E = Mc2

Hmm. I thought it had to be named DETAILxx in order for the GPSr to read it. I guess I need to stop reading the manuals... Now to find some inexpensive SD cards! Seems that most of the folks selling on eBay want 2-3x what the shipping actually costs (unlike some of us who only charge ACTUAL shipping). By the time I'd pay shipping, I could just go get same at Wally World... Of course, I already have a 5 state area on my 64MB SD, but who knows, I might need some more coverage! Oh, any news on how to get the more recent version of Mapsend (specifically TOPO) without having to buy a new copy? Mine is Ver. 3.00a Thanks to all.

Oh, I've done it that way, too. But it is so much easier when you're out and about and just want to do the nearest cache. If you don't already have it programmed, you don't spend 20 minutes sorting through all those printouts trying to find which one is nearest... This weekend, I only had three caches that I REALLY wanted to hit, the other ones I did were just "hmm, anything else close?" caches. Off brand cables are about 10-15 dollars on eBay, BTW. I got the PC/power cable for the eTrexfor $13.00, including shipping. My Meridian came with one, of course. If you are new to the sport, then it isn't necessary, but I find that as time goes by, I 'need' a whole lot more stuff (two GPSr's, PDA, digital camera) LOL! Congratulations, Streamwader! Before you know it, you'll be looking for excuses as to why you can't go to work... or find yourself saying things like: "OF COURSE I want to go to your Mother's house dear! What's her zipcode, BTW?"

Good question. Having installed the entire thing on mine, I can't quite remember. There is a "Run" tab on the window which opens when I put the CD in there. I think perhaps you can just run it off the CD... Now for some questions of my own. Another question to ponder is "Will they let me hook up a card reader or my Meridian to the machine at the library?". As far as firmware revisions, I suppose it depends on what type of Meridian you are using, eh? (Green, Gold, Platinum, Color) The latest firmware revision for the Meri-Green that I know about is 4.02. Direct Route? What's that? JK How do you change the ini, EMTJeepers? Email me through the server, would you? I tried putting 115MB of regions into a 128 and it didn't work until I reduced the number of regions to four. Also, what would one name multiple maps? DETAIL00, DETAIL01, etc.? Oh, I seem to recall that there was a way to get the updates to Mapsend if you already have an older version. The version they're shipping now is higher than the one I'm using.

Well, here goes the old 'warn' meter! I'm surprised no one has said anything about the choice of units. I have both, and I can tell you that from experience the basic Garmin is not quite as accurate as the newer models, or a basic Meridian. Something to do with the antennae, I do believe. Also, the Meridian never 'drops out' on me RE: Tree cover, etc. A better receiver will get you closer to a fixed point, but total reliance on the receiver will rarely bag the cache IMHO. Of course, the person who placed the cache may not have accurate coords, too! The smartest computer you carry with you in the field is between your ears. Edited for Speeling

Of course, there was the time when I got a speeding ticket while driving two miles per hour UNDER the speed limit. I rolled my window down and asked the cop (as he finally passed) if he thought he could tailgate any closer... DOH!

Can you do the multiple maps deal if the firmware is not updated, though? You know, that's thought on how to do a workaround on the size limitations imposed by the Mapsend software. Thanks! I was going to recommend that Lonesomedave visit the library, but I wonder if they'd have a problem with hooking up the receiver to their computers?

Oh, and happy anniversary to you, too.

Not to start anything, and please take this in the manner in which it was intended, but the majority of the 'ricers' I see are driving very aggressively - Speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, etc. Several have nearly gotten themselves creamed when they came flying around my bus. I watched one just yesterday pass me at over 120 mph and then exit the four lane wide freeway from the far left lane. Daily occurence, seems like. Cops are going to notice things like that. I'm not saying you do that! That has just been my observation over the years. Oh, and in the last ten years and 800,000+ miles of driving, I have not gotten a single ticket, either on or off duty. Of course, I spend a lot of time watching people pass me, too, as I drive no more than 5 mph over. Forget radar detectors, I want a CELL PHONE JAMMER!

Get that cable! I just uploaded 49 nearby caches into mine in less than a minute. That would have taken an hour to input by hand, and I my fingers would have been WASTED. Streamwader, you might also want to try contacting some of the cachers in your area (email thru their profile pages) and asking them for help. Most of us are more than willing to spends hours on our hobyy... [] Have FUN!

Now if I could just log the danged thing! I drive for a living and have seen close to 20 in the last week. One small problem... I have to maintain a schedule and cannot go 'off-route' at any time. Frustrating to know that there's a cache I can see, but not log!

Thanks to all who responded. I got the Clie at Staples and already can't live without it. Now to get the other stuff installed and start going caching without carrying paper everywhere I go... except for the roll in my pack! Thank goodness I bought the multifunction card reader when I got my SD card for my Meridian, instead of one that only works with SD. I now have three different types of flash memory cards! (SD,CF,MS)

Funny that no one has mentioned how much this thing looks like a Meridian... Seriously! Add the antenna off the 3xx series Magellans to a MeriPplat and there you go. Looks like it should be sweet unit, and it should be, considering the price. Now why didn't they make the memory expandable? I currently have 64MB of maps in my MeriGreen, and the eTrex camo is jealous!

Power/data cable on eBay for $17.55 or just the PC cable for $12.20 including shipping... I started with a MeriGreen that I got as a gift from my caching father (GMcSC). Ran across a eTrex camo in Wally World for $60 and thought I'd sell on eBay. Well, that didn't happen so I now use both at the same time. Each has it's advantages and they work well together. But if I had to keep only one...

Rechargeables are the only way to fly. With the new NiMh and Li/ion batteries, you don't have to wait forever for them to recharge (like the old NiCd's). And no 'memory' like the old NiCd's either! Charger I got will also plug into the car power outlet, allowing me to charge four completely discharged batts at a time in only an hour. Got mine at Wally World, and the set has already more than paid for itself.

Forgive me and shoot a Markwell my way if this has been covered before, but... I'm thinking about investing a couple of dollars in a PDA to use primarily for Geocaching. I've got a Merigreen and eTrex camo already (use one against the other!), and have decided that I might want to try paperless. Can anyone recommend a sub $100 PDA that would fit the bill? I'm really way behind the curve on PDAs, and eveyone seems to have their own personal favorite, regardless of which one is actually better (sounds like some of us talking Garmin v/s Mag!). I'd like for it to have a decent amount of memory, and expandability would be a plus, too. Ease of use is important. Color screens, bells and whistles, etc. are not really necessary. Older models would be fine. Getting the most Bang-for-the-buck is really the determining factor here.

Oops. I meant to explain that I -did- have a reason to be there, BTW... and NO, security didn't know who I was, either.

I just ignore the looks from those around. It's amazing what you can get away with when you -act- like you belong (for official business, etc.). I used to walk directly into the operating room area at a local hospital without ever showing the -required- id badge. No one ever stopped me. I really like the 'radiation' idea though.

No, NO! I'm not that idiot who works for AFLAC! Leave me alone!

That would depend on which of the many antennas you are talking about, and what they are designed to work with...

Of course, once you've done a couple of caches by a certain person or in a certain area, you can get an idea of how far off they are. For some strange reason, people who live in mountainous areas like to put their caches on the side of a sheer cliff and call it a terrain of 1 1/2 ...

Thanks for posting this as I have wondered for a while what it meant. I wish that one could still log them as a Project A.P.E. find instead of just a regular cache. That would be a feather in the cap to have that stat symbol.

Another option is to use a HTML editor and cut out those things you don't want printed (ie the map). I use an old copy of Netscape Composer for that, and I can usually get everything on one page. Some of these cache descriptions go on and on and... This one, (which I still haven't found) for example

I don't see it, myself. Oh, wait a minute. Now I get it. Some words are not capped. IE: a, an, the, for, etc...

This person has gone to the trouble to list all the locationless caches, and broken them down by item type. Comes in handy for me, as I've 'dicsovered' some that I might have never known existed. http://members.aol.com/GeocacherBB/locationless.html

On a similar note: Any idea when we will be able to access larger maps with our cache finds noted? I liked the state page map with all caches and found ones checked...