CharlieP

I have noticed an overall slowdown, first the maps, then I started getting timeouts if I tried to load all the logs for a cache, now I am getting a lot of timeouts for just a regular cache page. Funny though, it loads the searches just fine, e.g. a zip code search. Growth is not always good. FWIW, CharlieP

That was a good one Rich, nice work. charlieP

When I first began using the GPS I would clear the track log from time to time, but then I had a couple of situations where having a previous track log would have been *really* useful. So now I never clear it, just let it wrap, and download the log now and then in case I need to review or reload an older track. FWIW, CharlieP

We stay together on the trail so I don't normally carry the radios with us, but I have found one really good application for them. It's the "Honey, you just wait here in the car and I will be back in ten minutes" situation. That ten minutes often turns out to be more like 40 minutes, and the radio contact can be really useful for making excuses. It would also be useful if I fell and needed help. FWIW, CharlieP

You can get a Garmin GPS 76 for about $220 and its quad antenna would probably get better reception under trees than the Legend. But then I noticed you are in NM, so that is probably not a big problem for you. FWIW, CharlieP

I am using 1500 mah NiMH cells with brand name Telepower. I bought 4 cells and a small overnight (low amperage) charger at Ritz Camera (now Wolf Camera in the Atlanta area) for $15. They work fine, but required a 3 cycle break-in before they delivered full capacity. FWIW, CharlieP

Here are a few suggestions: Try to leave the area of the cache as you found it. Don't hide a cache in such a way that searchers are likely to cause the area to look like a battlefield. If a cache is well hidden, then the coordinates should be very accurate. If you can't find a cache, post anyway, so that other searchers and the cache placer will know that it may be AWOL. Make comments about caches with the same regard you would comment about someones children. Not all children are mannerly, beautiful, or nice to be around, but to their parents they are still special. Trade even, and if the cache is getting slim, try to trade more than even. Try to place a cache so that searchers are able to retrieve it without being observed. Consider that the area may be more populated at certain times, compared to the day you hide it. If the cache is in a place where you may be observed by a passerby, carry it away from the hiding place before opening. Carry a "cache maintenance kit": a copy of the cache note, some plastic zip lock bags, a hand towel and some paper towels for drying. If the cache is leaking and getting wet, let the owner know, either in the log or by e-mail. Enjoy the outdoors, smell the flowers, notice the wildlife, take interest in the cache site, there is a lot more to this than finding little containers with a high tech gadget. When a little voice says to you, "there must be a better way to get there", there probably is. If the terrain rating is a 2, and you find yourself clinging to the edge of a cliff, you probably did something wrong. FWIW, CharlieP

I have found that the accuracy reading from my Garmin GPS 76 is not reliable until the unit has been still for about a minute. I often notice that if I walk with the GPS and then stop, it will take about a minute for the position to settle down. During this "settle down" perod I have found that both the accuracy and the position should not be taken too seriously. I have tested the GPS 76 on a position where I know the coordinates, and after the unit has been still for a minute or so, the GPS position is always within the accuracy radius. Also, if you record a position with an accuracy of 8 meters, and then you use the GPS to try to return to the same position, with the GPS accuracy again at 8 meters, you may be more than 8 meters off the original position, because the double error of 8 meters will result in accuracy of about 11 meters. In other words, both the original reading and the return reading may be within 8 meters of the true position, but they still may be more than 8 meters apart. The way to improve the accuracy of a position is to average a number of readings taken at least 30 minutes apart. For better results, only take readings when the GPS indicates good accuracy. FWIW, CharlieP

I have found that the accuracy reading from my Garmin GPS 76 is not reliable until the unit has been still for about a minute. I often notice that if I walk with the GPS and then stop, it will take about a minute for the position to settle down. During this "settle down" perod I have found that both the accuracy and the position should not be taken too seriously. I have tested the GPS 76 on a position where I know the coordinates, and after the unit has been still for a minute or so, the GPS position is always within the accuracy radius. Also, if you record a position with an accuracy of 8 meters, and then you use the GPS to try to return to the same position, with the GPS accuracy again at 8 meters, you may be more than 8 meters off the original position, because the double error of 8 meters will result in accuracy of about 11 meters. In other words, both the original reading and the return reading may be within 8 meters of the true position, but they still may be more than 8 meters apart. The way to improve the accuracy of a position is to average a number of readings taken at least 30 minutes apart. For better results, only take readings when the GPS indicates good accuracy. FWIW, CharlieP

I think this is what you are looking for: http://sirius.chinalake.navy.mil/satpred/ I have used it to verify why my GPS accuracy went bad at a certain time and place. You must consider terrain and other signal blocking factors to determine which sats you are likely to receive in a givem location at a given time. FWIW, CharlieP

Averaging coords using the GPS averaging function over a short period, like 20 minutes, will not necessarily give you better accuracy. The GPSR will average all values it gets during the 20 minutes, including some bad ones. Probably the best way to average is to take coords only when the GPSR indicates a low EPE (error value) and to take positions at several times separated by at least 30 minutes. You can average these positions graphically using the map page, or numerically by simply averaging the lat/lon values. If the cache position is in heavy cover, it may be better to take coords from an offset position which is more open, and then project back to the cache position. If you average coords taken at intervals of at least 30 minutes, the accuracy will improve by roughly 1 divided by the square root of the sample size, e.g. if you take four positions with an accuracy of 18 feet, the averaged accuracy will be about 9 feet. For 9 averaged positions, accuracy would be about 6 feet. FWIW, CharlieP

I would say that about half of the caches I do here in North Georgia have terrain nearby which could pose a hazard to a person who did not use good judgement. If crossing hazardous terrain is *necessary* to get to the cache, then it should be noted in the cache posting, and there is such a warning in the post for this cache. Perhaps the cache should be archived because it may be missing, but I do not think it should be archived because of this accident. I was a scout leader for a few years, and I have a pretty good picture of what happenened here, and it was not the fault of the cache location. Consider that the terms "good judgement" and "child" are usually mutually exclusive. FWIW, charlieP

I trailer my boat down to the Florida Keys every August to fish, scuba, and catch lobster. Since SA was turned off, the GPS is accurate enough to store the locations of individual coral heads and ledges where lobster like to hide. It's odd how they come back to the same locations year after year, and another seemingly identical location nearby may never contain lobster. FWIW, CharlieP

My favorite caches are ones which involve at least a moderate hike in a nice or unusual setting, and something of interest near the cache or along the way. Here in north Georgia, just a few caches that fit this description are: "Rocktown", "Brushy Mountain", "Raven Cliffs" and "Portland Caves". I also like caches that have a puzzle or creative twist to them, like: "Latitude and Longitude", "Buckhead", "EZ2C" and "Duncan's Folly". Multi's are fun, but I prefer the ones that you can hike or bike all the way, like "Heritage Park" and "Safecrack 1" as opposed to the driving multi. The most frustrating (for me) are the caches that are *very well hidden* and either the coords are off, or the location is such that an accurate position is virtually impossible. This turns geocaching into a non-technical wide-area easter egg hunt, which does not appeal to me. But then, everyone is different. FWIW, CharlieP

Most picture editing software will allow you to resize a picture file and save it as a new file, e.g. from 1200x1800 pixels to 400x600. I find that sizes around 400x600 will usually be less than 100kb, but if not, the editor will also allow you to save the picture at a lower jpg quality setting, e.g. 60% instead of 100%. For posted pictures, the lower compression quality does not make a noticable difference. I prefer to take all pictures at high resolution, and then downsize as necessary, because you can't go the other way, and sometimes the hi res is needed. FWIW, CharlieP

My GPS 76 also projects waypoints in 0.1 mile increments, but I have found a better way. I can use the map page MEASURE DISTANCE function to project a point in feet, quick and easy, once I got the hang of it. But I am not sure if the Legend has this function. FWIW, CharlieP

I am not familiar with those chargers, but generally, conditioning means to discharge the cell down to a low capacity level, and then recharge it. If the cell is not fully discharged every so often, it will lose storage capacity. If you use NiMH cells in a modern GPSR, and use it until the unit gives a low battery indication or shuts down, then conditioning would not be necessary, since the GPSR will fully discharge the cells. But some high load devices, such as certain digital cameras, will use only 1/2 or 2/3 of the cell capacity and will not completely discharge the cells. That's where the conditioner can make a big difference in cell performance. Also, some NiMH cells will not supply full capacity until they have been through 3 to 5 discharge cycles, and a battery conditioner can be used to cycle new cells. You can over-do conditioning, especially with some NiMH cells which may have a limited number of cycles (300-400) compared to NiCads (1000). FWIW, CharlieP

Ticks thrive in areas where there are animals, especially deer. The deer population has rebounded in many areas and the deer may move into suburban areas where there has been no deer population for many decades. Therefore, more ticks. FWIW, CharlieP

This one is unusual, done by a geocacher here in Georgia. It requires a knowledge of basic astronomy, and a simplifying assumption, in order to determine the coords. The hiding place is also unusual. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=6289 This cache is creative, and tweaks my curiosity, but is a 6 hour drive from here. I have not done it, but would like to. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=3517 FWIW, CharlieP

I bought a GPS 76 last November and really like it. I use it in my business, to document equipment locations, and it also works great for geocaching and marine applications. The large high res display is easy to read, the unit is waterproof, and the quad antenna will hold a sat lock under heavy tree cover and in hilly terrain, even riding in my shirt pocket. I also like the ease and accuracy with which it will allow me to determine an offset position with the map page pointer, with just a distance and bearing to the position. And it floats! FWIW, CharlieP PS - I see that you have a GPS76 now. Check to see if it has the latest firmware, ver 2.08. If not, download it from the Garmin site.

quote:Originally posted by MajBach: Many, if not most digital devices are high drain. Most GPSr witha draw of around 300 mA would fall into this category. Even if they were not high drain, they still require 1.1 V or more to operate. At that voltage, alkalines cannot supply 300 mA, unlike NiCd or NiMH. I strongly disagree. Most GPSR's draw *much* less current than 300 mA. I have tested my Garmin GPS76 and it draws 115 mA in normal mode, 180 mA with the light on. FYI, a small AA flashlight will draw about 200 mA. If our GPSR's drew 300 mA, like a digital camera, then they would only operate a few hours, at most, on alkalines. Most modern GPSR's operate more than 10 hours on alkalines. FWIW, CharlieP

quote:Originally posted by MajBach: In digital devices, it does not work this way. Your understanding of battery capacity would apply to flashlights - not GPSrs. Typically, you get longer life from the above battery examples with the NIMH, not the alkaline. MiMH batteries will outlast alkalines in some high current draw digital devices, e.g. digital cameras. But a GPSR has a relatively low current draw, actually *less* than a typical AA flashlight. Therefore, the alkalines will outlast the NiMH in a GPSR, and "my understanding" applies to both devices. FWIW, CharlieP

A typical alkaline AA cell has about a 2200 mAh capacity, so your 1800 mAh cells will have about 80% of the capacity of alkaline cells per charge, assuming they are fully charged. So if alkaline cells will power your GPS for 15 hours, then the NiMH will go about 12 hours per charge. If the battery indicator is set for alkaline cells, it will read about 80% or 90% on fully charged NiMH cells. As the NiMH cells discharge, the indicator will drop off to the 70% range within an hour or so and then go slowly down to about 30%. The last 30% of the indicated capacity will go really fast, so fast that you may not even get a low battery indication. Another good thing to know is that NiMH cells will slowly discharge after a full charge, about 2% to 4% a day. So it does not work too well to charge the cells more than a week before you use them. Typical NiMH cells are good for about 300 charge cycles or 3 to 4 years, whichever comes first. FWIW, CharlieP

I weight the individual readings based on the EPE (accuracy) level. I don't use readings with a high EPE at all. This usually eliminates the extreme readings. I have also found that it is a good idea to stand still at least a minute or two before taking any GPS position reading seriously, it seems that my GPS 76 needs to "settle down" after being on the move. I suspect that the GPSR uses a different algorith to determine position when it is moving, and it is not quite as accurate. FWIW, CharlieP

quote:Originally posted by Renegade Knight: The older I get the more I learn that everyone needs to pay their fair share Well, as my father told me, and I tell my sons, life is not fair. I sincerely believe that if for one year, every working person in this country was self-employed and had to file estimated taxes and write checks for the full amount of their tax liability, Washington D.C. would be in ashes on April 16. Doing away with with-holding would have the same effect, i.e. showing the American taxpayer what he/she really pays. I am self employed, and here in late April I am already into the 27.5% Federal tax bracket, also pay 15.3% Social Security and Medical tax, and 6% state tax ... that adds up to 48.8% ... but it not quite that bad, with offsetting deductions it is actually only about 46%. That means that for every dollar I now earn, income taxes takes 46 cents. Is that fair? Well, I can tell you one thing for sure, it does not inspire me to work any harder! That means more time for Geocaching (after I finish the three day ordeal of preparing my tax filings). And if you are one of those liberal tax freaks who thinks that high tax rates only apply to the rich, the above example (46% marginal rate) would apply to annual taxable income in excess of about $27,000 per year. Does $27,000 per year make you rich? FWIW, CharlieP