purple_pineapple

I believe one of our reviewers logged an event when he flew over the top of it!

Yeah, It's because of the Germans constantly pushing the GC boundaries that we have so many restrictions on the site, the newest one being no event can be published on the same day within a 40 mile radius of each other. Really? Wow! I didn't know that. Ridiculous rule. If an event was held on the same day and same time in Kent and Hertfordshire, you'd be very lucky to make that! That journey can take a good 2 hours at the best of times and yet the mileage (as the crow flies) is less than 40 miles. EVEN WORSE, last Summer (as most Summers) we were in Aviemore when the Gathering in the Glens meet was on. Those of you who know Northern Scotland may be aware that Aviemore to the GITG meet is probably around 30 miles by air. By car, it's 112 miles each way on (at times) very small single roads- you have to drive down to Perth and back up again. Certainly not a trip I would like to do on the same day (Google says 2 hours 42 minutes each way) As ever, I very much hope that our highly intelligent (and extremely bribable ) reviewers use the common sense they are well endowed with! I for one would be very annoyed if our regular monthly meet was banned as it happens to be the same day as the 'Bordering on the Ridiculous' meet (for example), which is probably less than 40 miles, but doesn't even try to appeal to the same cachers (although everyone is welcome of course!) Or the 'dog' event at the mega, clashing with something else on the same day. or Cardiff and Weston on the same day? Or even Dover and Calais!

I'm around, and I'll be around for ever! (now what advert was that from??!)

one key difference between the dakota and the others (and stopped us even considering the dakota) is that it doesn't have Wherigo support.

to yank this back on topic by the scruff of its neck - if you use GSAK, there is a macro that will filter your database to look for caches that you still need to complete the 'bingo chart' - we find it very useful! I'd love to set a challenge cache myself for this - but I refuse to to so until I've completed my own card! Still a way to go though...

Our bookmark list of cache rings (linked to from chris's page above) has these sort of rings. As always, I'm behind with updating, but I will try and add a few more!

Very briefly, it sounds like you are exporting a gpx file of caches (presumably for using on a GPS?). GSAK will create this file where you tell it to (somewhere stange on the D drive, in your case!). By 'accessing' it, I assume you mean you double click it. GSAK will then try and re-import the file, which is the usual action for these file types. Instead, assuming you want to use it on a GPS, what you need to do is plug in the GPS and manually copy the file to the correct place on your GPS. This will vary according to make and model. If you need some more details, just holler! HTH Dave

You mean the sort of thing that GS could of done in the past 10 years with your Membership fees. What exactly HAVE the Romans done for us. I'm not normally one to defend GC.com, but to be fair, I'm not sure they could replicate GSAK and all its functionality. A completely customisable export direct to any GPS type device you can think off is probably asking a bit much!

??? Not sure you're right about the CONS or maybe I've read your post wrongly. I've got an Oregon 300. The OS Discoverer Maps and City Navigator both do Autoroute. You obviously don't get the voices and other bells and whistles of a TomTom or Nuvi, but it works pretty well as a SatNav in the Automotive profile. just wanted to clarify - I know many of the Garmins do auto-routing, but I don't class that as a SatNav! IMHO, a satnav must talk to you, otherwise its no different to drawing a line on an an atlas! I'm not sure I'd want to keep referring to a small screen with route, as I'd probably crash while not looking! Cheers! Dave

USB ports locked down too? http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable probably! I know my place bans the use of all non-Trust memory sticks, and is also running on IE 6!

Like others, I've used quite a range of different TYPES of caching options, so I'll try and give you an unbiased summary of our experiences. Started with an etrex. PROS - cheap (£60 ish), top battery life (20 hrs) and essentially indestructable. CONS - no paperless facilities at all, or maps. Its just a waypoint with an arrow to point the way! Obviously, for a little more money, you can those examples above like Vistas, which have mapping and routing functions - but as has been said, none of them have voices. If you want a proper SatNav system (and personally, I wouldn't dream of navigating by looking at a small sceen while driving) then the handheld units won't do it. I have a Windows Mobile PDA. PROS - full mapping (including OS maps) full TomTom SatNav, fully paperless, with all cache details, including photos, in the palm of your hand. Plus all the other functionality of a PDA. CONS - expensive (£350 for PDA + £80 for TomTom plus extra for OS maps). P poor battery life (although expandable with a small AA charger pack, which works fine). Complicated and tecnhical, especially if you want your paperless experience to work seamlessly between SatNav, maps and cache details. Not robust or waterproof, and I'd be reluctant to let younger kids use it. Garmin Oregon - currently our main unit while the PDA gets repaired (it got wet!). PROS - paperless caching with description, hints and logs. Mapping (including free maps). Robust and waterproof and very simple to use. My wife ran a geocaching activity for 6 year olds and they were using our oregon quite happily. Not TOO expensive (£180 for ours). CONS - no SatNav, and not so easy to get OS maps, especially full coverage. IPhone - we use this as an emergency back up if our Oregon details are out of date, and for those First to Find moments on holiday! I would never use it as a primary caching tool, or buy one for that purpose! Battery life is poor, GPS is shocking, and relies entirely on a mobile signal! oh, and it won't like being dropped! However, if you have a signal, you can get real time cache data. obviously, there are other models and so on, for varying prices, but this should help! My personal opinion is that the Oregon or similar is the bees knees, if you're willing to spend a little more! HTH Dave PS - I would say, cachers are a friendly bunch - find a local and go caching with them to see what equipment you like!

Do you know how many caches there are in the UK? Given that there are a million worldwide, I'd say at the most 10% of them are in the UK, giving around 100,000? Shouldn't be a problem. currently 60,000 in UK (give or take a few). However, even I don't carry them all around with me, primarily as they'd be out of date very quickly, and I don't often find myself making unscheduled trips to Scotland! Using GSAK, you can build up a database of caches, both local, business destinations and holiday locations, and then simply download what you need to your TomTom, and/or GPS, as and when you need it! All you need is 10 minutes notice and access to GSAK and your good to go! HTH Dave

Sounds like you're going to be significantly increasing the quality of swaps in our caches! As owner of the aforementioned Last Delivery (the most found cache in the UK, I believe! brag, brag) a visit from across the pond is always welcome - saves maintenance visits if its regularly found! You may well find nettles in Central London - they really do get everywhere! Wild parsnip is probably somewhat unlikely Finally, as others have said, try your best to get to an event. They are always excellent, and you'll be given a warm welcome! Do you know the dates yet (I can't be ar.. bothered to scroll up)? If you're here over May 1st-2nd, then there are lots of celebratory 10 year anniversary of geocaching events going on, with a whole new icon and everything! Have a great time!

even better, if you have a laptop/netbook while away, and you use GSAK, you can spend the evening writing full logs in GSAK, while offline, on a day by day basis, and then upload the job lot when you get home. However, it still requires opening each cache page individually. AFAIK, there is no feature on GC.com, or GSAK macro of any kind, which gets round this. I understand fully where you are coming from (and with 200 odd caches to log after a holiday, it is VERY time consuming), however there isn't an alternative that I know of! Field notes can make it slicker, but not 'all on one page'...

face facts andy, it don't exist!

therein lies the problem! the iPhone uses a non-bog-standard bluetooth connection! - the only device it will talk to is another Apple. It certainly won't talk to my netbook, laptop or any of the other mobiles in my house! I believe that Java is blocked by Apple as well!

It does, and many of the things it does, it does very well. The frustrating thing for me is that for the most part it's not a hardware limitation, it would be perfectly capable of doing the other things if it wasn't for the rigid control Apple exert. Rgds, Andy quoting this post, cos its shorter! I agree entirely with all of Andy's listed failings! However, for me, the iPhone was bought as a phone, with an 'emergency' GPS for those FTFs when out in the field! As a phone, its fine, and does what it says on the tin. As a GPS for the location apps, it works fine (thetrainline one is great - I programmed my home location, and now I can be stood at any station in the country and say "find next train home" and it knows where I am and when, and gives me the timetables. the other 'approximate' location apps also work fine' As I said earlier though, I bought a phone with some extra functionality, therefore I'm not disappointed. As a PDA device, it is useless, which is why I'll be sticking to my Windows PDA! Unlike Andy, I'm not on the prowl for a single all-encompassing device! having said that, some covenient method of file transfer, whether wifi, bluetooth or even e-mail attachments, is severely lacking, and this HAS caught me out a few times!

self promotion acceptable in this thread I would think (but what do I know!) Will put them on asap. As for Mugswell - I suppose I'd better - but I wish people would stop putting so many caches out near me - its getting rather dense!

As owner of more pairs of boots/shoes than I care to count, I feel I can add to this! I've become rather a fan of Go Outdoors, which often have some fantastic "one week only" deals. Last week they had some Karrimoors for 40 quid, reduced from 100. Keep an eye on their website! Like others have said, I used to like Salomon, but they do some to have gone down hill - the takeover may well explain this! Currently, I have a pair of VERY light weight merrells. These are essentially trainers, but with a good walking sole. Wonderful pair of shoes, comfy as slippers, have had them about 3 years and wear them all the time. Downside is not waterproof. I also have some Karrimoor shoes, which are 'weatherproof' rather than the eVent fabric. less than 20 quid on sale, heavier, but cerainly good for walking through damp grass and the like! I have three pairs of fabric boots - two Karrimoor Events. My first pair were brilliant - probably my most versatile shoe, totally waterproof, until I damaged them. replaced with a duplicate pair, but in ladies, as they had a great deal - unfortunately, this didn't pay off, as they are slightly too tight for me and I got blisters, but thats my own fault! I replaced these half way through a caching day with some £100 Mammuts. These seem excellent, not too heavy, watertight, comfy, but obviously not cheap! Finally, for bog walking in dartmoor, I have some Zamberlan Leather boots - bought 16 years ago and still going strong, so probably the best value shoe I ever owned. however I prefer walking in fabric boots wherever possible, so they only come out when paired up with gaiters! Apologies for waffling, and the absence of some punctuation! Its Friday, and I can't be ar... bothered!

which just goes to how how many different opinions there are in caching! the caches Mark alludes to above may well be my ones - we have a series of caches with a twist - some of which can be opened with bare hands (if you can find them!) and some of which require, for example, a socket set, or a magnet, or a screwdriver. My own caches were put out specifically to balance the high number of puzzles in the area. My argument is that its at the top coords, therefore its a trad! So, personally, I would list it as a trad, with a significantly increased difficulty rating. You may also want to consider a cache name that implies somethign different. A canadian cacher has a series called GeoGadget#1 and so on, which require tools. Either way, insisting people sign the log book, IMHO, is a key element of the game. We have one where the log book is encased in two sheets of plastic, so you can open the cache and see the log book, but you still need to sign it! Dave

the short answer is - no, they don't work in the same way! As you surmise, a GPS will need to be loaded with caches first, either direct from GC.com, via an offline database, or by entering them by hand. the reason, in case you haven't guessed, is that the iPhone has an 'always on' internet connection (with the proviso that you have signal) and can download the cache info straight from GC.com. A traditional GPS doesn't have any kind of internet connection. As you say, an iPhone is probably an unnecessary luxury if you only need a GPS. There are far better, and cheaper, ways of caching! If you only need a GPS, then the garmin range, at a huge assortment of prices, WILL provide something suitable. You can then either manually enter the coords while sitting in front of a computer, or there are various ways to bulk transfer coords, most of which require premium membership. The cost of a decent GPS and all the extras you need for a pain-free and paperless caching experience will be a LOT less than an iPhone! Oh, and because the GPS contains a 'static' database of caches, if you find yourself out of your normal caching area, you won't have any caches on it. All you need to do is load them up in advance! As a student, I can't imagine you'd find yourself miles and miles from home with no notice whatsoever... on the other hand... Hope thats some help. If you get yourself along to a local event, people will be happy to show you various types of GPS! Dave

Not sure if we've met, but its more than likely! Anyway, you are somewhat isolated down there in sunny southampton, but there's always the mid week meets (I know Hampshire runs them as well!) and if there's a camping event down that way that we are off to, we're happy to take hitch hikers! You may have to sleep rough in a 'proper' tent though!

nice idea, but as you say, they don't all overap, and I haven't got the time or skill to set this up for ours! Besides, its in the middle of a racecourse, so we're somewhat lacking in leccy!

the only other option is to crate a new caching account, and link it to a new e-mail address which both parties have access to. I did this recently for some joint caches. It works well but its a bit of a faff, especially if yours is only a one-off!

I thought it might be worth having a lis of all the 'official' anniversary events in the UK and Ireland. We certainly intend to make it to a few (one of which is ours)! Epsom Downs - North Surrey on Sunday the 2nd at 11am onwards for a picnic!