mblitch

I'm of course having the exact same problem. ever since April I have been unable to save a .gpx without mapsource crashing. I can save when I need using EasyGPS, but I liked using Mapsource so I could more easily edit the tracks when I could see it overlaid on a map (to make it easy to post to Google Earth for example). It is frustrating that this seems to be a major issue, yet it hasn't been addresses, fixed, and the buggy version is still available for everyone. I tried uninstalling and then running the install for an older version, yet when Mapsource opens it is still 6.15.6

So any recommendations on what to use with a 64bit OS (e.g. Vista-64)? I had an old Handspring unit on which I had been using cachemate, but am currently migrating all the stuff on my old computer to Vista-64. Frustrating part is not having drivers for things like my scanners, printers, and Palm. Grrrr, but I suppose I can just use and old laptop to still use that stuff. PITA, but oh well. I would prefer to get something that will work with my OD and something like cachemate however.

Since there are so many products, something more general than "the new map" is needed. Did you check the Garmin site for your product's compatibility list?

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=804989 Newegg Crucial 2GB MicroSD Flash Card $3.75 after $5 Rebate USPS shipping on 2 is $2.50 2 x $8.75 + $2.50 = $20 - 2 x $5 MIR = $10.00 shipped AR(or $5 per card) A single card can be had for $8.75 + $2.16 USPS shipping - $5 $5.91 Also available on the same rebate is the Crucial Gizmo! 2GB USB Flash Drive (JDOD2GB-730) for $12.99 - $5 rebate with free shipping. You can get two rebates per product with this form, so you can get two microSD cards and two JumpDrives, but you'll have to order them separately. Putting them together in the same order results in 3-day UPS shipping for all items

I will be soon spending 6.5 weeks in Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Cains) and New Zealand (South Island) and would like to borrow, purchase, or rent microSD pre-loaded cards with the maps of these areas. I don't want to have to purchase them for such a short amount of time, but as I'll be driving throughout the trip, I need some maps. If anyone has one to offer or sell, then please email me.

I tend to look for caches that have coins in them, especially when traveling. It can be somewhat disappointing to go to a cache to find that the coin/TB missing, which is a part of the general experience since bugs are supposed to be moved around What is frustrating is when a TB has been missing for quite a while and no one mentions anything. Often the only indication is a note in the cache log that a listed TB wasn't found. Rarely will people seem to make the effort to post a 'note' on the TB log page indicating that it was gone. I've seen bugs listed on an active cache for more than 2 years that had no more than a note or two (often a year apart) that indicated that it was gone. The cache logs mention it, but that is it. The owner of the cache should either check on the cache on a periodic basis or at least read the cache logs and realize that a listed item is gone and subsequently mark that item as missing. Alternatively, the TB/coin owner should probably do the same thing. I realize that people might own dozens of caches or TBs that would require a lot of time with which to deal, however that is part of the responsibility of taking part in the hobby. In short, please be a responsible cacher. If you find a cache that does not have a TB that is listed in inventory and it has been there for a while, please at least consider making a note. this way people that plan on looking for a listed TB might know what to expect. It really doesn;t take much time or effort, so I don't understand if the issue is more ignorance or apathy.

The coin copies are extremely disappointing. If you don't want an item to be kept or removed from circulation, then don't release it. In the least, put something such as 'COPY' in the TB title so others will know before searching for it. What is being released is NOT a coin, just a piece of often poorly laminated paper. The idea of coins involved uniqueness, detail, and interest. How can something be called a geocoin when it isn't even a coin at all? I've gone rounds with one of the local cachers that releases these things by the dozen. a look through the logs of them show the general disappointment by people that run across them. One would think that would be the first clue to the owners that this isn't generally acceptable, but apathy or ignorance win out, so they continue to do it as if it is a benefit to the hobby.

It isn't a race, just a weekly / bi-monthly hash event. There are hundreds of chapters/groups around the world. Basic premise is that it is 'a drinking club with a running problem'. It is a fun group and a great way to get out and enjoy the environment. since the runs are all over town, I'll often go early just to hit a couple of local caches.

Over the past year or so I have noticed a lot of the Tampa area caches that had religious materials left in them. This is not something I have come across when cache in other states or even other areas in Florida. While people have a right to covey their beliefs, I think leaving youth bibles and books from the new testament is not the appropriate way to do it. from what I understood, GC had rules against it, at least in creating caches with such a theme. While the cachers may be able to leave such material, I can certainly just as easily remove it, which I do. This is just a request to have people stop leaving such things. I hope these folks are not naive enough to think anyone is going to convert or care about such things. the paper tends to be thin and absorbs moisture pretty readily, thus creating a problem. If I could get people to stop that as well as stop from logging TB pickups before giving the previous carrier a reasonable time to log the drop then I'd be much more satisfied with the hobby.

It also pisses me off to no end when the inconsiderate people just make the log without thinking. At least wait a few days. Unless you absolutely HAVE to drop it off again that day, just keep it. Discover the dadgum thing, place a watch on the item, and then log it when the drop is made. People travel and cannot get to a computer immediately. The whole idea of TBs is to move around, and usually not just in a local area.

Ahh, thanks for the info. I really had no way to track it but figured others would recognize something like that. It was just a coincidence it seems.

I It is quite a strange, coincidental world sometime. I picked up this geocoin from an excellent cache in New Orleans. I notice the name Pepper on the coin when I placed it in my grab bag. When rummaging through the rest of the cache, I came across another coin-like item that looked like a collar tag that had the words 'Pepper Happy Cacher' on it. I figured they might have been accidentally separated and brought it back home, but as I look at this coins description, I find that they are not together. I cannot figure out how to track the other item since it doesn't have a full tracking number. Can anyone ID the smaller object in the pictures I have posted? The coin's tracking page is here: http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.as...2d-63c60d3629ad

1 Wait for when the TB is sitting in a cache (not in someone's inventory - otherwise they will not be able to drop it later and the mileage will be even more messed up). 2 Go make a 'find' log in the TB tracking page so it is now in your inventory. 3 Go make a 'note' entry in the intended cache log page for the intended date and deposit TB from your inventory. 4 Make a 'pickup' entry in the TB log page. 5. Make 'note' entry using current date in the cache the TB currently physically sits (from step 1). Place TB from your inventory into that cache. 6. Delete your note entry from step 5. Delete the logs on your TB page that showed you picking up and dropped the TB into the cache from step 1 and 5. Result: the mileage will update itself within a day or so. the result in the tracking page will still show the most recent carrier as dropping it in the current physical cache. the cache will show it as being in inventory and ready to be picked up. If I want to change the origin of my TB (See my other post for this) how can I do this? I want to do it because I would like to log it's correct miles from birth (as it were), not just from where I first took it. Matt.

The main advantage of a 'Discover' feature is if you pick up a TB before the previous carrier has had a chance to log the drop. Too often people will be impatient and will pick up a recently dropped travel item and log. Unless they are so set on dropping it again that day, I do not understand why except they are just apathetic or simply ignorant. They thereby cut out an entire portion of the TB journey and do not allow someone to share their part of the story. If you find a TB that has been dropped in a cache but is not officially in the inventory, then please wait a few days (even a week) so the previous carrier has time to get to a computer and make the drop. That way the mileage tracking is accurate and they have a chance to share the story. I will make a 'discovered' log to let the TB owner know that the bug has been found and will place a 'watch' on the TB. when dropped, I can delete my discovered log, and make the pickup. It is simple, quick, and lets everyone enjoy the experience.

I'll be traveling to NZ and AU early next year. I'd like to purchase or borrow a used SD map disc which will be promptly sold or returned after use. I'll continue to check eBay and such, so let me know if you have anything.

Make a log for an earlier date with a drop and pickup at a cache near your home. The miles should update within a day.

Maybe you shouldn't consider placing caches or TBs until you actually have a bit more experience in the hobby. Your account only shows a handful of caches and no handling of other TBs at all. Unless you have another account that you use, it certainly doesn't seem to nearly enough experience. How do you even really know how TBs operate if you've never handled one?

I would tend to concur. Making the early log also cuts out a bit of the history. The story is a chronological one. A find, transport, and a drop. That pattern is repeated. The issue comes into the time of reporting that event. If a pickup is recorded before a drop, then the story becomes really confusing. Now if someone waits a few weeks before making a log (you can check their account to even see when they signed up), then it might be ok to continue the story, but at least give them a chance to take part in it. My stance is that it would be most reasonable to wait a few days or even a week if necessary before making a pickup log if a drop log had not yet been made. You may just as well discover or note the TB so that people are aware of its whereabouts (so another cacher will not see the missing bug inventoried in a cache and report it as missing). Waiting does not harm anything as long as you still have the TB. You now allow accurate tracking to take place and furthermore, you provide the other cacher/carrier to share their tale. Sure they can write a note later, but it isn't quite as fun as being able to drop it into a cache when you are making your find log. While the milage may correct the history is not. The story of the person picking the TB at one point and moving it to the next (where you picked it up) is missing. Personally I wait a bit, couple days at lest. Then I will look at who last had it. Do they live where I found it? Do they live quite a distance away? Where and when did they pick it up. All that plays in to how much longer I think I should wait. Then I would send them a "did you forget email" and wait a little longer. But that is just me.

So a logical question would be, how would a TB move outside of a local areas? A lot of TBs have goals to see sites that are far apart; state capitals, national parks, or heck, even Cracker Barrels. How could they move except to be carried by travelers? If you get a thrill out of seeing your TB get mileage (so you may live vicariously through such an inanimate object) or closer to its goal, wouldn't you be a bit bored or upset if the bug only moved a few miles at a time among various local parks? Maybe is someone gets a TB they should be required to only drop a bug on their last day of travel and must get to the computer as soon as possible, ignoring kids, emails, work, etc. so they ma log the drop. Saturdays are common days to cache, should ever time some drops a bug they be require to race home to make a log just in case someone picked it up and got to a computer first? Please share in the explanation, what is wrong with waiting a few days to ensure a person has had enough opportunity. What exactly is the big rush or what purpose is being served? That is what I am trying to understand. It seems that waiting a day or so further the idea of tracking. 1) if this were needed, then people would constantly have to leave notes every time they drop a bug. Why can this not be assumed. People see to jump the gun and not even look at a log or check to see when it was last picked up. If you saw a log for a pick-up less than a week ago, then you can assume the bug is fresh and actively in use. 2) When traveling, especially on vacation, I would hazard a guess that a lot of people don't want to find a library, pay for parking, locate the computers, wait for access, and then log into the site. Caching along a route allows people to find caches directly on their planned travel path so they don't have to go out of the way for anything. 3) You are assuimg one stays at a hotel, the hotel has a computer to use, and that they don't charge. If they charge, I doubt many would want to pay 3-10 dollars and hour just to log a bug drop. 4) Alternatively, write the tracking number down. However when writing a note you don't have posession, so you cannot track the actual path. Let us say you live in Nashville and take a bug to Chicago. Before you can log the drop, someone in Chicago grabs it and take is home to Memphis and drops it in a cache. Now instead of a journey of several hundred miles it gets a tracking mileage of just a few miles. 5) Please rewrite that last sentence, it did not make sense. "it will not get the last cache unless the person who grabbed it logs it into and out of it." What does that mean? 6) Dealing with those that cannot think critically or apply reasoned arguments is indeed frustrating. Making the early log also cuts out a bit of the story. The story is a chronological one. A find, transport, and a drop. That pattern is repeated. The issue comes into the time of reporting that event. If a pickup is recorded before a drop, then the story becomes really confusing. Now if someone waits a few weeks before making a log (you can check their account to even see when they signed up), then it might be ok to continue the story, but at least give them a chance to take part in it. What is the point of logging a TB into a cache in which it never resided? I can think of only a few scenarios in which this is the case; 1) private TB used just to track mileage and is never released, 2) the goal of a TB is not a location where it can be dropped (e.g. a national park that doesn't have traditional containers or a site of a virtual such as the southernmost point in the US or other such location). My stance is that it would be most reasonable to wait a few days or even a week if necessary before making a pickup log if a drop log had not yet been made. You may just as well discover or note the TB so that people are aware of its whereabouts (so another cacher will not see the missing bug inventoried in a cache and report it as missing). Waiting does not harm anything as long as you still have the TB. You now allow accurate tracking to take place and furthermore, you provide the other cacher/carrier to share their tale. Sure they can write a note later, but it isn't quite as fun as being able to drop it into a cache when you are making your find log.

Here are some questions that I would like to see be polled to ascertain what the group consensus may be regarding the matter. Please reply to the following. 1) Is it reasonable to expect one to wait a certain amount of time (let us say at least a week) to make the pick-up log entry for a found travel bug if there was no entry for the drop. 2) How long is it reasonable to wait to make a TB pick-up if no drop entry has been made? a) 1 day 2-3 days c) 4-7 days d) 1-2 weeks c) longer of there are reasonable notes (such as TB log) that the carrier is traveling I am having a debate with another cacher regarding the appropriate length of time one should wait to log a TB pick-up. While one the first days of a vacation, I dropped a couple of TBs in a TB hotel and made the paper log entry (e.g. left xxx named yyy named TB and took zzz TB). About 3 days later I got back from a hike and near enough civilization to access the Internet. When I went to log the cache find and TB drop, I found the bugs were not in my inventory. Apparently someone had grabbed them the day I dropped them off and logged the pick-up. I contacted the person and asked why they logged it so quickly since when looking at the paper log and even the TB log pages (when I made a pickup I noted that I would drop them off in a couple of weeks when traveling) it was obvious that the person was on the road and thus unable to make immediate entries. The response essentially was that "I can't believe that [you] would expect another cacher to wait a week to log a TB and it's travels... If [you] cached a little more [you] would know that you shouldn't drop off a TB if you are not going to log it right away". There was also a supporting claim in the email exchange that the logs must be made immediately so that the TB owner knows what is happening with the TB. On another drop I made that week the finder merely made a 'note' entry in the TB log that he found it and was waiting for the drop log. My stance it that is it is certainly not unreasonable to wait a while, even a week (or two if necessary) so that the previous carrier has ample opportunity to make a drop. A lot of people cache on vacation and do not typically own or carry laptops so entries can be made every night. If the carrier makes obvious notes as to traveling, then even a further wait would be warranted. An early pickup really messes up the tracking and mileage of a TB. I suggested that making a 'note' or 'discovered' log entry would certainly suffice in informing the TB owner of the whereabouts of their item. If one was expected to make immediate logs, then TBs would never really be able to move outside their local areas. As stated, I would like to determine what the group decision would be. Was I acting improperly by not making an immediate log entry (though it only took me 3 days) or was the other cacher unreasonable in demanding that I make the entries immediately and not consider carrying TBs if I am unable to do this? I felt that if the cacher was truly interested in the spirit of the game and the notification of the owner that he would wait long enough to provide amble opportunity for a proper drop to be made. If the bug is grabbed from the inventory of another person, then the mileage tracking is made ineffective. For example, I'll soon be heading one a 4 week trip out west and can even take a couple of bugs close to their targets, but it may be 5-10 days before I can find a wireless signal to use. Should I not take any TBs since I cannot make such quick entries. I had planned to leave notes attached asking that the TB not be logged until xx date if it was picked up. What would you do or deem as being reasonable? Mike Tampa Fl

Here are some questions that I would like to see be polled to ascertain what the group consensus may be regarding the matter. Please reply to the following. 1) Is it reasonable to expect one to wait a certain amount of time (let us say at least a week) to make the pick-up log entry for a found travel bug if there was no entry for the drop. 2) How long is it reasonable to wait to make a TB pick-up if no drop entry has been made? a) 1 day 2-3 days c) 4-7 days d) 1-2 weeks c) longer of there are reasonable notes (such as TB log) that the carrier is traveling I am having a debate with another cacher regarding the appropriate length of time one should wait to log a TB pick-up. While one the first days of a vacation, I dropped a couple of TBs in a TB hotel and made the paper log entry (e.g. left xxx named yyy named TB and took zzz TB). About 3 days later I got back from a hike and near enough civilization to access the Internet. When I went to log the cache find and TB drop, I found the bugs were not in my inventory. Apparently someone had grabbed them the day I dropped them off and logged the pick-up. I contacted the person and asked why they logged it so quickly since when looking at the paper log and even the TB log pages (when I made a pickup I noted that I would drop them off in a couple of weeks when traveling) it was obvious that the person was on the road and thus unable to make immediate entries. The response essentially was that "I can't believe that [you] would expect another cacher to wait a week to log a TB and it's travels... If [you] cached a little more [you] would know that you shouldn't drop off a TB if you are not going to log it right away". There was also a supporting claim in the email exchange that the logs must be made immediately so that the TB owner knows what is happening with the TB. On another drop I made that week the finder merely made a 'note' entry in the TB log that he found it and was waiting for the drop log. My stance it that is it is certainly not unreasonable to wait a while, even a week (or two if necessary) so that the previous carrier has ample opportunity to make a drop. A lot of people cache on vacation and do not typically own or carry laptops so entries can be made every night. If the carrier makes obvious notes as to traveling, then even a further wait would be warranted. An early pickup really messes up the tracking and mileage of a TB. I suggested that making a 'note' or 'discovered' log entry would certainly suffice in informing the TB owner of the whereabouts of their item. If one was expected to make immediate logs, then TBs would never really be able to move outside their local areas. As stated, I would like to determine what the group decision would be. Was I acting improperly by not making an immediate log entry (though it only took me 3 days) or was the other cacher unreasonable in demanding that I make the entries immediately and not consider carrying TBs if I am unable to do this? I felt that if the cacher was truly interested in the spirit of the game and the notification of the owner that he would wait long enough to provide amble opportunity for a proper drop to be made. If the bug is grabbed from the inventory of another person, then the mileage tracking is made ineffective.

No takers on the $115 price you posted just a few days ago eh? You might want to be aware that this model is going for about $60-70 on eBay and even the GPSmap 76S (that has 24 megs of memory) is around $85.

MetroGold (and previously MetroWizz) has worked great for me. I haven't noticed any problems in my Garmin GPSmap 76Cx using Metroguide North America v7. Since the memory cards are swappable, I've put my Topo and National Parks maps on a different card. When in areas where I need the info, I just switch out the cards. I don't know if Garmin would kill off an entire product line just because of a (currently) little known hack when they already earn a lot from it. If they do so they would really limit their market since older units annot handle the large map sizes currently in the higher end product. While I did have a problem finding a particular address once on a trip, all the other features worked perfectly. When I blew out a tire on the interstate, I had the GPS search for local auto service companies and it auto-routed me to the nearest tire facility. When a couple of hundred miles from how, that was worth the money right there. without auto-routing the unit would have found the tire station, but I would have had to spend 5-10 minutes figuring out how to get there among all the back roads and interstate exits. This certainly isn't piracy in itself since the program doesn't steal maps from any particular location. and unless the maps or other data is intentionally encrypted, then even the DMCA [the bastard of a law that it is] doesn't come into play. How you got the mapping software itself (e.g. store bought, 5 finger store discount, or downloading it as a torrent from thepiratebay.org for free), would determine the level of piracy. Now if there was a program that generated unlock codes for GPS units (such as for Bluecharts) then there might be such a claim, however this program does not do that. There have been claims that a russian programmer long ago cracked the unlock codes and would sell his own, but I hadn't heard anything of it in quite a while. The program certainly wasn't ever released into the wild, but I have little doubt a few hackers couldn't figure something out in short order if there was a demand. Look at how quickly the DVD encryptions were broken, the most recent key having been broken just as it was going into production. You cannot stop the signal. [old Firefly reference unrelated to the GC icon] The free MetroWizz can be found at the main website, but go ahead and toss over a couple of dollars in donation for the MetroGold; it is worth the savings in hassle and time. I had already sent the guy $10 several months ago before MetroGold was even announced as a 'thank you' donation so he sent me a copy of MetroGold free. http://www.geodude.nl/gps/index.php

I got one of the Glisson neoprene cases [r76n] for ~$14 shipped from GPSgeek. It will help keep casual rain, spills, and dirt off the unit, though isn't waterproof itself. When kayaking, I just place the whole thing in a ziploc or in my clear deck bag. I think the neoprene cover is worth the price in terms of protecting the screen and keeping out dirt.

Works for me right now. I have GE 4, but don't think that is the issue. If you scan a lot with Ge during the day, you'll use up the alloted number of pulls. I only check the box when I want to see caches local to the site I am viewing.