KelticFrog

Great new feature. I was never very happy with the caches along a route feature. I think this gives more control. I would like to see the difficulty rating in the listing on the side. PROBLEM: When I add one of the listed caches to a bookmark list the total number of caches in the list increments but the listing doesn't seem to appear in the list. Is there some sort of built-in delay?

Of course! What's the big deal? #1, DNFs are sometimes the only way a cache owner learns that a cache is missing. #2 It gives me a sense of pride when I look at how many DNFs I logged when I was a newbie and how few I log now. Pride goeth before the fall.

I once found a second cache about 10' from the one I was searching for. When I contacted the owner I was informed that the original cache had been reported missing and was replaced with a new cache. I was thanked for finding both caches for the owner. No word if it's still there.

Hard to imagine doing it. My personal record is 13 in one day and that nearly killed me. Then again, I'm over 50.

IMHO Google=cheating or at least circumventing the spirit or the cache. On the other hand, if you Google one of my caches (GCTNYB) you'll get the wrong answer that will put you about 2 miles off the target.

Google Earth is a wonderful time consumer. Remember though that the coordinates by design, are off by several hundred feet. Makes Geocaching a little more difficult but still very good for assessing the lay of the land.

You'll need a cable to connect with your PC as well. Garmin tends not to include cables with entry-level GPSRs and they're way over-priced in the aftermarket. If you're only dealing with a few points, the method suggested above will suffice. If you have a lot of points, you might want to bite the bullet and buy a cable. Might as well spring for the combo cacle that will give you power too. Have fun.

A further complication. GPS altitude is expressed as elevation above the spheroid not above sea level. The spheroid is a theoretical approximation of the shape of the earth that is contained in the receiver and is used by the software to calculate great circle routes and other things. Since it is impractical to use an actual mathematical model of the Earth, geodesists have created a reasonable approximation of the earth called a standard spheroid. The shape of the standard spheroid is refined from time to time as more data becomes available. In some locations, the actual earth and the standard spheroid earth are spot on but in others it is not. Likewise, at some locations, the GPS elevation corresponds to altitude but at others it does not. If your altitude is important to you, you should calibrate the altimeter. This will give you the most accurate altitude possible but, as every pilot knows, accuracy can be a fleeting thing. The accuracy will deteriorate as soon as you enter it and will degrade with time and movement away from the calibration location. That’s why pilots re-calibrate their altimeters each time they move to a new location lest the ground rise up and smite them.

Don't confuse heading with course like Garmin does. Heading is independent of direction of motion (think of a crab). Also, the compass must be calibrated quite often. I've seen deviations of up to 30 degrees between locations separated by only a few miles. Flux gate compasses are notoriously sensitive the presence of metal in the neighborhood.

They're pretty emphatic about the licenses not being transferable. It's going to bite them one day because it's the only thing stopping me from upgrading my Garmin receivers. At least with an iPOD you can de-authorize a machine and move the software around.

Users must be very skeptical of the “accuracy” claims made by GPS manufacturers. The ultimate accuracy of any GPS receiver is determined by a wide variety of variables that are difficult to measure especially in low cost, handheld units. These include measurable variables such as satellite geometry as well as several that can only be estimated like GPS unit oscillator stability; tropospheric and ionospheric effects; and the effects of satellite clock aging. The specification for C/A code GPS accuracy is on the order of +/- 13 meters. If that sounds like a lot, remember that the specification is a goal, not the actual performance. Typical GPS accuracies are usually much better than that. If your receiver is WAAS or differential capable, you can expect accuracies at least twice as good. When engineers talk about GPS accuracy, they generally talk in terms of 95% CEP (for 2 dimensional fixes) or SEP (for 3D fixes). This stands for “Circular (or Spherical) Error Probable”. Simply stated, if you can collect the position data from your receiver over a known point for an extended period of time, you will find that the difference between the measured position and the actual position falls within a circle (or sphere) 95% of the time. The diameter of the circle or sphere is the accuracy of the GPS expressed as 95% CEP. If you could plot the measured positions you might be surprised to see how far off they can be at times. If you can locate a first order USGS survey mark, you can collect GPS data over that point for a few minutes. The average difference you observe between your receiver’s position and that of the published coordinates will give you a rough idea of the static accuracy of your particular receiver. Remember that when you’re moving, filtering errors in your receiver will introduce even more inaccuracy. Probably more information than you wanted. Short answer: A WAAS enabled receiver should give you about +/- 5 meters. When you’re searching for a well hidden cache this can seem like a mile.

I placed one in GCTZTC last weekend and it's already been taken and not logged so who knows where it is?

They're too difficult and I'm too lazy. I've already captured all the "low hanging fruit" but I'm chipping away at all the more difficult ones slowly but surely. In my location, the reason isn't terrain so much as the very tricky puzzle caches. The local cachers on Aquidneck Island are very clever and devious.

Also depends on the GPSr you're using. Unless your receiver has an integral electronic compass your bearings will be calculated based on geodetic coordinates and will most likely be true bearngs by default. If it does have a compass then you may have to tell it which type of bearing you want as indicated by the previous poster. Also be aware that some (Garmin) receivers have a setting that toggles between calculated and magnetic heading when your speed is below a pre-set velocity. Some receivers also compensate for magnetic variation automaticall and may be displaying true bearing even though it's determined by the compass. In other words, you need to study the operator's manual in detail to determine which is the case for your receiver. The important thing is to make sure that your course and bearings are both using the same conventions otherwisw you'll get a first-hand lesson in "spiral homing".

1. Yes 2. Sometimes yes, sometimes no 3. Of course. Fewer daylight hours=less time caching (usually) 4. I use a walking stick more often. Leaves are bad because they are incredibly slippery and you can't see what's underneath. Ah Fall! My favorite caching time of the year. Less sweat, better satellite reception, brisk walks in the spectacular New England woods, no mosquitoes, fewer ticks, fewer muggles. Can't beat it.

It sure has slowed me down a bit. The tick situation in the northeast isn't helping much either.

I've actually begun to see this happening on some commercial websites. If I could remember which, I'd share the URL with you. I'd also like to start seeing lat/lon grids on AAA and Rand-McNally maps.

Copper Mountain American Flyer GC436E

Don't skimp on the GPS. Get one with a built in flux gate compass. You'll never regret it. With the release of the Garmin csx series the c and cs models have come down in price a little. Course calculations are only accurate if you are traveling at a steady speed in a straight line. Once you stop to look around the course goes all to hell.

I use a Garmin GPSmap 60cs which will do almost everything you want except that it won't give you voice prompts for turns. It just beeps. You'll pay a hefty premium to get voice prompts and I don't miss them. Garmin has come out with a new model of this unit, the 60cx, but I haven't seen anything in it that would make me spend the extra $150. You'll also need some street navigation software. Many of the high-end GPS units have some routes built in but they include only interstates and federal highways. The local surface streets change often enough that you'll want to get something that is updatable. I've used my Garmin all over the country and I am very happy with it. It's also excellent for geocaching. The electronic compass is worth its weight in gold. The GPS will run you about $350 at GPSNow.com and the software will set you back about $120. Then, you'll orbably want a mounting bracket and a cigarette lighter adapter. Don't bother with an external antenna. You won't need it. You can get the mapping software and all of the mobile accessories as a package deal for about $160. Plan on spending about $550 by the time you're done. My advice is to spend as much as you can afford. Don't plan to get an entry level unit and then upgrade. You'll only be disappointed in the end and end up upgrding much sooner than you planned. As they said in that old western: "That's just my opinion. I could be wrong" Good luck

There is some shareware out called Cetus that I was using with a Visor and a Magellan GPS module until I bought a dedicated GPS. It worked fairly well but you'll probably be wanting to go with a dedicated GPS eventually, preferrably one with a flux gate compass. You can get the Cetus software at www.CetusGPS.dk. Good luck

Don't forget an orange vest during hunting season.

I've seen many very very clever hides but I don't want to provide too much information. I especially enjoy caches that are "hidden in plain sight". I've kicked myself many times for being so stupid.

Being a middle aged man, I feel creepy being on school grounds while school is in session. I usually wait until the evening or weekends to search near schools. Too many wierdos out there and I'd rather not be thought of as one.