TomandGina

So, today, it's working with Google version 3. Apparently there is a problem with the KML file and version 4 of Google Earth. Version 3 can be found on the google earth website. Look for the "Download previous versions" link. Too bad there isn't any cache near my hotel!

It seems to have started when I upgraded Google earth to version 4. I just downloaded version 3 again, and installed a new KML file from the website. It gave me the "too many tries for today message", so I'll try it again tomorrow with version 3. I'm running a MacBookPro...

We're both volunteer FF, drivers, and Gina is an instructor too!

I've got a PowerBook G4. I use GPSBabel+ to load gpx files to my Garmin GPSMap 60csx. I also use the Garmin Mapsource software in Virtual PC to load maps. Like TravelinTerriers said, you can't use the Garmin drivers to connect the GPS to Virtual PC, but I've been able to put the GPS in Virtual Disk Mode so it shows up like a USB thumb drive. That way you can use Mapsource to load and retrieve maps from the GPS. Unfortunatley, you can't transfer waypoints or tracks that way. Just maps. And it's VERY slow. I will usually start the transfer and walk away for a while. Even with these inconveniences, I would never give up my mac or my 60 CSX!

I think he was referring to Allay, not you Staufman....

Kinda looks like Tang. Do they still make that stuff?

And for those who don't know, this guy lives in CT!

Are you aware that your bug was logged through Afghanistan, Japan, Antarctica, Yukon Territory, Laos and Uzbekistan all on the same day and hasn't been heard from since that day in May of 2005? That's 37129 miles in one day! Seems a little fishy to me. The person who has it hasn't been on since the day he signed up! Poor Prancer!

Well, I think I definatley have to find a place for one of these! I like the gluing the bark to the bucket idea as camo!

I guess I need to be more creative in choosing a site that doesn't require me to dig (which would make it easier to hide in the first place!) Or, I could give in and steal a smaller container from my kitchen... Maybe a spot in a pile of rocks or something.... I do like the "hanging in the trees", but that may be a little hard to camoflauge when all the leaves are gone up here!

Those are valid points. I definately don't want to ruin the game for others. I happen to have about 20 of these containers stacked in my garage, and figured they would be great hides. I didn't think it would be so difficult to actually hide one!

So if I find an existing hole, drop a bucket in it and push debris around it to anchor it and hide it, would that be ok? Is the sticking point using a shovel to make a new hole?

I'm getting ready to place my a cache. I have a bunch of large plastic buckets with sealing lids. I am picturing burying the bucket in the ground about 6 inches, and then covering the lid with sticks or other natural cover. This would hold the container in place. However, I read the following in the guidelines: Just above that, the guidelines list the following under reasons for a cache to be archived: Why would a cache be denied if it was buried? I can understand not wanting to have to dig it up to find it, but once it's in place, all you would have to do it pull off the lid. If you can't bury the 5 gallon bucket, how else have people hid them?

I should add that the accuracy also depends on the number of satellites your gps can see, as well as tree cover and signal reflections from nearby buildings or other tall objects. The point I picked in the example was just a random click on the map in google earth. It looks like a good spot for a cache!

You may be confusing two different things here. WGS 84 is a datum. It is a standard that says how positions on the globe are determined from a given reference point. Then you have the different coordinate formats. They all represent the same point, and all are using the WGS 84 datum: 36°14'55.35" N 96°36'53.95" W 36°14.9226 -96°36.89928 36.24871 -96.614988 You can paste any of the above coordinates into google earth and it will read them. GC.com can search by the two formats listed on the search page. As long as you are all speaking the same datum (which google earth and gc.com are, and you've set your GPS to use WGS 84) then any of the above formats would work. As for the 15 foot accuracy, that's pretty good. The best you may see is around 7 feet with WAAS enabled on your GPS.

How do I configure Google Earth to use DD MM.MMM? Roy Look for an Options... or Preferences... menu item (depends if you are using the PC or Mac version). There is an option in the "View" tab for Lat/Lon as "Degrees" which is "xx.xxxxxx", or "Degrees, Minutes, Seconds" which is "dd mm ss.ss". I leave my gps in "dd mm.mmm" mode which is what geocaching.com uses. You can enter a location in that format directly into google earth in the fly to search box. When taking a location from google earth and searching on the gc.com site, you can select decimal degrees on the search page, and use the location given by google earth. Make sure your GPS is set for WGS 84 datum, otherwise your locations will be off. Even though the gc.com page says "WGS 84" for entering locations in "dd mm.mmm" format and "decimal degrees" for entering locations in "dd.dddddd" format, they both use the WGS 84 datum. It's just they way they labeled the boxes.

What antenna do you use? Where do you put it while hiking?

Hmmmm... There's just one more reason to upgrade to a new MacBook Pro. Too bad my PowerBook is only a year old!

That's a very interesting discovery. Sounds like a bug to me! Since you can reproduce it, it might be worth an call to Garmin...

I tried MapSource v8 with Virtual PC 7 with all the latest updates. I could not get the software to see my 60CSx via USB. I loaded the software fine, but could never get it to connect. I have used other software using the USB ports in VPC before, but the Garmin didn't want to talk. Does anyone have a new Intel Mac and tried running Windoz natively?

Slightly off topic, but related: I just discovered something about GPSBabel+ 1.3.0 for Mac. If you drag and drop a .gpx file into the file selection box in the "Quick GPSBabel" window, it will not give you the "Send GPS..." button at the bottom. If you use the "Select.." button to pick a file, it works fine. I thought my GPS wasn't working, having read all about the intermittant USB connectivity issues, but turns out to be a bug in the GPSBabel+ GUI.

The ability to search them would be great! Even a page with a listing of all the public lists that we can browse through would be good. The public "caches along a route" lists are what made me think of this. I can easily search and find routes that have already been generated. Something similiar for bookmarks is what I'm thinking.

Is there any way to browse the public bookmark lists? I'm looking for a list of caches hidden by wide glide in CT highlighting local dams. I could sift through all 164 caches he's hidden, but I imagine someone may have already made a list of them (wide glide hasn't). Do you have to know the user's name to view their public lists?

I had a Garmin Etrex Vista (b/w) for abour 4 years now. I just upgraded to the GPSMap 60CSx, and it's great! It's amazing to see the changes in the screen and reception!

I was trying to download the GPSBabel proram but when I go to the download page I am not which file I need to download??? Can you help me out?? There are 4 files listed under the program (i386.rpm src.rpm tar.gz and the zip file which is for windows) ...Just not sure which is the correct one for my computer... Doh! Sorry - I sent you the page for the windoze and Linux versions, even though I have a Mac, too! Friends shouldn't let friends post when tired.