Cushie Butterfield

We started out in October with an EtrexH but I keep getting frustrated when we stop and the compass keeps pointing different ways. It takes me ages to key in all of the co-ordinates we need. I've ordered a Garmin 60csx which should be here by Thursday. I have seen the button to transfer cache information to garmin - how does that work? Does it transfer the clues etc too so I don't need to write anything down? Will it have the cables I need or do I need to buy something extra? I have USB cables for my camera etc, are they the same? Any advice on how to use it will be a great help Thanks Mum Skully

Just a heads up for anyone looking for coin storage, Lidl have cases on sale from Thursday at £4.99 each http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c....ectors_Case.ar1

What is dipping please?

I took my poor kids for a 'short' search, due to my ignorance and inability to work a simple GPS we walked 9 miles, most of it in the dark and never found the cache. My daughter was the only person prepared for survival, she saved our lives with a tiny packet of Swizzles. The next day I packed a bag with a torch and water bottle then read the instructions for my GPS.

I don't care what is in the cache, I appreciate the exercise and it's fun finding the cache. My 10 year old and 17 year old like to trade items so we bought a bag of goodies to trade with. Some novelty toys, small bits for pencil cases, novelty candles etc for the kids, I bought some cheap rain capes and small propelling pencils to leave for adults.

We are new and bought the EtrexH and we love it, only problem is we have Mac computers so a cable wont work with it

We have only just started but we haven't tried without GPS, I was surprised how exciting I found it, we have had loads of fun in just 7 finds so far.

I love wandering around graveyards, they are so full of history and I find them interesting. It is possible to look around and maintain respect while you do so. I have used a headstone for a clue to my first cache but it is right next to a public footpath that runs through the graveyard so walkers are going to look as they go past anyway. If there are mourners placing flowers they are likely to be so wrapped up in their thoughts and emotions that they are unlikely to notice anybody else there, if you feel uncomfortable it wouldn't take long to wait for them to move on. As for the child's grave, children die and if their parents feel that they are safer wherever they have gone then it's their right to say so on a headstone and surely not for you to judge?

Will you be doing this one without a hole in it? Does the BOB coin have a versions without holes?

I love that one, it gets the Union Flag into the design too.

I think option 3 too, I would be happy to pre-order a few

We visited 7 so far, out of those 7, 4 were showing a coin icon, 2 had coins taken (1 not logged out until a few days later, 1 still showing but the log says somebody has taken it so just needs updating on the contents list) 1 was there and we moved it to another cache, 1 has been missing for some time according to the log but still showing. I thought 3 out of 7 missing was high but obviously since logs were updated only 1 is unaccounted for.

I didn't realise it was open to the Commonwealth so I have learned something today :)Number one appears more balanced, the blue adds to the red and white for the union flag colours, if the box is too 'blocky' maybe the flag for the Legion could replace it?

How about replacing the blue box with a flying Union flag? I would like to see the 11th hour on 11/11 incorporated maybe 11 (poppy)11 (poppy)11 where the three poppies are on the edge? I would definitely buy a lot, whatever the design, it's a fantastic idea.

Thanks for all of your suggestions, I am waiting for my coins to come then will choose a favourite to log in and out.

As newbies we would like to keep a record of our mileage right from the start, it was mentioned on another thread that we can log a geocoin in and out of each cache we find. I have bought a few coins and waiting for them to be delivered, one in particular is exceptionally beautiful (and very expensive!) and I would like to use this one for the above purpose. When it arrives would it be fair to go back and log it in and out of our (measly) 7 finds so far or is that considered bad etiquette?

Such a shame but what goes around comes around, I don't think anyone can enjoy owning something knowing they stole it I bought a spare as I want to collect coins ( there are some gorgeous ones out there, I have spent a fortune on ebay) so if mine goes missing I do still have one. I have to say I am quite shocked at how many are not there, it is a bit disappointing as a newbie as I and my kids would love to see the coins in real life. I do think it's a great idea to log one in and out to count mileage, definitely a tip I will follow, thanks.

We are very new to Geocaching but very excited to find something outdoors, local and loads of fun. We have visited a couple of caches where coins are supposed to be only to find that there are no coins in the cache. We bought one to put in our first cache and have found one and left it in another cache. I noticed on some logs that people sign their coin in and out of a cache when they find it but we wanted to watch ours travel to new places. Do they go missing often? Are they stolen or does it take a few days for cachers to update the log? We wrote in our visit log that they were missing but are we supposed to contact the owner to tell them too?