Team Dromomania
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Posts posted by Team Dromomania
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I've really gotten a lot of mileage out of my 60cs. It is a great little device. It's very easy to see the screen in sunlight, the night back lighting works well and it seems easy on the batteries. It does ok under tree cover if it isn't too thick and it will work in some areas inside my house. I've only have two issues with the unit and they're minor. First, although the book says the compass should be calibrated each time the batteries are replace I find myself having to do it very often. Second, I have the buttons worn down so that the lettering is missing, the rubber "dimples" on the unit are wearing off and the "bridge" support at the antenna has broken.
To be fair, I use the unit a lot and I don't treat it with kid gloves. It rolls around on the dash board or I may have it in my pocket with keys, etc.. I've dropped it numberious times in water, mud and just this week it went slamming into rocks when I slipped on web stones and fell. I thought I had finally killed it when I saw the screen went dead but a push of the power button and all returned to normal again. About the only kind thing I've done for it is to use a protective shield over the screen. After all of this that screen still looks new.
I've heard the newer ones are better but they cost more. Get what you can affort but I don't think you'll regret a 60cs.
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I installed IE 8 Beta a few days ago and had a few problems with geocaching.com loading and even started a thread here about it. The next day (without doing anything to the settings) all began working ok with geocaching.com but there were a couple of other sites giving similar problems. Last night all those went away (again, without my input) and all appears to be working ok.
I know this doesn't help you but I just wanted to share my experience with IE 8 Beta. BTW, I like the new IE. It has some new neat features which I'm already using.
And like somebody else said, if something isn't working correct then hit the "Emulate IE7" tab.
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Without doing anything special IE 8 Beta seems to be doing ok on geocaching.com today. There are still some issues on a couple of other sites but the problems are gone here so I'm closing this thread.
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I installed the Internet Explorer 8 Beta on my Windows XP PC today to try out a few of its new neat features. Everything was going well until I tried to access my geocaching account. I get a flash of info and then I'm left with a green background but no text or images. Have any others had this problem and if so have you found a solution? The "Emulate IE7" button works fine so I'm still able to log on but it's under the old system.
I thought I had searched well and I'm surprised that this might be the first item on this topic. If I'm duplicating a thread could you please direct me there.
Thanks.
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I've had very good luck using USAPhotoMaps.exe in spotting locations for caches. I usually know exactly which tree to look under or which side of the road to park. I use the program along with my GPSr to get a better fix and where to head when in the wilderness. But it works great for the city also.
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In the pictures all looks ok. I've found several where you had to climb hand over hand over or up a cliff to nab. I've also passed on the ones I thought my limited skills wouldn't do the job. DANGER is different for each person. The ones I've passed on may be easy for the next cacher. They may be easy for me if I bring special climbing equipment.
Another point, I once attempted a cache on the edge of a cliff with a drop of several hundred feet. I tried a straight line approach and things got real hairy when I went over the side on the small shelf with no safety gear. I carefully made my way back up and after taking a closer look I found the proper approach which an 8 year old could have done.
Know your limits. Scout things out. Be safe. Have fun.
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Is it possible you logged your finds as "notes"? Check your logs. They should be in there somewhere.
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My Walmart Herman Survivors hiking boots did ok for the first couple of years. But yesterday while a few miles out on rough rocky trails I had a "blowout". I carry extra pants, shirt, gloves, etc. but no extra boots. The hike back was painful.
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My wife's method is to send me through the brush first.
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One of my complaints are cache pages with statements like, "There isn't a designated parking spot here, but the road has very little traffic so you should be ok making the grab while parking a edge of road." or "You will pass the cache location and go up a ways to turn around. Then come back down to where the cache is located and you will be able to park along side it, and take in a beautiful view." where there isn't even any shoulder to park on. I figure these as bicycle caches and state so in my logs if I should attempt the find. Some owners have since indicated such on their cache page.
Stopping in a lane of traffic isn't safe (or legal) I don't care how "Little" traffic is on that road. Among those type of caches was one I passed up where I later confirmed you must pull over on the side of a freeway (with no pullout) to make the grab. All these caches are along highways/roads with no legal parking for miles so finding nearby parking isn't an option.
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I enjoy kid's caches. Some of them are very creative. I sometimes think kids have way, way too many restrictions which limit their exploration and ideas.
Using my Way Back machine, I was once a kid. I hunted birds with a BB gun. I played on see-saws and monkey bars. We played tackle football. I always had a pocket knife with me - including while attending school. There were no seat belts so I didn't wear them. I got spanked in public if I acted up. We didn't wear swim suits at the YMCA. No rules or laws were broken and nobody ever thought about suing somebody.
Let the kids have the whole geocaching experience- searching, finding, trading and hiding.
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Averaging really should eliminate any of the fears that have been posted above in regards to some cachers liking, and some people not liking. If a rating ends up being an average rating, then it's probably an "average cache"
Comments?
Tim (aka: The Geek of The Hurricane Geeks)
I hide caches in remote areas. About 1/2 dozen of my caches are found about once or twice a year. If I have somebody go after a cache that takes a 17 mile hike up a mountain and rates it a 4 then a year later an out of shape city dude about kills himself, runs into rattle snakes, doesn't have fun at all, and rates the cache a 1 then I don't think averaging will give a true picture of that hide - even after a couple of years.
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I've never joined in on the other discussions about ratings so I'll put my 2 cents worth in here.
In general I like the idea of a rating system but what you have presented is way to complicated. There are many factors which cause me to like/dislike a cache. The best I could do is to give a personal overall rating according to how I felt on that day and how the cache presented itself to me at the time I found it. For example, the time the search was made can make a world of difference to the pleasure of the hunt. Noon time might be near impossible to find some caches while searching for other caches noon may be the best time to search. Caches have a habit to migrating to different locations and types of hides. Even my own cache hides have changed since the area had changed around it. What would be a "4" rating today might be a "1" next week.
"- Only premium members can rate caches" - I don't agree. There are many "non-premium" members who have been here for years. Why leave them out? I don't agree with your argument about fake ratings. The logs of actual finds would weed out those.
"- Only Geocachers whom have found over 200 Caches can rate a cache" - I don't agree. Again, there are many cachers who have hunted caches for years but only log a certain type or don't log them at all. Why leave them out? This is a poor way of figuring out who has experience.
For now it seems that reading the previous logs is still the best way to determine what the cache might be like.
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I have a wireless PDA and a wireless laptop that travel with me on trips. When I travel I usually stay at motels - all of which have interenet. Many rest stops have internet. Coffee houses and restraunts have internet. Libraries have internet. I plot caches along a route but I depend upon local internet connections for where-ever I spend the day/night. I even got a FTF 2000 miles from home using that method since all info is fresh. I don't need nor desire 1000's of caches in my GPSr. At least, that's how it works out for me.
You must be in a big city in the USA... 5 minutes north of me is nothing but forest and farms... nearest civilation from there is about 50 km away population 2,000 (I think) From there the next I thing is about 70 km. population 5. Haven't found a tree with internet yet...
It's at least an hours drive in any direction from my house to take my wife shopping. But that wasn't the point. When ON THE ROAD I mostly have easy access to the Internet. I really like the way Iowa (or was it MO) have internet in all their freeway reststops.
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I have a wireless PDA and a wireless laptop that travel with me on trips. When I travel I usually stay at motels - all of which have interenet. Many rest stops have internet. Coffee houses and restraunts have internet. Libraries have internet. I plot caches along a route but I depend upon local internet connections for where-ever I spend the day/night. I even got a FTF 2000 miles from home using that method since all info is fresh. I don't need nor desire 1000's of caches in my GPSr. At least, that's how it works out for me.
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I have a Garmin Vista and it holds 1000 wpts.
Strange, since the latest Garmin handheld generation (60 CSX and 60CX) are limited to 500.
I have the Garmin GPSmap60CS and it holds 1000 waypoints. According to Garmin's own specs the new GPSmap60CSX also holds 1000 waypoints.
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What about hiding a cache in front of a muggle's house [GCKGRZ]?
This person will even give you a tour of the inside of his house. This is NOT a business but a private home.
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I hiked up a few miles of a small mountain in drizzle and cold. At the top snow flurries began. I made the cache find and headed back down where the drizzle had turned to rain. I wasn't expecting it to be so cold. I had no gloves and only one of those cheap $1 rain coats. Did I mention that the rain was horizontal from the wind? Anyway, I was trying my best to keep my hands from freezing but I was holding onto the GPSr unit since my limited pockets were full of swag and water for the hike.
Then in one of those crazy moments I stashed the GPSr under my hat which allowed both of my hands to keep warmer.
After about 1/2 hr when I was nearing a bend I went to peek at my GPSr and found it missing. I checked my pockets, waist band and finally figured I must have dropped it back up that trail (and I mean UP). I head back for about 10 mins before I finally recalled that it was under my hat all the while.
At least nobody was with me to share that embarrassment and nobody ever found out.
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An offduty policeman was attempting sleuth to nab a cache where I work when a fire truck drove up and parked at that location getting ready to do an inspection. The firemen reconized the cacher and found out he was looking for something so they took a few moments to join in the hunt. About this time the employees of the business where the cache is located noticed the fireman and went out to see what was happening. It was at this moment that I returned to the yard only to see a large crowd, a fire truck, and people pointing at me as I parked. Well, it was my cache. The cacher had his find but sleuth didn't work in this case. <GRIN>
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My input: Any camo on my caches are to fool the muggles. About 1/4 of my caches have been muggled at one time or other. I want my caches to be found. But many cachers enjoy the hunt so I limit hints on the listings to allow that challenge. However, if they ask for hints I freely give them in email or by phone before or after their first attempt. I don't mind at all if previous finders give others hints. If you take all my hides as a whole then about 6% of the logs are DNF's.
On the other hand a fair number of my hides have "surprises" at the find in either the camo or in how the cache is put together. I trust cachers not to give away those surprises so as to not spoil the fun of the find.
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I just came across this software and wanted to give it a go but I'm having problems. I created the database and attempted to download a GSAK .GPX then a GSAK .LOC file. I got error messages. I finally tired a .GPX file direct from my PQ and it accepted the file and gave me the stats that I have 500 total caches but I'm unable to view any of the caches. Am I missing something in the help files? Can the program be used with GSAK?
What were the errors with your GSAK files? Does your 'total caches' listing say you have 500 caches now? If so, can you activate it (by double-tapping)?
Double tapping did the trick. Now I get to play around with the other functions. NOW those instructions to double-click stick out like a sore thumb. Thanks for the help.
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I just came across this software and wanted to give it a go but I'm having problems. I created the database and attempted to download a GSAK .GPX then a GSAK .LOC file. I got error messages. I finally tired a .GPX file direct from my PQ and it accepted the file and gave me the stats that I have 500 total caches but I'm unable to view any of the caches. Am I missing something in the help files? Can the program be used with GSAK?
I'm running it on a Axim x51v with the portrait view under Windows Mobile 5.0.
Thanks in advance.
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Which store in a shopping center owns the parking lot? Is it a land management company?
Who watches over the parking lot? Security - controlled by whom? Store or management?
Who usually muggles the cache in the parking lots - landscapers who are usually employed by which store or management company?
They way I figure it for a small shopping center of only 20 shops you'll have 20 owners, 40 - 60 store managers, 20 or 30 store security guys and gals, the complex's roving security - 2 or 3 shifts worth and one or two out of town landscapers. We've also got to include the maintenance crews for lights, pavement, snow removal etc.
We're talking about notifying about 100 people in a small mall before listing a cache.
None of this prevents a muggle from the public reporting the cacher to the police so I guess we'll have to tell all the public entering the parking area not to worried if strange things are happening around that LP.
It must be a Democrat thing with all that control. In this case I like the Republican ways - less government.
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In this area I have seen caches inside barber shops, wineries, coffee shops, colleges, tourist information booths and small stores. In all cases the owners know about it and in all of those cases you may ask for the cache instead of looking. I do hunt for them if they are in my area. I would rather have a "REAL" hunt for the cache outdoors. These indoor caches have limited access because of business hours. Nobody will be able to grab any of them tomorrow (Christmas).
What can I do if I am really stumped on a cache?
in How do I...?
Posted
I echo a lot of what others have already said on those hard to locate caches. Here's my 2 cents worth:
Don't get stuck with an "it's got to be here" mindset. I spent a lot of time trying to find one that I "KNEW" had to be in a tree. I looked around the tree trunk, hand over hand all the limbs, looked up inside the tree to see if it was hanging high. There was just no other place it could be since no other obvious hiding places were near except the ground and it had nothing but a few pine cones laying around. Wait a minute - did I say pine cones - I turned over a few and finally one didn't feel right. It unscrewed to open the container.
You can sometimes get hints from others' logs. Until you get the hang of things I'd stick with caches that have had several recent finds.
Trust your GPSr but don't give it total trust. If you go caching with three guys whom all have the same GPSr you'll be looking at three search areas several feet apart. Just get to the general area, put the GPSr down and start searching - first with the eyes (if I was hiding a cache, where would I place it?) and finally working outwards from the center. Let the GPSr sit for a while and you'll see the signals are drifting about. So trust your brain more than the GPSr when you're near the cache hide.
Finally, I'm no expert. I've got 2600 finds and my caching day batting average is still only about 80 percent.
Good luck and most of all, have fun.