niskibum

quote:Originally posted by Ish-n-Isha:I think LC's should go bye-bye to a new site, but dont rob me of the chance to experience things like Kerry Viewpoint because there is no good place to put a cache! but the first thing that poped into my head when I read this was "I bet I could find a place to put a cache there!"

Too High? I think for what you are getting the price is right in the ball park. OK, I admit I got a great deal on mine thanks to a mismark (199.95) but even at 250 for a legend with a quad antenna and a radio to boot I think it's a great deal. There is no liscence required for the use of the frs radio, it's only if you want to use the gmrs portion wich you can turn off if you don't want to pay. It's also not a one time fee, I think it is for three years.

I think it is interesting that some of the people that enjoy virtuals don't care for the benchmarks, when in a way it is the same kind of thing. There are many benchmarks that are in great spots, and take you to interesting landmarks and historical places. I suspect that the difference is that all the benchmarks have already been found and marked, so nobody can claim them as "theirs", so you never get an email saying "I found your cache". Is it really finding a cool spot, or is it the human interaction that drives people to look for virts? How many virts are there that don't have a benchmark within a couple of hundred feet of it? Locationless caches really have me stumped. What is the challenge in finding a yellow jeep, and who cares if you do? If you find an old windmill and count it as your find for a locationless aren't you actually discouraging someone else from finding the same one since no one but you can claim it? Place a cache at that windmill and you will have people lining up to go see it. I'm don't care if there are virt's or not, but I'm not too excited about hunting them either. I get a slightly more hollow feeling about finding a virt than I do when I find a traditional with all the good stuff gone and nothing but junk inside, but at least the expectation was there with the traditional.

My sister and I are giving my dad a rino 120 fully loaded with the area topos and all the caches within 100 miles. He's got no excuse for not geocaching now!

I just noticed that Garmin has released version 2.20. This update has three improvements over 2.10. Allow user to disable power-on, power-off, and volume beeps by turning message beeps off. Allow user to adjust microphone sensitivity for internal and headset microphones. Microphone adjustments may be found by going to the Radio Setup page, selecting the Menu, and selecting Set Sensitivity. Improved audio in headset when transmitting with VOX. I haven't had a chance to try out any of it yet, but hopefully this will take care of any mic problems noted in the past. I also like the idea of not having that beep when you turn it on, that was really annoying when you are hunting.

quote:Originally posted by 3fros: Huh, I've been between buildings and in narrow valleys and never had a problem with my 315. Yes, my comparison is with the Etrex, and not all Garmin units, but the Etrex is probably their most popular unit by far. It is also made for the same market as the 315 so it is not a car vs truck argument. It is not Ford Mustang vs Chevy truck, it's more like having a Chevy 2WD V6 with a real nice stereo (Garmin Etrex), vs a Dodge 4WD V8 (Mag 315). I know which one I'm using off road. If I'm lost in the woods I don't want the GPS to be lost too. It's Garmins fault they put in a patch antenna in what is probably their most popular unit, nobody elses, so don't take it personally. It's also the reason I didn't buy one. My point is that it's sad that a bare bones 315 kicks the snot out of a high dollar GPSr like the Vista when it comes to reception. Have you actually ever tried both units in the woods? Most users haven't and only like the unit they got used to first. Remember I was a big Garmin fan before I tried the Etrex. What I was refering to with the patch verses quad is the fact that the patch is a more upward looking antenna, while the quad looks at an angle closer to the horizon. In most circumstances the quad will perform better, but there are those times when the patch will work and the quad gets nothing. I have seen this with two units side by side where my patch had 20ft accuracy and the quad couldn't get a lock. To make a fair comparison though I think it would be better to compare your 315 to something like a gps 72, lower cost but with a quad helix. The etrex line has other advantages that other people want like size. So if good reception is the only thing you are worried about, you should look at a different line. Both Garmin and Magellan have different lines depending on what is important to you. But you should still compare apples to apples not oranges.

Actually, that was my whole point to begin with (I probably should have quoted the previous post). Truth be known, I think both Garmin and Magellan make a good product and stand behind them, it's just finding the right one for you. Now, if my 4x4 also has positraction, shouldn't my gps have both a quad and a patch?

quote:Originally posted by leatherman:_This is more of a Chevy vs. Ford comparison._ The discussion is about brand names not antennas. Did you read it before you spouted off? Yes I did read it, the entire thread. 3fros had mentioned a comparison between a 315 and an etrex. Different brands and different antennas. Might as well compare a Ford mustang and a Chevy 1/2 ton truck. ps. I'll take the Chevy.

A temporary, virtual, Christmas themed cache. I like it! Thanks for the idea Seth!. I think there is a fire hydrant down the street I can use for the final waypoint. No wait, I can make it a temporary, virtual, locationless, Christmas themed cache where you have to pose next to any fire hydrant in a Santa suit and post the pick for credit. Then it naturally changes to a bunny suit for Easter. Cooool!!! Pointless yet absurd!

The etrex line has a patch antenna, the 315 has a quad. If you are going to do a comparison of brands at least compare the same thing. If you get into a deep narrow valley (where a patch shines) your 315 had better come with a corkscrew so that it isn't completly useless. I have both a rino and a legend, there are times when one works better than the other, but it doesn't have anything to do with Garmin, one has a patch and the other a quad.

Dropping your gps will not affect it's accuracy or anything else. Now the sudden stop at the bottom of the drop....

I had thought of a similar idea before, only at a blood bank. Get your photo taken while you are getting stuck, or eating cookies and orange juice, score a find. I am not really into the virtuals though, so if someone else wants to run with that idea be my guest. Maybe it could be an event cache.

That would be....wrong.

In that case it's a piece of cake. Turn the unit on. Push in on the click stick and hold it until a menu pops up. Highlight "Mark Waypoint" (it should allready be highlighted). Push in the click stick to select it. The waypoint screen comes up. Push up on the click stick to highlight the coords (they show where you currently are). Push in on the click stick. A menu pops up. change the coords to where you want to go. select OK. You can then click up to change the waypoint name and symbol, or click down to select Goto and the nav page comes up and leads you there.

I have done some comparisons between my 120 and my legend. In most cases the 120 is 3 or 4 feet more accurate (according to its own accuracy meter) then the legend (which is no slouch). Right now I have both of them sitting on my desk in my office side by side and the 120 has a solid 17ft accuracy, while the legend is bouncing between 18 and 20 ft. Both have the same 7 birds locked. Outside on cache hunts the 120 is usually 4 or 5 feet closer. The one acception to this is when I have been in a deep narrow canyon. This is where the patch shines. The quad searches a wider angle while the patch looks up more, but this has nothing to do with the quality of the 120, it is just the type of antenna it has. I have a cache planted where I have 20 ft accuracy with my legend and a Garmin V gets nothing. It is in a deep canyon with heavy tree cover. This is why I laugh when I hear people say etrex's suck in the tree's. Sorry I don't have a Magi to do a comparison with, but as far as I can tell the radio's on them are far worse than what the rino's are.

I do have one question though. I can't seem to get the back light to come on. Any certain tricks or do I just have a burnt out light? I really don't want to have to send it back yet. To turn on the backlight push in the power button once and you will get a pop up screen to adjust contrast and turn the light on. Either push the power button once more or use the click stick to toggle the light. That is one thing I don't care for on the 120, the position of the on switch and the light control. Other than that I have been very pleased with the performance and the overall construction. I get very good gps reception, but it isn't really fair to compare it to an etrex because it is a different type of antenna, so in different circumstances one will be better than the other.

Moun10Bike, you are far too kind, but thanks. I would have to say that my favorite city isn't really a city. Priest lake Idaho is home to several excellent caches, most of which are planted by Moun10Bike himself, and they are mostly in places with extraordinary views, and beautiful scenery. High mountain lakes, mountain top vistas, and huge old growth cedar forests make the caching just an excuse to be there, as if any were needed. The city caches are a fun, but give me an all day hike and some fly fishing in the mountains any day! Thanks Moun10Bike for getting me up there more often this year. On the other note, are we soon to see a different type of terrorist profile? Be on the lookout for two men with several electronic gadgets, wearing bike shorts and helmets. Last seen in a park looking under stumps and logs, approach with caution.

I was coming back from a ski trip last year, when a pickup (brown in color) coming the other way hit a doe crossing the road. I watched in my rearview and the other truck didn't even touch it's brakes, but just drove on. I flipped a u turn and drove back to see the deer with badly mangled legs, and obviously in a lot of pain. Luckily I had a pistol with me and was able to put her out of her misery. We were in the middle of nowhere, and it would have taken a long time to contact authorities. I am a hunter, but I can't stand to see something suffer like that. I really couldn't believe the other driver didn't even slow down.

I haven't done a upgrade for a while, so I am still at 2.40. Now that I have the Rino I am sending in the legend for some repairs so I will get the latest and greatest version from the factory. You gotta hand it to Garmin, they are responsive to our requests.

I got in on a great deal, basicly the same price as a legend after the rebate. They are built better than the etrex line too, and with more features, plus a quad antenna. Of course I could be biased by one other feature. but I am sure nobody on the coast would find this usefull!

quote:Originally posted by Seth!:Can you see him on your map like a waypoint? Thanks! - Seth! http://www.geocachingwa.org Yes, they show up on your map plus a track of their movements using all the updates they send. You can track up to 50 people with different names and 20 differentface icons to choose from. Another cool feature is the games section. There are four games that you can play against other people with Rino's using the peer to peer that sound pretty fun. The only problem is finding other people with Rino's.

A local sporting goods store had five at $199. About the same price as my legend! Even if the radio only works a few hundred yards you still have the advantage of a quad helix antenna for the same price, plus the compass screen has an accuracy meter on it. That's something I've wanted on my legend from day one. I also think the construction is better than the legend, no rubber band around it, plus a better data connection. So even if the radio sucks, it's still the only one out there with peer to peer, plus you get some extra stuff that the legend lacks. Money well spent I'd say! I almost forgot one advantage the Rino has over all other Gps's and radio's

Unfortunatly, I doubt that your gadget will have enough yield to reach north Idaho. I am glowing with envy! You people on the west side should consider getting in touch with DR. S. I am going to go find an abandoned mine shaft.

If you are who you say you are then this should be no problem. There is an element with an atomic weight of 132.905. What is that elements half life, and what is it's state at room temperature?

Actually, there have been a few boobie trap caches. I held and event cache this summer with a multi in which all the legs had a different boobie trap. The traps included a spring snake, a container with a hornets nest(complete with hornets-dead of course), a spider attached to a bungee that sprang out at you when you opened it, a slime cache, an air horn, and a mouse trap with pistol primers that exploded when opened. Of course all of these were harmless fun, but I think that there are still people that cringe a little when they open one of my caches.