[Any Tips For A Newbie?]

Go for easy caches first. You can have the "beginner" caches highlighted, but I don't know what makes one 1/1 cache a beginner cache and another 1/1 regular cache not.

If you scroll down to the bottom of a cache list, to the "Highlight beginner caches" checkbox, there is a "?" icon. If you click it, the following "help" popup appears:

Some geocache characteristics make it more likely that a new geocacher will be successful when they are first getting started. Beginner caches incorporate these characteristics:

• Traditional type
• Low difficulty
• Recently found by others
• No micro sized caches
• No problems reported

Yay! I've never noticed the '?' over there So... if it hasn't been found recently does it get taken off the list? Not an important question to answer... but just something that came through my head.

 

Thank you!

[Any Tips For A Newbie?]

Go for easy caches first. You can have the "beginner" caches highlighted, but I don't know what makes one 1/1 cache a beginner cache and another 1/1 regular cache not.

 

Search for regular sized or large sized caches first. You can probably get away with easy level small containers if you want to try those. Don't rush out trying to find micros! If you're dying to find one, do an easy one.

 

Easy ones are suggested so that you can learn. Very few people (if any) learn to drive by going balls out in a Formula One car. Start small and work up If you do something too hard and you fail, you'll be more likely to give up when really you don't suck. You're just new

 

The more caches you start finding the more you can branch out and become more familar with different types, greater difficulties, and hiding styles.

 

When you log, people (especially cache owners) like to read about your experience finding the cache. They don't like short little "TFTC SL" kind of logs. Don't make it long and boring, but embellish more than "Yeah, I found it. Nice." A lot of cache owners like to know how the cache is doing. Does it need a new log? Is the log wet? Is the container holding up? As a cacher, I like to know about things like that too Just because it can help in deciding if it's worth finding (container with real spiders living in it isn't high on my list of priorities).

 

If you really, really looked for a cache and just couldn't find the silly thing, log a DNF. As a cacher, DNF alert to me the possibility that the cache is missing or is more difficult to find than originally thought (especially if an owner checks in and says it's still there). I think a string of DNFs help owners figure out if they need to check up on the cache.

 

For your poochie, just keep an eye on him or have him on a leash. Anything he's going to eat while geocaching is something he could eat while hiking or whatever. There are some scary things, but if you watch him he should do okay. Make sure he's really good with commands like "come" and "drop it" or "no".

 

And, not to be a fun-sucker or over bearing, but if he were to eat something and you were worried about it, please don't be afraid to ask your veterinary clinic. It's better to have an appointment and have your fears relieved than to deal with something for a week, call a clinic before they close, and pay way more because your dog is sicker now than he initially was If any of the staff makes you feel uncomfortable with your concerns, then they're not being very professional. If you're concerned, then they're concerned. Much better to pay an office call and have a healthy pet then let it go and pay a lot more

 

Have lots of fun geocaching!

[GLONASS or GPS?]

 

I would guess this GLONASS deal is supposed to increase accuracy, so use it. If it's faulty, you can always turn it off.

 

But how do I know if it increases/decreases accuracy?

What I would do is turn it on, and go to someone's coords that you know are correct. Check their logs and see if anyone says their coords are off or if they lead straight to the cache. Turn off GLONASS and go check it out. Are you off? Turn on GLONASS. Any better?

 

I think it's gonna be a lot of interpretation on your part and what you are or are not impressed with. I don't know why they put something on a GPS that would decrease accuracy, but people do silly things

[GLONASS or GPS?]

I am poorly informed. Until this thread I don't think I was aware of the GLONASS system. If my GPS unit allowed me to use both at the same time I can't think of any reason not to do so.

Don't feel bad dude! I wasn't aware of it either!

 

All mine does is satellites and then you can turn WAAS on or off. I turned it on because it's supposed to increase accuracy.

 

I would guess this GLONASS deal is supposed to increase accuracy, so use it. If it's faulty, you can always turn it off.

[How do you organize your finds?]

This is what I did last time I went out (still pretty new here) and I've made some changes (but haven't tried them out yet).

 

I download the .gpx file and then open it in easyGPS. At this point, I usually cut all the caches and paste them into a new document so I can my own information (I'm sure being a premium member would eliminate this step perhaps someday). So the "label" is the Cache Name, "type" becomes the size- "regular", "micro", "not chosen" if there isn't anything listed (I have one where the size is "not chosen" but then the description or the hint says it's a small green pill bottle so "type" became "small green pill bottle"), "symbol" is the found/not found treasure chest, "waypoint" is the GC Code, and "description" is either the hint, where it is (like "Gemini Bridges Area", "Up Dirt Road", "Past Stocks Drive" or whatever to help me figure out a general area), or something important like "Accessible to Westbound Interstate Traffic ONLY" or "You don't need to go inside the cemetery".

 

I print that off (landscape, not portrait) and fold it up and put it in my pocket. When I find it, I cross it off. If I leave something, I write what I leave. If I take something, I write what I take. If there's a special note then I'll write that too. When I get home, I log my finds. I get back on easyGPS and change "not found" symbols to "found". I might even just delete the ones I found.

 

I'll star the ones on my print off that haven't been found yet (I can dream! ). Right now, the only thing I'm thinking of further implementing is printing a zoomed out Google Map of an area and labeling the caches.

 

I saw on the vehicle thread someone had a red Xterra with this laptop stand. That would be the way to go! As long as I have a network signal, I could use my phone as a hotspot. Or figure a way to download cache pages for use offline or something.

 

Other than that, I use my cell phone. If I need a hint that I didn't write or if I need to use Google Maps to figure out where it is (my GPS doesn't have a topo map).

[Is my yellow Etrex Garmin any good]

What I do with mine (eTrex Legend) is I "mark" something and just change the coords to say what I want. So like how you can change the name of a waypoint... just go to the coords and change that

 

If that doesn't make sense then I can try to find some pictures of some screen shots or something.

[Caves]

If no one is going to get lost inside the cave, like it's straight in and straight out the way you came, then I think that's okay.

 

I don't know what I'd rate it. If you have to have something more than a flashlight, then it might not be a one. If this is like, real spelunking, then yeah, make it a five.

 

I'd put in the description that it's in the cave. You have to go in to get it. Maybe someone can retrieve it for others, then put it back exactly where it was. But someone's gonna have to go and not everyone will fit. It would be nice to know who could fit (how small is small?) but it isn't necessary Every time I see something that's like "tight squeeze for bigger people" I go "Oh, that's me" even though I'm not really "big" I've squeezed through some ridiculous things!

 

I would consider doing a cache like this! I've always been really interested by caves So if I could fit, I'd strongly consider going in if it was just crawling in and crawling out (no weird climbing or anything). You have permission, so go for it! Not all caches are accessible to all people

[Coords: How on should they be?]

I like my coords to be as accurate as possible. I think it's obnoxious to get to "ground zero" and then find out it's not really ground zero at all.

 

Realistically, the GPS should put you in a spot and then you have a certain radius to search out. My little GPS only zooms in to 20 feet, so when I get my arrow on the waypoint, I have a certain radius to look at. If I have great satellite coverage and my accuracy is within 7 feet, then awesome. Lots of times I've my arrow right over the top of my waypoint and when I look up, there's the cache! Yay! Other times, I'll be right on top of it but it turns out the cache is on the cliff above me, or in the valley below.

 

If someone is up front that "oh, these are iPhone coords" or "the coords are off but it should get you close enough" then fine. As long as I know my ground zero isn't necessarily the exact ground zero. "Soft coords" are a cheap way to bump the difficulty. I don't know if I agree with doing it on purpose to bump the difficulty or not. I guess as long as it's reflected in the difficulty and maybe acknowledged somewhere in the description then whatever I sure don't like being played though.

 

As a beginner and still pretty dumb with this, I like the coords spot on If someone acknowledges that they're wrong, then I have a choice to search or not to search. If there is no acknowledgment on anyone's behalf (CO or cachers) and I just don't know any better because it's a difficulty of 1, then I'll get fussy with it. It seems like most cachers will say something if the coords of the CO are off

 

So that's what I want, but that can very well be not what everyone else wants

[Trex 10]

Plug in the USB to your computer and plug the other end into the Garmin. Turn it on. Go to Geocaching.com and sign in. Search for caches. On the right hand side, there is an icon of a black/grey GPS unit with a green arrow on it's left. If you click that, you can send a geocache to your Garmin.

 

On the left hand side are little check boxes. If you click all the check boxes of the caches you want, you should be able to go to the bottom and click "Download Waypoints". I have to enter a captcha (string of words) to prove I'm a real person and then it downloads.

 

As a premium member you have a pocket query option. I'm a basic member so I don't know the details.

 

Also! You may need to install a driver for the computer to read your Garmin. Hopefully the computer will figure out what it needs and then prompt you to install something and you give it permission.

 

Hopefully someone else can come along and give you better directions than me Happy caching!

[Can I log a "find" if i give directions to someone else ?]

It's not what I would do (but that's me and not you).

 

If *you* are guiding someone to a cache because they don't have a GPS or whatever, and they actually find it, then they can log a find if they want to because they were tho ones who ultimately found it (or seems to be the verdict on the "geocaching by proxy" thread).

 

With that in mind, it seems to come down to who actually found it. It's not a rule by any means, but I personally feel that if you didn't actually find the thing and sign it, then you shouldn't say you did. That's what going back is for Although who knows when you can return to Puerto Rico

 

Really, there a few caches around my town that I haven't found, but if I look on Google maps and zoom way in with the satellite imagery, then I know exactly where it is, even down to a certain lamp post. Can I log it as a find because I know where it is even though I haven't touched it? Maybe, but I'm not going to. Perhaps the cache has suddenly disappeared. Maybe the log is full and if I actually visit and then say "BTW, log is full dude" or state that it's wet or whatever. Maybe it isn't exactly where I thought. Different thing altogether, but you can stretch things out to suit your needs how you like.

 

I only log finds that I find (or my dad finds as long as I'm there when it's found).

 

It's up to you and what feel okay with at the end of the day

 

Group trip to Puerto Rico!!

[COs not maintaining their caches]

If I really look for it and just can't find the silly thing, then I log a DNF. Maybe it's gone, maybe I'm just dumb There's only been one so far that I clearly recall thinking "Yes, it's clearly gone" and logged a DNF stating that I thought it was gone. The rest have been more of "I looked super hard and am just too dumb". I look at DNF logs as either it's gone missing (like if there are a whole bunch in a rows and the CO hasn't checked in to state otherwise, or that it's harder to find it than it would seem

 

I might be to silly to find it, but there are a lot of other people to silly to find it, then maybe it's not there (and I'm not so silly after all)!

[Longest slump between caching?]

2 years, 3 months, 12 days

 

Reason? I really don't know. I guess I just got busy with other things. My last one was September of 2009. I think around then I finally got notice that I passed my VTNE (veterinary technician national exam) and started joining organizations so I could become certified. (It's gonna get really boring, so if you stop reading then you'll spare yourself)I was also doing a lot of dog sitting which I finally had to cut back on because it was getting to the point that I felt overwhelmed and had no time to myself. The year after that (2010) I had my first vet tech conference, then a few months later I was collecting a lot of door prizes for the state veterinary conference that was coming to town. After that I had to turn in my continuing education credits to maintain my certification. I got started in kayaking (just sit on top). Then I had some weird skin issues that turned about to be severe dry skin, but there were a lot of doctor visits and a couple of specialists involved. I even switched my SSRI and went through pretty severe withdrawals from it (although most people have way worse then me, so I still consider myself lucky, even though it sucked enough I don't wanna go through it again). During withdrawal I got back to what is really my first love: bagpipes (don't worry, I won't go into to the slump that happened with that). So, I guess for about a year I've been working on my piping skills (that long? why am I not better?! )

 

In December, I got back into geocaching because a friend is joining Search & Rescue and was very concerned that he didn't know how to use a GPS. I figured if I could help him figure out how to punch in coordinates and then follow them, then he'd feel better (maybe I'm grossly underestimating what SAR does with their GPS but hey, it's a starting point). I found my first micro! After that, I decided I wanted to get back into geocaching It's like, everyone else has a lot of hobbies they indulge in and I don't. All I have to do is collect enough CE to keep my certification up. So... why not add some things?! :)

 

Davequal, I'm sorry you were hospitalized for that long! My goodness!

 

And giannelli55, I'm sorry your husband isn't sold on it yet. I love heavy metal But I also love geocaching Keep working at him! Finding 41 in 3 weeks is incredible! Way to be!

[Geocaching dogs]

Just rub down the inside with RDX. Then just train the dogs as bomb dogs. Done!

 

 

 

 

:laughing: Use that for micros!

[Premium Member Only Caches]

Ah dadgum, I'm only gonna be the second basic member to comment!

 

Here's my view as someone who's doing this for free:

 

I have ZERO problem with there being caches I can't access because I haven't paid money. If I want to access them, I'll pay money. So far, it seems as far caches go I might not be missing out on much. However, if I paid money to find a cache, I would have certain expectations of it.

 

I understand there are some awesome benefits to being a premium member. When you get right down to it, I haven't upgraded because I don't want to throw $30 at something that I'll flake out on later. I've flaked out once. I'm trying to not flake out again. Perhaps if I don't flake out then I'll consider upgrading more strongly.

 

I think geocaching is something that everyone should be able to do. No, I don't believe everyone should be able to access every single cache that exists. There are caches that are wheel chair friendly. There are caches that are dog friendly. There are caches that kids can access. There are caches that wheel chairs, dogs, or kids can't access. That's fine. There are a lot of caches that I don't have the stamina to access. Fine. No problem with that. If premium caches want to stay premium caches forever and ever amen, fine. I have no problem with that either (actually, that's I thought it worked, but apparently you can "downgrade" later. If you don't ever downgrade, fine).

 

I feel that you should have caches that you can find for free, the way it is now. If you want to get more serious about geocaching, then you can upgrade but it shouldn't be forced. You can dangle the carrot and tell me how much better it is and entice me. That's fine. But please don't make it that I *have* to shell out or just not play. I'm not whining about not being to find premium caches. I DON'T want people to send me the coordinates for them. I DON'T want people to take me to a premium only cache. If I want it, I'll pay for it

 

Most hobbies you have to shell out some bucks for. I get that. I've shelled out plenty of money for plenty of hobbies (not whining, just saying). But, there's a choice with how much money. Most, if not all, of us have spent money to aquire a GPS unit. I didn't buy a smart phone just for geocaching, but if it does that then that's just a bonus after the fact. I think those of us that are feeling this out and getting by with our basic accounts should be able to choose when and if we upgrade. When I decide that I just cannot live without being able to have pocket queries, I will gladly fork out some cash.

 

I agree that people using this for free have no right to complain about not having certain perks. That's why they're perks. I'm not entitled to them. What I get for free is the bare basics, the absolute essentials. You get what you (don't) pay for.

 

Maybe I'm wrong in feeling that I am really entitled to enjoy some of this for free, but I personally feel that when you start excluding a lot of people then it becomes elitist. And not just geocaching, anything. I would like to keep this friendly, like my initial impression was and like I think it is

 

Then again, I might flake out next week so what does any of what I say matter?

[Hiking with a dog?]

Interesting to read you guys saying dogs attract bears - not really an issue in the UK, but we walk amongst cattle, sheep and wild ponies often, and having a dog definitely does attract the emnity of those. We're probably soft, not having to deal with bears, moose and big cats here, it's bad enough having a herd of bullock galloping towards you with no sign of stopping.

What a cutie! :) I love the ears!

 

What about that "beast of bodmin moor"? But seriously, cows can be scary! Some sheep are pretty scary too! There was a farm on my college for my veterinary technician program and there were a few sheep. One old fellow was called "Old John" and he'd ram you if you turned your back on him! There was a younger ram called "Boomer" and you had to watch him too. You could turn your back because he didn't really want anything to do with people, but when we had to round him up for his vaccines and exam, it was really a rodeo!

 

And if you've seen the comedy horror film "Black Sheep" (not the one with Chris Farley) then you know sometimes sheep eat people They don't even need pointy teeth

[Girl Talk-Going It Alone: can you solo safely?]

I know this is old, but somebody else responded so I will too And it's not a topic that really goes out of style or becomes irrelevant

 

I've never really been too afraid being alone as a female. Maybe because I've always been waaay more of a tomboy However, I've never taken my safety lightly!

 

I recently got my concealed weapons permit.

 

Same here...I've had my CC since last July. The entire topic of 'self defense' has really interested me. I've got about 3 different self defense books (women & SD). I've also read "In the Gravest Extreme" by Massad Ayoob. I highly recommend reading that one if you ever plan to carry. There are some eye opening legalities that go along with that responsibility.

 

I don't carry all the time - but in reality, you should. Crime doesn't take a day off and they don't care what time of day it is. If its not about saving yourself, you could save someone else's life too.

 

I guess, for me...it hard to find a nice carry method that suites ALL of my lifestyle.

I'll have to check that book out I have one book that I got in college (they were being handed out) about women and self defense but I didn't have time to read it Still have it though.

 

I had a ton of eye openers in the concealed carry class because I just wasn't very familar with any of those laws at all! Good stuff to know (and be reminded of!).

 

I think if I found something that worked all the time for me, then I'd be more likely to have something more useful than pocket knife I'm thinking of maybe keeping my stun gun in my truck or my bag that I haul back and forth to work (I keep an extra set of scrubs and some pens and stuff in it).

 

You're totally right that crime doesn't take a day off, which bothers me the more I think about it :/ I really don't want to carry with me all the time but even a small thing of pepper spray in a pocket can get someone to back off.

 

I hope I don't sound too paranoid now

[Geocaching dogs]

I think it would be possible. I wouldn't go with animal related scents or food related scents as they might attract other critters, but someone mentioned like, gunshot residue on ammo cans and their pooch finding the ammo can. Another user said their dog can find plastic tupperware containers. I don't know if everyone's dog would go after a container that smelled like, oh say, a pine tree in a desert where there are no pine trees, but I'm positive if you taught a dog to scent and find and then had a container that smell like a pine tree and gave the dog the scent then he'd find it.

 

I am always amazed at what search and resuce dogs can do! I help train one (I just lay a scent trail and then the dog will come find me) and I've been blown away. I'll be in my work jeans and I work with animals, so they smell like a bajillion dogs and cats, plus my own animals. Even not brushing against anything except some weeds, this dog can find me because of the scent in the air. Her owner will give me her GPS unit and will use my trail on that to compare with where the dog is going, and it's just remarkable! So to everyone who trains these dogs-- thank you! They are so amazing and they help save so many lives and provide closure for so many others. Thank you!

[Girl Talk-Going It Alone: can you solo safely?]

I know this is old, but somebody else responded so I will too And it's not a topic that really goes out of style or becomes irrelevant

 

I've never really been too afraid being alone as a female. Maybe because I've always been waaay more of a tomboy However, I've never taken my safety lightly! I haven't taken any kind of self defense class, but I have learned a lot of ways to defend myself and any time I hear of something that sounds like a good technique, I file it my head.

 

I recently got my concealed weapons permit. I don't plan on getting groceries with a gun hidden in my coat, but doing a lot of wandering around in remote places, I'd rather have a permit and be able to carry something legally should I feel the need. My grandma has been in more than one situation where a gun saved her from being harmed! Granted, some things were a lot different in granny's day, but some things really haven't changed that much.

 

I also have a little stun gun. Not deadly force, but it'll work just fine. I'd suggest that anyone who just plain doesn't want a gun for whatever reason get at least some pepper spray or a stun gun. You don't need a permit and it's legal to have. Don't sell yourself short if you go out alone! Even dudes get mugged in back alleys.

 

I have a pocket knife that I always have, just for cutting boxes at work or other situations when they're handy (annoying threads on my pants patches ). I don't intend it to be a weapon at all, but guess what? Sometimes it's all I got. Yep. I really don't expect to be assaulted in the parking lot at work, so I don't keep my stun gun or a firearm in my truck. But I feel better knowing that my little knife could do some damage when there's some shady characters hanging around when I get out of work late.

 

Use whatever you have! I fully believe that women can safely go it alone, but you need to know what to do and how to do it. Don't be afraid to be creative if you find yourself in trouble

 

Of course, all that relates to someone giving you grief. When I think of "safety as a woman" that's what comes to mind because most dudes don't get crap for jogging in the park. After that, it's safety for everyone. Anyone can get caught in a canyon or lost. Some groups are more likely to be targeted for other reasons

[New to geocaching]

Type in the zip code or the address of where it is you want to go. If you're signed in, the coordinates appear.

 

I don't know if there are any in state parks or if they have different rules than national parks.

 

Can't help with the iPhone, but if you have a clear view of the sky then it can work okay.

 

If you're going to an intro to geocaching thing at the State Park, then I'd imagine they'd talk about GPS units more, but they might mention smart phones. If this something they're doing, then they should provide you with the coordinates when you arrive and things get started.

 

I don't know about this orientation thing and what all's going down, but I hope you get your questions either here or there

["geofleas"]

I'm rather surprised that the Frontline didn't work. From what I've read, the fleas should not build up resistance to it.

 

Unfortunately, experience would suggest large pockets of Frontline resistance an many countries. We recommend Stronghold (not sure what the US brand name is, but the active ingredient is selamctin).

I'm just saying what I've read from what I take to be reliable resources. Maybe they are, maybe they're not. I don;t intend it to be gospel.

 

Anyways, the first thing I can think of with selamectin as the active ingredient is called "Revolution" in the US

["Just visiting" cache protocal?]

I won't sign the log again but I will leave an online note saying why I was there and general condition of the cache.

I'll second that too

 

Let them know you were there and update them on the condition of cache, log, and so forth. That's what I would do.

["geofleas"]

I'm rather surprised that the Frontline didn't work. From what I've read, the fleas should not build up resistance to it. Sometimes, if the Frontline is not being applied regularly (which can happen during winter months) then the fleas can get a little crazy and it takes longer to get them under control. At this point, you need to use something serious to rid your pet of the fleas and anything in your house Use something from a veterinarian for your pet. A lot of the over the counter products I have seen either don't work or do scary things to pets (I've seen a couple of pets get what appear to chemical burns ). From what I remember, the Frontline should work for about 30 days (at least the Frontline Plus does). After 24 hours it should be totally absorbed systemically and the pet can play in the water and have baths. It is dispensed based on a weight range, so it is important for your clinic to have the most recent possible (if it's been awhile, I suggest calling and asking if you can weight the pet, not have an exam, just check the weight).

 

For the house, what we suggest at the clinic I work at is to just wash and vacuum everything the pet has contact with. You can also ask your veterinarian if there are any sprays for sale.

 

I think the flea comb just makes it easier to find the fleas. Trying to comb those little buggers out would suck if there's a lot of them.

 

My clinic recommends Frontline Plus (has stuff for ticks too!).

 

Merial (who makes Frontline) also just came out with a new product for dogs called "Certifect", which is basically Frontline, but it also has two or three other ingredients that are supposed to boost effectiveness with ticks. The rep told me that other tick products (Frontline Plus I'm guessing?) would kill the tick, but the tick wouldn't always detatch and that bothered people. The new ingredients in the Certifect are supposed to make the tick fall off. Certifect is more expensive than Frontline Plus, so take that into consideration if you plan on inquiring about it

 

My only closing thoughts are that some people pharmacies are selling pet perscriptions (such as Frontline) but they will need confirmation from your veterinarian. If you try to do PetMeds or some other online pharmacy, they need confirmation from your veterinarian. Lastly, Frontline does not have a generic form. Merial is extremely protective of their recipe and any companies that have made over the counter products similar to Frontline have been taken to court and have had to stop production. If you find one that says it's a generic or whatever, either it's not or they won't be around long so don't count on being able to pick it up as needed.

 

I really hope you get the geofleas under control! Not fun at all!

 

(As a vet tech nerd, I apologise for the length and geekery of this post)

[Do It Yourself Wooden Nickels]

This is awesome! I've been wondering how people do their own nickels. I'll have to think of a design And! This is something I can do! And quickly! With good results! What fun!!

[Preparing my first cache]

I really hope you get to come down then! I think you'd like it a lot!

[Preparing my first cache]

Haha, interwebz does weird things. E-mail and phone number is entirely up to you. Just don't be surprised to get weird e-mails or phone calls (yes, I am kind of paranoid about things like that )