autigerman

It's taken me 2 years to get to 1,000 finds. I know guys that have found 2,000 - 3,000 finds in the last 6 months. It all depends on how much time you spend on the hobby and searching in cache rich, or power trails, areas.

Adoption happens after the CO puts the cache up for adoption. If the CO does not put the cache up, then there is no way to take the cache over. The only option is to archive the cache. After that you can create a new cache in the same spot.

I tie survival bracelets. To make them sig items I use orange and blue, since that is Auburn's colors. I'll put one in a baggie with a little card to identify that it was from me.

Works for me, thanks for the workaround!

About 1/3 of the way down the page are a series of tabs. I think you might be looking at the "Source Code" tab. Try clicking on the "About" tab. You should see the install option here. Hope this helps.

PM sent to OP.

Happens to me more often than not when I'm caching in the woods.

That's great...it's my facebook status for the day!

Copy the notes you want to upload from geocache_visits.txt to a new text file and upload that file to the web site. Once you have finished with the notes delete everything in the visits file and save it as a blank file. Just start over with it. There is probably some hidden character that has corrupted the file and will not let you upload for the dates you want. This is going to be one of those areas where it is not worth the time and aggravation to fight with the computer. Use a work-around and move on. I just uploaded my field notes over the weekend so I know the process works. Hope this helps!

I wanted to complete the 100 consecutive day challenge and I made it to 121. By that point I was caching because I had to and it had lost a lot of the enjoyment factor for me. There are people with several years of consecutive days caching so it takes something like 1500 consecutive days to get into their league.

If you are talking about the listing of the caches on your device, there is a limit to the number of characters that can be displayed, thus, caches in a series tend to lose their number in the list. If you actually open the cache description you will find the complete name. I don't know of a way to display the entire cache name in the listing of caches. BTW, I have a 550T.

What he said...

We usually bushwack to the geocache, then take the easy trail back (now that we know it's there). You are not the only one that does this, speaking from experience.

That design on the back of a yellow safety vest would be sweet. +1 - make mine an XL

This charger should be ok, it doesn't look like anything special but you should get your money's worth out of it. The batteries are 2400mAh and you don't want any less power than that. It doesn't say if they are low discharge or not, but the next go round that is what I would recommend for you. If you want a good charger look for something from La Crosse Technology or Maha. For batteries go with Sanyo Eneloops or one of the models from Maha. I'm using the Maha Imedion in my 550T with no problems. A good place to look for chargers and rechargable batteries is Thomas Distributing. As far as the screen protector, order the one from Zagg, NOW. Get it and put it on before using the GPS. Otherwise you'll risk scratching the surface like I did.

Yes...

+1 These are great hints to get started. Welcome to the game!

Load the .gpx file into the \garmin\gpx folder on your GPSr and the caches that are in the file will appear when you disconnect the unit from the computer and turn it on.

If you think this is something you will be sticking with, it is usually cheaper to buy an advanced unit and grow into it's bells and whistles than to buy a cheap unit that you soon outgrow and have to replace. There is a forum topic, GPS Garage Sale, where used units are available. You can also try Craig's List or eBay. The majority of people use a Garmin unit, so if you go this route you will find it easy to get community support for problems you may be having.

I saw this thread when it first posted and I had some comments for what was said here. I'm speaking about the U.S., so this probably doesn't apply to other countries. If you weren't doing anything wrong, why would you wait for LEOs? Did this couple ask/tell/command you to stop? Why would you think they had called the police? I don't care how bad of a stink eye someone is giving me, I'm on my way when I finish a cache. If the police want to talk to me they can come find me. OK, I'll call it, bull hockey. Suspicion is not a reason for the police to search your backpack, car, etc. If you are asked by the police if they can search (insert item here) the answer should be "NO" or "I don't consent to be searched." My understanding, and I'm not a lawyer and I didn't stay at Holidy Inn Express last night, is that the only way the police can search you is to place you under arrest or to have a search warrant. It is your right (4th Amendment), as a U.S. citizen, to respectfully decline to be searched. Finally, everyone should research their particular state's law regarding "stop and identify". There is not a national law covering this. In most places if the police approach and start a conversation you can refuse to identify yourself. If they are detaining you (maybe called a "Terry Stop") then they can ask for ID. Your state determines what this actually mean. We should never forget Ben Franklin's quote, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty, to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" .

+1 on the Zagg screen protector. The screens scratch easier than you might think. The case on the Oregon is already ruggedized, so you really don't have a need to "protect" it. The only reason to have a case is to somehow facilitate carrying it.

I ordered my Oregon 550T for $425 from Cabelas shortly after Thanksgiving last year and, even though it was backordered, I received it on Christmas Eve, which became my first day to ever geocahce.

I take photos of just about every cache I find and store those pictures in my Flickr account then set permissions to 'private'. I would suggest he might want to do the same thing. I'd also let the finder know that I will be deleting the log and invite him to repost without the photo. And I would copy and paste his log into my email message so that he can copy and paste it back into a new log (without the spoiler photo). +1

I recently found a cache that also had a single lens from a pair of sunglasses. What's up with that? I usually don't take anything but I enjoy making survival bracelets and will usually leave one in caches that hold swag.

I tried to share data with a friend's 450T the other day. Initially they connected and started sharing data...up to 7%. Then the connection was dropped and we could never make the connect after that, even if they were right beside each other.