Jeep4two

Thanks for all of the advice. I sent the newbie an Email last night and kindly explained that the caches had not been destroyed and were still tucked away in there hiding places. I also told the newbie that they were not your ordinary run of the mill cache containers and were made to blend into the environment. This highly motivated newbie then returned today to find all 3 caches. I had not yet logged an Owner Maintenance but for some odd reason though, all 3 of my needs maintenance logs have been removed. Maybe the local reviewer had removed them after seeing 3 find logs by the same cacher. All is well with the force! Great decision. . . I think helping to guide noobs (we all had 1 or 2 finds at some point) is necessary at times. I struggled with my first find and posted DNF's a few times as I worked with a group of educators to learn this game. We eventually found our errors and hit GZ spot on. While I haven't had time to get heavily into this over the years (first cache was under an old user name in 2002) I'm trying to integrate this into my leisure time on a more regular basis now. I attribute that motivation to that original experience where the hider communicated with me as follow up to my DNF log - it was a pleasure.

I cordially disagree . A Needs Maintenance log doesn't mean the cache is no longer loggable, and I think it is a useful tool. EXAMPLE: I find a cache and notice the lid is split bad enough so the next time it rains, the cache will become a soup bowl. Having just returned from a business meeting, I only brought a pen to sign the log; no cache repair supplies. I log a NM with my find. I notice the owner lives out of state and won't be in the area for 3 months. JoeTheCacher pulls up the cache page, eager to find the cache. JTC doesn't usually read the previous logs, but notices the NM attribute has been activated. He reads the log to discover the problem, and packs a spare lock n' lock or some camo duct tape and finds the cache, repairing it quickly before the rain and leaving it dry for many more cachers to enjoy. /EXAMPLE It lets cachers be prepared. Of course, they can avoid the examples you mentioned above, although on the 1st example, evidence of a bulldozer plowing through the area usually indicates a need to archive the cache. I agree with some of the others. Log the cache as found, then also enter a NM entry. While some cache owners may watch their logs and read them regularly there are some that rarely log on to the GC website. Of course I guess you could check the owners profile to see their last visit to the GS site and decide whether to just log the fine with appropriate condition notes (if they logged on same day or a day or two ago) or log a NM in addition if they haven't logged on in a few weeks (months) to ensure they receive an e-mail notifying them. I recently felt the need to log a NM after encountering a 'no trespassing' sign that I felt was placed due to the proximity of a cache to the themed location. I wanted the owner to be aware and make sure future cachers were aware as well. I approach this game as a community (online community) of enthusiasts. I would rather slightly offend someone with a NM than expose other cachers to potential problems or a 'soup bowl' find.

Thanks, GPSPhotoLinker is just what I needed. This sounds good! Seems to be a lot of faith being placed in the camera's ability to have an accurate clock. I guess if you sync your clock at the beginning of your shoot day you should be reasonably close. . . I'll have to give this a shot - using different software since I'm a PC...

1) No. There is still a rare "drift" problem, but normally the "accuracy" is equivalent. 2) There is no "one".... 3) Nothing. 4) Oh my, YES. For Geocaching use, the Colorado or Oregon are leaps and bounds better than the "old" units. It make the whole caching experience so much nicer. The current firmware has no serious bugs. I'll add to my reply. Having had a Garmin Legend for years and being happy with it as an occasional use trail use (geocaching included) and car use (Mapsource for street mapping) I decided to stick with Garmin. I just ordered my Oregon 400t the other day. I decided if I was going to make a significant investment ($300 or more) that I wanted to have a single device that can do everything in one unit, was easy to use, flexible, and well supported by the manufacturer. From what I've read the Oregon meets those requirements. Of course you have to get over the sticker shock - but I got mine for $460 be4fore the rebate, so my net will be $410.00 delivered, only about $100 more than the 60CSx is going for these days.

I looked at the Ram mounts. Any suggestions for a retailer or do you buy direct?

I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation (both model and locations to buy) for a universal windshield suction mount for the Oregon? My Oregon 400t is on its way and I've found a few models that I think might work but I'm unsure about the depth being sufficient. Specifically there is a universal mount designed for cell phones by Arkon that has the right width. Tips, pointers, suggestions all appreciated. I always loved the suction mount I had for my Legend and since it's recent demise I've missed it terribly when out caching - almost lost the Legend out the passenger window in a hard left turn yesterday My wifes quick reaction saved it

I would consider either the Vista HCx or the 60CSx with a bit of lean toward the 60CSx. Why? Based on your budget the 60CSx is at the top end (a little over maybe). Functionally the Vista and 60CSx are very similar with the 60CSx having a bit of an edge when it comes to accuracy (from what I've read).

Good choice - You'll get all you need at a great price point. Have fun Geocaching!

ustoy.com can be a great place to order swag/gadgets/trade items from. They sell stuff by the dozen or gross. It's mostly inexpensive Chinese made stuff but they have some nicer stuff too (ironic that it's called USTOY?). Anyhow - you'll love the hobby/sport. It's addictive and extremely fun. Take along a digital camera on your treks to capture those interesting finds, nature, funny moments, etc..

Over 13000 users on this site use the 60CSx - I'd say that's a safe bet. Obviously more money but you'll want the electronic compass for geocaching. I have an older Legend and I really have missed the electronic compass. That's important once you close in on a cache and start moving slowly (non electronic/magnetic compasses use your movement to determine your bearing / heading so when you stop your bearing/heading isn't reliable). If you can afford it - go with the 60CSx. I just picked up a Oregon 400t as an upgrade (B-day present from wife). I'm awaiting its arrival and hope I don't have issues with the screen on the Oregon.

Hehehe - Clipboard - I never thought of that. I need to pick one of those up, along with a magnetic 'cable company' sign for my truck and a grey 'Contracted by <insert cable company name here>' jacket.

Hey Bob - Welcome to the forums: First - you are right. The mileage notations are the distance to the cache from your coordinates (straight line distance - or 'as the crow flies'). In your case it's from the center of that Zip Code that you entered. It's really not that valuable a measurement when dealing with Zip Code - but when you have your home GPS coordinates entered it's more useful. D/T = Difficulty and Terrain. These are on a scale of 1 - 5 with 1 being easiest and 5 hardest. a 5/5 is very difficult with very aggressive terrain. The last part of the coordinates are the decimal values for the minutes. So 47.975 is 47 minutes an 975 thousands of a minute.

Isn't it strange how when hunting a cache we feel so vulnerable, guilty or as if we just got caught making out when we were 16? Got 'busted' the other day by a family of 3. We had just recovered our cache find and retreated away from the hide site to sit on a downed tree to explore the goodies. Then suddenly only 10 feet away on the trail they just appeared. We never hear them coming up behind us. Scared me. We just continued on as if we were supposed to be there. Besides we were - we had the coords and they put is spot on GZ. On the way out the other other vehicle at the trail head was a park rangers SUV that wasn't there when we went in. None of them were in uniform but I'm sure that was their truck - may have even been their cache or other cachers. . . They continued on as most do. I always talk up the hobby if someone bothers stopping and talking. It's a great way to get people interested. I have a Geocaching.com sticker on my truck's rear window (got it from a cache in 2002 - custom made - ohhh yeahhhh ). It's a conversation starter all the time.

I just had a great week (and weekend) of caching after getting back into this activity. I won't argue what this activity qualifies as (game, sport, hobby, past time, waste of time (according to a friend of mine)). I would simply remind everyone to use the search tools to find the types of caches you are interested in (I personally avoid micros for a number of reasons) and then go find them. While you walk from the LZ to GZ enjoy the walk. Enjoy your company. Enjoy your surroundings. Enjoy the experience. I hope everyone logs their caches. I hope they do so honestly and in a timely manner. However if they don't, they don't. I go caching as a way to enjoy my time off. When I start worrying about how others conduct themselves more than enjoying the activity - I'll find something else to do with my free time. I work (and worry about work) more than enough without extending that type of worry into my leisure time. The OP questions whether we are allowing the degradation of geocaching. . . I say if we worry ourselves over trivial 'false logs' or other 'unsportsmanlike' conduct then that fretting is actually what leads to that degradation, not the false logging or other undesired activities. Oh - and GO Guinness! - I'd take my cat Bubba if I could and he'd have an account (yeah - his name is Bubba. . . and he could probably take most of us in only seconds )

Are you working as part of a non-profit organization? If not I think you might find that hooking up with one to promote your idea of Geocaching as a positive and educational diversion might prove fruitful. Consider contacting local chapters of Boys and Girls Clubs, Local Recreation Board (Parks and Rec for example), churches, etc.. Maybe others would have ideas of organizations that might help. You might even chekc with the local schools in your area. There may be someone there that is already involved in Geocaching and the equipment you need may be readily available if you are interesting in providing the guidance and programming skills.

Just pulled the trigger on the Oregon 400t. . . (north adams outdoors website - $462 before rebate with gratis shipping). Thanks for all the input. Now the giddy wait. . .

Interesting - the unit has about 8Mb of memory for maps. So when you are in mapsource, select your maps tab and look at the bottom of the left frame for the total memory for the maps you have selected. Selected map zones should show up as a slight pink highlight. If the total is over 8Mb you'll have to slim down your choices. I'm pretty sure any single zone should be less than 8Mb since the makers of Mapsource seem to have had these types of units and memory limitations in mind. By the way - when you upload a map set it automatically overwrites any map set you have loaded - so there's not any possibility of 'full memory' if you have existing maps. They are simply removed and overwritten using that 8Mb limit. Good luck,

I'll add that my current unit is the Legend. I've always been fairly pleased but recently have been getting frustrated with weak fixes in wooded areas. In addition our most recent outing was quite frustrating. I had a Blackberry with me and had counted on being able to pull info via internet. It seems that the Blackberry browser we have isn't very compatible with the website. Paperless caching is probably a secondary consideration (albeit a close 2nd) to accuracy. I've been reading some more this morning and it seems that the screen viewability issue is mostly a matter of opinion.

I'm trying to decide between the 400t and the 60CXs. I know that the 60CXs will provide me with great results when Geocaching. However I'm also considering the Oregon 400t very seriously due to the flexibility to act as a caching device as well as a driving device (all in one). Just curious about opinions. I really like the paperless caching options of the 400t. I've read a bit tonight but would be interested in any opinions.

Just curious - how do you like our new unit. Specifically I'm interested in your opinion on viewabilty of the screen, and accuracy in wooded (moderate/dense cover) areas. I've seen a lot of people complain about the screen being difficult to us in 'normal' sunlight.