CaptRussell

Mushtang has a classic Yellow Jeep Travel Bug for sale on eBay.

Same here, but I couldn't help but notice that out of a dozen responses, only #3 was even remotely helpful to this nice forum newbie. I'm hurt by this Captain! Isn't post #8 helpful? You are correct. My apologies. No personal slight intended. That still doesn’t change the fact that the two useful needles were hidden in a haystack of lame wisecracks. Sorry for going off topic to point that out, but it annoyed me. BTW, speaking of lame wisecracks – and in the interest of full disclosure – I should remind folks that this is in fact KBI speaking. I posted here as CaptRussell only because I figured a quick click on CR’s Cache Finds via my CR profile would show the pattern of caching I described. Some folks like to follow up on that sort of thing. Let the Ringbone jokes begin!

I have a Garmin Etrex Vista HCx, which for the purpose of your question is the same thing. I don’t think Canada is your problem. I regularly use my HCx all over North America with no trouble. One day I'm caching in Florida, the next day Ontario (Canada), the next day Mexico, the next day Nebraska, the next day Rhode Island. I’ve been travelling similar to that with my job every week for the nearly two years I’ve owned the HCx, which is the same way I’ve been using all the other Vistas I’ve owned and worn out since 2002. I can shut mine off, then turn it back on a week later 1500 miles away, and it rarely needs more than a minute to figure out where it is. In all that time I haven’t seen any geography-related problems of the type you describe. As I’m sure you know, GPS isn’t like cell phone coverage; political lines on the map are invisible to the GPS system. Crossing the Canadian border should have no effect on your signal accuracy or positional precision. (I can’t answer your WAAS question. WAAS has never really helped me and it supposedly uses up the batteries faster, so I always leave it turned off.) In my experience the most common cause of degraded signal accuracy is any large thing or things that would block the satellite signals. Those super-weak signals from orbit can get through thin non-metallic stuff, but never through really big things. Nearby tall buildings, nearby steep hills, or even thick forest after a rain will block them enough to either reduce or eliminate your navigability. The HCx version works waaay better in this regard than the older, less sensitive receiver – it even works inside most buildings if you’re on the top floor – but generally it still needs a reasonably unobstructed view of at least a small part of the sky to give you a useable signal. Is there anything different about the Canadian location(s) where you had the trouble, as compared to home? When you go into Canada are you using your GPS in mountainous areas or around closely-spaced tall buildings?

Same here, but I couldn't help but notice that out of a dozen responses, only #3 was even remotely helpful to this nice forum newbie.

I have an idea that I believe is far better that the barbaric and childish suggestion of stealing the cache container. Runewell; That happened to me once. My story was almost identical. Like you, I started my own thread to ask for suggestions. The difference is that the delete-happy owner in my case, after reading my thread, finally (if reluctantly) agreed to allow the log to stand. In my thread I also received some good suggestions for how to deal with the problem had the owner refused to allow my log. One of the best ideas was to simply log the find in a place where nobody could delete it: on one of my own caches! Had it become necessary to do so in my case I was prepared to log a description of the find as a smiley on one of my caches, complete with a link to the relevant cache and a brief description of why I had done so. Should the cache owner in your case refuse to cooperate, you always have the same option: Log the find on one of your own caches. Advantages: Your total find count will remain accurate. Your written online find history (textual record) will remain intact – and will arguably become even more interesting to read. The cache owner will be powerless to delete your “Found it” log. Anyone who reads your truthful log will know exactly what the cache owner did, which might possibly encourage him to re-think his log deletion standards – or might even persuade him to invite you to re-log the find in the conventional way. Disadvantage: No one will know from reading the owner’s cache page that you were ever there – which really only matters if you care about that sort of thing. Your 'bogus log' will likely be perceived as an evil threat to civilization by a small minority of self-appointed truth-in-logging puritans – which, again, really only matters if you care about that sort of thing. The cache will not display as a “found” cache in your online searches and maps – but of course you could always place the cache on your ignore list, which I’ve never tried, but which I understand will suppress the cache from appearing in your online searches and maps at all. - CaptRussell (aka KBI)

One of the best posts and replies I have ever seen. Hey stop that! Don’t go saying nice things about KBI’s posts out loud – you’ll only encourage him. Better to simply ignore him, and maybe he’ll go away.

I'm not new. I'm old ... but I'm wondering: Am I the only "Double-Premium" member? Probably not. Our household supports at least two Premium memberships at all times, one for our Vinny & Sue account and one for Sue's Sue-Cat account, and we sometimes support a third or fourth Premium member account for my friend Greta, who is my co-placer for some caches out in the ID/WY area, and for related purposes. Then there are the 450 Premium member sock puppet accounts which I maintain to send posts agreeing with my posts..... I agree with Vinny & Sue Team. Grumble... I HATE it when people agree with me... Like, tell me, just WHERE is the angst in that? No angst, no fun, when people agree with me... sigh... grumble... Me too. I agree. Me too. I agree too also as well.

I'm not new. I'm old ... but I'm wondering: Am I the only "Double-Premium" member? Probably not. Our household supports at least two Premium memberships at all times, one for our Vinny & Sue account and one for Sue's Sue-Cat account, and we sometimes support a third or fourth Premium member account for my friend Greta, who is my co-placer for some caches out in the ID/WY area, and for related purposes. Then there are the 450 Premium member sock puppet accounts which I maintain to sent posts agreeing with my posts..... I also agree with Vinny & Sue Team.

OK CaptRussell, the next time you're in GRR I'll make sure our mutual friends take you out to the OP's cache in question. And I'll tag along like I did the last time (and Mike too). Heck, I'll even bring my ladder again (you should have seen it strapped to the twin's stroller). Oh wait, maybe I should pack the 28 ft extention ladder like we did on Zodiac 1. Sounds like fun. Count me in! Got a link to the cache page? And ... is there absolutely NO way to get to it without a ladder? If so, is it properly rated with five (5) terrain stars? I'm sure he was. He was obviously frustrated, and sounded like he was hoping for lots of people to commiserate with him and agree with him. He asked who would ignore such a cache. I provided my answer. You're on. Lunch is on me. I've got no wheels when I'm in town, so I'm at their mercy -- unless you beat them to the hotel, that is!

First of all: keep in mind that no matter how carefully those onboard-electronics policies are researched, considered and written by the airlines; and no matter how much sense they make the way they’re worded in those official airline publications; it is the front line employee(s) who will be interpreting them and making the ultimate decisions. There is quite a bit of turnover these days among the ranks of flight attendants (Trust me, they don't like being called "stewardess"), none of whom will ever get rich from what they’re paid – especially with all the cost-cutting that has happened during recent industry turmoil. (They say the airlines are the only companies in the whole economy that pass their cost increases onto their employees instead of their customers.) Turnover is heavy, and your low-paid flight attendant has a LOT of responsibilities, and a LOT to keep up with. Their primary responsibility is to your safety, and they are frequently and commonly excused for erring on the side of caution in cases where they must make a quick decision during a busy day. (A bumper sticker I once saw on a flight attendant’s car: "I’m here to SAVE you’re a**, not KISS it.") If your flight attendant wrongly tells you to turn off your GPS due to her own lack of experience or familiarity with the details of the rules, it’s probably best to just smile and comply. Is that good service for the paying customer? Maybe not, but people don’t generally buy airline tickets based on service ratings. The vast majority of airline passengers buy their tickets based solely on price, and only later wonder why things are run so cheaply no-frills. And yes, once the aircraft is in motion the Captain has the ultimate authority as to the safe operation of that aircraft – but he is ultimately responsible as well. If you feel you have been wronged by any flight or cabin crew member during a flight, you can and should contact the airline about it later – but it’s probably best not to push things too much at the time. If you butt heads with a flight attendant over the use of your GPS you may well be in the right, but do you really want to have to explain that to the local police at whatever Podunk airport your flight diverts to after you’ve made the flight crew a bit too nervous? It ain’t ideal, but that’s reality. Fortunately, most flight attendants know the rules and don't mind, or even care, what you do with your GPS. Second: Just because a gadget is called a "receiver" doesn’t mean that it does not produce any radio emissions of its own. Maybe your specific Garmin doesn’t fall into that category, but the airlines must balance that reality with simplicity: It is much simpler to make a short list of blanket rules, a list that is easy to understand and enforce, than to make each crewmember carry around a fifty-pound, constantly-updated reference binder of model numbers and acceptability ratings for each and every piece of electronics in existence. And lastly: If you ever find yourself on a regional-sized jet that looks like the one in my avatar, ask your flight attendant if that’s CaptRussell (aka KBI) up there in the pilot seat! Not only will I give you permission to use your GPS on my airplane – I’ll pass along the coords of our destination airport so you can follow along ... and tell me when if I get lost!

You talkin' 'bout me?

I'll take a pass on all three of those ideas for the reasons expressed in the threads suggesting them. Also, I remain unconvinced that this will ever be necessary in any location, rural or urban. I'd interested to see what cachers that do alot of traveling to urban areas think about this. I do pretty much ALL of my caching in urban areas, and you can read exactly what I think about it by clicking here.

NOTE: KBI = CaptRussell. I am one person with two accounts. I’m posting this comment under my CaptRussell name because I want to make a relevant point: Some of us LIVE for the very same urban and suburban "drive-bys" that others despise. Some of us are HAPPY to frequently discover a high density of ANY type of caches within a few-square-mile area, a thing that seems to bother certain other cachers for some reason. I am an airline pilot. Two, maybe three times a week I find myself at a layover hotel, usually with a few hours to kill beyond the time needed for rest. Some of my coworkers spend every bit of this time lying around in their room on the phone or watching TV. Others pass the time in a bar. Some go shopping – if there is any shopping within walking distance. Walking distance. That’s the key. We get a hotel room for our layover, but we get no wheels. (See quote at bottom of this post.) Many years ago I promised myself that whenever the weather was at all tolerable I would spend my extra time at a hotel walking. No need to go into all the benefits of physical exercise; plus it’s also a good thing for one’s mental state just to get the heck out of the hotel room and go see the local area. (We have crew overnight stops in about a hundred places throught the US, Canada, Mexico and the Carribean.) Then a few years later (late 2002) I discovered Geocaching. At first it was rare to see a cache within walking distance of one of our company-utilized hotels, but ... the game grew fast, and now it’s rare when there’s NOT one within a couple miles, and frequently there are more than I have time for! Awesome! Now, not only do I have something fun to look forward to during my downtime away from home and family, but I have something to motivate me to get out and exercise on those days when my laziness might otherwise take over. Caddyshack is on HBO ... but wait, there’s a micro just a mile north up the street from here ... and two more about a mile southwest! It’s stopped raining ... time to grab the Garmin and the iPod and GO! Who cares if they're all located in parking lots and retail landscaping! Not me -- I've now got Something To Do! Frequently one or both of my crewmembers will come along for the hunt and it becomes a pleasant social experience. So, for those of you who are contemplating your next hide, and are worried that folks will call it "lame:" PLEASE, if you like the cache idea yourself, go ahead and put it out there! Some of us will hunt it – and almost certainly enjoy it – no matter what it is, simply because it’s an excuse to get outside, burn off some hamburgers, play with the GPS, and experience the anticipation of never knowing exactly what to expect. In other words, simply because it’s a Geocache!

I'm a captain with a regional airline. It's my dream job -- I thoroughly enjoy what I do. Others may dread their Mondays, but I actually look forward to mine! (BTW, I happily pay for TWO premium accounts. Some of you also know me as "KBI.") Being in the 'minor leagues' won't make me rich, but it's enough to afford a nice Garmin and lots of batteries, and more importantly it gives me some GREAT caching opportunities. Generally twice a week I find myself at a hotel with a few hours of free time to kill, and in the last couple years it seems there is always at least one cache within walking distance* of whatever hotel I'm in, usually more, sometimes dozens! (*Note the famous quote at the bottom of this post.) It can be tempting to lie around the hotel room half the day watching TV. This hobby gets my [caboose] OUTSIDE. I’ve always enjoyed walking, but caching gives me a destination. I typically find myself walking three to five miles on a cache outing. Many times it's more like eight or ten. My record so far is 15 miles during a particularly long layover in downtown Cincinnati. About half the time I am able to talk one or both crewmembers into coming along. I figure I’ve walked at least 2000 miles as CaptRussell while tracking down ammo cans, film canisters, and hide-a-keys. I've worn out several pairs of Reeboks. Geocaching is an integral part of my Weight Control Program! The list of places where I’ve found caches is detailed in my CaptRussell profile. Next month I plan to log finds in Fayetteville, Arkansas and Corpus Christi, Texas. And of course I'm home a lot. I usually work only three days a week with four days off between trips, so there is usually plenty of time for caching at home. (It IS a full-time job. Like most folks I’m away from home about 60 hours a week – for me it just happens to be 60 hours in a row.) I’d say my job is just about ideal for this game. And hey, if anybody's interested -- my company is currently hiring.

Hi, CoyoteRed! Just testing. Did you remember to block BOTH of my account names? If not, here's that question again -- the one you keep forgetting to answer: Instead of demanding their elimination, why not simply AVOID the caches you don't like? Yes that's right, it's me -- KBI!

And this is another reason that specific cacher vs. cacher complaints should not be brought to the forums. I agree – generally speaking. As you may recall from my original post, however, I did start out with the direct approach. Not only did my email to the owner go unanswered, but my second log attempt got deleted as well, indicating that the cache owner was, in fact, receiving the emails. The owner has since apologized for not answering, but can you understand the dillemma I faced at the time? The purpose of my original post was merely to ask for suggestions, of which I received several good ones. The unexpected bonus occurred when Trailrunner personally joined the thread, finally allowing us both to work out the issue together. I think the Forum served a good purpose in this particular case. Wouldn't you agree? [EDIT: spelling]

Did somebody post something uncivil? I plan to do so soon, but if there's no hurry I'd like to give Trailrunner time for at least one more response. I think all the posts here have been fairly reasonable, helpful, and well thought-out. Where's the problem? Did someone complain?

If that is your recollection then you must not have actually READ the second post. It was different from the first -- I removed the parts you said you didn’t like. First post: Second post: See the difference? Now that we’re talking ... would I be pushing my luck if I were to ask you to allow me to revert my current, bland post back to version two – the one you implied would be okay? Just kidding. It's fine the way it is. I would strongly encourage you to reconsider such a decision. Hiding caches is half the fun, and your location is a particularly interesting one! Tell me about it. I’m sorry if any of this has offended you; that was not my intent at all. Let me know what I can do to help you get over it. Seriously. In my case I actually took nothing and left something in your cache. I do this at most of the non-micro caches I visit. Surely that counts for something? As I have already pointed out, the second post was NOT identical. I hate to say it, but it seems to me that if you’d noticed that in the first place you could have saved us both a lot of trouble. No hard feelings, though. I’m just glad to get my smiley back. And BTW, next time I pass through Asheville it would be GREAT to go caching with a knowledgeable local. Interested? I’ll buy lunch!

A fair criticism of both sides. Consider it done!

I'm glad you joined the thread, Trailrunner! A valid point. One man's trash is another man's treasure and all that. A very good reason to ask a finder to modify their log. I offered to do so in my second email to you, but you never responded. Then why did you delete the second version of my log, the one where I'd removed the parts you said you didn't like? Miragee made an excellent point: You posted a note explaining the improvements you’d made to the cache. It is dated AFTER my log. Shouldn’t that have been enough to satisfy your concerns? A damp cache is nothing to be ashamed of, and I myself have occasionally been guilty of lax cache maintenance. Still no reason to delete a valid find log -- in my humble opinion. I did. You deleted it. Now I've posted a third, very bland attempt at a find log. Are you going to delete that one as well? I’ll leave it open a while longer so that Trailrunner can post another response if he (or she) likes.

I agree that a cache page really isn't the best place for such discussions. I appreciate the support of ALL my friends here, and I sincerely thank those two for their comments -- but I wouldn't blame the cache owner if he were to delete those notes now that their points have been made.

Here’s a "general comment" for you: The cache was hidden in January of 2002. According to the cache page there have been 22 "found it" logs posted during the last three years. Of those 22 logs, at least eight of them included so-called "negative" comments similar to mine. Here are the "negative" portions of those logs (newest first): Cache dry but log damp. The cache was soaking wet. I poured the water out, but that's all I could do. Everything not bagged with the log is soaked thru. This cache was not wet, it was FILLED with water. We dried it out the best we could. Cache was sodden--really lots of water in the container; everything was wet. The cache was half full of water (not half empty ). We gathered the items and dried out as best we could. The old log book was dripping wet, so I took it along with other paper items that were not salvagable. The rest we dried as best we could and rehid. This cache was mindnumblingly easy to find since the contents were strewn all over a square yard area. There was a dollar bill on the ground...so the container must have been opened by critters and not kids. The log book is soaked so I left a new one, although without a good zip-loc bag to protect it. ... the clues really did not help. Others spoke of reception problems from the heavy tree cover, difficulty in getting to the cache location ... the normal stuff. If the owner had a such a problem with MY comments that he thought my find shoud be deleted, then why did he let these other logs remain? In his email to me he said: "My concern was that your negative posting would have kept people from visiting the cache." Huh? He’s concerned about putting off potential future finders? What about this finder? The owner’s explanation for what he did just doesn’t make any sense. As someone suggested earlier, maybe he’s got some personal vendetta against me – either that, or he’s got me confused with some other person he’s got a problem with. As of right now my (third) find log is still there. Stay tuned ...

Yeah, I noticed that too.

So far I think this thread has served that purpose. My intent here was not to cause any pain or embarrassment to the cache owner, of course. I just wanted to vent a little, and to ask for suggestions on how to handle the problem. I've gotten some good ones already! The first email I received from the owner led me to believe him (or her) to be a fairly reasonable person, hence my appeal to reason in my next email. When I didn’t receive ANY response for a week, however, AND my second attempt at logging the find got deleted as well – I began to question the owner’s reasonableness. Of course there’s always the chance that he or she somehow never received the "appeal" email, but on the other hand my FIRST email obviously got through ... If my latest (third) attempt gets deleted as well, I think I'll just use one of my own cache pages to log the smiley. If I do so, of course, I'll include a detailed description of the story, complete with a link to this thread. If you're reading this, [cache owner], the choice is up to you!

I agree peer pressure is one form of whack that is usually effective. I am proposing another kind for those who refuse to do the right thing even after peer pressure is applied. Before we deploy the whackers, let's wait and see what happens with my latest attempt to log the find. And as far as peer pressure goes, I suppose the cache owner may have already received a friendly email or two as a result of this thread.