Cherokeecacher

Echoing, and expanding, on what others have said, you will see Schwinn bikes at Wally world, these are not the same Schwinn most of us grew up with, they are basically a cheap bike using the reputable name. Many unsuspecting consumers fall for this everyday, and then take them to authorized Schwinn dealers for repair. Most of the time they end up spending serious money to have the bike re-assembled correctly. Just my 2 cents from what I hear from bike shop folks.

You will find the D/C by removing the battery compartment, and you will see a plate/sticker with the D/C on it. Who knows how long Thales has known about this for sure, but I do know that GC.com people say they have been calling Thales about it for about a month. Edited to directly answer the question From what people have been posting, the turn around is one - two weeks. Nothing happens on the weekends, so this is actualy a realy good time frame.

Hey megamoq, Your ignorance of this topic is showing. On a European car, weather it is made for export to the USA, or is Gray Market, Have all passed the same set of regulations as a Chevy. Trust me on this. I worked for a facility that did Euro – USA safety conversions, and we were lisenced by the USA Government. I think I am well aware of the different laws and guidelines in this area. If you turn on the rear fog lamps in a euro-manufactured car, IN ADDITION to the regular tail lamps, the one on the driver side is brighter than ALL the rest. This is perfectly legal in all 50 states and according to federal law. Before making such an allegation, make sure you understand the subject being discussed. You have the same “Know it all” attitude of the police I am specifically referring to

How sturdy is the button on the case that slips into the belt clip part? I used a similar case for a cell phone once, and the button ripped apart from the case fairly easily. If these are sturdy, I could use this kind of case for my Gold. Thanks for sharing

Usually it comes from lack of propper training, some times it is just a pure lack of manners, or something going on in their personal lives that have made them bitter, and they cannot remember how to deal with people. Usually, not always. I know how you feel. After working in retail for many years, I felt the same way. After thinking about it, I found that most of the time a rude customer can be changed into a nice customer by treating him/her the same way you enjoy being treated. Even if they hit you with rudeness first for no reason, yes it is very hard. They have usually just received bad service just before coming to see you, and you are already “the bad Guy”. After being treated nicely for a moment they usually, not always, come around. I have worked with the public for around 20 years, you are crying to the wrong guy. So this gives you the right to give cr@ppy service and attitude to all the other customers? Come on, get over yourself. Just like it is not fair for them to give you cr@p because they are having a bad day, or the last person at the last store was a jerk to them. There is NEVER an excuse for this. If you are that bitter, think about another profession. Blah blah blah, after 20 years I think I have seen just about any scenario you can come up with. If you really want to tick someone off that is being a jerk. “Kill’em with kindness”. If they are belligerent, walk away, if they refuse to leave the location, call the police. There are polite ways to deal with everything This is an interesting statement. Honestly, is this the rule or the exception? How much of this perception is based on the mood you are when you start your shift. Do you notice this more on days when your spouse/boy/girl-friend has done something wrong? I tend to notice these people more when I myself am in a sour mood. Maybe it is just me. Bless your little heart, you are doing the job you accepted and agreed to do. That customer probably left saying, Whoa! That was a rare customer service experience. I just received the best that person had to offer You are right it is a two way street. Make it a game, or a personal challenge to turn these jerks into happy satisfied customers. Have fun trying to control their mood. After all, sales is control. If all else fails, kill’em with kindness, that really gets to them. The key is to appear sincere, not condescending. As far as the cars go, I live in Texas, so I doubt it was a problem with Euro Police. The cars were European, but the situations happened in Texas. Did you notice a difference in the way you felt after reading the different responses? Some were empathetic, but still showed a difference in opinion, and some were just downright argumentative. There is always more than one way to deal with a situation. There are always a few ways that are guaranteed to have a negative outcome. I too am just venting, so I am still on topic. happy caching, see ya on the trails

1) When it was the truck in front of me that pulled away from the light, and squealed HIS tires 2) On a foggy night in a European car with the rear FOG LIGHTS on, I got pulled over and written a ticket for having a rear light out. I told the over zealous officer (he was right out of the academy) that European cars have rear fog lights, and when turned on, the only light that shows is the one the driver side rear. He would not let me get the Volvo owners manual to show him I was not making it up. 3) When I was in college, I drove a “gray market” Mercedes. (Built in Europe, for sale in Europe, then came to the USA and went through the DOT conversion) The fog lights on this car are two small round lights between the headlamps and the grill. Once again on a foggy night, driving with my fog lamps on, I was pulled over a written a citation for driving with my High beams on. In each of these cases, the officers were just doing their jobs, but no where in the job description does it say, “ be rude to everyone you encounter and you know every thing, and are always correct. You have a badge, a gun, and a light bar on your car, so you can do whatever you want to others. I respect anyone who volunteers to put themselves in harms way, so others can be safe. I also expect those same people to respect me. A cr@ppy attitude is inexcusable in ANY profession while dealing with the public.

Like my Mom has beaten into my brain from birth, “ it all comes back to manners”. It realy is that simple. Shhhhh, do not tell her I said she war rightt

I would rather not give the company, only because I do not want to open that can of worms. “That is what you get for buying a ????” stuff. Lets just say it is a major player in the GPS industry. They have actually been very pleasant do deal with, once we got passed the part of their canned responses. I actually told the first person to put their script away, and interact with me. I guess my short patience for such “stuff” comes from working in the sales, service, and special event industries for almost 20 years, and watching “customer service” go down the toilet.

My new replacement GPSr from the manufacturer arrived broken. Not as trying as your experience.

I ask where the restroom is, so I do not make a mess while searching for it. Seriously. If I were not familiar with how a library worked, I would certainly ask questions, and hope that the staff and other patrons did not snicker behind my back.

The answer is given in this thread, twice in fact.

I just read the GC.com FAQ, and the one Jeremy has at the top of the “getting started” page. I saw nothing about GPSr’s on airplanes, nor did I read anything that suggests using the “search” feature at the very top of the page in the forums, to see if your topic has already been beaten to death. As silly as it sounds, not everyone uses forums enough to know to look for such a feature. Some people do know to look for the “search” feature, but then type in too specific of a topic, and nothing comes up, and they assume it is not there. I agree that blasting new people is not a good way to greet them. It could also be viewed as “common sense” to insert a link to the other 50 threads that address the same thing. After all, common sense is a relative term A wise man once said, “If you are not part of the solution, you could be part of the problem”. These are just my thoughts, so go ahead and thrash way.

Do yourself a favor, keep your receipt handy, loosen the screws just a bit, and keep your eye on the plastic near the screws. I think if you back them out a bit you should be OK. Read these threads for more info on why I say this. SporTrack stress cracks calling all SporTrack owners have you contacted.... Do not get me wrong, the SporTrack series GPSr's are great, very user friendly, and you do not have to take out a second mortgage to buy one. I am just trying to give you the heads up. Please do not get buyers remorse and feel like you made a bad choice, you did not. They are great units. welcome to the addiction, you should have a great time.

What is the political agenda you are accusing, what is inappropriate about the same avatar, and who are you accusing? Just curious, hugs and kisses. He was accusing me of having a "John Kerry 2004" banner. I am entitled my own opinion and choice. Oh, I guess it was removed befoe I read this thread. I was trying to figure out was was political about a truck, Smurf, etc. LOL

What is the political agenda you are accusing, what is inappropriate about the same avatar, and who are you accusing? Just curious, hugs and kisses.

My SporTrack Pro was less than 30 days old when I noticed “the cracks”, so I was able to negotiate a free upgrade to Meridian Gold. The whole process took about 1 week, and my new unit arrived yesterday. No swag with the new unit, but it is new, so I am happy with that. edited to add update The electronic gods are not being nice to me this month thank goodness Magellan is. My brand-new MeriGold, that arrived yesterday, will not turn on. I just placed my second call to tech. support, and they are doing an advance shipment of a new replacement, replacement, today, instead of me shipping this one back to them first. Frustrating yes, but they are working with me, and I believe this was a fluke.

I have used a variety of camel backs, but have always chosen ones that hold 100oz of water. The one I like the most is the M.U.L.E., it allows me to take the essentials, but does not have enough room to temp me to take everything I own. Its size forces me to keep it light and manageable. I did purchase an extra “pocket” that clips onto one of the shoulder straps. As for taste, mine always tastes good, never noticed a funny “plastic” taste before. Where cleaning is concerned, any thing that carries water should be cleaned and sanitized every once in a while to keep biofilm from growing. One trick I learned a few months ago, hanging around the mountain bike race circuit, is to take an ibuprofen before you leave. If you twist an ankle or some thing, the anti-inflammatory is already in your system and will reduce swelling faster. Pack holds: GPSr, when not in my hand 100oz of water Geocahce first aid stuff (pens, bags. Etc) Human first aid stuff Flashlight I use the Streamlight Stinger nice and bright Compass Two way radio Lightweight rain gear Handy-wipes Waterless hand sanitizer Bug repellant Rags edited for spelling and added url for flashlight

We MTB our only two finds so far. The funny thing is, when I was at a race, it was tough not to stop for the caches I knew were there. LOL and people say I cannot stay focused. BLHA. Not as many trails in the greater Houston area as in California.

They can be as high as 5 watt, but that would be a "pro" unit. Meaning that it will be fair-sized, looks like it belongs on the belt of a security guard, and is heavy enough to be used as a improvised club. And a price tag to match. Actually, GMRS radios can be as high as 50 watts, the hand held units will max at 5 watts, but the majority of the folks reading this forum are more likely to find 1 – 2 watt systems. And because the signal is more line of sight, a 2-watt radio with a tall antenna can transmit further than a 50-watt radio with a shorter antenna. It was a simple question, and I was trying to keep the answer applicable and simple as well. I do not think they were looking for a long answer. If you click on the link above, you can certainly get the long answer.

What is the name of the show? I would like to record it. It may come in handy when trying to explain Geocaching to new people. Thanks in advance

What is GMRS and how far can they be used? General Mobile Radio Service Most of them operate as a 1-watt, but some of the newer ones are 2-watt. The industry-approved statement on distance is “up to a 5 mile range”. Keep in mind that this was probably under ideal conditions with no other radio waves to interfere with the test. In everyday applications, I have been able to use mine up to 3 miles. This is just what I have experienced. Hope the info helps, and answered your questions. You can also go here to find "information overload" on the subject.

Ahhh patience. I think I have some, but it is largely occupied by doing constant battle with curiosity. I'm glad to hear someone is pursuing the big picture with Thales. I didn't want to have to be the one to file a class action lawsuit. Since you're acting on behalf of the group, I'm sure those who are following this thread would enjoy hearing some details about the conversations you've had, even if they are preliminary. I am assuming you have received my e-mail by now. You can reply to it for the information. As Thales employees read the board, believe it or not, I do not feel it would be a good idea to discuss the info hear. Also, as soon as I discuss a “possibility” here, it will be expected/assumed it will happen, then if it does not, total letdown.

That is exactly what is being discussed at this very moment. Please be patient

Contacting the correct person has been a challenge. After a week of trying different people, in different departments, I think I got a hold of someone that can address the issue internally. I will keep everyone posted, as more info is available. I am working on behalf of all SporTrack owners, so what ever is decided will benefit everyone. Please be patient, this may take some time to address properly and satisfactorily for all parties involved.

To answer some specific questions you asked Magellan says they have fixed the problem, but I have heard from people with “the fix” and the cracks did come back. The SporTrack Color does not suffer from this design flaw, nor does the Meridian group. I am no good at currency conversion, but you can find some good deals on new Meridians here