musthavemuzk

glad i could help. how about the GC number of that ? cache you were trying to find and we can offer up some help with that. tonight there were 2 new puzzle caches posted here. i have been working on them. at the beginning of a puzzle cache (?) it will say whether or not it is at the posted coordinates. well usually it does. there are exceptions of course. the first was easy and had it solved on the second attempt. mispelled word on my part. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...a4-ca0ede5661b9 the second one i have tried twice already and have not solved it yet. so i will shelf it for the night and try again tomorrow. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6d-3005495b2250 i believe these are on the easier end of things. straight forward to figure out words and put into the spot and then do some converting of letters to numbers and mayb some simple math and then use geochecker to check your answer. sometimes they use the a=1 b=2 c=3 and sometimes they use the method to encrypt the hints on here. whichis offset by 13 i think. there are some where you have to solve in the field with info on signs and headstones and such. again putting the found info into a formula to solve. but no geochecker in the field. i have solved a few puzzles but have yet to go out and find them. we normally stick to traditional caches. have only done 3 multi's so far. definite benefit to having more info on the gps with a paperless unit as well as being able to load it from the computer vs printing out cache info. less chance of error in entering coordinates. it comes down to you and money available to buy a new unit as well as well as what you want out of it. so many things to ask and figure out. personally i would use what you have for right now. as you figure out things then make a feature shopping list and then look mayb into a new unit. good luck Monty

i am surprised no one has mentioned this yet. you said you were in the middle of a parking lot correct? by chance was there a light pole in the middle of said parking lot? if so it could be a LPC. more affectionately called a lamp post cache. those that find them are called skirt lifters at times. cachers can be verry creative ppl. so ya might want to spend some time learning a few things. check out the cool cache container thread for starters http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=62421 get familiar with what containers are deemed what size. micro, small, regular, large. then there are the nano's. they are not marked as such but in the description it might say they are a nano or a blinkie. (nano and blinkie same thing. these are not much bigger then a pencil eraser) there are various threads around here to help put a size to a container to help. there are many who still use old gps units as well as some who cannot swing the money for a new fancy unit so they stick with the old and or cheaper units and find caches with them. it will take some time to get things figured out. yes paperless and the new units are great, but as i have read many a time here they are not needed to find caches. it is usually a convenience thing with them. as well as you can load more caches with more info at one time. this however it something that can open a big can of worms and can be a big learning curve. as not everything is a cut and dried thing. spend some time reading. look up local events to see about getting some help from a local cacher with some time tohelp you out. good luck. we went our first weekend out with 0-7 back in late july. and we went another weekend with less then half since then. another tip you might want to look for 1/1's or 1.5/1.5's in a regular size for starters. that is difficulty/terrain ratings. they go from 1-5 in .5 increments. 1 being wheelchair accessible. regulars can be close to size of a shoebox. Monty

interesting. might have to look into this Monty

there are free maps available for some gps units. osm maps is what i have for routable maps. the previous poster is correct in saying you can look at the screen and figure out where to go, my gf does that when i am driving. that is not really an option though when i am solo. i have found the routable to be great, i have found it takes me to the nears point, but it is not always the way to get to the cache. remember the new magellans were just released. if they work they definitely will take away some of garmin's sales with their oregon series. i was simply stating my thoughts and observations. obviously we all have different needs and wants. so i touched on some to help in the decision making process. my 62s cost me 399 at bass pro shops locally. there have been deals since then on the oregon 450 for 250. the 60csx has been kicked to the curb and those have been found cheap as well. in the 200 range. the delorme pn-40 was 299 when i got my 62s at bass pro. the new pn-60 was same price at 399. might even be able to score a used whatever for less then new to save some coin. good luck Monty

i am really torn with the GC. there are many things i/we like about it, but many more i/we do not like about it. the amount of caches it will hold and the info on each cache is nice for sure. the size and batt life is also nice. some features need to be turned off to get somewhat acceptable performance from it. it tends to studder and stop responding at times. long time to start up. keeps signal pretty good in trees. though we have not been in real dense trees with it for long periods. it has a compass, but it only works when you are moving as it uses gps movement to give direction. our biggest issue is we are on unit 4. yes i said 4. all 3 of the others stopped booting. first one at 2wks the 2d one at a month the 3rd one at 3wks. so far 2wks on the 4th one. as was said you get minimal maps. doing a multi stage is not as easy as some units. cannot do turn by turn directions. although it does scroll around the map fairly fast i do think it has great potential for a caching unit. i am just not sure it was ready for prime time yet. price point is decent after the first one stopped booting i went and bought myself a garmin 62s. so we at least have a unit that works when my gf's GC stops. loading pocket query's or other gpx files is easy though and no software needed. i use GSAK though. i would keep using the iphone for now and do some more asking. find some locals and get some face to face time with them and see if you can use their gps's to see what you like and what features you want/need. things like ability to add maps turn by turn directions sd card slot or micro sd card slot to add maps to it electronic compass 3 axis compass altimeter camera touch screen or not waas paperless or not. with the iphone and you already having the app you might be able to load pq's onto that as well as get info on the go for caches and then enter it into the gps in the field or load that info into the gps at the PC too. good luck Monty

we definitely dont clear a place out. we dont really hand pick many. when we come across some we like we note them. there are certain ones we do like and semi look for. we like ones that have potential for gorgeous scenery. we also have become fond of cemetery hides as well as ones that have a history lesson with them. we have done the lamp posts and guard rails and pine trees, but we prefer other kinds of hides that is for sure. Monty

that is understandable. you have to do what works for you. i have seen make the trek out to vegas area for the ET power trail....no way for me, but it works for them. i am ok with adding time to a trip for whatever. i did that before i got into caching. but if time is not there to start with then it is not an option to add alot of time to a trip. but as stated stops have to happen, but you can plan stops to catch a cache and just add a few minutes to the trip. rest areas. towns with caches near a eats or gas place work fine. it also depends on route taken. main arteries or side slow roads with small towns and stops and turns and such.....from Cedar Rapids, IA to Thief River Falls, MN (where i just moved from) is 620 miles. as long as you stay on the main roads. you can make most of the trip on interstate to cut time down alot. OR you can take state or us highways or back roads and add alot of time. i have made the trip in 10.5hrs. but that was before i started caching. i can only imagine what it could be if i chose to cache alot on the way. of course i will cache. for me it is a given. then again i will not be traveling with kids. so that is easier to do. back to this problem the thread is about. i had issues with firefox browser on my PC. then the hard drive crashed i got a new drive and all is good. FF worked on my gf's laptop just fine. have not had issues with chrome either. but internet explorer....ICK. i dont use it unless i have to. i do have to say though it took me a few times of trying to do caches on a route to understand how it works. hope you can figure it out as it is useful Monty

sounds familiar. we made a 2hr trip turn into 5 hrs one time. boy was it alot of fun though. Monty

did you forget a letter on the lower logbook in the email address? a cpl weeks ago now i found a cache with a notebook that was cut in half. though odd, but then though nice idea. i also have found some who take many pieces of paper and staple the ends or sides and write on the outside sheet and call it a log. you can make any size you want and use whatever paper you have. we started caching in late july. we are looking at spring for our first hides. we want time to learn and place quality caches. Monty

i would recommend reading the forums for some help with your gc. there are a number of ppl using macs that use it successfully on their mac. however i think most of them are premium members and do the PQ thing. then when they unzip the PQ they copy and paste the 2 gpx files from the PQ (one for caches and the other for waypoints) into their GC. to be able to run PQ's (pocket query) you need to me a premium member. but you can do up to 1000 caches in a PQ search based on a zip or cache as the center point filtering things as you wish. such as size of cache and type of cache and a few other options as well. with the units that are paperless and offer things such as cache description, hint, logs and such you will want the gpx files (also be sure you edit your profile to get the 1.1 or is it 1.01 gpx file for more/better info). the loc file is slim on info and will get you no further ahead with your paperless gps. all the good info for paperless is in the gpx file. while there is alot it can be handled. just take some time. do some reading and ask questions. there are alot of helpful ppl on here. for myself (started caching the end of july) i have played alot and read alot to learn what i know so far. still alot to learn, but better then i was at first. good luck with your GC Monty

doing the send to gps....does it fill up the GC quicker? i use GSAK for my 62s and my gf's GC. usually there are less then 10 gpx files on the units, but usually thousands of caches. some have said some units have gpx file quantity limits. some say 200 gpx files some say more. just curious. yes the send to gps is convenient but if it fills the unit up then you will get frustrated at a later point. i am also curious if there is a gpx file for a cache and then later you add it with a pq what info does it display for the cache? curiousity. good luck with your GC. we are on number 4 now since the end of july. Monty

having more then on or off would be nice with it. the explorist GC we have you can set bright and time for the battery save. you can also suspend it so it keeps tracking, but that is all. the rest is off. Monty

battery save was already on. guess i was expecting more then just on or off. like mayb what exactly it does. Monty

i paid 399.99 at bass pro shops about a month ago. so far i like it. though i cannot say it is perfect. i have seen ppl mention the battery save thing....where do i go to set this up at? Monty

its not like the pics need to be incredible quality. irfanview works just fine imho. i like that it can batch process easily. i have noticed pics i upload are not always the size i upload anyways. some are the size and some have been shrunk in pixel size. Monty

alrighty then. i noticed it was not clickable right now as well as there was no way to select anything. so in a weeks time it will be clickable to run it again if i choose? that is easy enough thanx Monty

since this is the first PQ thread i found after getting on here today i will ask my question. i had a hard drive crash so i lost my database for GSAK. so to get my finds i did the my finds PQ. all good and such. is there a way to turn off the my finds PQ? Monty

if i come across any that might be of interest i will surely let ya know. i am from boone ia which is 2hrs west of cedar rapids. so i would make the trip back and forth a cpl times a year. the road between boone and cedar rapids is US-30. originally it was called the Lincoln highway. it went from east coast to west coast. http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ google it for more info. i have seen caches in PA for this highway. while it is not as known as route 66 or the pacific highway it is still cool and nostalgic in my opinion. in MN there is also US-75 that is known as the historic king of trails. it goes from canada to TX. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_75 yes i like to drive. i hope one day to be able to drive freely as i please. but back to what i was going to say. before caching i would head south on US-59 from thief river falls, mn to fergus falls and get on I-94 to the twin cities. take I-494 around the cities and get on I-35 and that would take me to ames, ia. jump on US-30 and go west 15 miles to Boone. then reverse the trip. now i am not sure what route i want to take between the places. after we started caching we decided we wanted to cache on the way to boone from cedar rapids. it is 120 miles and 2hrs. well 5hrs and over 160 miles later we made it. the routes are plentiful that is for sure to go from here to there. so there is a good chance i will scope out I-94 from the cities to fargo as well as scope out fargo when i make my trip north. if i come across any i will let ya know. i have a trivial 119 finds so far so i do not have many caches to recommend. however i do have one in Pella, IA. though this is likely out of the way for you as well. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...57-747e305561aa Monty

i have kinda followed your planning for your trip to KC and then to omaha. so when i saw this i was like doesnt he like RI? anyways in june 2010 i moved back to IA (Cedar Rapids to be exact) i spent 18 yrs in Thief River Falls, MN. which is 50 miles from grand forks and 120 miles from fargo. 300 from twin cities. so i spent alot of time in Grand Forks, ND as well as down in Fargo-Moorhead. i am sure you have heard of a little river called The Red River of the North? it flows north as most rivers flow south. i have only been caching since end of july so i dont have alot of seat time yet, but i figured there had to be an earth cache or more then one for the Red River. and there is. this is in Fargo http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...00-ed70838c6a33 this is in grand forks http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...26-6f9321b235d4 it is an hrs drive from Fargo to Grand Forks. speed limit on I-29 is 75 and it is 72 miles plus through town to get to the river. devils lake, nd is 90 miles (on 65mph roads) west of grand forks. they too have been in the news alot due to the rising lake as it has no outlet. emerson, manitoba, canada is 82 miles north of grand forks (still on 75mph I-29). though a passport is needed to get across the border now. and i have no clue on caches there. just saying. you could add a country if ya had the time. right now i am scoping things out so i can cache on the way back north and cache while up that way. i am planning to go to Itasca state park near Bemidji to get the headwaters earth cache. and there are 2 of them there. i am a bit confused on this though. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...3b-e16773a39ebb and http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...9d-8260e986934f i am sure you are wanting to go to ND to catch another state. but i thought i would mention some other things up there that i am aware of, then again you might not be into earth caches. they interest me even though i have not done any yet. only so much time in a day to do things. on a side note. if you are going to be in fargo you might as well catch this waymark. http://www.Waymarking.com/waymarks/WMDVK_S...ty_Fargo_ND_USA there is (was) one in cedar rapids. but it seems to be missing. idk if the floods of 2008 took it or what happened. in one of the logs it shows an empty location. i havent been down to check it out yet either. http://www.Waymarking.com/waymarks/WM5K86_...dar_Rapids_Iowa according to what i found online there were alot of them in IA at one point. http://www.cheyennetroop101.org/liberty/ i remember from the KC to omaha thread you were going to go to john wayns birthplace and i think to the covered bridges of madison county right? idk how far out of the way this would be but it is also something cool that we are proud of in the midwest. it is a virtual too. and we know once they are done they are done. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...8f-eedc92331b03 hope this was some of some use to you Monty

just took a little looking to find that http://www.geocaching.com/garmin/freetrial.aspx Monty

to use that mobile version you do not need to have a premium membership as far as i know. the errors you were getting were likely due to the regular site being too large for your basic phone to process. i had that happen alot with my old motorola razr v3m. finally i had to step to a blackberry. on my 2nd one of those and well that is another story on like not like it. as far as benefits of premium....yes there are since you got a garmin unit i would say try the premium membership free for 30 days. off the top of my head i cannot remember the site. it is on geocaching.com somewhere and a search or ask in the forums will give it to you. new owners of garmin gps units get 30 day premium membership. when we got our magellan explorist gc we got a paper in it with a code for 30 days free. pocket query being the one ppl like the most. you can log in and get the cache info with a basic membership. with premium you can do more detailed searching. all in one search you can narrow it down by type of cache, size of cache, d/t ratings (difficulty and terrain), distance from you, different attributes, and some other things. as well as you can do a pocket query (PQ) on a route letting it look for the same things on a specified distance on either side of a route. there are many threads about that here. PQ's that is. wish i could help more on the gps you bought but i cannot. looking around this place though you should be able to find alot of help. yes some buy the big and full featured models.....yet some by the entry ones and still find caches. they just have to do things differently is all. glad to see you got out and enjoyed this. i saw you found one near green bay. my gf is a packer backer and i always tell her i am sorry she is one. i think she would like a trip to Lambeau at some point. but that is another thing. if we do we will definitely have to cache up there. we already touched the sw corner in prairie du chien, wi. but there is so much of the states/world that you can see with caching i always shake my head in amazement have fun Monty

if it is unactivated can't you look at logs of the cache you found it in and see who may have dropped it? then get in touch and fix the problem? Monty

i can answer one question and it would work well for logging caches and trackables you drop. there is a mobile browser wap.geocaching.com no w's in front of wap it is fast and it is simple. but idk if it would give you all the info you are looking for. worth a shot though Monty

correct the OP has a 60csx and i didnt mean to hijack with my 62s i was just curious how to do it on this model as well. i took some screenshots last night going from offroad to onroad. this is what i saw http://www.pbase.com/musthavemuzk/garmin62sthings as for reading the manual. i always read the manual. in the case of the 62s it came with a qucikstart manual and it tells you how to get to the digital html file on the unit or you can get the pdf file from the garmin site. so unless you want to print it you have to be in front of a computer to read it. even though i read the manual i dont always grasp the things it talks about. especially with a new to me gadget. so the learning curve comes into play here. i like the web and forums and interacting with others who have the same gadgets as they likely have faster easier to understand info. Monty

thanx for the help. will try this tomorrow when we are out caching. we are heading an hr west to my cousins bday and are going to cache while out that way as well. since i am unfamiliar with the area i can now switch easily and quickly from car navigation to off road. perfect! also need to figure out how to get to her new house with the 62s. have only done routable to caches. using the OSM maps right now. Monty