Cap'n Dondo

I can load the maps to the card using the LEI reader just fine. It is getting my GPS to read the map files. I guess I'm asking if there is a limit to the number and sizes of the map files on the SD card that the iFinder can read. That make any sense? Can you have multiple maps of multiple sizes on one SD card and will the iFinder know when to load each map and, how big can those maps be?

Quick question on Map Create 6.3 map sizes. The little 64 meg card I have works fine with Map Create. I bought a 512 meg SD card (SanDisk) and registered it with MC just fine. I tried sticking several different maps of various sizes, ranging from 450 meg map files to 100 meg files. My iFinder Pro would read the cards, but not load any of the maps. I can save routes and unload/load waypoints, but couldn't get any detailed maps to load. Is there a limit on the size and/or number of detail maps you can have on an SD card? Dondo

Me too on the Jeep thing. I have a '53 M38-a1, not a flatty, but first not flat Jeep made. Nice to meet ya! Dondo

Just ate lunch the other day at the Fireside Resturant. I'm a cacher in Hutchinson

The card I have is a SanDisk. Crap. Dondo

I picked up a 512 meg SD card for my iFinder Pro and for whatever reason, it will not load the custom maps made with Map Create 6. The software creates the maps just find and loads them onto the card, but when I place the card into the GPS, I only have the basic built in map. The user manual states that the iFInder can handle up to 512 meg cards. I tried making on BIG map making 1 file, no go. Then tried making several smaller maps and the GPS will still not load up. If the manual says 512 meg, why would it not work? Anyone else have this issue with the Lowrance iFinder Pro? Dondo

Hutchinson. Always looking for someone to go caching with! Dondo

I've been wanting to mount my iFinder Pro on the dash of my Jeep. Been looking around at various websites and they all pretty much point to RAM ball mounting solutions, which, seem to be fairly pricey. Not to mention, that none of the sites say anything about the iFinder Pro, but I figured out that they are the same dimensions of the Hunt and H2O's. Anyone have anything to add? iFinder owners, how do you mount your GPS in a vehical. Dondo

I've been thinking about different places to set some of my own caches. One idea that popped in my head was the empty field (owned by the city as there is a water department pumping station) to the west of my house. There are several large tree's and it is public area. Would it be in bad form to place a cache that close to my house? I'm quite literally less then 300 feet from the edge of the lot. There are commercial business's surrounding it on 3 of the 4 sides, all within 200-300 feet. The city keeps it nice and mowed. Is this a bad idea? Dondo in Kansas

Hmmmm...guess I should have read the guidelines. Yes, you will have to pay to go into the mine. Dondo

Looking back, I spelled mesume wrong twice in a row! Wow...just did it again....hmm....well, since I can't seem to spell it correctly, I'm going to lobby that it just be changed to the way my fingers want to spell it. Seems, I'm typing impared..

wheel, i's nut al tat gud at spealing. ned a speal chekar.

Within the next year, our city is opening up one of the only underground salt mine mesumes in the western hemisphere. I'm thinking of working with the mesume director and obtaining permission to place a cache somewhere 650' underground. Of course, it wouldn't be hidden and if you knew what you where looking for, easy to find......but, is there already a claim for the "deepest" cache? And, is these even a good idea or kinda silly? Dondo

Gotta second the Cachemate program. I'm pretty new to this whole caching thing. I use my Lowerance iFinder with a Palm Tungsten C. I joined the premium thing here so I get my pocket queries, load them into GSAK, fiddle around with them then export to Cachemate and organize them in the Palm. (I also load the waypoints into my GPS...but, uhh, duh..) ;-) I've never carried a piece of paper with my while cacheing. Pretty nice....of course, I look kind of uber geeky with my Palm, GPS, cell phone, water bottle and compass hanging off my waist...:-) BTW, with your Palm, you can join Advantgo.com and set up a channel on your Palm so everytime you "sync" it with your PC, it puts a color (Mapquest) type map on your Palm as well. Look up your cache in Cachemate, read about it, then load up your Advantgo and look at a color map. Pretty neat really. Dondo

Just loaded up a picture of my Jeep. This one I took a couple of months ago. As it is now, I have 31" BFG Mud Terrains with some American Racing Outlaw I rims on it. Now it looks like a stomper!.. :-) Dondo

webscouter -- Hey, thanks for pointing that out! I see that he lives in Salina. I grew up in Salina and my folks still live there. Gonna fire off an email to him, see if I might already know him. :-) Dondo

Yeah, I "AM" getting a little better at it. I've found 9 or 10 caches now. Yesterday, for instance, I learned that even if you are 10 miles from the landowners house (and he's a farmer), the local good 'ol boy network works fast. Just as I was heading back to my truck, 2 farmers drove up and asked me what I was doing. Of course, I explained and they were not mad. I've out together a little caching survival kit that I carry with me if the cache is more then a mile from where I can park the Jeep. Haven't had to use it yet though. Dondo

First geocaching adventure went....well......not so good.... Thought I'd try out the new GPS (iFinder Pro with MapCreate). Messed with it long enough to figure out how to load in a very detailed map of the area. Fiddled with GSAK and GPSbable and got my Pocket Query GPX file loaded into the iFinder (pretty neat how that works too) Got my Cachemate all loaded up with a jpg map of the area in my Tungsten Palm Pilot. Looked at my Gazetter atlas and planned my route. Asked the wife if she wanted to go, said "sure". Picked up the cell phone, grabed the Jeep keys and motored off into the evening. Notice that I left out something? Got just out of town and realized I forgot the GPS (I get excited when I start an adventure in the Jeep) Turned around, got the GPS (and some bug spray) and tried again. The cache I was after was in the SandHills State Park about 5 miles out of town. I decided to take 56th street to avoid the 65 mph traffic on the highway. (Side note, my Jeep is 52 years old and the gearing is extremely low) Anyway, pulled up to the parking lot at the park and realized I forgot my wallet. (Your supposed to pay $2.00 for day use.) Thought I'd take a gamble and go in without paying. As we started along, I turned on my iFinder and told it to take me to the waypoint. About 10 seconds later, it had plotted out a line to the other side of the park, telling me the cache was about 1.4 miles away. If I would have looked at the map, I probably would have figured out that I should have parked in the north parking lot and the cache would only have been about .25 miles away. Oh well, wife and I like walking, so we started north. About 1/2 mile in (and several natural spring crossings later), we looked down at our socks/boots and were literally covered in ticks. I pulled about 30 off, she pulled about 25 off and we decided that we should probably head back to the Jeep and approach this from a different direction. Made our way back (me fiddling with the GPS the entire way) and managed to walk up on a skunk. Took that one REAL WIDE and skurried back to the imagened safety of the Jeep. Looked at the clock, noticed the rumbling in my tummy, pulled off 15 more ticks and decided to call it a day. Chalk this one up to inexpierence and ill planning. I'm planning on heading out there again the end of this week and try finding my first cache from the other direction. Dondo (P.S., are there any other Jeep owning GeoCachers? In case anyone is interested, and because I'm quite proud of it, I have a 1953 M38-A1 Army Jeep. Did the restoration myself along with some help from the local 4x4 club.)

The Leprechauns -- Guess I wasn't clear, I did the PQ several times and selected different delivery options each time. Sorry, guess I wasn't clear.. (too much Scotch anyway.. :-) Update -- I did recieve my PQ last night, so I'm okay there. I'm using GSAK to look around at the GPX files, then I export them to Cachemate PBX (?) format. Seems, that you can only have 10 waypoints without paying for it. Just out of curiosity, is there anyway to save the little maps into the database to upload to the Palm or whatever? I noticed that the ebook thing isn't really all that helpful. I don't like how it scrolls across the screen. Kind of confusing. What would be cool is to download the GPX into GSAK, associate the little jpg maps of the location, and upload the whole thing into my Palm (Tungsten C if anyone wants to know). Although, it is looking easier to use printed versions of things. More to keep track of, but faster. Also, just a quick clarification, when you download "waypoints" to your Palm or GPS (in my case, Lowerance iFINDER Pro), a "waypoint" is simpily the location (Lat/Long) of the cache, correct? It isn't the actual "route" you take to get there. The route is what you figure out and save positions for, right? Dondo

Joined the Premium membership yesterday and did a couple of PQ's. I selected to recieve the info in my email, both the account email and an alternative. My alternative account will not accept zip files right now. But, that is temporary. I checked the ebook option as well. (I like the idea of paperless cache). Anyway, I have not recieved anything yet and it's going on 36 hours. I checked the days of the week, (Tuesdays/Wed). Did I forget to check something? Dondo

Well, title says it all. If anyone is looking to get rid of one in decent shape, post here or send an email to: pieterm@myway.net (but change the .net to .com) Thanks Dondo

Thanks everyone. Oh, and on the altimeter/compass thing with the Magellan......I've been reading too many reviews and guess I just got confussed.. Dondo

Changing my mind of my GPS purchase. I've been reading and reading and reading, but I keep coming back to these 2 choices.. Lowrance iFINDER® Pro GPS. Magellan Meridian Gold I like how the iFINDER fits in my hand and the color(ish) screen is pretty chic. I've read some horror stories about the required memcard reader, but I wouldn't think that would be too big an issue for me. I'm betting that I can just use my Palm Pilot as a card reader/writer. On the Magellan, I like the fact with about having all the state/interstats, lakes, rivers, etc and the compass, altimiter, etc.......but, it is just outside of what I want to spend for my first GPS. I know there will be opinions here, but if those were the only 2 you could choose from, which of those would you choose. You don't need to explain why (unless you want too). Basically, think of yourself as a newbie that has been reading the features of each.......does the iFINDER edge out the Magellan? Dondo

Hmm. You know, it really sounds, as someone mentioned, that I should just pick one and go with it. The fact of the matter is, any one of them will work for what I want to do. If I find something I don't particulary like about the unit, I can always "trade-up". Thanks for all the advice and help everyone. I do appriciate it. I'll poke around the sporting good stores and puruse around the web a little more before I decide on a model however. Dondo

reidster et.al -- Thanks for all the advice! The Lowrance H20 has peaked my interest a little. Autorouting is cool, but I have got by for 30 years with out it. This will mainly just be to geocache and impress my geeky friends. :-) Also, to make people wonder why I spent money on something like this. I'm sorry, I can't help it. I like gadgets.. :-) Where does everyone suggest shopping online for GPS's? Any sites that you all recommend more then others? Dondo