5cachers

Thanks Max and 99. Probably not a bad idea, since the main parking area has construction right now (but should finish in a week or two). The preserve has a webpage with directions to the official parking lot, which highlights an alternate area for parking in a nearby neighborhood park. igator210: That's certainly a spot that can be used, since it is a public city park and has concrete trails that lead to the preserve, but there is another neighborhood park with closer access. EDIT: I did add parking coordinates (two options), with a little text.

Thanks folks. My wife and I are very chill people and are not trying to do this as a "power play" or cause any conflict. We are retired and have been geocaching for ~20 years (with a long break when the kids were no longer interested....now it's just the two of us). We are very active volunteers at the preserve....native plant restoration, quail restoration, maintenance (I take care of the tractors, mowers, irrigation pumps, etc) and are not paid. We are the only volunteers who know geocaching, and that's how we got the role by default. There was another person who volunteered and had caches 10+ years ago, but she is long gone, and so are her caches. If one of the other volunteers wants to place caches....no problemo. But the board wants people who are actively involved in the preserve to place/manage the caches.....not some outsider with no skin in the game. Like I mentioned.....their rules, not mine.

Ok....I see your point...perhaps I should have phrased my sentence differently. The manager of the property (and board member) requested that we monitor all geocaching activity, and make sure no other caches are placed unless discussed first. Due to distance constraints, only 4-5 caches on the property are possible anyway. But if geocaching causes a problem (too much traffic, etc), then we'll have to remove all the caches. It's a private preserve, so the board can do whatever it wants....not my call....we just help out.

No conflict of interest. In the nature preserve, we have numerous sensitive restoration and wildlife activites ongoing. In one area we have bee hives, in another area we have bob white quail that we are raising and releasing, and in many other areas we have prairie grass restoration efforts ongoing. Plus, the nature preserve board of directors is very sensitive about anything that gets placed or built in the preserve, so activities like this must be monitored. Not my rules.....the board of directors, who own/govern the property set the rules. And the cache I requested to be archived (and was) is on private property that is currently in the process of being sold. The property owner has placed chains and "no trespassing" signs everywhere. I don't agree with his actions, since his property connects a neighborhood to the nature preserve, but it's his property. Plus, his family donated the nature preserve land, so I have to be careful and sensitive to his wishes (ie he also sits on the preserve board of directors). But since the cache in question was archived last night, the problem/conflict has been resolved. All is good.

Hi folks, Thanks for all the posts! FYI, the cache owner responded to my email last night. He moved 4 years ago and forgot about the cache. The cache did have multiple DNFs in the past 2 years, so it's physically gone (probably due to repeated aggressive floods in the area.) The owner archived the cache. So now I just wait for the new caches to be approved. Thanks!

Hello, (edit 11/20/20: this issue has been resolved. If you are curious....read on, but please read all posts before responding) 10 days ago my wife and I placed a cache in a private (but open to public) nature preserve. We have full permission, as we work/volunteer at the nature preserve and we are the designated "geocaching" representatives. No one else is permitted to place caches in the preserve unless they consult with us first. However, our cache is close to an old cache across the creek which has not been found for 2.5 years. Before that, it was reported water logged, as this area is a flood plain that floods 3-4 times a year. Also, the old cache is on verified private property (we know the owner, which also donated the nature preserve we work at). I asked for the old cache to be archived, but have heard nothing in 10 days. I also emailed the cache owner, but the cache owner has 0 finds, and 1 hide, and was last reported on the Geocaching website in 2016, so the cache owner obviously doesn't care about geocaching anymore. Seems like a slam dunk to archive the cache and move on, but we have heard nothing. We placed 2 more caches, but those have no conflict.....just need time for the reviewer to see them. Mike

Hi folks, I have searched the forum high and low and can't find an answer to this question: how can I reset the memory on a Sportrak Pro? My dad messed up the upgrade on his Sportrak Pro, and now it just "blinks" when you hit the power button, but doesn't power up. Basically, the memory is probably corrupted due to an interruption during the upgrade process....just my guess. I also have a Sportrak Pro, so I am familiar with the unit. SO......the big question is: is there a way to reset the Sportrak Pro.......hard or soft reset? The clear memory feature won't work, since the unit won't boot up at all. I know that there must be a hard reset (shorting memory pins, something like that) that I could do. I have no fear of working on the unit; I'm an engineer and fix cellphones and other electronic devices, but I can't find any online help to send me in the right direction on this unit. I know it is still a good GPS.....just corrupted somehow. Anyway, any thoughts? Surely someone has hacked this unit before. 5cachers

Hi, I have the Mapsend Topo map. I bought it last year, and it is at least 5 years out of date (possibly more). I emailed Magellan about updates and never got a decent reply. The impression I got is that they don't update it, and don't plan on it, since they came out with a new program (don't remember the name, but it doesn't have topo features....just maps). Someone is welcome to refute this. I would love to know that I can get updates, but I'm not counting on it (and disappointed). Mike

Sportrak Pro DC 2503 5 of 6 screws have hairline cracks.

When I was shopping I also looked at this unit. Based on the specs, it appears that the Sportrak Topo is basically a Sportrak with tons of memory (~100mb, if I remember correctly). If you want to spend a little less, purchase a Sportrak Pro or Map and purchase the Mapsend Topo SW ($50 rebate with the purchase of a Sportrak or Meridian). You could also get a Meridian, which has a SD slot for expandable memory. I purchased a Sportrak Pro and the Mapsend Topo SW. Works great for me!