Groovy Cachin' Dude!

How many noticed the big ribbons (trash bags) tied to the trees where the teams left the path at Mt. Rushmore? I would be inclined to CITO those, but then the other teams wouldn't know where to go.

NBC is lucky they didn't ask anyone of us to form a team. We would've run circles around any and all comers. It would have made for a pretty boring show. "Team Groundspeak solves the puzzle first again. They're way out in front now!" How many dolts does it take to figure these puzzles out? My favorite is Team Mullet...you've got to give them credit.

Dude = Finnish, Dannish, Welsh, Irish, French-Canadian Sweet = Filipino/Italian Both born in the United States of America

I like the idea. My concern is EVERYONE will want their cache to be THE ONE. Who will decide where the cache in each state will be? Who will "own" it--an individual, group, association? Sounds like a great idea, but not without concerns. Good luck! I look forward to grabbing at least the one in Oregon.

I learn something new everyday. Thanks!

You need to use software that will save the file as a PDB (Palm DataBase) file. I use GSAK, but I'm sure there are others. Anyone? Here's a good article.

I always enjoy finding caches with disposable cameras in them. Just keep and eye on the number of pictures taken. Not everyone logs which exposure they used.

Wadcutter is absolutely correct. Now, MomToo!, if you think that it is "illegal" to place a cache under a bridge per GC.com's "Cache Listing Guidelines" ["Caches near or under public structures deemed potential or possible targets for terrorist attacks. These include but are not limited to highway bridges, dams, government buildings, elementary and secondary schools, and airports."], then you're wrong again. I personally found and logged this cache, and it is under a Residential STREET bridge and not a HIGHWAY bridge. Plus the reviewer didn't have a problem approving this cache, and it was even outlined in the cache title (Trouble at a Bridge Over Water #6). The cache title addresses the "Bridge" issue, and "Trouble" addresses the difficulty. Not to mention the D/T rating on the cache page. MomToo!, if you don't like a particular cache, DON'T DO IT! But don't wreck it for those that want to play the game.

Here is the cache page.

Me...I'm a "Dude", and "Sweet" is just the sweetest woman I've ever met. What I like best about our name is when we show up at an event, everyone chimes in "DUDE", then "SWEET", and we reply "TOTALLY". I think our caching friends have more fun with it than we do.

The laundry list of things to check: 1) Latest USB drivers 2) Did you re-boot after installing the drivers 3) What port settings are you using (i.e. port, baud rate, parity, flow control) 4) Do the software settings (Windows and GPSr software) match the hardware 5) NMEA off or on 6) Physical connection to computer and GPSr 7) Can you hook up another serial device and the adapter works

IMHO the cradle is better than the cable because it supports the Palm upright. The cradle still synchronizes with the PC, but you just place the PDA into a "socket". My PDA cradle has a button on the front and all you do is depress the button to synchronize the PDA with the PC. Works great. The only negative that I can see is it is bulkier to travel with and harder to direct connect with a GPSr.

Very cool video. If you look closely, you can make out the list of included items: 1 can Black-eyed Peas Ross Perot Book Cassette Recorder 2 Delorme CD-ROM's George of Jungle VHS tape 4 Dollar Bills Dolorme TopoUSA Software Slingshot Handle Even better, Dave used the same Magellan GPSr that I started with!

I've been very happy with the Energizer 2500mAh NiMh batteries (get the highest Ah you can). Buy a four-pack so you always have two fresh and two on the charger. I also carry AA Alkaline batteries in my cache bag as back up; because the NiMh batteries lose power just sitting around. It's not fun being caught out in the woods with dead rechargeable batteries!

Try downloading this GPS Utility: http://www.gpsu.co.uk

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a cheap PDA off of e-bay. I've had very good success purchasing off of e-bay. Look for a seller with little or no bad reviews, and one that supports paypal. Also be cautious about shipping and handling charges (you can pay more for S/H than the PDA). Check out this thread for advice on PDA's. I have a cheap 8MB Palm OS Handspring Visor Deluxe (~ $20.00 with S/H on e-bay). Don't forget GSAK and Cachemate.

Maybe your professor should read this book.

What Miragee said.

Your Magellan should offer this capability. What model of Magellan do you have? Usually you set this option in the "Setup" screen, and "Coordinate", "Lat/Log" (with options here). Even my first GPSr (a Magellan 2000 ca. 1996) had the accuracy of DD.MM.MMM.

Nice Job alifeofplay! I would have given up long ago if I couldn't put the coordinates into my GPSr.

PDOP's absolutely correct. You need to have NMEA set to at least version 2.1 for S&T's to communicate with your GPSr. Make sure your baud rate on the GPSr matches your port settings.

I think it's great how excited you are about this hobby (addiction). I think it would be great to hide his new toy in a (ammo) box in your yard, or around your house and give him "clue's" to find it. Your hubby is a lucky guy!

Find the substitute for the letter "E".

I'm not positive, but I think the SporTrak and 315 use the same cable. Are you able to transfer waypoints to the SporTrak? If so, check the settings on the 315...Baud rate for the software and the hardware need to match. Also make sure you have NMEA on. Some software is picky. What software do you use to transfer waypoints? We'll get this figured out.

You're right! The site is hard to understand. I ran into problems because I chose the Plucker 1.8 Viewer Package Hires.zip file (which won't work on my low-resolution PDA). If you install the Hires.zip file on a low-resolution PDA, you'll get a Fatal Error [Reset]. Choose the correct OS version for your computer. Choose the correct "res" version for your PDA. Download the "zip" file and use Winzip or another unpacking program to decompress the file into a folder. Post another message if you still have trouble. Someone will help...good luck.