oregonjohn1

Small, regular, and large are self explanatory. For example, someone used a 35 gallon garbage can and that, by definition is large. Anything bigger used, and one would have to wonder why, would still be a large. Since you can put a dozen or so nano cache containers (for the sake of argument) in the average pill bottle or 35mm container, they are clearly substantially smaller than the pre-defined micro category container typically found (such as 35mm film canisters and pill bottles). Anyone wanting to exclude nano searches can't at present, however, one can exclude small sizes if they wanted to while looking for the other sizes. As mentioned before, looking for a 'typical' micro and finding a nano can be frustrating for some due to what the typical expectation of the container is and how long it takes to find it. There is clearly a different search time required for a nano versus a pill bottle, for example. Everyone I have talked to about it would like the choice to exclude them from PQ's for example and without being a separate category you can't. Each of the other defined categories covers the spectrum well enough. Usually, it doesn't take as long to find a large as is does a micro, so I have yet to find anyone not wanting to know if they were searching for a nano or a larger one that can't be hidden in as many places.

A micro is actually defined as follows: Under the current system, nanos should be listed as a micro. They should only be listed as an "other" or "not chosen" when the hider doesn't want the finder to know what size it is. Anyway, you're preaching to the choir. Many of us have been asking for years for a new nano size, and it has been promised for a long time, but it has yet to materialize. If you search for "nano" in this forum, you can read half a dozen past discussions on this matter. Thanks for the comment--- It's exactly why there is the need to define and recognize the nano size and allow it to be included or excluded from searches (PQ's) and included when creating a geocache. The definition of micro isn't the issue (or in question) as much as including nano containers with the widely "accepted" micro sized ones. The purpose of why sizes were defined in the first place is why ones using a 'nano sized log" should be separated (from the micro category) just as a micro containers are separated from a large ones. After hearing from enough people that feel the same way and don't always do a detailed search of past topics, it was time to address it again. I gathered from Groundspeak that just calling in to them wasn't the most effective way to get input from others also in favor of this change. So, here's the chance to get the ball rolling again.

I believe it is time to have the Nano geocache container listed as a size choice that would both be recognized when creating a cache and when filtering container size in a search. Both at local WGA events and as seen on a number of cache pages, there have been numerous discussions on nano containers where people have said they preferred to have nano containers indicated as such. A recent reply from Groundspeak also suggested this be brought up in the forum here. A micro is widely recognized as typically a 35mm film container to a "pill bottle" sized container from the typical drug store and that is really what a person expects to find. While 'other' as a container size can be used to keep the container choice a surprise, expecting a 1 1/2 by 2-4 inch container when really searching for a nano actually does frustrate some people. By specifically listing the nano sized container, it would either let someone exclude it from their search list or at least would let them know the hide is more difficult than looking for a pill bottle sized container that is considerably bigger. With nano containers sold at geocaching.com, retail outlets, and at Mega events, their use as a container choice can be a popular one. While nano containers are usually a screw-top container, this category could also fit a number of other types of similar size such as a small vial or tube on a 'bug' or by itself. I would suggest it be in the same 'drop-down' list as the current cache container sizes are and should be used when a log page up to 1/2 inch wide is used.

I'm interested in a Garmin Oregon geocoin. From what Garmin tells me they were promo's and geocache giveaways - of which I do not believe there were any of in my home area. I'd like one for the namesake Oregon 400t I bought to geocache with so I'd plan to keep it and would purchase rather than trade for it just getting started collecting geocoins. Please send an email message if you have one you would sell. Thanks!

I'm interested in a Garmin Oregon geocoin. From what Garmin tells me they were promo's and geocache giveaways - of which I do not believe there were any of in my home area. I'd like one for the namesake Oregon 400t I bought to geocache with so I'd plan to keep it and would purchase rather than trade for it just getting started collecting geocoins. Please send an email message if you have one you would sell. Thanks!

*** My coins... my first two geocoins... came today in nice holders with a little thank you note. Well, thank you for designing and making them. I know I, for one, wrote asking about the coins' symbols and would like to say thanks for posting that. For me it adds to the meaning of what was put into the design of the coin and serves as a reminder of the fact that some people are still in harms' way for a greater good that is already having a positive impact for those being helped. Once I register them I plan to send one of my two black nickel geocoins on a mission (when I learn more about how to accomplish this) to visit military members and bases/cities. I think that will be a good way to recognize those who have now or ever served their country. Thanks again toadjumper and stay safe!

It's less about brand as it is about where batteries are made. From best to worst: Japan > USA > Mexico > China > India The best are Maha Powerex or Imedon followed closely by Sanyo. All available from Thomas Distributing I'm using the Powerex 2700mAh batteries with the (Maha) Powerex MH-C9000 charger in my Oregon 400t. With WAAS on and backlighting on for 30 seconds I've gotten 16 hours on average and up to 20 hours of battery life. It had been just one day of geocaching using a pair of Energizer alkalines before I bought the Powerex batteries. When I start to use them in an RC truck transmitter, I'll buy one of the Maha Powerex 8-cell chargers. Look on Amazon.com for reviews for not just these brands, but others as well. You'll find positive/negative reviews on each & every one, so I'd suggest looking at the more recent ones and judge the comments for yourself. I chose Accessory Genie as the merchant through Amazon.com since they had the best price. Maha Powerex batteries are also sold at Batteries Plus stores located in many states as well. The batteries are rated at 2700 mAh, but that is an ultimate charge rating and you will more likely see the "guaranteed" rating of 2500mAh. Maha even replaced a set of 4 when they would not breakin to the 2500 level. Postage paid mailer & all! I found Maha easy to work with as they have a toll free number in California and also have a live person who can answer technical questions about their products. For instance, this charger has a really bright light and some don't like it when they use it in their bedroom. Well, I don't know why they have to have it there in the first place. So it's reviews like those you could really disregard since smart chargers like this are meant to keep batteries at peak performance over whether they have a really bright display. You just have to remember to set the GPSr to MIMH batteries and it helps to have version 2.85beta at least since some software versions have been reported to falsely show low battery power when they were still useable. I'm trying the latest 2.94beta so I'll see how that goes, but so far people are saying that these two versions resolve incorrectly reporting battery meter levels. In the end, no battery is perfect and optimum performance will likely come from a quality smart charger and from how many features of the GPSr (like backlighting, tones, and such) are used or turned on.

Hey eatstayplay, good to hear from you... the OP (or now, the VIP OP, or... just kidding here) Anyhow, to start with I first took a look at the "trackable" link as I posted about earlier (being fairly new to geocaching) and then expanded my info searching to this forum, but as you can see there are a number of other sources and ideas to consider as well. There might even be a local area geocaching group to join, as I may do. One geocacher in our area is a supervisor with a local park system and helps hold geocaching events which, I myself, will work on attending to possibly collect geocoins and also just to learn more about geocaching in general. I'm also thinking of getting the book "The Complete Idiots Guide to Geocaching" which may have some rather useful info in it as well. If you have a Barnes & Noble near you or you can use a copy from a local library, it would be worth the time to check it out in advance of buying it. For me, I'm still looking for a "missing manual" type book as what comes with most GPS receivers these days actually leaves more questions than answers to get the most out of using the GPSr. Good luck to you too with geocaching and geocoins !

Wow! First of all, I was not trying to be condescending or rude towards the OP. I was attempting to guess at his/her exact questions and give a bit of information. I am not an expert on the topic and I knew that others would chime in a provide some good information as well...as you pointed out avroair gave some excellent answers and you can tell he is a seasoned collector. When I answered the OP's questions with other questions, again, I was not trying to be rude. Just trying to understand what he/she was asking. There actually IS a difference between age ON a coin (I take that as whether it has been out in the wild getting dinged up and so forth) or age OF a coin (meaning when it was minted). I took a guess and provided an answer. You know, I took a fair amount of time typing out answers for that post that I thought would give one person's perspective on the subject. I tried to be welcoming in my post but obviously you took that the wrong way. It is my hope that the OP did not have such a strong reaction to my post. Many new collectors come on the forums and ask lots of questions which is EXCELLENT! Questions are welcomed. But sometimes there are people who don't do a lot of reading before asking their questions and there are so many great threads out there dealing with the same or similar topics. How can I portray all of those in just one response? So of course I am going to recommend reading through the forums. Sorry if that seemed obvious to you. I probably should have just ignored your posting but I didn't think you were being fair. Hello Eltada, I feel I was being being fair... and honest. Afterall, you did say what you did. I would not have otherwise said what I did. I was however, perhaps too blunt and direct and that is what I expect I'll be seeing more replies towards, unfortunately. I'm not out to attack but rather voice my sentiment and feeling towards what I relatively saw as so-called "newb annoyance" in the way the questions can and do get answered these days. I do recognize that you, as well as myself, have not gone after each other personally, which I'm happy for, as I only intended to voice my opinions about the answers you gave. Yes, I'm new to geocaching and as in past forums tend to read the topics and replies as a reference source and not necessarily post as my experience is limited at this point. It doesn't mean that a typical "just read more" answers. Without dialog it is hard to explain points made so I have no problem with you answering back to me! I've been on many other (too many to count) message boards from Yahoo financial, Radio Control airplane sites, RC truck sites, aviation, automotive, motorcycle, gas prices, and now geocaching sites, for example, to be able to say that regardless of the number of posts showing for someone - direct answers ESPECIALLY the ones relaying personal experience that is the most valuable source of information I've seen - IMHO What you said back is good with me and it's cool with me if it's cool with you. DJ.J.Rock, Where did you get the idea that the quantity of posts determines anything? It just means someone has not posted many replies and is not really an indicator of anything but how new they are to a particular message forum. Otherwise, and this is just my opinion, you would be saying only the highest post quantity members have anything valid to say. My having 4 posts has nothing to do with anything as I was only saying that as a fellow new geocacher/geocoin enthusiast as eatstayplay is, many newer forum members (anywhere I've seen them comment) prefer to see direct answers as opposed to some of the other ways questions tend to be answered these days. Hopefully then, you are not justifying the opposite of what you suggest I did and become a vet "thrashing out" at newbies. I was NOT being 'the determiner of "whats usefull information"???' here, but rather A person who is reaffirming how a "vet" can help a newbie with direct answers. We newbies DO a lot of reading and now just want to hear the direct answer. Hopefully this is not that unusual of a concept that it can't at least be tried. Some here have and it is FANTASTIC!!! That's why I especially complimented Avroair Uncalled for?, not exactly, but since you feel this intense about something not even directed towards you, I tell you what... I perhaps had the kind of day you have eluded to and I'll work on keeping my "day's issues" from influencing my replies if you will as well

Looking at this original post, I do not intend to speak for the original poster (OP - if someone insists, I prefer the person's screen name or regular english) and want to say that I came here because I have similar questions and others new to geocaching do too. There is an over abundance of info to sift through and I have to wonder, yet again... Why can't people just simply answer simple questions? * Some like AVROAIR do - and this person is why people get enthusiastic about a hobby! View this geocacher's replies first, then answer someone's question/questions!!! *Not to to leave other people wondering, There are other good replies by others as well, and thank you also to Tadpole379, Bhob, and Belfrypotters to name a few.* Other's listed below just "rub my rhubarb" the wrong way--- as in: As a new geocacher coming here for help and answers other replies are way too condescending and in so many ways "just search for it again, you'll find the answer" type replies. For instance --- Eltada posted (in quotes): "I took a peek at your question (er, question x11!)" --- right there is a tone of self-centeredness as it is quite obvious someone posting a question or questions will, of course, be asking questions. It says you're annoyed with the post, but you will grace everyone with an answer IMHO. "Like do they have themes? Not sure what you mean with this first question..." --- It seems unlikely that you do not know what a "theme" is as in - what is the theme of your party, what is the theme of Star Wars, etc... so a real answer would be more helpful than what was posted. "What are the trading "rules" or etiquette? (I tried to read the FAQ pinned thread but it didn't really answer that question!) I don't know if there are really trading "rules". " ---what about > http://www.geocaching.com/track/howtogeocoin.aspx --- then, from geocaching.com, Geocoin FAQ link is: an entire section discussing "Is there any Geocoin etiquette?" That exactly answers the *original* question, so why not point eatstayplay there? THAT would have been a helpful answer. "What constitutes a limited run? This will vary depending on who you ask." ---since you are replying... what about YOU??? Why not just give your personal experience answer? "Does age matter on a coin? Do you mean, age OF the coin?" ---age, age of, come on... now a new person posting here has to be that concerned with grammer - please, again, just a simple answer is preferred. "What about size? What about it?" ---nice answer, As they say in Battlestar Galactica - "what the frack" kind of answer is that??? What else would I need to know? Help please! You really need to do lots of reading... --- Thank you Captain Obvious, yet AGAIN, "you really need to do lots of reading" is the best an experienced geocacher can come up with to answer a question? Seriously, most if not all new people know they have a lot of reading to do, but are looking to one's HERE with experience to just give them a SIMPLE ANSWER!!! * This from nefesh is equally of ZERO help..."I agree with Eltada; read this forum, click on the links." Is that how people get their post count up, posting non-answers? * And Eltada also said: "Well, actually, this forum is hosted by Groundspeak which runs geocaching.com" --- so what, nobody is disputing or questioning that and STILL does not diminish what I said or the link I posted to which is, so far, of as much or more benefit to someone new than what many of the replies here have to say. * Fox & the hound said: "On "geocaching", sure. The OP asked about geocoin collecting though." --- EXACTLY, that IS why I posted the link and directed eatstay play to the "geocaching home>trackable items" path since the 4 links about geocoins are highly beneficial to some (like myself as well) who need and want to know more. Further, It is new geocacher questions like: "Do I find them in caches or do I buy them?" and "What are the trading "rules" or etiquette?" which are a PART of geocoin collecting and is, to a lesser extent, where one starts when bringinh up and asking about the subject of geocoins. Seriously, look at this post from avroair... it is one of the best I've seen on the internet and *actually* answers the questions! To any following this reply - there is really no need to quote my reply here to death, I'm simply making a point that replies like the one from Avroair are an example of how to respond to a question/questions from those of use just "SIMPLY looking for answers". Be different than not helpful, there are plenty of people like that our there, just share your knowledge WITHOUT the lecture and useless replies. Thank you. Avroair --- THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! While there are a number of other good replies as well, you alone have the ability to help someone who is asking for help with direct and simple answers. Again, as a fellow new geocacher along with eatstayplay (and many others) I'd like to thank you for "just answering the questions"! This relevant and helpful post merits repeating: avroair Posted Mar 16 2009, 08:04 AM Like do they have themes? Yes, either a personal theme or a popular theme Do I find them in caches or do I buy them? Some are placed in caches, but nowadays most are bought What are the trading "rules" or etiquette? offer a trade, if the person accepts great!, if they decline don't get all bent out of shape Are they ever numbered like "coin 1 of 250"? yes, this was popular back with older coins and fell off then the mint started charging extra for it What constitutes a limited run? limited is 1-50 Does age matter on a coin? no, some people collect the old ones, others collect the shiny new ones. What about size? 1" = micro, standard is 1.5", a bonker is 1.75" jumbo is 2" ~ above that is silly How are coins displayed? Are there shadow boxes for them? AND, what happens if I get a non-round coin!!! there is a displaying your coins thread some vendors offer stands or shadow boxes to display them

Correct me if I'm wrong, and as new as I am to geocaching it's possible, but isn't THE authoritative source on geocaching 'geocaching.com'? It seems hard to believe this source has not been mentioned yet For basic "how do you get started and what do you do with geocoins" type questions, beginners to geocaching (yes, like myself) can also go to: Geocoin FAQ at: http://www.geocaching.com/track/geocoinfaq.aspx It's at Geocaching home> trackable items

Also call Garmin at 1-800-800-1020 for help. The day I called I maybe waited 10 minutes on hold but talked to a live person whom I could clearly understand who answered some questions I had and also took down some requests, as many people have, for improvements and added functionality I'd like to see. One of my wishes, for example, would be to see wrap around menu choices and not just arrowing over to reach a dead end and having to then arrow over in the opposite direction to get to the other end of the menu options available. Another one is to have some sort of level indicator marks and not just the vague "hold level" message. Tell Garmin what's on your mind... only feedback will get changes and improvements to happen - case in point is the 3rd concurrent beta software version now out to improve functionality and fix bugs!

This is very good and completely true information worth repeating: Motorcycle_Mama Posted Yesterday, 11:39 AM "If you don't already have the City Navigator NT maps, then you need to purchase the full version. The update version will not work for you. And be careful about eBay. The products may not come with a valid, unused unlock code. It's typically recommended that people get the DVD version rather than the SD card version. The SD card can be moved between different GPS unit, but the maps cannot be used with MapSource on your computer, cannot be updated, cannot be copied to another card, and you cannot place any other data on the card." *** It is important to note that when registering the DVD version, your GPSr is conntected to your computer and the s/n info entered which is what couples the DVD version to a specific unit. I tried to download a map after unlocking my CN North America NT to see if it would work on a Nuvi model also and it was not useable (I forget exact message, but basically it's locked to my Oregon) in fact I would need to purchase another unlock code (license) to use on another GPSr. Also consider the type you use, SD or microSD... and what the risk of damage and/or loosing the card is (mainly the microSD as it is amazing how small a data storage card can be!) Having recently purchased an Oregon 400t I had a similar choice to make and little references to be able to decide what to do. I chose the DVD version and have already loaded the update from Garmin for it. I then loaded the 1.1GB of maps (all of Canada, U.S. with Alaska and Hawaii, & Puerto Rico) to a 4GB microSDHC card. I also have a lot of free space for tracks, waypoints, custom POI's, etc... left over to now make use of. So... a 2GB card will do in this case and then should be directly readable by a computer's card slot rather than needing a USB high capacity card reader that I needed, for example, when I got a 4GB SDHC card - I originally heard the maps were closer to 2GB and as typical card capacities round down in useable capacity. Key is the lack of flexibility when chosing the card over the DVD and being able to do "Mapquest" type planning for routable directions and then being able to transfer that to your GPSr. In addition, if you choose the DVD version and load to a memory card, the wealth of available maps to load off the internet should make up for the lack of being able to swap the preprogrammed card between multiple GPS receivers. Just my two cents worth from what I've been able to research so far :-)