DefaultGen

When I've gone out caching (I have a 60Cx), usually someone wants to tag along. It would probably be more fun if we all had GPSs. I've read a lot about the iPhone GPS and how it's hit and miss, but don't know a lot about how phone GPSs work. I'd generally expect to be using the phone in places with mediocre cell/3G reception, do I need good connections for caching or is there a real GPS in these phones? Do any phones have a better GPS than the iPhone? Should I just forget about getting a smartphone for Player 2 and get any phone and a cheapo GPS as a secondary?

Hey, I just started too. Welcome! I just thought I'd comment that things like this are something I'd love to see in a cache.

I heard some people do these Geocache thingys for fun. You should probably stick to urban micros if you just want to inflate your numbers and lift lamp skirts.

Since people will give you funny looks saying you're looking for plastic containers hidden by people with a GPS, most people will understand if you just say 'Scavenger Hunt' or something similar.

Meh, if you're not actually visiting a virtual cache it's your own loss. The satisfaction of them is getting out and seeing something interesting. Maybe I just don't know how some people care more about numbers than caching yet though.

Verizon: 10digitphonenumber@vtext.com AT&T: 10digitphonenumber@mobile.att.net Sprint: 10digitphonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com T-Mobile: 10digitphonenumber@tmomail.net Nextel: 10digitphonenumber@messaging.nextel.com Cingular: 10digitphonenumber@mobile.mycingular.com Virgin Mobile: 10digitphonenumber@vmobl.com Alltel: 10digitphonenumber@alltelmessage.com OR message.alltel.com CellularOne: 10digitphonenumber@mobile.celloneusa.com Omnipoint: 10digitphonenumber@omnipointpcs.com Qwest: 10digitphonenumber@qwestmp.com

Many people use GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) to send points to their GPS. You could also use EasyGPS if you don't need all the functionality of GSAK. You can get geocaches en masse using pocket queries (http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/). Import the .gpx file into GSAK or EasyGPS and send it to your GPS from there. Edit: And... that didn't answer your question. Press mark to create a new waypoint, then go up to the coordinates to change them to wherever you want to go!

I bring a hiking pole even to caches at a suburban park. There's lots of stuff I want to turn over or poke without touching. Gloves also work.

Almost every cache I find has something laminated in it, usually a business card sized page or an 8.5x11" page explaining what geocaching is. I just wanted to know what's the cheapest way to laminate things, of any size. I was looking for a small laminator, but they don't seem any cheaper than larger laminators (~$50-100). It looks like I'm going to purchase some of those self adhesive laminating sheets ($20 for 50 sheets), I was just wondering how other people do it?

GSAK can add the first 30 characters of a hint, otherwise no. You should look into buying a cheap PDA and using the program Cachemate to view hints and descriptions.

Waymarking.com? It's also owned by Groundspeak. They're just interesting locations you might want to visit, and GC.com PQs don't include them (although I believe some old ones still in the database might be included). I went on the site for maybe 10 minutes before deciding it's not for me. Waymarks in my area included Taco Bell and The UPS Store, not exectly "interesting locations" in my opinion.

Would the op also have to be a premium member for this to work? You can load .LOC files in Cachemate, but it wouldn't be very useful. The whole point is to have the description and hints and goodies that come with the .GPX file that you need to be a premium member to download. As for cheap PDAs, just search for Palm on Ebay and sort by BIN, cheapest price (or ending soonest). Ones without color screens can easily go for <$10 shipped. The m500 series is one of the cheapest color ones.

I don't know about you guys, but if I were a terrorist, trees and lamp skirts would be prime targets for my microbombs.

I searched for FUNdamental, SBUX, and Are You A Kid this week and didn't find anything. I just figured it was because I'm new and don't know how well micros are hidden. I've given up on micros for the time being, I've only found 1 in the area after 2 days of looking: capt. bob.

Lots of people seem to be happy with the DeLorme PN-40 (which offers paperless caching I believe?), and is in a similar price range. You should look at that too.

You don't need to be a member to use .loc files. Have you tried transferring the file over with a program like EasyGPS?

Why can a device that networks with dozens of satellites to calculate my near exact location on the planet only display 30 character descriptions of caches?

We need more stuff like this instead of McToys I generally leave cheap stuff that I wouldn't mind finding in a cache. Personally I'm a big media fan, so I've got some games and CDs to leave in caches, as well as a small camera tripod and things that might be immediately useful for someone just finding a cache.

I recently got a 60Cx and have been extremely happy with it so far. I upgraded from my car GPS, a Garmin c340 and have been blown away by how far GPSs have advanced I found this review pretty helpful when making my decision: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=160389 I didn't consider the Oregon 200 since I'm a big fan of buttons over touch screens! (And I wouldn't want that nagging feeling that I have the lowest end Oregon model!)

Alright, thanks for the info!

20. Man, another hobby of mine filled with 'old people' (Kidding! ). The other thing I pursue is vintage video game collecting and arcade restoration!

That's one of the best parts of geocaching... it brings you to new places you've never been before, or never even knew existed in your area! Congrats on your first finds! Thanks! I'm starting to see why people use GSAK. With PQs limited to 500 results, they create multiple PQs containing lots of caches, add them to a 'master' GPX, update that with active/archived caches, then filter the ones they want and add them to the GPS? Ok, now I'm giving it a more serious look!

I've seen people all over the internet selling geocoins. Now I suppose I can assume these are all "new" geocoins that are meant to be put into circulation, but I doubt that. What's with the sale of them?

Ah, alright thanks. That seems like stuff I'd generally just do at the pocket query level.

I found my first two caches (small) and discovered trails around me I didn't know existed. I even found an urban micro (though I visited a few more that I didn't wait around to grab because of all the muggles). Didn't have trouble with just about anything, and already subscribed to the site to make some pocket queries. Don't see enough good stories here, it's almost always "Looked for stuff, didn't find stuff" lately. So I looked for stuff and did find it! Right now I'm uploading GPXs to my 60Cx using EasyGPS. Considering I'm logging all my data manually on GC.com, I don't really see the point of GSAK. So long as I remember what caches I've been to (I change the icon on my GPS), what do people really use GSAK for?