ifconfig

"Alian Visitation"? Isn't that the poor Cuban boy who was the center of all that attention in Miami years ago? :-)

Blindleader, you sir, are most definitely not blind! Thanks for that inestimable resource. Really, thanks!

RTFM

This is the second time I've run across this issue. My geocaching mentor asked if the cover to my Garmin eTrex basic would affect (not Effect) signal reception. Strange question, I thought.

Here's how I do the dastardly deed. Hopefully, this will serve to simplify the quest for accuracy. I take a waypoint, once. I go online and using both terraserver.com (for pay) and Microsoft's Terra-server (free), I plug in the co-ordinates I obtained. I then compare real life, as seen from the photo, to the co-ordinates. If my co-ordinates are off, I'll simply get a better one from the pictures. Simple and extremely accurate. Unless, of course, both terraserver.com and terraserver-usa.com are both inaccurate. :-)

A 5-year-old getting a Geko...how...cute. The Geko eats AAAs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Apart from that, for me, there is no more perfect a GPS for me.

I have Street Atlas 2004, and compared to Streets & Trips, SA'04's interface was cumbersome to use. It looks like Topo 5 has the same interface. That said, when I did finally learn to use it, I now prefer it to S&T. It does a better job of auto-routing, which is what I got the software for. I just ordered Topo 5 with the priority code (thanks!!) because I'm flabbergasted I can get the entire country for that much. It's not only a great value but being comfortable using SA'04, I don't think it will pose as much of a problem for me as it is for the poor old capt. :-(

And? How good (or bad) is it?

Your question would most likely be answered faster in the GPS Units and Software forum. It's a good question though, and one which I'd like the answer to as well. -Ifconfig

Here's my story: I started out with the Garmin Etrex basic yellow unit. Excellent. Used it to find almost 70 caches. Coupled with a Handspring PDA and cachemate, I went completely paperless and 'It Was Good.' I definitely recommend a GPSr with the ability to interface with a PC is the lesson I learned quickly. Being the (overly-)studious person I am, I get ready for each caching trip by checking the location using USAPhotomaps (wonderful software by the way, and cheap!). Since I live in south Florida, there aren't going to be ravines and the like to cross so I'm all set in that regard. I decided not to get a mapping GPSr like the Legend et al because I did not see the need for one. My PDA has all the necessary maps backed up by Delorme SA 2004, and MS Mappoint online and on my computer. I definitely do not need a compass as I've owned compasses forever and prefer them. I most definitely do not need an altimeter. All this effectively kills off the high-end GPSr's. However, I still yearned for a unit with WAAS. I looked around and found the Geko 201 which is just beautiful to use, weighs next to nothing, and has the PC interface feature I want. In my opinion, the 201 is the very best caching GPSr apart from the GPSMap 60c but who wants to spend $380 on a GPSr? If I had the disposable funds (what's that???), I may get the 60c (not the cs, don't need the compass and altimeter once again) but until that very unlikely day, the 201 is hands-down the winner. My basic yellow is now used by my wife on those rare days she comes caching with me.

If only I had clues to decrypt with some of the more frustrating caches I've been searching for lately. There's one with hopelessly bad co-ordinates and no hint. It's a micro in a row of trees. Sometimes, I wonder if people get the objective of the game.

Absolutely fine on my XP box as well.

A search of Google (which is your friend, along with Strunk--http://www.bartleby.com/141/) gives: Palo Alto Research Center. http://www.parc.xerox.com/ Have fun.

While I understand the 'cloak and dagger' feeling of urban micros with muggles aplenty, I have wished several times that the cache owner had thought a little more about how easy or convenient it would be to retrieve and replace the cache for the seekers.

What do those links have to do with WAAS ground stations?

Reading Geo*Trailblazer's posts make my eyes swim. How's about a life jacket?

To paraphrase Jefferson, a little bloodletting from time to time is good for geocaching and in that vein, you have some really good points. I agree with you, let's ban geocaching. And man, while we're at it! To prove my point, it'll do to recall the words of the most erudite Agent Smith of 'Matrix' fame (the first one, the rest suck): I will hereby start the crusade. "Honey, where's my arsenic-laced chocomalt?"

I suggest we use internet (swatch) time.

Reading some of the posts here gives me a headache. I can only rely on what I have observed with my basic yellow and my friend's Vista, down here in south Florida. Most times, I can observe no discernable difference. Sometimes, his GPS sends him way off the mark and sometimes mine does. As long as my little yellow takes me where I need to 95% of the time, I'm happy.

Do you know what UTM means and how to use it? If you do, you may be able to get away with using it since every cache listing has a UTM listing as well. My suggestion would be to spend $80-$100 and get the basic etrex.

Wow! I simply must add my kudos to the long list. Well done indeed, and thanks for making it free.

My wife thinks it's 'dorky' to go out into the "woods" in south Florida (Florida doesn't any "Woods"!) searching for bric-a-brak but she is in bemused support of it. Although I do tend to stretch things a bit and end up doing that 'final' cache that gets me in trouble for being out too late. And to think married men on the average outlive single men! (wearing my fire resistant underwear)

So let me get this straight, if child pornography was legal, you wouldn't have a problem with it?? Hmmm. To everything I posted, all you can muster is a flimsy ad hominem? Hmm... (whatever hmm... means) On topic: In my short time on the boards, I've seen time and again this question of what to carry while caching come up. I wonder why that is? Perhaps this is the reason for the recurrent posts?

Yes, I can see you do indeed give a lot of thought to crapping on others' beliefs. Like equating carrying a pistol with child pornography, yes, that is very thoughtful. Not at all inflammatory. Here's news, in case you didn't know: child pornography is against the law everywhere, carrying a concealed pistol is not (in almost 40 states, I believe). If you choose not to arm yourself even though you have the right to, perhaps "crapping" on others' belief and right to may not be the most open-minded thing you can do. Your kind of person believes, I'm sure, in the dictum of "live and let live". Whatever happened to that? I'm the same person carrying a concealed weapon that you will never see (except in lawful self-defense) as when I'm not carrying a weapon. How could you possibly tell the difference? By the way, the real "people killer" you're thinking of is the 3000lb car you're driving. It's drivers kill a heck of a lot more people per year. If you really feel that strongly against "equipping" yourself "to kill" when going caching, perhaps you're better off walking. Then again, you'll probably kill some unsuspecting ant or plantlife on the way so why bother?

Well, if you put an E6B (whiz wheel or electronic? :-) in a cache here in south FL, you bet I'll come after it, stat! Not a bad idea, however, you may want to be sure the cache is not on airport property. These days, you never know...you may also want to take a look at the cache placement regulations. Good luck and keep the oily side down. -F (PPSEL)