TheAlabamaRambler

Hoo yeah - let's all wear our Name, Address, SSN and Phone number right out where anyone can read 'em! Identity theft is rampant - never display your SSN! Our soldiers and sailors are being hit especially hard because their SSN is on dog tags and personal items where anyone can get it. The tags are a good idea IF you put some sort of sleeve or cover over them. As they are anyone that gets a look at them can hijack your financial life. Ed

I am planning to do one in my yard eventually, as soon as I come up with an interesting idea for it. I have an evil micro outside a cemetary a block away and several traditionals within a half-mile that get visited pretty often, and would love to meet these cachers. I found Media Cache in Atlanta, a RubberMaid tub in someone's yard filled with books, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs and such. They arrived home while I was looking for the cache and came out to meet us. Nice folk. I found two caches in Nashville, don't remember the names, one in AbbysGrammy & NashvilleJoe's front yard - they came out when we arrived, we talked and became fast friends - we have cached together several times since and talk online most every day. The other was at the home of EssPea, owner of the 101 Dalmation series. She knew we were coming during a hot summer cache run and had a cooler of bottled water waiting on her porch! Again, I got to know her and we've enjoyed being together at several subsequent events. Geocaching, for me, is all about the people. I found my first 150+ caches alone, until I built a circle of geocaching friends, and now have little if any interest in going caching by myself - in fact the cache itself is no longer the point - it's the experiences I have with others that make this such a wonderful game. I love to meet cachers and see a cache at my home as a great and fun way to do this. As far as security, my name and address have been all over the internet since 1980 and in phone books for 35 years - for better or worse anyone that wants me knows where I am! I have been many places in this world where folks live scared; fear, bars and alarms keeping them locked in their own home - I could never do that.

I have a cell phone mount like the link above - it works well but would be way too flexible for a laptop...the advertized mount may be much stiffer. As far as pics of my mount my truck is in the shop - current gas prices forced me to have the fuel system rebuilt - 4 MPG is killing me! I drive a custom-built 1-ton Dualie 454 Suburban that I had built in '81 to haul my boats and travel trailer. I love this one-of-a-kind truck; the feeling that I am safe in most any wreck situation, can go anywhere and haul anything, but it's making less and less sense to drive it for anything but a tow vehicle. One thing, though; other drivers give me absolutely no grief when I drive that big red monster! I drive my wife's little 2000 VW Beetle and it's a whole different world - it's like everyone out there is trying to run over me! I will post some pics of the rack Monday or Tuesday when I get it back.

Mine cost $9. at Home Depot! I bought a stainless steel baking rack for a microwave that's just the right size to sit the laptop on - it has 4 rubber feet to sit on, so I turned it upside down and those feet now make perfect corner-posts that keep the laptop from sliding off. I then took 4 sections of 1" metal strap, about 20" long, bent a 1" 90° bend at the top end, used a bolt, washer and nut to bolt the straps to the baking rack's four corners. These four metal straps extend down from the rack on either side of my console and I used self-tapping screws to screw the straps into the floor carpet so that I don't have to drill any holes in the console, and this leaves no trace when the screws are removed when I take the rack out. This way I can move the rack from one truck to the other by removing just the 4 bottom screws. When you go to insert the self-tapping screws the screw threads actually tangle up in the carpet threads enough to hold them securely without making holes in the carpet. This holds the laptop centered and steady, just below dash level (at about the height of the radio) and allows room under the rack to reach the gearshift, parking brake, Ham and CB radios and, most importantly, my coffee cup. It ain't pretty but it works!

I absolutely love my geocaching lashup! I get a .zip Pocket Query from gc.com in my email Open it with Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (GSAK) Do any desired data manipulation Upload waypoints from GSAK to my GPS Export to a CacheMate .pdb (which also loads it into my Palm Desktop Installer) Hotsynch my Palm to load cache pages into my Palm Tungsten C Export to HTML, which places full cache pages on my laptop. Export to a Street Atlas .txt file Open Street Atlas or Topo USA and import the .txt file (depending on where I am going...I alternate between Street Atlas and Topo). Now, that sounds like a lot of work, but it takes less than 5 minutes and gives me full cache pages on my laptop and on my Palm, and waypoints in my GPS(s) and on my laptop maps. I usually geocache with other people, and so I often return to caches I have already found. Anytime I return to a found cache with other people I use the GPS to navigate to it just as if I had never been there so as not to give it away to my partners. Therefore I get my PQ with both found and unfound geocaches in it, and use GSAK to sort them out - I first load ALL caches into a Magellan Meridian Yellow, then use GSAK to filter out FOUND caches, and upload only UNFOUND caches to my Magellan Meridian Platinum. This way I carry two GPSs and use one if revisiting caches and the other if it's a new cache to me. This also gives me a loaner GPS if I am caching with a newbie or the press. I drive either a Suburban or a Jeep, and made a platform for my laptop to sit securely above the console of each. I use an EarthMate USB dash-mount GPS to connect to my laptop. So, now I have current info on the closest 500 caches, waypoints on my laptop maps, cache pages on my laptop, waypoints in my GPS, cache pages on my Palm and the world is my oyster! In or out of the car I have everything I need for a day or a week's geocaching. And, I use my laptop most all the time in the car now, and watch caches close to my path in case the urge to pounce on one over-rides the importance of my errand.

Cacheman22 beat me to it, but let me reiterate that pouring molten metal in anything wet - wood, sand, clay - even things that appear completely dry can contain moisture - is extremely dangerous. Molten metal poured into a wet enclosed space will create steam and pressure - in other words - a bomb! Also scary - put your lighter and flamables away carefully - I once saw a fellow drop his cigarrette lighter into a ladle of molten aluminum - it was not pretty.

If you're seriously worried about caching alone buy an Emergency Personal Locator Beacon so that you can always be found. You can study for a no-code Technician Amatuer Radio Operators license in less than a week - get your Ham ticket and carry a Handi-Talkie - there's very few places where it won't reach someone. Ed W4AGA

Oh, and nobody has yet slammed Jeremy for trying to capture the market and control lightbulbs world-wide...so consider yourself slammed, you selfish capitalist you!

I suppose you know what is best for you, OzGuff, but, as one recovering from a car wreck that came very close to taking my life I have found that getting out and doing the things I love has helped me more than anything! If your wreck had occured on the way home from work would you quit working? Of course not. Realizing that we are human, can and may die at any moment, is a sobering thought and does make us re-evaluate our priorities. Many people who survive near-death experiences come away with a whole different attitude toward priorities and behaviour...we now know that every time we walk out the door may be the last time we see our family, and learn to treat them so that if tragedy happens there will be no regrets. Good luck, hope to see you on the trails if geocaching is something you truly love. Ed

Rainwater asked and CarleenP said and then Lep said Causing AtoZ to say Which prompted ZCubed to say and RunAround to say So then ClearPath says About which Cache_Test_Dummies said And GreyMane responds by saying And then RainWater comes back to say So then one or both of Team Wampus said And then Tsonzo Karst said So then Stony2008 said And then I said Which I thought was pithy and pertinent, and Ju66l3r said So maybe it wasn't. But then Olar kept the topic fresh by saying All of which caused StanB to ask and RuffRidr to say Then AtoZ said So Rusty_TLC says Welch replied by saying Mr_Lost kept us current by saying Then StarBrand said and Fly46 reminded us by saying Then Dr123d said and either Shoobie or a Sand Crab said prompting one of TeamPerks to ask Which fine question has not yet been answered and CamoCrazed said and I am still waiting to hear if it's Camo or Cammo or Camoe or Camoflage(d) Then Badlands said And Morgan's Marauders (any relation here to Hogan's Heroes?) said And Evil Chicken says So Davwil suggests we stop the insanity by saying Tands suggests we need a FAQ by saying and Prarie Dog 76 said All of which makes me think we need changes to the website. I.E. I think we need a lightbulb icon that shows up in PQs for lightbulb caches, and maybe a flickering one for those traditional caches that are dying out because lame micros are squeezing them out. This icon should be usable with CacheMate and show up brightly on my Meridian Platinum screen. Thank you for your attention. That is all.

Amen!

OT - I hope I can do this! Trying to maximize the power of networking! Bikers and geocachers tend to get to know one another, so maybe you might run across an trike somewhere I can buy to geocache! I lost a leg and can't ride a bike, had to sell my Norton 650, so I need a trike. I cache with family and friends so a 2-seater is required. Thanks! Ed TheAlabamaRambler@alacache.com

Nitroglycerin pill holders are small, waterproof and cheap - and can be had at any drug store. Painted or not, this makes an evil hide! Something NashvilleJoe taught me that I hope micro-hiders will take to heart - Take a piece of wire - a straightened gem clip or whatever, and bend a 90° turn at each end, such that the wire is the length of the inside of the micro. Glue the wire centered on the top edge of the paper log. This gives you a tool to pull the log out and a spindle to hold so that you can easily roll the log back tightly. Have fun, Ed

I suspect that this rating issue is what's held Handicaching.con back - rating is subjective and time consuming.

New game??

I can't imagine the value of a geocoin bought off eBay, nor a challenge coin! GeoCoins roam free in the game and finding, logging and moving it is the point of pride. Challenge coins are created by a military unit or fraternity to show pride and solidarity - alkways having the coin on you to make or prove a challenge is a "test" of loyalty and a statement of pride in having been in that unit. Buying one of either off eBay seems pretty wimpy to me - you earn a geocoin by finding it or a challenge coin be being part of the creating unit. Buying geocoins or challenge coins, to me, would be like someone buying a Shriner's ring at a pawn shop. I suppose folks will buy anything, but I hate to see a cash value develop for geocoins - to me the value should remain in the pride of finding, logging and moving it on. Ed

I would answer with a firm "I depends!" Some cachers have gained, for better or worse, attention, fame and / or noteriety in this game. The personal coins of MtnMan, Clayjar, Mount10bike, Jeremy, Hydee and folks like that would be in high demand around the world. Their personal coin is going to be vastly more desirable than, say, mine. As far as collectable, I hope NONE of them are - they're made to be moved and tracked - No way can a geocacher afford to supply collectors! I know the AGA members that bought coins last year have all been quite dissapointed at how quickly they all dissappeared from the game into desk drawers of "collectors". Ed

I had a Garmin Ique3600 and absolutely hated it - everything about is tailored to the office - it isn't in any way ruggedized, in fact it's quite delicate, nor is it waterprooof. It eats batteries, took forever to acquire sattelites, processor is slow so that the scrolling maps are always behind real-time - Just a litany of things that I didn't care for. An absolutely wonderful idea brought low by poor engineering. Garmin Customer Support, when called, stated that the machine is not designed or suitable for geocaching. Ed

Yes, I know I am making it harder using lat/lon intersections, but I thought it might be fun. If Alabama = 25° 22.262 and Rambler = 73° 02.537 AND either coord can be Lat OR lon AND can be lat N or S and lon E or W then we have a whole buncha places to intersect!

Firstly, Thanks For The Hide! We need all the hiders we can get! Some of us are fairly plain-spoken, so please don't think our lack of PC speech is aimed at you! I do want to mention a couple of things. WG folks by and large do NOT want their bills in geocaches. The whole WG thing is to watch it move through the economy - geocachers take them out of the economy and inhibit their natural travels. Requirements were pretty much covered and you responded well - I often cache with just a GPS, going from nearest waypoint to next - with no notes - no way I would know your requirements! Lastly, I cache with groups of friends, sometimes in big groups. We generallly will make up a team name and sign it to the log once rather than all of us sign and fill up your log. Then everyone that was on the team logs the find - so you may have one signature in the cache log but 20 finders log it online. Have fun, Ed

I am playing with the locationless cache "Where's In A Name" (GC3153) and need the help of someone who knows mapping software. To do this cache you must convert your name to a coordinate using the numbers and letters from a telephone keypad. Normally this would give you a coordinate, which you can use as Latitude or Longitude. Whichever you choose, the mission is to find someone on an intersecting coord to partner with (If your name = latitude your partner must intersect at his longitude, etc.) But, my name is multi-part, and you know I can't do anything easy, so I want to use one part for Lat. and one for Long. So, dropping "The", Alabama = 25° 22.262 and Rambler = 73° 02.537 25° 22.262 N 73° 02.537 W Puts me in India 73° 02.537 N 25° 22.262 W Puts me in the Kara Sea north of Finland 25° 22.262 S 73° 02.537 E Puts me in the middle of nowhere in Greenland 73° 02.537 S 25° 22.262 E Puts me in the North Atlantic east of Nassua Questions: 1) I can't find any accurate maps of the world - MapQuest and the like require that you round the seconds to two digits - I have three and want to work at that level of accuracy if I can. Do you know of any online maps that allow for 3-second accuracy? 2) I want to be able to determine distances - one combination of these coords puts me just off the coast of Iran - but I can't tell exactly how far off the coast. If it's at or beyond the Maritime Border then US warships will cruise the area and I can work with friends in the Navy; if it's inside that border there's not much I can do...I don't know any Iranian geocachers with boats...or US special ops types that will admit to being there (trust me - they are!)! How can I get precise distances from maps? 3) Lastly, my poor wee little brain can't figure out all the permutations and combinations of the two coords - since either can be Lat. or Long., and either can be N, S, E or W, then 2 coords x 4 directions tells me there are at least 8 combinations - but how many are there actually? Lat. can be N or S Long. can be E or W so that's 8 - right? But, either coord can be Lat. or Lon., so that's 16, right?? So, since I have plenty of time, I want to get a picture from every possible intersection these coords might lead me to! Thanks for any help! Ed

I am fat, 52, crippled and lazy. I cache on crutches and suffer from chronic pain. I regularly cache with older people using canes, overweight folk, families with young kids, people with limited time, etc. To most of us anything over .5 is a significant hike...especially on any kind of rugged terrain. When I started this game there was no cache I would not do; I spent hours crawling, literally, up hills too steep to walk up on crutches, sliding on my butt when the mud was so deep my crutches would sink - it was my personal challenge and path to recovery from years of addiction to pain-killers. Geocaching literally saved my life, and as part of that effort I did all of the hardest caches in Alabama. After a few hundred caches it was no longer a challenge - I KNEW I could do it, so the long hikes became more of a PITA. Finally I achieved peace with the idea that I CAN get any cache I want, regardless of difficulty, but why should I put myself through that? Now I like short walks and easy terrain. That does NOT mean I like easy hides - I love to search for a well-hidden cache, delight in evil micro hides, love well-stocked traditionals in interesting places. Since getting into shape, well, better shape, and discovering I can do any cache, it's become all about the people. I love geocachers! I have had more fun and met more interesting people than I had in the previous 20 years! So do place the difficult ones, enjoy the hike, glory in the outdoors, but please do let me know about how far and rough the walk will be so I can decide if I want to do it! Thanx, Ed

Pay the membership fee to join and get everything you need in a Pocket Query (.gpx file) via email! Ed

Much ado about nothing - the problem doesn't exist, as it was long ago solved by a difficulty / terrain rating. You want a challenge, don't chase 1/1s You only have your lunch hour, don't look for a 4/5 Why create problems where none exist? Ed

Sorry - try again! Only the first stage of a multi is approved and published. The approvers have the final, but don't publish it. Each stage in between is not even reported to the approver. We have several stages locally that are 50' or so from a traditional or another stage of a multi - at least two of which are directly across the street in plain sight from each other - nobody cares. Ed