delphic

The best way is to become a Premium Member and load a Pocket Query. You will receive a zip file via email which can quickly be loaded into GSAK (or other geocache software) and transferred to your GPSr in just a few seconds.

The best way is to become a Premium Member and load a Pocket Query. You will receive a zip file via email which can quickly be loaded into GSAK (or other geocache software) and transferred to your GPSr in just a few seconds.

It shouldn't be necessary to make TB hotels "searchable." For the most part, the most useful TB hotels are located near major highway interchanges, airports, or other heavily traveled locations. If I really want to find a TB hotel I can find one at these locations.

Is there any way to find out how many premium members paid their $30 for 2008? It would be neat to know how much of the cost of gc.com is covered. I wouln't be surprised if it only paid a fraction of the operating cost.

I use the 9.99 app on my touch and I'm a big fan. It's very easy to use. Search just like you would on gc.com or let it spit out the closest caches to your location when you have wifi. You can load it up for a cache run by saving a large number of caches and pulling them up whenever you want. On each cache page you get the coords, discription (including type, ratings, and size), hint, and last 5 logs. A great paperless resource. Well worth the 10 bucks...IMHO

If you go for Tuna make sure you do have enough water to swallow it! Last Sept. Criminal and I did a hike. We underestimated the time it would take to get to a water resupply point and my 2 liter bladder developed a leak. We were forced to make camp without water for our dehydrated dinners on a steep hillside. I decided to eat the tuna in a foil packet because it would help give me energy the next morning. I was barely able to swallow the tuna, it was so dry and I had very little saliva. Tuna in a foil packet has much less water and moisture than the kind packed in cans! The next morning we aborted our hike and hiked 2 hours back downhill to a water supply it took us 8 hours to hike uphill from. Of course tuna needs water...its a fish dammit!

It isn’t as simple as “you turn on your device and the plane crashes.” Imagine a plane making an instrument approach (translation: the pilot can’t see squat out the window until the plane is practically on the runway, and is relying on his instruments not only for guidance, but also to keep the plane right side up), in an urban environment with tall buildings and towers. Now imagine that interference from, let’s say a laptop computer, since they have been suspected of causing interference, causes an uncommanded (by the pilot) turn. This is one of the kinds of interference that personal electronic devices have been suspected of causing, based on actual observed incidents. (Reference: links posted previously) It seems really obvious to me that could be dangerous in that situation. This is why all personal electronic devices are supposed to be turned off during takeoff and landing, and any other time the pilot says so. I think that is a reasonable rule. The problem I see is that the assumption seems to be that the passengers will do as they are told. I know that isn’t always the case. But it may be that as long as most passengers turn off their devices when requested, the few remaining violators are not sufficient to cause a problem. I certainly hope so. They have. That is exactly what this is from Boeing, in keeping with what has been observed and is known. Here is the actual FAA regulation, and here is the FAA’s Advisory Circular to offer guidance to aircraft operators regarding what constitutes compliance with the official rule. The fact that the manufacturer’s recommendations and FAA regulations don’t totally prohibit the use of all personal electronic devices doesn’t mean that there isn’t a valid concern. It is an indication that the devices are considered acceptably “safe when used as directed,” based on what has been observed and what is known. Oh my...you are a bit touchy on this subject. Clearly I know it's "not as simple" as I make it sound. Of course I'm going to turn my ish off when I'm told. I just think the idea of being told that ALL electronics can possibly disrupt aircraft electronics to be insulting. Are the airlines (and some in this thread) trying to tell me that sitting in row 36 and listening to an ipod shuffle (with a massive RF signature I'm sure ) I'm going to cause interference with radar, ILS or other critical systems? BTW-FAA "Guidence" is a far cry from FAA regs which have the power of federal law. So many people in this thread who have engineering/avionics backgrounds are doing thier best to offer "its too much for me to explain or for you to understand" responces...Of coures I'll be a little bit of a smartass.

I'm glad you found the info you needed. I'll post my 2 cents for others...and future reference. You can download almost any USGS quad from the USGS website and view it on your computer. You should easily be able to locate your R/T.

My favorite is a guardrail nano with a hint saying that it's magnetic. Of course I'm thinking that I'm looking for an easy one, attached to the metal in some way...not many options for a hide. After 15 minutes of looking I was totally out of ideas. I had ruled out any way it could be attached to the metal rail. I finally found a blinky drilled into part of the wooden supports. You have to pivot the wooden section to the side. Inside the drilled hole was a small metal disk used to keep the magnetic blinky in place.

Some more info might help. Is it some type of puzzle requiring local knowledge or using the surroundings? Is is some type of cipher like the ROT-13? Short of added info, I agree with fizzy...most owners will usually offer hints or clues.

I have a Benchmade fixed that I LOVE to carry. The price is a bit on the steep side but...it's Benchmade, a bad bad blade. Full tang, 154 cs, comfortable in the hand, and not too heavy.

Summer sausage is a classic item in my food bag for lunches. I usually split a log with one other person and eat through it in a few days. I have never had a problem...nor have I ever heard of other folks having problems. Another option (and to add variety):Tuna Packets! Tuna packets are simply one of the most revolutionary food items to happen to backpacking. A small packet is good for one person and a large is good for two when it's lunch time. No can to drain and carry. The empty foil pouch can be rolled up and takes up very little space in the garbage zippy.

What about bungee? Put a locked cache up a tree tied to a STRONG bungee cord which reaches half way to the ground. Attach the matching key, also on a bungee cord, to just reach the cache. That would require some significant preparation and the right materials to do solo. It would be easier to simply go with a buddy.

If my $300 piece of passive electronics can bring down a multi-million dollar aircraft, we're all in bad shape people. If the risk was anywhere near possible I would want to believe there would be announcements from Boeing (and other aircraft manufacturers) and FAA regulations covering the usage of electronics while on an aircraft. I understand the desire to keep passengers' ears open with distractions to a minimum during takeoff and approach. But...I'm not holding my breath for an airline to tell the whole truth.

You probably need to stop messing around and look online for a surplus store that can hook you up with a pallet. Last I saw was a site offering a pallet of 72 .50 cal cans for around $550 + $75 for freight shipping. That comes out to less the 9 bucks per.

On big runs with lots of caching in the same area it is possible to make note of the direction of error. WAAS technology does a good job of correcting for atmospheric distortion but there are other factors (as mentioned above) that can cause problems. Typically, if you notice that you are 25' NE of caches on a given day, you can make corrections. An hour later, sats. might rise higher and more sats. will break above the horizon and put you right on. Just being aware of the limitations of GPS technology will make YOU more accurate.

I use the geocaching app from the app store ($9.99) and I love it. I can load it up at home and update it anytime I get a wifi signal. IMHO it is one of the best I have seen. Very easy to use, search by GC#, address or it will use the "Location" feature to ping your ipod and get you the closest caches to your current location. All the info is stored just like gc.com with coords, description (including D/T and size), last 5 logs, and hints.

You just have to be smart. "Easy find" for a cacher is different then a cache that is easy for muggles to spot. Obviously you want it out of the way enough that a grounds keeper won't find it while trimming hedges. We all know what to look for; a UPS/UPR, an odd shape on a tree, etc, etc, etc...things that muggles will walk by or even on without noticing. People have made many good posts about the high risk of TB motels. Keep it maintained and hide it so that a bunch of TB's don't go missing.

It really comes down to what you want out of your GPS. A barometric altimeter is really only good for a day or so (longer if the weather is stable) before pressure changes will throw you off. I've gone to sleep only to wake up with my altimeter putting me 100 meters lower then I was when I closed my eyes. Even with auto calibration you can have HUGE inaccuracies over the period of a days. Oc course, if you are on a multiday caching trip, you can look for some BM's and correct and weather related inaccuracy. Outside of geocaching I navigate exclusively with map and compass. No batteries to die, no sats to lose in deep cover, UTM's give me accurate (+/- 10m) location (including altitude), and I get a much better view of the world around me (14.5km N/S and 10.5 km E/W) then a tiny GPS screen.

I just upgraded my paperless outfit. I've been using my ipod touch and GPSr but missed the ability to use google maps/earth and the stronger searches of gc.com. I picked up an Acer Aspire One computer for under $300 to use as a dedicated caching machine. I can load it with as many caches as I want/need and update it whenever I get a wifi signal. It's small enough to toss in m bag and take where ever I go. Having a full sized computer has made a huge difference.

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