RubiconJW

Thanks for the responses so quickly folks.. I appreciate it. I need to give it a bit of thought & go from there. I've got 15-20 finds that I can't locate a signature for in the physical log. It's a cache that's been out since 2001 (GC274C) In some cases I feel I've been 'used' Thanks again for your input.. Time for bed.. will check this again in the AM. ..RJW..

I just went thru a log book and compared the entries to the on site log. It seems I have quite a few bogus claims..(might explain some folks with 20K plus finds) How do I remove the finds from these folks. Time to do a little policing of my cache!! Thanks..RJW

I'd say allow a (business day or two) for the mail to be delivered & read. Then make a personal appearance with some of the Geocaching literature and the actual cache container you wish to place. Salesmanship is the key.. Present yourself with knowledge, confidence & enthusiasm. Have CITO materials!!! DPW will like this concept. Best luck & let us know how it goes.. JW

Having followed this, and other related threads, I pose the following questions. ..How many actual cache logs were signed when: all team members were present, at the listed coordinates, in a period of 24 consecutive hours and on caches that were not previously "scouted"?? That's a number I feel we ALL could accept. As I see it.. Signing containers shouldn't count as it: 1)*might not* be the actual cache & 2) it's not within accepted guidelines. All team members should have been present at the cache.. otherwize it's an individual find, not a team find. Pocket caches/ table caches or ANY finds NOT at listed coords should be discounted. Pre-scouted caches shouldn't count as their loaction is already known. Based on these premisses *I* personally cannot accept the current "World Record" claim by team DRR. ..unless it's a record of stirring up a mess on the "WWW" forums.. So there's the view from *my* saddle. Other opinions welcomed. JW

I feel they can co-exist as long as the hiders & seekers maintain the dignity & respect diserved. I've considered a multi that involves a couple cemetaries as a part of a historical tour of the area. However if any "issues" arose over this practice I could also forsee a bunch of negative publicity for the caching community. Thus far I've held it in the idea stage. Go forth with this caution in mind. JW

For the un-initiated.. A "fox-hunt" is, in some ways, similar to a cache hunt. Instead of using a GPS for guidance you use Radio Direction Finding (RDF). This is a very common and fun part of amateur radio AND it IS rather competative. There is often a nice prize for the FTF, STF etc. As a ham operator, fox hunter & cacher I am saddened to hear of this tragic loss. Prayers & condolonces to familys & friends. JW

I''ve heard of some folks wearing an orange-reflective vest as part of their camo / cover in a high muggle area. If the eye see's you wearing a vest & pickin up trash then the mind will believe thats all your doing & chances are 99-1 that no-ones gonna think twice, let alone ask!! On the "off chance" that someone does ask a good answer is that your civic group has adopted a section of highway. If it's a police officer..tell the truth because he may have noticed others & thought it might be a drug drop. Explain what caching is about & reference the website. There are print-out pages available to hand to folks as well. These are nice to have available, at least in the vehicle. Hese is one such BROCHURE in .pdf format. Keep trying..be creative..but most of all have fun.

There's a micro near my home & just past a store I walk to each morning for coffee & paper. It's a high muggle area so for several days I took my GPS, coffee & paper to the GZ & looked. It eventually appeared in plain sight & I felt like a fool for not seeing it sooner. Hard part of it was it was a 3 stage micro-multi.. i digress.. The only thing I havent seen mentioned is.. Are you using WSG-84 datum on your GPS? Anything else will put you off track. Welcome to the crazy world of caching..

I had a similar deal with a vanload of kids that showed up to go fishing while I had a cache in the car signing logs etc. We took it for a ride for a couple hours & returned it. Made note in log explaining it's trip & all was well.

An infrared game camera along the trail (some distance from the cache) would snag a photo of anyone lugging your cache out. At the worst you'ld get fotos of the likely suspects.

"14) Use common sense. " Most cache owners take a lot of time thinking out their caches from where it's placed, history, scenery, view, swag, camo & etc. If these folks can't appreciate the time & thought that the owner put into it enough to take a minute to sign the book & check out the cache, view, history or whatever, then their view of the cache owners efforts is extremely shallow. Now *MY caches are in eastern Maine & I just put the second logbook in one of them.. Maybe I'll take an evening & start comparing logs to logs. Thus far the site is spottless ((thanks)) and there's very minor enviro impact ((thanks again)). The first time I find the containers defaced for "logging" kiss yer bye-bye & expect yer name to be publicly mentioned with "8 by 10 color glossy photographs, with circles & arrows explaining what each one is"!! I hope the folks of DFW area take this as an insult to their efforts to show others a good time & make a mark on their record. I haven't even bothered to look & see how many of those claims were "POCKET CACHES" Back to "14) Use common sense. " This is a FAMILY SPORT. Teaching younguns how to form gangs for gaining advantage is (IMHO) not conducive to this basic guideline. These people are nothing but a bunch of "NUMBER HO'S". Enjoy your glory...and respect...while it lasts... JW

Look for a group in MI & join their web forum also.. Try to attend an event & meet some of the folks in the sport..they're all willing to help!! Team up with someone for the first couple searches. Like anything new it'll take a bit of time to 'get into it' but hold on tight cause once yer in ya can't stop. Lotta good folks, good times & visit places you never knew existed. Keep asking questions..someone will give ya an answer. Best Luck JW

I located a cache on the web I liked.. I did several searches looking for those that were similar. I ended up with only 3 that utilized the concept. I sent a note to each owner asking if they would be willing to share some insight as to how they accomplished this cache. I have rec'd 2 replies & both were very positive, full of details & apprecation that I asked. So suffice it to say in a few weeks theres gonna be an evil plan hatched in eastern Maine So IMHO it pays to ask.. JW

WELCOME!!! As with anything new, it will take a little time to familiarize yourself with all it's functions, terminology & features. The physics & technology behind GPS is extremely complex. HOWEVER, the good news is that the user does NOT need to understand all these nuances. Read thru your manual..cover to cover.. at least twice Then review the sections giving you trouble again. Also read all the online FAQ's 1 and FAQ's 2. These are great primers into the world of Geocaching. Asking questions right here is the best place to get good answers. 99% of the regulars here will help in any way they can. Try to attend a local event, meet & greet some local & ask questions. Find an established cacher in your area to team up with for a few hunts..trust me...you'll do fine. Just takes a little time to learn. Best wishes & Happy caching JW

THIS ONE is school sponsored. Drop a note to them for details. JW

Easternmost Quoddy Quandry come get it!! JW

First of all *I* dont sign well however heres a couple graphics from my lessons that might help ..G.. ..C.. Hope this helps.. JW

Given the number of cachers who would post to the blog I can see it moving faster than a chat room with 100 people on board!! A lot of cachers have a "flair for writing" and hence write tales of the adventure that are interesting to read.. OTOH there are those that ya have to suffer thru, decypher, & still are left wondering what thay meant to say. IMHO individuals that want to write of their adventures should do so on their own.. not in a "conglomerate". I feel there would be too many in any given day to sit and read. Having said that.. whatever the PTB decide is fine with me but I may choose to not participate due to potential volume. No flames intended.. just my .02 cents.. JW

I'm sure most of us have "heard" about meth labs. Maybe saw some footage on the news or a piece in the local paper. I would encourage ALL to read up a bit more on the issue as more & more labs are showing up in the woods. Especially if you are caching with kids.. In their excitement they may "think" they've found a cache & end up exposed to some seriously toxic chemicals. After reading this thread I googled & found some rather graphic & straight to the point articles about the dangers surrounding a meth lab. Article in Outdoor Life Magazine <--Long but very informative. Faces of Meth <--links & pictures of the effects of meth on people over a short period of time. Article in The Memphis Flyer <--Info on what TN is doing. Related Thread <--from Mississippi Wildlife Forums. As you can see this is NOT an urban issue nor is it regional.. Learn what to watch for, what odors are present and what to do if you should find one. Be safe, be careful & happy caching. JW

Give USAPhotoMap a try.. available at: http://www.jdmcox.com It's a small download.. then you "fill" only the areas you want. Its source is from terraserver & it keeps the areas you fill on your computer for instant access. At the 4 meter per pixel scale it seamlessly swaps to topo or back to photo. Accepts inputs in D/M/S , DD/MM.MMM , UTM & others. You can plot waypoints, measure, zoom in to 1 meter per pixel. Well worth a looksee & its a freebee. JW

+1 for Ammo cans. Usually 4-8 bux at a surplus store. dadgum near indestructable. JW

Here's a new .pdf that a gent in austrailia just put up for review.. Its quite thorough & explains everything you'll need. http://users.bigpond.net.au/emuit/forum/Re...rdinates0-4.pdf JW

That's just the "Maineiac" showing.. common problem up this way..LOL JW

Give a read thru here... lotta good stuff http://members.aol.com/marklent60544/myhom...rkwellgcfaq.htm happy caching.. JW

I also read the complete text, compared the graphics & in general applied the "critical eyeball". I think you did a wonderful job explaining the third dimention to a GPS fix. Something that's not an easy feat even for those that understand the junction of spherical dimentions...it's one of those concepts thats just hard to put into words... One of our fine & experienced cachers has a site from which you might garnish a few additional tidbits in conversions & feet per thousandth of degree at specific latitudes etc.. please review : http://members.aol.com/marklent60544/myhom...rkwellgcfaq.htm "Markwell" is an outstanding & contributing member of the geocaching family & I'm sure he'll be willing to assist in your endevour. A section explaining the metric UTM system would be a fine addition as well as including the necessary formulas for converting Meters to Ft, Km to Miles, DDD.MM.SS to DDD.MM.MMM etc. Given the explainations thus far I'm sure there will be no problem explaining polar convergence of longitudinals and why a degree on the equator is NOT equal in feet / meters to a degree at the 45th parallel. On the whole... this looks great. I look forward to the final version as a reference to new cachers as well as hunters, hikers & other outdoor enthusiasts. All my best mate.. JW