CaptCosmic
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Posts posted by CaptCosmic
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Can I use a tom tom to find caches and does the tom tom have the ability to search once I take it out of the car?
The TomTom doesn't have a geocaching mode, so it is much more difficult to use. However, if you pull up the GPS status page, it will give you its current coordinates. With enough patience and practice, you would be able to simply walk around until the coordinates on the TomTom matched those of the cache. It's kind of painful though.
What I do with the TomTom for Geocaching is to load all the Geocaches that I have in GSAK into the TomTom as POIs. I have them configured to always appear on the map and have set up proximity notifications if there is a cache within 1/2 mile of the route I'm traveling. I makes it easier to find caches while I'm out driving around that I might not even realize where there. And I can also have it navigate me to a location near the cache, which is great when I'm not sure the best approach to the cache.
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Work and family are conspiring against my making this trip. Sounds like it will be a lot of fun. Maybe I can make the next one.
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Class will start at 8AM. Hike starts at 9AM. I will be there at 7AM to help newbs with how to get their shoes on.
How long is the hike expected to last? Based on distance, I'd guess about 5-6 hours roundtrip. That about right?
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There will be a beginner's class before the hike starts. Those that can't make the full hike will still receive the HOTM sig item. I'll need a show of hands to make sure I have enough made.
Class will start at 8AM. Hike starts at 9AM. I will be there at 7AM to help newbs with how to get their shoes on.
Do we have to bring our own snowshoes? Sounds like a lot of fun, but winter outdoors activities are not in my repertoire. So I'd have to borrow/rent a pair to join the hike.
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I often check out caches on my iPhone's web browser. It would be great if, upon finding an interesting cache, there were a button/link on the cache page that would cause that cache to open up in the Geocaching.com App. Saves me having to find the GC Code, switch apps, then enter it on the main search screen. You can even make it so the button/link only shows up if you view the page from Mobile Safari.
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We went geo caching in two locations which were a 1/2 mile apart. In both instances the gps bounced all over the place.
We would stand at one location and it would point 68' in a given direction, as we would get close it would count down, then all of a sudden completely change.
We then tried walking away 50-60' wait for it to settle, head in the direction it directed and boom it would happen again This happened in most every direction we approached from.
With this going on, we haven't been unable to find one, been back twice to keep trying. And on the second one, I truly feel I found it by accident.
Sorry but I am new to this and to a gps, would anyone have an explanation"
any hints on how to deal with this?
etc?
YIA
I've had similar problems caching with my iPhone before. What I do in those situations is back off about 50-60 feet from where ground zero should be, then try to get a bearing on where the cache is relative to me. Do this a few times, and you can triangulate an approximate location of the cache. Gives you a much smaller area to search in. Once you've triangulated a rough location, put the GPS down and start looking.
John
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I have a Garmin Etrex Legend HCx and do most of my GC'ing in western New York. Occasionally I go into Canada but for some reason the accuracy is terrible. Do they have WAAS? I can't figure it out. As soon as I come back everything is fine again.
Any ideas?
Your GPS is getting confused because you forgot to change it to kilometers. Throws the whole thing off. That and all the satellites are 40% further away.
John
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Do old GPS units loose accuarcy over time?
Only if you forget to replace the batteries.
John
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Trail Mix. I swear my kids think they will starve to death if I don't bring snacks for the 2 hour hunt around the local park.
John
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I just realized that when you tap a key, if you if you hold your finger down, you can slide your finger around until you have the right key then release.
Interesting technical tidbit for you: the iPhone software dynamically resizes the hit areas of the keys bases on some kind of probabilistic model of what keys you are more likely to hit next. That's why you don't have to be so exact in your typing on the keyboard: the phone is trying to figure out which keys make the most sense based on the context of what you are typing.
Now back to our regular argument on the sutability of the iPhone GPS for placing caches.
John
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Is there anyway that I can convince someone that this app needs the landscape keyboard for us fat fingered people that try to do field notes while hiking?
To quote Obi Wan, "Use the force. Let it flow through you."
I find that if I stop focusing on pressing specific keys that the iPhone does a very good job of figuring out what I meant to type. The only issue really is that it doesn't work if you are a lousy speller. Fortunately, my parents drilled spelling into me as a kid, so that's not much of a problem for me.
John
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Congrats on your first finds. This hobby is a lot of fun. I've been at it for about a month an a half.
Happy hunting!!
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Have you tried the Lo-Fi-Version of the forums? Look at the very bottom of any forum page for the link. It makes it much easier to read the forums on a mobile device.
Still doesn't quite fill the need though. One of the biggest issues is that the fonts end up too small to be easily read. Also, the lo-fi version doesn't provide any way to post new topics or replies.
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I often read the Geocaching forums from my iPhone. The current theme of the forum isn't really conducive to use on a mobile device. It would be great if a mobile optimized skin could be added to allow those of us who read the forums from our mobile devices to do so without having to zoom in and out andscoll all over the screen. I'd bet that the forum software provider probably aleady has such a theme premade too.
Thanks!
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I've not used it, but from what I've heard, the iPhone not what you want to use for geocaching. A dedicated handheld GPS unit will be much more accurate.
Bruce
I'm going to step in and defend the iPhone's honor. I use it exclusively for geocaching, and it works fine for me. So, unless you've tried it, let's not disparage it.
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For Mac:
GCStatistic
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A quick glance at the original list included above shows that the list is sorted by Waypoint IDs (aka GC Code). They are in ascending order. Whether this is appropriate or not is a different question. But this is how my Pocket Queries have sorted for as long as I've been using them (<2 weeks).
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Dragging the 3 kids along with me can be a great distraction. If the kids are climbing on the park bench, or up a tree, who's going to notice dad rummaging around in the underbrush.
Just don't get out of sight of the stroller. People get real uptight about kids being left alone in strollers.
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I have a Magellan Triton. When I go to the coordinates the geocache gives me the numbers don't match up to where it is on the map and the clues say. I noticed there are different sets of numbers to use, I tried using others such as decimal it makes more sense but it still seems off and I can't find a simple cache. I know I must be doing something wrong. Any advice?
Cache coordinates on the site are listed in Decimal Minute format. Make sure the GPS is configured to accept coordinates in that format.
how young is to young?
in How do I...?
Posted
Having been caching with my 5 and 6 year olds for the last 6 months, my biggest advice is to stick to caches that are large enough for them to trade swag. My kids lose interest in the hunt fairly quickly, so larger caches that they can more easily spot that contain toys and stuff they can trade for really keeps them interested.