SunnyCyndi

Anyone?

I am having the SAME problem....definitely looking at PAST logs...and DEFINITELY a GPX file........???????

What do you mean by "in there"? In the GSAK file or on your palm?

Does GSAK work with Plucker? I'm finding I like the format of Plucker better then Cachmate...and I like the flexibility of GSAK vs Spinner. Can GSAK work with Plucker? When I convert via GSAK and export to Plucker I am getting text but no images. It says "cache" where there should be an image of a cache and where there should be a travel bug pic or a "found" smiley face. What can I do to remedy this problem?

When I go with a group we usually like to prolong the fun and give everyone a chance to find it. The unofficial rule is that when you find it you continue to "fake" search for a minute or so, moving away from the cache and announce, "I found it!". As each person finds it they join the other who have also found it. As the last person searches we sometimes throw the GPS out the window, so to speak, and resort to "your warmer...your warmer...your hot...YOUR BOILING!! It obviously doesn't take much to amuse us

I bought the new Palm Zire 31 about a week ago and I looooove it! It has a color screen, 16mb of memory with an expansion slot, and it also is an Mp3 player. Does it have a high resolution screen, no. Lots of bells and whistles,no. But for $130-40 online, $149 retail, it can't be beat. I have combined it with GPXSpinner and Plucker and it is geocaching nirvana! At this price, it works like a charm and I don't have to baby it in the woods.

Thanks for looking....I took two aspirin and finally figured it out.

I can't believe, as techno challenged as I am, that I managed to download Plucker to my PDA. I actually was having a ball reading cache pages when, of course, I got too brave and started experimenting and tapping different options. Some how, I pressed something, and now all I can access is the documentation. There is no toolbar or menu or scrollbar to get back to anything but the documentation page I am stuck on. Help!!!!!!!

I plan on trying Plucker and Cachmate and deciding which one I like better. My new Palm has 16mb of memory so I am hoping that is enough to support both for a while. I just deleted the Plucker that I installed and tried to download it again...but it said "file done" after just a few seconds and I got the same "set up file corrupt" message. Pass the Advil please........

Oh I am so NONsavvy when it comes to computers...I should have never gotten a Palm 31 but I cannot resist the urge to go paperless. I thought, at least at first, I would go the Spinner/Plucker route since Cybret's Geo-U website explained it pretty plainly even to a novice like me...but I'm already stumped after step one. I just got done downloading Plucker to my desktop and when I went to start it up it said " The set-up files are corrupted ...obtain a new copy of the program" What does this mean....do I send it all to the recycle bin and download again?

Oh...my eyes are glazing over from reading forum posts on the subject and I still feel as if I don't know which to choose. I have a Palm Zire 21 coming (cheap!) via Ebay and I want to be able to get a running start. What I have done up to this point is to copy the printer friendly log sheet, read all the logs, and write any appliable hints I find in the logs (parking coords. special hints) on the sheet. Can I still do something like this in paperless fashion with one of these programs? The Spinner/Plucker combo appeals to me because of GeoU's 1-2-3 instructions on getting started, but I know it is a read only program. The Cachmate program seems to have big fans too, but I see it only downloads 5 logs..what if the hints are in the older logs? Is there anyway to add notes to either of these programs?

Notice how everyone LOVES the GPS unit they have? I like Balboagirl's car analogy. My first car was a '71 VW bug with 4 on the floor, an AM radio, and a defroster so bad I had to scrape the inside of the window with a scraper while I drove...and even though I drive something with all the bells and whistles now..I still dream about that car. I think a GPS unit might be like that.I have a Geko 101.. and even though it has the bare essentials...I love that little unit! Don't rule it out! It will find your cache just as quickly as the more expensive units..if you find after a few months that it is not adequate (I think you won't) you can upgrade to a more expensive unit. There are always newbies looking for a cheap starter unit so you can certainly recoup some of your cost. I just saw some on E-bay this week for 59-69 dollars (new ones). Good luck!!! P.S. Entering each coordinate takes less than a minute tops...compare it to dialing a phone number versus using memory dial. I'm sure if you've used a unit with the ability to download waypoints you could never go back, but if you don't know the difference...it's no big deal.

I remember reading a few forum entries before I found my first cache. I read words like "obsession" and "addiction" thinking they were merely figures of speech. They were not. Sometimes I wonder what it is about this all that is so fascinating to me and I can see now that the beginnings go back to childhood. Some of my favorite childhood memories are these: Easter egg hunts..parents drawing a map so I could "find" my birthday present...going mushroom hunting with my Dad (I don't even LIKE mushrooms)...for heaven's sake, I even liked to go to the dentist as a child so I could read those "Highlights" magazine and find all the items on the hidden picture page. Do you see a pattern here? I can't believe I found a hobby that is so suited to me. Hubby is not interested, and the kids obviously did not inherit this weird gene, so usually I am on my own which I am becoming more comfortable with. I will say, it is much more fun to go with a friend and this hobby has made me much more outgoing in terms of going outside my comfort zone to call acquaintances who I think may enjoy the adventure. I am constantly in awe of the beautiful surroundings I discovered that have been right under my nose all these years and look forward to the adventures yet to come.

If, after trying a few, you decide to take the plunge and buy a GPS, don't think you have to buy the top of the line. I have a Geko 101 which I absolutely love. I have used it side by side with folks carrying units twice as expensive and my little Geko was equally, if not more accurate. It does not have ANY bells and whistles, but if geocaching is all you are using it for, it is perfect. You do have to punch in your own waypoints, but that takes seconds. You can get new ones on Ebay for something in the 50 dollar range, but I bet you could find a used one for half that price. Have fun!

Maybe you'll get some use out of this weekend

Thank you, Diverman...seems pretty clear to me. It's a shame because it's such a beautiful site, but I can understand completely. On to the next idea...

When it is too blustery and cold to go out and cache (which I know for some of you is never ) I spend my time dreaming about places to hide a new cache. Today I drove by our beautiful State Capitol and wondered if it would possible or even legal to hide a cache there. The grounds are several acres and have many small areas with lovely statues to enjoy and logical places to hide a traditional cache. However, I have visions of security cameras and bomb squads so I know it's probably not realistic, but just thought I'd inquire about whether it had ever been done or attempted. Thank you for your advice.

Snideswipe, Some excellent information! Thank you for taking the time to share. I am wondering, is there anyone out there who has already done the testing on pepper spray that Snideswipe so wisely suggested? I know in college I carried around a can of pepper spray for a year only to find out it shot out a weak, pitiful stream. Can anyone suggest a brand? Also, where are stun guns available? I, personally, would not be willing to carry a regular gun, but would gladly give someone a nice little jolt if they asked for it. Also, for $7, I found at Walgreen's a personal security alarm from Smith and Wesson. It looks like a keychain, can hang on your belt loop or off your pack, and works like a grenade in that you simply pull down on it, it pulls the pin out and gives out a 110dB alarm. Okay, gentlemen, you can stop laughing now.. I KNOW no one would hear it in an empty forest.. but it might help in a busier park with trails, and at the very least I think it would give you a second or two to get your pepper spray or stun gun ready.

Thank you Woodsters, I accept your apologies. And with that, I take my leave. It is a deliciously beautiful day here and there are caches to be found! Besides, I feel I may be safer alone in the woods then on this forum.

The biggest lesson learned by this newbie is that these boards move at the speed of light, and comments written in haste cannot be taken back even if edited seconds later. My most sincere apologies. Most upsetting to me is that I seem to have been drawn in to the very problem I meant to address which was getting overly upset about the little things in life. Sparky-Watts, thank you for your wise comments.

If you are not going to participate in a thread for it's subject other than to tell others they are complaining, then move along. Also don't worry about what others spend their "inordinate amount of time" discussing, debating, or trying to solve something. Just as you stated that those discussing in this forum are doing. Aren't you doing the same thing with your postings?

JamieZ, Forgive me if I did not make myself clear. I agree with every word you said. While our generation is, in reality, much safer than ladies of an earlier era, due to a variety of reasons (including modern media coverage of tragedies) we have been conditioned from an early age to always be on guard.

Wise advise???Waaaaait a minute...How did you know I WAS FROM IOWA?????????????????? That's a smile -not a scream- but for a minute there I had goosebumps and was hearing the theme from "Halloween" in the background... until I realized that info is easy to find out. It is such a shame that in today's world we ladies feel as unsafe as we do.

Thank you again Ironman114, for your wise advise

I am in the same situation, kindred spirit. I have taken my husband and each of my children along, but alas, when they see the GPS come out they all scatter! I know exactly how you feel. I did my one and only lone cache this week in a snow covered forest which was enchanting, however, I was convinced every sound I heard was a serial killer behind a tree. Obviously, that was ridiculous, but in this case perception might as well be reality in as far as it completely ruined my enjoyment of the moment. I have taken several friends along, but I am so addicted to this , I'm afraid I might appear too eager if I call too often. I look at this as an opportunity to make acquiantances into new friends. Wouldn't you be complemented if a ladie you recently met called you and, explaining her interesting hobby, told you she felt you were the type of fun and adventurous person who might like to accompany her on her next adventure? I would, and at the very least I would be flattered that she called. Isn't it ironic that there seems to be so many husbands that would love to have their wives come along, and here we are with the opposite problem. Edit:Typo