sportside

Late to the thread... I use an iPod nano and CacheMagnet for paperless. Before that I had a notebook i would write down number, size, and the hints. I like the iPod much better...

I'm not sure if this $25 coupon is available through 12-24, or you must use it by 12-24? Do you know? The way it reads, the $25 card is available thru 12/24...

You still run the risk of trying to place near a mystery or multi cache. PMOCs aren't the only thing taking up the landscape...

Not sure exactly which ones you can use - some use the 'notes' feature, others use something else. I am using an iPod Nano with CacheMagnet for paperless. This thread may help some...

I don't know if I would want it all in one unit, but I started paperless caching with my iPod nano and Cache Magnet. I will not be going back to paper anytime soon... How ever you do it, paperless is much easier to do at home, and use in the field.

The log feature is only on 'Premium Member Only Caches.' So, no... when you revisit regular cache pages the owner is not notified.

I start at a cache page, then use the Google Maps feature to find more caches in the area. Then I usually pick an area with several caches that can be walked to, usually a park or something similar.

Depends on the muggle... I cache with my dog, so it's usually not an issue. But on more than one occasion when I was in a remote part of a nature preserve or something similar, I have come across other dog owners who use the area for off leash play. The conversation is usually the same, something like "I don't usually see people in this area..." Those are the ones that I will sometimes come clean to. I have not had the fortune of coming across a hostile muggle (72 finds, 2 muggles). You will know the muggles to make something up to, and the ones to let know what you are doing. I have read about some caches becoming missing once a muggle knows what you are actually doing there - use your best judgement. One more point, it's usually frowned upon to bring a dog into a cemetery - that may have garnered you her attention. Most of the ones with signs list it, but a lot of historic ones do not have any signs. It's one of the reasons I don't cache in cemeteries, I got into it so walking the dog would be more fun. Of my finds, she has only been absent on two. Most of our finds are in parks where the walk/hike is a few miles.

Car GPS units aren't the best for geocaching, but some have gotten it to work. I have a Maestro, but I haven't tried using it for caching, although I attempted to use a Tomtom... I don't think it will actually lead you to the cache, just get you close since it's meant to stay on roads. You should still be able to use it to find the cache, just go to the AAA screen (if you have it) and see the coords of your location. Good luck...

The TomTom is going to try to stick to roads closest to the coords you entered. If, for instance, the cache is in a park, but near a road that borders the park, it will direct you to that road - not the park's parking lot or the road that it is actually on. Obviously, a TT isn't the best for finding caches (I had attempted with a TT One 3rd edition before getting a handheld). But, if you do some research using Google Maps, etc.. you can get an idea of where you should be going and avoid some problems. Even for my first few finds with a handheld, I went to parks I knew so I could avoid some of the guesswork. I don't know about the walking mode, I don't think mine has that. I used the 'Where am I' feature, which gives you satellite coordinates.

If it needs to be pocketsized I break out the Sony P10 - since I dislike the picture quality, that is not very often. It's become the work camera... Most of the time I carry a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18S. The 18x zoom with a stability control that actually works is nice to have at times. Picture quality is far better than the Sony, which at the time was actually more expensive. But it is far from small... When money becomes available, I will be picking up a Canon PowerShot, not sure which one yet. Either that or another Panasonic...

We already have that, it's called a public library

Big downside is the serial interface. My laptop doesn't have one, not even sure if my desktop does - I would be entering them by hand. There are adapters, but they don't always work. There are other upgrades on the Venture HC, but the interface and color screen are the important ones IMO.

Hmm, the Venture HC went up $15. Still a good starter, but not as much of a bargain anymore (I didn't check any other models though).

Oxford, MA?

You didn't really say what you were looking for... Amazon has the Venture HC for $115 shipped. They are also competitive for the rest of Garmin's lineup. It's a shame you don't want a refurb, Tiger has a real good price on the DeLorme PN-20.

Do a search by zip code, scroll down... you will find 'Distances measured in miles." Click on SWITCH, and you will be in km.

I've never been fond of the geocheckers. I really like being in contact with those that seek my puzzles. It makes it all the better when you meet up with them at an event. Paul Works great if the cache hider is still active. A few of the puzzles I have looked at have owners who are long gone from the caching community. Asking them to verify coords is not an option...

X2. Without Geochecker, I have to be pretty sure of my answer

I like puzzle caches I can solve, dislike the ones I can't There are some I have come across that I simply have no clue how to solve. If I could, I would probably do more.

Norm Thanks for giving me some insight as to why an upgraded map is needed. I appreciate it.

With the PN-20 you'll get the needed mapping software for part of the entry price, with a new or re-furb. of any thing else, that will be an added expense. To be blunt they all come with the most rudimentary base map, w/the PN-XXs it's(additional mapping) part of the initial outlay. Norm I noticed you said the mapping software was needed. Why is it needed? Am I missing out on something big by not having it?

Check Amazon for the Venture HC. They have the best price you will find... As said above, Tiger has a decent price on the PN-20 reman. I use a Venture HC, and am pretty happy with it. It has all the essentials you need in order to cache. For paperless, I use an iPod nano. When I bought mine, I had never heard of DeLorme... I might have gone with that, but it is more money too - and I didn't want to spend any more than I had to.

Nope, it will be back

Firefox is also regarded as being a more secure browser. I don't know about IE7, but it was also faster than IE6. The differences may be minimal, but it is a good browser. It was also the original pc browser with tabs, much nicer than opening new windows IMO. I don't know why I started using Firefox, but I haven't gone back to IE on my own computer since. Glad you got it running again.