MLP-76C

Would anyone be interested in taking all this to another level? Imagine a less restrictive and more challenging form - where stealth and deception play a much greater role. Compare skydiving to B.A.S.E. Jumping if you will. Perhaps a few simple rules: - Sorry, no children. - Physical caches only - no virtuals. - Caches may be placed anywhere on the Earth. - No restriction on digging for initial placement. - Some part of the container to be visible above-ground. - No permission required for any placement or recovery. - No restriction on cache contents other than local laws. - Caches must never contain any reference to Geocaching.com or Groundspeak. During placement and recovery, operatives must avoid detection. If detained or questioned, they must be prepared with a cover story that will aid in their escape. Above all, they must never reveal what they are actually doing. Obviously, this activity would not appeal to everyone but could be exhilarating for those who may choose to participate. Thoughts?

Nikon Coolpix 990 / 3.3MP Real old-school by today's standards but is capable of spot metering and seting full manual exposure.

In my view, geocaching is all about camoflague, stealth and deception. Urban/suburban caches must be approached, recovered, logged and replaced without being detected by casual observers. To do otherwise would compromise the cache - putting it at risk for vandalism or theft. To date, I have masqueraded as: - utility worker - loan officer - snowboarder - drug-sniffing dog trainer - hunting dog trainer - land surveyor - building inspector - construction worker - softball player - freemason - window cleaner - photographer - x-ray technician - fisherman - bicyclist - security guard - grocery clerk - package delivery driver - golfer - tree trimmer

Within a hour of where I live, crack-dealing streetgangs control many inner city areas. Marijuana growers regularly use our local national forests to locate their plantations. Clandestine lab operators cook up meth throughout the deserts. Bandits and addicts are constantly trying to steal "the product" wherever the opportunity arises. We also have earthquakes, race-riots, oil-refinery explosions, brush fires, serial-killlings and lots of other unpleasantness. I have owned firearms since 1968. I have hunted in several states, served in the military and was a licensed firearms dealer for nine years. My collection currently contains every gun I've ever wanted. And yes, there was a time when I believed that citizens NEEDED to be armed to protect themselves from the massive criminal element. But in all these years, I have NEVER been presented with a situation where I felt the need to use [or threaten] deadly force against another person. Unless I am hunting, target shooting or training my dog, I am not likely to be openly armed in public. That said, I always keep an emergency kit close at hand. It contains a number of articles that can be pressed into service when the chips are down. Naturally, the E-kit is packaged, secured and transported in the manner prescribed by law. Cache safe.

In the Truck . Tool: Lateralus Jean-Luc Ponty: The Gift of Time Stevie Ray Vaughn: Couldn't Stand the Weather Wagner: Overtures and Preludes Led Zeppelin: BBC Sessions Carlos Santana: Supernatural NineInchNails: All That Could Have Been Buddy Guy: D*mn Right I've Got the Blues Hedwig and the Angry Inch: Motion Picture Soundtrack NWA: Straight Outta Compton Christina Aguilera: Stripped John Mayer: Room For Squares Eric Clapton: Me and Mr Johnson The Killers: Hot Fuss Van Morrison: Moondance On the Bicycle . Broadcast AM & FM

In Southern California regular gasoline has topped $3 per gallon. Those of you who honestly feel that oil companies OR government regulators deserve additional unearned enrichment, please feel free to send a voluntary donation to the petroleum exec or bureaucrat of your choice - every time you fill up. And kindly leave the rest of us alone. For the moment, I will probably cache from my bicycle - and leave the truck locked in the garage to prevent thieves from stealing the gas.

75-77 3d Sqdn, 4th Cav, 25th Infantry Div. Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. 77-82 3e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie. Kourou, French Guiana.

In the course of my work, I use number of backpacks, fannypacks, shoulderbags and vests to transport equipment into the field. The system I choose for any given assignment is determined by the SIZE & WEIGHT of the equipment load, the DISTANCE that it must be carried, and the TIME available to cover the distance. My geocaching kit is comprised of less than ten pounds of fairly compact gear. Most of the caches in my area are within one mile of parking areas. Life is short. My goal is to locate that cache NOW and get on to the next one. Conventional packs and bags are not neccessary nor desirable I wear a BLACK BELT from Kinesis Photo Gear. It allows equipment pouches to be securely attached anywhere along its length. Once attached, the pouches do not slide around the belt - they remain in stationary - even if the belt is removed. http://www.kinesisgear.com/images/B108InfoBig.jpg Attached to the belt are two double AK47 magazine pouches. This gives me four 63 cubic inch storage compartments that are vertically divided, padded, covered and secured with snaps and velcro. http://www.majorsurplusnsurvival.com/Merch...ategory_Code=23 What fits? Garmin GPSMAP 76C Nikon Coolpix 990 camera Palm IIIxe Maglite AA flashlight eight spare AA batteries Brunton Eclipse compass Leatherman PST multitool notebook and two ballpoint pens interchangable blade screwdriver 12' tape measure [just a prop] 0.5 litre waterbottle and 6oz cup 24" leash to control my dog if necessary geocaching swag [coins, cards, stickers] The system is comfortable to wear and all the gear can be instantly accessed and replaced. It is lightweight, low-profile and allows the operator to move quickly thru most any terrain without snagging. It leaves the hands free for operating equipment, climbing, defense, etc. It can also be worn while seated in a vehicle or riding a bicycle, making for rapid movement to & from the objective site. Add a hard hat and blend in with all the other building contractor and utility worker types who roam suburban environs during daylight hours.

Before purchasing my 76C, I compared it to Garmin's other color handheld receivers. While the 60C had a similar feature set, I was attracted to the 76C for a number of reasons. 1 - The 76C had DOUBLE the internal memory of the 60C. This is the main reason that I selected it. I use my receiver for street routing as well as geocaching and general outdoor navigation. Although the 115MB is sufficient for my requirements, more memory would be nice to have. 2 - The slightly larger size and rectangular shape of the 76C felt more secure in-hand than the 60C. The buttons-on-top layout was easier for me to operate. My reciever has never slipped from my grasp even though I routinely operate it with one hand. With the palm and four fingers wrapped around the unit [like a .45 pistol], the thumb is free to negotiate the keypad. Regardless of which hand is used, my thumb never obstructs the display. 4 - The marine-grade build-quality with fully enclosed antenna suggested that the 76-series units were designed for use in adverse conditions. The design also allows for easier packing and insulation from impact when not in use. After a year of use I feel that the 76C was the best choice for me. To date, there is not a product on the market that I would consider as an upgrade. [sensors? No thanks.]

Is a 76CS worth the extra $ over a 60CS? ABSOLUTELY. Since Garmin does not currently equip its handhelds with a memory card slot, the units are limited by their internal memory capacity. The 76CS has 115MB. The 60CS has 56MB. Double the memory, $50 more. For me it was an easy choice. In addition to caching, I use my receiver for auto routing. In the course of my work, I travel thru much of California and the West by car. My 76C will load detail street mapping that covers San Diego thru LA, SF, Scramento, Reno, Las Vegas, Phoenix and most of the territory in-between.

It depends. If geocaching is your primary application, one of the basic, non-mapping Garmin units will serve you well. Many use their receivers for tasks that require more deluxe features - mapping, color displays, external antenna, auto routing, etc... Last year, while shopping for my first receiver, I compared all the mapping units in the Garmin line. At the time, I thought of a color display as merely a "nice-to-have" feature. Much more important was the amount of INTERNAL MEMORY that was available in each of the models. What I discovered was that the color 76-series receivers [76C & 76CS] dominated the Garmin handheld line with 115MB of internal memory. The VistaC has 24MB. Even the highly-touted and over-styled 60C only has 56MB. For approx $40 more than the 60C and $80 more than the VistaC, the 76C has much more internal memory, better ergonomics and a more substantial build quality than either of the other two units. For me the choice was simple. In order to get features that were important to me, I had to bite the bullet and go with the color display. After a year, I'm glad that I selected the Garmin GPSMAP76C. The color display is clear and bright in daylight and nicely backlit at night. The receiver routinely holds single-digit accuracy and is as rugged as my Nikon cameras. Still wish I had more memory though. mark