Wienerdog

MapSource Roads & Rec seems to have the best "wilderness" mapping of all the MS products I have used but the city maps are not all that good. Metroguide 4 seems to have a pretty fair balance between city and country while City Select is quite good in metropolitan areas. Also, Roads and Rec has no autorouting info and is very stingy on memory requirements so a very large area can be loaded. From personal experience out on the Olympic Peninsula R&R is the best of the group.

I use an Emap from time to time and except for the fact that it is not waterproof it is just about the most bang for the buck around. The display is bigger that the G-3+ or G-5 and is much more readable when driving form one site to the next. If you load the Metroguide maps you get all the POI info and next street pop ups and it will "lock on road" while you are driving. The yellow boot and a ziplock bag solve the rain problems. You cannot customize the display fields but overall it is a very versatile unit with lots of memory capability.

Agreed. Running rechargables down to dead is pretty hard on the battery. Under those conditions any imbalance between cells will try to reverse polarize the weaker of the set. How many times an RP cell can recover I don't know. To many variables to deal with. I do know that it has been so long since we have purchased Alkalines that it is real jolt to see how much they cost.

My first GPS was a G-III+ (still in use) and it does not record the altitude. It's to bad because it is interesting to look at the altitude profile of a trip that is available with the G-5.

I recently posted some battery runtime figures for several different brands of NiMH batteries on the Alkaline/Rechargable thread. From the results I could not see any major differences between batteries that were nearly 2 years old vs. brand new. We routinely run the GPS units until they go offline. In fact the longer running Duracell 2050s had been in use for about 2 months (4 or 5 cycles) vs. the second set which were brand new out of the package. As far as running the cells completely dead it won’t happen. At least with Garmin GPRs (and all other brands I would bet). The GPS will shut off right around the end of the cells useful capacity. As such it would be virtually impossible to reverse polarize one of the cells in the group or completely discharge the cells. Used in a flashlight or similar devices which do not shut down then running the cells completely flat could pose a problem… but in a GPS, I don’t think so. As far as having to dispose of any of the NiMH batteries it has only happend once and ot wasn't the batteries fault. We had just finished a cache and the battery door somehow popped open as I was getting into the car. At the next cache I found my batteries missing so off we go back to look and there they were. I had driven over them but they still worked OK... they just wouldn't fit in the GPS anymore. RIP

It is wonderful how rechargeable battery technology is catching up to primary cell performance (lithium cells push that bar higher but that is another story) to where the two systems are almost equivalent. It used to be with NiCads that yes you could recharge them hundreds of times but they would go flat so fast that it almost wasn’t worth the bother. Now with NiMh cells the two are so close that I get “sticker shock” when I have to go out and buy batteries for clocks and smoke detectors! And when it comes to very high current demand products like digital cameras the NiMh is hands down the winner. Match the battery to the application is the guideline I would say.

Here is what I came up with after curiosity got the best of me. These results should only be viewed as a relative guide… it was not a scientific test. Some of these batteries have been on many trips and some (Duracell 2050) are brand new. The conditions were a GPS 5 with an external mighty mouse antenna and the batteries went straight from the charger (1 hour type) to the GPS. The V was left on until the batteries quit and then the G-5 timer was read out and reset for the next run. The percentage value is relative to a new set of standard Duracell coppertops. The end cutoff voltage on my G-5 is 1.07 volts. The 2000 mAh Coppertop number is arbitrary. As with all batteries the run time is very dependant on the discharge rate so you can "make" numbers depending on the the cell is expected to be used. As far as battery gauges go for NiMh batteries, that is a tough one. The discharge curve for NiMh is very flat. After the “surface” charge is gone the operating range is approximately 1.2 volts to 1.1 volts and when they hit the end they drop like a stone. The 1.07 volt cutoff in my G-5 is very close to 1.1 volts and I am guessing that it was chosen with the 1.1 volt drop out point in mind. Anyway for what it is worth here is what I recorded. GPS Battery Timer Rating Run Time Min Tot End Voltage=1.07V Coppertop 2000? 15hrs 18min 918 Duracell 2050 14hrs 52min 892 97% Radio Shack 1600 11hrs 56min 716 78% Powerex 1800 11hrs 4min 664 72% Ray-O-Vac 1600 9hrs 55min 595 65% Monster 1800 13hrs 1min 781 85% Powerex #2 1800 9hrs 34min 574 63% Duracell 1800 10hrs 36min 636 69% Duracell #2 2050 13hrs 2min 782 85%

Hey Hydnsek! Did I spell your name right? Not to worry. There is a Christmas function in the making. Seth! and his wife Erin had their friends over and a few geocahcing buddies from way, way, way back when. It wasn't a geocaching occassion per say. But we did enjoy the company of others. They were very hospitable. I do wonder though what the other guests thought about the few clowns in the kitchen talking..... something about GPS stuff! We will have our geocachers only party. Hopefully Seth! and Erin will come. BTW. Peppers nails really did look great!

Gosh! My geo-girlfriend spoil me rotten. I was blessed by their company for an afternoon of lunch and chit chat. AND dear little Lucy brought two bandanas for my code names! One.... being my alter ego whom not any of you know! Hee, hee! Yeah right! Pepper, I want to know where you get all that energy! That's a tremendous job to take on. And it all came from your dedication to the geo-world. Beauty! Thanks, Donna (WD)

That is great Criminal! I loved that picture when I saw it on EraSeek's thread called.... What I've Seen Caching. I remember being in the Banner forest a couple of times caching over there last summer! Nice

Hi There Kitelady! Isn't Pepper a sweetie? I'm so glad you are participating in this forum. It is a very POSITIVE and enjoyable thread to be a part of! I remember you, MR WD, Evergreenhiker! and I trying to find a cache a long, long time ago. It was after a WSGA meeting in Renton. We drove around in circles for what seemed like forever. Always hittiing dead ends. Only to find the gate was locked to the path that went to the cache! Did you ever go back and find it? I did one day. Welcome! Donna (WD)

EraSeek never took me on a "Date-Cache"! Boo, hoo!

BEAUTY! BEAUTY! BEAUTY! Pepper, you are amazing. That is so pretty! You are blessing to the Geo-World. Thanks for your efforts. Donna

Fresh? Homemade? Coordinates? Did you have coords. for the recipie? My pumpkin pies are sitting on the kitchen counter ....... they have a lable on them.... QFC...... $4.99! Pepper you are the 'Martha Stewart' of the Geo-Woman! Wait... Martha hasn't been a good girl lately. How about Betty Crocker? A good old gal. Her pie crust was ALMOST as good as my Moms! Gobble, gobble! Donna Crocker (Okay.......OFC!)

quote:Originally posted by CachinCin: I was wondering what the deep breath was all about. You know, that happened to me about a week ago. I posted something that appeared twice, then I went in to edit the one (to say "duplicate") and it didn't edit...it posted two more messages! There must be a bug in the software somewhere. At least they seemed to take care of the problem quickly. Cin Yes, that is what was happening! I thought I was loosing the REST of my mind. Like you said Cin, they fixed it rather quickly. Thankgoodness.

quote:Originally posted by TotemLake: quote:Originally posted by Wienerdog:Okay... I can't get out of the forums! Slowly step away from the keyboard... Breathe in deep and let it out slowly. Cheers! TL Thanks Totem Lake! That long breath helped! When I opened my eyes the TONS of duplicate posts dissappeared!!!! Thanks to whoever fixed my little problem!

Congrats. EraSeek. I must say... your conribution to the geocaching world is something I think we can all agree upon as "The Wonderous Works of Providence! Thank You! -D (WD) T

Baby talk is the one. It's in Yakima and it is a real hoot. Baby was very cooperative when we were there.

Ditto!

Oh! I just noticed you posted some. Well... there is always room for more. What was the weirdest thing you ran into? I have lots of stories. I did't think about telling about those! For instance. While in a certain place in a different country I and EGH ran upon an area that was filled with trash. I MEAN trash. Garbage bags you wouldn't want to open. It was a very pretty place. Except for the garbage. Being the determined cacher I was last summer I start looking in the garbage bags. Much to my partners dismay. Voila! There was the little cahcheeee! Not complaining. It added a twist. But I was glad we had Handi-Wipes in the car! Donna (WD)

Hey Logscaler! Congarts. on the 1000th! You were the one that posed the qustion to me about what was my favorite. Of course that encouraged me to address the many caches, events and people I had enjoyed during that time. So... what are some of your favorites? Donna (aka Wienerdog)

Very sad to hear about Topaz.. very sad indeed. We didn't get a chance to see him while we were there but we just know that he was cool guy. In addition to *Beanie* (my name for her) the wienerdog we also have 2 cats Spanky and Cookie. The thought of any one of them leaving in us such a tragic manner is more than we want to think about. As the previous log said at least now Topaz won't have to worry about hair balls and every night will be treat night! Good bye Topaz... sorry we missed you Donna & MR

I will be going to the teachers Geocaching class at the Edmonds-Woodway High school. How can I turn down a chance to work with teachers at the school I graduated from? Should be fun. Mr Wienerdog

Ditto TennisKid and Ditto cacherunner. It's time to put the ball back in play and get on with the game! Mr Wienerdog

Many thanks to all of you for the CONGRATS! Logscaler posed the question regarding our favorite caches. Oh my... where to begin? I cannot say there is ONE favorite, there are so many! This is just the tip of the iceberg. I know once I post, many others will pop into my mind. In my opinion EVERY person's effort and cache counts. All of EraSeeks's most wonderful caches (Who wouldn't love them?) Someday I have to figure out how he get's that 0 point accurracy almost all the time! Early on there were two men who pioneered a new way of geocaching by their creative and challanging caches. You know them. Seth! and Kodaks'4. LucyandRickies series PIECES OF THE PUZZLE caches. A must do! BABY CACHE in Yakima by Elkmilk and Mojavegirl. The only Llama WP I know of. What a blast! A new girl in town that wasn't having much luck finding our caches. Who placed a cache with many handmade goodluck charms on a mossy tree in the woods. So sweet I approached it with a lump in my throat. Pepper. I'm SO happy you are part of our community now. A cache in N. Calif. called LIGHTHOUSE. Peering through hundreds of prisms of polished glass. Oregon coast LANDZEND cache. A cove I found in solitude. Watching seals play and no one around for miles. At least it seemed so. KIDNK9 in Everett. The best puzzle cache. It pulled everyones heartstrings at the end. Please bring it back Danger! Backpacking and hiking in the mountains with EGH find variuos caches. Beauty undescribable. My own personal caching trips: Cache-O-Ganza from Seattle to Ellensburg, Blast to Bellingham, Bremerton-Rain-Bash. And still more! The Event Caches The Cache Machines The day we (along with other cachers) established the WSGA The Peanut Butter Brigade So many truly wonderful people I have met. I won't even begin to list them, as I might leave someone special out by mistake. Thanks to all of you and Groundspeak who made this all possible. Donna and MR Wienerdog, Oh... and of course Chloe the Dachshund! [This message was edited by Wienerdog on October 01, 2003 at 03:25 PM.]