switchdoc

Since I figured I would use the PDA for other things, I opted for a Dell Axim running the Pocket PC OS. Its a great unit and I find a lot of uses for it in addition to geocaching. For my geocaching software, I use a program called CacheDragon. Its possibly the best geocaching software I have seen because rather than just display the data in web page style, it breaks everything up into tabs. There's a tab for the general cache info, a tab for the description, a tab to look at the most recent logs, a tab to log your notes into, etc. It'll also work as GPSr software if you have something to connect it to. In a twist of bad luck, the guy who wrote it appears to have dropped off the planet and hasn't done any updates or bug fixes in several years, but all in all I find it very handy and not that buggy at all. You can find it here. I like it so much I paid for the full version (only 20 bucks). CacheDragon

Here is the log from my most unusual DNF. There's a Dead Body In There!! TheWife and Imajika were along for that one and have logs of the encounter as well.

For me trading up mostly goes with kids in mind. I know few adults who play this game who are super-worried about whats in the cache. Most of those folks consider the hunt and the journey the real reason to go. But I know there are those families with kids, and for them, I try to make sure I always trade something that a kid would find interesting. We try to buy a few adult trade items as well, but in general I think "If I was 7 and my dad drug me out to the middle of nowhere, would I think this item was at least kind of worth the trip?".

So far just TheWife. But I have plans... big plans... MUH HU HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Before I saw this topic I just happened to be looking for that map feature and found the Expet GPS software. They have a free 31 day demo and so far it's pretty danged cool! I may consider picking up a copy. Best part is the license allows you to put in on multiple machines (from what I can tell) so I can have a copy for home and a copy for the laptop.

Thanks kindly for the info guys! Will go ahead and try it then.

Hello all! I recently bought a laptop and a Verizon Broadband access card to take my paperless geocaching to the next level. My ultimate goal is to be in a situation where I can download maps, waypoints, etc from anywhere on the road. In setting this up it seemed like a great idea to throw the City Select V6 CD onto the Laptop as well, but I forgot all about the unlock code stuff. Looking over Garmins help files I see that there have instances in place where you can use 2 GPSr's with the software (they give you two free unlock codes) but I can't tell if you are allowed to use the same CD in two different places, even though its with the same GPS. I know in most cases you aren't allowed by normal software license agreements to install the software on more than one machine, but the unlock code thing, and the fact that its still going to the same GPS kinda makes me think you are allowed to. But, I can't find a yes or no anywhere on Garmin's site. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

I waivered back and forth between the 60C and the 60CS and finally decided on the 60C. The price difference was pretty great, and the 60c had everything I needed for geocaching and more. The biggest reason though was that in geocaching with a friend who had a CS, I watched her constantly stopping while the electonic compass yelled at her for not keeping the unit level enough. It was really annoying. It was great for standing still, but hard to follow and walk at the same time. My 60c requires me to move in order to update my direction, but it isn't so picky about how I hold it and I consider that a feature

I read an article about geocaching a few years ago and thought "That'd be really cool!". Then I promptly forgot all about it. A while later, I came accross an article again. I thought "That'd be really cool!". Then I remembered I'd already thought that. I found the geocaching website, and put out a general "Hey anyone in the area want to take me out on a few caches and introduce me to this crazy sport?" I got several replies and went out with Imajika to get my first caches. It was a blast and we ran out and got a GPSr a few days later. I also got to meet Tahosa and do some caches in his area, which was great. The sport interested me, but it was the great people I met that kept me going.

Og GPSr have little arrow. Og follow arrow. Wife then find cache and laugh at Og. Actually we are totally paperless right now. We use a Garmin 60c in geocaching mode. We use the roadmap to close in on the cache and then use the off road mode which provides a directional arrow and distance. The cache information is stored in a ODA using a program called Cache Dragon, which is a little buggy but does a nice job of seperating out the cache details, showing the last 5 logs, and allowing us to decrypt hints on the fly if we get stuck. Then we stick are hands into holes til we find a cache or a large bug. If we cant seem to find it, I tend to strike out 50 feet in a random direction and walk back, alllowing the GPS to guide. Doing this a few times from different directions usually lets us get within a few feet.

If the cache is on the one side of the river, you will always end up on the OTHER side when you hike in. This also applies to ravines, cliffs, and other assorted natural barriers.

I definitely look at these experiences as a chance to make a new friend or two and there's nothing I love more than running into other cachers while out in the hunt. As the others have said, if the cache hasn't been found its usually polite to ask whoever was there first if you can join them. I can't think of a situation where I've been told 'get lost'. Most cachers are just tickled to meet new folks. The next step is to extend your hand, get their real name and board handle, and then start a vicious argument on the merits of garmin vs magellan

I often use spider webs to try and determine if the cache I am looking for is in the particular hidey-hole I am staring into. Unbroken webs usually mean thats not the right spot if the last find in the cache logs was recent. At the same time there are definitely places where I THINK I know where the cache might be but the entire area just screams "I AM NOT PUTTING MY HAND IN THERE NUH UH NO WAY NO HOW". For those occasions, I am thinking of buying some tough work gloves. I imagine those would be handy for the dang prickly bushes that seem to be surrounding every urban cache out here as well

TheWife and I find the various Dollar Stores are great places to find good swag for trading at reasonable prices. We try to get stuff we'll think kids will like and stuff we think adults may be able to get into. Today we bought playing cards, stickers, glo-sticks, some Harry Potter trading cards, and some clip-on watches for something like 11 dollars... not a bad deal at all and stuff we can leave without feeling guilty. But I agree that we do tend to see a lot of caches filled with junk. I took the kid of a friend out a few months back and after a lot of work and walking we got to the cache only to find it there wasn't anything other than useless junk in it. I was embarressed for us as a group, and saddened for him. For me, finding the cache is all I really want to do and I don't care about whatever trade item I might take from it, but for kids, the trade is half the fun!

I'm blessed to have a wife that thinks geocaching is as cool as I do, so I nearly always have someone to go out with. The downside, (if there is one) is that I sometimes feel guilty if I go out without her, and if we go seperately we often end up visiting the cache again so the other person can bag it. My favorite thing to do it 'Trio' caching. Three people seems like the perfect number of folks to be out looking for a cache. Enough people so you much better luck on difficult hides, without the problems of a dozen people stomping around everywhere.

I have to agree that while in general I tend to just be honest and forthcoming with the "100 reasons why geocaching is cool and you should try it right now" speech when muggles ask what I'm up to, I still do my best not to draw attention to what I'm doing. TheWife and I try our best to be descrete when we are out, although, as others have mentioned if you LOOK like you know why you are out there, people tend to assume you have some reason to be. We had to abandon a cache today because a muggle was practically standing on it and WOULD NOT MOVE! [edit: spelling]

TheWife and I ran into this a bit today out caching here in Denver. The cache we were after was hidden (I think, we never managed to get to it) in the bushes near a fairly big drainage ditch next to a store. On the store gounds was a pavillion where a photographer was set up taking pictures of someone (I think it was for Senior pictures or something). Anyhoo, we walk up there and sort of start discretely looking around but the GPS is taking me right next to the muggles. So there we are, pacing back and forth about 75 feet from them, hoping if we wait a few minutes they'll move on, and I am realizing just how impossible it is to look like you have some type of reason for hanging out next to a big ditch swatting at bushes for any amount of time at all. The photographer finally said "So, what'd you guys lose?". TheWife quickly answered "Our minds!!!" and we beat feet outta there. I didn't feel guilty about it, it was more a case of not feeling the time was right to launch into all the details of geocaching while the poor guy was trying to do his photo shoot. Plus the cache appeared to be so close to where they were standing there is no way he we could find it without him seeing the hiding place. Its much worse at night, as far as being worried about perceptions. Urban night caching is great fun, but you have a much higher probability of having some terrified muggle calling the police to come check out "the strange man hiding in the bushes just off the bike trail". -Switchdoc

Wow! Glad I stumbled onto this thread! Great info guys! I just updated to the 3.70 firmware today. Hopefully I won't see any of the lockups mentioned by other posters. And now my question? Aside from geocaching I also use the thing in my car (rigged up a little custom mounting system made from a leftover mount from our MyFI and some packing tape lol) and I was curious about the various attenna options out there... Do any of you folks use em? And if you do, do you see a performance increase that makes it worth the price? It works pretty well form the car right now as it is, but I'm all for dishing out 30 bucks if it really increases the signal. Thanks in advance!

Can't answer the question above (that is definitely a quandry) but I'll throw in a twist on the whole two versus one account thing. My wife and I have seperate accounts even though, like others have mentioned, we usually cache together. We did this so that we could go out seperately if we wanted to, even though usually we dont. But what I like about it is that even when we go together, we usually notice different things about the journey. Thus on the same day going to the same cache, her posts about it in the log might be completely different than mine. So, I enjoy reading her entries because she comes up with things I didnt notice and vice versa. It's kinda cool to see the same cache from two different angles. -Switchdoc

Thanks for the link Moose. I just posted on the Nevada forums!

If you get the chance to go out with Tahosa, go for it. He took me out on some of my first caches in the area, and it was a blast! -Switchdoc

I didn't mean to get quite so heated AtoZ, as I too have no issues with the no-find on the cache. The diatribe was prompted when, after all the great discussion here, (which convinced me after going back and reading it that the cache-owner is right in deleting the log for this btw) n0wae logged the venomous entry to the cache log, publicly calling me a liar and cheat and accusing me of disparaging Big_G via a sock puppet account. Regardless of whether I was right or wrong, there was no need for that. I'm new, I'm still learning, but I'm one of the good guys. I am environmentally wary, I trade up or even, and I love and respect the activity, I love racking up finds but I know its not all about numbers. I try my best to do only things that put geocaching in a positive light. To those who took the time to give opinions and even gentle correction, thank you. I have a better understanding of how this should work. lets consider this one closed.

Can't believe no one has mentioned 'A Fish Called Wanda' yet... There's a difficult micro!

So far I've been amazed at what I've gone through to get to a cache... stuff I never would have done if not for this hobby. I've hiked up the side of a canyon wall, I've shimmied into a cave, I've tromped into places I KNEW were full of poison ivy, I've fought off spiders and misquitos. Something about knowing it's just around the bend seems to be highly motivational for me. My biggest block would seem to be caches that involvessticking your hands or fingers into holes where you can't see whats in there. I mean if you KNOW the cache is in there, thats sorta okay.. but if you get there and the obvious hiding spot is a hole but you aren't SURE you are right, you may get a completely different surprise then you expected. edit: Various typos

Just one more quick thing... I am assuming that Ranger One is the account n0wae thought was a sock puppet since it shows zero finds and was the account under which the log about Big_G logging his own cache was listed. Doing a bit of research shows that this account has been active and posting since February of this year, which is way before I began caching or posting on these forums. Only 18 posts, but reading them should be enough to show you it isn't a brand new account, and that it isn't me. -Switchdoc