Extreme Newbie Here, Couple Of Gps ?'s

[+Cap'n Dondo]

I have an iPaq H4300 Palm PC with the iPaq Navigation System using a little bluetooth GPS reciever. There is a program installed called IPaq Navigation System (basically, a street level voice direction program and I also have Arcpad 6 from ESRI. Neither one of those programs allow me to input Lat/Long and do some of this Geocaching stuff. I just installed a program called GpxSonar but it doesn't look like it can do anything with the LOC file I downloaded. I also have GSAK installed on my desktop, but the learning curve looks rather steep.

 

Anyone know of anything I could get to load on the iPaq that will let me use all of this stuff?

 

Sorry I'm such a newbie.. :-)

 

Dondo

[+Sputnik 57]

Load CacheMate on your palm. GSAK will export a file to Cachemate that will let you carry the cache info around with you. If you become a premium member here, you can download custom batches of caches in .gpx format instead of .loc. You'll get lots more information from the cache page (essentially, everything other than pictures, and logs older than the last 5).

 

Drag and drop the .gpx file into GSAK. Sort, filter, slice and dice the caches to those you want. Click an icon on the toolbar for Cachemate, sync and go.

 

For more info, try searching the forums for "paperless"

[+Miragee]

You will have to become a Premium Member of this site, for only $3.00 per month, to get the .gpx files that have the information for Cachemate on your Palm.

 

As a Premium Member, you will also be able to set up Pocket Queries for batches of files that GSAK can filter and sort for you.

[+Cap'n Dondo]

Thanks for the replies, but my iPaq Pocket PC uses the Windows OS. It looks like Cachemate is for the Palm OS. I'm also looking for a program that will use the GPS besides the built in iPaq Navigation program.

 

Any help on these fronts?

 

Thanks

 

Dondo

[+as77]

Some programs for you to check out:

Vito Navigator II

GPSTuner

Beeline GPS

Navio

 

All of these are shareware.

[+PetsAllOver]

Dondo,

 

We are new too.

 

We have a Dell Axim which uses the windows OS too.

 

For gpx files you can use GPX View or GPX sonar.

 

Also Vito Navigator II works well with the Windows OS

 

We are also trying Mapopolis demo map right now which allows you

to mark waypoints on your Map. It seems pretty cool.

 

We are also new...so I can't really help much more then that.

 

Although, the programs we have tried have been great. And Premium membership

to get those pocket queries is the way to go!

 

Michelle

[+Cap'n Dondo]

Michelle -- Thanks for the info (everyone else too). I don't even know what a "Pocket Query" is.. :-) Actually, the iPaq and GPS are not mine persay, they belong to the County I work for, but I was put in charge of them. Thought I might try out some of this geocaching stuff. What I have managed to do so far, is convert the *.loc files to *gpx and load them onto my Palm Pilot. So, I guess I'll carry my iPaq for the GPS info (can't seem to figure out how to load a map) and use my Palm to check the information. I guess, I could just print out the info and carry it around, but where is the geek factor in that? :-)

 

Anyone use ArcPAD for anything? It is part of the ArcGIS package from ESRI.

 

Dondo

[+Miragee]

The .loc file doesn't have the same info in it as the .gpx file. The .gpx file is only available to Premium Members.

 

It has the cache descriptions and Past Logs and the hint, not just the cache name and coordinates, like the .loc file.

 

The programs made for the Pocket PC work probably almost as well as Cachemate, so once you get the .gpx files you can use either your Palm or the iPaq.

 

Pocket Queries are batches of files that meet specific criteria. So, if you wanted 100 caches for one zip code and another 100 for a different zip code and then 500 for a nearby city you were going to visit, you could set the PQ up for those. You could also filter out all the Puzzle caches, or Micros, or Virtuals, or whatever, so you would only have in your database the caches you are interested in looking for.

 

The $3.00 per month is well worth it for the convenience of Pocket Queries. I would suggest downloading GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) to start getting to know that powerful database program for managing all your caches.

[+as77]

Before paying for premium membership, though, I suggest you go out and find a couple of caches to see what this is actually all about Even if you just print out the cache pages in the beginning, or you save the web pages in html or whatever format you can read on your PDA. For navigation, I suggest you use the trial version of one the programs I listed in my previous post. Any one will do the job. I used Vito Navigator extensively before I bought an actual handheld GPS device.

[+Cap'n Dondo]

Great advice. Thanks everyone. Last night I was looking around at the caches near my zip code. I couldn't beleive how many there were, even in the middle of BFE Kansas. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks I'll try to find some of these.

 

Thanks again

 

Dondo

[+OlatheGIS]

Michelle --  Thanks for the info (everyone else too).  I don't even know what a "Pocket Query" is..  :-)  Actually, the iPaq and GPS are not mine persay, they belong to the County I work for, but I was put in charge of them.  Thought I might try out some of this geocaching stuff.  What I have managed to do so far, is convert the *.loc files to *gpx and load them onto my Palm Pilot.  So, I guess I'll carry my iPaq for the GPS info (can't seem to figure out how to load a map) and use my Palm to check the information.  I guess, I could just print out the info and carry it around, but where is the geek factor in that?  :-)

 

Anyone use ArcPAD for anything?  It is part of the ArcGIS package from ESRI.

 

Dondo

If you have ArcPad loaded on your IPAQ, then someone in your county probably has the desktop GIS, ArcMAP. If your county has a GIS department, give them a call. If you don't have a county GIS department, let me know and I can talk you through it.

[McMom24]

Anyone use ArcPAD for anything?  It is part of the ArcGIS package from ESRI.

Dondo

 

If you have ArcPad loaded on your IPAQ, then someone in your county probably has the desktop GIS, ArcMAP. If your county has a GIS department, give them a call. If you don't have a county GIS department, let me know and I can talk you through it.

 

Dondo,

 

It sounds like we have a similar situation. My DH is a crop consultant and does gps and zone soil sampling and field mapping for his business. He has let me use his Ipaq that has both ArcPad and a program called AgGPS EZ-Map (from Red Hen) on it. I can't seem to get either of these programs to do what I need them to for geocashing. Like loading maps and waypoints, etc... I just wanna go out and "cash" with my kids, but like you I'm a total newbie and helplessly lost!

HELP!