Gps Paperless Caching

[+mgoose]

Saving up to buy a new GPS that i can put maps .Do they make a GPS that you can do paperless caching to. Thanks for any info!!

[+NightPilot]

Garmin iQue.

[+mgoose]

Do you know if you can with Garmin 60cs

[+mtn-man]

No you cannot.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I had a Garmin Ique3600 and absolutely hated it - everything about is tailored to the office - it isn't in any way ruggedized, in fact it's quite delicate, nor is it waterprooof.

 

It eats batteries, took forever to acquire sattelites, processor is slow so that the scrolling maps are always behind real-time - Just a litany of things that I didn't care for.

 

An absolutely wonderful idea brought low by poor engineering.

 

Garmin Customer Support, when called, stated that the machine is not designed or suitable for geocaching.

 

Ed

[+Tambrasia]

Now thats good to know!

[+briansnat]

Do you know if you can with Garmin 60cs

Not true paperless with a full cache page, but it does have a 30 position note field that, using GCSAK, you can value with info that is meaningful to you. Some people put terrain and difficulty there. The default is the cache and owner name.

 

I agree with TAR's assessment of the IQueue. They are simply not rugged enough to withstand the abuse they will get while geocaching and that's a lot of money to risk getting knocked against rocks, exposed to rain or snow and getting dropped in puddles.

[+wimseyguy]

You cannot go purely paperless with a 60C, but can get a lot of info into the note field. I modify the cache GC name to give me size and type, and manually add any necessary or helpful into that field before heading out if I'm staying local. I'll also modify that data once I find a cache to help me remember trades or TB #'s.

For out of town seeking I'll bring the laptop along so I can access GSAK.

The only cacher I know who owns an IQue uses it only for navigation, leaves it in his car, and takes his 76C into the field.

Not to get too far OT, but I think the extra battery life of the 60C outweigh the value of the electric altimeter and compass in the 60CS.

[+Joe Smith]

you can't go paperless in the true sense with a 60c/s but there is a way.

 

i have the notes set up for d/t , waypoint, type, and container. If I start looking and need a hint I can pull up the wireless site on my phone, type in the waypoint number and bring up the page, hints, and cache logs. I have about 6-10 caches I would not have found otherwise without this method. It's not as "fancy" as paperless, it's a little slower, but it saves me from hauling alot of gear with me because I always have my gps and cell phone.

 

This only works in places you get reception, but most providers have a good deal of coverage, and it works for most caches. Mainly for those spur of the moment type of hunts.

 

Joe Smith

 

Oh, as for battery life. I personaly would like a way to turn off the altimeter. I do use it but not too much. The electronic compass is what really comes in handy

[+mgoose]

Thanks for all the info!!

[+W7WT]

I own a iQue and what has been said is true. I use it to navigate to the parking lot and then either use my 76S or 76C. Before I had the 76C I was on a geocaching trip along the Oregon coast when my 76S would turn itself off. Think I may have had a voltage surge from the vehicle electrical system. I had forgot how to do a reset and used the iQue to find 20 cache in a row. With Cachemate loaded on it, using the NAV part of Cachemate, the iQue does as well as either of the 76S or 76C in finding caches. However, you can't trust it to do the job for you as it can be very unstable. On my last geocaching trip, I had all my cache information loaded on the iQue. It did a hard reset when I took it out of the cradle and I lost all my information. When I got home I did a hotsync and got it all back. I also use GSAK and had printed out the cache information otherwise I would of had just the coordinates on my 76C and 76S. When it works it does a great job for what it was designed for. Just not a stable platform. Dick, W7WT

Edited March 10, 2005 by W7WT

[+NightPilot]

What you need is an SD card and a backup program. I use BackupMan, which costs all of $10, and have it do an automatic backup every morning, and as needed during the day if I decide I need it. I load almost everything via the SD card, and not with hotsync. This way, if I have a hard reset, I can just run the backup program from the card, do a restore, and I have everything back just like it was in about 30 seconds, no need for a hotsync or any computer. I hotsync mostly for setting the time, via TimeCopy. And as TimeCopy determines and corrects the drift over months, that becomes less necessary.

[+diverhank]

What about the new Explorist 400/500/600? Magellan implied that they have this capability (with unlimited memory using SD) but is very vague...