The cable is NOT a neccessity. You can put the coords into CacheMate by hand and it will search that way. It remembers the last set of coords entered. I got the cable because I use Delorme SA 2004 Handheld for Turn-by-turn navigation.
quote:Originally posted by Fabasard: On a related topic, I am using Cachemate and a Garmin (sorry Sledgehampster) Etrex Vista, would it serve me at all to be able to link the two together out on the road. More to the point would I be able to do anything new like list all close waypoints on the pda because it is getting coords from the GPS?
Excellent question. I've been wondering the same thing myself. The way I understand it from reading smitty's site, it's not a real-time update like you'd get from streetatlas or whatever the heck M$'s product is, but cachemate - as is - can receive current coordinates from the GPS to do a "nearest cache find" as well as a few other interesting tricks.
As much as I love cachemate, I've never tried it. Have wondered now and then, but i've gotten used to having rino in hand/belt and palm705 in hand with no issues.
Posts: 948 | Location: Marietta, GA | Registered: December 15, 2002
I decided to try using CacheMate this weekend. I got the demo version, created a GPX with 10 caches in it. Then also Spun and Plucked the same caches. CacheMate shows that Brian Smith understands the Palm system very well, and has produced a fine crafted program for it. The fact it is a database program has a lot of nice features that would be impossible for data viewers like Plucker, MobiReader, Doc programs like CspotRun to do. But there is one thing about it that just bugs me. It seems minor, but for some reason it bugs me enough that I don’t think I will use it. I don’t like the way it presents the information. First all the information is presented in a plain form, I like the variable presentation that a web page in plucker shows, and the fact I can change the text size if it is hard to read. But that isn’t the thing that really bugs me. What bugs me is that once you bring up a cache, you get just basic information, then to see the description you have to click the pull down and select description, to see the logs, you have click the same pull down and select logs, to see the hints, again to the pulldown. With a plucked page I can just use the down button to read everything.
Also I wouldn’t get rid of plucker anyway. I use it to grab regular web pages from Pcworld.com, scifi.com, slashdot.com, weather, wired.com and I have a couple of free e-books in plucker form in my palm.
Your Mileage May Vary, but for me it just doesn’t seem that good a fit. With custom spun and plucked pages, and my GPS with the same caches in it, I am good to go.
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Posts: 2420 | Location: NE Corner of Georgia | Registered: November 09, 2002
I know this won't change your mind (and I don't want to) but the latest release has an option to place "push buttons " at the top of the cache pages to change them. It simplifies the pull down menu thing. I have used plucker and understand what you speak of. Just like Ford and Chevy, Garmin and Magellan. Everybody has a different flavor they like.
I got the latest version, of course as it is unregistered it only displays 10 geocaches. I thought the button setting meant the hardware buttons. That helps, I still prefer using the single button on Plucker. But I probably will try another cache hunt with CacheMate.
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Posts: 2420 | Location: NE Corner of Georgia | Registered: November 09, 2002
I went ahead and got Cachemate after seeing it on Trailerman's PDA at the CITO event. I haven't tried geocaching with it, but look forward to to being able to log my find on the PDA cache page rather than scribling notes on a piece of paper or the PDA notepad.
The first set of waypoints (450 for the Atlanta area) seemed to find their way into an "not found" folder just fine. I'd like to rename it "Atlanta" though. I downloaded a second set of caches in the Charlotte area, but they're in "unfiled". I'd similarly like to put them in a "Charlotte" folder, but the documentation did not explain how.
I also wonder about "GSAK". In the GC forums some seem to recommend using it with Cachemate. Does anyone know what it does to supplement Cachemate.
Also, how can I use these tools to find highlight caches in a given direction - like NE of a given location?
I sure liked the look of the Plucker cache pages, especially the times that photos were displayed, but Cachemate looks like it might be easier to use in locating a given cache description after seeing the GCxxxx number on my GPS screen. I struggled with that in Plucker, especially while driving. Cachemate might be safer.
quote:Originally posted by Allen Lacy: I decided to try using CacheMate this weekend. I got the demo version, created a GPX with 10 caches in it. Then also Spun and Plucked the same caches. CacheMate shows that Brian Smith understands the Palm system very well, and has produced a fine crafted program for it.
I'm glad (and shocked) that you both see and recognize that.
quote:First all the information is presented in a plain form, I like the variable presentation that a web page in plucker shows, and the fact I can change the text size if it is hard to read. But that isn’t the thing that really bugs me. What bugs me is that once you bring up a cache, you get just basic information, then to see the description you have to click the pull down and select description, to see the logs, you have click the same pull down and select logs, to see the hints, again to the pulldown. With a plucked page I can just use the down button to read everything.
On the contrary, I quite like the fact that I can quickly click-click to coords, click-click, to logs, and click-click (as necessary) to hints, as opposed to shoving down-down-down-down-down as necessary to get to what I want to see.
quote: Also I wouldn’t get rid of plucker anyway. I use it to grab regular web pages from Pcworld.com, scifi.com, slashdot.com, weather, wired.com and I have a couple of free e-books in plucker form in my palm.
That's you. I'm also a hack (though I have not/will not advertise it beyond this post) and I use plucker myself for several different things. You're right on that. But I have to disagree with with you on spun/Plucker or Plucker/spun vs. cachemate for the everyday user.
quote:Your Mileage May Vary, but for me it just doesn’t seem that good a fit. With custom spun and plucked pages, and my GPS with the same caches in it, I am good to go.
Yep, the mileage varies, but for non-hacks (and hacks alike), my vote is for the all-around cacher, you can't beat Cachemate. Regardless of where they get their original files from - as long as it's GPX format.
Posts: 948 | Location: Marietta, GA | Registered: December 15, 2002
Well I downloaded GSAK at the same time I downloaded CacheMate. I did that for one reason. You know how for CacheMate you have to run a conversion program to convert the GPX file into palm database (pdb file). Well GSAK has that conversion program built in. One of the advantages of using the conversion tool built into GSAK is the filters. You can use all kinds of criteria to control which caches are displayed. When you have GSAK export to another file format, it only exports the files shown. GSAK has a user flag, which you can just click to set. I used it to select the 10 caches I was interested in, exported them to CacheMate format, hot synced, started up CacheMate and it grabbed the 10 caches. But the filter can be a complicated combination of cache names, part names, cache types, cache sizes and so on. Then you can export them to a bunch of different format including among others CacheMate, and Garmin Mapsource.
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Posts: 2420 | Location: NE Corner of Georgia | Registered: November 09, 2002
quote:Originally posted by ~erik~: The first set of waypoints (450 for the Atlanta area) seemed to find their way into an "not found" folder just fine. I'd like to rename it "Atlanta" though. I downloaded a second set of caches in the Charlotte area, but they're in "unfiled". I'd similarly like to put them in a "Charlotte" folder, but the documentation did not explain how.
Erik, you can click on the upper right corner category (unfound, all, unfiled -- whatever it says). At the bottom, you select "edit categories" and click "new." Name one "Charlotte" or whatever. When you do a sync to load a new file (like Charlotte) and go to cachemate, it asks where you want to put the new file. Change whatever it suggests to "Charlotte" and zap. Done.
Actually, you can add the category on the fly when it asks where you want to put the new file. Edit the categories then.
quote:Also, how can I use these tools to find highlight caches in a given direction - like NE of a given location?
To search in a direction, go to CacheMate, click the upper left "CacheMate" pulldown, click "Nearest Caches" and the directions page pops up. If it doesn't pop up because you already loaded a search, check "force new search" and "OK." That should get you going.
Man! I hope I got the interactive questions and answers together right! This hi-tek gives me a headache.
Posts: 1035 | Location: Marietta, Georgia, USA | Registered: December 25, 2002
Here is the cachemate page. I would like for the cachemate experts to look at the page and tell me if I missed anything important. Remember that it is a "get started" tutorial.
mtn-man I think there is a little problem in your directions starting at
quote:Once you hotsync you need to import this file into cachemate on your PDA.
On the demo version I am testing, the Import Record selection is used to import cache info from Palm Memos. After I hotsync the file that CMConvert (or GSAK) created, then start cachemate, it automatically sees the converted files and starts importing the data into the true cachemate database. Also there is no need to manually delete the files created by CMConvert, because once CacheMate has merged the data it deletes the files create by CMConvert.
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Posts: 2420 | Location: NE Corner of Georgia | Registered: November 09, 2002
A couple of months ago I got a Plam m125, set up GPX and Plucker, and everything was cool. The first time I got a low battery signal everything turned to drool. When I changed batteries, all Plucker data and Plucker itself was lost. I had to reinstall them to get it working again. No problem in the office but not so good in the woods.
Today I installed Cachemate. Same problem. If I take out one battery for less than five seconds and reinstall it, everything is OK. But if I take 10 seconds to get it back in...crash city...hard reset. The manual says not to leave the battery out for more than one minute. This doesn't seem to apply to third party programs.
Does everyone have this problem or is my Palm really a Lemon.
quote: Does everyone have this problem or is my Palm really a Lemon.
Well, my Tungsten/E has an internal rechargable, so removing the batteries isn't possible. Don't know what happens if the "Recharge Needed" warnings are ignored though.....
Never had the problem. I take my time changing batteries and never lost anything. I have the Handspring Visor Neo. Cheapest PDA in the world --s'far as I know.
Posts: 1035 | Location: Marietta, Georgia, USA | Registered: December 25, 2002
I have an old Palm III xe. When I changed batteries, I never had a problem. However after I had it for about six months I got FullCharge battery Pack which lets me recharge the battery without removing it. But they don't have a version for the M125.
But when I did change batteries, it would take longer than 5 seconds and I never lost anything.
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Posts: 2420 | Location: NE Corner of Georgia | Registered: November 09, 2002
I just loaded Cachemate and the converter and have been playing around with it this morning. It's an awesome program, easy to use, with lots of helpful features. I had tried iSolo, Mobipocket, and a couple of others and they just didn't work for me. But this SW is great.
