Sue and Bernie

Funny thing... I've just PM-ed Lacto offering to collect the box next month when I go back to Aldershot for a couple of weeks. And I said: ...and as someone else opined, there is more traffic from dog-walkers than geo-geeking will ever generate. I had to hang about while 2 sets of DW minced back and forth waiting for their animals to attend to their calls of nature. There were dozens more up and down the path (see my photo) and the carpark was like Tesco's, as one set of DW departed... ...so I strongly concur with LG's comments, the impact our pastime generates is insignificant compared to that of the other users of the area. The Forestry Commission are rather overplaying this. Nevertheless, my offer to collect the box stands.

You're in good company! It happened to me recently too at this one near Aldershot: Cache to the Maximus... ...and like you, the GSAK file had not picked up the archeived status of this cache. Funny thing was, the cache is still there, logbook and all. I had a look at my PQ settings and could not see a problem... ...email to Clyde E perhaps?

Got our two today, Sue's registered and activated fine - mine wouldn't! Email sent to questions@gccoins.com to get them to sort it out... ...very impressive - any idea what the spiral writing says?

... oh yeah! I forgot to mention, the Ipaq know where all the "safety" cameras are sited too.

...on the other hand, since you already lug one box around, would it not be more convenient to pursue the bluetooth (BT) path and get as much out of it as you can? We have accumulated a few GPS solutions - a Vista C, a StreetPilot 2610 and most recently, an Ipaq Pocket PC with a BT GPS unit. Each has its pros and cons. The Garmin units are (after being setup of course), switch on and go. Easy-peasey and Sue's preference. Me, the gadget geek, I love the Ipaq. Before that I used a Palm, mobile phone, a camera and the Vista C to do our driving and geo-geeking. I was going to get one of those sleeveless things with a hundred pockets all over it just to hold all the bits! Now I have the Ipaq. While the PDA functions of the Palm OS are more refined than the PPC, the combination of PDA, phone, OS mapping, car-routing, games machine and mp3 player all in one box is a winner! It can be a bar steward to set up and even takes a while to get it all working first thing each day - but when it's up and running - it is brilliant! I now drive along, steered by the Ipaq, chat (via BT earpiece) on the phone on the Ipaq, look up the best parking place on an OS map (Memory-map) on the Ipaq, play games while Sue shops on the Ipaq... blah, blah, blah! You get the picture.

...even more congrats! What an excellent solution - now everybody can kill their own pet hate threads and banish them from their individualised view of the forums. Mods, have you considered generating a pinned topic for GreaseMonkey extensions so that they are always available to members. At present, as loose threads, they will slide down the forums and be hidden from the late-comers.

...or you can do it yourself (for free) via this website: Super DIY webcam site... I have not tried it myself but it looks the business.

Oooh Eckers!... That was spookey!

It's just fun! Sue & I have seen more of this country (and Bernie a few spots further afield) in the few years we've been geo-geeking than in the whole of our years before.... and we have thoroughly enjoyed having our eyes opened to the little wonders on our doorsteps or a few steps away from the madding crowds. No matter where we have wandered, local cachers have drawn us to their little jewels - and we have marvelled at them. We now spend a ridiculous amount of time wandering the footpaths that traverse the countryside - and pick up a few caches on the way. Brilliant idea geo-geeking, just wish it had all started a couple of decades earlier...

We started way back in 2001. Before geo-geeking, Sue and I started taking longer and longer bike rides - this found us faffing about with maps every 15 mins to make sure that we were on the right route. This led us to using GPS to ease our travels and naturally led to geo-geeking. Now we find ourselves cycling to caches! Mind you, when I (Bernie) find myself at a loose end at various corners of this country or other pastures further afield due to the job, I get myself out and about looking for tupperware rather than clogging up the bar. No doubt this is a sign of passing youth... We do relish and cosset caches - we will happily wait until next year for those within bike range and for those further afield, we will plan trips from suitable supermarket carparks (free parking and cheap scoff). We avoid "power trails", urban caches and micro-caches - we like stuff out in the countryside on obscure Public Rights of Way on meaninless pathways set down in year past. We have reported 3 infringements of PROW on our travels - almost on first name terms with the PROW Clerk in Norwich now...

It's good for me! Excellent work - Thank you.

The "United Kingdom" link at the top of the thread does return you to the modified page with the excluded threads.

Any North Norfolk newbies - we'd be happy to offer assistance in the area...

...and I note that the "Jump to" button at the end of the postings takes you back to a pre-script UK home page. Any chance of "adjusting" that too?....

CONGRATULATIONS Concur! Pretty-please... I also found that I have had to re-save my link to the forums. I found that if I used my usual saved link, it put me back to the pre-modified version. After a couple of re-installs, the penny dropped...

Excellent! LordElph - you and the other Monkey boys & girls need to have a pinned topic of your own for these super add-ons...

...But why does each congrats have to be endlessly paraded publically in front of everyone for them to get this pleasure they seek? Why is the pinned topic seen to be less worthy by the congrats crowd? ...is it because there it is not endlessly paraded publically in front of everybody?

Does your script simply move the "Congrats" posts to the pinned thread? ...sorry! couldn't resist it!

Surely the seperate thread, like differing countries/areas would be an ideal solution. Unfortunately, those that enjoy the practise prefer not to do it in a corner of their own (in the pinned thread). Perhaps a possible solution could be to use filters as on the newsgroups, you can use filters to sideline postings that do not interest you - for example, the German posters add [Deu] to the start of their subject line and this enables others to filter them out. I personally dislike the congrats threads in the active forums, particularly when the supporters' group piles in one after another en bloc, ingnomiously pushing the offerings of other posters off the page. I'll comment no further, my "ears" are still ringing from the flak I got last time I dared to venture dissent on this subject.

You may have missed the input from Mark & Lynn above. We also use the "drop2" function - this means you get rid of the two useless, repeated "GC" characters on your etrex.

You've gotta smile when some-one routinely uses 2 GPS units, one to accurately route his car, the other a small hand-held, battery powered device - to access a network of 24 orbiting atomic clocks to fix their location on the planet to within yards, 24/7 in support their sport/game/pastime - and yet they consider this to be a low-tech activity... ...says it all really! Only a few years ago we would have marvelled at all this.

...which is why Bernie upgraded from the Palm IIIxe economical paperless solution to an expensive Pocket PC. I was already a Memory-Map user and, after seeing MM in all its glory on a PPC at a Geo-caching event, courtesy of Pengy & Tigger, I eventually got one. In the normal course of events, the Ipaq (PPC) does all my (Bernie's) routing, safety camera alerts, organiser stuff and phonebooke etc. The StreetPilot looks after Sue on the road. When caching, we use the Vista C for the car driving stuff and the Ipaq for displaying maps. This makes it a doddle to find the little carparks, footpaths and suchlike. When we exit the car, the Vista C is back to straight-line stuff to the cache (and the Ipaq goes into its metal jacket and then in the backpack). Of course, you don't need all this hi-tech stuff for the game - but who would choose to paddle themselves across the Cannel in a canoe instead of using a ferry or Chunnel! Unless you live in a cave, you're a techy-lover....

...and I've found that since getting a new fully automatic washer/dryer, I've lost the ability to wash my clothes in a mountain stream with just a rock and a stick! ...only having a wee giggle at your expense! Surely that's the whole point of technology - making life easy, removing the requirements for specific skills from a task. The reason you're "losing" these skills is simply that you no longer use or need them to the extent you did in the past.... you'll have to become like Ray Mears (who I love watching teaching people to light fires by rubbing wet leaves together). Where have all the sword makers, the stage-coach builders etc etc gone? No longer required on journey. Sad, but true and eventually - inevitable.

Sue and I are going to try and make this event. I'm south of London on a course, Sue's back home in Norfolk but, as Harlow was our old stomping ground many moons ago, we still have family and friends in the area. We will prevail apon them, meet in the middle and "borrow" some young ones for the event. Seeya...

Sorry to hear your collected tales of woe - both of you must have caught them on a bad day or perhaps I got them on a good one when I need assistance from Garmin! When the power supply/speaker unit for my Streetpilot needed a repair (well beyond the warranty period), I telephoned Garmin. Their immediate response was to say "Don't bother returning it, we'll send you another one" - and they did, arrived a couple of days later. ...perhaps it's who picks up the phone that determines the response?