SteveThePirate115

Cryptik Souls Crew and Critical Mass Inc. are currently developing a special cache for halloween evening, which will be in the Reading area and will involve a video to watch on You Tube. We're currently in the planning phase so details are to be confirmed, but it will be on halloween evening and will prove to be quite scary. Check back here for more details very soon!

Is there still space at the camp site PUP?

The GB Topo deos look good enough for my needs as a cacher, but look at the coverage map on the Garmin Topo GB page. There's no coverage for poor me over in Northern Ireland! Still part of the UK I might add!

Car's packed, getting the overnight ferry tomorrow night, so will be there friday lunchtime ish! LOOKING FORWARD TO - Seeing some good friends, familiar faces and all those of you I've never met. ***NOT*** LOOKING FORWARD TO - The 8 hour ferry and the 4 hour drive with 2 kids. Bring on Friday! P.S. Might need a little assistance with the tent (bit big for me an my own) if anyone can spare 5 hours or so! Rat-o-van (Rat that has been run over by a van)

If anyone wants Liane's mobile number, it's 077******** hehe Just kidding!

We used to do this with our CBs back in the day, when we were all far too young to drive and would rely on someone's older sibling to race us accross the Isle of Wight with our Midland Portapack, a magmount aerial and an RF meter! Oh the fun you could have before mobile phones, and before anyone calls me old, I'm 26 so it wasn't that long ago!

Liane, need to know about the noise thing. If I'm gonna do this comparing stuff I need to know how much noise I can make! And to anyone else... I'm planning (if pernitted by the campsite warden) to bring a wee bit of disco gear to go with the talent contest type affair. Now, I only have a pair of bloody big active PA speakers totalling 1KW RMS (which is bloomin big for those not into sound tech) and I feel that for our modest affair (and the comfort of other campers) this may be a little large. If anyone has an old hi-fi with a fair bit of oomph they can bring I'd really appreciate it. All it'll need is a stereo aux input (phono) and it'll do the trick! Hopefully I can squeeze in a couple of disco lights too and we can have ourselves a PAR-TAY! Thanks all, Ratty Ratty Rat Rat UPDATED Scrub that, the warden has spoken and the music is off. I was kinda hoping the field we were on may be far enough away for us to get away with a bit of 'early evening' entertainment, but that must not be the case. Oh well, will have to speak up, and you lot will have to sing! Oh, and Matthew wants to enter the talent contest, so stick him down! See you all in a few days, Rattus Rattus

So how much noise can I make then Liane? Have you spoken to the warden bloke yet?

I have a nokia e65, and while it doesn't have gps built in, connects nicely to my bluetooth gps bug. The only problem I have is software. I really wanted my phone to be the 'all-in-one' cache package, but the only symbian software I've found is AFTrack, which doesn't work correctly on my phone. TomTom works a treat though, which gets the car to the car park ok!

Sorry Liane, was too busy spending all your money!

I can't take the credit for the GeoUK Facebook group, I'm sorry to say. That's all down to a chap called John (can't remember his geoname right now, have a look on the group!). I stumbled across the group a little while back when it first started and it had only a couple of members. I thought maybe it was down to people not knowing or even understanding what facebook was all about, so I got on the forums and posted this as a bit of publicity! Seems to be working well! Now all I have to do is activate my Facebook 'Webcam Viewer', 'Bank Account Hacker', and 'Surfing Habit Gatherer' applications so I can watch you all naked, rob all yer cash and blackmail you into joining my new outlaw group, the 'cyber band of merry men'! Muhuhuhuhuhu... /me giggles to himself like a little child!

How are you all today? Good I hope! I've recently become a member of the facebook community. Now I know what some of you must be thinking... another one of those 'myspace generation' websites; but you would be wrong. Facebook uses a simple and clean user interface, and allows you to network with just about anyone on the planet. There’s also an app available that puts your geo-stats on your profile page, which is pretty cool. I’ve been using it to say hello to some old mates from school – and I’ve just found out that there are loads of geocaching groups set up. One geo-group in particular is Geocaching UK. It is pretty low on members right now, and could do with some support. So go on, it only takes a minute or so to register, is completely free and I’m positive will prove to be a great networking tool for the UK Geocaching community. And, you can catch up with some old school/work mates while you’re at it! Facebook can me found here – http://www.facebook.com Geocaching UK group can be found here - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2653370305 Happy caching all… Ratty x

Well done Hazel, my lovely!

Any of you going to the Isle of Wight Festival this year? Let me know if you are, and I'll arrange a 'Micro-Event'. Not sure if this has ever been done at a festival before, but it's worth a pop, even if it is just for a beer and a boogie! Ratty

Surely not, you must have cheated! Well done chaps, love to all. While I'm here, let me shamelessly plug my event this summer... http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=164698 HOW SHAMELESS! And yes Liane, you're invited!

Geo-chaps / Chap-ettes! I’m planning a camping event weekend on the Isle of Wight. It will be held on the August bank holiday weekend (25th-27th Aug 07) in a town on the South-East coast called Sandown (my home town!). This is just a ‘feeler’ post really. I know a few of you want to get the Island struck off of your counties list, and this may just be your opportunity! I will in the next few days (depending on interest, of course) have a camping venue arranged and more details about ferries etc, as well as the cache log all set up. My parents have a great little pub in Sandown which will be a great place for a night out. There’s also some gorgeous beaches nearby, so accompanied with the amazing countryside and some fantastic weather, this will prove to be a good weekend. We will, however, need to get ferries booked early, as the robbing gits tend to charge through the ear the later it gets, and as this is the bank holiday weekend, they will get every penny they can. For an idea on ferry costs in advance, check out; www.redfunnel.co.uk - if you don't mind sailing early in the morning and early in the evening, you can get the ferry for a car, 2 adults and 2 kids for around £40. Checked it just now, but that was at 0700 going out and 1930 coming back. www.wightlink.co.uk Keep an eye out here for more info, and please feel free to post if you think it’s the best idea you’ve heard this decade and wouldn’t miss it for the world! Cheers all, Ratty Critical Mass Inc.

What version of AFTrack you using? Is it the S60 3rd Edition? If so, which version? I'm running 3rd Edition Version 1.01 on my Nokia e65, and the compass card seems to scramble while navigating. Also, I can't navigate below about 5mph! Below that it just freezes the bearing. Cheers, Ratty

That sounds rather good Mr. Dew! I'll have net access while there, so I'll let you know which days I'm free...

Given that the flag is still flown like that Forester, any with a past grievance but not a current one could have been discounted. Marty you're right with Cuba any guess why? Go on, I'm intregued!!

Don't remind me!

Watcha all, how's tricks? Those of you who know me will already know that I moved to Northern Ireland a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, the small number of caches here, combined with a severe lack of time, has put my caching on the back burner - right at the back! However, I'm on a course on the mainland from this Sunday (4th March) and will be there for 4 weeks. Gonna do as much caching as possible, as this course is likely to present quite a bit of spare time. SOOOOOOOOO, anyone who lives in the Oxford/Reading area (or can get there!) and is up for a spot of communal caching in the 'cache rich' London West area, email me, let me know here or catch me Geo-Chat . Hope to see some of you all soon! P.s. Anyone got their ticket for the Isle of Wight festival? If there's a few of us out there, I may well arrange an event cache for the, er, event!

There's always one, isn't there...

Friends, I'd like to share a story with you all. We've all seen the TV ads and heard the horror stories about identity theft, but the most of us just think 'well, it won't happen to me'. That's what I thought, until I found out last week that someone in thailand had cleared out my bank account... I'm always very vigilant when it comes to using my cards and disposing of my documents. When I go online I always check for the security certificate, I never let my cards out of site, I always check for devices on ATMs and ALL of my unwanted documentation gets shredded. So how can somebody create a clone of my switch card and use it in another country to clear my account? The bank (****) has been very unhelpful, informing me that I didn't take out the optional card protection (which I didn't know I needed to have). They have no idea how the monies came to leave my account, and are currently 'investigating'. There are ways in which you can protect against this; Check with the bank to make sure you have card protection Avoid using debit cards online (credit cards are safer) Never let anyone take your card away, always go with it Check ATMs (cash machines) for devices where you put your card in Always cover the keypad when you input your pin Destroy all personal documentation by shredding or burning Regularly check your statements for unusual activity I hope my experience can act as a bit of a wakeup call to everyone. This time they only got away with £900, but it could have been so much worse.

I had this problem with a micro on one of my multis. There were signs of loads of rodent activity, and never did find my 35mm can again! And yes, my geo-nickname is Ratty, go on, laugh it up! P.S. Liane, how about 'Hopping Rats' ! ;-)

Hey you lot. Well, I'm home, safe and sound and back with my family. I would like to say a big thanks to all of you. While I was away in Iraq I had so much support from geocachers, some I know quite well and others I've never spoken to. It made my time away so much easier and for that I truly can't thank you enough. It's good to know I have so many friends in the geocaching community. See you all in chat very soon! Ratty