Clown Knife

Back when I started GC'ing in 2002, most caches were ammo cans loaded with goodies in very nice rural areas. Sigh! Those were the good old days. Today's caches are mostly small, micro, nano, and yes, even pico sized. The whole concept of the sport has changed dramatically; in my county it is all about who can hide the smallest cache in the most highly muggle prone areas. The concept of actually placing a "treasure" cache has all but vanished. That said, once in a while I will find a nice sized cache with real swag, and it gives me hope for our sport. I would add things to your chache that you would like to find in a cache. Including a "first-to-find" prize is a nice touch for launching a new cache. Be aware that not all hunters are kids, and stock it accordingly. Most caches will degrade over time unfortunately, and will have to be refreshed if the CO desires to keep it interesting. A cache will have to be maintained also; remove foods, candy, gum, and other inappropriate items that tend to accumulate. In addition, for some reason I cannot understand, some finders will not replace the cache as found and it will have to be re-hidden. I've found caches sitting right out in the open and or totally exposed. In summary, it takes a bit of time to properly own and maintain a cache. While exciting for new COs, the novelty may wear off and interest is lost; the cache just exists as it is, semi-abandoned, dies off eventually, and winds up being archived. About 66 percent of the caches I've logged over the years have vanished. Anyway, good luck! ~CK

If you don't see the cache after looking around some, LOOK UP! Some caches are cleverly hidden in plain sight. Try to see things through the "eyes of the cache owner"; where would YOU hide the cache? Also, try approaching the cache site from different angles while allowing your GPS receiver to "settle down." I've found many a cache that way that eluded me initially. After a few finds you will develop a "cache sense" or geo-sense that will aid you during future hunts. Make sure your GPS receiver is calibrated (if applicable) and functioning properly. In most cases, the cache will be within a radius of 25 to 30 feet from ground zero. It is rare that posted coordinates will put you right on top of the cache, although it does happen from time to time. Lastly, be patient while searching and stay focused. Sometimes we cannot see for looking. Carefully survey the area and try to see something that is unusual and or out of place. Bingo! Happy caching! ~CK

I started hunting geocaches in October of 2002. I bagged my 100th find in October of 2004. Today I logged my 146th find. As much as I enjoy hunting caches, I am not obsessed with it. Some folks don't go to the bathroom in their own housees without their GPSRs in their hands. I live in the heart of the California Silicon Valley were there are thousands of cute little MICRO CACHES hidden in high traffice areas in devious ways. I've almost stopped hunting those silly hides. I find it to be a waste of time. I cut my teeth hunting real geocaches in ammo cans that had lots of goodies in them. It seems the sport has migrated to the silly thoughtless micros in my area today. What a pity.

Maeglin, thanks for the "sympathy." Microsoft Brain Implant user/victim huh? Ha! Too funny. You win. I'll concede. I'll go to my room and play with my PC with all the groovy software and links and compatibilities you MAC users drool over and beg for. What IS very funny is that the MAC GX3 cannot run OS X and Steve Jobs is now selling Windows software. All I'm saying is, if you want to play with the big boys, why not buy a cheap PC and stop trying to reinvent the wheel? I assume you can use a PC, eh? I will close by saying; Another Apple lobotomized whining........oh never mind. Happy Hollidays! I apologize for my arrogant PC bigotry. You MAC users already have enough problems. Green Archers, maybe MAC users should seek out and find legitimate MAC software for GPS applications and submit them to geocaching.com for consideration and inclusion. Geocaching.com cannot provide links to programs that do not exist and or that it does not know about. Hmmmm......do I want to build a site that caters to 90 percent of the market's personal computer platforms or 10 percent? Maybe if those in the 10 percentile group would contribute funds for R&D to make it worthwhile? Nah! Don't want to open that can of apples, er, worms. Peace!

TotemLake, you know there is no 100 dollar solution for that teacher, whether Garmin or Magellan is chosen. Extras have to be purchased, data cables or memory or both. So what is your point? I never mentioned peanuts, but you seem to be familiar with nuts. Perhaps they run in the family? Did your mother have any children? Sheesh! Oops upside your head! Who died and made you Chief Financial Officer? Get real!

The 5.12 firmware for the Magellan Meridian Gold/Platinum rocks. I love it! You should have no problems at all. Go ahead. Take the plunge! You will not regret it. The new version contains lots of new features.

Color: Eats batteries but you can connect an external antenna (who needs on of those anyway?) Backlight must be on most of the time to see screen clearly. Platinum: Digital compass, barometer, thermometer, great B&W screen with longer battery life. Don't care about compass, barometer, and thermometer? Get the MeriGold. My two cents worth. I have the Platinum in case you could not guess.

Forget all the EULA crap. Go ahead and make the backup copy. It is a piece of cake. I made two backups, just in case. Peace! I have the 3.00b version and it is not copy protected in any way.

Yawn! Another MAC whiner. Face the music! It is a right handed world and a PC world. You can't change that! Why hasn't a MAC user started his or her own MAC geocaching site? I want BetaMax for my VCR too! MACs are cool, for MAC users, but stop trying to force your hand on the rest of the world. Get over the lack of MAC products or go buy a cheap PC and get with the rest of us. Sheeesh! Intelligent MAC users know this and don't whine every chance they get. But....iTunes is way cool......for Windows. Even Steve Jobs "saw the light", why can't you?

If you will be using a magnetic compass to compliment your GPS unit, then use Magnetic North, the same as the compass. No need to mix the two.

Memory is cheap! He needs good reception in tree cover and that would be Magellan and it comes with the data cable to connect to the PC. Nya nya nya!

I've hunted several urban caches lately that were in very close proximity to human feces, lots of it! I chose not to touch it. Disgusting and hazardous!

Just because one has the tools, GPS, Compass, Maps, does not mean one has the intelligence to use them! Kind of like folks that buy RADAR detectors and have no clue how to use them. I see this everyday. The techno clueless! An aqualung can't help you if you don't know how to swim!

Ha! Try Geocaching while BLACK! I look suspicious where ever I go to hunt urban caches. I have no disguise, though I am considering making one. I have some boots and a hardhat and a clipboard to start with. Lately I just imagine myselt to be "invisible" and try to ignore onlookers. I have experienced only one encounter during 14 months of hunting caches. Fortunately I had logsheets and maps with me to explain my odd behavior. Most of you probably wonder where I'm coming from with this, but you have to live it to know it. It is like Driving While Black and Shopping While Black and etc.............

You've given me a great idea! Why not make a natural looking geocache container? You know, like an artificial "tree" or "stump" or "bush" or "boulder?" Construct it so it looks like it really belongs, kind of "natural" but not. That way you can just place it someplace where it will "blend in" with the natural surroundings. It make take some work, but oh what a fine hide it would make! Imagine someone actually sitting on your geocache while scratching their heads in utter frustration because their GPS reads 1 foot and they cannot find the cache. Hmmmmmmm.........!

I've been a geocacher since October of 2002. I've visited parks and places I would probably never have visited were it not for hunting caches hidden there. Hunting urban microcaches has enlightened me in the way I see and look at things now. I used to hate urban microcaches (too difficult to find), now I love the challenge! I do not like the forums much. I find too many of the following: Too sensitive: "Waaaaa....you stepped on my pee pee!" Too silly: "My pee pee is bigger than your pee pee!" Too stoopid: "What's a pee pee? Do I need one? Where do I get one" What do I do with a pee pee?" Geocaching is a reason to get out of the house and visit a place I've never seen before. I don't do virtual or puzzle caches. No time for those. I like wilderness caches the best. I like hiking and enjoying mother nature's wonders.

Can you tweak the display to include a distance field? Then you would know how far away you are from the waypoint. If not, then you may be SOL. Have you tried the technical support staff for the software? They may have the answer you require. Otherwise, you may need to get a real GPS. Sorry. Good luck! Edit: Why is the Range field blank? Figure that out and you may be golden.

If you have a computer, load Easy GPS, import the waypoints from the GPS into it, clear the waypoints from the GPS, then send just the waypoints you want back to the GPS. It is a piece of cake and very fast and easy. I do it all the time.

You can find a GPS meeting your specs at www.shopharmony.com. It is the Magellan Meridian GPS, but it will cost you $149.00 plus shipping.

There are dash mounting kits available for GPS units. Go to the Garmin and Magellan websites and browse their offerings, then make your decision and subsequent purchase.

The best GPS costing under 400 dollars is the one you happen to like. It is as simple as that. There is no such thing as a "bad" GPS. Buy one and get to it!

I read about it in the newspaper back in June of 2000. I finally bought a MeriPlat in October of 2002. I've been geocaching ever since. This is my 100th post! Woo hoo!

I don't use a mount for my MeriPlat in my car. I simply place the unit in my cupholder and it works like a charm and I can see it clearly. I drive a Ford Contour SVT, 1998. All my geobuddies are jealous! But, having said that, I would buy the RAM mount. They are awesome!

Looks to me like Garmin is trying to go "one up" on the Magellan MeriPlat. It reads nice on the Garmin website, but the proof is in the pudding. The Geocaching features are appealing, if they indeed work as advertised. I will wait for Magellan to counter Garmin before I upgrade my MeriPlat. First generation units usually suck and are disappointments full of bugs and design flaws. What about the high price tag? Ouch! The memory is limited to 56Mb? Whose idea was that? Too funny! I've always wanted to play games on my GPS.....NOT! I'll bet the battery life is not half of what Gramin is claiming. Magellan rules! Flame on!

MapSend does not support any locking or unlocking features at all. Use it at will, all you want.