AtlasHiker

Unfortunately, no. I've tried clearing the cache, deleting all the cookies, rebooting, etc. I have yet to call Garmin but from the looks of it (based on your response and the other thread on this issue - which I didn't see before posting this), it won't matter. It works fine on my MacBook but not on my desktop. I really don't know what happened to make it stop working. I might try switching back to Safari 3 and see if that helps.

For some reason on my Mac (iMac) I cannot download the caches to my Garmin GPS using the Garmin Communicator. This was working flawlessly for quite some time and now for some reason it just stopped working. I upgraded my browser to Safari 4 Beta, which is around the time it stopped working. Thinking this may be the problem, I tried using FireFox but that doesn't work either. On my laptop (MacBook) it works just fine though I'm not using Safari 4 but rather Safari 3 instead. Any ideas on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

Muggle refers to a person who does not participate in Geocaching. Here is a list of other terms used frequently on the Geocaching website and forums.

It looks like I won't be able to make it. I was hoping I'd be able to but unfortunately not. I'm sure there'll be other events, though.

It works just fine for me. Try it again? Neat program, thanks for making this available in English.

There are a few issues that I'd like to address that I noted from your post. First, your choice of GPS. While it can do geocaching just fine (with or without some tweaks, or so I've read), you should remember that it was designed primarily for road navigation. Second, reading the description and hint (if you wish) is important so you know what you're looking for (if it even says) and any information that might help you get to the right area (such as a parking waypoint, or a particular road to take, etc.). You said you read the description to find out what the cache was, but not what it was attached to. Not all descriptions will tell you what caches are attached to. Third, note that GPS receivers are only accurate to a certain point. The GPS receiver is meant to get you to an area but not to the exact spot of the cache, they just aren't that accurate. In my experience, if the GPS receiver keeps changing directions on me when I'm that close, it's probably because I really am that close and it can't pinpoint the location any closer than what it is. It could also be interference from anything in the area, such as maybe trees, buildings, etc. Don't let one time discourage you from trying again. Next time you go out, plan a little bit more ahead of time. I usually look to see what size the cache is (so I have a better idea if I'm looking for a magnetic key holder or an ammo can), out of the recent logs were any did not finds (that tells me if the cache is there or was it perhaps removed by people or other factors) and any other pertinent information on the cache description such as what I mentioned before (any special instructions, where I should or should not go, etc.). I would suggest that you go out and try to find the cache again (or perhaps a different one) and see what happens. If after that attempt you decide you still don't like it, then you can walk away and it won't be a big deal. You admitted yourself that you're new to this and perhaps made some mistakes. Good luck.

I have this model and it does great for both geocaching and military uses. It has MGRS which is the coordinate system the military uses.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it or not. If I do go, I'll end up just making the drive into Yuma and leaving the same day.

No useful information, I just cant resist saying "That is one of the most honest statements I ever read from an Apple owner." Well it's not so much that I have an Apple computer but rather that the majority of programs out there for geocaching are made for Windows. I probably shouldn't have stated it like that. Recently I've been using the iPhone Geocaching program and it's been doing fairly well as long as I'm in a place that has signal. I still haven't figured out what I'm going to use when I go someplace that may not have signal but in the mean time this works nicely. I would like to get an Oregon at some point but for right now my Vista HCx works just fine.

Could you name some of these "power trails"? I might like to check them out. As for places to camp, off of highway 93 (near the Joshua Tree National Park) there's an area that's right on the border of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts that you might want to check out.

That's pretty funny. Haven't run into any other cachers yet though. I was hoping there would be an event in the local area sometime in the near future but I don't see any and haven't heard of any. I've been plugging away at the caches but still have many more to go.

Double post, oops. The page timed out and I made the mistake of resubmitting it.

Nice to see another person in Sierra Vista. I've been wondering when I would run into somebody from the area. I've gotten some of the caches around here but haven't had a chance to get up to Kartchner Caverns yet but that's on the to-do list.

Thanks for the information. I will check this out.

Congratulations! Where can I find the requirements for these Earth Cache levels? Are there other levels for other types of caches? I read something about "rankings" amongst cachers but couldn't find any information on it. Any information would be appreciated. This adds a new and different element to the sport which makes it all the more fun and interesting.

I have yet to take anything from a cache except TBs. I haven't found anything that I would want to take. Usually I don't have anything to trade anyway so I just leave it.

I agree with SALUKIS97. The iPhone is great for paperless caching and is what I've been using recently. The issue that I've run into is that some of the caches that I attempt to get are in areas that have little to no cell phone signal. I wouldn't recommend using it as a replacement for a GPSr however unless you're caching in an environment that has cell phone signal in which case you'll be just fine. If you start venturing off into the countryside/mountains/etc. then you'll start to run into issues.

Thanks for all of the responses. It all makes sense now as to how it works and this will definitely be useful in selecting future caches. I appreciate the help!

They are mutually exclusive. As far as I know it's impossible to be both. That would make sense though I'm not sure why you can't do both. I guess if they're both mutually exclusive I'll have to run two queries or, depending on how many member's only caches there are in my area, just manually load them onto the GPS. Thanks for the reply.

When I try to run a pocket query with both "Are available to all users" and "Are for members only" I get no results returned yet when I select one or the other I get results. Is there a way to select both and still get results?

Thanks for the information. When you say iPod, are you talking about the iPod Classic? I have an iPhone and while I realize you can export using the contacts/address book when using MacCaching, I'm looking for an easier way still. I will say, however, that on my recent trip I used the "Find caches along your route" feature, downloaded them and loaded them onto my GPS (using MacCaching) and then used my iPhone and the Geocaching.com app together. That worked great as long as I had signal since I could get close to a point on the GPS and look up the GC code on the iPhone app and read the description and recent logs. For the time being that'll work but as I start going to places where cell phone signal starts to fade, I'll have to come up with a better way.

Check out MacCaching, it's a free piece of software for Macs. I use it to load all my caches into my GPS. Works flawlessly and is simple to use. http://www.maccaching.com/ Thanks for the link! I downloaded it and am playing around with it but so far the only thing it seems to do is download all of the caches onto the GPS (which is definitely something I wanted). It doesn't import the notes into the GPS like I thought it would and after doing some searching on their websites' forums I discovered that their development for an iPhone/iPod Touch app had stopped due to Groundspeak's iPhone app release. Later today I'm going to go try and grab some more caches and I wanted to grab quite a few that are all in a small area but short of doing it the way I have been I'm not sure how else to do it.

I do have it, but I don't much care for it at the moment. I also find some caches in areas in which there is no cell phone service, which makes the app useless. I bought it because it was $2.99 but it doesn't quite do everything I want it to do just yet.

Thanks for the information and links. I think the biggest problem I'm having is that I have Apple computers (including an iPhone 3G) which makes it difficult to get things onto my GPS. The video tutorials above were for a Palm and Windows (but I appreciate the link anyway! ). I found a way to download the PDF files from the cache pages onto my phone so I can reference it for notes if I need them but I haven't found a way to get the *.gpx files from the PQ email onto my GPS device (and I'm still really not even sure how to work the PQ feature just yet) or how to keep track of which caches I've found so I know which ones to log once I get back to my computer. On my iPhone right now I just write "FOUND" next to the GC code. I should note that Garmin does support Macs and I'm able to get the coordinates from the cache page onto my GPS without a problem, it's just getting the PQ *.gpx files on there. Any tips? Thanks.

After finding 30 caches in 5 days I decided to upgrade to a premium membership. However the issue I'm having is how to make finding the caches easier on me in terms of note taking and prepping for the search. Right now I find a cache I want, download it to the GPS and take notes on my iPhone. I include the GC code, name of the cache, when it was last found and the type of cache it is as well as any other notes that may be helpful. When I start taking notes for 6 or more caches it gets to be time consuming. I do have the Geocaching app for the iPhone but I don't like it as much as I thought I would. What are the ways you all prepare for your cache searches? Is there a way to download all of the information on the cache info page onto the GPS (I have a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx)?