Doubledareya

^^^ Thank you very much everyone for taking the time to respond to my question(s). I just came back from Radio Shack where I got just what I needed for only a fraction of what I paid for something that didn't work. On the plus side of the ledger, Amazon does make it pretty easy to return things and they are good about credit/refunds. However, I was--and am--just a little torqued that they would say an accessory works for "all vistas" and not add something like, "except on the eTrex Vista xc." That would have saved me a lot of time and trouble.

^^^ Thanks to the replies. Actually, I didn't mean to order two of the adapters; I accidentally entered the "Quantity" box on Amazon twice. But since I found that out too late, I thought I could justify my mistake by having one for each vehicle. As was asked (above), I really don't even "need" one. But I thought it would be kind of convenient to have one and that in the long run I could justify the cost by saving batteries. My GPSr must be a mini connection; it measures only 1/4 inch across at the widest point. Thank you, one and all, or the response. Please keep 'em coming. I am tempted to just contact Garmin and let them know what I would like and see if I can purchase it from them. Good idea?

If this is not the right place (forum) for my complaint, I am sorry. But I have a problem about ordering a DC power adapter for my GPSr. I have a Garmin eTrex vista cx and have found it impossible to order a simple DC adapter for it. Last week I went to www.amazon.com and did a search for a power adapter for that unit. No problem. The page popped right up. It gave all the information I was looking for and said that the adapter "fits all" Garmin eTrex units. I know that I am NTB (not terribly bright) and gullible, but I naturally assumed that the adapter would fit my unit. I ordered two of those rather expensive ($22 each) adapters and when they arrived yesterday they did not fit my GPSr. I didn't even have to take them out of their plastic bubble package to tell they wouldn't fit my unit. Anybody could tell that. So I went to the time and trouble to return them yesterday. Not only that, but I have spent the past 30 minutes (unsuccessfully) trying to find a simple DC adapter to what I believe is a fairly common unit. I have keyed in all the "correct" search words and I still cannot find anyone who wants to sell me the adapters (one for each vehicle) that I want. I wish there is someone out there out there who would like to sell me them as much as I would like to buy them. Can anyone please tell me how to order that adapter? My first choice would be Amazon, despite the fact that they lied (by saying the adapter they advertised fits "all" Vistas). I am willing to give Amazon a second chance to do the right thing here, but I am not married to them. All I want is to order--and receive--what I have just described above. I am not asking for the moon. Can anyone please help? TIA.

Then I guess I read the overall guidelines wrong. Thank you for the fast reply!

I am a greenhorn here and it will be some time--probably months--before I place my first cache. But I do have a question or two about "commercialized" swag. I would like to think it would be an exercise in using one's common sense and one's common experience, but I am not sure as to where they draw the line on this. For example: I work for a company where employees (we don't steal) invariably wind up with a lot of really nice ball-point pens that have our company's name on them. That name ("Tillamook Cheese") is rather well known hereabouts and it occurs to me that many cache finders--especially the out-of-towners--might like to have a souvenir pen from here. Plus, one can never have too many ball-point pens. (Unless you are me, that is.) Would it be a no-no or in bad form if I left one of our company pens in a cache? Neither I nor my employer would stand to gain anything from this. The same thing with tide books. A friend of mine puts out a really nice tide table every year. They are large print and are printed on waterproof paper. I love them and they are not cheap. Also, there are numerous businesses here who print smaller (free) tide tables, but on the space provided on the front of them, they stamp in the name and address of their business with a small rubber stamp. After all, they do pay for those books. Tide tables are a useful thing to have in these parts because in many caches (i.e. CCPWC5), tides are a big safety factor, as well as an aesthetic lure. After all, it could be argued that many of the items (a CD, for example) found in caches have some type of a manufacturer's or artist's name on them and such cache placement is advertising and/or promoting someone within the profit-driven music industry. I guess the question I am asking is, "When is a cigar just a cigar?" Anyone? (Edited a couple minutes later to correct minor typo)

Excellent point to include. Very excellent point! C&A (Clarification and Amplification)...In the above post re the 24-foot-high storage tank: Before climbing the stairway to the top of the tank, I took (at chest level) an altimeter reading (GPS held four feet off the ground) and got a reading of 22 feet. This is the number of feet--according to the previously mentioned benchmark stake--that the base of the tank is above sea level. When I climbed to the top of the tank I got a reading of 46 feet. Subtracting 22 feet from 46 feet gave me a reminder of 24 feet. I know (from blueprints and specs on file) that the tank is 24 feet high. So everything is as it should be, right? (I will double-check all this as described tomorrow when I go back to work just to make sure I did it right.) Thanks, one and all!

Mmmmm, John. Interesting. I wish I had waited another five minutes until after you posted. Also, another "highly scientific" experiment I did two days ago was at work. We have a large 228,000-gallon storage tank at work with stars leading to to the very top; the top stair platform is exactly the height of the outside top of the storage tank. I know (from specs) that the tank is 24 feet high. The other day, as I recall, I took an elevation reading while standing at the base of the tank while holding my GPS at chest level. I then climbed the stairs and went to the top. As I recall, the difference (at chest-level readings) was right at 24 feet. I will check again tomorrow. My GPS, BTW is a Garmin etrex vista cx. So you may be right...different units may read differently, but to me that really doesn't make sense. Anyway, thanks for the input.

Thank you for answering my question, Tom; I really appreciate it. And it would appear that you are right! I just checked the Google Map elevation of where my house is and they say it's 32 feet right where my parking pad is located. While standing out on the parking pad a few minutes ago I got an elevation reading of 36 feet while holding and reading my GPS at chest level, 4 feet above ground. From my parking pad I climbed the adjoining four steps to my porch (2 feet higher than my parking pad) and got a reading of 38 feet while holding the unit at chest level. Ergo: It would appear from this empirical data that you are correct. Thanks again.

I want to calibrate the elevation for my GPS. At work--eight miles from where I live--there is a construction site for a new building they have just finished and there is a stake driven in the ground there saying the elevation is 21.93 (22) feet. My question is this: If I use that site to calibrate my GPS, do I add an additional 4 feet while entering the elevation? I am 5'8" tall and (when standing) the unit would be at chest level, or 4 feet off the ground. I know that in the whole scheme of things, four feet either way is pretty insignificant. But I am curious: Is the elevation determined by the Earth's surface or by the height of the unit above that surface? TIA.

The front lawn and/or the rose garden at the White House. I think things could get a little dicey if I started snooping around there.

I am new to geocaching and just found my first one earlier this week. I know there are no firm "rules", but I would like to know approximately how many caches a beginner should find before placing any. I am doing all I can (such as reading, watching videos, playing around with my GPS and such), and learning all I can about geocaching before I place any. I personally don't think I should place any caches until I find at least 25 of them. Is this a reasonable self-imposed limit on my part? About how many caches did you find before you planted your first one?

Hi, Delons, et al...I am a newbie also and found my first cache several days ago. It is kind of a rush, isn't it? Personally, I want to find at least 25 caches before I place any. But that's just me; that's why we have chocolate and vanilla. Anyway, I have found all of the people here to be very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. And nice, also! I am still reading up on the rules, protocol and guidelines. There is a lot more to this (geocaching) than one might think. But it sure is fun, isn't it!

Is it anywhere near "Bloodbath and Beyond"?

I certainly hope so! I made my first find yesterday (27 Oct 10) and I put everything back just the way found it. tftc.

Half the people I know are below average intelligence. (My least favorite statistic, BTW, is knowing that half the doctors out there graduated in the bottom half of their class in med school.)

I bought my GPS back in May 2007 and have been a member here since then. Until several days ago I just never seem to be able to find time to do any geocaching or even learn about it. Since I couldn't "find" the time, I decided to "make" some time to do it. Less than two hours ago, I went geocaching for the very first time and found my first cache! I am kind of excited about it and definitely plan to make geocaching a part of my life. The cache I found (GC23NJG) is located only 0.22 miles from my home and I drive by it nearly every day of the year. After finding the Drunken Fish cache, I think I am hooked. No pun intended. But no, in answer to your original question, I haven't done any lurking here in more than three years, even though I have been a member all that time. But I think all that is going to change! I am still a newbie and I want to thank each and every one of you in advance for the help and advice you will give me on this new and wonderful journey.

I have a question about antipodes, or opposites as the case may be. Is there a program available where I can enter my waypoint and find out what is at the opposite point of the Earth's surface? I know that in most cases it will most likely be an ocean, but I think it would be fun to play around with. Like I said, I am a newbie so please forgive me for any fox pauses. Thanks.