Question About Pda

[+Ladycacher]

I am looking at the Palm Zire 31. Will this work with cachemate and where do I get that software? Also has any used the Zire 31, if so how do you like it? I don't know the first thing about PDA's and I am wanting one for basic use and Geocaching. One last thing, if anyone has one for sale let me know.....

 

Thanks

[+WCoaster]

You can simply do a google search for cachemate and find several sites to download the software.

 

I have not used a Palm unit but you want to consider a unti that operates under Pocket PC. The reason being that it works almost seemlessly with your other windows apps (assuming your a windows user) like Outlook and Office. I have also seen people have a lot of frustration trying to get Palms to access windows systems.

 

JMTC

[+VENTUREMAN7/ "A" TEAM"]

I USE A ZIRE 31 FOR GEOCACHING W/ CACHEMATE. IT WORKS GREAT!!! I HAVE A 128 MEG. CARD WHICH ALLOWS ME TO DOWNLOAD ALOT OF INFO. TO THE PDA. THUS FAR I HAVE NOTHING BUT PRAISE FOR THE 31, AND THE EASY TO USE CACHEMATE PROGRAM.

[+geobc]

Cachemate costs around USD$8 and is available at smittyware.com. I have used it on my Zire71 and T3 with great success.

 

---

 

As far as Palm users having difficulties working with Windows programs, that is very, very uncommon. Windows is THE most common OS and that's what Palm OS PDAs predominantly Hotsync with. For that matter, most third-party Palm apps that use PC-based conduits also write for Windows.

 

I'm on my fourth Palm PDA and have never had any problems with Windows, nor has anyone else I know. Today's Palm PDAs can quite easily sync with Outlook and read native Office docs. Back in the day, BOTH WinCE and Palm OS programs that could supposedly read Office files actually had to convert them prior to putting them onto the PDA. In other words, there really wasn't any inherent advantage to using a WinCE device with Windows.

 

These days, the main reason I would consider a PocketPC (Microsoft's latest incarnation of its PDA OS) PDA is because they generally have better hardware features (ie: wi-fi AND bluetooth in the same device, along with dual memory slots, etc). Right now, I'd say they're neck and neck, overall. But who knows what'll happen in the next 2 yrs.

 

As far as the OS goes, the Palm OS has been quite easy to use and there are literally over a thousand applications written for it.

 

 

GeoBC

[+TheGeoGoes]

Hi!

 

We recentely purchased a zire 31 to use for caching and love it! We use both GSAK and Cachemate.

 

I need a little help though. There is an option in cache mate to search for caches in the "nearest order". You have to input the coordinates of your starting point for this to work. So far I have tried everything and keep getting the message, "INVALID COORDINATES: Missing or invalid coordinates". Can anyone walk me this and tell me exactely how to do this?

 

Thanks so much!

Jenny/TheGeoGoes

[+Ladycacher]

Thank you so much for the info! I will look for the best deal on the 31 and hopefully have one soon. Any addtional inofo is still helpful....but thanks for what I have recieved!!!!

[dave5339]

Both my wife and I recently added Zire 31's to our arsenal. We've found that if we cut and paste the cache description and logs into the memo on the Zire it really cuts down on our instances of "phone a friend" while out there cache hunting.

 

Have also thought about loading a gallery picture or two over at times also.

 

Cachemate looks interesting, will have to check it out.

 

Semper Fi

[+geobc]

We've found that if we cut and paste the cache description and logs into the memo on the Zire it really cuts down on our instances of "phone a friend" while out there cache hunting.

If you are happy with using the Memo app to store Geocache info, then I highly recommend that you try the free Geoclipping program:

 

http://users.adelphia.net/~rschoolf/geoclipping.htm

 

It really simplifies the cutting/pasting process.

 

It removes a lot of the text that isn't needed.

 

GeoBC

[+geobc]

I need a little help though. There is an option in cache mate to search for caches in the "nearest order". You have to input the coordinates of your starting point for this to work. So far I have tried everything and keep getting the message, "INVALID COORDINATES: Missing or invalid coordinates". Can anyone walk me this and tell me exactely how to do this?

It would help if you showed us what you have been typing in.

 

The latest version allows you to type coords in these formats:

hddd.ddddd

hddd mm.mmm

hddd mm ss.s

 

Punctuation (ie: N, W, degree symbol) is ignored and therefore optional.

 

GeoBC

[+Ladycacher]

I have herd cachemate is the way to go.

[+TheGeoGoes]

I need a little help though.  There is an option in cache mate to search for caches in the "nearest order".    You have to input the coordinates of your starting point for this to work.  So far I have tried everything and keep getting the message, "INVALID COORDINATES:  Missing or invalid coordinates".  Can anyone walk me this and tell me exactely how to do this?

It would help if you showed us what you have been typing in.

 

The latest version allows you to type coords in these formats:

hddd.ddddd

hddd mm.mmm

hddd mm ss.s

 

Punctuation (ie: N, W, degree symbol) is ignored and therefore optional.

 

GeoBC

HI Geobc!

 

I thought I had correctely converted the coords..........but I guess I must've messed up somewhere. [] I've tried everything.......including converting them to each of the different formats figuring somewhere along the way I'd get 'er done. No joy though.

 

Here are the coordinates I'd like to use:

 

N 31 30.466

W 097 12.466

 

If someone could type them out exactely how I should enter them into the zire 31 I'd sure appreciate the help. []

 

Thanks tons!

Jenny [8D]

[+TheGeoGoes]

Hi!

 

Please disregard the above plea for "help"!

 

After trying more combinations of things I finally got it! Yipeee!

 

It turns out that I did have to use the symbols and letters ( n & w) even though the instrustions said it was optional.

 

Thanks anyway!

Jenny

[+geobc]

Here are the coordinates I'd like to use:

 

N 31 30.466

W 097 12.466

 

If someone could type them out exactely how I should enter them into the zire 31 I'd sure appreciate the help. []

 

Thanks tons!

Jenny [8D]

I'm running Cachemate version 4.0.3.

 

I clicked on the SRCH dropdown menu, and then clicked on NEAREST CACHES...

 

Then I typed in

 

N 31 30.4666 W 097 12.466

 

and it worked just fine.

 

Did you type the coordinates on the same line, or did you try entering just

 

N 31 30.466

 

first?

 

If you entered just the N coordinates first, it will give you an error.

 

GeoBC

[+Maeglin]

Punctuation (ie: N, W, degree symbol) is ignored and therefore optional.

I just checked the documentation to make sure, both in the download package and on the website, and that statement isn't anywhere in there. What you may be misinterpreting as that is this:

 

Punctuation (such as symbols for degrees, minutes and seconds) are ignored, and therefore not required.

The letters (N, W, E, S) are required, as it has to know what hemispheres you're talking about. Those are hardly just punctuation. What aren't required are the DMS symbols (º, ", '). The first of those can't even be entered on most Palm OS devices, as far as I know.

Edited January 14, 2005 by Maeglin

[+Marky]

What aren't required are the DMS symbols (º, ", '). The first of those can't even be entered on most Palm OS devices, as far as I know.

You can enter all those with Graffiti 2. A degree symbol would be a short up stroke, followed by a counter clockwise circle, followed by a short up stroke.

 

Also, I would like to mention that anyone considering a pda purchase should give a hard look at the Zire 72 navigation pack. It is one sweet system. The car navigation is the best! The integration with CacheMate and CacheNav is excellent (no need to type in coords when you do a nearest search, it gets them from the Bluetooth GPS).

 

--Marky

[+Bozz]

Dave5339,

 

Cachemate is a great little program for taking that cache info with you -- very powerful! You'll never want to cut/paste anything again once you use it.

 

Oh yeah, you can't beat the price.... just $8 and they give you updates with the latest version.

 

Bozz