rlridgeway

...But every time I bring something like that up, everyone thinks I'm just weird, and doesn't believe me... I am bit of a statistics hound myself. Statistics can put things in perspective. In the last 5 years the number of geocachers has increased 10 fold and the number of caches by 20 fold. The trends haven't flattened out yet. I am not worried about the demise of geocaching. If only the stock market and my paycheck would do as well.

belong to a geocaching organization or club?

Oh Geesh, this conversation is going nowhere. I hate it when I become a participant in such foolishness.

There is very little proof that rogue geocachers are such a concern that the sport is in danger, even at the brush fire stage. Yes, there are dangers when small problems are overlooked. There are also dangers when minor issues get elevated to an unreasonable stature. Real problems get side-lined. The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park controversy does not appear to be about detrimental behavior of rogue geocachers but about the land manager's general policy towards geocaching. The agency appears to believe that even legitimate geocaching is harmful. I would think that is the real issue the local geocaching crowd needs to address. Overall geocaching is growing each year, by leaps and bounds. More and more areas are becoming open to the sport, not less. The actions of a few rogues have not changed this. There really are bigger issues to worry about.

That's like saying "it's only a little, tiny brush fire in a great BIG forest... Your analogy is an overexeration. Its really not like a brush fire at all Its not a problem or at least compared to the other problems we all face.

This attitude shows exactly what we're up against. What RW...you don't think there's a problem?? Yes, I think there are problems but anything to do with geocaching is low on the list of what I worry about. And that helps this sport...how? Truly, if you have nothing to add, why post? And if caching is of little importance to you, why do you bother caching? Sorry, bad mood today...family health and such. BUT, this is a topic about the problems we face and what can be done. Caching means much to me, it gives me quality time with my son KAboom, it gets me out into the wild, helps me to forget about life even if only a short time... To see some poo poo the problems or just act as if it's bunk...well... The sport of geocaching is just fine. There's only like, a gazillion cashes listed and a very small percentage of geocachers do bad things.

This attitude shows exactly what we're up against. What RW...you don't think there's a problem?? Yes, I think there are problems but anything to do with geocaching is low on the list of what I worry about.

Rogue geocachers spreading out across the land. Oh , the humanity.

Check the tech support at Backcountry Navigator. The developer will personally respond. He sets the standard for tech support.

The term "topo map" can be a little bit confusing in these forums. If you are looking for the USGS 24k topo quads you may a bit disappointed with what many of the popular receivers have to offer. The "topo map" for the vast majority of GPS mapping receivers (including most Garmin units) is a 100k equivalent map, which is certainly usable and satisfy the needs of many people. But the 100k maps do not have the detail of the 24k USGS topos. (In addition to the 100k maps, Garmin also offers 24k equivalent maps but the coverage is limited to mostly National Parks) There are two recreation grade brands which that utilizes the 24k USGS topo maps of just about anywhere in the US; the Delorme PN-20 and the Magellan Triton (notably the 400 or 500 series). These units cost in the 200-350 dollar range. You may want to do further research on these as there are some issues with both brands. The Garmin Colorado while still sporting the 100k map, has a 3D option that compensates somewhat for the lack detail. It also comes with a hefty price tag of over 500 bucks. If one already has, by chance, a fairly high functioning PDA, there is an another solution which I have; a PDA/GPS combo option. This set-up uses a PDA that connects to a small, inexpensive GPS receiver. I have this setup and get great results but the battery life is an concern and the unit is somewhat fragile. I have work-arounds for these issues however. To start out new, this set-up will cost about 400 dollars. Professional grade receivers also offer 24k maps but cost magnitudes more.

Check out Backcountry Navigator at www.backcountrtynavigator.com

If you live in the US, check out Backcountry Navigator. At 30 dollars, you get among other things, all the free USGS topo maps you want. Geocaching files are handled well for paperless caching. Tech support is top notch and there is a free 10 trail version of the software.

Oops , sorry . did not mean to post.

Geesh...Its geocaching, not rocket science.

That's what I do instead of acting like an anal retentive geo-nerd version of James Bond.

I wonder if the geocaching community is large enough to support a traditional publication. How many subscribers would be needed to to support a magazine? 100, 1000, 10000? Many geacachers may thumb through such a magazine in say, a doctor's office but I doubt many will pay for the right to do so, especially since there are other ways to get information free from the web. An weblog may be a more viable route, however.

I may be in a minority here but I don't worry about muggles. I do what I do and if there is someone else around I may even introduce them to the geocaching.

Check Backcountry Navigator. Besides paperless caches, it uses free detailed USGS topo maps and aerial photos. Cost is 30 bucks but there is a free trial to see if it works for you. The tech support is top notch and a question in their forum's section usually gets a quick response.

Check Backcountry Navigator. Besides paperless caches, it uses free detailed USGS topo maps and aerial photos. Cost is 30 bucks but there is a free trial.

I have imported hundreds of tracks into Google Earth using an add-on called GPS Visualizer.

I use Google Earth plus a Google Earth add-on called GPS Visualizer (mentioned above). At no cost, you can "drape" USGS topographic maps over a 3-D image of the Earth. In addition you can draw trails on top of this map. The trail can be converted to several formats including GPX, and then be exported to many GPS receivers. Trails can also be imported from GPS devices or other mapping programs. Best of all it free.

What kind of US Forestry marker?

Not to be a fly in the ointment but... Why should a geocacher buy a magazine when there are internet forums like this one? Most geocachers would not read a magazine with weeks-old articles when up-to-date information can be easily found on sites like Groundspeak.

Why are Garmin and Magellan so popular then? If the PN-20 is comparable to the receivers and the maps are much better, I would think this would cause the big dogs in GPS to sweat bullets?

What I meant was "How does the satellite reception compare to Sirf 3, MTK other newer chipsets?" I am not really interested in how the PN-20 compares to older Garmins or other older receivers. But I am interested in how it would stack up against the newer ones.