Prof_Fate

I chose 'No reason to Park' - as there is no public transportation there...works for me. Anyway, I was thinking that since we ahve 4 or 5 parks/baseball fields around the town i'd put some in them. Most of them i've never been to...should make it more interesting for me huh? So...a traditional or a multi? or some of each? or a puzzle? What i'd like to do is have folks tour the township...so any of them should work to some extent. My wife wants to name them after our kids, but we don't ahve enough of them...perhaps historic township figures... thanks for all your input - great stuff.

The micro I have a place all picked out. Got a reading today, and will try a few more before i place later this week. Near a park n ride, lots of tractor trailers are parked there as they are not allowed on the township's roads and the drivers live here. the other ones...well i don't know where yet. Perhaps take a tour of the township parks and rec fields.

Go the other way - rewards for moving TBs. THen you can restrict the reward if a TB is held too long. I had a TB too long - I blame the winter. Sorry, but i am not going about in the woods looking for a cache under 10" of snow. Not in this lifetime. Nor am i going out today, or probably all this week - rain, T-storms and more rain for the next 7 days. This is supposed to be fun, and traipsing about in the woods in the rain is not my kinda fun, sorry. I love picking up TBs and pick up every one i have a chance to grab.

Ok, been doing this since last fall, and I think i am ready to place a few caches. A magnetci hide a key micro, a typical rubbermade container and a peanut butter jar (just for something different, container wise) So how does one go about picking a name for a cache? How do you know if a name is gonna be OK or not? Any other advice?

I am not a PM, and use the LOC files and GSAK - I see no states, no difficulty levels on caches...is this only in some otehr file type? Is that the GPX file?

Yup Nope Yup Money?? Like $20 or like $20,000? Was it just lying there or hidden with the cache?

What have you found (or heard of finding) at a cache site or while out geocaching? Anyone found drugs, dead body, bag of money? I have heard stories of being chased, questioned by the police and similar things. This pas weekend we found a softball and met a local - apparentle the LOC file had the wrong coordinates in it, and as i was pondering this issue in a residential neighborhood on a sunday morning a resident came out to meet me, well, question my activities anyway. In a state game lands i found what appears to be a shrine/grave/rememberance to what i assume was a double homicide. Freaked my out. i have not gone back there.

Minor issue with your suggestion - it is HIGHLY illegal- it is called software piracy and is a copyright issue. So what you say? Well, you just confessed to a crime , or multiple crimes. So what's thie big deal? The fine is $100,000 (that is 100 grand) per FLOPPY (if it is a CD and is 400Mb then that is 277 floppies). Do the math - you will be broke FOREVER to save, what $100? And yeah, you can get a prison term of 5-10 years too. The site moderators probably have an obligation to turn in your identity to the FBI at this point. The only legit way to sell used software is to deletie all compies on any coputers you own - think of it lke a book - you sell a book, the buyer gets it all and you have no copies left.

I like the clipboard idea, maybe make up some fake biz cards on your computer and when the ticky tacky box dwellers ask you about your activity, you explain as you hand them a biz card "This area was a hazardous waste dump site back in the 60s, and i'm here to monitor the wells for any leakage of toxins. If you see any 2deformed rats or insects, give my office a call". It'll make them run away, and start a nice bit of activity amongst the community.

If you want to combine golfing and GPSr...try http://www.gpsgames.org/index.php?option=c...er&wrap=GeoGolf chris

I have a Garmin eTrex Legend and heard hat it should have or i can get for free a Points of Interest file / download for it fro free form Garmin. I cannot find it on their website. Does anyone know anything about this? Also, besides Garmin's Mapsource, are any other maps (streets or topo) available for the legend?

OK, it is from the 2003 race....i assume that is over (i can only find a link to the 2004 race). So it moves on or ??? From the rules it had a car or something with it at one time - now it is just a laminated bug wiht a short note....should i 'restore' it with a car?

my orderr stilll states C. the link is to the regular legend. the original item was in Lawn and Patio dept, the reg legend is camping accessories...interesting change there! I have received no email contact since the confirmation... if i can return it to my (relatively) local store for a full refund, i will. if i have to pay for shipping to them, i am less happy. if i have to pay a 15% restocking fee (per their return policy on their website for 'portable electonics') then i will be downright POd. To get them to accept the return and get 100% refund, i have to get them to admit the error was theirs.... anyone dealt with Target on returns? I can tell you about Walmart, Bestbuy and Kmart. we still have time....

I found my first TB in a cache that had lost it a few weeks before - there were log entries that the tb was missing. It was taken and returned by someone who seems to have quit geocaching (according to the un signed note attached to the tb). i plan to release it this weeknd someplace closer to it's destination - which is the Canonball run...but i can find very little info on the Run. Anyone got info on it?

Same page, but hte drop down box's last option is by Waypoint - the GCXXXX, just enter it.

I chose a Garmin eTrex Vista, about $170US. The cheaper models ($100US) did not have a basemap or download capabilities. The only feature that seems to be missing is a true built in compass. I don't feel that this is much of a loss...a compass can be had for $2-$20US and when moving the unit has a compass display. chris

Welllll, I went for it too. Maybe shoulda got 2...then sold 1 and my new eTrex Legend ...then the C i have left would be nearly free, right? Don't feel that brave tonight. Gut instincts? Did some web searching and found the C shipping now for $299. Teh Garmin site says it comes with software on CD and no case...could be the 'special' has no USB cord, no software, etc. and the price is real. The pc-to GPS-r cable goes for $14.99.

As usual, Operator Error. I prefer programs that don't require reading the instructions...I don't have tome for anymore input than absolutely necessary thanks chris

I have a simple problem...I have a db with 21 waypoints. I want to DL to my GPSr 2 waypoints - how do I do that? chris

THere is a cache near me on State Game Lands that i got near a couple of weeks ago, and thought i'd try again on Saturday - oops, opening of small game season - there were no less than 7 trucks at the trail head, some of the hunters were milling about in their orange. Umm, no way in heck i'd go wandering in there and crawling about the underbrush looing for a cache. Just my luck, i'd be on my knees, take off my orange hat and gloves, and the cache would have a stuffed rabbit it in that i'd set on the side and sure enough, i'd get shot. Many county parks around here to cull the deer population allow a short bow or shotgun deer season as well. PA seasons... http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=460&q=151322 and as for the suggestions to go at night... http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/058/chapter141/s141.4.html to quote "Raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat and weasel may be taken any hour, day or night," And while non-hunters getting shot is rare, there are 3 or 4 HOUSES that get shot every year....accidentally...i think last year someone died when the bullet went through their home. Chris

I have tried 3 or 4 of the commonly recomended free/share programs. I am not impressed by any of them. yes, the DL and UL just fine. GSAK seems the best, but you need to startt a new 'database' (like a spreadsheet page) for each 'set' of waypoints - there is no way (that i have found) to DL just some waypoints in a database - so if you find ONE cache waypoint you want to DL to your unit, you have to put it into it's own db to DL it - if youjust add it to a db yohave to DL the whole shebang. i'd like to see a program that organizes similar to GSAK, but allows you to DL one or more waypoints, and also allow you to doble click and show a map. I found a program that will lay your waypoints on a map - aerial photo or topo map (free!) but it uses NAD27 not WGS84, so you gotta convert. http://jdmcox.com/ usaphotomaps. the author responds to email inquireis quickly, too. chris

I am new to this activity, but so far the hike bit has me torn - i am usually with my children, and long hikes in the woods do not suit them well, yet (in a few years maybe) so knowing how far a hike from the parking lot is a handy idea, or how rough the terrain. I got to within 50' of one cache and then had to bushwhack...not great fun with a 3 year old. Poison ivy is a neceassary evil, i am immune to it (i can pull it out like any other weed and never get a rash) but i have to keep a sharp eye out for it as my son has yet to learn to avoid it (no want to see if my immunity was passed on!) I like virtual caches, themes ones too. Like finding places i never knew existed. Might like biking (mountain or road) to some caches next summer as well. Yes, i've about surrendered to winter (already).

what referance is this in? http://nmviewogc.cr.usgs.gov/viewer.htm - you can go to a location by lat/long, but is it NAD27 or WGS84? USGS maps are NAD27, GPS defaults to using WGS84, but most maps i have played with so far (online and downloading) don't say which...but there is only 1 UTM, and the above site can use that as can most every GPS unit. Also, UTM is a 'real' number from our human perspective - while the minutes and seconds of lat are failry consistent, long varies as to how far a second is in feet. with UTM, the numbers after the decimal are in meters. so when you are standing there looking at your GPS and trying to figure how far away you are (ignoring the 'accuracy' figure your unit is giving you) you can see that you are X meters away.

I am new here - got my GPS on saturday and the site was down sunday at some point (or was it monday?....kids and work melts minds) and again today...frustrating and discouraging.

Hi all - we are new to geochaching and have found 3 so far (1 real, 2 virtual). Sorta found 1 more virtual (right place, but cannot figure out what specifically we ar elooking for) and hence my question... I have a Garmin eTrex Legend and get 'accuracy' reading of 27 to 60+ feet (it varies as i watch it). When looking for a cache i see i am close, +/- the above 20-60 feet. Then i see it says go East and i start that way and then it says go west...sometimes moving my 'destination' by 100 feet or more....but the built in compass can tell i moved, and what direction with only 1 step (3' of movement).... So is this variation in location a gov't induced inaccuracy, my unit or just normal? Also, using WGS84 and the traditional degree/minute/second notation, how far in feet is each division (i.e. 40d 42.400 is how far from 40d 40.410?) Are lat and long the same in feet for a given measurement in seconds? Thanks in advance, chris and jill