Accessing Gc In The Field

[+harold1066]

Like some users, I have to wait until I`m home before logging my cache finds on GC but is it possible to do this in the field?

 

If so, what equipment are people using; I know it can be done with a laptop but what about Palms/Pocket PC.

 

Anyone care to post their equipment they use?

 

I would like to go down this road but I don`t have a clue about bluetooth, wi-fi and the like.

 

It would be nice to update while I`m a way on holidays and not wait a week until I return home.

 

Cheers

 

Geo

[+Mad H@ter]

I also asked this question resently and ended up answering my own post, you may find this useful Logging Caches Via Mobile Phone

[+Birders]

We have an IPAQ PDA which is WiFi equipped. On many occasions I have accessed the Internet through some unsuspecting person's "open" network so, yes, it is perfectly feasible to log catches in the field.. You are totally dependent on accessing a network though..

[+harold1066]

We have an IPAQ PDA which is WiFi equipped.  On many occasions I have accessed the Internet through some unsuspecting person's "open" network so, yes, it is perfectly feasible to log catches in the field..  You are totally dependent on accessing a network though..

So you need to be near an 'open' network for the wifi to work

 

Phillimore Clan I also asked this question resently and ended up answering my own post, you may find this useful Logging Caches Via Mobile Phone

 

I have a phone with WAP that I`ve never used (WAP that is) I tried the site seens to work O.K. I think I`ll give this a try until I fully understand wifi

 

Geo

[+Birders]

Yes, and obviously they aren't too common.. but they are about. Down in Portsmouth recently I switched it on and immediately accessed 3 networks, 2 of which were "open".

 

WiFi isn't difficult to understand - just connecting two bits of equipment with no wires between them. Holler if I can answer any quetsions..

Edited September 25, 2004 by Birders

[westonwanderers]

have you tried The Geocaching Midlet? Have a look here:

 

http://www.geocacheuk.com/midlet.shtml

 

It allows you to download a list of caches, and details to your phone, which stores these details in it's internal memory.... This is the major benefit, as you can refer back to the description many times, without re-activating the Wap connection (and running up your phone bill), as opposed to the Wap based variants.

 

Your phone needs to support Java Games to run it.... And even then, incompatibilities between different versions of phones, does unfortunately mean that on some brands (esp Sony's ) it doesn't work. But, give it a go and see if it works for you.... did I mention it's free!

 

It doesn't allow logging of caches, unfortunately. I found that entering a log was too cumbersome using the keys.... Also, the additional code made the program too big for many of the smaller phones (Nokia 6310i comes to mind). I may put the functionality back in soon, as newer phones are coming to market and are not so limited, and the older ones dying out.

 

Cheers,

Tony.

Edited September 25, 2004 by westonwanderers

[+The_Crane]

Yes you can access GC in the feild and we do this regularly. As discussed earlier you will need some form of pocket pc and a way to connect to the internet. We use an iPAQ 2210 and although this can use bluetooth, we use the infra-red port to connect it to one of our mobile phones, (because we don't currently have mobiles with blue-tooth) and use the mobile phone to dial into a pay-as-you-go network. We currently use freeisp, although you can use any pay-as-you-go ISP.

 

With this set-up we can gain full access to the internet, although it is a little slow as the speed is dictated by the speed of the modem in the mobile phone. we have used this technique very successfully on many cache breaks/holiday throughout the uk. This obviously gives us the advantage of being able to log travel-bugs as soon as we find them, and if really necessary download the occasional spoiler!!.

 

There are probably other methods but we find this one of the simplest. We also use the pocket pc as our gps by connecting CF gps receiver to it.

[kiteflyer]

We use an XDA2 which has internet explorer on it. All you need is the details of your ISP and a mobile phone signal. If your on pay as you go it's about 10p a minute, but the XDA2 is expensive to buy.

Gary

[+rutson]

BTW, http://wap.geocaching.com/ works as a nice low bandwidth site for mobile use as well as via wap.

[+harold1066]

While on my search about wifi I came across this little gadget

maybe useful for the wifi users

 

Westonwanderers

It allows you to download a list of caches, and details to your phone, which stores these details in it's internal memory.... This is the major benefit, as you can refer back to the description many times, without re-activating the Wap connection (and running up your phone bill), as opposed to the Wap based variants.

 

Your phone needs to support Java Games to run it.... And even then, incompatibilities between different versions of phones, does unfortunately mean that on some brands (esp Sony's ) it doesn't work. But, give it a go and see if it works for you.... did I mention it's free!

 

It doesn't allow logging of caches, unfortunately. I found that entering a log was too cumbersome using the keys.... Also, the additional code made the program too big for many of the smaller phones (Nokia 6310i comes to mind). I may put the functionality back in soon, as newer phones are coming to market and are not so limited, and the older ones dying out.

 

 

I`m already using a palm vx with cachmate, I really want to be able to log caches and TBs while out and about.

 

The_Cranes Yes you can access GC in the feild and we do this regularly. As discussed earlier you will need some form of pocket pc and a way to connect to the internet. We use an iPAQ 2210 and although this can use bluetooth, we use the infra-red port to connect it to one of our mobile phones, (because we don't currently have mobiles with blue-tooth) and use the mobile phone to dial into a pay-as-you-go network. We currently use freeisp, although you can use any pay-as-you-go ISP.

 

With this set-up we can gain full access to the internet, although it is a little slow as the speed is dictated by the speed of the modem in the mobile phone. we have used this technique very successfully on many cache breaks/holiday throughout the uk. This obviously gives us the advantage of being able to log travel-bugs as soon as we find them, and if really necessary download the occasional spoiler!!.

 

The phone I have is a Nokia 3330i not sure if this can connect to a Pocket PC, I would like to go with a PCC as I have Anquet digital maps and they only work on PPCs.

 

BirdersWiFi isn't difficult to understand - just connecting two bits of equipment with no wires between them. Holler if I can answer any quetsions..

 

How easy is the internet access to set-up and who do you use.

 

rustonBTW, http://wap.geocaching.com/ works as a nice low bandwidth site for mobile use as well as via wap.

 

I`ll give that a try too

 

kiteflyerWe use an XDA2 which has internet explorer on it. All you need is the details of your ISP and a mobile phone signal. If your on pay as you go it's about 10p a minute, but the XDA2 is expensive to buy.

 

10p a minute, not too bad but like you say the unit is expensive.

 

A lot of questions but like I said I know nothing about theses things

 

Cheers

 

Geo

[+Flyfishermanbob]

I’ve researched the matter fully , & I can categorically state that 2B beats HB hands down …though it does require more maintenance.

 

[kiteflyer]

Researched here a bit and found that an XDA (not 2) can be got for under £150. This will do the same as my XDA2 but hasn't got the camera/video player, and a little less memory, but still I reckon a good buy.

Gary

[+John Stead]

While on my search about wifi I came across this little gadget

maybe useful for the wifi users

 

Sorry but link does not seem to work for me - what is the gadget?

[+rutson]

Trythis link.

[+klaus23]

Thanks folks for the WAP link to gc.com

I never knew that existed - it's going to make my life a lot easier!

[+harold1066]

Trythis link.

Thanks ruston

 

Thought the link worked

[+Team Ullium]

Just out of interest what is approximately the cost of setting up a TomTom like internet connection with my laptop to be able to log onto the internet via satelite ??

And what equipment would I need to purchase??

 

The reason I ask is that even though I have a modern laptop I still have to rely on internet cafe's to connect to the internet while on holiday and wondered if it would outwith my budget to get this kind of connection!?

 

Ullium

[+rutson]

Just out of interest what is approximately the cost of setting up a TomTom like internet connection with my laptop to be able to log onto the internet via satelite ??

And what equipment would I need to purchase??

 

You are getting your technologies muddled up!

 

Tomtom and the ilk use a GPS satellite receiver to 'listen' to satelites for positional data.

 

If you're talking about a mobile satellite based internet connection, then if you have to ask, you can't afford it!

Edited September 26, 2004 by rutson

[+Team Ullium]

Thanks Rutson,

 

I did say TomTom 'like' ... maybe you missed that?

Maybe I should have said something like 'mobile satellite based internet connection'

 

So you think I can't afford it then? Isn't that a bit presumptuous of you??

 

Ullium.

[+Birders]

<<'mobile satellite based internet connection' >>

 

I don't think Rutson intended to be impolite. Fact is that such a system would cost telephone numbers... If you can afford it, go right ahead and let us know how it pans out. The phone handset itself would cost over £1,000 and the costs of calls is dearer than normal mobile phones.

 

Without any shadow of a doubt the simplest way is to get the info off the net... go out and do your geocaching.... go home and log the finds on the Internet from your home PC.

[JackiePenn]

Thanks Rutson,

 

I did say TomTom 'like' ... maybe you missed that?

Maybe I should have said something like 'mobile satellite based internet connection'     

 

So you think I can't afford it then? Isn't that a bit presumptuous of you??

 

Ullium.

Typical cost scheme for portable sat-con with 144kbit/s (20:1) shared channel (this bandwidth can be seriously be throttled back when there is demand) :

 

Portable Satellite IP modem and powersupply array : £1200.00 +VAT

One off connection activation fee : £18.00

Monthly subscription : £25.00

... and the sting in the tail.....

You get charged per Megabyte (MB) of data transfer: £6.00 to £8.50

 

Weather also has an effect on the connection quality.

Edited September 26, 2004 by stonefisk

[kiteflyer]

I am sure that you can connect a mobile phone to your laptop via cable or infrared. Then you can connect to internet at about 10p per minute. You maybe able to use your isp that you use now. Its not fast but it works.

Gary

[+Team Ullium]

Thanks Birders, Stonefisk and Kiteflyer

 

that's the kind of info I had hoped for....mark you I can now understand what Rutson was getting at now

 

Yes the infrared phone connection would do very nicely lads and that is the way I will go....I was just curious about how much that type of connection would cost!?

 

Ullium.

[westonwanderers]

... and the sting in the tail.....

You get charged per Megabyte (MB) of data transfer: £6.00 to £8.50

Gulp!!!... I'm thinking, if you have a GPRS mobile phone connection, this only costs £3/megabyte (though you only get 48Kbps), or even cheaper if you sign up for a package..... And also, you wouldn't have to pay for time connected.... just data transfered.

[+Team Ullium]

Gulp!!!... I'm thinking, if you have a GPRS mobile phone connection, this only costs £3/megabyte (though you only get 48Kbps), or even cheaper if you sign up for a package..... And also, you wouldn't have to pay for time connected.... just data transfere

 

I take it westonwanderers that just uploading the odd the log to Geocaching.com would not involve megabytes of data? Therefore shouldn't be all that costly?

 

The mobile phone I have at the moment is an old one without infrared connection (not many of these steam coal fired phones left!!) so I will have to wait until I can upgrade it to a WAP one!

 

Thanks again everyone

 

Ullium.

[JackiePenn]

The mobile phone I have at the moment is an old one without infrared connection (not many of these steam coal fired phones left!!) so I will have to wait until I can upgrade it to a WAP one!

Old tech now, but I have an old grayscale nokia communicator 9110i. You can pick them up quite cheaply at places like ebay. Its another option to consider (though not the best these days).

 

You get a full web browser... you see pages as if using for example internet

explorer.

 

You get WAP, SMS. Notes, calander, calculator.... the normal PDA stuff.

 

With memory card expansion there is plenty of room for many cache pages.

You just save the cachepage from you main pc and upload to the phone via cable/infra red.

 

Connection is via gsm data (9600bps) so you pay the normal mobile call rate, that not as cheap as the GPRS found on new phones which is per Mb.

 

Not sure if the newer colour communicators do GPRS or not, but they do java so you can use geocaching based progs and the thousands of other java apps.

 

There is a gps free software for the 9110i that allow one to connect a gps unit and use as a tracking device, where the position is relayed via SMS to another phone.

 

Can also connect a camera and a printer.

[+Papakas]

As most caching is done in wooded areas you should be able to get communication sorted out from this website here. Probably need a multi branch connector though.

[+Happy Humphrey]

iPAQ 2210 (Bluetooth) +

Nokia 6310i (Bluetooth).

 

Works perfectly on the IOM (where we have our own phone network) and in the UK and Germany. Cost is £5 per megabyte, and as a guide this is

 

200 PDA web pages assuming that each page is approximately 5KB. Text only, pages with graphic elements will be larger

100 PDA web pages with pictures assuming each page is about 10KB.

 

I've use this for geocaching quite a lot over the last few months, and have been able to log caches and access cache details quite easily and quickly.

 

HH

[+The Ross Co.]

I use a "Blackberry" It gives me WAP access and it is not too difficult to input data

 

Cam

[+Team Ullium]

Stonefisk:

thanks for the reply...but a couple of pointss puzzle me!?

By 'old tech now' did you mean WAP technology???

Gee my poor old head is spinning...

And what did you mean by :-

"You can pick them up quite cheaply at places like ebay. Its another option to consider (though not the best these days)."

Did you mean I can pick one up cheaper somewhere else???

 

Pyoung1s:

thanks also for your input but I'm a bit confused....who would be trying to upload log information in heavy tree cover...one would expect most cachers would select a better location and time to do their logging !?

Of course I am missing your point ... obviously...can you explain what you mean?

 

Happy Humphrey:

if only I could afford Bluetooth technology...ahhhh! perchance to dream (I've been dying to quote a bit of Shakespeare )

 

The Ross Co.:

I use a "Blackberry" It gives me WAP access and it is not too difficult to input data

Can you translate that into Scottish

Sorry I couldn't resist that

However, I haven't a clue what 'Blackberry' is and would much appreciate a wee bit more explanation

 

Thanks guys,

Ullium.

[+snaik]

Ullium, greetings I have a spare Nokia 6310i which is WAP & GPRS capable if you would like it, or by reading log entries Angela

[+Team Ullium]

Thanks Snaik

 

email on the way !!

 

Ullium.

[+Cryptik Souls Crew]

I log caches and look them up while on the move using only my Nokia 6600. It has a built in web browser (Opera) and I can access the geocaching site no problems, the phone is equipped with GPRS, and using a GPRS connection rather than dial up means you pay for the data sent and received rather than the time online so you can take your time browsing for a cache or entering a log without having to worry about running up a huge bill.

 

The phone has a built in camera and you can also upload photos which you take with the phone.

 

Phone is available free with a contract.

[JackiePenn]

quotes inline.

>> By 'old tech now' did you mean WAP technology???

 

I mean that model phone itself is old tech, compared to the newer pda phones with colour touch sensitive screen, bluetooth et al. But then again, WAP has been around for awhile now and although good enough for certain things it is pretty much considered a failure on the whole. Martketing overhyped what WAP could deliver and therefore the public hated it. (so yeah its old tech. check on "WAP FAILURE" in google). Head spinning ?

 

>>Did you mean I can pick one up cheaper somewhere else???

 

No, I meant you have the option of using a nokia communicator but it is not the best option when compared to some of the other ideas suggested in this thread.

Edited September 28, 2004 by stonefisk

[+Team Ullium]

Thanks guys for your patience and helpful suggestions

 

I phoned up my mobile account people today (Singlepoint) to ask for a more appropriate tarrif than the one I had...and while I was on I asked then what was the chance I could upgrade my current mobile phone for a more modern one with WAP and cable/infrared connection.....they said no problem...so I am getting a Nokia 7250i free of charge and a much better tarrrif!!

 

It is £2 per Megabyte which seemed to me no too bad and 10p per min connection cost surfing!

 

Now before anyone gets the idea I know what I'm talking about let me blow that idea right out of the water

 

I'm just quoting the sales team guy's speil and he offered me the Nokia 3510i or the 7250i....now I remembered some of the comments you lads posted so I chose the 7250i as it seemed to have more options!?....did I make a wise choice??

 

The only thing I need to do now is learn how to use the bleeding thing when I get it!?

 

Ullium.

[JackiePenn]

so I chose the 7250i as it seemed to have more options!?....did I make a wise choice??

The 7250i has got a built-in caching camera too.

Edited September 28, 2004 by stonefisk

[+Happy Humphrey]

...and GPRS - looks good!

[+sTeamTraen]

Yes, and obviously they aren't too common.. but they are about. Down in Portsmouth recently I switched it on and immediately accessed 3 networks, 2 of which were "open".

Be aware that you are, at least in theory, exposing yourself to potential prosecution under all sorts of legislation (most of it passed in a hurry to protect MPs' porn and MP3 collections), with the prospect of severe jail sentences.

 

The practical risk is virtually nil, but I wouldn't go round advertising that you've done this sort of thing in a public forum.

[+Birders]

<<Be aware that you are, at least in theory, exposing yourself to potential prosecution under all sorts of legislation (most of it passed in a hurry to protect MPs' porn and MP3 collections), with the prospect of severe jail sentences.>>

 

OK, many thanks for the tip. There are many such potemtial pitfalls with modern technology. Our PDA (like other similar devices) automatically searches for WiFi networks as soon as we switch on and, of course, many networks are available for general use. However, many private individuals set up networks which are "open" so it's a good time to warn users to get their security properly organised..

[+Team Ullium]

Thanks Stonefisk and Happy Humphrey

 

yes I am looking forward to taking advantage of the camera and the GPRS (I hope that means what I think it means ).

 

So do I take it I have made a wise choice or not??

As it had Bluetooth and infrared communication I thought I had covered most of my options?

 

Ullium.

[+The Ross Co.]

Ullium,

 

I did write it in scottish ( me coming from Edinburgh and all that)

 

A Blackberry is a mobile phoe with e-mail and web access. I can therefore log on to the Geocache website from anywhere I can get a signal on the phone and log my finds. Fortunately the company pays for the running of the Blackberry and so it doesn't actually cost me anything

 

Cameron (The Ross Co.)

[+Team Ullium]

I did write it in scottish ( me coming from Edinburgh and all that)

 

Good grief not another Embra geocacher LOL We West Coasties are definitely outnumbered

 

Just pulling your leg Cameron I read 'Sunderland' in your profile...and as you will no doubt know....there is more English up in Sunderland that Scots

 

So is the term 'Blackberry' a generic class or a commercial name/term??

 

And now that I have my 'Blackberry' how the heck do I make it connect to my computer/laptop?? I take it I have to buy more equipment in order to make them talk to each other?

 

I got the phone today and I'm still just learning to do all the normal phone things that one would want to do....the internet communication part is still a black art as far as I'm concerned .

 

Ullium.

P.S. sorry Happy Humphrey...I meant TomTom instead of Bluetooth...gee I think they call this 'Future Shock'

Edited September 30, 2004 by Ullium

[+Cryptik Souls Crew]

The 7250i is quite old now, its been discontinued by nokia. If they told you it has bluetooth then you were misinformed, its IR only.

 

Its a decent phone, but I have to say I think you could have got a better deal. Several friend of mine have recently upgraded and got much newer phones for little or no money.

 

It has a wap browser, so you will be able to log finds etc, don't expect to be too amazed though, wap is a little clunky.

 

Hope this helps

[+Team Ullium]

The 7250i is quite old now, its been discontinued by nokia. If they told you it has bluetooth then you were misinformed, its IR only.

 

Now why does this not surprise me....however it say's I have GPRS connection as well as IR? So does GPRS just mean I can use it to access the internet like a mini computer?? And is the infrared the only way I can get me laptop to connect to the internet?

 

BTW thanks for putting me straight Cryptik Souls Crew....I did wonder about the Bluetooth claim!?

 

Ullium.

[+Cryptik Souls Crew]

GPRS is a method of connecting to the internet. It stands for General Packet Radio Service. Its much faster than a standard mobile dial up connection and because you are charged for the packets of data sent and received (unlike dial up where you pay per minute) you can leave it always on. It's a bit like broadband for your mobile.

 

From the phone you will only be able to access wap sites as it does not support html, if you connect via a laptop you will be able to surf normally. You can get a data cable for the phone or connect via IR.

[+Team Ullium]

I see it claims to have an XHTML browser CSC !?

 

XHTML Browser (over WAP Stack)

 

So what does that mean? I thought that it meant it could read html ???

 

And didn't I read on another thread that I could download a wee program which allowed me to surf normally on a mobile phone without connection to my laptop??

 

Anyway, the infrared or USB connection to my laptop was really what I was after if the cost was not prohibitive What do I ask for to purchase either of these connections from say... Comet (the shop I purchased the laptop from) or on the internet??

 

Thanks again....I think I am getting a better idea of what this is all about now

(but don't quote me )

 

Ullium.

[westonwanderers]

Ok.... This is getting confusing. To Summarise, This is what all techi words men.

 

Your mobile phone needs to establish a connection to the internet in some way, before we can do anything! There are 4 ways this can happen.... Pick one from the following!!

 

CSD - Your phone connects to the internet, in a similar way that a modem connects over a fixed line.... However, mobiles been mobiles, you only get 9.6kbps - pretty slow compared to a fixed line modem.... you pay by the minute.

 

HSD - Similar to CSD, however, the modem uses multiple connections to give higher speeds, Orange allow you to connect at up to 28kbps, but it costs quite a bit, and again are charged by the minute. Your phone needs to be compatable with HSD, and you might need to phone customer services to get this option setup on your account.

 

GPRS - This is a different way to connect, and more similar to Broadband in that you connect almost instantly, and are not charged by the second, but by the amount of data transferred. Unfortunelty, you don't get the speed of Broadband, On Orange I get about 17-18Kbps....

 

Wifi/802.11 - Just been launched at the moment, some very new fancy phones have the ability to connect via a wifi hotspot, and avoid the telephone network altogether.... Ie, you're phone provider wont be charging you to use this facility..... Problem is, that wifi hotspots are usually very localised, you wont find one in a middle of a field. Your PC may also have the ability of using Wifi directly.

 

Now that your connected, you are able to use the following.

 

Web browser - If your phone supports it, otherwise a PC connected to your phone in some way (see ahead)

 

Wap Browser - Quite a few phones now support Wap.... A simpler form of Web browsing, but pretty poor in comparison.

 

Instant Messenger - A few phones have a instant messenger facility, that allows you to send many 'texts' to another using similar programs... each text message is sent via the internet, so you're not charged unlike when you send a normal text message.

 

If these applications are not enough, you can access the internet via your PC. To do this, you need to be able to connect your PC to your phone in some way

 

interface Cable - Nice and simple, a few strands of copper wire connecting your PC to the serial, or usb port on your phone (depending on what your phone supports)

 

IRDA - If your PC, and mobile both have an infrared port, then you can connect them together using infrared, rather than the interface cable.

 

Bluetooth - now Replacing iRDA, this connects your PC to your phone using radio waves, rather than infrared.... Can only be used short distances (under 20 meters)... but you probably wont be separating your phone and PC more than this. Both your phone and PC need to be bluetooth compatible. - to reitterate, Bluetooth is used to connect your PC to your Phone - It costs nothing to use, and is a replacement for either irda, or an interface cable.

[westonwanderers]

That Nokia 6310i that's been sent to you has both bluetooth and irda...... Your laptop Will, (if it's fairly modern) have one or the other of these technologies, so you'll be able to connect them without having to purchase a cable, or pay anyone anything!

 

Cheers.

[+harold1066]

Wow, this has moved on a bit while I`ve been on holiday

 

I used my 'old' technology (wap) to access Gc while on the Isle of Wight, and it worked O.K a bit slow typing in the log but at least I could log the TB straight away.

 

By the way if anyone is looking for a Yellow Jeep there is one here

 

Geo

[+Team Ullium]

westonwanderers:

 

The 7250i is quite old now, its been discontinued by nokia. If they told you it has bluetooth then you were misinformed, its IR only.

 

For £25 I can buy a clip on attachment which gives the Nokia 7250i (not the Nokia 6310i as your last post suggested!) Bluetooth capability!

 

However, even though I could use the IR or Bluetooth connection to my Laptop...I have decided to just use the USB cable connection....far cheaper in the long run and maybe even more reliable!?

 

I doubt (except for maybe rare occasions) that I will ever use the GPSR facility as by all accounts it is very slow! Also, I am absolutely rubbish at using the text facility LOL.

 

Mark you I couldn't hardly believe that the 7250i was all that 'old fashioned and out of date' ... however when I went to one of those phone warehouse shops they told me it was dated and they didn't stock the PC connection I wanted but I might be lucky if I tried one of the wee independent mobile phone shops .... in the end I just ordered it off the internet!

 

I think my Laptop must be 'old technology' also.... because it doesn't have IR or Bluetooth....maybe that was why it was so cheap LOL LOL LOL.

 

Ullium.

Edited October 1, 2004 by Ullium