Pdas For Geocaching In The Uk

[rtjs]

Hi all, I'm new to ALL of this and yes, I have read the other PDA threads, but am still not sure whether thay are as good as, say, Garmin's vistaC.

 

In particular: 1. Are they as accurate when you get somewhere near the cache?

2. Is it easy to input the directions of the cache into a PDA

 

I'm thinking of buying an iPAQ + tom-tom software + a bluetooth receiver.

 

Thanks

 

Richard

[+briansnat]

I guess what you are referring to are the PDAs with the GPS attachment, or the new Garmin integrated PDA/GPS. They are as accurate as any GPS. The issue lies in durability. A PDA is not built to take the abuse that a handheld, dedicated GPS receives. If you're just using it in your automobile, it will be sufficient. However when geocaching, you will be exposing your device to rain, snow (in some areas) and getting dropped (sometimes on rocks, in mud or in water) and knocked around. A Vista is built to handle this while an iPAQ, or other PDA is not.

Edited November 15, 2004 by briansnat

[rtjs]

Thanks, I 'll try aPDA then 'upgrade' if it's of little use.

 

Richard

[+tirediron]

I will echo what Brian said, the PDA/GPSr combo units are just not up to the type of 'abuse' that they will likely see 'caching. Especially if you are 'caching in a more rural enviroment. Unless they are much cheaper in the UK, you can probably get a decent PDA, and a nice mapping GPSr (eTrex Legend) for the same or less than a typical 'combo' unit. Even less if you shop eBay for one or boht!

 

As to your question about entering the data, I cannot recommend Cachemate highly enough! It's easy to use, has minimal system requirements and will provide all the info you need for 'caching. It's not free, but at $7.00 US, it's not likely to break the bank. Good luck!

[+RainbowCache]

I will echo what Brian said, the PDA/GPSr combo units are just not up to the type of 'abuse' that they will likely see 'caching. Especially if you are 'caching in a more rural enviroment. Unless they are much cheaper in the UK, you can probably get a decent PDA, and a nice mapping GPSr (eTrex Legend) for the same or less than a typical 'combo' unit. Even less if you shop eBay for one or boht!

 

As to your question about entering the data, I cannot recommend Cachemate highly enough! It's easy to use, has minimal system requirements and will provide all the info you need for 'caching. It's not free, but at $7.00 US, it's not likely to break the bank. Good luck!

Price Alert!

 

It is now $8.00 U.S. (Still it won't break the bank, and is cheaper than the two bottles of OTC pain reliever you will need - if you try to hand enter all the info!)

[team tisri]

I second the posts about durability. The waterproofing is the reason I went with a Garmin GPSMap instead of the iPAQ option. The iPAQ has a bigger screen and supports memory cards so I could buy a bunch of them and store as much data as I wanted. If I'm out somewhere like Dartmoor and drop my Garmin in the river it will probably still work. I can unclip it from my belt in torrential rain to find my bearings and not worry about it getting wet.

[+dunos]

I haven't been doing this long... two weeks now... but I have had some success with an iPAQ (h4150), and the TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver. I haven't used the TomTom software for actually finding the cache although the GPS tool gives a long/lat readout. I have been using memory-map.co.uk for my mapping.

 

I was a bit worried about water getting on the ipaq and have just bought an AquaPac (aquapac.net) to carry the ipaq around in. This is a waterproof/sand proof pouch with padding to keep the pda safe.

 

Regards,

 

Dan.