imajeep
-
Posts
610 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by imajeep
-
-
We've found that the best way to carry satellite photos in the field is to download them from Google Earth to our Palm Z22 PDA. It integrates nicely with our overall paperless caching routine.
-
It takes a MicroSD card. I'd suggest 2GB.
-
Over time, I've purchased several cheap, off brand hydration systems, and disposed of them kwickly, mostly due to discomfort. As a Charter Member of the ol' fat, crippled guy's club, I like having a lot of water with me, and I finally splurged on the CamelBak Rim Runner. It holds 3 litres of water, as compared to the off brands 2 litres. It is exceptionally comfortable for extended wear, and holds everything I can imagine needing on the hiking trail.
That's a nice pack! We use "cheap, off brand hydration systems", but we haven't had any discomfort problems. I do like the 3L capacity of the Rim Runner.
-
-
Welcome to the game, and thanks for the story. I've started carrying my GPSr on trips to the shopping mall, so I can find my car when it's time to go home.
-
Welcome to the forums! As another newbie, I'd like to encourage you to stick with it! My first few took forever!
-
Watch 'Resevoir Dogs'--Mr. Pink's rap on tipping at the beginning.
-
I cleared a DNF off my list tonight. Do I leave the DNF, or delete it, now that I've found the cache?
Here's why I ask: If I delete the DNFs once I find them, I am left with a very maintainable list of 'live' DNFs that I can use to pick caches to go take another crack at. But, if it's considered bad form to do so, I can live without it.
So, what's the etiquette here?
-
As a hunter, I always appreciate an owner maintenance log, or an owner note, when a cache gets a routine check. It lets me know the owner keeps up with their caches, which IMHO makes it more likely to be worthwhile.
-
I initially thought my 60 CSx was less accurate than the eTrex Vista I had previously. I decided later that the 60 CSX was simply reporting its accuracy more acurately. I never really got the accuracy that my Vista had claimed. In fact, the 60 CSx often underreports its accuracy. Many times, my 60 CSx is more accurate than the range shown on the satellite page.
-
Go to GE options--it has a couple of different formats you can set.
-
Being an 'H' model, AFAIK it's not identical to the 60 CSx. But the 'H' series chipset is supposed to be comparable to SIRFStar III, the chipset used in the 60 CSx. One poster a couple of months ago even liked it better. But at this point, it's all speculation. We won't really know until the units have been out for a while.
-
Popcorn, anyone?
-
Can't use a metal detector? I'm sure there is a good reason for that ordinance.
Don't want their parks dug up?
-
there's been no word yet. The 'H' series chipset is supposed to be comparable to the SIRFStar III chipset used in the 60 CSx.
-
We use Camelbak clones that we got at Costco for $20 each. We've been pleased with them--used them mainly in the Arizona desert. Ours have enough room for extra water bottles (can never carry enough!), lunch, camera, and odds and ends.
-
EBay is your friend. You can get a Palm Z22 for about $40, and if you don't have a data cable, you can get one for about $10. Go to SmittyWare.com and buy CacheMate for $8. That's about all you need.
With that, you can download pocket queries to the Palm and your Trex. The eTrex holds the coordinates, and the Palm holds the descriptions, hints, and logs. It's about all you really need.
As to computer literacy, here's an excellent excuse to ramp up your skills! You are already more literate than you think, because you are here. The truly computer-illiterate can't manage that. If you feel weak on basic computer skills, there are tons of adult-extension courses. Ask at your local library--they can point you in the right direction. Other than that, post questions here. Nobody bites (well, not many, anyway
), and you may be surprised at how quickly you pick it up. -
-
It's more fun to find the cache without any hints/logs!
Well, if I had 2,000 finds, I suppose I would feel the same way!
But as lowly newbies to the sport, we(desperately) need all the help we can get! -
Download the GPX files one-at-a-time from each cache page and you will get the 20 most recent logs.
Actually, I've considered that, but then I've got to do individual downloads, which is a hassle for even a dozen caches. Then I've got to download the files individually to my GPSr, another hassle. As it stands now, I simply bookmark the caches I want to do, then PQ the bookmark list. Fast and easy!
What I'd really like is up to 20 logs, as with the GPX download, in a PQ, with the option to download fewer, for those who don't want that many.
-
AFAIK, Topo 2008 is unlocked. Garmin locks maps that have NavTeq data--topos have USGS data.
And AFAK, toy can load routes, tracks, and waypoints even with locked maps.
-
Okay, I know this has been requested before, but Jeremy & Co., any chance of an upgrade to pocket queries to fetch more than the five most recent logs? It would be a great help to us paperless cachers who download our caches as we find them. Even ten logs would be great!
-
And BTW, welcome to the forums!
-
I didn't know about the horizontal position of the Vista unit to record points, I thought that was only for the compass.
For recording waypoints, you pretty much have to hold the unit horizontally, so it's not an issue. It's when recording a breadcrumb 'track' that it becomes an issue. I had an eTrex Vista before I got my 60 CSx. I ran some tests to determine the relative accuracy of tracks recorded with the unit. When I held the unit horizontally, I typically got 20' accuracy, assuming no tree cover. But when I walked the same course with the unit on my belt, accuracy ranged from 20' to more than 200'.
That situation may change with the HCx, given its high-sensitivity receiver. It may record a much better track when hung from one's belt.
But as lowly newbies to the sport, we(desperately) need all the help we can get!
Etiquette of removing my own DNFs?
in How do I...?
Posted · Edited by imajeep
Hey, if that's what it was all about, then I'd just take up coin collecting!
In all seriousness, it's not a big deal. But when you're a newbie, it's easy to breach the local rules of etiquette without knowing it. IMHO, always best to check first. I think it comes from travelling overseas.
Taking all of the above opinions into account, here's what I think I'm going to do. I'm going to clear a DNF once I find the cache, but I'm going to note in the find log how many tries it took to find the cache. That way, later hunters get an idea of the difficulty of the cache, but paperless cachers (like me and Ms. Imajeep) don't lose one of their five logs (Jeremy, please, please increase it to twenty!) to one of my DNFs.
Thanks for the advice, one and all!