Cardinal Red

Yes, both of those programs (EasyGPS is the free one) will allow you to read whatever logs are there.

Did your calculator break on that last example? Mine does not agree.

Could you share that Cache Number or a Link?

When a Reviewer caused a Forum firestorm because of a particular cache signing method he was dismissed from that volunteer position. Since you have not similarly lost your position, in my mind that "constitutes endorsement by Groundspeak/Geocaching HQ of the parties involved or their logging behavior". It also a practice that my conscience would never allow me to participate in. Then you make a video telling the newbies this is the way its done. Go for it. I'm not mad, I'm disappointed.

Since we are all piling on here, I might as well also waste my time complaining. Their collective mind is already made up, but so is my singular one. I WILL NOT USE THE MESSAGE CENTER, but they are doing their best to make sure newbies stumble upon it first. So far every MESSAGE sender (after the very first what the heck is this moment), has been informed by email that I do not read (or directly respond to) MESSAGE LINKS. If they want to communicate with me, they will use email. I did see that newest link before I saw the Release Note, and my level of disgust was appropriately elevated. And here they are proudly announcing it like they are wise men bearing more gifts. There are other previously introduced MESSAGE related frustrations still littering the website, and it just keeps getting worse. Why? Is this a campaign to drive up web traffic? Stop the madness. How much warning will we be given before you announce that you are have shut down email?

Spanner mode does provide a data connection in Garmin's USB protocol for real time tracking on the computer. Did you actually READ my post? What do you get when you choose the NO option?

Just a quick note. There are times that someone does brings up a brand new topic as a discussion point. Most of the time though, the Forum search tool reveals that it had already been brought up many times. Look it up for practice. And then you are still free to disagree.

Am I understanding correctly that SPANNER = MASS STORAGE? If so, then yes the Garmin etrex Legend HCx does support it. I never knew that before I tried it last night. Spanner offers you a choice of Mode. Mass Storage or GPS. When the out of the box GARMIN default setting recognizes a USB connection, it automatically goes into Mass Storage mode. But set to Spanner, it asks basically "Do You Want Mass Storage Mode?" YES / NO YES = Go to Mass Storage Mode NO = Run in regular GPS Mode, and as a bonus it operates on the external power supplied by the USB cable. No data connection - Just Power !!! Is that explanation any better?

It's too bad that no one here in the GS forum attempts to help newbies, eh? Getting to know the local cachers through events is a good thing. But I don't think that it's necessary to dismiss or ignore the experience and help that one can find on this forum. B. You are welcome to read anything into my post you like. But I stand by the opinion that not needing to come here because you can now ask local contacts is the better option. Spin that into dismissive and ignoring. And KimberlyAnn ... I promise, we do not talk to each other that way at Events. Please do stop by and say hello.

Hi KimberlyAnn I think the problem is a Coordinate Format difference between Geocaching and Google Maps. I avoid Google Maps most of the time, so I won't speak as an authority on them. But I do know coordinate systems. I suspect (by looking at your early find record) that you are located quite close to this event being held tomorrow evening: Third Wednesday , Eleventh Year, April 2015 GC5Q03B Click Here - April Third Wednesday Event Link If you are able to attend, we will find someone to answer your question. Bring along your calculated data. If it is one of the MANY local puzzles I have not yet solved, perhaps I could learn something from you as well. If you are not able to attend tomorrow, we meet EVERY month somewhere in the County. Or send me am email (not that newly rolled out Better Mistake Message Center beta). Does that even work when the Website is down for maintenance? Join us monthly on a regular basis, and get to know the local cachers. I guarantee you will never have to come to the Forums again with this type of question. Your new friends will be able to provide however much help you need.

If I understand you correctly, you are NOT wanting to access the Garmin MASS STORAGE mode. You are trying to power the GPS off of the computer (via the USB port) while using it in the normal GPS mode. I can do that on my Oregon 450t by switching the USB interface mode on the GPS to Garmin Spanner. You will find this setting under SETUP (the wrench symbol on the main menu). You will have to answer a prompt every time asking if you want to go into Mass Storage Mode - YES / NO If you choose NO, the GPS will operate off of USB external power. At times it doesn't go to Mass Storage when you choose YES. Why? Its a stupid computer. Cycle the power and try it again. Does the Garmin etrex Legend HCx support SPANNER mode? Probably, but I don't have one to check.

You were given good advice about using the UV attribute in PQ's, but don't get your hopes up too much. There are currently two UV attribute caches at a rough distance of 2 miles from you (but one of them is Disabled due to construction). After that your UV radius is barren out to about 200 miles with a grand total of 93 out to a 500 mile radius. Of course that means the area is nearly all yours to experiment with for new hide ideas.

So your proposal is to scrap the find history of all those original finds just so they will now fit into this geo-art project? For what it is worth, I think that is horrible advice. Of course I don't understand the fascination with geo-art either. At least don't allow it to mess up regular Geocaches.

We both submit our hides to the same Reviewer. Your join date goes back about a year and a half. My experiences go back a bit farther than that. If there is now some form of "dormant period" before rehide guideline (we don't have rules), it is news to me. Reviewers do not make the guidelines. They follow the guidelines laid down by Groundspeak. On some occasions new guidelines are given a full public airing. But other times only the Reviewers are notified by way of their secure Hamster Club network. So we find out about it when we enable a submission, and it is denied because of the new unpublished guideline. We sort of catch up later when it eventually becomes public knowledge. You might think a normal company would not conduct business this way, but heck, why be normal? If you had ask our Reviewer about this, he would have told you as much as he could. He still will if you don't get a clear answer here. But since you brought it up here, I would be most interested to read any clarification statement that might be issued by the Western Pennsylvania Bureau Chief. I can only imagine two possibilities. Either "yes this is new - now you know" with possible additional clarification, or you are somehow mistaken in your understanding of what you thought you were told.

As the cache owner, the first thing I would have done back on 6/29/2014 was delete two of the three text identical finds mistakenly left by the same cacher. I am not a fan of "sanitizing" cache pages simply to keep them looking pristine, but in this case a little cleanup is warranted. Delete ONE of the DNF'S from 3/13/2015. Delete the DNF from 3/30/15. Edit your NOTE to indicate that you have checked on the hide, and all is as it should be. The initial double DNF logging could have been an honest mistake. The followup inappropriate DNF comment might partly be the result of frustration. Perhaps the situation is not yet quite as bad as you fear. Give them another chance to be a better geo-citizen. At this point, at least don't fuel any fire with your own comments. Monitor the situation. Keep future responses appropriate and reasonable. The only actions that you have full control over are your own. Deleting finds with only one letter of text is NOT reasonable (unless their geo-name is not on the cache log sheet). Deleting ALL of those DNF's is NOT reasonable. Suggesting that you (a non-Premium Member yourself) can make this a Premium Only Cache is NOT reasonable. If it becomes necessary, consider shutting down this cache, and replacing it with one that is a PUZZLE about Soccer. Good Luck.

The site says: Home Location - Choosing your home location personalizes the geocaching experience to your area. This information is kept private. To me that means neither you or Groundspeak gets to decide for me if randomizing or terminating an agreement is a better option. In my opinion, Groundseak keeping their written word is the only option. Which includes being honest about changing it IN A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT if that is what they decide they must do. Since when did we give Groundspeak permission to decide what is best for us when it comes to any form of "information kept private" release? And it doesn't matter to me if there is little or no consequence to this data "leak". That is not the deciding factor to determine if they should be honest or not. And yes, I already randomized my own Home Coordinates. But I am also a licensed radio operator. Want to find me? It should not take long. That doesn't change the fact that we did not give Groundspeak the right to make this decisions on our behalf with information supplied in confidence. Obviously we are giving personal opinions here, and not legal ones. I am not qualified to do so, but I think someone representing Groundspeak owes us a LEGAL explanation for thinking that not publicly reporting a data breach and then being less than 100% honest about their own personal definition of private is OK.

No. The odds of me "forgetting" to log a cache are about the same as the odds I would receive a geocaching injury typically requiring a dozen stitches, and I wouldn't even notice. An inflated find count (the overall total) is of little real importance to me, although I have celebrated the occasional milestone when it came. But absolute logging fidelity is extremely important, so I will never allow a "forgotten" log. That is probably easier for me because there will NEVER be a find logged by me from the field. My dumb phone couldn't do it even if I wanted to (and I don't). Now if the question was, on how many occasions over the years have you reminded any of your daily caching companions that they forgot to log a find, we could be talking some real numbers there. Proof read twice before posting, and then still noticed a missed word. Evidence that I am far from perfect. We just have different aspects of our lives we consider truly important.

I think that Keystone is making an assumption based on facts not yet in evidence. There is a nice little handful of Green Bay's outside of the Midwest. Even one not in the U.S. But giving that Midwest conjecture the benefit of the doubt, here is an Event coming up this weekend that just might be local to you. Countdown To Spring - 3,2,1 on 3/21 Stop by if you can. Meet, and get to know something about as many attending cachers as you can. Try to match a few names to faces. Find out where they hang out on line. Read find logs of the cache hides nearest to you, and see which names keep popping up. Check the Event WILL ATTEND logs and see if any of them are planning to be there. Soon enough, the time when you didn't know any other cachers will be a distant memory.

As a Premium Member you absolutely can still load a Pocket Query (or Queries) to put caches on the 60CSx (if your computer is a PC - though I am told there are ways to run PC software on a MAC). It will require third party software, but here is a link to the FREE one that I used, and it works very well: http://easygps.com/ There is a pay version "upgrade" available that can do a few very nice extra tricks, but there is no question that with just that 100% FREE download (no ads - not shareware) you can still use that 60CSx as your only, as a second, or as a backup unit. That being said, there is so much more information available by way of a new Paperless unit. Several friends were using an Oregon 450t, so I got one as well. After as least three previous similar Garmin model upgrades, I was certain I would not even need to read the manual. Wow, was I wrong about that. It took that manual, all my friends, and about a month of side by side 450t / 60CSx caching use before I was comfortable leaving the 60CSx at home. I don't say that to discourage you in any way about moving to a paperless unit. But just because it is so easy to use now, doesn't mean that it was simply intuitive for me. If you do decide to try that software, and get stuck on anything, feel free to contact me. Assuming that you do want to stay with the Garmin brand, do you want the Sensors, do you want a Camera, do you want Push Buttons or Touch Screen. And as pointed out, some of the Paperless units have already been discontinued, and can be had for a much better price than the latest and greatest. But a used fully functional discontinued Oregon 450 (or 450t) will blow the doors off of a 60CSx .......... when you learn how to use it. And you can get a lot of help with that here as well.

There was ZERO indication said "sneak Peek" would be anything other than OPTIONAL. I choose to not waste any time on it. It seems the greatest majority of tester suggestions fell on deaf ears anyhow. So what is your point?

I would have no problem telling face to face the team responsible for the new search "feature" that I thoroughly hate everything about it. That is not a personal comment about them as people, but it is my honest opinion about the value to me of their work. Just because it might actually be functional for a database engineer, does not mean it has any value for the rest of us. I will not even make the mistake of telling you what I was looking for. I do not want anyone to drop by with friendly advise about how to accomplish my search. I don't even want to know. Actually I did find what I was looking for. I edited the URL of a completely unrelated cache page and went right to it. How many newbie users would have realized they could do that? I am about to hit the "Add Reply" button now. I did not say anything that I regret. Fair enough?

There are so many factors here. Yes, the GPSmap 60CSx was a fantastic unit. It still can be depending on your expectations. It has push buttons. It is NOT paperless. I have had three different Garmin units that eventually suffered from problematic push buttons. To take full advantage of a newer paperless GPS unit, you are reliant on a more robust data source. The cost to acquire that extra data from the Groundspeak geocache database is $30 per year. That's fine as long as you are aware that better is not always free, and you are willing to pay for it. Otherwise that older GPSmap 60CSx might be exactly what you are looking for. And the GPSmap 60Cx someone advised you not to consider is only missing an electronic compass. Do you need an electronic compass? No. Do I like my units to have them? Yes. But for the right price, perhaps it would work for you. It basically means the difference between maintaining mostly reliable direction information while you are standing still contemplating your next move, or if you have to keep moving so the good direction advice from the GPS is not interrupted. I agree that going back even further to a GPSMAP 60CS is only OK if you get an UNBELIEVABLY GOOD deal (it does have an electronic compass, but does not have the high sensitivity receiver or the ability to take a micro SD card). And the GPSMAP 60C even takes the electronic compass away from that. Those of us who worked through all those hardware changes know what we look for, and what we avoid. To many newbies buy only on price, and if something seems like too good a deal, there is often a reason. But at least getting a cheap price and learning to live with what you have is better than learning your lesson about overpaying for obsolete "junk". You don't hear much about Garmin push buttons going bad, but it is a major reason why when I looked for a paperless GPS, I went with a Garmin Oregon 450t instead of the nearly functionally equivalent GPSmap 62s. The 450t is touchscreen. The 62s is not. Not everyone is a touchscreen fan, but I bet they have never had any Garmin push button issues push them over the edge. It is really personal preference and you take your chances. The 62s has a more external antenna (so there are claims of better reception) and it does have longer battery life. If you are a heavy user of a 450t, carry spare batteries!!! Some users will tell you the Oregon 450t is a waste of money over the Oregon 450 (the t indicates the inclusion of not all that great topo maps. No question, there are better maps available. But the 450t comes with more internal memory to accommodate that not so great map. So even if you decide to delete the included map from a 450t, you now have more available memory to load better maps. And this is only my experience with semi recent Garmin units. I don't follow the history of any other manufacturer. So what advice should you consider about what to buy? As a stranger give it welcome that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. In other words, roll the dice, take your chances, and learn as you go like we all did. And don't forget that there is the newest paperless eTrex line of 10(not), 20, and 30. I have never gone that route, and have no idea. But many have. Good Luck.

If anyone is looking for a fairly easy way (no GPX editing skills required) to create your own private custom Geocache type GPX files for use on a paperless GPS unit (tested by me on Oregon 450t - and PC only no MAC), the previously mentioned software (see posts above), will now do a quite good job of providing the same GPS experience as tracking down a live Groundspeak geocache (NOT simply as Waypoint coordinates). Excellent for newbie beginner event temporary cache placements. My only connection with the program is as a customer using the recently improved product, and providing occasional user feedback. How unique is this product? I actually have no idea. If anyone is aware of another similar product I would like to hear about it. If anyone is interested in more details, I would be glad to answer any questions I can privately. Message me. This isn't the place to go into great detail about third party commercial software.

Are you saying that as a currently non Premium member, you can get FULL cache details (GPX not LOC) on three listed hides per day? If so, that would be a previously unknown to me development. I think it would be a great idea, though I personally won't believe it till I hear confirmation. And you have nothing to complain about. Realize that I have launched more than my share of criticism at Groundspeak (and if you have a hour, I could share more), but this site would not exist without funding. How would you propose to pay for it?

If the 5 countries are in close enough proximity to have an overlapping coverage issue, is there any chance that 5 caches of nearly 1000 each from one common central origin point would work if they are managed by date placed? That way the nearly 5000 caches returned, in just one LARGE circle, would not have any overlap. I can't tell from the discussion so far if you are aware of that option.