TheMagnificent7AndSamson

Hm... I must have forgotten to click the last submit on my previous post. Anyway we wont have to move to Jamaica and wash cats for a living. We put JPERGY Jeep TB in the Missouri trail cache Saturday. That by the way is the cache that started this thread. Thanks again for all the good advice. We can keep it going as long as folks are finding it useful I guess Kurt for TM7AS

Ok I'm hooked! the check will be in the mail soon I was wondering if I could entice the developer to add a map display directly into the program similar to what ExpertGPS has. That way we'd only need one program... I'm currently trying to use USAPhotoMaps for my mapping application, but I only just got it installed and haven't figured out yet exactly how GSAK can help me with it yet. Thanks for a great product and the check really will be in the mail soon. Kurt for TM7AS

To all who are interested (especially if you're in the St. Louis area.check out GCQ0CZ. First try it without any maps. It's up around I170 and St. Charles Rock Road in St. Louis County. I mention it here because we got very interesting GPS behavior even with a good open sky with the etrex legend on the dash, in the front window of our van. We finally found it, but if I hadn't checked a map and aerial photos, we'd still be looking. I'm going back this afternoon to drop off a TB and check things out with the good Ol' Silva

Ha, The magnetic compass pays off big time. Using the bearing off the GPS and a magnetic compass was a great help. we found what looks like the place the cache is hidden, based on the distance and description of the area I'm sure we can go back next week and finnaly log this find. Why didn't we do it this afternoon? Good question. 1) we started to late in the afternoon and ran out of time 2) my silly old grey cells forgot the most important thing about this cache. I've got a white jeep travel bug that I have to place, and this is the place we picked. we decided to go back to the van and get the jeep. By the time we found it. we had to leave. Any way, I learned a lot from all of the suggestions on this thread, and all I can say is keep on huntin'. As a sport this sure has changed my mind about taking a walk. I just wish I could do it every day and not just on weekends. Thanks Kurt

Another lesson learned from Phoenix2001.... Read all of the logs that are available. I hadn't gone back as far as a year.

Wow thanks to all for the great response. There is a lot of good information here. The cache was a 1/1.5 (I took 4 of my five kids on this one, ages 4 - 11). The datum and units are correct on my GPS. There were several suggestions involving antennas. As an engineer and an ametuer radio operator I can understand the need for something better than the little patch antenna in my etrex legend and I may try to find something practicle to help with Late spring and summer caching, but It sounds like there are serveral things that we can try without having to add to my techie stock pile. Thot brought up a point that I've been thinking about all week. The cache listing said that the cache was "about" 100 feet off the trail. On the trail we never got closer than 193 feet. We did go bushwacking and got closer readings but never spotted anything that jived with any of the other clues. When I do the math, that puts my GPS off by almost 100 feet. At the time, that seemed more than an about would account for, but maybe I just don't have enough experience with geospeek yet. We didn't check to see how many sattalites were locked or what the tolerance was on the distance while we were on the trail. That's something that I'll remember to check from now on. If I can trust the bearing and distance readings no matter how fast I'm moving (assuming I've locked enough sattalites). Then using a magnetic compass to get a heading, and the GPS for distance sounds like a good idea to try as well. I have cerebral paulsy which in my case isn't really too bad considering some of the cases I've seen. I can walk without crutches or braces and as long as the terrain doesn't require any balancing act or slopes that allow gravity to pull harder than I can compensate for with my own legs (ie I can walk up or down the hill) then I'm willing to try almost anything. I have to go real slow sometimes if there are obstacles to step over or around. The compass on the legend is almost worthless when I've got to slow down so I need some sort of replacement, either a magnetic compass or a GPS with a compass that doesn't care how fast I'm moving. BTW the cache we were after was GCDDD1 if anyone is interested in Missouri caches, the park this is in (St. Francois State Park) is really nice for hiking and hence caching as well. There are a total of five that are on our list to conquer and I think most of them are easy enough for the whole family, at least based on the d/t scores.

Folks, I was recently out on a geocache expedition with the kids and the family dog. The cache page said that the cache should be about a hundered feet off the trail, but my gps never showed us closer than about 193 feet. I'm using a Garmin etrex, and I have a handicap that while it doesn't keep me in a wheelchair, it can slow me down pretty good at times. I was wondering two things. 1) are there other tools or techniques we can use when the GPS gets confused? 2) is there another gps I should look at that isn't as sensetive to my speed? Thanks Kurt

Ok, I've read through most of these and I think I'll just get this off my chest... I have no problem with difficult/dangerous (after reading these posts it seams the comunity might think these terms are relative) caches. As the saying goes It's all good.... But as a father and someone interested in self preservation, I think its reasonable to ask for some decent documentation so that I have all the information that I need to decide whether I wan't to pursue the cache or whether or not to bring the kids. I don't think that it's too much to ask for the person placing the cache to provide as much information as possible about why it might be dangerous, or require special effort or ability without giving the location away. I'm not saying that you need to cover every possible danger, and adults should use common sense, but I don't see the harm in extending the courtesy of helping other members of the comunity use that common sense and make well informed decisions. Kurt