Chuy!

GoBolts! posted on this cache that he had a stroke and was posting his log from the hospital. When I called him, he was on his way home. He had a mild stroke around midnight and struggled with speech for a few hours. He sounds well and was in good spirits - he was even making time to grab the cache that happens to be about 500 feet from his house. Sounds like he kicked this stroke's heine - way to go Dave!.

There doesn't appear to be a dedicated application for iPod Touch. Check out http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=180756 Take a look at GSAK and it's 60CSxPOI macro. The macro install cache webpages in all the handheld Garmin units with data cards. It takes a little getting use to, but it works.

If you were a premium member, GSAK and it's 60CSxPOI macro add near-paperless functionality. So much so that I haven't touched my PDA in over a year.

GPSVisualizer can do most onversions online without having to download any software.

It's the 60CSxPOI macro. It's a GSAK marco and works on all the 60 and Etrex handhelds with external data cards. I have it on my Vista HCx and Venture Cx. You can download an entire cache webpage and up to, I think, the six most recent log entries. The only thing it does not support are pictures. The other drawback is a POI only holds about 144 characters; so the macro creates as many POI pages as are necessary to cover the web page. But, you can minimize the creation of POIs by downloading only the short-description and/or putting a cap on the # of POIs. I've using this macro for over a year and have found it to be a very useful tool - I no longer carry my PDA around. Software you need (aside from premium membership, needed to create and download pocket queries. However membership is not required to create and download .gpx/.csv files which are what's installed with the POIs): GSAK - $25 (there is a free version). 60CSxPOI macro - all GSAK macros are free. POILoader - free. This is a Garmin application. You need it to install .gpx/.csv files as customized POIs.

There are free Wisconsin Topo maps available at gpsfiledepot. Otherwise, you'll need to save about $85 for City Navigator North Americal NT. If you don't become a premium member you can still use the free POI Loader to download .gpx files , but you you will have to update each waypoint one at a time. Your 60CSx will come with MapSource. I don't know the MapSource limits of each waypoint, but your GPS can hold about 30 characters for the title and about 70 for the comment/hint section for each waypoint. Use MapSource to save the wayponts as a .gpx file and have the POI Loader download those waypoints as customized POIs.

You can download up to 20 at a time if you hit the link, "find other nearby caches".

I too charge my Eneloops with a Maha 9009 charger. What I like about the charger is it tells you the mAH rating of the battery so you can see how the battery is holding up. After a year, my Eneloops rate 1900 mAH. I just bought a set of 2100 mAH Imedion's from Thomas Distributing. Haven't tested their mAH level yet.

As long as it don't put out more than 5 volts, you'll be OK. I like the ones with dual USB input.

I am not aware of such detailed mapping software for the Garmins. Do take a look at Laura Sanborn's California Topo maps available at gpsfiledepot. Not only are they free, but they are 1:24K - in other words more detailed than Garmin Topo. I have them installed on my Vista HCx and my Nuvi 750.

Yes, I have a Nuvi 750 with Garmin Topo and the better California Topo maps by Laura Sanborn. Install the maps on the media card. The Nuvi will read them and in the Map menu, you have the choice of unselecting City Navigator so that you can view Topo. Accuracy is the same as on the handhelds. Don't know about routes as I don't use them.

Yep, I do the same thing. I download the closest 950 caches as regular waypoints because I like the geocaching-friendly features, and the waypoint gets logged in my calendar in the order I find them. As a backup, I download the nearest 2000 caches as custom POIs using GSAK's 60CSxPOI macro which loads up the cache description, up to last 6 logs, hints, user logs, and several other optional data. For the few minutes it takes to load all this up, it's worth the time and effort in the field - if you do alot of caching. For the occasional cacher, it may not be worth the extra time and effort.

When I'm working on a multi, I just update the coords for the multi waypoint. If I need to refer to the original coords, I have customized POIs loaded just in case.

Many phone users don't realize their simple phone plans may support Mobile Web, even if they don't sign up for it. You don't need to buy an expensive data plan, but your phone needs to support a mobile web browser. The Groundspeak url is http://wap.geocaching.com/ . You can't look at hints, but you get the full cache description, sans pics, and can view the last five log entries. You can even log your find with the cell phone. My work Sprint phone offers it as does my family plan with Verizon. Your 60Cx supports custom POIs. It's one step down from a full paperless unit. Using GSAK's 60CSxPOI marco, you can essentially load up full cache pages onto your GPS, along with hints and past logs. Again, you can't download pics, but in over a year of using the macro, I haven't found that I need pics that bad. During the same time period, I haven't had to use my PDA. It's not a perfect system, but it works. Oh, the macro works on all Garmin heldheld units with data cards- I use it on my Vista HCx and my backup, a Venture Cx.

I have a Vista HCx and a Venture Cx. Even though they don't support full paperless, the customized POI functionality and, more specifically, GSAK's 60CSxPOI macro come pretty close. So close, I haven't turned on my PDA in over a year. The only thing it really lacks is support for images which come into play primarily for solving mystery caches in the field. I haven't found that I really need that feature yet. The biggest drawback, and this applies to all the Etrex units, is the rubber band coming unglued. You say you don't cache as much as you would like. That may explain why your's remains intact. I cache often and use my GPS for work and travelling. I got the Vista HCx in July 2007 and am on my third HCx - the prevous two turned in under warranty included the rubberband issue. I would still stick with it because of it's relatively small size and durability. I got the Venture Cx in May 2007 and it still has the same rubber band, but it became my backup in July when I got the Vista.

Yes, it is.

There are several caches throughout the town, but I gotta put in a word for the campout events at Skillets compound that he hosts twice a year, in April and October-November. Here is a link to last year's event. You can camp out on his property, or rent a hotel in Borrego Springs if you don't find room in the small Desert Ironwoods Resort, which is about two miles from the campout.

If you only load up a few waypoints at a time, you can add the hint yourself manually by using MapSource, EasyGPS, or some other software. Each waypoint will have a comment or note field. The fields may hold lots of info but only the first 30 characters get downloaded, plus the first 14 characters in the title. If you save the file as a gpx file and load the waypoints as POIs, then you can add something like 30 characters in the title and 77 in the comment/hint field. But, you must use POI Loader (freeware), to download the waypoints, more commonly referred to as POIs. When you start working with large # of waypoints, GSAK is well worth the $25.

I don't know that I fully understand your setup. The POILoader will load all gpx and csv files from the folder you direct the Loader to read. If you have a cache listed multiple times among more than one of the gpx/csv files, it will be listed in the GPS that many times. You can only load one folder at a time. Each time you load a folder of gpx/csv files, it erases the previous set.

Do you mean night-time only caches? I couldn't find any. Try Nevada Geocaching.

Car units have come down in price considerably. I would suggest nothing less than a widescreen. The Nuvi 205W is available at Amazon for $112. Considering it comes with $80 routing maps, that is a pretty good deal. Nuvi's are from Garmin, there is also Mio, Magellan, Tom Tom, etc... I would match what you already have to make it easier to use hardware both may use together.

When searching waypoints in your GPS for nearest, it only goes out a certain distance - I think 50 miles. If you do a seach by name, you'll see your other waypoints. Another way to see what is in your GPS is to upload everything into MapSource or other software.

astrodav, doesn't your Magellan have a satellite screen to view real-life coordinates? If it does, I don't see why you couldn't just read the coords from there. That's what I did when I had a monochrome Etrex Vista and never received a complaint about bad coords. Some of those caches are still active with the original coord reading.

Sounds like private property. A public parking lot at a commercial establishment is for patrons conducting business. All other activity, including geocaching, is trespassing in most jurisdictions.

I use a Nuvi 760 - should have similar formats. 1. They are downloaded as waypoints. (from menu screen) Where to? - Favorites - When you select a waypoint, you have an edit option, wherein you can delete the waypoint individually. Addtionally, Tools - [down arrow] - My Data - Delete Favorite(s) will give you an option to delete en masse. 2. Where to? - [down arrow] - Extras - Custom POIs POIs can only be deleted by resetting the Nuvi, or using the POI Loader. 3. MP3s can go in the hard drive of the Nuvi, generally ID'ed by your computer as Garmin Nuvi, or into the data card ID'ed by your computer based on the name of your card. Mine shows up as SANDISK 2GB. All my MP3s are on the data card with no folders. If you put them on the hard drive, I don't recall if you need to put them in the Audible file or not. One tip: to create space on the Nuvi hard drive, find the Voice file in the Garmin folder and delete the languages you will not be using. I created about a gig of space doing that.