In this day and age it seems that the technology changes almost every year and for some Wildcare groups that can be a hassle. Whilst always trying to make best use of our funds, sometimes it is frustrating when the technology rolls on and leaves us behind.
Friends of GIS support a few groups with their use of GPS's and other mapping software and at the moment we are facing a dilemma. Some older GPS's that we use (Garmin Etrex with serial interface cables) all use older technology which is no longer supported by modern Windows software. We had some custom cable made some years back but alas, even they are no longer supported.
The GPS's themselves are fine and still serve their purpose. We use them to track peoples movements through the bush when hunting for weed infestations, and by downloading the track we can monitor our coverage in a particular area.
GPS Tracking in weed zones - Maatsuyker Island
What we are hoping is that some folks out there have some older cables tucked away in a bottom drawer that they would like to donate so we can get some new adaptors made. The cables we are after are shown below. Even better, if you have a GPS that you no longer use, and would like to donate to the Wildcare cause, we will make sure it gets used to improve the areas in which we work.
If you can help us out then Friends of GIS would love to hear from you -
fogis@wildcaretas.org.au