Copying PDF Map Files to Your PDA

Many documents on www.vta.org, especially route maps, are available in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. These instructions will help you view these files on your Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

The example here uses a Palm PDA and Adobe Reader for Palm OS version 3. Note that Adobe Reader for Palm OS has a PC component and a PDA component:

• The desktop application (and conduit during HotSync®) runs on your desktop computer. It prepares PDF files for the Palm OS and transports them to the user's handheld device.
  
• The reader is the Palm OS application that runs on the Palm OS device, designed to accommodate the characteristics of small-screen devices.

You can view a FAQ on Adobe Reader for Palm OS.

You will also need to have the standard Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC.

Get Your PDF

The first step in putting a PDF file on your Palm is to get the PDF file you want. In this example, we're going to get the Route 10 map.

Go to the Route 10 page - one way is to use the Routes drop-down list on the www.vta.org navigation bar:

Scroll down the Route 10 page to find the link to the PDF version of the route map, and click on it:

Once the map appears in your PC's Adobe Acrobat Reader, use the Save command to save a copy of the PDF map to your computer:

Copy the PDF to Your PDA

Next you will use Adobe Reader for Palm OS on your PC to copy the map to your PDA. Open Adobe Reader for Palm OS on your PC:

When it opens, click on the Add button and locate the PDF file you got from the Website:

...and then click on Open. You may see a warning message that the file is not tagged; click OK to continue. A progress screen will appear, and when the process is complete you will see the file to be copied to your PDA listed in the Adobe Reader for Palm OS window:

Just follow the screen instructions - "Press the HotSync button..." on your PDA - to copy the file to your PDA. You will notice a brief screen showing the file being transferred, and you can then use Adobe Reader for Palm OS on your PDA to view the map.

View the PDF on Your PDA

To view the PDF file on your PDA, start the Adobe Reader for Palm OS program on your PDA by tapping the Adobe Reader icon. Once the program is started, bring up the list of your available PDF files by tapping on the File List Icon:

Select the PDF you want to view by tapping on its name. Follow the screen's instructions to "Tap and hold graphic to view it in full size", and you can then scroll, drag, and zoom the PDF image.

For more information, refer to the Adobe Reader for Palm OS User Guide available on your PC:

 Go to Top