SpoonDogSVT

Sweet! Good luck, looking forward to visiting and using it! --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

I'm not headed up there myself, but I am in posession of a TB myself ("The Ring") that wants to head to Seattle as well. --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

I actually have all of Oregon in the ST:Color now, albeit in two seperate regions (MapSend Topo). --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

Hey Casher, I was in the exact same dilemma as you (Platinum vs. Color) and ended up getting the the Color as my first receiver. Why? 1. I *liked* the idea of a color screen. As a newbie, I don't know any real reason to have color over b/w, but I *liked* the idea of a color screen. 2. I didn't think I would need all that much memory/expandibility for my first unit. I will say that I can keep a large range of topo information for western oregon/washington (eugene to seattle) in the confines of the Color's memory. Also, since I already have several other devices that use CompactFlash memory media, I didn't want to have to purchase a new type of memory (SmartMedia). 3. I liked the size of the Color vs. the Platinum. I actually got a chance to hold the units in my local Best Buy, and I found that the Color was a better fit (smaller) than the Platinum, for me. Again, not trying to sway you one way or another, just trying to let you know what worked for me. ~rick --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

Does the moon itself actually shine? Or is it really just reflecting light from the sun back to us viewers on the Earth, making it appear that the moon is 'shining'? And what about the SporTrak Color's backlight? The SporTrak Color has a 3D (?!) electronic compass that does not depend on a 'sun' or 'moon' reference point. From what I can gather, this is the same compass that is used on the Magellan Meridian Platinum. You do need to calibrate for North each time you replace batteries, and you do get to select between magnetic and 'true' north. Hope this helps! --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

Found Canemah Cache and Falls to a Higher Elevation today. What fun! Gonna try for some of the 'older' (not visited so recently) caches in the area next. --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

I like it, but I'm a newbie and don't have anything to compare it to. It worked well to help me find my first cache, the Un-Original. I liked the backlighting, especially under the trees and it seemed to be able to get signals under there. I really like having the built-in compass, as that was one of my required features in a GPSr. Overall, the Color seems to be a great device in a convenient package. Anything more specific I can answer? ~rick --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

Woo hoo, my first cache found! I took dasein's advice and found the "Un-Original" cache today as my first cache. It took a while because I parked at the wrong spot in the road and ended up walking the trails that are sorta SW of the cache location. Eventually I broke down and decoded the hint, which gave me the info I needed to walk down the road and find the cache. I looked for, but couldn't find, the original bucket described in the history. Is it even still there anymore? Anyway, I did start making a list of things I need to add to my cachesack (geocaching backpack): ziplock bags, trash bags, gloves, flashlight, and liquid bandaids. I'm also going to print up some 'business cards' for dropping in logs. Anything else I need to add? [Edit: don't bother answering this question, I'm searching the forums for pertinent threads.] evergreenhiker: thanks for the hints; i don't know when I'll be exploring the gorge caches - i don't feel quite up to the challenge yet, but maybe later this summer. For now I think I better find a few more local caches to gain more experience. oregone: I liked your reply, very creative and interesting! I'll have to spend some more time exploring those links. I think tomorrow I'm going to try the "Falls to a Higher Elevation," "Oregon History Lesson #8," and "Canemah Cache" as they appear to be very close to each other. Wish me luck! See ya on the trails or in the forums; and thanks again! ~rick --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..." [This message was edited by SpoonDog on June 19, 2003 at 11:56 PM.]

Hello all, especially you SE Portland locals! Just got my SporTrak Color via UPS this afternoon, and the wife and I are looking forward to exploring the area. Anyone have any hints, tips, locations, events, etc. for a neophyte? Thanks! ~rick & deb --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

I ordered mine last week for ~$350- from http://www.sureneeds.com But I'm a newbie just getting started, but this unit seemed to have all the features I wanted (wanted vs. needed). --- "Seems to be I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."

I hope to start my GeoCaching experience by picking one of these up tomorrow. Turns out that one of the yahoo/online vendors is located in my area (http://store.yahoo.com/sureneeds/maspconam98.html). Wish me luck! ~rick --- "Seems to me I can't even find my own bum with a GPS..."