Prof_Fate
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Posts posted by Prof_Fate
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I just got a 60CSx and it came with a pocket clip hanger thingy..makes me thing vertical is better, but then you have to hold it flat for the compass to be functional - you'd think since the engineers made decisions on this they'd pass it along to use in the instruction manual.
I've been out once, a clear sky so it was optimum conditions, and there was no difference between the 60CSX and my etrex Vista. A firend I went out this late last summer had a 60 and in the cover of the woods just blew away my Vista for accuracy and holding a signal. I hope to get out some today and see how well it works in use compared to a Vista.
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I just got my 60CSx this week and did the update- no probs. I do find it interesting it was running version 3.4... the site doesn't list a 3.4 version!
I've not used it enough to know if there are any changes in how it performs. At this point it's a lot faster to start and acquire than my Vista was.
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I always decrypt the hint before beginning the search. Around here most hints aren't going to give it away, like today's cache "The Rock" - the hint? It's not under The Rock. Perhaps it might save one some time, but the coords were 21 feet from The Rock, so i'd not look there anyway.
I find about half the hints don't help much anyway, be that intentional on the owner's part or i'm just too stupid to get them
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I am new paperless - the weather here has sucked like no year before so I've only gone out once.
I got a palm V from ebay for $8 (shipping was more!). It included the dock/charger and an aluminum case. My first palm, so it took some figuring out.
Software goes on the PC (free from Palm.com) that will sync up the basic palm things (address books, to do lists, etc). It will also allow you to move any file to/from the palm.
I've been using GSAK and it will make the files Cachemate needs. So do a PQ and put that in GSAK, pick what you want and output it to your GPS and to a cachemate file - GSAK will but the file in the download directory for synching to the palm.
You need software on the Palm to open/read/sort the geocaches. There are several, I chose Cachemate (like $20). I might like more searching options, but you get the description, clue, logs, coords of course, cache type, container size - everything. http://www.smittyware.com/palm/cachemate/
Sych and the file goes to the Palm, open cachemate and it does it's thing.
While I've not tried this yet, you can write your logs in the palm and upload them to a website and it will auto-log all your finds for you! http://boulter.com/geocaching/logger/
And https://www.bluehillsinnovations.com/store/ makes cables to connect a GPS directly to a Palm - something i've not tried but intrigues me.
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I know how the pointer works - I was navigating to a waypoint and the pointer went away, but the GPS was still 'going' there on the map page and in one of the detail info boxes at the top of teh screen it can be set to display an arrow that points toward the waypoint and it was there, on the compass screen.
I finished reading the manual - apparently one can put more than one map on the card in the GPS. Cool!
I figured I had to change the icon...of teh 100+ on there, where is the treasure box hiding?
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I've been caching for a couple of years now and moved from an eTrex Legend to a Vista with a compass on board.
Today I got a 60CSx and when working, the compass is accurate...but 3 times it just shut off...I turn it off and on (the magnetic compass) and the pointer comes back. Not sure why this happened.
First time was at home and I was just playing around a bit and payed little attention to it. The second time was when I handed it to my wife shortly after we got out of the car...was it in changeover mode? I don't know.
Third time my son was carrying it and then just no compass needle. The Pointer (one of the data boxes) was there and working, I had signal, just no compass pointer. I turned the mag compass off and on and then was careful to hold it level for the next 1/2 mile and I had no more issues.
Is this just an issue with 60CSx units, or something peculiar (aka broken-ish) on my unit? I bought it new from Amazon and have no idea if had been returned or not...
Another question while I got a braintrust here. I have a Maps CD (Garmin) that I got for my Vista a few years back (city streets type). Can it be loaded into the 60CSx or does it need some new format of a map??
One more thing...I got used to entering cache coords manually on the old vista (new computer had no serial port...). Anyway, for today's cache I entered it manually - how can I tell the GPS it's a cache, and how can I tell it i've "found" the cache? (yes, I'll be reading more of the manual tonite and tomorrow)
Any other advice is welcome!
Thanks!
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Fanny pack with 2 compartments (one for swag, one for GPS and batts), and it will carry two water bottles. My wife makes fun of it, but then she has a purse. I like having my hands free and have bad shoulders, so backpacks are no-go for me.
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Get out and meet other local cachers - make friends.
Then when you need a helping hand you can ask OTHER cachers that have solved the puzzle!
My problem is I'll solve them, but it takes me so long to get to the actual cache I forget the solution!
Common things i've seen used: comments embedded in the HTML of the cache page, in the comment fields of pictures attached to the page (even the backgrounds) or the size of an image on the web page. For some googling works well and for others, not at all. Some are coded into the words on the page - first letter of each word, or last, or line...etc.
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I've been using an Etrex Vista and i'm not satisfied with it's performance, especially after seeing a friend's 60CSx - the 60 is 100000 times better with reception and accuracy!
So I want a new unit with a SirfStar3 chip. I use it ONLY for geo-cacaching, so many of the map features I don't care about, although routing might be handy (never used it, just had someone show me how to do it recently).
I want to be able to load caches into it easily. Can I do that via GC.com and USB port into the Magellan unit?
I also want to get a palm for paperless caching...I know nothing about palms. What's good for this without being overkill (cost wise anyway)?
googling pulled up a Pharos 535e...looks awesome - a lot more stuff for $10 more money. Any good for geocaching?
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There is a link on the Shop Groundspeak site to its authorized partners. There is one here in the Pittsburgh area where we live. However, I discourage you from patronizing that place of business, for selfish reasons. The geocacher who runs that operation got stumped on one of my multicaches, and wrongly blamed me for poor maintenance of my cache. In retaliation, he held my daughter's travel bug hostage for 15 months. I worked through a friend of his to get the TB back into circulation. I found it ironic that the same fellow who will make a buck to sell you a travel bug would then kidnap it. It sure soured my daughter on travel bugs.
I had heard of place in bridgeville, but couldn't find it.
We're traveling to Phila area in 2 weeks and I can shop there or anywhere on the way so as not to patronize the badguys, so to speak.
What's the link to the partners? I've looked and can't find it. perhaps if i turn on the GPS that'll help?
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I have heard that you can get TBs and decals and such in some stores - is there a list somewhere of the stores selling this stuff? I'd like to buy some in person if possible.
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The maps do not update that much, but the Mapsource "shell" has frequent updates that are available as downloads on the Garmin site. These updates add more functionality to the program.
One of the reasons I upgraded from my Vista, which I liked and which worked great, was because I wanted the faster USB connection on the Legend C and Vista C.
Well...I just upgraded from a etrex legend to the etrex vista - mostly for the compass but it does all sorts of other neat things.
I'll kee the USB thing in mind for next time.
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I've got a eTrex Vista and I filled the memory (24mb) with some mapsource maps. It is quite full.
I'l like to perhaps remove a map and put in another - ios there a way to do this other than erase everything and download all teh maps again? It takes quite a while to download the maps.
Also, teh mapsource i have is a couple of years old now - are there any updates available? Roads would be nice, but I was thinking more of the points of interest (restaruants, hotels, etc)?
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So I guess it matters how far you hike?
most caches here are under 1/4 mile from the car.
Today was one of our longest hikes yet - 3 miles, maybe a bit less. did 5 caches, all in the woods and we did get thirsty. I take my kids 95% of the time, ages 5 and 2.5 - have not needed anthing other than maybe a drink out there. today is near 90.
Does a pack get hot on your back after a while?
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I have been using a small fanny pack for geocaching and it's getting crowded in there. I also often cahce with a friend or my kids and i have some of those FRS radios and they kept getting forgotten cause they're not in the bag - they don't fit.
I looked at backpacks last night, briefly, and everything seems huge.
So what do you all use to carry all the miscellaneous stuff?
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I'll be in baltimore (up near white marsh) this weekend and was wondering if there were any stores there that sold caching things - travel bugs, stickers, coins, that type of thing. There was one near me in Pennsylvania but it was closed last time i went there.
thanks,
chris
prof_fate
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Thanks!
I went driving to find a better/closer starting point, and well, was getting frustrated.
I will re-read my page and see if it is clear enough to those attempting it...I understand it, but that means nothing.
there is a fine line between making it too easy and too hard, isn't there?
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I have 5 caches hidden in a 7 mile radius, each cache containing one part of the 6 part coordinate of another cache.
This last cache...I was going to make it a puzzle to find the last number, and then call it all a puzzle....BUT i was stopped when my last coordinate is actually 3.3 miles from the cache hde. (the cache is in teh woods. the final coordinate was from a bank clock tower).
Moving the clock is not feasible. Moving the cache is not feasible (the coords would change, screwing up all the work so far).
So what is the best way to salvage this?
My thoghts...could it be a multi, and if so could the last stage still be the way i have it (it is being rejected as a puzzle as the start and finish are too far aparti...would that be the same as a multi?)
Hide yet another cache with the last coordinate (or make the bank clock a virtual perhaps...) so that the last secret cache is all buy itself?
Any other ideas??
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Accuracy from me to the cache, or what my GPS says?
I live in wesern PA, near the Ohio border. I have WAAS on my garmin Etrex Legend, and 'use' it to increase accuracy.
I rarely, VERY rarely ever see my unit tell me that accuracey is better than 18 feet. 40 some odd feet is not uncommon either.
A month ago I was in Maryland visiting relatives and did a few caches. My GPS usually read 8 feet of accuracy. Eight feet! Wow.
Last week on the 14th around noon I had a very hard time getting a signal, and teh accuracy (claimed by my unit) was pushing 90 feet! This was the only time have had it sooo bad. I too was wondering about satellites or solar flares or whatever.
I was out on the 19th in more heavily forested woods and had an exceptionally good signal (about 1 mile from the area with a bad signal 5 days before).
It's a commie plot i tell ya.
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I use GSAK and much of the info (via LOC file downloads) does not get 'loaded' - as in the difficulty or terrain , the state (although I am prompted for that) and no last found/last log info.
Is that info only in PQ or GPX file?
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A waypoint can be moved on the map page by dragging the pointer to it so the waypoint highlights, pressing Enter, dragging the waypoint to the new location and pressing Enter again. This can happen inadvertently while scrolling around the map, marking waypoints, measuring distance, etc. It's happened to me a few times.
Hmmm...probably. When i get into map scroll mode i don't know how to get out...have to find my manual and read up a bit.
Any idea where that is? I need an in-house GPS system!
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I went out to a chace today that i tried last fall. I have changed NOTHING in my Garmin Etrex Legend regarding this particular cache - it was DL'd 6+ months ago into the unit and it has sat there since.
SO today I am driving down the rural road with the unit on, and it takes me about 1/5 mile from where i parked last time...odd. Not at all right. I come home and check the GPS against my Home coords, and they are the same, and other cahces have been spot on. Not the unit...and geocache.com shows the cache coords are different that what is in my unit...
So somehow the numbers/coords in my unit got changed. the cache name did not change, and i am 99.9999% sure i did nothing to change it - not sure i could if i had to.
I had somehing similar happen a few weeks back while on vacation, but i suspect the LOC file had bad coords in it. Not i am not so sure...
I flushed the memory in the GPS and will reload everything. Odd...very odd.
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Thankfully I have not been stranded, but I was thinking hard about it about 2 weeks ago. The family went on a trip, and we stopped to cache. The kids were sleeping in the car, so I went into the woods alone. Typical of me, i never go the easy way, so i beat my way arond and around. I got to the right place, and searched for 15 or 20 minutes with no luck. I was thinking of my wife back at teh car, bored...
I did not want to bushwhack back the way i came, and there was a nice big path not too far off from the cache site..so i look at my GPS and the batts had given out. And my bag of booty, inlcuding spare batts, was in the car. And it was about 8 pm...nearing darkness.
I followed the big path and made it out OK, but the thought crossed my mind..i don't have a cell phone, am in a deserted park in another state, no GPS and it is getting dark.
I am learning...I think I will add a flashlight to the booty bag and NEVER cache without it. And try to go long before dark as this is not the first time I have been in the woods near dark.
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I just bought a two-pack of Hide-A-Keys at Dollar General (where everything costs $1). So, 50 cents for each, and they come with a built in magnet. Not sure how water resistant they are, but it looks like they seal pretty well. And they're big enough that a ziploc bag to protect the log isn't out of the question anyway.
I got mine at walmart...$1.93.
I have seen 35mm film canisters - i am told they are free, just ask at walmart/ritz etc that develops film.
I have seen mini m&ms tubes.
I need to know where to get the magnets!
GPS Units With Built In Software For Paperless Catching
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
I just recently went paperless - considered the Colorado but got a 60CSx and a used Palm instead.
How well do the dongle-equipped PDAs work for caching? I doubt they're as rugged of course, but what about software? The car GPS's are nice, but lack the abitlity (at least mine does) to do the bits needed to find a cache.
I thought about the PDA/gps route but was afraid I'd be swimming upstream alone trying to get it to work for caching.