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hmm... i couldn't find on garmin's website whether the vista has a patch antenna or not, it's just lists "built in". anyway, i have a map60c and love it. since i don't have the 60cs, which has the built in compass, i haven't seen my unit say to hold the gps level. the 60cs has a quad helix antenna which likes to be held in an upright postition, not level, so maybe if you want the *compass* to be accurate, you should hold it level, and if you want the *location* to be accurate, you should hold it upright. my guess is that the vista has a patch antenna and was perfectly happy with a horizontal position, but the 60cs will get better, more reliable reception when held vertically. here is some hopefully helpful info: Mobile Crossing

hmm, check out this website. i'm sure shipping would be painful, but there are watertight large containers out there. this one is 31" X 12" X 19"

i have recently gotten into wearing "convertable" pants. i insist on wearing long pants to keep my legs from getting scratched up. i wear the pants while caching (love having so many cargo pockets) and if i get warm between caches, i can zip off the pantlegs and wear shorts instead. and i try to keep the colors light so the ticks are visible. i miss cold weather...

it'll take a little getting used to, but you'll love your 60c. i *hated* the boomerang effect. my geobuddies were kind enough to let me use their old SporTrak Pro for a while and when i saved up some money i bought a 60c and i love it. with the STP i overshot caches frequently and sometimes by >100ft. it is interesting now to cache with people who use magellans because they often boomerang and come back to where we garmin owners are searching. both manufacturers are good, but it's nice not having to stand and wait and worry about the boomerang. i'd rather get the "lost satellite reception" message and know than have my gps "figure" out where i am and tell me the vicinity without telling me how accurate it is (and without satellite reception, but "shhh, i'm not telling that i can't receive satellite signals here").

additionally, i like having the online logs so i can read through people's comments for any info: -coords being off -particularly muddy cache site area -very pretty area -short/long, nice walk, carpy walk and sometimes, if it's a hard find and the clue is useless, you can try to use some clues from online logs. if i enjoy a cache, i make sure to leave a somewhat verbose log both for the placer's benefit and my own. i enjoy reading my old logs and remembering the hunt. of course i would rather someone doesn't log online at all than log the same comment and/or tnln for every online log.

thanks for the advice and kind words. and thanks for the link to your thread, sbell. i'm glad you made it out of that relatively okay. this is my first accident and it's interesting to go through this process... it's all very surreal. i did not waypoint the crash, but my gps was on because i was between caches and i had used the gps to try to give coordinates to the 911 dispatcher. they didn't help at all because the first responders are not equipped with gps units. i think that's unfortunate given the ubiquity of gps technology these days. i was on vacation and was unfamiliar with the area and couldn't give an accurate description of where i was on the highway. when i gave the nearest cross-street name listed on the gps map, she said she didn't have that street name in the system. it turns out the city semi-recently took the names off of streets and started numbering them so sullivan street (listed on the gps map and also on MS streets & trips) is now something like 68th street. luckily some US forest rangers were nearby and pulled up to help. i handed them my phone and they gave the dispatcher the location. i am lucky that it was a car on car collision. i am glad that your jeep handled the collision so well, sbell. and thanks again for the thread link. i know now to turn off lights at night if someone is coming head on. my accident happened in broad daylight but it's always good to learn defensive driving techniques.

that was a 99 toyota camry. passenger compartment mostly intact. a few stitches on my knee and a broken foot. my passenger was not broken, but very sore and bruised up. we're waaaay lucky to walk away from it. actually, the red car on the left was the other car involved in the crash. they decided to turn left in front of me while i was driving along a two lane highway.

i know that a cache exists to log if you get a speeding ticket: GC38D4 Flits does one exist for car accidents that happen while caching? i'll be hankering to get a cache in any way i can these next few weeks... make sure you all wear your seatbelts while in a car. it can save your life too. i air bags.

here is an email i sent to a local parks and rec: Hello, I am a [same county] resident who recently visited one of Comstock's lovely parks, South Wenke Park. I would like to let other people know about this nice spot, so I wanted to write you a note to ask you for permission to place a geocache in this park. I am not sure if you are familiar with geocaching so please allow me to explain it if you do not. Geocaching is a growing hobby/activity that is played by people all over the world in which people use GPS units to locate hidden containers. This is, of course, an oversimplified explanation, but a general description of the sport. More information is available at http://www.geocaching.com/faq/ if you would like to see more information. Geocachers are sensitive to the environment and practice "Cache in, trash out" which is the practice of removing litter from areas they may come across. It is a great family activity which brings people to places they may never have found if not given coordinates and a reason to go there. I think geocachers would enjoy visiting some of your parks and was hoping that I could get permission from you to place a small camouflaged container in an inconspicuous spot. I would expect throughout a year, approximately 30 geocachers would visit a cache like this, leaving virtually no environmental impact. If you have concerns or questions about what this is all about, please feel free to contact me at this email address. I did not see any land usage policy that you may regarding geocaching on your website, so please let me know. Thank you for your time. and the response i received: Hello, Yes, you can put a geocache in the park. [director's name] our director loves to geocache and we would love to get the coordinates when you place it. Sorry it took so long to respond, our internet was down. Thank you for letting us know you wanted to place one. We are very excited. Thank You Again Comstock Parks and Recreation Dept. all in all, a pretty positive resonse. still haven't figured out what geocaching name the director goes by...

one of my caching buddies is a veritable locationless database. we tease her about it. we'll pass a stick on the sidewalk and say, "ooh! that's a locationless!" similar to the way that she does for some obscure locationless object. eh, i could take or leave locationless caches. i'd rather get coordinates and go find something than find something and hope i have my gps and my camera with me and that it hasn't already been logged. my buddy? she love love loves locationless. different strokes for different folks. thanks for the update, jeremy. i'm sure the interface and documentation is a lot of work.

that first link is for one lot of 6 pallets of cans, Tharagleb.

maybe i'm naive, but because it was the first log and the log wasn't really attitude-y, i would have read it as First Did Not Find.

i've had my share of run ins with autorouting lately, but that is part of the adventure i guess. i just end up laughing it off (after i'm done cursing it out). parking coords are nice when there is a specific place that one should park or if the parking situation is kind of hinky. lately, i have come across several caches where, if you want to park anywhere nearby, you have to park on the property of private businesses. i don't like doing that. it would be a nice option to have a separate field for parking coords *as an option* in PQs and GSAK.

well, all you have to do is sit in a big bowl of minestrone to fix that right up.

actually, you could use "The Markwell Technique" with just about any mapping program. find your circles and choose your locations to do your PQ. GSAK will let you export the waypoints to tons of different mapping programs... the idea is really kind of independent of the mapping program.

from the FAQ: Do you have an FRS/PMR channel to find out if other Geocachers are in the area? Yes. The community has decided on channel 2 as the primary for both FRS and PMR, and 12 as the alternate FRS (Family Radio Service) channel and 8 for the alternate PMR (Europe). FRS and PMR radios are longer distance walkie talkies, like the Motorola Talkabout. aside from an event i've attended, i've never heard anyone on those channels... hope you're able to hook up with some other cachers!

markwell has a nice step by step process too: Caches on a Route if you go on a long trip and/or through a more cache saturated area, this may be a good way to do it... that way you don't have to go through and identify as many caches. for short trips, i do like panning the map, identifying, and reading through the cache descriptions.

jeez, louise. i sure wish michigan had this law. i would never be ripped off again. if only they would print all the legal mumbo jumbo so i could read every word of it right there, i would be safe from all scams. nice legislation. oops! i mean, bad jeep! bad!!

You accidently voted for Ralph Nader these dadgum lawmakers passing useless... wait a minute...

that is some serious bushwhacking. imagine that little social trail!

as long as the person carrying is trained and comfortable with that weapon. otherwise it's possibly perilous for the packing person.

got me... i have no idea what LHTUTSF means... Markwell, on the other hand: When a response to a new post in the forums points you to a similar topic in the past. Based on the user Markwell. that's from the Geocaching.com glossary

oooh! i get to do two markwells in a day! welcome MSea, to geocaching and the forums! This thread is a great place to start for questions like this. (and you can learn what a markwell is.) there is a whole glossary to this game because we're all a little funny in the head like that. hope this helps answer some more questions for you! happy caching! edit: the 6th post down lists some more acronyms too!

i hate people. dumping hazardous carp in the woods (or anywhere, really) is NOT COOL thanks for the info, everyone... good to learn about this stuff.

a cacher found a pipe near one of my caches and she was kind enough to move it away from the cache location. when i got to the cache to remove it completely, it was gone. somone cached in and hashed out?