derrylynne

We always check if there is a DNF that all is well. Apart from that we don't tend to visit often unless nearby as reports on finds will always indicate if there is a problem.

Loved that one paul. Glad you ducked ok. That made me laugh.

Hey that was good. We really enjoyed this clip and it gave us a laugh. Can't wait for more. Sorry we don't have any ourselves, although will have to take the video out with us sometime and see what we can do...

Think I will leave that cache out. Seems a mite too muddy for me. Heck, thigh boots would not be enough, and as Lynne is only 4'10 does not bare thinking about.....

We came a across a sheep trapped in a fence with it's lamb baying for it's mother nearby. It looked like the poor thing had been there a while. It seems the sheep slipped down an incline in the field where the fence was, thrusting it legs under the fence and jamming it tight so it could not get the thrust to push itself out. A Pull of the fence, and a lift from underneath gave it enough leaway to push up with it's feet and out it popped. It was a wonderful experience, seeing the lamb and mother reunited and walking back over the field together. The first thing the lamb did was have a feed from it's mother. That made visiting that cache so well worthwhile....

Full marks to Garmin. I needed to contact them over a missing part some time ago and recieved it next day with no problem. Garmin customer relations is first class. They treat their customers well, and keep them in the process. I now have my third Garmin and will only use Garmin now because I know if there is a problem, I will bet to speak to a person, not a machine, and that the problem will be corrected with no fuss. Well done Garmin for giving such a first class service. A lot of companies would do well to see how Garmin does it as it is a pity more companies were like Garmin. Yes it cost them a little bit, but all this is all recovered in valued custom and goodwill, not to mention word of mouth from satisfied customers. Well done all the staff at Garmin.

Yep love those gecko's Dave and Nicki leave at their caches. In fact picked one up yesterday. But will move it on somewhere. All the best Dave and Nicki on your 200th. Only another 800 before your milestone. May even see you one day out caching...

We always log a dnf, although we have had only two so far. We then add the cache to the watch list to see if anyone else has the same problem. You will sometimes find if you log the dnf that the owner will contact you with a little more help if you were a bit out. Neither of us feel our pride gets in the way. The dnf's we had were turned about later by a return to find the cache the next time around.

Yes a good point Morton. The states have topical maps, but none for the uk. Will be handy to have those in the uk as they will give ground features for caching. But have to agree the quest when on the road, or getting to the trail, is really good.

The quest can be had for around £350 and that includes all the mapping. You would be able to load the eu city select in the usa version, but the eu quest carries a lot more memory. Myself if you want to use a gps for mapping as well as caching, you will be better getting one from a uk supplier. For those that just want a basic one for caching, the usa is cheaper.

The eu mapping with the garmin gps range is very good, I use it myself. As for choice of gps. Make sure it has a colour screen, as it stands out much better. If you want to use the garmin for navigation, here it depends on how good you want your navigation to be. I used to use a vista for navigation, however, there are no voice commands, and the screen is quite small. The navigation also is mostly done by watching for arrow on the screen. I myself decided to go for a compromise between mapping, navigation, and geocaching. The first decision of course is the unit has to be of the same waterproof standard as the etrex, but with a larger screen, and it helps with voice navigation. For this reason I went for the Garmin Quest. It is faultless in navigation, the screen is chrystal clear, and the instructions excellent. It is also a good gps and seems to be better in steep valleys and under tree cover then many other garmin's. However, if you look for my topic on this site about the garmin quest, the manual when it comes to geocaching is lacking. So you wlll need to read that and any comments from others. It is quite expensive, but cheaper in the states. But, if bought in the states, don't know if you can by it with the europeon mapping. The unit also has a massive memory, in fact the EU version has about twice the memory of the us version to hold more maps. For instance, the EU version holds the whole of the uk, with lots to spare. All in all, you get what you pay for. Sorry to ramble, hope my input helps a bit.

Thanks for that one Morton. I have updated the software both for firmware and voice navigation on the Garmin Quest with no problems at all. When I first got the quest my first reaction was this is not going to be any good for caching. However after discovering what the manual does not tell you, I find the Quest to be excellent for caching, and of course to navigate to the start of the cache. And of course it is waterproof, essential on our shores. I also have found the quest works better than say the vista under tree cover, and even while driving in steep valleys, I never lose the signal. I am sure that this thread I have started will be of great help to some out there as the garmin manual for the Quest does have so many ommisions.

Having just bought a Garmin Quest, what is soon very obvious is the lack of clarity, and omissions in the manual. For this reason I have started this thread so others can add as they see fit. The easiest way to add waypoints with the Quest is of course to download it from city select on your computer, but this will not always be convenient. To add a waypoint - On the quest the pointer is always in pan mode. Pan to an open bit of countryside. Press OK and that position will pop up. You can then edit the name, waypoint etc . Press ok and it will be in my locations. Once you have navigated to your start position, or head of trail, what about getting the compass. This again is not explained in the manual. While in map mode, press menu, scroll to settings, press ok, scroll to route setup using rocker, press ok, then in route preferences select off road and press ok. Using the page button, it works a bit like a page back on a computer, go back to the map. Pan to your cache, press ok, and route to. You will now have the straight line to the cache. Press the page button and there is your compass. You can if you want to then press menu once and go to course pointer if you wish. When you get back to your car, don't forget to go through the first part to re-select faster or shorter distance for road navigation. You can stop navigating at any time by pressing and holding in menu then selecting stop navigation. Another detail, and not a small detail not mentioned is how to delete all the waypoints you accumalate. As well as routes. To delete waypoints press and hold menu. select my locations.press menu once, select delete. From here you can delete all by symbol, category, or all my locations. While in routes you can press menu once and then are offered the chance to delete all routes. In waypoints you can delete a single point by scrolling down to the waypoint, once right with the rocker, then an x will be highlighted. Press ok. and you will be offered the chance to delete. If anyone else has anything to add I look forward to reading it. Hope this helps those with the quest. Pity Garmin did not write their manual properly.

I have just bought a quest and it's out of this world for navigating in the car to the start of a cache. You will wonder what you did without it. It takes a bit of getting used to, but is good value for money. As you say, the battery life is more than enough, and while it is in the cradle working in the car it is charging up anyhow. Another point of course it is still a rugged, although different unit to hold in the hand, also waterproof to the same standard as the etrex family. The screen is good, clear and bright, even in sunlight.

Many thanks for that. Sorry I posted then looked down and found much of the information I needed. Would be nice to know the experiences of other geocachers with the quest though. I upgraded to the quest from a mono vista and the on road navigation is out of this world. I sold the vista today so will be using the quest to geocache from the next hunt. So any experiences from other geocachers about their experiences with this new gps would of course be of interest, and also any advice as to any quirks found with this unit. One question I have is how does this perform in tree cover, valleys etc.

Having just bought a quest because of its super road navigation I am a bit dubious about its abilities for geocaching. Does anyone else on this forum use the quest for caching and if so can you tell me how you get on with it.

If anyone wants help with the ropes we will be pleased to help . We are in Mid Glamorgan, South Wales and go out as far as Neath to the north, and Barry, Porthcawl and Swansea on the coast. Anywhere else within about a 20 miles radius we tend to get out to. This is a really helpful idea for anyone wanting to learn how to use a gps well and to get some really good tips.

I am 56 and Lynne is 44. The wonderful thing about this sport is the exercise we both get out of it. It sure keeps us fit, and will help to keep the old bones more supple. Well mine anyway, Lynne is younger. For myself and Lynne, we can't think of a more enjoyable way to enjoy a day out. Heck, we even get to places we never knew were there.

I have to agree after reading the comments that caches themselves should never be placed in a graveyard. I don't find any problem with obtaining information from headstones however. Old graves can and do teach you a lot about history. I did one not far from where i live in Llantrisant and it was only when walking around the very old graveyard that it struck me that in them days everyone in wales spoke welsh. All the gravestones were inscripted in Welsh. It also gives an indication of how long life expectancy was then too. As already said, the important thing is to have respect when in a graveyard. The main thing is not too give the sport a bad name. I can't see how geocaching could ever be outlawed though - after all if that happened we would well and truly be in a big brother state.

yes unfortunately that appears to be the case. Makes the offer rather useless. Would be happy to see a reply by Groundspeak about this. I use mapsource, but like most geocachers will give any other software a go to see if it may offer something that mapsource does not. To say I was dissapointed is an understatement.

I downloaded the trimble adventure planning software that is being offered on 3 months trial via geocaching com. However, it seems that only american users will find a use for it as there seems to be no uk mapping on it. Does anyone know if there is uk mapping for it or not. And if so, how useful others find the software over and above the garmin mapsource uk software.

never realised there was a uk forum. Thanks for pointing that one out will find it now.

I downloaded the trimble adventure planning software that is being offered on 3 months trial via geocaching com. However, it seems that only american users will find a use for it as there seems to be no uk mapping on it. Does anyone know if there is uk mapping for it or not. And if so, how useful others find the software over and above the garmin mapsource uk software.