badinfluence

I remember this thread from a year and a half ago. Decided to go through it once again. Man, there are some sick puppies here (I mean that in a good way). I would DNF at least 70 percent of these!!!! The John Draper cache is genius, I met John awhile back and he would get a kick out of this for sure. Jonathan

More good ideas... neat. I've left batteries and such (in a plastic baggie if it is going to be near metal). I'm sure I'm not the only one out there in an afternoon with 4 nearby caches to go and realized..... I don't have any more batteries!!! Bug spray, given how wet the summer has been, seemed practical! Lyme disease got it's name from a few towns over! Thanx for the added ideas and input, Jonathan

I always thought the politically correct "gender neutral" garbage. Jonathan

I don't think it's cacher's as much as what might be perceived. I bet those with the power to push the ban have absolutely no idea how much many of us do to clean up a park. I was stopped by a park ranger (state) last week while caching. He saw me with a bag of garbage I was picking up along the way, bottles and other trash. He asked what I was doing. "geocaching" was my response. Then he asked about the trash and I explained to him what geocaching is and what CITO was about. He seemed rather impressed. At least down the road, if the topic comes up, I know I made a positive image and just might have someone stand up to defend our improper and poor perceived image. It's a small step. We spend so much time hiding from muggles that our good deeds often go unnoticed. Jonathan

By practical... I mean, I usually leave items we can use throughout the day. Is this practical and accepted? I've been leaving GPS food and bug spray (we had a wicked year!) here in southern New England). Just wondering what views were on this vs. more traditional items left in cache's. I have found a lot more than I have logged (OK, I gotta get back to paperless caching), but never seem to find these items in the cache. I find mini flashlights sometimes at flea markets and have been known to leave them behind as well. Thanx, Jonathan

Also keep in mind.... many battery testers show you what power you have, not under load. When I first learned this with all my ham radio projects I noticed - I had plenty of juice in my batteries - put them in a device and nothing. Hence, a tester that actually draws power would be a bit more accurate. Just my .02 cents. Jonathan

I pretty much do both. Jonathan

Ummmm..... I never said it was a requirement, duh! Some people just can't find a 40 acre parcel. The concept of earthcaching is just odd - virtuals in general I'm OK with. Jonathan

You know, I didn't think of leaving a couple of loonies and toonies behind, here in the states, that would be kinda kewl!!!! I just came into some crisp 2 dollar bills two, more ideas. I'm still looking for what will be kind of like my signature item.... Still sick of them darn McToys though, ARRRGGHHH Jonathan

Well... given that an earth cache is supposed to have some sort of educational lesson/component to it - I think it would make more sense if the person writing about a cache was actually there. I wouldn't want someone writing about a cache after watching a Discovery Channel special on a particular location. Maybe that's just me - but I like seeing what others are describing when they create a cache - virtual/earth/traditional, whatever. Maybe it's just me. Other than that - follow the guidelines as previously mentioned for sure. Jonathan

Well.... Did the cache's creator actually visit the site? As long as they've been there - I have no problem with it. There aren't any maintenence issues - since it is a virtual cache, so.......... Jonathan

I do this all the time. Works great - I use the SportTrack Map, laptop combo and it works fine. I just drop the GPS in the back window and away I go - never have any tracking problems at all. You think people look funny while talking on a cell phone and drinking coffee - you should really see the look on their faces when your looking at a laptop!!! Jonathan

34 myself. Jonathan

I cached for a bit before recently creating an ID and going the "formal" route. I like finding caches - the challenge and such. Get's me away from the normal trappings of life. Actually, I like the serenity of looking for a well placed cache - and then realizing that the wandering walk out took 3 times as long as the hunt for the cache. Was at a waterfall yesterday and just sat on the rock in the middle of the pool under the falls. Was really serene. The muggles would just wonder "how did he get there.... dry", LOL. Jonathan

Yep, mine took a swim today. All I can see was my $200. investment dip in the water. Then I remember - it's supposed to float! Somewhere, slightly downstream I saw it pop above the surface. Got it a couple minutes later - yep, worked fine - never stopped working. That feature alone was worth this GPS. I will now put red tape on the top so it's easier - God forbid, this should happen again and I don't learn my lesson! Jonathan

How many Mah are the batteries? If they are low, like 1200 - 1500, then yes, they will fade fast. Some of the newer generations of batteries are up to 2300+Mah. Also, NiCad are a much poorer choice than MiMH batteries. The NiCads tend to fade a lot faster over a much shorter period of the life of the battery. Jonathan

Thanx for the info. Given that I read the previous updates, and what they were there for - I was a bit confused to see no info on this update. I'll leave well enough alone! Jonathan

The Magellan site is useless on this. Most other models, I can see what's in the upgrade - not here. I downloaded the software, looked at the readme - told me to go to the site. Does anyone know what's in the firware upgrade? Worth upgrading from v. 4.02? Thanx in advance, Jonathan

I wouldn't mind chipping in the 3 bucks - but I'm not a fan of paypal. I had an account and after a few months, I was charged fees and such for inactivity. Then I was put on a list of some sort - yet I only used the service once. I was told a lot of this has changed - but I'm not going to give them my business with my previous experience. Jonathan

That's exactly why I'm setting up a few on my lunch break. We have a couple of tiny parks, quiet, little pond and such that if you didn't knew were there - you would've missed 'em. I've seen some caches,just never logged onto the site and all. But now I'm here and it's official! Thanx for the info all, Jonathan

Thanx much. As far as the guidelines - I made a pdf of them and have a hard copy in my kit as well. I was going to go play this week, but here in southern New England, we are gathering our animals in pairs - rain all week! Thanx again, Jonathan

I figured I'd make a few caches as well this week before I go out and play. Try to find one, leave one somewhere, etc. Man, first things first - go to a discout outlet buying stuff to leave in the cache turns heads quick. "ummm..... no, it's not going to be used for food - we're going to put this stuff in it and leave it in the woods" - talk about confusion!!! I figured I'd go ahead and get a little 1qt container, freezer bag and load it up with pencils, pencil sharpener, logbook - of course the main ingredients. Then I found some stuff to throw in like deck of NASCAR playing cards, small American flag, stickers, etc. Questions - and I'm sure these can be common - but since I just got back from buyng a bunch of things for a few caches...... How much would you put on a trade item to leave in a cache? 2 bucks or so tops? Many of the items I found were an easy $1.00. How far apart would you leave your caches - My first is a mini-park with a pond. Was thinking of naming them "lunch break 1" and "lunch break 2" - since.... well.... you can gather when I'm going to leave them behind. Any other tips you'd offer that I may have left out? I seem to find this an interesting way to get my exercise, play ham radio and get my hiking in as well!!! Jonathan

I load the MP3 player for bear! Easier to just list groups. Pearl Jam U2 Asia Linkin' Park Evanescence Peter Murphy (surprised I saw that on this post earlier - that just.... "cuts me up" Tim McGraw Dierks Bentley Jay Z London Symphony Orchestra - (The Planets rocks for caching). Vivaldi if it's a nice day - Nigel Kennedy Versions If it's bear season, I listen to the sounds of nature. If it's hunting seasons - I make lots of noise.... well.... not enough that they want to use me as a trophy piece "that's that dang geocacher - teach him to scare my buck away!" - I would not look good on a wall! Jonathan

Just a matter of convenience. I saw the labels you were talking about, and plan to order some. But, a simple Avery label - then just a piece of shipping tape over them would be pretty darn weatherproof! Jonathan

Has anyone made any geocache labels that can be run off of a laser printer? Simple enough - I can make one and give it away if anyone is interested. I'd like to run a sheet off at work and have them on hand. Just got started actually using the site, but I have been playing around for a bit and am about to set up a few caches of my own. Jonathan