FrogAndPig

Frog would conisder buying another PN-40. Fell in love with the downloadable maps.

Out two and a half year-old daughter usually provides a good distraction away from the cache for the muggles. Two weeks ago, there was a cache hidden about 20 feet behind a muggle playing tennis and others walking past. Because my wife and I were fussing with our daughter while fussing with the cache, no one was the wiser. Although, I've employed the my-GPS-is-a-cell-phone trick on a number of times....

One day, a wife looked at her husband and said, "You look just like a frog!" This was an unsolicited comment and totally at random. Without missing a beat, the Frog look at his wife and said, "Well, if you married a Frog, that must make you Miss Piggy." And so, Frog and Pig were born.

Frog says: We're new too. We found some good trade items for kids at Party City.

Good for you. I'm leaning in that direction myself. I would consider the DeLorme, but its so new I would rather wait until several firmware updates come out before considering. Sorry for the confusion about the rain affecting GPS signals. I looked into it further. I was basing my opinion on my experiences with my window-mounted GPS in my car during thunderstorms.... it wasn't the rain, but the wipers affecting the GPS signal.

Clouds and rain won't significantly affect GPS reception. If you allow water to collect on the antenna, however, that can make a difference. But in general, the GPS signal is weather proof. Like I said... grain of salt....

Frog says: This is a good question on one level. Although there are limitations to anybodys' GPS's accuracy based on foliage, clouds, rain, etc., different model's chipsets are more accurate than others in places like the woods and urban canyons. May as well seek out the most accurate GPS, yes? For instance, I have a Garmin eTrex legend, which uses a different chipset than the garmin 60Csx. I have heard people say that the chipset on the 60Cxs is so good that you can get a position fix indoors. My eTrex does not. I would imagine that under a tree canopy, the 60Csx will outperform the Legend. I may be wrong, but the Garmin 60Csx uses the SiRF Star III chipset, yes? The Legend has a previous generation chipset. Supposedly the DeLorme chipset is better than the SiRF Star III, but I have nothing to verify this other than a post from DeLorme somewhere in this forum. Apparently, they're having issues with WAIS reception, which also affects accuracy. When looking for a GPS for The Pig, I had been looking at the DeLorme PN-40 and the Garmin 60Csx, so I had essentially the same question. Then again, I'm a noobie too, so take this with a grain of salt...

Frog says: Its hard to put into words, but there is something inherently cool about making a human connection with strangers through geocaching. Both a connection with the cache owner and the others who have found the cache. Cache owners generally place caches somepleace interesting and frequently off the beaten path. The Pig and I have found many new and interesting places we never would have found otherwise. I know of some cools places that I want to share too. Its facinating to know that dozens... maybe hundreds of other folk undertook the same adventure, and you don't know any of them. But, you have something in common. I would say that there is the "secret" element of geocaching. Its like being in on the joke. I drive-by several caches on my to and from work every day. In one case, I come within 50 feet of a cache. Maybe 50 people know its there. In a sense, geocaching is a secret society, with its own jargon, ethics, tools, etc. We come from all walks of life, yet share common interest in the outdoors and EXPLORING. I think that sums it up.