Geo-Kate

Welcome! The best way in my opinion to search for caches is to use Google Earth. If you do not already have it, you can download it free from Google. Once you have done that, you can dowload a little add-on to it from your account page on geocaching.com that shows caches in Google Earth. It is really, really useful. It's called a KML browser for Google Earth. Otherise, you can put in your home co-ordinates on geocaching.com and search for your closest caches. If you are after challenging caches, look for ones that have high difficulty raitings, and some multi-caches are devilish! Enjoy.

If you do a google for Part Poppers Age Limit and select UK, you get this. So I would say that they should be on the banned items list. Remember the person that thinks something isn't dangerous and handles them is the person that causes the danger!! Anything can be dangerous if used incorectly! A pencil has a sharp point, that can cause serious injury in the wrong hands, or you slip while writing the log! I do not doubt your statement, but I think you are more likely to get injured or find something that can be harmful on your walk to the cache, rather than anything in the cache. Of course, there should be, and is, a list of things that should not be in caches, but party poppers? There has to be some level of self responsibility, otherwise anything that could hurt a careless person will be banned and all we will end up with is edible crayons and a log book, incase a someone swallows a small toy or stabs thmeselves with a cracker-gift stapler. I wouldn't be supprised if somebody calls for a ban on ammo-cans just in-case somebody hurts themselves on a sharp metal edge or closes it o their finger. I was supprised to read that there is a minimum age for purchasing the poppers, but I can only assume it is to stop school kids buying loads and using them as a way to harass people on busses and just cause chaos.

Are you referring to this thread on their own forums? It really is a shame, this guy is concerned about damage to sensitive sites, but attacked us and didn't have anything to back up his accusations. It might be time we let this stupid thing die (the thread, that is!)

and the non-flame proof ones go WOOOOOF I assume? I left a party popper in a cache once, we found it in our junk drawer and thought it would make good cache fodder. I can't see the harm in it, it is not dangerous, and is definately family freindly. I personally cannot see a cacher feeling compelled to set one off into woods for no reason. One of our caches was reported to be left exposed on a log, and it went on to say there was food in the cache. The cacher who reported it suggested some animal had smelt the food and was trying to find it. Food expires, and attracts animals so is a no-no. The rules to what is allowed or not OK for caches are quite clear, so most items as long as they are not dangerous to anyone, unsuitable for children to find, or could cause health problems (no, please lets not toalk about allergies!) are fair game.

I must add that the comment about virtuals being better on the sites than physical caches is baffling me. As somebody else stated, it will make no difference what type of cache I am visiting, be it virtual or whatever, I will still be walking with the same boots on over the patches of ground. What are you basing your theory that virtuals are going to cause less impact on sites thousands will be visiting, anyway? And as far as placing caches no closer than 100m from any site is just silly and unfounded. If countless hundreds of visitors walking around and looking at the sites, much closer than 100m away, what will a few cachers per week looking in bushes and at fence posts do? As others have stated, any concern for important historical places is a good thing. If you think that a cache or any activities related to it might cause undue damage to any site, there are things you can do and channels to use. Coming here, posting a complaint like you did, and making poor assumptions and accusations with no evidence is not going to get you any support. You will just wind people up, as you have found out. If I ever come across a cache that I feel is damaging to an archaeological or historical site, I will not rip the place apart trying to find it, and I will make sure it gets reported. I am sure 99% of cachers will do the same.

Looking at the person's profile I see that; 1. They have neither found or hidden any caches. Why are they here? 2. The (vast) majority of their posts are unfounded complaints about caches near ancient stones. 3. One cache they complained about went MIA shortly after their complaint was ignored. Coincidence? I think somebody justs wants to antagonise and cause friction. Better off ignored than worked up about.

BRODIT BRODIT BRODIT ....everytime. Well engineered and made to fit each model of car specifically. For my car it listed 3 options for the various airvents. Clips on and off relatively easily for out of sight storage. No glue or screws to damage your car. No rings on your windscreen. Brilliant. Cheers Dave My car isn't listed, they have the last generation (05) Civic, not the new one. There is nothing 'standard' about the interior, i wouldn't risk getting any one in the hope it may work, I have attached a picture of a LHD car to show what i mean. I think i will just stick it to the screen when I want to use it... If I put one over the vents, it may stop the CD player working... That's no cacher's car! Where's the mud, bits of grass, pencil stubs, those shiny bits of paper off the back of plasters, empty bottles of wasp-eze etc etc? Or is it just me that drives around in a mobile bin? (No comments from The Mars Bars required here, thankyou very much! ) To be honest, my car gets a thorough vac out at least once week, and the outside gets a thorough washing! I really do try to keep my cars as clean as possible, you never know who may want a lift... The only bit that sees mud is the boot, but if i'm caching, I will put a sheet down in the boot so our muddy boots don't make the car messy. God, I sound really sad! Can you take too much care of a car???

BRODIT BRODIT BRODIT ....everytime. Well engineered and made to fit each model of car specifically. For my car it listed 3 options for the various airvents. Clips on and off relatively easily for out of sight storage. No glue or screws to damage your car. No rings on your windscreen. Brilliant. Cheers Dave My car isn't listed, they have the last generation (05) Civic, not the new one. There is nothing 'standard' about the interior, i wouldn't risk getting any one in the hope it may work, I have attached a picture of a LHD car to show what i mean. I think i will just stick it to the screen when I want to use it... If I put one over the vents, it may stop the CD player working...

I don't use the feature to be honest. If we are away for any length of time, I generally delete the waypoints and load in a fresh set for the next area. Once the waypoints are deleted, they disappear from the calendar. T Ok, maybe it was a bit harsh calling the feature a gimmick, but I believe it could have been made better. The calandar records are useful if you have been away for a bit, and can;t remember which day you did what cache on. I think if it had more information about the cache, then it would be great. I know file sizes would become an issue, but I'm sure a compromise could be reached. My opinion is that it used quite useful, but it the lack of the feature would not put me off a future purchase, I don't think.

Yeah, basically, when a waypoint is saved with the geocache icon (treasure chest -closed) it 'knows' that is a geocache. When you hit 'Go To' on a geocache, you get the normal compas page, with a bit of info on the cache (nameofcache by cachestetter) and the distance to it like normal. When you find it, you can press a button at the bottom which is called 'Found'. At that point it congratulates you, and asks you if you want to look for the next closest cache. The symbol changes to an open chest once you have said 'found'. Bit of a gimmic really. From what i read, I thought it would hold informationd (from PQ downloads) with descriptions, or even better, clues. I do use it as above, but wouldn't make a song and dance about it!

The strange guy, hiding in a bush in a park, with a camera round his neck, trying to look unconspicious as he fumbles about in the undergrwoth. When done, he will sheepishly emerge, looking around hoping nobody saw him in there, casually brushing off twigs and leaves from his coat.

Yeah, that occured to me, too, but until today, I would not have known what shiny disk is on a dashboard! I have a yellow dusting cloth in the car anyway, good for taking the haze off the inside of the screen, and to remove the ring marks from my old mount. I guess I was hoping somebody would say "yeah, they're great, work really well, and are easy to remove!". Thanks for the advice, Moote.

Hi everyone. Many of you guys use your caching GPS or a seperate one to get your cachemobiles to your destinations... I just recieved my Garmin Nuvi, and it comes with two mounting options, both using the sucker. One is, obviously, just to stick it to the windscreen, the other option is to stick a disk with a shiny, smooth face to your dashboard. The sucker then sticks to that. I really like the dashboard idea, there is a perfect spot on my new Honda Civic () that I want to mount it on as it won't leave a sucker ring on the screen, and it will not be obscuring any part of my view. Have any of you used this kind of thing before, because it says nothing about it in the manual, and I'm worried about permantly defacing the dash should I wish to remove at a later date. Thanks for any help.

I only get wound up by mums (or dads) on school runs, and the fact that they do seem to think they have right of way over anything else cos they're in a bigger car. I have heard these same kinds of owners say "They are safer, if we have an accident, we are a lot safer in this (4X4) than we would be in a 'normal' car". What does that show about the way they feel about the unlucky motorist in a small car they plugh into and crush? If the owner's reasons for having them is to go off road, or possibly a work horse for towing heavy loads, then that's fine. People who have them because they can and they feel safer in one does get to me. How many city dwelling 4X4s have ever left the hard road? They have no better load carrying space than many family or estate cars. And the fact is they do pollute more than a normal car. I have no problems with 4X4 cache-mobiles! that is a very good reason to have one!

Agreed, all e-mails to us or references to me/us from a post are to 'Kate'. What about the 'Geo' part?! But then again, is that sexist or a confusing SN?

Ok, this is getting OT now, but a personal CD player should last a few years, at least. It will be out od date, but as long as it is not accidently damaged it shouldn't fail too quickly. I didn't take any offence, Torry, I just meant I could not answer for them, I am just passing on what I was told.

Got a problem with the rubber gasket on my Vista C and I've had exactly the above response from Garmin. Unit was only 13 months old when I contacted them by email and was told I'd have to pay the repair charge. I politely pointed out via email that is was only just out of warranty and they should consider a repair free of charge. They have not replied to that email and it is completely impossible to get through to them on the phone (just their recording saying you are in a queue!!). I am in the fortunate postion of having a free legal aid service from my employer so I clarifed the details of the Sale of Goods act with them and I'm in a strong position on that one as the act states that something must work for a reasonable time - and 13 months is not reasonable! So if I get no response from Garmin it's a solictors letter to them next! Lets be honest.. It's out of warranty.. the things that Garmin do they don't have to.. so you jump in with yer solicitor.. next thing yer know.. every one pays.. Have to look at the broader picture I contacted cunsumer direct when I was having problems getting hold of Garmin. They informed me that on top of warranty, any product must last for a reasonable amount of time, considereing it's value and typical and expected use etc. They said GPS recievers like these should be expected to last at least five years with normal use. If the machine fails within a reasonable amount of time, you have evey right to claim against the manufacturer or retailer. The least you should expect is a partial refund. A unit being refused warranty service at 13 months old is really, really poor service. It's fine saying that the warranty is only 12 months, but anybody would be angry if it happened to them. Good luck with getting your machine fixed. A handheld electronic device used mainly outdoors should require a warranty of longer than 12 months? Wow! I would never have thought that. ... and it's an example of poor service if it's not provided? Wow. I wish I could get more than 12 months on indoor appliances. How in the world did the "cunsumer direct" decide that a GPS receiver should last at least five years? I'm confused. Did somebody move the California, USA court system to the UK? Consumer direct is funded by the government, and is to help us poor consumers with these kinds of matters by offereng all sorts of advice, even legal advice. That's what they told me, so I can't comment on the fact if it a realistic expectation or not. They said that any product, even if out of a 12 month warranty, is expexted to have a reasonable life expectancy. PLease don't shoot the messenger!

In reply to a few comments, all 'e-mails' were sent to Garmin through their on line form. I only refered to them as e-mails, as that's what it is in effect, just without using your own client. There is currently a 2 1/2 - 3 week wait for responses at the moment from the on line form. The phone system is just pot-luck, it took me 2 weeks to get an answer. Not good. Considering billing them for the time in queues before I spoke to a human.

Got a problem with the rubber gasket on my Vista C and I've had exactly the above response from Garmin. Unit was only 13 months old when I contacted them by email and was told I'd have to pay the repair charge. I politely pointed out via email that is was only just out of warranty and they should consider a repair free of charge. They have not replied to that email and it is completely impossible to get through to them on the phone (just their recording saying you are in a queue!!). I am in the fortunate postion of having a free legal aid service from my employer so I clarifed the details of the Sale of Goods act with them and I'm in a strong position on that one as the act states that something must work for a reasonable time - and 13 months is not reasonable! So if I get no response from Garmin it's a solictors letter to them next! Lets be honest.. It's out of warranty.. the things that Garmin do they don't have to.. so you jump in with yer solicitor.. next thing yer know.. every one pays.. Have to look at the broader picture I contacted cunsumer direct when I was having problems getting hold of Garmin. They informed me that on top of warranty, any product must last for a reasonable amount of time, considereing it's value and typical and expected use etc. They said GPS recievers like these should be expected to last at least five years with normal use. If the machine fails within a reasonable amount of time, you have evey right to claim against the manufacturer or retailer. The least you should expect is a partial refund. A unit being refused warranty service at 13 months old is really, really poor service. It's fine saying that the warranty is only 12 months, but anybody would be angry if it happened to them. Good luck with getting your machine fixed.

following up from my previous post about a TB's journey from Canada to SE London, the cache was cisited by the person the bug was travelling to meet. here is the log, with names of cachers and cahces removed to stop any problems. "Went to ---- ----- today and to find cache after much pestering from my Canadian brother (very activer cacher) and discovered the reason why. They have had a Buddy Bug travelling transatlantic all the way to Crayford and ending up a 5 minute walk from my front door. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved in this epic task. It has really touched us and renewed our enthusiasm in geocaching. Many thanks once again. ----- ----xxxx" It is nice to hear a happy story like this, and especially so when 2 of the bug's stops were in your caches, and it was you who helped with the final leg.

This may be for another thread, but this Garmin service I am hearing about is really confusing me. They seem to operate only at the extreme ends of the scale, really greaty or plain terrible. So far I have only experienced the worse end of the scale. I hope I too get to see what everyone is raving about.

Two and a half weeks after sending my first e-mail to them, I received a reply today! Their advice was to reset the machine. I can't see how that would help, as the biggest problem it was suffering from was a mechanical fault in the power switch. Anyway, it was too little too late, the unit is hopefully already at Garmin, with a cover note saying that it would be fixed under warranty. I did, however reply to the e-mail. I asked if I could give out his direct e-mail address to 'a couple of people I know' (don't you love forums!) to avoid the terrible queueing system they are using. I didn't say about the queue system to him... If I get a response in two or three weeks time, I will put up his address for you guys.

I hate DNFs! I really hate not finding a cache! Especially if you have travelled any distance to get there... I also get panicy if I read a DNF log on one of our caches. I feel bad for the cacher who spent ages looking and couldn't find it, then I get worried if it's been muggled. I do understand what you mean though, there is no challenge if you are told exactly where it is. But I like the walk and getting there just as much as the search, if not more. I always feel a little dissapointed when I park to do a cache and see it is less than 1/2 a mile away! Cash and dash is not my thing...

10 ft, that's spot on, almost. I always let the GPS do an average for me, let it run to about 50 and that is as accurate as it gets. I did a great series of caches recently, whcich I wont name here as to not offend anyone. All the co-ords seemed off by around 20-30'. We did consider saying something, but there is no obvious trend of DNFs or complaints, so we left it. I have always believed there should be two stages of clues. The first should be a hint to halp a little, and the second be a givaway. Sometimes you just want a helping hand if GPS is having an off day, and still want the joy of searching. The final givaway is a last resort if you have looked and looked but need to be told exactly where it is to avoid a DNF on a cache that is indeed in place.

I wish I knew of those number before. Just sent my GPSMAP60C off due to a number of faults. I spent 2 weeks trying to contact Garmin, with calls everyday and many over an hour long. I dread to think what the phone bill will be. I even sent 2 e-mails to them over 2 weeks ago, and still no reply from them. I finally got answered on the phone last friday. I kinda feel sorry for the girl who answered, cos she did get a bashing from me about the lack of service. They then argued with me as the unit was 2 months out of warranty, and initially refused to do it unless I paid through the nose. Lets hope the machine returns soon working again. A good luck with your unit, I hope you get better service than I.