Woodstramp

No, Timpat. It was not that one, unfortunately. It was a lesser known site. Opened with map page, like Acme, but had more gizmos to use. You could toggle different map types, like Acme, but could also lay down point to point routes as an additional option. Seems you could even layer on stuff like grid lines for printing maps, too. Thanks for the reply, regardles.

For years I've used GE and Acmemapper to look around as planning for geocaching and other gps use. Acme being my favorite. Once, on this forum someone posted a collection of gps/mapping/sat related links. One of those was a website that was real simular to Acme, but in addition to dropping waypoints you could also draw routes, too and save and export the routes and WPs. I cannot recall the name or link. Shortly after using it my laptop crashed. This ring a bell with anyone?

I heard that the Pokeyman thing has like 20 million active participants. Probably most of them have never even heard of geocaching. I think that if it gets at least 10 million, overweight, never-seen-the-outdoors, overweight game addicts outside for some fresh air, sunshine and a walk, then good deal. A sliver of that horde might dig the concept and discover geocaching, proper.

Thanks Pup for that link. Guess I won't renew. Auto renew is sneaky.

On a few of mine (LNL boxes) I've used silicone. Just abrade the exterior with rough sandpaper and slather down the exterior of the LNL with clear silicone caulking. Take care to not get any on the lid seams and sprinkle dirt, sticks, grass, etc. Let cure and you are good to go.

This just a game. The world is full of people who love taking shortcuts, stealing and taking credit for things they did not accomplish. I can't fathom why they do it, but they do. You will live a more stressless life if you just get over it. Play your own game...have fun.

I've not geocached in a while, though I still have some hides out. Just recently thought I might want to get back in with a premium membership. Same price, but now only autorenewal is available. Last time I premiumed up an annual, nonrenewable option was available. What gives?

No, Cliptwings, it's site was real similar to AcmeMapper when you pulled it up. Just had more abilities than Acme. The reason I'm trying to find it is because something has malfunctioned at Acme now. The developer must've stopped supporting AM or something. I can no longer get any maps to show on Acme at all now. Guess I could just use Google Earth, but that is such an ordeal. Acme and the other were just bookmarked and were just simpler to use on the fly. This other site was actually better and now I cannot find it. Shame, too. I liked it because I could plan hikes with it. You can pull up a topo map (or aerial, or GE satellite view), draw a track (or WP) and export in .gpx format for transfer to a GPS.

No. I have gpsvisualizer. Thanks though.

NMW, Thanks for the reply and the link, but I cannot find the one I'm searching for in there. That is a great link though. Seems like it would be there.

I need help finding a online map website. It was really similar to the one called AcmeMapper 2.0. I had a computer melt down and lost the name and URL. It was just a step above Acme in that you could actually build exportable tracks/routes, set waypoints. The main thing I liked it was because it had more map toggling (Google, imagery, topos) than Acme. Anyone here know this site?

I agree totally that it is not important. Always found the electronic compass on any unit to be more aggravation than it's worth with calibrations and such. Even on my trusty 60csx I always turned that function off. BTW, I liked the E20 so much that I even bought another for backup.

Luvvinbird, I don't know if the Academy Sports chain has a store in Seattle, but that is where I've snagged the best sales deals on Etrex units in the last couple of years. Have bought two Etrex 20's when a sale went up., (One on a regular sale for $149, the last E20 displayed unit was marked $129 so I snagged it) Our local Academy Sports (Birmingham, Alabama) had the Etrex 30 for $169 on sale two weeks ago. It was a week long sale. I would have, but I already have two E20's that do what I need.

Chris, GPSFiledepot.com has nice, free topo and transparency maps (trails) that work quite nicely in an Etrex20. Though I do way more hiking than caching these last couple of years, the Etrex20 works perfectly for both combined pursuits. Mine has for two years now. GPSFiledepot is a donation based site, so consider helping. Topos are state by state. Also get the transparent "My Trails" map. It has most every trail in the US on it and overlays on top of whatever topo map you run on the GPS. Also...instructions at the site on how to get maps to the GPS. That and loaded cache files and you'd be good to go.

In NW Alabama is a wilderness area called the Sipsey. My brother once told me that his Magellan handheld would not get a sat-lock there, so he just turned it off. I finally got to go hike there a few months ago. Something quite weird happened to my Nuvi as we drove to the NW trailhead...it lost signal as we autorouted to the TH. Found this puzzling, so I turned on my new Etrex 20 thinking it always gets an instant lock. No dice. Really strange because I'd never seen that happen with the 20. Even got a pop up asking if I wanted to keep searching. Went into set up and turned on the Glonass. Finally did lock sats in a few minutes, then never lost signal the whole weekend. I think it helps to have it available.

$200? Etrex20. I bought one to have as a backup unit for my trusty 60csx. Like the little Etrex so much...now the 60csx is the backup. It is my prinary unit for hiking now.

The Dakota. Good little "paperless" unit I hear. As a former Magellan customer....stick with Garmin stuff.

If you can get continuous use out of a PN for over 48 hours (like you said) I would not get a Garmin. I din't know what the PN-60's were capable of....two and half days? The most I ever could coax out of a PN-20 was 7 hours. (it was better than the PN-40 with it's faster processor and 5 hours.) I thought my little Etrex 20, with over 20+ hours of continuous use was amazing. Best I'd heard of to date. PN-60's can do over 2 days? Need to check one of those out if a deal comes up. As to the issue with connecting a non Delorme GPS to TOPO. I recall doing it a few years ago with an old Etrex. Exchanged track and WP's but not maps.

If I recall things properly, the Delorme software will interface with Garmin's GPS units to swap track and waypoint data. In your situation, I'd buy the Garmin. I have owned/used Delorme products. Love the Topo software. I could care less about their GPS units (20 and 40 series) Found them to be glitchy battery hogs that have small screens. I've not had experience with the newer 60 series Garmins, but have used the 60csx, old Etrex and currently using an Etrex 20 for my hiking and geocaching. No complaints. All have been stable and easy on battery power. For long distance hiking you probably won't need downloaded raster imagery, like Delormes can do. Just some vector topo maps. The Garmin can take Birdseye and custom raster imagery, but that is gimmicky and eats memory IMO. Topos are plenty. The Garmin will take topos (free or paid). I know you will love the battery life on the trail. I do. You use the Delorme Topo software to dice and record trips. That is super for that purpose. It would be hard for me to part with my Topo 8 software. Great stuff.

Title of this thread cracks me up.... implies that it was Garmin's fault that you bought a used unit that was probably file damaged by the third party you got the "deal" from.

I have been geocaching with a Samsung Galaxy S2 since Feb and have just ordered a Garmin Montana. I was sick, fed up of an unreliable GPS signal on the phone, especially in tree cover and especially when there was no cell coverage. The GPS signal was always stronger and more reliable when I had a cell signal and could activate a data connection, however in the countryside of Scotland it's not often an option. I am expecting the Garmin to be an improvement, as far as GPS signal is concerned. I hope I am not mistaken. I too have a Galaxy S2. It does have terrible GPS innards. Don't dismiss all phones though. My previous Android was an LG Optimus V. That thing would rival any handheld GPS I've used. Even my 60csx. For the woods, though, I still prefer the dedicated GPS for it's better life and ruggedness.

I also have the G-S2 on Virgin Mobile. The GPS guts in this phone are like a non "H" Etrex. Easily loses signal in timber. My previous VM phone was a LG Optimus V. Outstanding GPS in that thing. It often locked sats faster than my 60csx.

Crossed Anchors, I don't cache that much, but I have used and tested a few prepaids in the field caching and navigating with apps. I use Virgin Mobile prepaids because I'm grandfathered in at a rate of $25 for 300 minutes/unlimited data per month. Not really chatty on phones, so this works for great for me. Currently this same plan is $35 per month for noobs. If you like to yack on a phone, $45 per month will get you more talk, $55 is unlimited everything. Virgin uses Sprint towers in my area, so take that in mind. THe last two Android phones on their system that I've used are the LG Optimus V and the Samsung Galaxy S2. For running GPS related apps (caching and GPS) the little Optimus V could not be beat. Outstanding internal GPS in that one. On hikes, that thing would get a satelite lock as fast in deep woods as my Etrex 20 or 60csx. Also recorded some excellent track logs. Only downside was the GPS realy killed the battery. My current Android is the Samsung Galaxy S2. Overall, a big, nice phone. I really like it for it's size and remarkable battery life, but this phone has a weaker GPS. More like using a pre-H Etrex in deep cover. Has an onboard 'USB' memory of 12GB and you can add a large SD card, so map caching for is excellent. THe main GPS related apps I use are Backcountry Navigator Pro, GPS Essentials, and the geocaching apps that shall not be mentioned. Forgot to mention that I did have another Android that I tried before settling on this S2. It was called the LG Optiimus Elite. Bad phone. Short battery life and buggy. Tried two, both were the same.

Interesting subject. Sounds like you should be able to get what you want with the speed. Once, can't recall where, I saw an image online in in one of these forums where someone had recorded a track, inserted it on a Google Earth satellite image and the track was colorized to show speed changes during the track length. I think it was a recorded track of a mountain biker. Kind of neat to look at.

For my uses (mainly hiking, hunting and some geocaching) I use an Etrex 20 as a replacement for the 60csx. And I really like the 60csx, but mine now gathers dust on the shelf. If you have to have the 3 axis compass, then consider the 30. I never have cared for the compass and calibration, but different strokes, as they say.