StripeMark

I bought mine on e-bay. For the minimum subscription in the "coin club", it was going to cost $36. There have been a bunch on e-bay in the last week that have been going from $30 to $75. I picked mine up for $38 (it was worth $2 not to worry about subscriptions and other costs).

Got my GeoCoin in the mail on Saturday. Pretty cool although smaller than I'd thought it would be. It's the same size as an Eisenhower Dollar.

I also received responses to 2 e-mails on Sunday. She's still there!

Thanks! Looks very kewl!!!!!!

Could you post an actual photo of the coin instead of the drawing? thanks!

I sent a e-mail to Deb. We'll see what she says. Thanks mloser!

Also notice that the STAMPING on AA4266 is RESET 1990 and the STAMPING on AA7390 says RESET 1991. The marker I found says RESET 1990. There are no other markers on that headwall. It's only a 4 foot headwall. ??????

Just checking........ Would AA4266 monumented by the Missouri Highway Comission http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=AA4266 and AA7390 monumented by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=AA7390 be referencing the same survey marker? Same disc with 2 different PID's? Also, on AA4266, what does it mean by "100 FEET (30.5 M) RIGHT OF STATION 265+60."? First of all, right??? east or west, north or south? I measured out 100 feet on a tape measure from the disc on the headwall and found nothing east or west of it. Any idea what STATION 265+60 would be referencing? Thanks! -Stripe

My 5 "destroyed"s have been uploaded over the weekend now also.

Yes, Deb is slowly going through e-mails. She is working from home right now. I also just received a reply back on 5 destroyed(s) that I was reporting on. (I need to start carrying a sledge hammer in my truck!!!)

I think you are looking for: http://www.theinvisibleshield.com/ I myself use PDA sceen protectors picked up at Wal-Mart. They come in a pack of 12. People have said they don't last, but I've had mine on for about 6 months now with no problems or scratches.

(1) Do you hunt Geocaches, BM's or Both. Benchmarks, no caches. I did a couple caches at first, but didn't interest me. (2) If you do hunt BM's, do you log with GC.com, the NGS, or both? Both -StripeMark

I still think that the "NGS Benchmarks" count should be taken off the User Stats page. People then would not have to worry about increasing this number. .....or instead change it to the number of "First to find" then if 20 people find it after you, you are the only 1 to get credit in your "stats".

<<Its the urge to log them on Geocaching.com that I find a bit baffling.>> ....maybe the desire to raise your "User Stats"? ...the latest example of this: http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=LO0927 Even though the people logging know it is probalby wrong, they still log it as a "Found".

Yup, it's your typical government Vacancy Announcement. - USDA Computer Specialist

I also have the 90 degree angled one and have no problems getting it off. And yes, the worse thing you want to do is pull on the wire itself.

The datasheet coordinates are in DD MM SS for "scaled" and DD MM SS.SSSSS for "adjusted".

<<Benchmark hunters seek them for a multitude of reasons, but it's safe to say that adding to their caching stats isn't one of them.>> That's for sure...... especailly when the GeoCache database is several years old and don't include many of the benchmarks that I've located and reported to the NGS.

I've been on a tour at the Mid-Continent Mapping Center at Rolla, MO (home of the USGS in this region) and they said the same. The USGS benchmark database is on 8.5 x 11 pieces of paper in hundreds of folders in dozens of file cabinets. They have no current plans to computerize it. ......however, there are SOME USGS benchmarks also included on the NGS database. If you find USGS marks, the guys who took me and my daughter on the tour said that he had no idea where I would log them at the USGS. A funny story: The MCMC has a 1-room visitor center / museum and they show a 20 minute video. The guy who gave us a tour said they get about 2 to 4 people a week through there. When I mentioned that I was into recovering benchmarks and mapping in general. he got another guy and they both showed us around the building (apparently even into some areas where visitors usually don't go!). They were so excited that someone who was actually interested was visiting!

Let me take a wack at this......... (1) Some of the marks on the TOPO maps will be on the NGS database. Some of the marks are even on the GeoCache database. But not all USGS marks will be on either database. If they are not on the GeoCache database, you can't log them there. If they are not on the NGS database, you can't log them there either. You have to remember that NGS and USGS are 2 separate things. I once found a NGS marker 6 feet from a USGS marker. Both in good condition. Each have their own database. (2) The marks on the TOPO map are a "X" for a "standard" benchmark. The little triangle symbol is for a triangulation station benchmark. (3) How old is the TOPO map you are using? If it's a NGS benchmark, it might not be listed on the TOPO map, especially if it's a fairly new one. If it's not on the database, you can't log it. -my 2 cents worth

I used mine to track the location of underground drainage tile as it was laid in a field my dad was tiling. He now knows exactly where the tile is at for future use.

OK... maybe I'm just clueless here, but why? The GPS is receiving signals and not transmitting anything. Or is the problem from the electrical interference that might be generated? just wondering.....

...and the cost of doing something like that would be????? Anyone have an idea?

Along the same lines....... I'm thinking of buying an external antenna for my Garmin 60. My question is, once the antenna (with a 9 foot cord) is installed, the antenna on the hand unit will no longer be receiving signals, ...right? .....and the location shown on the screen is the location of the external antenna, and not the handheld unit, ...right? Thanks!

I've noticed that most marks set in Minnesota the last couple years are also set in this same manner. Yes, it's so the ground can rise and set with frost and the rod stays in the same place.