fratermus

A PQ is a predefined, scheduled search against the geocaching database. It is not synonymous with "geocaches along a route", although a button to that effect does show up on the PQ main page and you can make a PQ out of it. I will let others with personal experience chime in. I have done it in gpsbabel but not GC. I assume GC uses babel under the hood.

I'd say that's oversimplified to the point of inaccuracy*, but the general concept holds. GPX is the richer format for holding geocaching waypoints. frater mus *A few moments with a text editor will reveal that there is more in the .loc XML than just the coordinates.

That is truly bizarre logic; I assume it is not your idea and you are merely reporting it, so no personal offense intended. I consider it no more inappropriate than for a road-side work detail to pick up a rock, a broken bottle, a tire iron, or a syringe. Or, for that matter, any trade swag in the cache that might be used in the blackmarket economy. There are protocols for prisoners who find dangerous things when on the chain gang. If this is truly a valid concern (and I suggest it is not), then it would be far more rational for GC to stop accepting cache placements within X miles of a correctional institution. Problem solved. I wasn't wondering at all. I was assuming (and still assume) it was to protect Groundspeak from real or imagined liability.

"If you like Lotus Notes, you'll love GSAK!" :-)

Others have pointed you to the PQ, but I think what may be happening is you may be expecting the "Download Waypoints" button from a cache listing to work the same way as the "Send to GPS" button on an individual cache page. It does not do this. Rather, it generates a .loc file for download to your PC, You then load the .loc into your GPS using your favorite utility. I use EasyGPS. Note that even if you set up a PQ that you will still have to manually load the resulting file (.loc, .gpx, whatever) into your GPS; it doesn't work like the "send to my gps" functionality on the GC website. That was my smile for the morning. :-)

Another vote for this approach.

Tangent: as an ex-soldier, Eagle Scout, and human, I'll add that I would really to prefer to live in a world where a pocketknife was an appropriate tool for any kid old/capable enough to geocache on their own.

EasyGPS will work fine. My guess is the PC wants the driver software for the GPS, as another poster noted. This is worth talking about. Garmin's generic map software platform is called MapSource. All their map products* use MapSource as their delivery and manipulation mechanism. In addition to map handling, MapSource also works with waypoints, routes, tracks, etc. This will become relevant in a moment. MapSource + City Navigator mapsets = City Navigator retail package you see at the store MapSource + Topo mapsets = topo retail package you see at the store MapSource + minimal basemap = Trip & Waypoint manager Effectively, T&WM is the MapSource platform without uploadable maps, but with a simple basemap that you can see as a background. You will likely have to do the install in order to get the GPS to talk to the PC. It's no big deal, T&WM will not hurt anything, and you will end up using the MapSource platform later on anyhow when you buy mapsets for your motorcycle traveling. Once you get the cd installed you can use EasyGPS to upload your caches to the GPS. Easy recognizes usb GPS units just fine. * SD-based maps are an exception

EasyGPS is not intended to show background maps.

If you mean "can I get a better map" then Star's post is spot on. I would add that MetroGuide maps also work on the 60 series. If you mean, as it suggests, is the basemap itself upgradeable then no, not in any usual sense. The basemap appears to be written in Garmin GPSr hardware.

Generally speaking, any handheld is good for geocaching. Your life will be a bit simpler if they are including the PC cable with the GPS. That way you can download the waypoints into the gps instead of entering them manually.

Mark a new waypoint then edit the waypoint to the geocache's coordinates.

This is a Frequently Asked Question. The short answer is Find By Name. For the longer answer, read the link I provided.

After a few years in the field, the most obnoxious thing I've found in a cache was one of those "convert to my religion, which is of course the One True Religion" comic book tracts. I traded it out of the cache and drizzled chicken blood, rum spray and cigar smoke over it while dancing in the moonlight near the..... sorry, got sidetracked there for a moment. As others have noted, I have found far worse in junkpiles in the forest. Needles, drug paraphenalia, used condoms, homeless encampments. This is a function of littering in general and not caching in particular. Indeed, cachers generally leave places better than they found it.

Battery Saver is most useful when the course or location is steady/predictable, as when driving on the the road en route to a cache. Once the user starts more random movement on foot I would agree it is not useful. In an extreme case, I left my Foretrex 201 on my motorcycle accidentally turned on in the garage. It was still running (although nearly out of juice) several days later. The normal life is about 8hrs. I think a good compromise would be an automatic mode: * while autorouting the GPS would use battery saver * when the last road point is reached (ie, no way to autoroute closer) the GPS would switch to off-road nav and Normal/WAAS mode.

GPS units without e-compasses only point the way reliably when the unit is moving. If you stand still it knows where you are but not, to simplify a bit, which direction you are currently facing.

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As with a "real" compass, one does not stare (or stop and stare) at it. Use the compass to get a visual bearing and start walking. Continue walking and spotcheck the gps every once in a while to see if you need a new visual bearing. Count my vote in the "no electronic compass" column.

As with a "real" compass, one does not stare (or stop and stare) at it. Use the compass to get a visual bearing and start walking. Continue walking and spotcheck the gps every once in a while to see if you need a new visual bearing. Count my vote in the "no electronic compass" column.

The original question was "what does a 1 by 1 look like". For the sake of new onlookers, I will spiel on this topic a bit. 1x1 refers to the terrain and difficulty ratings. Both are rated from 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest). So a 1x1 would be easy to get to in its physical enviroment, and easy to find once you got to it. There is no set appearance for a 1x1. It is only a rating of the challenge level it presents to the cacher.

Freeware EasyGPS can name the cache by name rather than GC*. Edit | Preferences | Geocaching

Yup, i stencil in black on the OD ammo can.

A GPS is not a $2 compass. Its job is not to point north. Having said that, I would imagine your GPS manual will tell you how to calibrate your electronic compass, and how often you have to do it. I agree with the previous poster that considers the electronic compass near-worthless. The cardinal directions do not suddenly shift when one stops walking. If north was in that direction when you were walking then it is still in that direction now that you have stopped walking. How often are cardinal directions used in caching anyhow? I giggle when I see cachers spinning in circles trying to calibrate their e-compass. "I'm going to pay extra money for this unit so I can stand in a field and spin while my buddies are hunting caches."

Geko is just fine, and $57 shipped is well worth it, particularly given the small size and light weight of the geko. It'd be a great deal if you got the PC cable with it. If not, you'll probably want to start trolling for one on eBay. Makes loading coords much faster, easier, and more accurate. I have a foretrex 201, which uses the same innards as the geko in a wristwatch configuration. It's my main GPS for bicycle/motorcycle/walking use. The GPS itself will likely give you 10' accuracy sometimes, but in the geocaching world it is safest (for various reasons) to assume the GPS will get you within 50' or so. Once you get within 50' or so stop looking at the gps and start "feeling" the cache. :-)

Thanks for the correction. Glad someone chimed in.