admo1972

This is the emoticon the OP is referring to: I'm not sure when it is intended to be used, but I often think of the 8ball as something negative.

When I last took a trip up the thruway (NYC to Syracuse), I simply "traveled" the thruway using the geocaching maps. When I saw one close to the, I'd switch to satellite view, and zoom all the way in. It was then easy to see if it was located in a rest stop, or not. It goes quicker than you would think.

*Puts dork hat on* I believe that was the robot Number 5 from Short Circuit. *takes dork hat off*

There's a chance I can make it. The directions look great, would this be the final parking location? N41 12.222 W74 46.353

I've found no problem so far. The PQ's does at first show Green Lake Park, but then switched over to my local coordinates. I've also had no problem with the screen and scrollong, on two computers. FireFiox 3.0.1 on a Windows XP computer, screen resolution 1440x900. Also Mac OS 10.4.11, FireFox 3.something (newest one), screen resolution 1680x1050

I think the problem is the unit you are using. I also have the C230, which I use exclusively in the car. The unit does allow you to put in coordinates, but the one time I used it as a backup when my eTrex Vista lost staellite signal, I found it almost useless. Luckily my Vista regained a satellite lock and I was still able to find the cache. Anyway, if you still plan to use the C230, make sure you turn off the option "lock on road"

This blows chunks. I'm heading to a town quite far away for dinner, and can't even get the site to give me the caches in that town. Seems like anytime I need anything right away on a weekend, nothing works. Good thing I do most of my caching in the week

As far as I know, GSAK just wants your username, so just try that. I don't recall having to put in my ID number. Anyway, your ID # is 1711476 There may be several ways to get this (one way is in GSAK itself), or go to your profile page, and just hover over the link "See the forum posts for this user"

This was the FTF prize for finding the final of a 23 cache series (made up of 16 traditionals an 7 puzzles). I have to share, but it is really cool: I can't remember the material (I want to say pyrite, but that's a rock I think), and the image is laser etched on the back. Weighs a ton!

It's a great unit. In fact, while the newer Colorado series is a "step-up" on the GPS scale, many of those who used both prefer the 60Csx. So many would argue you got the best unit for geocaching out there. I prefer the smaller size of the etrex line, but depending on the unit, they offer less bells and whistles.

Hold down the enter button (the joystick like thing on the front) until the new waypoint screen appears. The coordinates that appear are your current coordinates. Just edit them to where you want to go. Also, feel free to give the waypoint a more descriptive name and icon.

Welcome! I started in a somewhat similar way as you. A buddy of mine took me out caching. We spend about 2 hours driving and getting lost, 45 minutes searching for the cache, and finally found it. A few days later I ordered my GPS and headed out to a cache near my work. I arrived at the parking, and had no idea how to enter coordinates. Luckily I had the manual and was off. Got my premium membership just a few days after that. You could try and do some based on the maps on the site and the hint, but you would be suprised that what seems simple at the computer, you get to the area and it seems daunting, but give it a shot. Why not? The etrex H should be fine. It hooks up to the computer using a serial cable, so you would need to buy a serial to usb adapter to download waypoints to it. Entering points by hand is fine at first, but if you have more than 2 to do, and want to avoid extremely easy to make typos, you will want to hook it up to your computer. I started with the etrex Vista, and am thinking of upgrading to the SummitHC.

He he. I'm imagining it now. Several caches in a circle, 527 feet from a common point, and then update their coordinates such that they are practically on top of each other. I'll call it my cache bonanza series!

Will changing the coordinates via a log, is is possible to move your cache very close to another? For example, let's say you have a cache 600 feet from another. Then let's say you change the coordinates by 500 feet, in the direction of this other cache, such that they are now only 100 feet apart. Would this work? Or would the "system" not allow it.

Congratulations to CondorTrax on hitting the big #900 at American WWII Aircraft- BOMBERS, and an FTF at that! I also hit a less impressive milestone, #400 at American WWII Aircraft- B24 Liberator.

Well, geocoins are actual coins that are minted, and have the tracking number right on it. Generally they are more sought after as they have some value. You can buy one usually for about 8 bucks, or design your own and have it minted, often at considerable expense. Coins can also have unique icons that appear on this site. Travel bugs operate in a similar way, but almost all have the same generic icon (the bar code bug icon). It's cheap to buy the tags (a few dollars each), and what you attach it to you are only limited by your imagination.

Congrats Mike and Lorraine! You guys were among the first geocachers I met, back in May 2007. I still need to go and attempt the infamous Roosevelt Park- 1933 cache. Good work!

I'd first recommend posting this in the Midwest forum. Second, try some caches near your home. Not knowing what model of etrex you have (I have an etrex vista, with the black and white screen), you usually can mark your current position, then edit the coordinates to the cache you want to search for. There is an event not far from you on August 2nd called Calling all Kids (GC1DA7E). I'd recommend going to that and go with others to find some of the nearby caches. People will be glad to help you out, and show you the ins and outs of your GPSr. Events are always fun, and a great way to meet people. good luck!

The pic came up just fine. The error you got is a general geocaching.com error, when the servers are really busy, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with your TB, your OS, or your browser.

I too am looking at the SummitHC and the VistaHCx. Pro Vista: Expandable memory Longer Battery life Pro Summit: Much cheaper The 24MB on the Summit is sizable enough to store a bunch of topo maps. My current B&W Vista has 24 MB of map memory, and can store all of NJ, parts of SW New York, parts of NE Pennsylvania, and the Asheville, North Carolina area, which leads me to thinking I can get by without the expandable memory. I also have a car GPS, so autorouting is not necessary for me.

Caches should not be on any private property unless the hider had permission from the property owner. Stealth Required usually means that the cache is in an area which is visible to non-cachers, so you need to exercise stealth in order to search for, retrieve, sign the log, and replace the cache without compromising it. Are you sure that cache was indeed on the provate property? Perhaps it is just near by, attached to a guard rail, a fence, a bench, or something else?

Glad you found your own answer. To confuse you more, all have two unique ID's. There's your Geocaching.com ID which in your case is The Silver Surfer, and there is also your Geocaching User ID, which in your case is 1673715. But you will almost never have any need to supply that number anywhere.

If it is saying 0 to 9 feet, that is as good as it gets. That simply means that the unit thinks you are at the same spot the cache is also at. Keep in mind, the accuracy is important. At best, it can anlo be accurate to about 9 feet. That leaves the cache being up to 18 feet in any direction. Additionally, the hider had similar inaccuracy, so at best the you can be standing on the cache, or it can be 30 to 40 feet in any direction. Basically, when it says you are there, it is time to search. Look for likely spots. Your unit doesn't have an electronic compass. You will notice that if you stand still, the arrow may swing around. This is due to it having no idea what direction you are facing. If you move relatively quickly, in a straight line, then the arrow will point you correctly in the direction of the cache. If you have fields on the navigation screen, I suggest you have one to display accuracy. That way you will know if it has a good lock or not. If it says you are 2 feet away with 9 foot accuracy, you've got a nice GZ and start to search. If is says you are 2 feet away, but 76 foot accuracy, it may be time to wait to see if it can get a better lock. I also suggest you have the second field on the screen to display bearing, in degrees. That way, even if you stand still about 100 feet from the cache, the pointer may swing, but the bearing should stay roughly the same. Using a standard compass, you can sight a bearing if your needle on the GPS is swinging around too much. lastly, Caches should never be buried. I've only comes across 2 or so that may violate this rule, but in those cases at least part of the cache was above ground. Perhaps they were put in already existing holes. But generally, caches aren't buried. They can, however, be waaaay above you head.

Almost any Palm (hasn't been called Pilot since Palm was sued by Pilot Pen Company many years ago) will work well for storing cache information. I use a Palm TX, in a very sturdy case, but that is overkill solely for caching. If you want a unit that you will only use for caching, get a older, used one on ebay. The m500 is quite popular. A program many recommend is called CacheMate. It stores all the cache info in handy tabs. Cache info on one tab, a log of your hunt on another, logs by previous cachers on another, hints on another. I think it costs $7 and is quite worth it. There is an additional free program that you use to convert the gpx file from geocaching.com to a palm database file which cachemate reads. You should also consider becoming a premium member. It's $3/month or $30/year. It's the only way to get the gpx files that contain all the info you need like the hints and description. You can also buy GSAK, which is a program that sits on your computer. I'd stay away until you get the knack of downloading files and getting them on your PDA. It is a very powerful program that does things you can only dream of. Something to keep in the back of your mind. I hope this helps!

While hunting a virtual cache, I just by chance came across this: Is this a benchmark? It is at the coordinates N 41° 15.296 W 074° 51.573 but searching at the USGS site, the closest benchmark seems to be .3 miles away. So, what exactly did I find? Thanks!