dantonac
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Posts posted by dantonac
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I have the same unit as you so I think I can probably help you, but I don't understand the question. What do you mean by project waypoints?
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Hey everyone,
I have a magellan sport trak pro color and magellan mapsend topo software. I am trying to enter some waypoints off of a map that is marked with coordinates for some points under water that I want to find for the purposes of fishing. The datum of the map is 1927 North American datum. The software datum is listed as U.S. The format for the datum appears the same. Can someone verify that this is correct? Also does anyone here use hot spot fishing software? I am wondering if I will really gain anything by purchasing it over just entering waypoints off of a topo map that has fishing spots located on it?
Thanks.
-lee-
1927 North American Datum, on your GPS is listed as NAD27 so if the map datum is that then set your GPS to use that when entering the coords and save the spots as waypoints. Once done you can set your GPS back to WGS84 (the normal datum in use for most purposes) as the GPS will get you to the spot just fine.
As for Fishing Hot Spots, I do not use it because I fish mostly smaller bodies of water and they don't have much beyond the really popular lakes.
Whether or not you will be helped by the software kind of depends on your level of fishing knowledge. A topo map of the lake (the Mapsend topo software doesn't map out lakes) will generally give you what you need to know about likely areas for various fish if you know how to read a topo map and understand the habits of the fish you are going after. Also I tend to believe that a good bait shop near the lake is a better source of information as to what is working where as it is always up to date unlike FHS.
Do you have a depth/fish finder? If so I would use that in conjunction with a topo map and explore on your own and when you find a good spot, mark it on your GPS and start building your own hot spots map.
But that's just me, your mileage may vary.
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Right around freezing is too cold for me. I would do a quickie cache in colder weather where I knew I wouldn't be more than a 10th of a mile from the car at any point, but for longer or multicaches right around freezing is my limit. It is also a practical limit for my camera and GPS too so it seems pointless to be out in colder weather.
I agree one could sport extreme weather gear and be fine, I am just not that hardcore.
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He has two for sale.
Sent him a question to see if he knows that this stuff is not allowed.
It isn't allowed according to GC.com, that doesn't make it illegal. None of the items in the cache are illegal in the state I live in anyway.
Let's not forget that not all caches are GC.com caches.
Still, I do find the contents to be amusing given that most cachers, particularly those with kids probably wouldn't appreciate the sharp instruments in the cache.
Personally I would love to get one of those swiss army knives in a cache though. Pretty sweet swag if you ask me. Oh, and those surgical scissors make excellent nail clippers/cutters.
Besides, for the price the can alone is worth it, keep the swag for yourself
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The magazine is staffed by individuals, all with different personalities. We write about what we know. I find it insulting to be called a mouthpiece for anyone.
well it's fine that you take offense, but when you are asking people to pay you for something, what you do or don't take offense at doesn't really matter. It isn't you that people care about when spending money, it is themselves. It is you who has to appeal to the potential buyer, not the other way around.
You can be offended at zero sales on your first issue, but that won't sell more.
I do wish you all the best, sincerily, but the defensiveness at criticism you have recieved here doesn't bode well for the success of your for profit endeavor. You folks don't seem to get the idea of appealing to customers. You can adopt the offended attitude once you have a reliable subscriber base that produces enough ad income to make you happy, but not before then.
I would also suggest you guys rethink the unpaid article thing. When you run a free (for the viewer) website soliciting free articles is one thing, but the instant you start profitting off the work of others without compensating them I think you will find the number of people willing to write for you drops off quickly. About the only articles people are going to write for free are those articles advertising something of their own.
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I do like the site, and found the articles interesting, but the thing does read more like an official GC.com mag than an independant entity.
Once again I will point out that GC is our biggest sponser and we are proud of that fact. However, they do not, nor have they ever tried to censor our magazine. We are an independant enity and will remain so.
Our magazine was founded on the idea that we get our material from cachers. Since 95% of all cacher are members of GC it only stands to reason that they will make up the majority of the articles.
El Diablo
Please understand that I am not saying you or your mag are a mouthpiece for GC.com. What I am saying is that a casual perusal of your mag read as if it were a mouthpiece for GC.com. It is perception, not reality.
The avergage reader of your mag doesn't know or care that the articles are submitted by GC.com members 95% of the time. They are going to read the mag and find it GC.com centric regardless of whether or not that is the intent.
Again, I am not saying you are a mouthpiece for GC.com, I am saying that the mentions of GC.com and it's rules/policy make it GC.com centric regardless of intent.
And, again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just don't understand why you seem to object to folks who have read it telling you that it is GC.com centric rather than being more broad based in terms of GPS hobby/games.
As for your suggestion that I write an article presenting a different view, I don't care to. No offense, but I don't do free work for entities that are looking to make a profit from my unpaid labor. Others may wish to do so, but I do not.
I do wish you the best in your endeavor, I am sure there are many who would love to get such a magazine delivered to their door.
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I challenge you to go back through all of our issues and find just one example of where we are GC's mouthpiece.
That isn't necessarily bad and I am not passing judgement on that aspect, it is a to each their own thing.
In one of the Dec articles (don't recall which one) there is a line about 'visited the forums'. Nothing is said about having visited *which* forum, but GC.com forums are assumed.
I do like the site, and found the articles interesting, but the thing does read more like an official GC.com mag than an independant entity.
If you wish to appeal to GC.com members, then the focus is right on. If you wish to appeal to GPS gaming in general I think you are going to find some offended by the frequent explicit and implicit references to GC.com, particularly those who use their GPS for things GC.com doesn't cover or outright forbids. Even the earthcaching article takes a dismissive tone toward virtual caches that lead one to "pretty places" in favor of those that lead one to educational areas and the article mentions GC.com a couple times as being one of the approvers for this 'new' (it isn't at all new) cache type. The article, by harping on how one person plus the Gc.com staff are responsible for determining if the cache can be approved smacks of the elitism some are offended by with the GC.com worldview some seem to have. Lot's of virtual caches lead people to places where they learn things of historical, ecological or other acadmemic interest so I found the tone of the article to be quite arrogant since it is bascially one guy doing this in conjuction with GC.com and there is nothing original about it.
Anyway, getting back on track I do view the mag as being GC.com centric to such a degree that those who want to see GPS activities expand beyond what GC.com approves of or has the software to allow viewing it as a 'mouthpiece'.
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your disappointment is understandable, but please make sure the generous giver of this gift doesn't see it.
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Oh, ok, I will just pick up this needle here being very careful...Oh no, I slipped and now the needle is in my arm and I have AIDS...what a bad day! Neddle handling is a no-no in my book.
As for my own personal experiences, I recently ran across a pile of freshly used toilet paper on the hiking trail...not in the woods, ON the trail. I'm not CITO'ing that!!!
You raise a valid point that you could slip and poke yourself. However you would make just as valid a point that if you are out caching you could have a tree fall on you so no way are you going to go caching, ever. Getting AIDS from a used needle left laying in the woods is also a remote chance. The virus doesn't survive in the open environment very long at all. Virii are that way, they require a host to survive, no host, they die - quickly, just like a fish out of water. So, you take a needle from a junkie friend with AIDS and inject yourself right after he does and you have a high risk. Poke yourself accidently after the needle has been sitting for 24 hours (or even less) in the forrest and your risk drops to near zero. The myth of AIDS being spread via toilet seats is only accurate if the infected person leaves behind human material on the seat and you somehow allow this material to contact an open sore. A few hours after the deposit is left the virus is dead and can't harm you.
That's what I mean by over analyzing this issue. I don't look negatively upon anyone who refuses to cito something for safety related reasons, even if it is something I would cito without a second thought. There is no judgement here as to whether one is right or wrong to cito a particular item, I am just saying that the level of risk some seem to be ascribing to needles seems way overblown to me. I pick up and use knives all the time and while I have very occasionally cut myself while using a knife (once or twice in my life) I have never accidently poked myself simply picking up a knife and putting it in the dishwasher. I view this as roughly comparable to picking up a needle. The risk of poking yourself is really, really low. the risk of actually contracting HIV is even lower. The perceived risk stems from ignorance (not meant to be insulting, it means public knowledge of AIDS specifically and virii in general is not at all well informed and mostly fear based).
As for the used TP issue, I wouldn't cito that either. Both the TP and the material on it are easily biodegradable and healthy for the soil. Extreme amounts in a populated area would be bad, but one person's "waste" in a forest is a non issue. I don't really consider limitted amounts of human waste or paper products to be litter at all. As an avid gardener I routinely use manure and paper products as compost/soil conditioners. It is called organic gardening and is earth friendly. The manure of countless species is a part of what comprises soil and paper is from a tree which naturally falls and rots into the soil in the forest. No reason to cito things that are easily biodegradable and healthy for the soil.
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I doubt I would do such a cache although clearly many would. I guess I am just a shy person and I do caching because I like the outdoors.
I also like to use my GPS with WAAS lock to pinpoint the cache location pretty well before I go searching around. If the location got me no further than the front door of a business I would not be at all comfortable rummaging around inside a business looking for a cache, owner's permission or not.
So, I am sorry it got denied because it seems there are those that would enjoy it, but I wouldn't be one of those people.
There are other sites that would allow you to list it though. Not as much traffic as GC.com, but still doable. Something I have seen others do is place a cache listed on GC.com and link to their homepage on the cache page. From the homepage they list their other caches that aren't listed on GC.com. I could be wrong, but I don't think this is outside the GC.com rules.
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How do I find the state laws about geocaching in state parks in my state, NC?
Call the state park office?
You may also be able to contact one of the mods for your region's forums as they may already know what the policy is in your state since they have to approve caches.
Most states have the body of their legislation available online somewhere, but searching through it for something like geocaching is likely to be difficult to find and any relevant laws may not use the term geocaching at all, but may be more generic like laws against littering. If one wished to interpret an anti littering law as encompassing geocaching they certainly could.
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good grief, you are NOT going to get infected by touching a needle unless you a. jab yourself with it and b. the pathogen is still alive on the needle. I suppose if you have fresh, open wounds on your hands you would be at a tad higher risk, but then you shouldn't be out caching, you should be at home applying bandages
If you are out and about and you step on a hypo needle and it punctures your skin I would definitely advise taking yourself and the needle to the nearest hospital.
If you simply pick the thing up and dispose of it, you can relax. If you are really worried, go wash your hands before you start licking them or rubbing your eyeballs with them.
LOL.
If we analyzed the danger of being in a traffic accident the way we are looking at this needle issue none of us would ever drive again.
Needles are inanimate objects. They cannot hurt you unless they are forced into your skin. My advice is don't force them into your skin
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Since the chicken's body was still warm, the person responsible for the bloody clothes probably didn't litter, he probably ran from the scene when he heard you approach.
While this practice sounds very wierd to most of us "civilized" folk, it isn't "satanic" and it isn't "evil". It is a cultural practice that we don't understand and therefore are predjudiced against.
Granted, if I saw it occuring I would probably be freaked out initially as well (not something one sees everyday) so I don't blame you ---at all--- for your reaction. Just trying to offer a bit of after the fact pespective.
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Thanks for the link MissJen, that was an interesting read.
I will add that prior to my geocaching days I was visitting a friend in Kingman, Az. We drove for hours into the Mojave desert, explored the abandoned mineshafts and all that. In one place in the middle of nowhere there was an old, 1940-50's era car that was just a rusted shell at that point. It had bullet holes all through it. Initially I figured the holes were probably placed there after the car was abandoned, but not far away I found an very old cash register, the kind with the keys that are metal with metal arms underneath.
It makes me wonder if these weren't crooks that got shot up and never found due to the expansive emptiness of the desert. Too bad there was no GPS in those days. I would make a great spot to hide a cache.
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Recently I was picking up some trash from a cache site that floods massively in every spring. Among the usual garbage I found a glass soda bottle that hasn't been made in probably 30 years. I tossed it, but the find brought back memories of my early childhood when such botles were the norm rather than the exception.
Anyway this got me to thinking that surely some others have found stuff while out and about that was interesting or at least not your garden varity trash.
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started with 315, now have Color with autorouting. Next I am getting the first model that drives the car for me that retails for < $500.00
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While I know nothing specific about meth labs, it sounds from the OP like there would be some easy safety measures we can take to reduce/eliminate the risk.
A cooler found laying aroung should be an obvious cause for suspiscion as they aren't normally trash people just toss in the woods. Under no circumstances would I suggest opening it.
For other trash it would seem OK to place it in a bag and dump it in the nearest trash bin. I don't think I would be inclined to take any trash into my car with me for any reason regardless of the meth threat. Even if this chemical is on the items it sounds like it isn't likely to be lethal unless you are with the stuff in an enclosed place. In the out of doors is sounds like it would be diluted enough with the air that risk is minimal.
I am no expert though, this is just how it sounds from my reading of the OP.
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Old golf balls and green army men!
are the brown army men OK? LOL
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While I can respect that the ethical views vary from one cacher to the next, there is no such thing as owning a box left on public property.
As far as I know there is no law against taking caches for the "fun" of it. I certainly am not recommending anyone do this, of course, the point is that if you know of a cache, it has been archived for 6 months and the placer of that cache isn't responding to email, then adopt it, toss it or leave it alone.
There is no law against any of these options. What is the ethical choice? That's a relative thing. We each will have different views on it with no central authority to appeal to for guidance.
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waypoint your car
Good advice to waypoint you car, it is amazing how all those trees start to look alike once you are a mile in and can see nothing but trees.
My suggestion, which goes along with this one, is if you place a cache and you know that those seeking it will have to park in a particular place, include coords for that place inside of your cache.
This way those of us who know better, but still forget to waypoint our car can still get back before needing to use that tissue Mr. Lost (appropriate name
) suggests you bring along.This is particularly true for those multi leg caches taking us out into the far reaches of nowhere.
OK, for the noobs who do not waypoint their car, and the cache doesn't include the waypoint to the parking lot, and you don't have any tissue with you, always remember this: Your GPS has a man overboard or backroute|reverse route function. Learn how to use it before you need to.
OK, another suggestion for those so inclined is get yourself a camera and take in with you on your hunts. Most of the caches I seek I end up seeing something that I take a picture or 3 of. Might be a creature, a view, who knows, but I have never had reason to regret taking a camera along with me and do have regrets for not having had one with me.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Bring a pencil and garbage bag with you. Sometimes a cache doesn't have anything to write with in it and you can't sign the log book if you don't bring your own. The plastic bag is to help weather seal anything in the cache that looks like it isn't doing well on it's own and if it isn't needed then you can carry out any trash you find as you leave.
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As a user of the Magellan software I like it, but it is far from perfect. I do not know the source of the data/directions for the Garmin software, but Magellan is using NavTech, the same company that powers Mapquest(I think).
The driving directions are about as good(or bad).
I have used it quite a bit, and I have only once had the directions lead me to a dead end road where the software believed the road continued. Rerouting on the fly produced a workable route for me. I believe any software is subject to this problem.
My other complaints are that on occasion an obvious route (to me) is not obvious to the software. As an example I was trying to get to a friend's house about 40 miles north from me. There was a highway that was basically a straight shot, but the routing software told me to get off that highway, make a few turns and get back on that highway and continue on. Very odd.
As a rule I do trust the software to route me from a to b, but I do not trust it to choose the best route for me to take in all cases. It definitely seems to prefer interstates to highways and higways to roads even when the "lesser" road is quicker.
These criticisms of the Magellan software should not be taken as meaning the Garmin software is superior, I have no experience with the Garmin software at all so I can't say.
I am happy with the Magellan software, but it has room for improvement.
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if you wish to use the auto routing feature or use the map screen much at all I recommend the color. It simply is much easier to read than monochrome screens.
I have the color meridian and the autoroute software. I love it. The only downfall of the software is that the autorouting directions are made by the same folks who power the web based driving direction software at mapquest so the directions are sometimes not the best. I have never gotten directions that wouldn't get me from a to b, but I have gotten directions that moved me in strange ways like turning left, right, right, then left when I could have just gone straight the whole time.
I think an electronic compass would have been nice on the color unit, but if I had to do it over again I would choose the color screen over the compass.
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Ok,
I have been geocaching now for about 3-4 years. Ever since the TBs became common I have found that more often than not if I visit a cache that lists a TB as being in it, there isn't one. When I do find a TB in a cache, the cache page often doesn't list that there is one in it.
This got me to thinking. Are people using a strategy of not publicizing the location of TBs so that thiefs will have a harder time finding them?
I also noticed that the TB I found today (wasn't listed as being there) contained hanging chads from the 2000 US presidential election.
Now, there is a neat souvenir. I didn't take the TB because I wasn't going to be travelling anytime soon, but I was sitting there thinking "I would love to have this for myself".
I am basically an honest person, but I wonder how long that TB is going to last before someone decides they can't pass the opportunity up.
Ok, so why am I typing this? Well I bought a half dozen TB tags a few months ago and haven't used them yet. The fact that I rarely find TBs where they say they are as well as the frequency which they seem to go missing on these forums has given me pause. I don't really want to put much effort into the process for someone to just steal them.
Therefore this thread can be a TB survival guide of sorts. Those of you who have placed TBs that have survived a good time can share your tips as well as comment on 2 ideas I have.
My 2 ideas are:
1. place the TB without posting it's location. Attached to the TB and at the TB web page put a note requesting that the new location of the TB not be posted. Only folks who find it post and when they move it they can email it's location or say nothing.
2. Attach the TB to something nobody would want. Any kid's toy or memoribilia like those hanging chads are going to be desired by someone, but a TB attached to just a note doesn't seem as appealing to a thief.
Ok, I am done now, thanks for reading and tia for commenting.
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OK, so for all you who wish to log DNFs tell me your opinion on this one.
I go out caching from work with a coworker who has never cached before, but is interested. I pick a 1/1 cache based upon proximity to the office. We navigate to the cache with my street routing GPS to impress coworker and motivate him to get one.
We follow a paved path as the GPS directs once at the park.
We get within 100 feet and the GPS is pointing to a spot outside the park and on private property.
I figure I must be approaching from the wrong direction.
I look at all avenues of approach. 3 sides require crossing private property and 1 side requires a 500 ft trek through a flooded forrest which would be tough travelling even when not flooded and the cache is rated a 1/1.
I reluctantly decide to not pursue the cache and tell my coworker we will try a different one next week.
While approaching from the most obvious side (the paved path in the park) I noticed a very prominent large bush in the middle of an otherwise bare grass field.
When I get back to the office I go to the cache page and read the encrytped hint. It says "Large Bush". Reading through the logs the owner of the cache recently posted that he double checked the coords and they are accurate. Presumably someone emailed him privately that they felt the coords were way off.
I had a WAAS lock while searching for this cache and my home testing shows that I am never less than 15 feet off, usually 7-8 ft off with a WAAS lock so I am confident that the 100 ft innaccuracy wasn't from my GPS.
What do I do? Do I email the cache owner privately? Do I log a DNF (I didn't find it because I hadn't read the hint and was unwilling to trespass on private property or bushwack while in work clothes)?
) suggests you bring along.
The Definition Of “found It”
in General geocaching topics
Posted
well, here is one for those who like to debate legit finds or not: this cache
Basically this guy hides this micro in a very busy area and it gets trashed in short order.
The container was a baby food jar with the lid nailed to a piece of wood inbetween some rocks along the lake shore.
The jar was gone as was any contents such as logbook. Just the nailed lid remained.
I logged it as a find since it wasn't archived. I did email the owner and inform him it was missing. He had no issue with my logging it as a find and said he would replace it, but never did. A few people after this also logged it even though the logs make it appear even the lid eventually got removed and just green spots where the nail colored the wood remained. LOL.
Hey, it's all good. Folks made the effort and found the location. It isn't the fault of the cacher the cache was damaged/missing. That they found evidence the cache had been in the spot seems good enough to me and seemed good enough to the owner.