Gretch_Mess

A digital compass is a really nice feature. Waterproof is another nice feature. WAAS is good and fairly standard now. Color is not necessary unless you want to load mapping software on your GPSr.

If special equipment is truly required, 5 is appropriate.

I'd mark it a 5 star difficulty and leave the terrain to whatever is appropriate.

and the log from the next finder.... "Took pen set, left milk bottle cap." Talk about trading down... unless the bottle cap was made of pure gold Funny you caught that trade. I sent him a flame, and much to my embarssement, it was an antique bottle cap in mint condition.

Safety is a legitimate concern. You should research your target cache in advance and bring adequate water and appropriate clothing for the elements. If you are going to a truly remote area, it’s a good idea to inform someone where you are going and when you plan on returning. I recommend against going anyplace where you need a firearm (if such a place exists). I was in the infantry and I am an very knowledgeable and comfortable with firearms, but it's beyond me why anyone would feel the need to pack heat at anytime* let alone while geocaching. Has anyone actually encountered a situation while geocaching where they had to brandish or discharge a weapon? * well, maybe if you're a police officer, bounty hunter, repoman, or wild west gunslinger.

Nice addition. Works great on Motorola MPx220. Sweet!

Pretty cool item - how long did it take to make? I always try to trade up. This is perhaps the nicest item I left: pen and pencil set

Typical of a "red state".

Granted, it's the journey that most appeals to me when caching, but I'm constantly amazed at the range of items I've found in caches. Some people place imaginative and quality items, while other place . . . well, trash. So, I'd be interested to compare notes on everyone’s best and worst items they've found in a cache. Here are mine: Best: Original Han Solo action figure with accessories. Worst: A used disposable razor, with facial debris caked between the blades (yuck).

Agreed. Quality items do not need to be expensive, just interesting.

There will always be knuckleheads. In one cache I found a used disposable razor, with facial debris caked between the blades (yuck). Naturally, I removed it and threw it away. What's important is to overlook the knuckleheads, take the higher road, and trade up.

IMHO, the adventure is the primary attraction for me, and items in the cache appeal more to my boys as part of the "treasure hunt." As such, most of the items I place are kid oriented. I share the concern about the junk some people place in caches. There is little doubt in my mind that better quality items would improve the experience. Everyone needs to take ownership of the sport and trade up (not down) - you know, think globally and act locally. Here is an example of my contribution to improve the sport: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...a1-f52610b427f1

Interesting, what big event?

It was posted. Thanks all for your comments. Now, if you want to see a really cool cache: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...80-7e8109b71824

nope never mind - I did receive the email

nope

Who should I contact?

$20 is the going rate, right? Perhaps the payoff was too low

A month to approve ?!?! Why was it your fault?

Thanks for the prompt response! Is that a lime on your cat?

I posted my first cache on Sunday, but as of Thursday evening it is still not approved. It's a fairly vanilla traditional cache. How long does it normally take to approve new caches?

Thanks for the replies! As usual, this board was very intructive.

Caches are currently rated only by Difficulty and Terrain by whomever places the cache. It would be pretty cool for the cache finders to rate the cache from 1-5 starts based on the overall quality of the cache (similar to a Netflix rating system). While most caches are good, some are better than others. I recently hit a cache that was fantastic and I would love to give a five star score! Has there ever been a discussion about adding a user rating feature to the geocaching web site? If not, who could I contact to make the suggestion?

I successfully used Babel to convert .loc files into DeLorme .wpt files (one step), which nicely imported into Topo 4.0 as draw objects (pin symbols) with labels. Unfortunately, I'm still having problems uploading waypoints from Topo 4.0 to my Palm running SA2004HH. This is what I am trying without success: I add draw objects with a text description. I then save the project. I then go into the "handheld export" tab and selected the "exchange" button. In the resulting dialog box I select my device type as "Palm OS", select the "send to device" radio button with the object type as "Draw Points", and then select the "Next" button. In the next dialog box I select the name of the saved draw file and select the "prepare to sync" button. I then get the following error: "One or more of the draw layer objects were not successfully sent to the device." As you can image, I am very frustrated . Can anyone help?

One way for entering waypoints (at least in my 2002 version) is using the find function by entering gps coordinates in degdec format. Hit goto and then add a waypoint at the center of the screen. Beware, however, because I've noticed a loss of accuracy of about 1/1000 of a degree (about 8 meters ). Does topo 4.0 allow you to accurately enter waypoints by entering GPS coordinates on the handheld?