bladesedge

I think this page (http://www.geocachin...ve/default.aspx) IS the express written permission given to end users (us) to use apps like NeonGeo and GSAK (I use both of these and love them!).

Have had the perfect location for a cache of my own foiled by the proximity rule - it was a themed puzzle cache, WP1 giving a clue to the theme, and the Final at another part of the theme...... but found a just as good a spot about 100m away.... outside proximity of the other cache, but still in view of the theme.

If you love/use c:geo and want to go legit, Neongeo is the way to go. Has all teh stuff that the official GC.com app is missing that people love in c:geo. I converted from it when I found out it wasn't approved by Groundspeak.

Dakota is good. My caching buddy has one... Its very much like my GPSMAps 62S - just with the touchscreen. I'd go for that over an eTrex any day!

Try Neongeo.... not quite got the same functionality as c:Geo, but has the maps .... which can be stored offline if you choose..... and it is an approved one.

Try NeonGeo - its very much like c:geo, but its 'legal'. Theres a 30day trial to make sure you like it. A very useful note - it downloads map tiles to your phone, so when you're out in the back of beyond and don't have an internet connection, if you visited that section of the map beforehand you'll still have your maps. Make sure you zoom in as much as you want to see when you're in Offline mode.

Here are some generic helpers. Make sure the GPS is turned OFF when you plug it into the computer. It will turn itself on when it gets plugged in. Also, sometimes when you plug a GPS in, it will start up as per normal rather than allow you to send files to it. If it does, then turn it off, unplug it and start again. Sometimes I have to do this half a dozen times before it goes to the 'right mode'. When its in the right mode it should show up in My Computer as 'Garmin' Then when you've got it going right, Refresh the web page and try again. PS, also let people know exactly what kind of etrx you have. I have had one in the past, but you couldn't connect it to a PC. Check the box if it isn't written ont he device. Or your receipt.

I use GSAK. It uses the API with gc.com to download your current PQs and import into the database, then you can create all sorts of filters based on pretty much anything to select the caches you want. Then you can export them out to whatever file type you choose. Users are constantly creating macros to allow you to do more also. And its well supported and widely used. It is a 'paid for' product, but comes with a trial, so check it out!

A Premium Membership will allow you to create 'Pocket Queries' that allow you to download more than one cache to your GPS at a time. Very useful if its a hobby you love and you intend to do several caches in a trip.

I have an Acer Iconia A501 - I guess the difference between mine and kunarion's is that its 3G as well as wifi. When out geocaching I use mine like a 'navman' in the car to hone in on geocaches, decide which roads to take etc! I use NeonGeo with a GPX file of unfound caches in the area I create in GSAK. I moved from the frowned upon C:Geo to NeonGeo. Its really great! I have a proper GPS (Garmin GPSMaps62s) I use when I get out of the car that has all the same

I have one of those. Just a drainage pipe.... with a sneaky hole at the bottom which catches most people out! The hole is actually just to drain the water out so its ready for the next person, but a few finders have had to go seek another source for water because they didn't realise the hole was there and it all drained out before they got the container out!

I went to an Earthcache - Lady Knox Geyser (GC21VP1), near Rotorua in New Zealand. Yes there was a fee to go see the actual geyser - the visitors centre drops some soap into the geyser at 10am every day to get it to erupt. You can only watch it if you pay the price. BUT! Its a 'show'. They tell you lots of interesting and relevant information about the geyser and the other geothermal activity in the area, so it is worthwhile to go to even if not for the earthcache. And from what it looks like, the CO also allows 'finds' if you prove you went to the visitors centre but didn't go to the geyser itself. Bit of a shame really because the idea of earthcaches is that you learn something about the unique geology of the area and you get more of that if you attend it properly.

We in NZ ended Daylight Savings on sunday 1 April and some early time of the morning, but have noticed on the Forums that the clock is still one hour ahead. I checked my Settings and my Timezone is correct for NZ (+12, Auckland, Fiji etc), and I have the box for DST correction ticked. It could be that the forums still use our old Daylight Savings timetable. We changed in 2010 to a new table - which required patches for all our computers, devices etc so they updated to the correct time on the correct date.

1. A PILE OF PENS!!! I invariable lose one 2. GPS! 3. My list of caches I'm going to do, and the directions to get to each one 4. Complete spare change of clothes 5. Spare batteries for the GPS 6. Maps of the area incase the roads are not as they are on google when I mapped out my route. This can be a map book or my tablet - although the tablet is no good out of coverage unless I've 'downloaded' the maps onto Neongeo 7. Full tank of gas - as I'm caching int he weekend and normally out in the wopwops, petrol stations are hard to come by.... and in smaller locations aren;t always open on a Sunday. 8. Bottle of drinking water - for the same as above - not always able to find somewhere to have a drink. 9. A new cache to be hidden - if I find somewhere suitable. and 10. Replacement supplies for caches along the way. Bags, logs, pencils etc.

I have such statistics. I use GSAK with the FindStatGen Macro to do so.

Theres one down here that has a dummy container - check the logs! http://coord.info/GC33PFA

I will be - but I won't be trusting the maps to be accurate. Google maps aren't any more accurate. I really like the hybrid Google maps they have with the roads that don't match where the sat photo shows them...lol good times. Then you have to ask, which one is right? Are they both wrong? All this complaining is cracking me up. You folks need to get out and cache more. I love the fact my eTrex 10 does NOT have pre-loaded street maps on them. I just load the gpx files from my pq and find the cache. Sometimes I drive around in circles but that's part of the fun. The real reason I became a premie was for the pq's so I could load up my Garmin with oodles of caches from a given area. -Dave My first GPS was an etrex h. But I still used the multicache maps to plan my trip to get to the caching area. Now my nearest unfound caches are 100+ kms away maps are more impt for route planning. Google is FAR less inaccurate than the current offerings, in my neck of the woods

I will be - but I won't be trusting the maps to be accurate. I won't be expecting a fast loading website. And I won't be expecting maps to show full detail any more. I'll be prepared for the possibility of accidentally entering private property. I'll be prepared for 'new' roads to have been put in 10 years ago that didn't show up when I was planning my caching trip to be there when I go out..... and likewise for those that disappeared 5 years ago to not necessarily be deleted from the map.

Don't care - I never look at those maps - they only have 1 cache on them.

Redirection can cause issues especially at a DNS level with ISPs.

.GPXs import straight into my Google Earth, just have to change the import file type from the default of kml

Create a Pocket Query, save it to your computer and import it into Google Earth. How you do that on a mac I don't know - but thats what you do

Here here!!! My sentiments exactly.

You can see the depression where the stream is in the mapquest map, but nothing more. That ain't cool. Imagine going out for a cache and not knowing there's a stream blocking your way. That the easy route is actually a different way to avoid the stream that the locals all know about, but you don't cos you're not local.

I guess thats why GC.com has flourished - it worked on catering all manner of caching styles, not just those of those who built the website