Chi-Town Cacher

Oh man this pains me to write this so I'll start off with the painless part and then do something that surpises me. NordicMan mentioned the aerial imagery. That is a VERY nice option that the Delorme GPSr's offers. Basically it's like having Google Earth on your screen and the streets and caches overlaid onto that and labeled. Personally I don't use the aerial imagery for country use, but just in the more open areas of towns and I find it to be a very good feature. I saw somebody else suggest once that for use in wooded areas it's a good idea to get the black and white imagery since those are generally taken during the Winter months when the leaves are off the trees and you can see more ground detail. I haven't tried getting any black and white aerial imagery so I don't know from my own experience, but it sounds like a logical thing to do for country settings. Oh, I just noticed you asked for the experts advice. Seriously I'm a tech dummy so you may want to weigh that into how much credence you put in what I say. I'm just a VERY satisfied Delorme PN-40 owner with no expertise to offer just my own opinion. Ok, now for the painful part for me. I think I'd have to recommend you go with the Garmin, I think it's the Oregon model. Last Friday on the way to Chicago I stopped by Bass Pro Shops with only one thing I wanted to see while there. I wanted to see the much bigger screens on the Oregons that the Garmin lovers keep saying are so superior to the smaller Delorme PN screens. When the salesman showed me an Oregon I literally laughed and he asked if something was wrong. I explained to him that I was under the impression from listening to Garmin owners talk that the Oregon's screen was much bigger and I could now see the size difference was greatly exagerated and it was only a small amount larger. Now I've never been on an ATV before, but I'm guessing by the looks of your picture that you will be doing a lot of bouncing around. Now for use in a car I'd scoff at the idea that the small difference in screen size between the Oregon and the PN would make any difference to the average person. However, if a person is going to be bouncing around a lot then I can definitely see where even a half inch of extra screen size could be beneficial. So I'm thinking that for off roading that maybe the slightly larger screen of the Oregon might be the best bet. If there are any PN owners who do lots of offroading please feel free to speak up and correct me if I'm wrong. I'm basing this recommendation on what I think would be the case and can not say if it really is so. Regardless of which GPSr you buy make sure and save the box and receipt. That way if you decide you bought the wrong type for your needs you can return it and get one that is better for you.

Hi. I'm not a very tech savvy person, but I experienced a problem and I'll share my solution to see if it will help with your predicament. Everytime I tried to update it kept crashing my Internet Explorer which would restart, and then the update site would recrash IE again, and it would restart IE again, then crash IE again, etc., etc., etc.. Basically it kept getting stuck in a never ending loop of crashes and restarts. What I ended up doing was following the instructions on the update site (I think it was in the FAQ section) for how to use Firefox as my web browser. By following those instructions and using Firefox for my web browser I can now use the update site without it crashing my web browser. If that does not help you post a reply here saying you still need help and I'll be happy to send you Warren's (the company's rep that answers lots of questions on this forum) E-Mail address and I'm sure either him or one of his associates will be happy to help you find a solution to your problem. Good luck! Edit to add: I see Waz popped in while I was typing. He'll get you fixed up!

Congrats on getting a PN-40 at such a great discount! I'm sure you'll love it. There is a really good thread here in the GPS and Technology forum that has lots of very good info for new PN-30 and PN-40 owners. If you are interested in checking it out you can CLICK HERE . Enjoy your new toy!!!

Hi. I just checked the update site to make sure and the answer is yes it will update caches for the entire country of Canada and even a lot of the northern states here in the U.S, all in the same update. Enjoy the game!

Well, I've been caching for about 14 months and started out with a Magellan eXplorist, then a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx and my last upgrade was to a Delorme PN-40. I have to agree with Starbrand that generally it's not the GPSr that determines whether I log a Found It or a DNF log. A GPSr can get me right to ground zero, but that won't guarantee that this half blind old man can make the find. As far as my DNF rate goes it really fluctuates from day to day, but on average I'd guess I DNF about 1 out of every 5 or 6 caches. It's a good thing this is a very informal game or compared to lots I'd be not doing so good. Even though my DNF rate is probably higher than most experienced cachers I still have a blast caching and don't plan on stopping anytime soon! Welcome to the game!!!

Welcome to the game!

There are actually 2 of the Delormes on sale on Amazon.com at the moment. Both are great for paperless caching and have lots of bells and whistles that like the paperless aspect are not really needed, but are nice to have. One of the Delormes is the PN-30 for $179 and then the other is the PN-40 for $199. I'm always very happy to recommend the Delorme PN series GPSr's because they are in my opinion an awesome deal, but I sensed that maybe lower than your max of $200 might be better for your needs. If that is true then really pretty much any modern GPSr will work for your family's needs. Since all that's really needed is a GPSr that you can input coordinates into and then it will point the direction to the cache and tell you how far away it is and one with less bells and whistles may be just right for you. If I'm sensing wrong and you'd really feel comfortable going up to the $200 point, or close to it, then the Delormes are certainly a good option. If you want more indepth info on the Delormes you can either go over to the GPS and Technology where not just Delormes, but lots of other brands are frequently discussed. Or, if you'd prefer you can click on my screen name and at my profile page send me an E-Mail requesting more info on the Delormes and I'll be happy to tell you more about them. Good luck in finding the best GPSr for your needs and welcome to the game.

Hi Jenny. As you can see the Garmin GPSr's are certainly what the majority of the folks in geocaching use, but there's another very good and affordable option that I'd like to suggest. That would be the Delorme PN-40. It's paperless, comes with maps for North America included at no extra cost, has the capability to download aerial imagery (like Google Earth) onto your GPSr and many other features. If you'd like to read a post I wrote detailing the pros and cons of owning a Delorme PN-40 you can CLICK HERE . You mention you don't want your hubby to need to upgrade in the future. That's a pretty wise way to look at it if you can afford to go for a more top of the line GPSr. The Delorme PN-40 is one of those units that he will be able to use for a long time without feeling the need to upgrade. If you do end up going with the Delorme PN-40 then you may want to CLICK HERE to view a forum thread that has lots of really good information for new PN-30 and PN-40 owners. Like every GPSr there is a learning curve and the info in that thread will assist him in working through the learning curve. One HUGE advantage if you are interested in buying soon is that as of this morning it is still on sale at Amazon.com for only $199 vs. the normal MSRP of $399. I have no idea how long that sale price will be in effect so you may want to check it out sooner rather than later. Regardless of which GPSr you end up going with it might be a good idea to go to Amazon.com or another online retailer and read up on the reviews that different GPSr models get from their owners. We all are very happy with our own GPSr's, but rarely does anybody speak up about the cons of their favorite units so reading the reviews may give you a more well rounded picture. One last piece of advise and then I'll shut up. Make sure to save the receipt and box. That way if you decide you made a bad choice you can always return it and get something else. Good luck in finding the best GPSr for you caching needs!

Hello. In addition to my normal geocaching GPSr I also own a Geomate Jr. and find it to be a very good and useful GPSr for geocaching. Like every GPSr it has both pros and cons associated with owning it. To answer your question using your vehicles GPS to get you near the cache and using a lower end model GPSr to get to ground zero is a very accepted way that lots of folks do. Of course there are top of the line GPSr's that have all sorts of bells and whistles, but realistically all you really need is for a GPSr to point you in the direction of the cache and also to tell you how far away the cache is. If you are seriously thinking of buying a Geomate Jr. then I'd recommend you go back through the old threads in this forum and find the one that's titled Geomate Jr. owners report (or something similar to that) and you can read up on both it's pros and cons. Good luck in your search for the best GPSr for your geocaching needs!

Well personally I'm a huge fan of the Delorme PN-40 so I'd strongly recommend that you at least check it out. It's currently on sale at Amazon.com for only $199 (normally it's $399, I don't know how long it will stay at the $199 sale price point). It's completely paperless, has maps included, ability to load aerial imagery to the GPSr and lots more. If you're interested in reading about what I feel the pros and cons are of owning a Delorme PN-40 you can CLICK HERE . If in the end you do buy a Delorme PN-40 then you may want to CLICK HERE to read a thread that contains LOTS of very useful info for new PN-30 and PN-40 owners. The numbers of us Delorme PN geocachers is definitely in the minority when compared to Garmin geocachers, but the numbers are slowly increasing and that's because they do make a good enough product to take sales away from the very well established king of the hill in geocaching (Garmin) so they must be doing something right! People have a tendancy to only speak about the pros of their favorite GPSr so what I'd recommend (like others before me have recommended) is that before buying any GPSr to read up on the reviews it's received at Amazon.com or someplace similar. That way you'll get a more balanced picture than just the one liners that say, "I like my __________ and you should buy it too." Good luck in your search for the perfect GPSr for your particular needs!

At this time Amazon.com has the Delorme PN-40 on sale for $199. This is the main GPSr I use for geocaching and it is awesome! One of the best things about it is that it's completely paperless for geocaching. What that means is that right on your GPSr's screen you will see everything you see on the cache description page on geocaching.com . The only thing that won't get will be pictures. As far as I know for under $200 this is the only paperless GPSr available, but I may be wrong so shop around. While at Amazon.com feel free to check out the reviews that not only this type of GPSr has gotten, but check out the reviews for other models too. There are LOTS of other advantages to this GPSr, but to save time let me provide you with a link where you can see my views of both the pros and cons of this GPSr. (Every GPSr has both pros and cons so don't forget to ask about the cons of any unit's you are considering. To see that thread CLICK HERE! This GPSr's MSRP is normally $399 so the current price of $199 is a very substantial savings and the duration of that sale is not known. Maybe it will last another week or maybe it will end tomorrow? Your guess is as good as mine on that subject. If you do decide to go with the Delorme PN-40 then you might want to CLICK HERE. That will take you to a thread that is dedicated to helping new Delorme PN-40 and PN-30 owners. There are some folks who like to bad mouth the PN-40, but as far as I know it's the only paperless caching GPSr that comes with North American maps included and can be found today of under $200. I forget which one, but I've read that one of Garmins paperless GPSr's is on sale for $249. I don't know which model or if it comes with maps included or not, but I'm sure somebody can fill you in on that if you're interested in it. Good luck on finding the best GPSr for you and your family. Welcome to the game! P.S. Don't forget that no matter what GPSr you buy to save the box, packing materials and receipt so that if you find you aren't happy with it you can return it to get something else.

That's good, but Amazon.com is back down to $199 again.

Back down to $199 on Amazon. I predict there will be more PN-40 owners in the near future.

I'd like to express my gratitude to all the folks who put their lives on the line for the rest of us. Whether you serve in the military, law enforcement, fire department, border patrol or some other form of employment looking out for the safety of others then I say thank you and thank you to your families for supporting you! In a geocaching sense there are 2 "things" I wanted to give thanks for. First of all I'm thankful for my caching buddies who go by the screen name Cachensfun on here. They also happen to be 3 of my sisters teenage sons. They are always very courtious and patient while their middle aged uncle (me) has to search for 15 minutes (and sometimes longer) to find the same easy cache they spotted usually within 2 or 3 minutes of arriving at ground zero. I'm sure to them that it must be hilarious watching the blind old guy scratching his bald old head trying to figure out why he's the only one struggling with 1/1 caches, but they are too courtious to voice their amusement out loud or even in body language. Basically I'm proud to have 3 of the best caching buddies a man could want! Also, I'd like to say I'm thankful for Rockin' Roddy from here on the Groundspeak forums. You see it wasn't until reading some of his posts that it really struck me how awesome paperless caching must be and that I had to experience it for myself. Within about 10 days of reading his posts I had my new paperless caching GPSr in hand and instantly knew that I'd never go back to paper again if I could avoid it. Not only did he introduce me to paperless caching, but he was kind enough to invite me and my nephews over to his side of the state to grab a few smilies with him and his son and talk about GPSr's for an afternoon. A real class act in my opinion Finally I'd like to echo an earlier poster who indicated their thanks for the volunteers who keep this game running smoothly! Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!!

Oh... I thought you meant you wanted to find 350 caches over the weekend!!! You plan to find 2 caches in a four day weekend? I think that with careful planning, you can probably do that. Why? Why what? Your post made it seem that 2 caches per weekend didn't live up to your standards. There is no way to detect sarcasm via words and yours seemed rude and condescending. If I am wrong then I am sorry. If not, then please do not try to derail a serious discussion that I think is important.(no smiley added) I have a friend that averages 60 caches per caching day. I probably average... I dunno... maybe 15-20 per caching day. But I do not know one single cacher that averages less than 2 caches per day. I'm sorry... I'm not trying to be elitist... only realistic. Unless those two caches are extrememly difficult in difficulty or terrain (and I will admit that I do not know that) two caches are literally a short walk in most parks. I think you need to take a look at the OP's caching history. We aren't exactly talking about my standards here. Eleven caches found on Nov 22. 13 found on Oct 20th. 11 found on Sept 11. I don't think the OP needs to worry about two in one day. For you and I two caches is pretty much a walk in the park. However, the OP and his 2 brothers are teenagers and none of them drive. Well actually I think the oldest does use a moped for transportation from time to time. Also there really are not many caches in the nearby village they live by. I'd guess there are maybe 15 caches in the village and 11 of those were caches they hid for other cachers to enjoy. So for young cachers living in the country and not being able to drive to another city themselves I can see where 2 could be a challenge. Weather permitting I'll get them out 1 final caching run before I give it up for the winter and if they haven't made the 350 mark before then they'll get it at that time. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Maybe your nephews and you can make it dow for the Lazy Hayes Days IV weekend...maybe making number 750?? I'd like to. Due to a very bad neck I can't do the camping part since I have to have a real bed, but I could sleep at a hotel and hang out at the campgrounds for the fun and socializing during non-sleeping hours. Am I correct in thinking that your Lazy Hayes Days event is normally a Spring event? I know I was seriously considering it last time, but then chickened out. I think it would be fun. Unfortunately I can't join you on the cruise to Alaska, but I should be able to manage the Lazy Hayes event.

I waited to long. I got online this morning planning on buying 2 or 3 of the PN-40s at the $199 price point just to resell on eBay for a quick profit of $50 or so each, but the price had gone back up. I guess it proves the old saying that "you snooze, you lose". Who knows maybe on Friday they'll do it again for a few hours. Have a happy Thanksgiving everybody!

My goal is to get to the 500 found mark sometime before to much snow starts to fly around here. My plan is to go pick up the OP since him and his brothers are my caching buddies and then head over to Grand Rapids (the nearest good sized town) and grab 7 more smilies. Then for my 500th find milestone I'm going to go to one of the mall parking lots and make a LPC my 500th find just to be different than the way most folks schedule their milestone caches.

Another option that is currently on sale at a great price is the Delorme PN-40 at Amazon.com for only $199 (MSRP $400). This unit is completely paperless and comes with maps for North America included so it's a complete package straight out of the box. If you are interested you can CLICK HERE to read a post I wrote about what I perceive as the pros and cons of being a PN-40 owner. Every GPSr has both pros and cons so make sure to not only ask about GPSr's pros, but also their cons or limitations. If you do decide to go with the Delorme PN-40 you may want to CLICK HERE to go to a thread over in the GPS and Technology forum here on Groundspeak. It has LOTS of really good info that a new PN-40 would find helpful. Good luck in your search for the best GPSr for your needs and desires!

I feel your pain. It was just a few months ago that I paid $300 for my PN-40 and was happy to get it at that price. Although even if I knew then what I know now I still would have bought then because I've gotten LOTS of enjoyment from it. By being the early bird at least yours is on the way to you. If my memory is correct the last time Amazon.com had a good sale on the PN-40s they sold so many that some folks had to wait 3 or 4 weeks before they got their new PN-40s. Hopefully you'll get $40 worth of fun from it while later buyers are still waiting for theirs to arrive. You still got a very good deal at the $240 price point, but I can understand your feelings. You'll love it when you get it!

You've definitely got an excellent plan by planning on attending a local geocachers meeting. You'll find that generally speaking geocachers are very friendly and like to help each other. Not as many people use Delormes as Garmins, but ask around at the meeting and maybe you'll get hooked up with a local PN expert who can show you some shortcuts to use on a PN-40!

Congratulations on getting one very sweet deal! I paid $300 a few months ago and that was a very good deal at that time. There are some people who say the Delorme PN-40 has a steep learning curve. Personally I didn't find it any harder to learn than the Magellan or Garmin that I'd owned previously. Yes, like any new electronics toy it will take a little getting used to, but it doesn't mean it's unlearnable. There are 2 pieces of advice I'd like to give you. First of all if you CLICK HERE you will find a thread over in the GPS and Technology forum here on Groundspeak that has lots of really good info for new Delorme PN owners. Second if you find yourself in need of assistance when you start using your PN-40 go to the GPS and Technology forum and there are some very smart folks over there that try to help us newer folks. Again, congrats on your awesome deal! I'm sure you'll love it!!!

On the news they've been saying that Black Friday sales would start early this year. I guess for once they knew what they were talking about.

With Amazon.com now selling Delorme PN-40s for $199 I see in the Getting Started forum that there are 2 or 3 new PN-40 owners. Since I found this thread to be very helpful when I first got my PN-40 I wanted to bump it up so if the new owners want to start exploring the PN-40 they'd have this info readily available. Thanks again to all of you folks that contributed all the useful info!

Just wanted to update you on the price of the Delorme PN-40 if you're still consideriing it. It's now down to $199! LINK! Regardless which model you go with good luck on finding the best deal possible on it. Tis the season to save!