W7WT

I just wanted to say how great the CacheNav 1.0 has made the iQue for geocaching. I have been using the iQue just to go paperless and for routing. Then I use my 76S for the actual hunt. Today I set the 76S and the iQue with NAV activated on the cache coordinates. The NAV display gave me same thing as the compass page on the 76S and more. As we got close to the cache both units switch to feet at the same time. Got out of the vehicle and used both units to look for the cache. The iQue is just as good as the 76S for tracking down the cache. Both units zeroed out at the same time. Of course the cache wasn't there. Up here in the drippy NW I will probably still use the 76S for the hunt but it was nice to see just how well the iQue with the CacheMate plugin CacheNav worked. Thanks Dick, W7WT

I live about 4 miles south of where Patch was standing in the mud. I am not as tough as most of the Geocachers around here. If it is raining, and it is most of the time, I wear Karhartt overalls, Alaska tenna runners (rubber boots) and my waterproof flyfishing jacket with a hood and lots of big pockets. I even protect my waterproof 76S with a ziplock bag slipped over the top of it. Now it I can just keep my wife from washing everything. Dick, W7WT

Hello Nick. As you know I geocache with your good buddy Ajetpilot. I have the iQue which I use with Cachemate to download the GPX files to the iQue. I only use Cachemate to go paperless. I use my 76S to actually look for the cache. I use Easy GPS to download the LOC files to the 76S. While the iQue will also do routing I usually let Bruce do that with his 60c which is a great GPS and has the CitySelect maps the same as the iQue. The way I select the caches I want to use is to check the WATCH option on the page and then select all of those on my watch account to download. I really like Cachemate. Good investment for $7.00 Good luck, but going paperless isn't going to help you beat Bruce out for FTF. Dick, W7WT

Brief but nice article on page 39 in the March/April edition of AAA Puget Sound Journey. Also an interesting article on Gig Harbor on page 64. Dick, W7WT

In April I will be 79. Enjoy Geocaching. This morning I found my 442 cache. I hope to geocache as long as I can. Great hobby. Dick, W7WT

470 feet. It is at a library where you have to do a lot of research on things I am not interested in. Then it is also a multi with some projection. I have been at this long enough that I don't do any caches just because they are there. It is a nice cache in a library and some people will enjoy it. It's just not for me. Dick, W7WT

In the Bremerton Washington area, Fledermaus and Real Deal are masters at rehiding caches. They motto used to be lets hide it so Old Man W7WT can't find it. They were usually successful. That's why I have so many first finds. If I was going to find it, I had to beat them to it. If you ever read any of Fledermaus remarks on the cache page, he always says "left it hidden better, than I found it." Dick, W7WT

Hello, you sounded familiar. I see you have found some caches here in Bremerton, Washington, also in the SW part of the state. I am no expert but I do have a 76S. It is my guess that once the GPS finds itself by letting it acquire sats it will get the time from them. Then you can go into the setup and set it for your timezone and the date in the format you wish. Be sure you have fresh batteries in it. Good luck Dick, W7WT

Thanks Bobthearch, for your methods of finding waypoint on the 76S. I haven't read the manual for a couple of years and have been using the menu route. Your second method of using the NAV button is much easier. Gee, learn something every day. Dick, W7WT

It may sound like I am bragging about my age (almost 79). I am just glad I can do as well as I am. I bought a iQue 3600 in November. I know how he must feel. I am too proud (stuburn) to ask for help. All I could get was the very basic information from the pocket queries. I just didn't understand that I needed the gpx format to get all the information. I got cachemate and it does it all. On the forum I found a step by step procedure by Peztone. I printed it out and followed it. It was so simple once I knew the procedure. Now I can use my iQue to route me to the cache. I still use my 76S for the hunt and carry all the information I need on the iQue. I am still learning and right now I am somewhat confused by the new Pocket Queries procedures but I still manage to get the cache information on my iQue. If I had asked for help I am sure I would have been paperless several weeks ago. ASK Dick, W7WT

I am almost as old as Snoogans Mother. I will be 79 in April. After a day long hunt yesterday I now have 426. Up until last fall, I found most of these solo. I am a slow walker and sometimes it takes me three tries to find a cache. I was able to pick up 60 on a trip from Bremerton Washington to the East Coast which took three weeks. Most of these were easy rest stop caches or virtuals. Made the trip much more interesting. Lately I have been geocaching with Ajetpilot who is willing to slow down and also listen to all my "war stories". More enjoyable and efficent. I do my homework and carry a cell phone when caching solo. I would urge all interested seniors to get off their duff and enjoy geocaching. Dick, W7WT

Hurricane Ridge is a great place to cross-country ski or snowshoe and while you are up there check out my virtual "High on a Windy Hill". Its getting lonely. Dick W7WT

Do a search on Cachemate and you should find several step by step to go from the pocket query to Cachemate cmconvert to the Palm database to iQue via a hotsync. Just today I went paperless using the iQue and found 15 caches. I use my 76S to do the search and the iQue for the description, hints, and logs. Worked great. Cachemate is all you need to get the GPX files on the iQue. Good luck. Dick, W7WT

Shunra, I live just south of you in Bremerton, Washington and have been using the 76S since it first came out. Before that I used the MAP 330. At first I kept going back and using the 330 because I wasn't that familiar with my new 76S. Once I got familiar with it it is a great GPS. One thing for sure, you are one of the MOST active Geocacher in this area. Welcome Aboard. Dick, W7WT BTW if you ever do the caches at Howe Farm, you can get great WAAS coverage there. (NOT IN THE TREES!!}

I am sure there is a lot of Geocachers who are general aviation pilots. My geocaching buddy, Ajetpilot, is a retred Naval Pilot and American Airline's Captain. In about four months I will be 79 so I sold my last plane a few years back. I could no longer pass the physical. I started out in WWII flying Stearmans as a Naval Aviation Cadet. We have owned two airplanes, a Cherkee 140 and the last a Archer, PA-28-181. Both planes were full IFR and I had a commercial, instrument, float plane and ground school instructor rating. My wife also had a private pilot license. My oldest son is a captain on a 747-400 Atlas Cargo Plane. He started out as a bush pilot in Alaska. We have made five trips to Alaska from Bremerton, Washington and camped out on the way. One of the big problems even if you were flying a supercub is getting around on the ground after you have landed. Here in Washington State there are lots of small fields where you could walk or bike to a lot of nearby caches. My wife still misses flying. It's a great sport. Smooth Landings Dick, W7WT

I also use a 76S. Really a great GPS once you learn to take advantage of all of its features. I agree with Capitalpete. Forget easygps and downloading caches for now. I would also suggest printing out the entire logs (unless there is too many) for a while. I now usually read the entire cache page and print out only the print friendly page. If there is spoiler pictures etc., (not being the best cacher in the world) I print them out and at times other maps that may help me in the hunt. I now have a new iQue 3600 and have been playing around with Cachemate and pocket quiries. As soon as I recover from my recent operation I will try the paperless caching. At first I will also carry the printouts. Not being a young buck anymore I try to make the hunt as easy as possible. Good luck. Dick, W7WT

If it is a new cache, I don't always log a NF. Not being the best hunter I don't wantto discourage other finders. Dick, W7WT

PPC (*ISS POOR COORDINATES ) Dick, W7WT

In the summer of 2001, you had to travel a good distance to find a cache and if you could find two or three in day you thought you were doing well. I remember hearing about a lady in OR that found I think 16 in one day. I wondered how she could possibly do that. When I planted my first caches they were in a senic park and I had permission to place them. Gave detailed directions how to get there. Every time someone would find my cache, I would send them an e-mail thanking them for doing so. In those days I had a lot of first finds only because I did them as they came up and get up and going early. If I waited, a couple of local Geocaches loved to hide the caches "better" so I couldn't find them. Theywere very successful in doing so. Also I soon learned that I don't have to "Do them All". I didn't get as old as I am by being careless. Dick, W7WT

This past summer we made a coast to coast round trip finding caches when we could. I love interesting virtuals. They make the trip more interesting. However on a trip logging them can be a pain. You never know when you will be able to get internet access. Most of the rest stop type traditinal caches are easy to find and easy to log, but not all that interesting. I like and do both. I even enjoy looking for a "yellow Jeep" locationless cache. Dick, W7WT

I still have my old Garmin GPS 45. Loved it. Had to enter all waypoints manually when going on a trip. Did it even to Alaska and back. In the summer of 2001 found out about Geocaching. There was a cache only about a mile north of me. Grabbed the 45 jumped on my 250 scooter and headed up the road until it indicated the cache was abeam of me. Hadn't gone ten feet into the forest when I lost signal. Bought a MAP 330 that night and found the cache the next day. Now I have a Garmin 76S which works great. If you have a clear shot to the satellites the 45 might do it. Here in the PNW they tend to hide the caches deep in the woods. Good luck. Dick, W7WT

We left Bremerton, Washington on Labor day of this year in a small Roadtrek Camper Van. Found 10 the first day as far as Bearmouth Mt. My wife is a non-Geocacher so I tried not to take too long looking for a cache. On our way to the East Coast I found at least one in every state except West Virginia. Beautiful state but the caches just weren't convenient to find. Got to Nags Head and did the Wright Brothers Virtual and heard about the Hurricane. I had planned on a lot of caches down the NC and SC coast to Savanna and then back up to Memphis, TN. We headed back West towards Knoxville. No caches were looked for until we got to AR as I had not planned for that route. Found caches in every state along I 40 to Gallup and headed north toward SLC and found caches in every state until we got back home. We traveled coast to coast and back in three weeks and I found just 61caches. The nice community of Olney, Illinois had more nice caches in a small area so we spent most of the day there. Would have spent more time and got more caches if the Hurricane hadn't come along. BTW we are not kids. We are both in the late seventys. On the trip I found two in WA, six in ID, one in MT, one in WY, three in SD, two in IA, six in MO, thirteen in IL, one in IN, three in KY, one in VA, one in NC, three in AK, four in OK, two in TX, four in NM, one in CO, four in UT and two in OR. Dick, W7WT

I love the print friendly option. On our trip from Bremerton, WA this summer to the East Coast, I printed out over 100 caches. I had them sorted out by what I thought I would be able to find each day. I have a new iQue and hope to go paperless. Dick, W7WT

Finally found my "Yellow Jeep" in a parking lot in Bremerton, Washington on October 19, 2003. Saw a lot of yellow jeeps before that but they were always going the other way. If I had put a DNF for all the times I couldn't get a picture of it with my GPS it would taken up several pages. I am 78 and I really enjoyed looking for the Yellow Jeep and finally finding one. When you get tired of fighting wet underbrush it was a nice diversion. Dick, W7WT

When you are 78, not too many people want to go as early as I go or as slow as I go. I have 400 finds and just this past few months have been going caching with Bruce, Ajetpilot, a retired Navy pilot and American Airlines Captain. It has been enjoyable and more efficient. Not unusual for me to make three tries to find a cache. Having grown up on a farm with no brothers or sisters and the neighbors a mile or so away, I usually have hobbies that don't fit into the lives of my friends. Dick, W7WT