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[+kph100]

Hi

 

Ive been printing out cache descriptions and then physically plotting on OS maps to design a route for day out.....

 

Lots of work.....

 

Is there an easier option.... what do others do/use.

 

Thks.

[+MarcB]

I still use print outs but use the GCUK flash maps (found here - register for full effect). This allows you to visit cache pages with one click and view streetmap.co.uk OS maps and print them off (much easier than plotting). If you change your settings you can get different types of map which is very useful.

 

You can of course buy a PDA which I'm sure somebody will explain...

 

MarcB

[+Sue and Bernie]

There are a number of recent threads on this subject - just look back in the forums.

 

PDA's, either Pocket PCs and GPSonar or Palms and Cachemate, are the paperless solutions of preference.

 

Both packages can be fed from the combination of GSAK and Pocket Queries.

 

With this hardware and software combos, you can forget paper printouts of the caches and ensure that you leave home with the latest status of the caches out there.

[+Bill D (wwh)]

Like Marc I use the GCUK maps for planning.

 

I used to copy the text I needed from each cache page and paste into a word processor (to use less paper), but too often I found myself with missing or out of date information, or circumstances changed my plans and I didn't have the details I needed.

 

Recently I bought a Palm IIIxe for a little over thirty pounds, became a Premium Member of gc.com (17 pounds), and registered GSAK for the pc and CacheMate for the Palm (I can't remember the cost, but they're not much).

 

As a PM, you can get all the caches you want for an area or for the whole of the UK in Pocket Queries, which are emailed to you as file attachments. Unzip them and load them into GSAK, and you have a much easier way of looking at cache information than going back and forth between web pages, and you can filter out the ones you want to do and send them to the PDA.

 

No more paper, except for any maps you need to print, and if you get mapping software for the PDA then you don't need those either.

 

For more information, as Sue & Bernie say, do a search of this forum.

[+kbootb]

Just to be really clear. The GSAK/GPXsonar or Cachemate solution doesn't really help with the mapping/routeplanning part. These allow you to carry around cache descriptions and recent logs without paper.

 

People either go for the GCUK/streetmap route, or the PDA enthusiasts go for Memory Map or Fugawi which are OS based maps that allow you to import waypoints and draw routes. I haven't got to this yet.

 

I have a SatNav solution on my PDA for driving, but it does not allow me to put in points using co-ordinates so it's a bit of hard labour to put them in manually but this works well for getting the driving bit right, but relatively expensive.

 

I have also found an old 2001 copy of autoroute I forgot I had. I can import waypoints from GSAK into that and then route plan, but this again is not paperless but it helps me with getting an overview of the area and seeing a sensible order to tackle them.

[+Pharisee]

There can be a couple of snags to 'totally' paperless caching. I use CacheMate on a Garmin iQue (Palm) and it's great providing that the description on the cache page is in pretty much 'plain text'. Some cachers, however, delight in using a lot of html formatting which makes the cache page look pretty when you look at it on a PC but it doesn't always translate accurately into the CacheMate description on the PDA. For example... one cache I did recently had a formatted table on the cache page. The letters A to K occupied the top line with a 6 under the letter C and a 3 under the letter K. Looks OK on the cache page but on the PDA everything is left justified so the 6 appears under the letter A and the 3 appears under the letter B. The very first time I went paperless, we hit a problem when CacheMate didn't handle 'superscript' in the description text and 'A cubed' in the text came out a just 'A' on CacheMate which put us over a mile from the cache. A quick E-mail to Brian at Smittyware soon had this one sorted however and that bug was fixed.

It's worth just checking that the PDA and cache sheet are the same before you set off on a cache hunt

[+choccymandm]

I've been printing out cache descriptions and then physically plotting on OS maps to design a route for day out.....

M and I used to spend ages plotting our route on the OS map, we thought we'd be really clever and use cut up post-it notes to mark the caches as I was loath to put pen or pencil marks on the map ... it worked great ... until the day we folded up the map and the majority fell off! They'd been re-used so many times i guess the sticky had finally worn out! do'h!!

 

Like everyone else has said GC:UK and streetmap are probably your best bet for now. Electronic gizmo's and technology are the way to go but unless you have a spare pda (or laptop) floating round the house it can cost a few quid to do the full monty for electronic mapping.

 

Is there an easier option....

Yeah, cache blind. Just get in the car and see where the arrow will take you! (unless you happen to live near remote areas when I wouldn't advise doing it!) You might be suprised at the extra dimension it adds to the game.

[markandlynn]

I am writing a currently 10 pages and growing guide to using a palm, cachemate and gsak with pocket queries for the UK cachers. Shall let you know when it is done. A companion mapping guide would be nice but as i have no mapping software.... and am broke i cant do this yet but its on my wishlist. We followed some germans in ireland who only had waypoints in thier GPS were doing quite well bet they got a shock at Carrunthill though!!.

[+yorkstan]

I have slowly built up a collection of goodies. My Magellan allows me to cache blind (more excitement than I can generally cope with), but I have also been a long time user of a Palm 515 PDA for work. This is now combined with GSAK (on the PC), Cachemate, Fugawi and a Magellan Companion GPS (which the Palm drops into). I can now plan a route with Fugawi, and then send the maps and waypoints (cache locations) to the Palm. If I carry the Magellan Companion from the car, I can not only see where I am on the Fugawi OS map, but also find the cache.

 

This does take some work up front, but is a great way of planning ahead.

 

By the way, can't wait to see the "Official" guide from MarkandLynn

[+Sue and Bernie]

I went blind-caching during a recent trip to Cyprus. No maps, just downloaded the cache datasheet to the Palm and the co-ords into the Vista.

 

Off went Steve and I (Sue back home in the UK - working trip actually) in a borrowed car.

 

Was it exciting? Yep! and hairy at times as we found ourselves traversing mountain tops and driving along mountain goat trails where the edges were washed away and there was no edge to the drop. We certainly saw a bit of the real Cyprus - but we won't do that again!

[+Beds Clangers]

I have mobile internet access almost anywhere in the UK which is great for looking up a quick cache page. Most cachers use Pocket Queries on their PDA's to get the basic cache page details, but as Pharisee pointed out there may be problems with some cache page "contents".

 

My typical situation is, sent to Anytown UK and have a few hours to kill.

Fire up Fugawi mapping with all UK caches loaded as waypoints and see what caches are local. Open mobile internet access and look at the cache pages and see if I have time to do them. If caches are straight forward may go for them , if multicaches will probably skip them . Not easy to do some multicaches without a "copy" of the cache page .

 

Was just about to say a PDA with Pocket Queries would give me this detail, but just need a printer in the van!!!

 

Have a 12v to 240v inverter in the van which would run a printer, have mobile internet access, so I'm back to paper caching, if I need it!!!

 

The only downside is that I do not have to pay for mobile internet access which I think may be very high. So you are back to Pocket Queries on a PDA.

[+kph100]

When I go to flash maps on GCUK get a warning that script in movie is making macromedia player to run slowly ....... and map does not load.... any ideas ?

 

Thks for replies so far

 

Ian.

[adrianjohn]

When I go to flash maps on GCUK get a warning that script in movie is making macromedia player to run slowly ....... and map does not load.... any ideas ?

 

Thks for replies so far

 

Ian.

Yep, just click on the option to continue and wait...... Have patience, and all will be revealed.

[+MarcB]

...Yes, it's worth it

[+DomHeknows]

i export my gsak filters to a text file and then load them into autoroute 2002 to give me a rough idea of where I need to drive to. Unfortunately this version of aroute does not give you os detail but its not too bad and gets you to an area, which can then lead to a scout around in the car before setting off for the hunt.

[+kph100]

Leaning towards a cheap older PDA like Palm IIIxe for about £30 with cachemate as a cheap intro to no paper.

I take it with cachemate I can enter my current co-ordinates and it will bring up local caches.

 

Would love a Ipaq 2210 with TomTom 3 bluetooth GPS, and Memory map,

but a bit more £ than above with my current Legend !!

[+Bill D (wwh)]

kph100 wrote:

I take it with cachemate I can enter my current co-ordinates and it will bring up local caches.

 

Yes, you can search from co-ordinates. It's a little fussy about format, so the easiest way is to choose a cache near home (or wherever) and copy the co-ords from that cache page. You can also filter the search for 'not found' or 'found' only, and choose only certain directions (e.g. only NW, W, SW) if you want to.

 

The search is a little slow if you've got a lot of caches in the database, but once it's done there's a 'last search' option to get the same list again.

[+Bill D (wwh)]

kph100 wrote:

When I go to flash maps on GCUK get a warning that script in movie is making macromedia player to run slowly ....... and map does not load.... any ideas

 

It is slow, but if you're using an older version of Flash it's slower than it need be. You might want to look at that.

[+Sue and Bernie]

I keep a memo on my Palm specifically to maintain a list of the co-ordinates of my regular "centre points" such and family and friends.

 

A quick cut from the memo and paste into Cachemate brings up the nearest caches.

 

I did consider getting a lead to connect the GPS to the Palm but since the cable would cost more than the Palm, I decided that this low tech solution would suffice.

Edited September 9, 2004 by Sue & Bernie