user13371

quote:Surveyors aren't out there for the challenge of finding the mark. Yeah, I know. I thought about right after my first screed on the subject and was waiting for someone else to say it I was just grousing and a bit surprised because I'm positive that pink post wasn't there when I looked earlier in the week. Made me feel foolish at the time. Found a different one today, on the same theme: trying to find one when all the datasheet's landmarks are gone (NE0410, Oxford, MI). I know I would have missed it if it hadn't have been for the witness post, and even then it wasn't easy. So, I withdraw all complaints on this subject. Bring on the fluorescent paint! I'm getting old, with bad eyes and dyslexic when it comes to reading numbers. So I need all the help I can get.

quote:Originally posted by welch:...if it has to be a virtual, explain why. If you dont want everyone to know what/why (like if it would give something away?), then post a log to the cache explaining, and at that top put something like Approver Please Delete This Note That's a great suggestion, thanks! I wanted to include that kind of info for the admin but wasn't sure how to go about it. [This message was edited by Lee David Rimar on May 06, 2003 at 03:27 PM.]

Yeah,what GeorgeAndMary said, or maybe a bit of electrical tape around the post. What part of Nebraska are you in? I lived at/near Offutt for a few years--it didn't seem too far from civilization.

I got to thinking about this while reading this topic which Jeremy quite appropriately shut down. No product pumping here, but what do you like out on the trails? Water? Gatorade? Lucozade?

quote:the two times that you had to send yours back, were they for the same problem or were they two different problems? Nope, different problems. I tend to buy & swap a lot of toys though, so I'm probably more likely to hit the problems than someone who just buys one toll and sticks with it. Problems I've had: 1) I had a Map330 with a blotchy screen. 2) I had a MeriGold that would sporadically turn itself off and need battery removal before it would power up again. Both were common problems others have had. These days I'm using a SporTrak Pro, and I'm crossing my fingers to see if I end up with the infamous "case cracks." quote:...would you like to buy a data cable?Nah, but if anyone has a spare car/power cable, I could use one of those. I typically don't use one but just having it might come in handy.

quote:Originally posted by Renegade Knight:On your magellan you may not notice so much for the same reason that most magellan owners tend to overshoot the cache then come back. Huh? Didn't understand this. Why do Magellan users tend to overshoot?

Just a rambling commentary on my morning's benchmark hunt. Any commentary or critiques welcome. Original title: One out of four, not bad. I had my car serviced in Oxford Michigan today. Knowing I'd have a few hours to kill, I looked up a few benchmarks and decided to go hiking. Within a mile of the shop, there were four benchmarks listed, though two were "skulls." The fun part: The datasheets mostly gave landmarks that no longer exist. Once upon a time, a railroad ran through here. But where tracks and yards and depot buildings once stood, there's now a patchwork of rails-to-trails conversions, abandoned right-of-ways, industrial sites, some new housing developments, and a few strange buildings in various stages of decrepitude. Here's what I found: NE0409: A skull, not-found in 1988 by US Power Squadron nor by me this morning. Still an interesting site because the datasheet describes the benchmark set vertically on the wall of a railway station. The building has since been razed. The site is now a fascinating collection of rubble and dirt-bike trails, which Mother Nature was doing a good job of reclaiming for herself. Mother will have her way until the gang I found down at NE0411 gets up here... NE0410: Found it, logged description. Hurray for me, but the carsonite witness post did make it easier. I'd wager the streets and lots were re-platted since 1930, because the centerline of the street is about 20 feet closer to the benchmark than the datasheet said. NE0411: Another skull, reported not found in 1988 by US Power Squadron. Site was interesting because I couldn't really get to it. Enough redevelopment has gone on here that the land contours no longer match the topo maps. There's a large pond where the benchmark would have been, and lots of earth-moving equipment was in the area today. And what are they up to? Further flattening of the contours and putting in drains -- to get rid of that pond and make room for "luxury homes." NE1706: Pretty sure I found the right area but did not find the marker. Was last described in 1992 by MIDOT. The coords on the datasheet put it square in the middle of a fairly new condominium parking lot, and even allowing for hundreds of feet in conversion errors it would likely be under the asphalt or in one of these buildings. Just to be sure, I walked the perimeter of several buildings, lawns, etc., didn't find it. Main observation through all of this was how temporary both the works of man and Nature are -- but Nature has more patience. Years ago someone built a railroad here, then abandoned it. Nature started taking the land back until someone decided they could use it for something else. And so it goes. I expect in the long term Nature will have her way :-)

quote:Originally posted by sbell111:...contact the admin who has put your cache on hold to try to work through the issue. Thanks, I'll do that if it sits on hold for a few more days. At the moment the admin has prefixed my cache's nme with "Hold #MI-T:" but nothing down in the approval or comments. Can you tell me how to use that to figure out which person to contact?

quote: Regarding virtuals, Brian Snat mentioned:It has to be something that is unique AND where it's impossible to hide a real cache. Brian, thanks for the followup. Do you have some idea why that is so? Any idea what that "admin bias" against virtuals stems from, if there really is such a thing? I can't find anything about it written up in the FAQ or guidelines for placing a cache. It seems to me there are a lot of advantages to virtuals.

quote:Originally posted by sbell111:...you may also consider making it an offset cache where the hunter must go to the 'odd' location to find information with which they must compute the coordinates for the cache. Thanks for the advice. The nature of this virtual could work well for that, I'd just have to decide where the other "real" cache should go.

quote:What Mopar was trying to say was that with only 5 finds, you may not be aware of the various and sometimes ingenious methods people use to hide real caches in high traffic areas. Brian, I understood and admitted that, wasn't asking WHAT he said. I was trying to find its relevance to my original question. This is gonna slide into an off-topic screed (maybe titled How NOT to discourage beginners.) but I promise to get back on topic before I close this note. As this IS a "beginner's" forum, I'm delighted if someone declares "I know more than you, let me help." But if they stop at the comma it's not especially helpful. It seems to me this is what Mopar (and you) have done. Pointed out the obvious: There are many ways to hide "real" urban caches. Didn't describe any, just remarked that I likely didn't know them. Didn't bridge this into to answering my question about a virtual. C'mon people, is this constructive? Now, to get back on topic: I have posted a virtual cache in an urban area. Actually, "urban" is stretching it -- say "downtown" in a small village. Whether or not there are opportunities for placing real caches nearby is not really the point, because I believe this virtual has merits of its own -- a worthwhile thing for people to look for. I do feel my original questions have been answered helpfully by others in this thread. But do you have any additional suggestions on how to smooth the approval process for a virtual?

quote:Originally posted by Mopar:...forgive me if I'm missing something, but you have found 5 caches in 2 yrs? Try looking for some urban caches before you say that. Yup. It's not that I go out every day and just can't find them. It's more that I don't spend very much time at it. As it is such a casual hobby for me, after a couple of years I'm still quite a beginner. quote:There are TONS of places to hide a cache. ... check out all the ones in NYC. Or visit Disney ... Oh, I don't doubt that at all. And I'm sure even downtown Lake Orion offers some interesting nooks and crannies; though probably not nearly as many as NYC. And even in light of that, I still believe that the spot I've have marked as a virtual is interesting enough to merit it. Now, forgive me if I'm missing something here, but what was the thrust of your message? To provide information about getting a cache approved, or just to razz me for not being experienced/dedicated enough?

quote:Originally posted by mustanglx:I am curious if they fix it or just send a new on out once they determine there is a valid problem. ... It would probably cost them more having a technician try and repair it. For the very reason you cited, and from personal experience, I expect you'll get a complete new unit, boxed with accesories. I've had that happen TWICE with Magellan. One might question why I keep buying Magellan products knowing the likelihood of warranty problems -- but I make SO much money selling those spare data cables on eBay

quote:Originally posted by TeamTrout: ... startup legal disclaimers and copyright notices. Is there any way to disable these? Is it the legalese that bothers you, or just all those extra key-presses? There is firmware patching software available to let you replace one or more of the screens with other text. Is typically used to personalize the GPS, like putting in your name and where to return it if found. BUT ... you still have to press Enter a few times to get past the screens, personalized or not.

quote:Originally posted by welch:...approvers will take more time to look over virtuals. If you're questioned by an approver, please be polite and answer all question in full detail(being vauge and not responding tends to slow things down). I missed your note before I posted my last one - thanks for the advice.

quote:It's pretty hard to get a virtual approved these days. It has to be something that is unique AND where it's impossible to hide a real cache. Mine would qualify on both counts. It might not be unique, but it is odd. And the sidewalk of a business district doesn't lend itself to hiding things very well. quote:... if it's on hold, that usually means the approver is discussing its merits with other approvers. Yup, on hold. So if they say "no," do I appeal to the (dis)approver? Or do I get one of those "Should this cache be approved" poll? I'd hate to do that, because explaining it would spoil the riddle.

quote:Originally posted by flask:expect a virtual to take longer. I wonder why that is. Any idea how to smooth the process? Mine is a virtual -- to find a specific object in a small town business district. To prove you found the thing I'm talking about, you have to answer a riddle about it. Additionally, I invited users to make up their own riddles to post on the cache page. Should I expect problems or delays with that kind of arrangement?

I just posted a virtual/riddle cache, and I'm wondering how long these typically take to approve, how many people and steps it has to go through. What's the usual timeframe? [This message was edited by Lee David Rimar on May 05, 2003 at 04:13 PM.]

United States Air Force, 1981-1987. Served most of my term at Offutt AFB, NE, assigned to the 6949th Electronic Security Squadron. Frequently TDY to Howard AFB, Panama and Kelly AFB, Medina Annex, TX. Trained at Lackland AFB, TX (basic training) Presidio of Monterey, CA (language school) Goodfellow AFB, TX (technical equipment) Fairchild AFB, WA (survival training) Anyone who was on that track knows what kind of work I was doing, and anyone else who's really interested can probably Google a pretty good guess As for noteworthy achievments: I was one of thousands who received a medal for Grenada, but my involvement was very slight.

THE SECRET TO SUCTION CUPS! A few people have commented that their suction-cup windshields mounts don't stay put. The trick is to wet the glass, not the suction cup. Use a lot of water. I dunno why this works, but it sure made a difference with mine. Try it and let me know how it works for you.

I've read the "secret" menu options to turn off WAAS on Magellan receivers. Under what circumstances is this beneficial? Does turning off WAAS on the Magellan improve battery life? If so, by how much? In areas of poor or no WAAS reception, does disabling it on the GPS improve accuracy? In areas with acceptable WAAS coverage, how bad of a hit is it against accuracy to turn WAAS off?

quote:Originally posted by eahousley:... you have provided such a colorful story, how come you didn't provide a picture in your log? Because I usually don't carry a camera. It was tricky enough mounting the GPS on my bicycle. Eventually, I'll figure out a good way to carry more stuff on my bike, but I travel pretty light.

quote:Leatherman complained:There is a thread dedicated to avatars and testing in the Getting Started forum. Next time please use that thread rather than starting one here Oh, sorry about that. But I really am interested in how people chose the images they use here; the "testing" remark was just an aside. So Leatherman, how did you settle on those images you use, both the avatar and that hunter-warrior thing in your signature?

actually, this is just a test message to check how my new avatar looks...

Just wondering how people choose or create their avatars... How did you decide on yours?