BAMBOOZLE

What is the estimated percentage of geocache hiders that use smart phones for placing caches ?

Garmin case failures are legendary....sweaty hands destroy the 62+ cases and not just the button cover, they look like they have been dragged through the briars. Put something in the button hole then guerilla tape on top ( the tape can be used in other areas as well. For some years I have been using the GPSMAP 78S for caching.....wonderful case and about as accurate as a quad ( of course they quit making it but I grabbed a good second one on ebay ) I still use my 62S and 64S but not as much.

We did the same. Eneloops in a MAHA charger is the way to go period and you will VERY seldom have to calibrate your compass.

Thanks......GSAK is all I knowso I will save this.

I was a HUGE Meridian fan and collected all the Meridian models ( some multiple like my favorite the Platinum ) many new in the box....I put the newest firmware on them so they could take the 2G card and hold maps of the whole U.S. and you could load over a million caches I believe. Now they sit in storage.

We use hiking sticks and I have a 1/4 inch SS rod about a foot long with a bend on the end for probing in holes. About 90%+ of micros I find using a 3 " extension mirror........a small pocket screwdriver with magnet on the end also gets used.

Ammo cans are great......I always put the log inside a separate container ( BSB, match holder ) .

Great story here, thanks for sharing......we also found the first one.

Actually as a long time 60 series user I find the buttons on the 78 way better. Does this have a quad ant.,.......it appears to. It appears to have the same hard case as the 78 and not the horrible rubberized overlay found on 60 series that would fall to pieces.

Project-GC does not exactly match with what I have in GC.com......not sure how to get the list up on GSAK.

I've used GSAK for years but just to put caches on my units and to combine PQ's.........I will see if I can figure out how to do it.

A long while back I made almost all of mine PMO and found that it helped a lot regarding maint. and TB Hotels getting cleaned out. I also get far less of the annoying " I can't find it so it isn't here " logs. I'm sure every area is different but its what I've found in mine. It's a different game that in 2003 that's for sure. Regarding GPS use I MUCH prefer my dedicated units to my phones.

The site lists milestones up to 10,000 caches then doesn't pick up again until 20,000. What is the best ( fastest ) way to find what your 11-19 thousand milestone caches were ?

You can't beat a quad.........I had a signal geocaching in a volcanic crack about 10 feet wide and 80 feet deep......great in deep woods......I have dozens of GPS and all but 2 have the quad.

I have big problems when jumping from auto to caching mode often. Re maps a new unit does not solve anything as you still need to buy maps....I like the Garmin Streets & Destinations on the mini sd card......you can swap it to another unit if you want.

1. Garmin 78S 2. Garmin refurbished 62S I have dozens of GPS units and the above are my favorites......the 78 series has a great case unlike the 60 series whose rubberized cover can be destroyed by sweaty hands.

Regarding compass calibration.....battery voltage is critical. If you use Eneloop batteries and a quality charger like a MAHA your initial voltage will not vary and you will not have to re calibrate every time you change batteries......I've gone around a year with 20 or so battery change outs and the calibration stayed perfect on my 62S and 64S units( I check it each time )

Rarely does a " do it all " device do a specific task as well as a device dedicated to that single task. My wife and I both have phones in Otter Box Defender cases.....you could drop them all day long in the woods and do no damage. Still caching 8 hr plus is a pain with battery packs, etc. Then in bright sunlight it is VERY difficult to see a phone screen. Re finding caches, accuracy, etc. I much prefer our 60 and 78 series units ( or just about any other dedicated GPS ) to smartphones. The phones are great for spur of the minute caching or if I need info. I can't get on the GPS.

I think you should use your Meridian Color......with the latest firmware installed it will take a 2G card with maps of the whole US plus over 1,000,000 caches stored as waypoints. I think the maps were Mapsend and would be old but very usable for caching.

I use Panasonic Eneloop Pro 2450 and a high end MAHA charger..........I always run down before my batteries do at about 12 hours, I don't know how much longer they might go beyond that......I can't remember the last time I had a GPS quit because of batteries.

I have dozens of GPS and was an early fan of the Magellan Meridian series. These days my wife uses a 62S and I use a 78S.....in our bag is a spare 62S and 64S. While I am a big fan of the 60 series I don't like the rubberized covering which can be destroyed by sweaty hands.....the 78S has no such covering and the button orientation I find better than the 60 series. The 78S has a patch ant. and not the gold standard quad but I have had excellent results for years now although its been a long time since I've cached in narrow canyons and cracks. The 78S is marketed as a marine unit and sells new for around $200 and refurbished for around $110. The 78S is basically a 62S in a much better case but with a patch ant. If I broke mine I'd get another 78S hands down.

Your 62S is a great unit......as said use the Eneloop Batteries, I always run down before my unit does. Every outing I install freshly charged Eneloop Batteries and can go over a year or more and never have to calibrate the compass....the voltage is very steady. Its also important to use a good charger.....I like MAHA. With MAHA charged Eneloops your 62S problems will be over.

I vote for the Garmin 78S.......I like the case better than the 60 series.

I agree......go with the 64S. The only thing wrong with the 62/64 units is the rubberized coating which can be destroyed by salty, sweaty hands.

What a great series.....I have at least two of every model and several of the Platinum, many new in the box. I still think the Platinum had the best three axis compass ever. I used to cache with a friend who was cripple and couldn't walk much but with the Platinum he didn't have to.