Iwuzere

Add an ?dist=100 - or some other amount of miles to then end of that URL to see more - it means distance=100 miles from start Thanks, after a lot of messing about I finally got that to work (doesn't work from my profile page where my home coords are) when I actually tried http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?dist=120 ... d'oh! .. the one at the bottom of page 10 is 106.5 miles away

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx seems to have a 50 mile limit - I only get 47 in total! 200? I can but dream..

(discussed before at http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=80114 - but I'm still looking for more technical links .. but not TOO technical, LOL)

If anyone has any good links I'd be interested and grateful, it would be interesting to see the gains and directional patterns of both types of antenna. I suspect there's really not that much in it, no more than a dB or two in most directions, just differences in the 'radiation' pattern (if that still applies to a receiving antenna!). In any case, the large losses you get from being under tree cover reduce the signal so much that neither type of antenna is going to cope well. MOST of the time you'll lose signal with either antenna, so why worry about the issue when it's only about 10% of the time that another type of antenna MAY make a SMALL difference? 73

Well I've finally bought one! The GPS-60 arrived today, and it all seems very friendly to use. I've had a good rummage through all the submenus and got it all set up, found my home location to within 9ft after averaging for a minute or two... what an impressive piece of tech! Watch out local caches.. here I come! Now I just have to track down that useful posting on these forums somewhere.. the one that explains the difference between shaded sats on the sat positions display, non-shaded, flashing (!?), the D symbol.. how to tell if it's found a WAAS sat.. etc. The manual doesn't explain it at all. I even ended up with a D floating in the middle of where a bar could be.. but there was no bar at all Then I have to get my head around tracks versus routes.. hopefully this will seem ridiculously simple when the penny's dropped Then.. connecting to the PC.. even more joys of Figuring Things Out... all good clean fun

Live and let live. Ignore the numbers if that doesn't appeal to you.. just leave them to it. It doesn't affect your personal take on the game does it? Why get annoyed with other people doing what appeals to them? That's just intolerance. Do your thing and enjoy it without letting the rest of the world spoil it for you.

I'm trying to choose too. That globalpositioningsystems site is handy for reviews with screenshots and manuals to download. Their prices compare well (as do many other online sites - try others too!) to the hassles of auction sites and the broadly similar prices there. The Gecko models are cheaper but are more limited - you may find you really want to connect the thing to your PC, and the cheap Geckos don't allow that. Up the price range a bit we have etrex Legends and Ventures which are the same handy size but give you mapping facilities - which could turn out to be well worth the extra money, but I'm not sure I need all that because I generally know how to get to areas, I just need to know more precisely where I am when I get there! I believe they also support WAAS/EGNOS (a system that provides greater accuracy, same thing but called WAAS in the USA and EGNOS in Europe) whereas the basic yellow etrex doesn't? I still haven't found the definitive answer on this one - some say it does, some say it doesn't.. the manual doesn't mention it at all. Then there's the GPS 60, which is tempting me. It's slightly bigger than the etrex line and there's no mapping, but it has : a bigger clearer screen with more options than the basic etrex (alarm, calculator, games) a better 'Helix' aerial (the etrex 'patch' antennas need the units to be held flat for best results) a socket to allow an external aerial to plugged in, in the car a USB connection to the PC as well as the slower serial connector has WAAS for sure slightly longer battery life Hopefully someone will correct me if I've made any mistakes here. Good luck choosing, and please tell us what you've bought. ta! It's a bit of a minefield, but the extra features you'll get for the extra money will probably be well worth the small extra outlay and save you having to upgrade. I like the size of the very popular yellow etrex but I'll probably get the more recent GPS 60.

If I ever get around to buying a GPSr and joining in your hobby, I'm fairly confident I'll enjoy it simply for the fun of being outdoors, hunting for something with a cool gadget, finding areas I may not have visited before (tricky in an island 5 miles by 9!), and the satisfaction of finding the cache. I don't think I'll really care about what my score is.. it's meaningless because all caches are different. The only way it could mean something is if different people had to find the same caches, and were judged upon that. You need a comparison feature where you enter your login name and someone else's, and it compares you to see who's the winner based upon the caches you've both had a go at. Of course to play this properly you'd have to log caches you've tried to find but have not been able to. It wouldn't work of course, so forget it It's a bit like one of my other gadget interests, ham radio. I enjoy making the contacts, but I can't see why I should mess about with filling in QSL cards to confirm the contact.. keep a score of how many countries I've "worked", apply for awards, all that rubbish. I just enjoy using the radio and making the contact. I'm not in it for paperwork or keeping scores! Just my "2 cents" worth, from a perspective of someone without a GPSr yet.. if it's of any use

I read some reference to it, in an online discussion about GPS on slashdot.org... I followed some links and thought it sounded interesting, but I couldn't justify the cost of a GPSr. Years later, I'm STILL wondering whether 100 pounds is worth it for a toy to help me find the 14 caches on this small island! I've now got permission from The Wife to buy something like a Garmin GPS60.. although it's just slightly too big for my liking. Maybe in another few years I'll finally buy one. Carry on having fun without me!

Thanks for the replies.. I must admit I'm still finding it very hard to decide! There are other 'toys' competing for my toys budget, too Cheers

Sorry to resurrect a dormant thread but I'm trying to decide (for bog-standard geocaching) between a a ) cheap yellow etrex off ebay b ) nearly twice the price GPS60 - or c ) Legend (not colour) The Garmin site says the yellow etrex *DOES* do WAAS/EGNOS (same thing I assume?!) and yet time and time again I see people saying it doesn't.. it's really confusing!! Does it, or not? I like the 60's USB and better aerial/reception but it looks quite big in the local shop.. but I haven't seen a yellow etrex in the flesh.. is there much in it? Is the 60 better or worse to use the the "click stick" on the Legend? All help gratefully received, thanks

quote:Originally posted by Paul G0TLG:I'm still desperately hoping for the day I get to work MØRON Try uk.radio.amateur, there are plenty of them on there

quote:The interview for this can now be downloaded http://www.martinhwatson.co.uk/geocaching.html Great, thanks. But what's that annoying bleeping for, all the way through?

quote:Originally posted by rayt333:Instead of whinning ... Your lack of common sense... Look, I've explained myself fully and reasonably and I'm not taking any more of this. Go away, leave me alone and GROW UP!!!! I'm ignoring any further posts from you. Cheers everyone.

quote:Originally posted by Majick Man:Squaring Pi is just not mathematically possible...we haven't found out how large the number really is. Shouldn't that be 'we haven't found out how SMALL the number really is'? We know it's as large at 3.14something ) Can anyone clear a puzzle for me.. all these caches that require puzzles to work out the digits.. but the full location is given at the top of the page?! Do you just have to use your will power not to look at it?

quote:Originally posted by Pharisee: quote:Originally posted by Iwuzere:Doesn't the increased accuracy make the game too easy though? ... most caches were hidden without the aid of EGNOS anyway so the quoted co-ordinates can only be approximate. You could be searching 'accurately' for a box that was hiden 'un-accurately' if you see what I mean. On top of that.... you've got some really devious people out there hiding the boxes. Suppose that the game grows enormously in the next few years. The majority of players have WAAS/EGNOS and most caches end up with accurate coordinates.. even the most devious hides are going to be pretty obvious when you're only 1 metre away! Not trolling, but seriously and objectively just wondering if the game will end up with a limited lifespan and technology will make it obsolete? (not meant to be heresy, LOL) I admit that I'd still be interested even if a GPSr took me straight to it. It still gets you out of the house and into the Real World!

test. please ignore I'm trying to change to a different pic, but each time I log in I get "server error in '/' Application.. Syntax error converting from a character string to uniqueidentifier. etc." I'm on another PC because on the first PC I can't login or even go to the geocache.com forum AT ALL! Maybe if I come back in a few days it'll be sorted... bye for now [This message was edited by Iwuzere on June 11, 2003 at 04:41 AM.]

quote:Originally posted by Markwell:The difference is that you have to find SOMETHING with the GPS first. Subtle difference, but in my humble opinion, one is in line with Geocaching, and one is not. I can see what you mean, but it's so subtle as to be outweighed by the need to get things going here. It's only a temporary measure. One finder with the right spirit and the cache becomes a real geocache. This is what seems to be the sticking point! OK, so I accept that my way, the cache wouldn't be a real geocache at first. The question is, can this website bear to list the cache WITH A CLEAR EXPLANATION, or not? Just why would that be a problem? Isn't it up to the seeker to decide what they consider to be worth looking for? Does it mess things up for anyone else, and if so, how? Maybe I missed something?! And if there actually is a REAL problem with that, would it be possible to add a new category of cache - those temporarily without accurate coordinates? It's up to geocaching.com and I haven't yet asked - I was hoping to guage opinion first. It has been well and truly guaged! I would ask people to consider one thing though. What if I'd been a journalist or TV researcher posing as an interested newcomer? Just what impression would I have ended up with from all this, and what might I have written... Cheers

quote:Originally posted by Ltljon:I'm not at all familiar with your area but surely someone around the island is a cacher & could be located through your regional forums. Good luck, hope it all works out. Thanks. I have tried emailing, no answer yet but sometimes it's easy to let a few days pass without checking ALL email accounts. Today I find I have misgivings about sending hoards of people into little-known areas, but I'll probably talk myself out of it. What harm can they really do?

quote:Originally posted by JoeCthulhu:I don't mind so much about the topic. What I can't stand is someone stealing my icon. Oh sorry, I didn't know it was in use. I'll see what else I can come up with!

thanks. Doesn't the increased accuracy make the game too easy though?

I nearly asked this yesterday! My options were going to be : Exploration, Finding new places? A good excuse to get out and about? The hide and seek aspect? Simply playing with the GPS toy? Trading trinkets? Secrecy - knowing something most others don't? The Score - getting competitive? Or maybe all the above aspects (and more) all combine together in such a great way that it's just irresistable?

Thanks for the reply TMAN264. I'm glad we're being civil today, because let's face it, rudeness is something that really ought to be avoided if possible. I've found myself being VERY rude to people when I thought they deserved it, but really it's not something I look back on with any pride. I'm not trying to make my own rules though, just bend them slightly for a SHORT WHILE to get things going. Besides, I don't believe The Rules were set in stone by Moses, but evolved over time to meet peoples' requirements. Well, here I am with a new requirement. It's up to democracy whether rules can be changed - often they can over time (i.e. Formula 1 racing, the first example off the top of my head. Or how about Ammendments to The Constitution, etc). Anyway, we'll see. A friend of mine might be able to borrow a GPS off another friend, so all's well that ends well. Cheers

Thanks Icenians Cache 22 - LOL, like it! I'm still having trouble with the concept of offsets, with vague directions, being any better than what I was suggesting, though! No, no Dixons, Argos, Comet or anything remotely like it, over here. "Don't take the attitudes of people on these forums as indicative of all people in the game." yes, there is similar unpleasantness in Amateur Radios forums too, so I'm quite familiar with it. Cheers

More abuse? While I can see what you're saying, you need to think it through. If I turned up at an EXISTING cycle club with a heavy old bike (no gears) I'd expect to be laughed at. If, however, there wasn't even a club to start with, I'd by trying to find other cyclists to form a club before I spent tons on a proper lightweight 21-gear racing bike.. with no-one to race against! yes? "Heck if it makes you feel better then hide the dadgum cache" Calm down... the problem would be, that I couldn't get it 'approved' to show up here. "and don't be surprised if nobody seeks it out" No loss there, surely? Without my efforts perhaps there will still be only one cache in the island for a while, if I get to plant some they'll have a choice. Just one finder giving me the position and the whole issue is over, it's then a real geocache. I'm staggered that this is a problem for some people! "I know I wouldn't waste my time with one like it." Are you having a bad day? This seems odd. If you can walk straight up to a cache with WAAS accuracy and find it with no effort it's worth doing, whereas getting to the right area and following a clue or two and sudddenly it's a waste of time?! I have to wonder why you bother at all!