMaps which is a neat little tool that lets you plot a waypoint and then download aerial photos of the area from terraserver.com. This will let you transfer waypoint data from a GPSr but it looks like it only supports serial connectors, not USB.

 

CacheDragon also allows you to go forward and back through the last 5 log entries so you can see what people before you ran into, if the cache was there, etc. The full version is 20 dollars, but so far it looks worth it.

 

EasyGPS is what I use on the PC side for downloading wyapoints into my GPSr. Its easy to use and works great. I tried and liked GSAK, but unfortunately it looks like they don't support USB connection either.

 

So, there you have my two cents

 

-Switchdoc

 

[edit] Change link

Edited July 23, 2004 by switchdoc

[+Merel]

Try Gartrax. You can convert all kind of waypoint files and ... download the webpages from Geocache.com on a pc, memory card, ... On the pda you only need a browser ( standard ) and plug in the memory card.

Gartrax makes a indew of the downloaded caches if desired, to use as starting page. And it can even make a map with the caches on it, to point and click.

[+JeepCachr]

On a pocketPC GPXsonar is the application you want. Its free and powerfull and similar to the viewing sorting, filtering functionality that GSAK has if your familar with that application.

[+ClydeE]

I recently downloaded a trial of CacheDragon

 

It's primarily geared for PDAs that also function as a GPSr but has great features for showing the .gpx file info. It organizes them with the description, logs, etc in different tabs so its a little more handy than just having a download of the web page. In fact it looks a lot like Cachemate for the Palm OS. You can mark things as found, there is a place for writing notes, and if you download a picture of the cache area with the same name as the waypoint, it automatically displays it for you. 

 

CAUTION

 

Someone please correct me if I am wrong but my understanding is that the author has abandoned this project and can not be contacted. I think there are still bugs in the last public version, and many unhappy users.

 

If you have a Pocket PC then I think you will find GPX Sonar is the ticket.

Edited July 29, 2004 by ClydeE

[+ziggy2000]

There IS an option in Plucker that will allow you to DL the pictures with the cache page! Warning: This will vastly increase the filesize of the plucker file and the time required to update the "channel" in plucker. It also involved installing some additional image conversion software (ImageMagick) and tweaking the plucker.ini file. There are instructions on how to do this on the Plucker homepage. This option is NOT for the faint of heart or impatient! I'm using it with Spinner/Plucker on my Tungsten T and it is quite nice! I'll admit I do have a large query file (over 500 caches) and if you were selective about your pocket queries it would probably be much easier to manage.

 

I don't think Cachemate offers this option (though it would be nice... hint hint...) and I'm investigating the html possibilities with GSAK. Stay tuned...

[+PilotMan]

Anybody know if Cachemate works with the palm zire 21? The pictures on cachemate were in color so I didn't know if it worked on a black and white palm.

[+ziggy2000]

I had Cache mate working on an old Palm 515 til I got tired of LONG import times. I'm sure it will work on a zire 21 - not sure what the color pictures you speak of were all about, cachemate is primarily a text-based database. Try it, I'm sure you'll like it! With the CacheNav plugin and a bluetooth GPS on a Tungsten T, it's unbeatable! I'm gonna throw my eTrex Legend in the trash!!! Uhhh.... well... maybe not....

[+NightPilot]

Cachemate will work fine on a Zire 21. It makes little use of color. It looks about the same on my M105 and my Zire 71.

[+Raggs]

I don't usually post but here goes. A bit off topic with what this started with, but still dealing with palm pilots.

 

I have a PalmIIIxe which I have had for a short time. I have downloaded queries to the unit before and everything did ok.

 

This morning I downloaded a querie that I requested on Tuesday, but just got around to loading today. I went through the process using plucker and spinner and all worked very well. I looked at my palm and the file was there and all seemed right with the world.

 

I had an additional file on the palm too, so I wanted to delete it. I highlighted the file on the palm, tapped on delete all thinking I could just reload my latest file. Both files went away. I tried to reload and it went through all the motions but nothing loaded. I deleted plucker from my palm completly and then tried to reload the file. same results.

 

I then deleted plucker for the palm and desktop off my computer and reinstalled everything, including the file I received from Geocaching. I goes through all the motions as it has in the past using the paper that ClayJar wrote on paperless.html, but nothing goes to the palm.

 

What am I doing wrong. I am open to almost any suggestion.

 

The palmIIIxe is running a OS4.1 so I do not load down pictures and maps, but that is ok.

 

Help

[+NightPilot]

What file are you trying to reload? A Plucker .pdb file of geocaches? If so, you MUST have Plucker loaded onto the Palm in order to receive the file. Is the Palm set as a destination in Plucker? How are you trying to load the file? Hotsync? Card reader?

 

Lots of possibilities, and I don't think I can narrow it down much further from your description. Deleting everything from the Palm and the PC isn't the best way to solve things.

[+Raggs]

I am trying to load a pdb file of geocaches onto my palm. Plucker is on my Palm and I am using a Hotsync to transfer the data, which I have done many times before with data. As I said previously, I use the method that ClayJar outlined in his paper Geocaching without paper.

[+ColdMachine]

I would be careful about buying CacheDragon. It is very buggy, and the author does seem to have abandoned the project. (But happily collected the 20 bucks I was foolish enough to part with.)

 

It would be great if it worked, but it doesn't. At least not on my Axim X5. I can import files, view the cache info, get GPS data, and set the destination cache.

 

The problem is: I cannot get the program to display the distance to a destination cache. The compass points me in the right direction and I can see it on the map, but I never know how far away I am.

 

I worked on this for quite awhile to try to get it working. I emailed the author. Nothing. I guess David J. Stein, esq. is either too busy with his day career as an intellectual property attorney or has immersed himself in his computer science studies.

 

Too bad. There is a real need for a program like this that works!

 

-Ethan

[+JeepCachr]

Try GPS tuner or vito navigator II. Both have demo's that you can try before paying.