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Triple Crown

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Posts posted by Triple Crown

  1. Hi everyone,

     

    I want to get started in geocaching and I don't have the money for a GPS unit at this time. I have an LG Vortex phone and I was wondering if this would work for me? What apps would I need?

     

    It would be awesome to hear from folks who are using this phone.

     

    Thanks in advance

     

    I have the same phone, I use it when I'm away from home without my GPSr, but you'll need to be in areas with cell reception. I like the NeonGeo app in addition to the GC.com app.

  2. This Just In... Dawg Team! Thwarts Forest Fire, Bags 10 FTFs On The PCT.

    Hey Now! Super-cachers to the rescue! Way to go!

     

    If there's anything that truly deserves a "Like" button, this is it.

     

    5b0af852-2046-45d0-8489-227c966e5788.jpg

     

    Note to Self: Huh? " ... had the opportunity to wake up some handsome firefighters."

    I have to admit, I was wondering about that myself...

    I knew someone would bring that up... it's just what TripleCrown told me.:)

    So now the spotlight of inquiry pans from Duncan! to TripleCrown.

     

    The operative phrase here is "... had the opportunity ...." As it is one can

    only speculate about ways to "... wake up some handsome firefighters."

     

    What happens in the firehouse stays in the firehouse, is that it?

     

    Note to Self: Gawd! ... now those stupid Like buttons are on the Forum threads. Nowhere to hide ....

     

    I was a little surprised at the communal sleeping arrangements at the firehouse. Duncan! rang the bell, the light came on inside and since the blinds were open, we saw all the young firefighters jumping out of their beds in their shorts (no shirts...because they're it's too hot.) Soon they were all suited up and rolling in the rig! The fire at the campground was soon out, but NOT the fire in Duncan's heart! :o

  3. 21d1233a-a3ea-4434-a1d9-fc74fd8102b0.jpg

     

    Note to Self: Boy will I ever look stupid if that's not the Californian.

    Ummmm...I believe that this is the Spirit of Dana Point.

     

    Californian is square-rigged on the foremast and has three sails at the pointy end...

     

    d8bb7043-970e-427b-9e07-053162c75048.jpg

     

    I'm pretty sure Sweet Ol' Harmon took the second picture too. Notice how the cannon is firing at him. I also heard that the gun on the Californian is the 'Does THIS make my butt look big' Battery. Wonder who the gun crew is...I heard it was some East County cachettes... :P

  4. Hi all.

    I am looking for some help regarding finding a map of great britain for my garmin gpsmap62. I want a map to use while geocaching in the british countryside which shows public footpaths-bridleways etc. I have looked at OS maps but your gps needs to be able to read sd cards which my gps does not have.I have downloaded Garmins birds eye imagery but i want something permanent rather than 1 year subscription. Can anyone please help. Many thanks Rob

     

    The BirdsEye maps are permanent once you download them...the subscription just allows you to continue downloading more maps. Download everything you think you'll need and they're yours to keep forever.

  5. Just had a brief search on the forum, can't see anyone with the same issue, but if there are posts there already apologies for going over old ground!

     

    Problem I'm having is that I load caches individually, as we have kids we can't really use a PQ as some caches just aren't doable by little legs.

     

    So I select the caches I want and upload them one at a time, it works for us, and we can plan trips better that way.

     

    But lately when I load caches up on the map and copy to GPSr we find that they're missing out in the field - in some cases I'll upload twice (get prompted to overwrite in the instance) but after (correctly) removing the GPSr and checking, they're not there.....

     

    This dosen't seem to happen for all caches, just some, in some cases not all loaded in a session! I did have an SD card in the device, but took it out in case that was an issue.

     

    There's nothing else connected to the PC (as I've had caches "loaded" onto a stick in the past) so can't see a reason why - wondered if I was being too quick closing the upload box?

     

    Anyone have any wisdom to share??

     

    cheers

     

    The missing cache bug strikes again!

     

    I had the same problem you are describing, and there was no rhyme or reason about which caches would show up and which would go missing.

     

    The only way I have found to avoid this is a bit tedious but it always works. While connected to the computer, I delete the old GPX files, then disconnect the unit and reboot it. Then reconnect it and add the GPX files you want back onto it. Works every time with no missing caches.

     

    Another suggestion, PQ's are great, and you can set them to only return caches with low terrain and/or difficulty ratings if you want, or you could filter them with GSAK or using the 'Quick Filter' feature of your Oregon to eliminate caches with too high of a terrain or difficulty rating.

  6. I like it. I like the idea of having to scan a QR code to get credit for the find. This way people don't just randomly just say they found the cache. I hope this is implemented into Geocaching quickly.

     

    Somebody put a QR code in a cache near me that links directly to the cache's log page...pretty slick!

  7. I recently received my new Garmin Oregon 450 and have been playing around with various settings trying to simulate those of my 62s. What are your recommended settings in terms of profiles and dashboards, etc? For example, I'm using a Geocache profile and I attempted to find one of my own caches near my home. The navigation by road was bang on ( I have City Navigator N/A NT) but, on compass page, although the distance was counting down as I headed toward my cache, the arrows (main one in compass rose and small one in dashboard) were pointing in the completely wrong direction. Possibly to the next cache?...not sure. I like using City Navigator to get me to the cache zone and then off road to GZ. The transition is easier on my 62s so some experimenting with settings on this new unit is necessary. I'd love to hear which settings work best for you. Thank you.

     

    On the compass page, there is a little dashboard button in the lower right corner. I select Small Data Fields when navigating to a Waypoint and Geocaching Active when navigating to a cache. On the small data fields I have Bearing, Dist to Dest, Time of Day and Destination as the fields.

     

    The default setting is Geocache - Nearest so the compass always points to the nearest cache...which can be confusing if you're not expecting that.

  8. Try the "delete all waypoints" option in the reset setup menu and then load the file.

     

    I can't get past the "load" screen. The unit hangs then turns off after about 20 secs. I HAVE deleted all waypoints, text info, tracks, .gpx files by hooking the unit up to my computer. Unit software is also current version from Garmin.

     

    Have you tried to pull the batteries and reseat the microSD card?

  9. My budget changed :(, It now has to be under $200.

    Would the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx be a reliable gps?

    Can you do paperless geocaching?

    Average Waypoints?

    If this is a bad choice what is a better gps under 200 with an electronic compass preferablly 3-axis I now the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx doesn't have a 3-axis.

     

    The eTrex Hcx (I like the Legend, Vista has the 2-axis compass, not worth the extra $$ IMHO)is a good unit, and you can make it sorta paperless just like the 60Csx. The older units all average waypoints, you just let it gather data for 1-3 minutes and it works pretty well. Since you have budget constraints, you might look at the PN-40 instead, more bang for the buck and a true paperless unit. Also the Dakota 20 but I'm not sure on pricing.

    The legend is the same price as the vista which is better? Does the legend have a compass? I have a smartphone with the official app but my gps is horrible so paperless isn't a deciding factor for me. Do you know anything about the new etrex line should I wait for the etrex 20 or would I be fine with the current gps's out? I am pretty clueless at getting a new gps as you can probably tell I have gotten to many mixed reviews.

     

    The Vista has an electronic compass that works even when you're not moving (2-axis only, so you need to hold it level). The Legend requires movement for the compass to point accurately. The 2-axis compass is not a huge advantage IMHO but if the price is the same, you might as well get it. The Vista is almost exactly the same as the 60CSx except for the smaller form factor and it doesn't have the great (but large) quad helix antenna.

  10. So how long should it take the unit to update itself? It's been 30 mins now and still nothing "loading profiles...." The unit is my brothers so I felt it was time to update it. It was never updated before.

     

    You plug the unit into the computer, then run the WebUpdater. It should download in 30 seconds or so. Then it will tell you to disconnect and power on. The new software installation should take a minute or two.

     

    It sounds like you're stuck on the boot page. Remove & re-install the batteries and try again.

  11. My budget changed :(, It now has to be under $200.

    Would the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx be a reliable gps?

    Can you do paperless geocaching?

    Average Waypoints?

    If this is a bad choice what is a better gps under 200 with an electronic compass preferablly 3-axis I now the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx doesn't have a 3-axis.

     

    The eTrex Hcx (I like the Legend, Vista has the 2-axis compass, not worth the extra $$ IMHO)is a good unit, and you can make it sorta paperless just like the 60Csx. The older units all average waypoints, you just let it gather data for 1-3 minutes and it works pretty well. Since you have budget constraints, you might look at the PN-40 instead, more bang for the buck and a true paperless unit. Also the Dakota 20 but I'm not sure on pricing.

  12. ...the delorme pn-60 or the garmin oregon 450?

    Which has better:

    Accuracy?

    battery?

    Geocaching?

    Easiest to use for a first time user?

    etc.

    the cheapest I found for the delorme was 250 and the garmin was 300.

    Please help me decide. :)

     

    State your opinion.

    Delorme pn-60 vs. garmin oregon 450

     

    In my opinion the Oregon 450 is easier to use out of the box, but you will need to spend some money for maps. Plan on $80 for City Navigator NT for street maps.

     

    Those 2 units perform the same, but the Oregon has a bigger screen with higher resolution and the touchscreen makes it easier & more intuitive to use. The PN-60's lower resolution screen makes it a little easier to see in certain lighting conditions, but the user interface, menus and settings are a lot more challenging for first time users, and the mapping program has a steep learning curve. The mapping program (TOPO North America) is inexpensive and capable, but clunky and difficult to use in my personal experience.

  13. ...and from all I've read it's going to be real hard to scratch the 62S's screen with that thing on there!

    It really should be. Even though it doesn't seem to have any more thickness than some of the other materials, the Zagg gives the sense of being thicker and is definitely a 'softer' material than all of the rigid ones I've tried. Like I say, the contact surface is stickier than I'd prefer for touchscreen units where panning is a feature (not a problem for you, I know!) but apart from that, it seems to hold up better than any of the others I have tried. It's not nearly as easy to scratch as the more rigid materials, and those scratches really do foul the view in sunlight... like a pitted windshield, I'd say. So it lasts a heck of a lot longer as well.

     

    Zagg will replace also your worn out protector for free!

  14. Hi, I've been caching for about 8 months, and use my Android phone with the Groundspeak app almost exclusively (except for a week in Singapore, where I used an etrex + off-line c:geo on my Android). I live in Mass., but will be spending a year in New Zealand (Yeah!). I'm looking for a GPS unit that will let me do paperless caching. I'm a proud Premium Member (best money spent!), and a Mac user. I'm looking to spend US$200-300.

     

    Right now, EMS has the Earthmate PN-60 for US$239, and Amazon has the GPSMAP 60CSx for US$229.

     

    Can I load the NZ maps onto each of these devices equally well? Are there other things I should know?

     

    Thanks for your thoughts.

     

    -8ManAfter

     

    For paperless caching the PN-60 wins hands down. The Garmin equivalent would be the Oregon 450, Dakota 20 or 62S. There are work arounds that let you use the 60CSx and GSAK macros to add hints and even whole cache pages (though in up to 10 poi files...very clunky!) and it's not really a paperless unit like the 62S which has the same form factor.

     

    I don't know what DeLorme has for map coverage outside the US, but GPSFileDepot.com has topo maps for the area and DeLorme has a very dedicated (& vocal) group of users, so you should check out the DeLorme forums for more info.

     

    Hope that helps.

  15.  

    I'll have to disagree with ecanderson here.

    I think what we're disagreeing about is what the OP is trying to accomplish. You don't "Enter Next Stage" unless you're working on a multi. It's not an available option otherwise. I don't see any indication of that in the original post. I agree that he may be trying to do two things at once, though, and the it's good that the unit will automatically shift the displayed coordinates if you shift datum, format, etc. You can enter data in one format, shift to another format, and the displayed result is translated. I've always wondered what the internal storage format is that's being translated from / to.

     

    Hmmm, I have an Oregon 300 with Software version 4.20 & GPS software version 5.00 (the latest available via WebUpdater) and I have the option to 'Enter Next Stage' on every cache type. Don't remember which update allowed that, but it's available in the current version.

  16. You can't change the coordinate of a geocache in the field - only a waypoint. One solution to that which will also retain the information after the fact (in case you want to record it later) is to use Mark Waypoint, then before saving, modify the name to something you'll easily recall and modify the coordinates to wherever you're going.

     

    that is not entirely true

    I don't think we're all reading the OP's thread title the same way, nor his message.

     

    Yes, it is. "Enter next stage" doesn't change the original data, nor is it of use unless there's a multi involved. The OP was curious to know how to handle a puzzle cache final: "...which require to be altered following the solution of puzzles, so that the cache can be found. " In essence, he just wants to modify the original coordinates of the puzzle to the true coordinates, and you cannot do that on the face of the unit. "Enter next stage" will not help him much there, either - unless the puzzle is also a multi, but let's not further confuse the OP.

     

    If in the field (or not using a computer for whatever reason), the easy way to manage this is as I said. You "Mark Waypoint". Before saving, you modify the coordinates from where you're standing to where you want to go (the puzzle final). Before saving, you give it a meaningful name (like GC2Y32T - Final). Now the OP has created a waypoint of the puzzle final coordinates that he can find.

     

    I'll have to disagree with ecanderson here.

     

    Using the 'Enter Next Stage' is a better method than marking a waypoint IMHO. By entering the new (solved) coords as a stage, you can also read the hint & description while navigating to the final and mark the cache as found when you find it. It also involves less steps than marking, renaming and navigating to a waypoint.

     

    Also, looking at the OP's question, you can use Setup/Position Format menu to convert between different position formats if that is what the puzzle requires.

     

    Hope that helps!

  17. Changelog.

     

    Change History

     

    Changes made from version 4.20 to 4.50:

    • Updated magnetic Earth field data
    • Improved GPS performance
    • Improved support for BirdsEye™ Satellite Imagery (each provider's imagery can be configured independently)
    • Increased the maximum number of supported JNX files to 250 from 200
    • Fixed issues with WAAS/EGNOS
    • Fixed issue with track navigation sometimes not adding waypoints to the Active Route list
    • Fixed issue with MPC map labels disappearing
    • Fixed shutdown on the map page when you have a geocache dashboard active and return after pressing the geocache name
    • Fixed issue with moon not showing on sun and moon page
    • Fixed issue with photo viewer not displaying correctly
    • Fixed issue with progress bar displaying properly on power up
    • Fixed issue with waypoint distances showing significantly off in the waypoint manager
    • Fixed issue with 3D view
    • Fixed issue with track navigation not adding waypoints to the Active Route list when they are exactly equal to a track point
    • Fixed shutdown when more than the maximum number of JNX files were present
    • Fixed 'Search Near' functionality on Hunt & Fish and Sun & Moon pages
    • Fixed shutdown related to topographical maps and land cover text size
    • Fixed shutdown associated with certain custom POI files
    • Fixed Glide Ratio to Destination field
    • Fixed problem with profiles and the fields on the map page
    • Fixed an issue with magnetic north reference and waypoint headings
    • Fixed shutdown on the map screen when a waypoint was being moved to the same location as a geocache or other POIs
    • Fixed an issue with archived tracks not displaying properly
    • Fixed an issue with having too many custom symbols on the device
    • Fixed an issue with renaming a waypoint immediately after creating it
    • Modified the 'Arriving at Destination' message banner so that it no longer appears when navigating to a geocache

     

    Run WebUpdater to get version 4.20 for the Oregon X00 models and 4.50 for the X50's.

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