Jump to content

ras_oscar

+Premium Members
  • Posts

    1554
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by ras_oscar

  1. I have cache i know to be next to a trail, because I already logged it. I zoomed all the way in, (20 feet) until the GPS beeped, centered that cache on the screen and then zoomed out in stages, counting to 10 at each stage to allow time for a redraw. Went out to 1.2 mile zoom level ( at which point the trails would be too small to be useful) No trails to be seen. The truly puzzling thing is, if I zoom to another area of the same map, to a way also tagged as path, it shows up correctly in both locations.
  2. I have a total of 6 mapsets on my handheld. In the map setup screen they are all de selected except one. (The other maps are for adjoining regions in the US) Zoom levels are set to auto. Detail level is set to most I went into OSM and verified the paths are in fact on the maps and that they're tagged as "paths" If anyone has US northeast OSM topo installed on their Garmin, PM me and I'll give you the coordinates.
  3. When I started caching I was all about the numbers and milestones. Fill the calendar. Push up my daily average. Then I got burned out and didn't cache for several years Now I'm back with a upgraded GPS and a more balanced approach. If it's not still fun go do something else.
  4. I have the same maps installed on both Basecamp and my Oregon 700. Today I had an issue I cannot explain. In Basecamp the trails in a certain area show up, but when I go to the same are on my handheld the trails are missing. I checked and both have the same map segment active. The handheld is set to show detail most. I downloaded US OSM northeast Topo to both locations and I have made no recent changes to the installation of either.
  5. The purpose of adding a size to the cache description is to assist the seeker in understanding where to search. The search I do for something listed as a regular is far different from the search I do or a micro. If the seeker finds your peice of wood but does not open it to see the bison tube, have they found the cache? Its a micro IMHO.
  6. My personal record is 102 in one day. No 3 cache monty, no partners. I drove to each cache, signed the log and replaced it where i found it.
  7. I exported from GSAK using %code as the waypoint name. Opened, Basecamp, deleted all caches in the target database, and exited Basecamp. Reopened, imported the new GPX file, verifying the file date and time as recent, indicating it had been updated by GSA, still long names no codes.
  8. I use both Basecamp and Mapsource to plan caching trips. I'd like to use just Basecamp as it has more features, except for one challenge: when displaying caches it shows them with the full text name, not the GC code, which obliterates any detail on the map unless i zoom in significantly. By contrast when I load the same GPX file into Mapsource, it politely displays only the treasure chest symbol and the GC code. Any work arounds? I use GSAK as my primary caching tool, and am willing to do custom export if it helps the base camp display issue.
  9. Resurrecting zombie thread to post solution for archive. As suggested above, calibrating the compass resolved the issue.
  10. I found many many caches with my Etrex vista HCX. Replaced the rubber band twice. I upgraded to Oregon 700 when the buttons started getting wonky ( kept turning off when I pressed them) Far more features than I will ever use, steep learning curve for me, but you can see my progression through the unit if you check out my loooong thread of Q&A entitled )Oregon 700. We are now friends thanks to the patient and kind support of other more experienced cachers on this forum.
  11. And to make the OP's permission issue even more complicated, may large chain stores actually lease their real property. The "Owner" is the lessor. Could be a real estate holding company half way across the country.
  12. IE does not support geocaching.com as well as other browsers. I use IE for work and chrome for everything else. When i'm at work and perusing the geocaching map online I need to remember to switch browsers.
  13. You can also purchase greeting cards with self recordable messages. Need to augment the battery and remount the trigger. Very small. Not sure about long term durability. Perhaps if you remove the mechanism from the card and potted it i some epoxy?
  14. ok, my take away from reading this thread, there is a new system available in some areas that uses the 4th digit. Garmin has added the 4th digit to their newer units to be compatible with the future. When the new system becomes available area, all existing gpsrs that only support 3 will by default be using a zero as the 4th digit.
  15. for a while i was collecting and trading pathtags. These seem to have left the game of late.
  16. Many accuracy issues are less about the chipset and antenna and more about the environment. There will always be multipath issues in urban environments, in dense tree canopy cover and in areas with rock formations.
  17. I look until its not fun any more. I searched for a cache 30 minutes without success. Sat down on a fallen log to enter my DNF and bring up the next victim on my hit list. I placed my caching bag on the ground beside me and when I got up the cache was literally under my bag in plan sight. If I'm in the woods with no foot traffic nearby, I'll usually set a non durble marker at GZ to help keep my search centered. Think a stick poked into the ground or 2 stones piled atop one another.Turn tracklog on and set to update on a short time duration. After a reasonable amount of time I'll come back and re-verify that's still a good search center. Review the tracklog and see if there are any gaps in my search pattern. In a perfect world we would start at the posted coordintes and spiral out evenly. What we really do is jump from one possible spot to another, often ignoring a quadrant or even half of the search area, Sometimes with experience a location will speak to you. Think like a hider. I want my cache findable for someone that knows its there, but not obvious to muggles that stumble through GZ. If its a small or micro, its almost always attached to some structure ( a tree, a rock etc) to keep small furry geocachers from dragging it off. If its a regular its probably under a pile of sticks or leaves or in the crotch of a tree. Somewhere that offers natural visual protection. Not all caches are at or below eye level. Look up. Look down. More than one cacher has placed a hide beneath a lamp post in a storm drain that is accessed 60 feet away.
  18. i usually like to expand my logs beyond what is entered into the GPS in the field
  19. The 700 offers the ability to enter log text in the field. The Challenges I faced were that the data field is very brief. Also, occasionally non printable characters would get into the text field and the log would refuse to upload. I have since turned wifi connecivity off and enter a few reminder words into my found it log. When I get back home I copy the text file to the clipboard on my computer and use it as a checklist to do my online logging using GSAK. The text is stored on your GPS in 2 places. Garmin oregon700.->garmin->geocache_logs and Garmin Oregon 700->garmin->Geocache_visits visits is a straight text file logs is a html file. to enter log text in the field, 1. navigate to the cache 2. from the navigate screen, select the geocache and then logs ( the notepaper not the smiley/frowny face) 3. select found it or did not find it 4. select edit comment 5. enter your text and select done
  20. i saw that. Is there a way to add it as an additional data screen or do in need to open it from activity home screen ->recording->Current Activity and when I do that (say from the geocaching car profile) does it maintain even when i switch to the geocaching activity?
  21. Thanks for the links. Looked through them, no method was apparent. So I did a little research. 1. You need to configure your gpsr to save tracks in both a Garmin Activities (fit) file and a gpx file using Main Menu->setup->recording->Advanced Setup->output format. Set to GPX/FIT. If you have multile activities set up you'll need to adjust the settings for each activity. 2. The gpx file will be stored in the main unit memory at Garmin\GPX\tracks and named "Track_yyyy-mm-dd" where yyyy is the year, mm is month, dd is day. Still looking for a way to save track portions in the field by name, ( say store just the trails and delete the trip to and from) I'll update this post if when I find.
  22. Found the solution: each dashboard has its own map setup. The geocaching profile had all maps on whereas the car dashboard had only one mapset on. The trip crossed a boundary between the two maps.I had assumed that, like the Etrex Vista, map on and off was independent of the activity setting. The routing algorithm routed me to the edge of the map closest to the selected waypoint and then carried a straight line from there.
×
×
  • Create New...