Headhardhat

Just wanted to let everyone know that I was on WRAL News yesterday talking about geocaching. They had a series going called Summer on a Budget which included ways of doing family activities and they asked me to show them geocaching. The piece is two minutes long and is really at the 10,000ft level overview. I spent several hours earlier in the week going over all the aspects of our game, sport, obsession and they opted for a very basic flyby. It is still fun to watch and I hope you get a kick out of it. There are a couple of links to look at. One is the teaser segment which I found very cool and then the actual video segment that aired yesterday as well. Enjoy. http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/2...videoplaye.html -HHH

The true answer is this. It is completely up to you. On the flip side if you are putting out a med-large or large cache I would at least consider putting a bunch of swag into it. Nothing more disappointing than to go for a large geocache and find nothing inside. Otherwise it might as well be a micro. -HHH

The main rule of thumb is regardless if the area is public or not you should always seek permission from the land owner. That way they know it is there and you won't have the police calling if someone calls in a bomb threat. State has very strict placement and you will have some paperwork to fill out before it is even considered. -HHH

Recently I went up to Michigan and did an interview with the hosts of the Podcast Cache-A-Maniacs. Here it is for your viewing pleasure. http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/2...he-maniacs.html Note this may become one of my GeoSnippits segments now seen weekly on Michigan Magazine TV. Enjoy -HHH

In case you didn't hear it yet. GeoSnippits is heading for the TV air waves. It will be featured on a RFD-TV Network show called Michigan Magazine. Introduction Interview with MMTV is already in the can and the initial segments are ready to go. I am currently putting together some information about swag.. Yeah I know that a lot of people are not into swag as much as others but I am curious about a couple of things and of course I thought of asking here. Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store? What dollar range to you value swag that you put into a geocache $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or more? Have you ever put an item in a geocache for swag that you would consider above the norm? What was it? Finally the biggie, what was the most expensive item you traded for in a geocache? What was the most expensive item you ever heard was found and % of truth you think it was? Will greatly appreciate any input. -HHH See ya on Michigan Magazine which is aired in all 50 states.

Here is a link to a posting I try to keep updated from a thread of the exact question.. Quite informative. http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/2...have-thing.html -HHH

Ahh swag.. Sometimes you can find some really cool stuff. Other times, not so much. The trick is to be prepared. I have a couple of really nice stocked caches and still I hear. Left my stuff at the car, signed log. A swag bag doesn't have to be stocked to the gills but remember to carry stuff if you want to trade stuff. If you don't then cool. If you do, be prepared, cuz you never know what you will find. My daughter who is now 13 absolutely loves looking for ammo boxes just to be able to trade and she carries her swag bag every time we go out. Have fun out there... -HHH

This by far was one of my most memorable FTF's: GC1N457 Here is the whole story which IMHO a funny read. http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/2...i-thinking.html Lets just say it includes winter weather, a stream, the police and wet footwear.. Read on.

Thanks always to our viewers who suggest 90% of the videos we make. This is another example and shows how to use GPS tracking. There is also a very sweet sighting of a pair of large owls we ran across while hiking. Enjoy. http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/2...crumbs-and.html Keep those suggestions coming... -HHH

Thanks for the suggestions. I have filmed and editing the Electronic Breadcrumbs/tracback features and it should be out in the next day or two. Will work on projecting waypoints and coords coming up next. Keep them coming and thanks for the great ideas. -HHH

What I suggest is that you disable the listing for the time being and take the cache home with you until the construction has cleared. That way other geocachers will not try to find it until you re-place it back. Just go to edit listing and click Disable listing then answer yes. Hope this helps. -HHH

I have a GeoSnippits tutorial video showing exactly how to load waypoints and POIs into the Garmin 60CSx. GeoSnippits - Load POIs and Waypoints to Garmin 60CSx Part One Part Two Enjoy -HHH

Just remember that GPS phones are still just phones. Meaning they are not waterproof, drop proof, etc. A less expensive GPS is going to last longer from wear and tear. Just a thought. -HHH

I hope they become more findable soon. I have not found better quality alternatives in plastic and am willing to pay the extra buck or two for their quality. Maybe if we make them the geocachers choice of plastic containers they will come back??? -HHH

I have used a Vista for a while and I have experienced the wrong way arrow quite a lot. Even after recalibrating the compass that arrow does not always show as expected. What I go by is where ground zero shows on the map and where the arrow itself is. Then simply walk to ground zero ignoring the direction of the arrow itself. After a while I didn't even notice the direction it pointed. I guess the best thing is try not to get frustrated because others have the same issue and there are better GPS units out there down the road. -HHH

I had to laugh when reading your post. Not at your post itself or you but what you describe is a match for the trunk of my cachemobile What I would suggest is don't worry about getting organized right now. It takes some time to get your geocaching legs so to speak. Work on getting some of the easier geocaches under your belt first. Then after you feel more at ease with everything then you can work on putting out your own, but again I would just work on finding some 1/1 1.5/1.5s or so. Take a deep breath you have lots of help just waiting to be asked.. You'll do fine. And if you do get stumped.. Just ask. Above all have fun... -HHH

Greetings and welcome to the obsession. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I have a series of Geocaching Tutorial Videos called GeoSnippits which may give you some help if needed. Have fun. -HHH

Check out my tutorial videos known as GeoSnippits if interested. There are two sets showing step by step examples of loading pocket queries to Garmin GPS units. -HHH

Main thing that we would need to know is how much do you want to spend. There are oodles of gps units that work great for geocaching. I am partial to Garmin but have reviewed several other brands as well. How much are you willing to spend and we can give you some top notch suggestions. -HHH

There are oodles of places to look for paperless information. May I suggest a couple of video tutorials that I have created that you may find of use. Follow the links in the signature below. -HHH

There are a bunch of threads on this subject and there always is some new gadget or thing-a-ma-bob that works great for geocaching so you won't have a problem finding ideas. If you go to my blog there are oodles of suggestions as well. Enjoy. -HHH

I am about to do a filming for an upcoming GeoSnippits video. It will spotlight the topic of electric breadcrumbs or the tracback functions on several different GPS units. My question is this. Say you mark where your car is on the GPS and did not turn on tracking. What real life examples are there to show that you still can get "lost" even though you have it marked. Is it possible? If so why? Would appreciate any and all suggestions. I have been asked by several viewers for this particular subject and of course I would like the feedback by our fellow geocachers. Thanks as always and if you do not want your name mentioned please specify in the post. -HHH

Wouldn't hurt for you to tell step by step how you loaded the gps with the coords. Sometimes people load child waypoints to the geocache by mistake. Also try manually loading them just so you can get a couple of geocaches under your belt. We can work the rest out when you would like. -HHH

Just as a thought or two but I would go out and find several geocaches first. You do not necessarily have to use geocaching.com's logged geocaches depending on what specifically you are trying to teach your kids. Hide some using the guidelines of geocaching.com just closer to where you want to walk. Then pick them up as you find them. Hide some of your own. Hope this helps. -HHH