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geognerd

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Everything posted by geognerd

  1. I think what you are seeing is a case where more seasoned cachers use their GPSr less than the newbies. When I first started caching, I spent a lot of time wandering around in circles staring at my GPSr. I see other newbies doing the exact same thing. Now when I cache, when I get to within 50 feet, I start to ignore the GPSr and start using my geo-sense. So we DO care but I would guess that less of the seasoned geocachers have noticed this "sticky" effect because we don't stare at our GPSr as much as we used to. The problem for me was that I had no idea when I was within 50ft. My eTrex 20 would get stuck 65ft out. Sometimes it would refresh the needle and distance to say I am 30ft out. But at that point, I had wandered around so much that I had no idea which way or how far to go. You get really turned around when your GPSr says you are 60-80 feet away and the compass needle is stuck. A woody hillside makes it even tougher to search for the cache. Here is my track for a cache where I kept wandering around. It was the first time I had cached with the eTrex 20 and wasn't sure if there was a problem with me or the unit. As we all know, the unit is the problem. I had the same problem at another cache, where the pointer would get stuck and I would never get less than 30ft away. I compared the eTrex 20 with my DeLorme PN-30, and the tracklogs definitely showed static navigation was an issue. The PN-30 had wandering when I was stopped or at low speeds, while the eTrex 20 showed little to no wandering. I hope the new eTrex firmware fixes the issue and makes geocaching fun again.
  2. Nice to see DeLorme sells this battery by itself now. I ordered one as soon as I saw your post. Before, I think DeLorme only sold the battery in that Power Kit, which cost more than I wanted to spend and included cables I didn't particularly need.
  3. I'll have to consider these Clarivue screen protectors next time I need one. I am done with Invisible Shield. The first one I bought, for an eXplorist several years ago, went on easily and looked great. You just got the film wet with your own water and no problem. Since they have switched to the spray, I have had issues. Last year I tried to put one onto a friend's cell phone and it looked terrible. I felt bad for making the guy's phone look so ugly. I put an Invisible Shield on my PN-30 a couple months ago and while it looks better than the one I put on the phone, it still looks nowhere near as good as the one I put on the eXplorist. The Invisible Shield on my PN-30 has a few tiny bubbles I can't get out and as a whole, the shield looks wavy and kind of wrinkly. Not smooth like the one I put on my eXplorist. When I had to get a screen protector for my iPod Touch, I didn't even consider Invisible Shield. I instead got a 3-pack of screen protectors (might have been DLO, not sure) that are applied in a manner similar to the Clarivue, I don't know if I'll ever need the two remaining protectors. Anyway, good to see there are alternatives to Invisible Shield. Too bad Clarivue doesn't make any DeLorme protectors. I suppose I could buy one of their pre-cut sheets and trim it accordingly.
  4. Why is so much made of the DeLorme's screen size? Am I geocaching wrong? Because when I cache, my eyes aren't glued to the screen as I walk down the trail or through the woods. I'll take a quick look at the compass page to see how far I am from the cache and if I'm going the right direction. I'll look at the unit for maybe 5 seconds tops. Then I'll go back to admiring the scenery and looking for potential hiding spots for the cache. The compass and the distance readout are plenty big on my PN-30. As for the cache description text, don't be trying to read it while doing something else. Stop walking. Hold up the GPSr, bring it closer to (or farther away from) your eyes, adjust the angle, and read. This is a GPSr folks, not a TV. Would it be nice if the screen was a little bigger? Yes. Is the DeLorme's screen size deficient for caching? No.
  5. I'd definitely steer clear of the Bushnell units. Pretty much anything else you buy (except a Cobra) will have better aftermarket support in terms of accessories and more importantly software. I know you are on a budget, but you need to factor in convenience when figuring out the total cost of a new GPSr. It is better to buy "too much" GPSr than not enough. I started with a Magellan eXplorist 100 and had to upgrade a year later because I wanted mapping capability and the ability to connect to a PC. The eX100 was fine, but limited. I ended up shelling out for two GPS units in a year instead of just buying the right one in the first place. If I were you, I'd look at the eTrex Venture HC. It is around $130 at Amazon at the moment. Color screen, good receiver, and it connects to the computer via USB for much easier waypoint transfers. Being a Garmin, all sorts of programs will work with it for transferring geocaches and tracks. Yes, the map memory is limited and it doesn't do turn-by-turn directions, but you are on a budget. Again, considering the budget limitations, I would skip the barometer and electronic compass. I have been caching for over five years and not once have I ever wished I had a barometric altimeter or electronic compass. If you really want a compass, pick up a good one at a sporting goods store for a few bucks. I would also suggest the DeLorme PN-20, but it is an older slower model that is becoming harder to find new in retail channels. It used to be around $150, but it comes with maps for the US. The newer/faster/better PN-30 is nice (I have one) but it costs $200. That's getting out of your price range. I don't have experience with refurb GPS units, though my Apple-refurbished iPod Touch has worked great and you would never know it was refurbished. If the GPSr was refurbished by the manufacturer and came with the same warranty as a new one, I'd consider it a safe bet.
  6. Warren is a fellow from the company that makes the Geomate. In the past he was fairly regular in posting in this forum. I stopped following the Geomate a while ago, so I don't know if he still posts or not. I agree, try sending him an e-mail.
  7. I don't mean to contribute to a topic that has gone off-track, but I suggest you change your signature line so people will see you are affiliated with Lowrance each time you post.
  8. I've seen the phrase used by other Florida geocachers. Based on the context I saw, it sounded like JetSkier-ing a cache is finding the final stage without doing the intervening puzzle or stages. Looks like the OP might be referring to this cache: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...95-8b71b4609078
  9. Good luck with that. As far as I know, neither GPSBabel nor EasyGPS are capable of transferring waypoints to these units. Few people use the ONIX, so the third-party software developers do not support them.
  10. Don't do it. Agreed. I don't know if Magellan ever implemented turn-by-turn routing on the Tritons. I think the OP would be better off buying a used eXplorist 500.
  11. The 500LE only came with the AAA battery clip. You can put the Li-ion battery into the 500LE, but you have to buy the battery separately. You can find the battery on eBay. The Motorola t720 extended life battery will work as well (link to topic). I'm not sure if you have to change a battery type setting.
  12. Does DeLorme have a fixed rate for repairs, or does the cost depend on the kind of repair being made?
  13. I too suggest checking out GONIL, an organization that has been around for years, has many members, and has experience with setting up events and developing relationships with land managers. The map of your membership area excludes folks who live in Lake and McHenry County as well as anyone living west of Route 53 and I-355. If GONIL doesn't suit your needs and you plan on continuing your own geocaching group, you might want to open up your membership area some more.
  14. I'd recommend against getting the DIY data cable for the eXplorist 100/200/300. You would be better off saving your money and buying a unit that was designed to interface with a computer. These eXplorist models were not intended to be used with a computer, hence they lack any official software support.
  15. You can also try searching for benchmarks: http://www.geocaching.com/mark/
  16. Big deal. I have 4 bathrooms and one a**. Do you take those 4 TVs out in the field to use all at the same time? What's your point? And, quit answering for the OP. That's "original poster" for you, since you didn't get it last time. I am not a moderator, but scotthsi, you really need to watch your language and behavior in this forum. We do not call names and berate other users here.
  17. One thing I find interesting, Ken, is the democratization and spread of geospatial technologies into geocaching and society in general. I am coming up on my 5th anniversary as a geocacher. I started geocaching shortly after receiving my master's degree in geography. Much of my coursework and my work as an intern involved geographic information systems software and I currently work as a GIS Coordinator. When I started geocaching, I saw GIS as a natural companion to geocaching. I would load the cache coordinates and aerial photography to help visualize the location of geocaches. I am sure other people viewed caches against aerial photography in GIS or whatever particular websites were showing aerial imagery at the time, but I don't think it was a widespread practice. When I had more spare time, I used to create geocache density maps of my region to show where the densest clusters of caches were located. One of the cooler projects I worked on (with some help) involved creating an animation showing caches appearing and disappearing on a map as they were placed and archived over time. I think my geocaching handle is apropos. Anyway, I would say it is now common for cachers to load geocache info into Google Earth via pocket queries (GPX files) or the geocaching KML maintained by Groundspeak. The DeLorme PN-series of GPS receivers allow users to download assorted maps and aerial imagery to the handheld. When I started geocaching, you would have needed a PocketPC and ArcPad (mobile GIS software) to view imagery and map data in the field. The iPhone 3G offered GPS and a programming interface that proved suitable enough for Groundspeak to write the Geocaching iPhone app last year. I certainly didn't foresee the ability to eventually use a phone to read a cache description, see the cache location on a map, use the phone to guide them to the cache, log the cache, and possibly take a geocoded photo. Geography is everywhere thanks to the changes in technology. You posited that the early geocachers were more likely to be map and geography buffs. I am wondering if the reverse has happened. Has geocaching exposed more people to 7.5-min topos, aerial imagery, GPS, map projections, and coordinate systems than there would have been otherwise? Were it not for geocaching, I don't think there would be as many people interested in GPS, mapping, and geography.
  18. Thanks, guys. That upcoming sale at REI on the PN-30 has renewed my interest in these units. You're right, a PQ is a PQ. I just wasn't sure how well Cache Register interfaces with your geocaching account.
  19. Is Cache Register aware of Bookmark Lists? For example - while planning a day of geocaching, I will put the caches I want to visit into a private bookmark list. I then create a Pocket Query from that bookmark list and run it through GSAK to send to my Magellan eXplorist. Would Cache Register be able to see this bookmark list and pull down the associated PQ?
  20. See GPSFAQs: http://www.gpsfaqs.org/faqs/magellan/explo....html#waypoints
  21. Torgut, I noticed in another post that you said you used to keep multiple geocaching POI files on your eXplorist. For example, I think you said your files were based on different geographic areas. Are you able to do something similar on the Dakota, grouping caches based on whatever criteria you want? Or are all the geocaches from the different GPX files put into one list?
  22. You have an iPhone? Have you looked at Groundspeak's geocaching app? http://www.geocaching.com/iphone/ There is also a forum section: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showforum=70
  23. Why isn't there better waypoint management? In other words, why can't I load multiple GPX files on the unit and choose which individual file I want the unit to look at?
  24. You just copy the GPX file to a folder on the Endura. It shows up as a mass storage device on your computer. See StarBrand's initial review topic. These details are also in the manual, which is now on Lowrance's website.
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