LETaylor

I have had my Garmin Vista for just a couple of weeks now and am curious about the battery compartment. When looking at it (opened) from the back, the negative terminal on the left has a coil spring for the contact. The other three contacts in there are all folded pieces of metal. Anyone else out there have a similar configuration, or did I get one built as they were running out of parts? (The spring is already bent and not looking so good.) Thanks in advance.

It's a settable option from the map page. Go to the map and then toggle to the left and press your stick. Choose "Setup Map" A small pop-up window will come up and the first choice is "Orientation" Use your pogo stick to highlight it and then mash the button. You can then choose to have either "Track up" or "North up" It seems that most people are more comfortable with the "Track up" choice. Send me an email if you need additional help. Take care.

this is my test

I look like heck. . . and feel that way too, . . . sigh

Took Geocoin, left booger

Perserverence pays off. This came in my email this morning. This has been an interesting one for me. I, like many of the respondents, have been ripped off in the past (the worst being a $60 rebate on a new monitor) but I expected a brand name company like Motorola to come through. I'm pleased that they seem to have fixed the problem. Of particular interest to me was the link to the aritcle on the Motley Fool that one person linked. It was a great article. Anyway, it's nice to have a place to vent. My trusty Talkabout radios are in my day-pack and I'll be out at lunch today placing two new caches. Have a great day. Dear Leon Taylor, Thank you for your inquiry regarding the status of your Motorola rebate. Our records indicate a valid rebate in the amount of 15.00 is currently being processed and will be mailed to you upon completion. The error has been corrected. Thank you, Customer Service www.rebatestatus.com

Geocaching has taught me delightful surprises about the area I live in. I've learned about new parks, interesting areas, etc. And of course, it appeals to the little boy in me who enjoys playing hide and seek; only now I can play when it's convenient for me and choose the field of play from an almost infinite number of locales. I've generally found that the other players share a similar ethic about our responsiblity to the outdoors and are willing to put in some effort to make sure that others can enjoy it too.

Below is the text of the email I got back. I hope that Motorola makes good on this. Their web site is still offering the rebate on the radios I purchased. Grrr Dear Consumer: Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the status of your Motorola rebate. Our records indicate you are not eligible for this rebate because: The UPC symbol or proof-of-purchase tab you submitted is not valid for this promotion If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact us via e-mail at your convenience and we will be happy to assist you. To respond, please select "Reply" in your e-mail software, and be sure that the past e-mail is included in this reply. If your e-mail client automatically deletes prior e-mail thread information, it will cause a delay while we look up your support history. Please feel free to view the status of your rebate on our website. Thank you for contacting Motorola. Customer Contact Center motorola.rebatestatus.com

Yeah, I sent the UPC code and my reciept along with their rebate form. (I kept a xerox copy for my records too). I'm going to call their offices on Monday and find out what gives.

Subarus have a great reputation for reliability (no, I don't own one but know several people who do). They aren't exciting vehicles but they are well made and the 4-wheel drive is more than adequate for snowbound streets and trails. They weren't designed to take on the real rough stuff, but you wouldn't want to drive one of those as a daily driver. Even "Click and Clack - the Tappet Brothers" of National Public Radio fame speak highly of them! Good luck with whatever you choose.

I went online today to check the status of the $15.00 rebate offered by Motorola on the purchase of a set of their T5950 Talkabout Radios. I purchased them to use when out and about on hikes/caching, etc. Anyway, I entered in my information and the computer came back with a dry little notice that my UPC code was not included in their offer. I checked the rebate form again and verified that this set was part of the offer. I sent them an email asking for an explanation, and you guessed it. . . those weren't covered. So, has anyone else been robbed recently?

I looked into having some minted but decided to purchase 2-3 from several of those who already have them made up. An initial production run can easily cost six to eight hundred dollars. I've placed orders with Canada, Alabama, and Green Man. Still to buy from Texas and California after this initial order is placed out. I'm a bit concerned about people just pocketing them but part of the solution is to make sure that there are enough of them out there to pass around.

Thanks - I was unaware that there was a technical reason for the serial interface. The speed isn't an issue for waypoints, but a new load of maps is a real chore.

Does the USB adapter do anything to help the incredibly slow download speeds for the larger files like Garmins maps? It took about 45 minutes to load in 23 megs of maps the other day. And while I'm griping, does anyone know why Garmin is still using a serial connection instead of updating to a faster comm device like USB?

Go for the Vista. Got mine at Amazon for just over $233 (delivered) Quite happy with it.

I just found the screen where I could put in my "owner information" on my new eTrex Vista. The screen shows for several seconds each time the unit is turned on. It may not prevent a theft, but it might serve to get it returned. From the Main Menu, hit the options button. . .

Where the deer and the antelope play.

Thanks - I have a request in to the good people at Groundspeak right now. I'll work through them. Like others have said, I'd love to see these available through the Official Geocache store. Anyway, thanks for the guidance.

Can you aim me at the policy page? And do they have a collection of "approved" logos?

I've made it through 50 years without getting it yet. I even had someone identify "that big unknown plant" in the corner of my back yard as poison ivy. I had let it grow unchecked for several years because that corner of the yard was barren and it looked okay on the fence. Unfortunately, my wife and teenage daughter cut it down without knowing what it was. They both got nailed. (Still not a good topic of discussion around the house) It's a bit like getting sea-sick. There are two kinds of people: those who have been sea-sick; and those who will be at some point in the future.

I'm trying to put together an order for some of the "poker chip" style geo-coins. Cost will be about $1.10 per coin plus shipping. I'm looking at the chips offered by pokerchips.com. I recently obtained one of them in a cache and they're beautiful If you'd be willing to go in with me I'll take orders and then ship them out. I'm going to limit the minimum order to 25 chips. I need to purchase a minimum of 300 chips, but would prefer 1000 to get the cost down. There's a $50 color charge plus 95 cents per chip. The more I buy the closer to 95 cents we get. At 1000 chips they are $1.00 each. I can take payments via paypal but want to get committments prior to actually taking orders. Please email me at Lenny1131@hotmail.com if you're interested or reply here. I was told that we can have the chips in a variety of their standard colors at no extra charge, so we don't all have to have the same. Thanks.