RubiconJW
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Posts posted by RubiconJW
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+1 for Ammo cans.
Usually 4-8 bux at a surplus store.
dadgum near indestructable.
JW
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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
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That's just the "Maineiac" showing.. common problem up this way..LOL
JW
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Give a read thru here... lotta good stuff
http://members.aol.com/marklent60544/myhom...rkwellgcfaq.htm
happy caching..
JW
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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
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I think it's a cool idea..
Couple suggestions / questions...
Use small DPDT spring loaded toggle switches so they return to the center "off" position when there released.
Use as many as you need to get the right amount of numbers given that you can get 2 ## per switch.
Once it's all set & working. Pour the project box full of an epoxy resin similar to automotive modules. This will hold everything in its place and moisture proof the whole kit.
??Will it require an onboard battery to keep the memory alive??
??Any further maintenance?? (barring someone swipeing it)
Take pix as the project evolves & share with all!!!!
JW
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Anyone remember these??
Can Dead Men Vote Twice At Elections
True Virgins Make Dull Companions At Weddings
C= Compass reading
D= Deviation (compass error)
M= Magnetic
V= Variation
T= True
A= Add
W= Westerly
If I'm using a paper map I'll put a line on it that represents Magnetic North
Then orient the map with a mag compass & ferget the rest of the math.
It's quick & simple & it'll get ya within a degree or two.
For *most* practical applications that's close enough.
If ya really want to split hairs get a compass that reads in "Mils"
6400 Mils = 360 degrees or 17.77777 mils per degree
Are we confused yet.....
JW
E=Easterly
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If I'm going solo or with a friend or two we usually limit our picking up to a couple plastic grocery bags & dump it with the household trash unless theres a trashcan or dumpster, at or near the site. In eastern Maine thats rare..
If it's an event then arrangements are usually made with the park maintenance, town crew or state DOT folks to haul off a big pile.
JW
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They'll take the mileage traveled to a whole new level..LOL
That would be too cool if you could sched them to be on the chat!!
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If I know that someone is an outdoors enthusiast then I'll bring the subject to the table. OTOH if I'm aware that an individual has no intrest in outside activities then why waste the time. If I'm confronted in the field I usually offer a short explaination & refer them to GC.com
..JW..
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A long time friend of mine & I were talking one evening at the local Legion Post. He's an avid Bass fisherman & "tournament ho".. So of course he's got a nice GPSr for his boat & has some of his favorite spots marked. So this brought on the conversation of GPS technology etc and I lead it into Geocaching. Well he thought it was a neat concept & armed with the GC.com addy he headed home. The following Saturday theres a knock on the door.. "Watcha doin?" .. "Lets go find a couple caches!" Needless to say after a couple outings & some excellent hikes in the toolieweeds he was hooked. He's also talking it up with his fishing partner.
We've also got the manager & her husband interested in checking it out..we'll see...
JW
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That pus's got a lotta spirit!! Looks like ya got a good bud there..
My dog's an 8 yr old Austrailian Shepard & Golden retriever mix. Total squashead but obedient & friendly to all. She's been over 1000 miles on the back of a 4 wheeler & the only time I leash her is when I go in a store. Very rarely barks for any reason. Had her since puppydom.
..Friday & JW
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Paul:
Greetings from an Eastern Maine ham!!
YES there are a ton of repeaters in your area so a 5 watt HT would probably serve you well.
The test is quite basic in any electronics. Part is general common sense, some revolves around RF safety issues and the rest is stuff ya just need to memorize.
NOTE>>> Every 3 years the question pool, from which the tests are drawn, gets updated to stay with current technology & legal affairs. The current pool expires on 01 JULY 06!!!! The current edition of "Now You're Talking" (ed-5) will become obsolete. SO... nail it soon or wait till the new stuff comes out.
Check with your local libraries for "Now You're Talking" (ed-5) & give it a read thru..
Then..
Take sample exams
http://www.qrz.com/p/testing.pl
Then seek a test session in your area
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml
MAKE SURE>>> you call the examiner for any final instructions, bring TWO forms of ID & be early.
BINGO..DONE!!
If you want reviews on a particular radio you like go to
Enter the model number in the box & read what other owners say about the rig, service..etc..
A good forum to check out is
Look for repeaters & info
http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/
Hope this helps Paul.. feel free to give me a holler anytime..
JW
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I have deleted all of my finds that were Pocket Caches. I lost 13 "finds" and now am back below 100. But I think I am more proud of my 91 than I would ever be with my 104 now knowing what I know.
I applaud Eric for his honesty and inetgrity.
What folks are doing here is not the best example we can offer the younger cachers in the family.
And in todays society the younger generation needs all the leadership they can get in morals, values & honor.
If I attend an event I will make one event entry to note my attendance & not make it a "multiple entry event".
The few caches I have logged have been visited at the coords listed & found using a GPSr.
I fail to see the fun or honesty in sitting around a picnic table running a paper chase.
JMHO...JW
edit for spelling
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If the same fellows caches keep vanishing then it might be he has someone in his area with a personal grudge. I can see some kid swiping one but not repeatedly. Or perhaps theres just a jerk in the area hitting on everyone. If this seems the case then I'd recommend a group buy on one of these units. Theft is theft.. take the evidence to the police & file a report... or as someone else suggested convince this person of the error in their ways.
JW
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I've seen it on & off for a few weeks..
My question is: How depednable is the info it's providing?? Considering it's in a "test" mode raises a lotta questions on my part... Are the airlines using its data when it's available?? Do they have a means of over-riding the data feed ?? do we??
trudge..trudge..trudge..YAHHHH..thump..
I guess they moved that vertical drop
..jw
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It's degrees / minutes / thousandhts of minutes.
A minute of latitude is very close to a nautical mile
nautical mile = 6076.12 ft
1 deg latitude = 6050.88
so.. 45d 42.898" compared to 45d 42.899"
the .898 and .899 are thousandhts of a degree
6050.88 x .898 = 5433.69 ft
6050.88 x .899 = 5439.74 ft
5439.74 - 5439.74 = 6.05 ft
therefore each one thousandth of a degree change on your GPSr is about 6 ft.
On the UTM setting the last digit is a meter
Hope I didn't totally confuse ya.. I spent too many years with a sextant.
..JW..
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I think you might be refering to the confluence of latitude & longitude lines..
go to: http://www.confluence.org/
most of them have been visited here in the US but they would still make a neat cache site.
hope this helps..
JW
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With all of the publicity that geocaching has been getting and all of the nuts out there, I pray that the wrong person doesn't get ideas about this sport...
Given the current tensions I can echo agreement with this.. Sad to say but theres some sickos amongst us & I sincerely hope it doesn't spread into the GC community.
I recently placed a micro and before it was published I had a talk with the local police chief and the county sheriff. I showed then some geocaching print outs with reference to the GC site as well as the Maine site.
My reasoning was that in this town (pop ~~2800) theres a lot of drug issues. I wanted to make them aware of a couple things:
1. What geocaching is about.
2. Where my particular cache is located.
3. Why there is a degree of stealth involved to keep the cache from being pillaged.
Hopefully the end result will be.. getting a few more folks into geocaching and having the local patrols know what might be going on at the cache site as it is in plain view.
I feel it would be an excellent move on the part of ALL geocachers to make contact with their local LEO's and try to work with them rather than against them. YES-- to the muggle it IS a suspicious looking activity-- and if the LEO community is aware of the area caches chances are much better for a "friendly" encounter if any at all.
Thus far we (the entire CG community) have a good relationship with many parks and land owners.. let's extend that goodwill in the direction of the LEO community.
..it can't hurt...
JW
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Personally I will trade even, trade up or TNLNSL.
I think the most $$ i ever bought in swag for a cache was less than 10 bux at the local dollar store.
I try to put some stuff for kids as well as something neat for the "big kids" lol..
As I trade into & out of other caches most of the swag just stays in my caching pack & gets moved from cache to cache. As others noted they due tend to deplete themselves over time but I don't mind loading it up occationally.
Happy Caching
RJW
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Great net.. a dozen+ checkins..
Thanx Gary.
JW
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Net tonite??? Just bumpin to top... JW
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I've been hamming for ~~15 & am a general class op. A LOT of hams are into a mode called APRS (Amateur Position Reporting System) which uses a GPS connected to a radio which sends your position every few minutes to a digital repeater which in turn relays the info and within seconds it is available on the internet.
This has proven itself most useful in search & rescue and other emergencies.
Now I've had CB's over the years and yeah they're fun but you have one option.. talk to someone else that has a CB..
Can ya talk with the astronauts on the Space Station?? I have..
Can ya bounce a signal off the aurora (northern lights)? I have..
Can ya send a MEG of data over the air?? I have..
Can ya LEGALY transmit using 1500 watts?? I have..
Can ya send pictures over the air?? I have..
And so have thousands of other hams.
That little piece of paper is the key to explore a whole new world of communications possibilities and the education, the knowledge, the friends, and the satisfaction that comes with it are priceless.
As far as Geocaching goes theres an Echolink net every week and theres several cachers here in Maine that I chat with daily on 2 meters. I have also had contacts with other cachers on 15, 20 & 40 meters around the country and around the world.
So come on board & have some fun with radios, 'puters, GPS & a great bunch of folks.
Go to: www.arrl.org for info.
..RJW..
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Rich:
If the box has win 98 you should find TCP/IP setting in:
>control panel >dialup networking > either make a new connection or right click on an existing one & click Properties to adjust the settings.
Hope this helps..
RJW
Accurate Topographical Map Sites
in General geocaching topics
Posted
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