Old Bill
-
Posts
88 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Old Bill
-
-
I dunno, my Garmin 76C does get notably better EPE with my Gillson than without.
Is it entirely practical when looking for a cache? Only if yer looking for a micro
in a pile of rocks....
Of course, that don't mean a thing if the coords are off. 
Seriously though, a large majority of the caches it won't help you. But I can understand the OP's wanting to use one.
-
Nudity is a SOCIAL mind set not a cart blanche mor across the world. Just because some people are PRUDES does not mean it is wrong.
cheers
prude
n : a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum
I don't think you need to worry about the prudes. You need to worry about the "average" guy who beats the living daylights out of naked guy in public because they perceived the naked guy as a pervert....
Perception is everything, isn't it?
-
Hmmm, interesting topic. However, I CAN see why it's appropriate here....in a bad, heart-skips-a-beat "uh, we need to talk" kinda way.
Question....what EXACTLY, is the point that Nudecacher is trying to prove? That it's OK to be naked? That it's OK to find loopholes in the law just so we can be naked in public? That he can dodge the system? I just don't get it. Oh, I get the wanting to be naked part, just not the while in public when others can see it part. That sounds suspiciously like an exhibitionist, especially when you consider that there are specific places set up for persons of such mindset.
There's reasons why there are parental controls on the cable/satellite box, ratings for movies, and laws against nudity in public. It allows people to decide what they and their families can CHOOSE to see and when they see it. Does he really think he's doing the world a favor by letting us know our "rights" about being naked? What possible meaning can be served that can't already be done by going to one of the aforementioned areas where this type of activity is OK?
And here's the BIG question....How exactly can this possibly be good for the geocaching community? It only sheds more negative light on geocaching. Just think, the headline reads...."Family with 3 little girls accosted by naked man playing high tech game." Doesn't help geocaching much, does it? I don't care how careful he is, he keeps going like this, and eventually his luck will run out (possibly in the form of an angry father) and geocaching may pay something for it.
I'm as every bit a non-prude, all american, horndog, quit yer Bible-thumpin' they ain't hurtin' nobody male as can be, and I fully understand that some people have ideas and beliefs that differ greatly from my own. The difference is that I recognize that there are PLACES and TIMES these activities are appropriate so that they WON'T be forced upon others.
OK, my $.02 is used up, over and out.
-
What's a good way to ask puzzle cache questions without resorting to multiple choice?
My wife and I would like to place some movie trivia caches, but don't want to make it easy by asking mulitiple choice questions. It seems to us that even a "hard" question can be solved by deduction. At very least, it allows someone to "force" find the cache by trying the different combinations. We'd like the questions to at least make the cacher watch the movie to find the answer, but I don't necessarily want to have the cachers email us to verify answers to obtain coordinates either.
I've thought about finding various numbers/street addresses/places in the movie and using that info to let the cacher derive the coordinates. Any other ideas to push this along?
TIA!
-
Hey, not that you had a banner day either, but it could be worse.
-
Here's my cache that's in an electrical box. The box itself is locked with a combo lock, and the cacher has to find the combo nearby to open it. No tools necessary. The cache is magnetically stuck to some of the LARGE square electrical boxes in the neighborhood, but there aren't any access points that can be confused with the cache, nor are there any that can be opened without liberal application of explosives or leverage. I did it this way because I wanted the muggles to pass over it, but to be somewhat obvious to the cachers. I labeled it with "TFTC" to make it more obvious to a cacher.
IMHO Electrical boxes are fair game to be used for caches, but the hider should be cautious about the spot he chooses.
-
If the opportunity exists to get all 6, go get 'em. ... If you were on a cache hunt, you would have gotten all 6 on any other day, correct? ... I agree with CR, to let someone else win, well, that just doesn't taste right on either side of the plate. It's like pitching underhanded to Barry Bonds. You let him hit it out.
With that said, your sense of Sportsmanship is nobel. If you feel good inside, then you did the right thing.
Yeah, if I had just DL'd a PQ and was already headed out, then yes, I would have done them all I s'pose.
As far as "letting" them have it, I know that, you know that, but unless cachers from my area are reading this (and doing some research on top of it...), then they WON'T know that. Far as other cachers are concerned, I got too tired or ran out of time/gas to make the other 3. The best good deeds are the ones where the recipients don't know who did it.
FWIW, I did go back this a.m. and snagged another one. I did try for #5 out of the 6, but with too many muggles I didn't even hit "go to" on the GPS. Besides, I was running late for work already.
-
So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?
Well I think that was nice of you to do. Even though you didn't get all six, maybe you gave some newer cacher a thrill of FTF. Prize or no prize in the cache, reading some of the FTF logs of newer cachers shows how tickled they are to get it. Read the log of a FTF hound, "Jumped up and got FTF".
It's a far farrrr sweeter FTF when you beat the "hound" at his own game.
I'd rather do THAT than have a gimme FTF.
You are both right. I did it because there is a "hound" involved and I was hoping (dreaming?) to lead by example. Yes, I could have had all 6 just to say I "beat" him, but I would have also "beat" all the other cachers who may have wanted an oppurtunity as well, and started looking like another FTF hound in the process.
Thanks to Snoogans other thread, last nite before I went out, I asked myself, "This is MY game, how am I going to play it?" And I did.
This isn't about "beating" or "revenge" or any other angsty thing like that. I simply wanted to play the game MY way, and last nite was MY way.
Cool responses, keep 'em coming.
-
Just got in from a cache run. A new series of 6 popped up, and very nearby. I simply couldn't resist this many FTF chances. However, I decided that I was going to play the game my way, which is to say play nice with others. Rather than run out and snag all 6 (which was a real possibility) I did the 3 nearest to home and called it a night, leaving the remaining 3 to other cachers. I may have only done one had these 3 not been within a mile radius of one another.
At any rate, I would not have felt right about snagging all 6 in one fell swoop.So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?
-
I try to play MY game the way that reflects who I am. That is to say, I feel that I'm a relaxed person who makes mistakes once in a while, and enjoys having fun. If something isn't fun, and I don't have to be doing it, then I'll do something else I enjoy.
Geocaching is quite probably the most perfect game EVER. Everyone can play as they feel. Sure, other cachers sometimes do things that may irk me, but you know what? I get over it pretty dang quick. For me, it's really easy to keep this hobby relaxed, fulfilling, and FUN.
In life, I sometimes falter/make mistakes, and I'll own up to each one.
In Geocaching, I log my DNF's. And I won't go back and turn a DNF into a found either.
In life, I'm better at somethings than others, and I try to improve the things I don't do so well at.
In geocaching, I do some caches well, but not others. Puzzles come to mind, but I WILL sit up late some nights trying to figure a couple out sometimes. Just to say that I could.
In life, I try to remember that I have no control over circumstances.
In Geocaching, if I don't find it, or run out of time, or don't solve the puzzle, oh well, there's always tomorrow.
In life, I try to be as creative as possible, to not stagnate. I have many skills/talents and enjoy using them to further a goal/project/idea.
In geocaching, I try to do the same, particularly the hides. I've only got 4 hides so far, but they are not a film cannister under a lamppost skirt. The hides may not be in stellar locations, but the containers are different than others, and make you think "outside the box".
In life, sure, it's cool if I'm at the front of the line, but don't grumble a lot if I'm 3rd or 4th.
In Geocaching, sure, it's cool to get a FTF, but don't get bummed/feel guilty if I'm too tired at 10pm on a worknight to drive 20 miles to snag one that just popped up. Now, 8pm and 10 miles away, that's another story!
Thanks for the thought provoking post Snoogans! I look forward to getting to Tejas sometime for "Quantam Leap".
-
A sure sign you're not caching in a good area.....
http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100n...-name_page.html
-
Have you checked to be sure that your GPSr unit is using the correct datum? IIRC, this can lead to being quite a bit off.
-
Did you follow the clue on the one near the bridge? Unless there's a lot of old junker cars there, you can probably take that clue verbatim.....
PS, read the old logs. Other cacher's experiences can be a help sometimes.
-
Patience my geocaching freind! Your first outing may have been a disappointment, but it will only get better. Now to answer your questions....
The containers will vary. Some will not be containers at all, but maybe a decoy to hold a log sheet. You can find some ideas of various (albeit evil and mean) hides on this page. At any rate, you need to "think outside the box" a lot of the time. Think "If I wanted to hide something yay big, I'd put it......" Getting to the coordinates is only half the battle in some cases, in fact, consider the coordinates as a means of getting you to the general area. You can easily be off 30' or so, so looking around for likely hiding spots is more important than eyeballing your GPS most times. Knowing approximately what size you are looking for can help a lot, and that is listed on most cache pages. Some of these things are fairly well hidden, and some are not. You can also read the clues on the cache pages, and many times, you can find inadvertant clues in other cacher's logs. A lot of caches are found by simply reading, thinking, and observing
As far as what you can do better, you may try looking for some with a difficulty of 1 or so. Can't help with the mud problem, but there are links to the Google maps on each cache page, so you can plan ahead where you are going. This might help you avoid troubles in the future. Another possibility is going for a cache in a more remote area where you can spend some time looking. Caches like these are not as likely (see the difficulty level first though) to be as difficult. Often, a strange pile of rocks or twigs are the give away to a cache.
Hang in there! This is a great hobby in that you can go as hard or as easy as you want to. If you just go to enjoy the ride/drive/hike, finding the cache is a bonus.
-
You know, they could have simply said "No children allowed without parent/guardian."
If there is an adult looking after the kids (and there should be anyway), then the pedos don't get an opportunity. That, and the community can still use the park without fear of being fined/arrested.
This law is a perfect example of "it's OK to be a lousy parent, WE'LL watch your kids for you..."
Dumb law, dumb cops, and I hope that the woman gets a smart lawyer.
-
Or, perhaps the next person to log immediately after the Troll can address the very issues he complains about and explain why he/she DIDN'T think they were problematic.
Bingo! Organize a few of the other cachers to go out immediately after this cretin logs a poor view, and totally counter him by visiting the cache and essentially saying that everything he's whining about is backwards and you have no clue what he's talking about. Get enough of those, and he may realize that he's outnumbered. At the very least, you'll get his comments buried in the logs where they'll be much less likely to be noticed.
IMHO, ignoring him is like finding a bunch of trash at the cachesite and just leaving it.
It will only affect future cachers if nothing is done about it.
-
Thanks for the info, again, about paperless. Am using EasyGPS now to retrieve waypoints and to transfer to my Garmin handheld. Will either of the two programs mentioned,Cachemate with GSAK, replace EasyGPS or compliment it? Also want to know if a PDA or PPC is the best way to go.
You will need a Palm if you want to use Cachemate.
I was using EasyGPS, and even upgraded to ExpertGPS, but now that I've got GSAK and Cachemate, I don't use either EasyGPS or ExpertGPS much.
Here's my situation when I get ready to load up a new/updated .gpx file.....
Get my Pocket Query from GC.com.
Unzip it to my "Geocaching" folder.
Open the file up with GSAK which then imports, updates, yada, yada, and then shows them to you on the screen. I then take some time weeding out caches I've already found, or know are in poor condition, etc. In short, any caches I don't want popping up on my GPS/PDA screen. GSAK's filters are SUPREME for this, and you can actually save any given filter to make it faster then next time.
I then "export" to a "Cachemate PDB file". I can then Hotsync with my PDA and the new info gets put into Cachemate.
I then "Send" all the waypoints to my GPS. You may or may not delete your existing Geocache waypoints first. I always do, as to not clutter up my GPS much. If I want to go caching in a different town, I'll just make a new database in GSAK, and send that to my PDA and GPS.
Last thing I'll do is export to "mapsource". This allows me to "see" where the caches are in my vicinity and better plan a caching run.
There's a LOT of ways to do it, and you will certainly find a way that suits your needs and makes geocaching virtually painless!
-
Okay, so I've been lurking for a while now, but I really want to go paperless too. I am totally a non-technogeek kinda gal - so please, if someone can tell me in simple english, not in some high tech mumbo-jumbo, I would really appreciate it. I am looking for a PDA (that's the limit on my geekness), but have no idea what to get. I read about people picking them up cheap, but when I look in stores/on line for one,
they are all hundreds of dollars and have blue teeth and junk like that. Now, with that said, what I need is a brand, model number and price range (keeping in mind that I want to spend less than 100 bucks) so I can get one of these dealies that keep track of caches so I don't have to kill a tree or commit 300 cache pages to memory before hitting the dusty trail. Thanks - clu
I found a Palm Zire 21 at OfficeMax on sale for $70. It was on clearance, but has WAY more memory than I'll ever need for local caching. Ebay can be a good place to look as well, but I prefer to pick up locally if possible. (that's just me, not a suggestion...)
Just be sure it's a Palm product, as Cachemate only works on Palm software. Some people would rather buy a PDA with all the memory and bells and whistles, but others get a cheapee that they can consider "disposable" if you drop it in the creek or over a bridge on accident. I certainly did not need 54 billion meg of memory, so for me, the Zire 21 was a good choice. I sincerely doubt I'll use it for anything more than caching.
GSAK is free for a short time, then you start running into "nag" screens. Well worth the price of registration. Admittedly, you will need to get cozy with it and how to import the .GPX files into it, as well as how to filter and sort. If you've done anything on the computer like XL or Access, it shouldn't be too foreign for you. At any rate, it's worth the download (fully functional right off the bat) to play with it.
Cachemate, as mentioned, only works with the Palm software, and is fairly easy to understand and use. Very non-technical describes it pretty well. About the most difficult thing with it is setting up "other" databases, but if you manage GSAK, then that shouldn't be a problem.
You may experience a steep learning curve up front, I know I spent about 6~7 hours playing with all of it, getting familar. But once I got that figured out, I can now get my PQ in .gpx format, load it into GSAK, sort it out, and upload to my GPS and PDA in under 10 minutes easily. I run a PQ about once a week, or just before I go on a major cache run. That way I have all the most recent logs and such.
Hope this helps.
-
This link should help....You'll need to do some calculator work to get it down to the 5 decimal place, but is doable.
http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/calc/degree.html
From your example of 41.12345° in lattitude, there is 275,518 ft in one degree of longitude. Breaking it down further we get this..... (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this....)
.1°=27,551.8 ft
.01°=2,755.18 ft
.001°=275.518 ft
.0001°=27.5518 ft
.00001°=2.75518 ft
I seriously doubt your GPSr is getting that kind of accuracy. That is, of course, unless you have a seriously high end survey grade GPSr.
-
Could probably use Urethane in a tube like the type for putting in windshields on automobiles. I swear you could build an entire car with that stuff.
Mega ditto on that one. Windshield urethane is about every kind of ----proof you can think of. I used it to "glue" in a patch panel on a rusty floorboard of my Jeep at the suggestion of a bodyman freind. After doing it, I can see why he recommended it. It AIN'T coming loose. EVER. If anyone ever goes back to try and fix that little repair, they will be immortalizing me with every curse word known to man!
Just DO NOT get it on anything you care about, including your various extremities.
-
After getting yet another DNF due to muggles, I happily shrugged it off and went on my way to work. Thinking over how I was going to get back to it at the right time (muggles are a problem with bad timing at the cache I was hunting.) it dawns on me that I was so relaxed through all this. No anxiety or disquietude, just a good feeling of "No big deal, I'll get it later".
I'm convinced that this is only possible because of the way the game is laid out. "points" don't matter except to the person playing, and nobody is keeping score.
You can make it as challenging or as relaxed as you want to. How nice to have a
hobby that you can actually get what you want to out of it!
And many thanks to all of you who set it up to be such a great hobby!
-
Glad you were able to keep your wits and get both of you out of there. You didn't mention it, but I suspect neither of you were allergic? I was stung about a dozen times after poking my head into a mine adit and hearing a buzzing sound only to realize that it was a huge nest of bees. Ran back to the truck and shut the door and got the heck outta there. It was easy to see where the nest was on the GPS, it was the 180° turn on the track screen!
-
How about this one in Glendale, Az...Yes, it's mine. It's "keyless" because it's a combo lock on an electrical box. Because it's placed on other larger boxes, it blends in nobody seems to question the lock. Only been up for just over a month, but still in great shape.
-
Sometimes when we write something it is crystal clear to us but cryptic to others. One of my favorite hints was: "at the base of a birch tree", for a cache that was in a dense forest of birch trees.
Heh, we did this one. The hint was "rock pile", and the area was about half a football field of river rocks.
AND the coords were off by 25 ft. Yeah I had some disquietude about that one. (See, I have a thesaurus!)
Of course, that don't mean a thing if the coords are off. 
they are all hundreds of dollars and have blue teeth and junk like that. Now, with that said, what I need is a brand, model number and price range (keeping in mind that I want to spend less than 100 bucks) so I can get one of these dealies that keep track of caches so I don't have to kill a tree or commit 300 cache pages to memory before hitting the dusty trail. 
Would This Work?
in General geocaching topics
Posted
Cutting a used propane tank open really seems like a bad idea. Right up there with poking bears with sticks. There's a reason the bomb squad (sometimes) gets called when propane tanks are found on the side of the road.....
While I have a method in mind for achieving what you are trying to do, I shall reserve that information for my own demise.