The_Brownies
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Posts posted by The_Brownies
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I've been caching for almost 20 years now and it's always been 30 feet. I use my cellphone app and that gets me very close to the coordinates. It's weird; Garmin and Magellan always seem to vary but both will get you in the 30ft zone. I also have found that walking and from the cache and walking back in helps with GPSr's but the cellphone app is very accurate on my iPhone.
When looking for a cache, make sure you look at prior posts, type of container and the hints. Once you have found enough caches, you will start to get an idea of what to look for. Magnetic containers can be a pain or really small cache containers but if you approach a cache as if you were the one hiding it, you will be successful.
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Narnian Rockhound, I'm with you. I also paid the $10 for an app that is in my opinion, a far better app than the new piece of free crap they have put out for download. I also agree that the focus of fun free game appears to have turned into a more for profit business. I liked the previous app because I could search for any non member only cache and it was easy to use. I still could not build lists and all of the other bells and whistles. Sorry.. I don't need them.
When you start charging $6 a month to look up a cache that used to be free on my old app, but now is a pay for service you have gone to far. This is not Netflix, Hulu nor is it a VPN service. It does nothing but takes XML data and pushes it out to a web capable device. There is no real value in the service they offer besides saying; "Hey you can now download a free app." Hello... I DON'T WANT IT which is why I paid $10 for the original app.
My question is compromise such a hard thing? if you needed to pay for the update to the app, then why not charge say $2 - $5 fee for the newer app update for those who have it. I would be ok with that, but to simply force this piece of crap upon me; sorry but that is just wrong. I'm ok with an update fee that but would not restrict caches based on difficulty ratings. I'm surprised they did not put the app out here for critique prior to rolling it out. They would have quickly found out how many of us hate it and they would have also got valuable input on how to fix it. Now you are going to have to pay someone to fix something that should have never been rolled out to begin with.
Sorry for venting, but after almost 20 years on caching, this has got to be one of the dumbest things they have ever done. No one uses GPS Units anymore especially if you have a smartphone. I can simply bring my iPad along and tether off my cellphone. It was easier with a smartphone app but now they have killed a very simply and easy to use app, I'm going to have to go back to this method.
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It all depends. I typically carry a backpack but when I know I'm looking for a micro, I tend to only use my GPS and I only bring a pen or pencil.
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You do a good job of listing out the benefits, however, if you are going to present something like this before a school board, you would need to refine this a little bit. First you need to explain the relative advantage, and implementation strategy of how you would implement this technology into the classroom. Next you would need to outline the costs and a projected implementation time line.
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What does a phone, a GPS, and the internet have in common? They all come in one device. Down the road, I'm thinking about going with a cellphone that has both GPS and WIFI to surf the web anywhere I go. I.e. the blackberry or something similar.
If you have a newer PDA these have WIFI and can surf the web, but I'm honestly thinking about going with a Blackberry or something like the Iphone.
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What does a phone, a GPS, and the internet have in common? They all come in one device. Down the road, I'm thinking about going with a cellphone that has both GPS and WIFI to surf the web anywhere I go. I.e. the blackberry or something similar.
If you have a newer PDA these have WIFI and can surf the webm, but I'm honestly thinking about going with a Blackberry or something like the Iphone.
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Caching in a cemetary really should not be thought of as creepy. Actually if you think about it, the bodies are 6ft down in a cement crypt inside a metal coffin. By walking over the grave you are not being disrespectful. I sometimes go to cemetaries to cache, and there are times when I have come out of them with tears in my eyes.
Cemetary caches are a very sobering experince that we are mortal, and we all die. But to forget about people all together; that is the real tragity. Have you looked at some of the graves and wonder, who are these people and what were they like? I remember reading the grave log left by a mother for her 16 year old daughter. In 1994, this girl was killed at the age of 16 driving home from school. He mom started a log, and each year she leaves her daughter a note. The mother obviously still greaves the loss, but I think it would be a neat idea to do a documentary on this young woman.
When I begin my teaching career in a few short months, I have thought about starting a rememberance project where one assignment is for my students go to a cemetary and locate a grave. Then I want them to research that person to see if they can find out anything about their lives. Then I want them to do a Ipod video about the person. Don't you think it would be interesting to know, who they were and what they did? In my eyes, no body's life was meaningless and a cemetary cache is to me a rememberance of those who have gone before us.
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Nope -- not a lurker..
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Ok, if you want to find the members only cache, shell out the $3 for one month and go find them. It's not Geocaching.com that's saying you cannot locate the cache. It's the cache owner who only wants certain people to find the cache. I.e. lagitimate cachers and not geopirates.
I'd thought about doing this to some of my caches because I got tired of replentishing cach supplies with good items when people were leaving trash in return and I got tired of getting my caches stolen by pirates. So there is a reason behind this madness.
Personally, there are so many caches out there, who cares about members only caches. Plus if you want get the coords from a premium member and then log your find using the back door.
Don't sweat it. It's only a game with 67,000+ caches out there.
BTW - If there were no premium members, there would be no Geocaching website, and no geocaching thread. I did the Premium things for a year, and if you are a cacher, I think you should as well. Your money goes to support Geocaching and It's nothing more than buying a membership to the NRA or a yearly subscription to the newspaper. Plus by buying membership in Geocaching.com, you are saying,"I support Geocaching."
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my dog at my cache exchange items but I had to have the cool little trinket in the cache. So I leave my two cents worth. (LOL)
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I did the premium thing for a year. But honestly I don't have the time to cache all the time and I honestly find no benefit to the premium membership at this current point in time. If I want to download a list of caches in the neighborhood, I simply pay $3 and do a pocket query and then at the end of the month I go back to being a normal cacher.
You need to weigh
1. How much caching do you expect to do?
2. Do you want to go paperless?
3. Do you have a PDA or some device capable of using an application to read the logs?
4. Does your PDA have internet Access?
If you said yest to this, then become a premium member. No, than staying a nomal geocacher is the best thing for you.
But me.
1. I have very little time to cache. (Working on a Masters degree followed with a PHd & my family time)
2. I only look for a cache every now and then so I don't need paperless caching right now.
On a side note, I think if you have enjoyed caching, it's only fair to do at least 1 year as a premium member. $30 bucks is cheap, and it goes to pay for server's, bandwidth, and salaries. Plus by doing the premium thing you in a sense are saying, "I support Geocaching" and I must say I certainly do. I have met a lot of great people in this sport. Plus Geocaching is a family activity that you can do with your family and I have to thank Jeremy for creating this cool site.
The choice is all yours, but I thought I'd give you the view from both sides of the coin.
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Browsers are funny. What looks just fine in Internet Explorer doesn't appear the same way in Firefox. To be honest, Internet Explorer is like a glutton. It will take anything you throw due to it's very poor design, where Firefox is a finiky and will only eat certain foods due to it's very effecient code.
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That's pretty cool. I've been caching for a while, but it wasn't until I did some research for a class I'm taking which is part of a masters Degree program did I run across this idea. I may eventually build a cache on this idea, but I've been way to busy with college to keep up with caches. Maybe I'll set this one out when I graduate in Aug 09.
Wish this bulletin board had a spell checker. O well.
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I believe we are overlooking the obvious. What Internet browser application are you using? Mozilla, Internet explorer. I know I can browse the Geocaching website perfectly using a very old Ipaq 3230 running Internet explorer.
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I've never seen this before, but I think the idea is "Totally Wicked." Think about this. For a cache you give the user route coordnates. The need to have route tracking enabled. Only after following the coordinates will the cache location be revealed on their GPS Screen. Kind of a cool new concept don't you think? Click on the link below to see what I'm talking about.
Here are a few more links
* PCWorld
* Not sure about this one. Squirrel maybe?
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Do you have a newer Pocket PC or Palm? By a GPS attachment off ebay. Then you have the best of both worlds.
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I'm an Education Technology graduate student @ University of Boise. I've been working on a podcast for a class that uses a GPS for many subject areas. One website I found should give everything you need.
http://lovinfifth.com/gps/GPS-activities.htm#activities
Another Website that will also be helpful is EDUCACHING.COM. -
Getting out of the cache business for a while. Going throught Grad School, and I simply do not have the time to keep up on all my caches.
Basically all of my caches were archived today. If anyone wants to adopt them, have them shoot me an email. I have no problem handing them over.
BTW - I'm not calling it quits to caching. Just pulling my caches. Work, kids, and a Mater Degree program reek havic on a person's schedule.
Here is my cache listings
Hopefully when I get my PHd completed in a couple years, I'll start stashing again but you'll have to call me Dr. B... hee.. hee..
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While looking for a local cache, and talking to my wife at the same time, I went to lift a sprinkler valve box. As soon as my finger touched the hole I got nailed on the knuckle by a ground wasp. My hand and arm swelled up to triple it's normal size and I eventually had to go to the hospital, only to be told the swelling will go down in a week or so. 
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I have ran into a number of cachers when I was out in the bush, and we then team up to find the cache. Generally the cachers I have ran into are newbies, but every now and then I'll run into a few vets like myself.
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Haven't posted in a while. Recently went out to find a cache in a local park. Grabbed a plastic underground sprinkler cover and I got nailed by a swarm of ground wasps. My hand and most of my arm swelled up like a ballon and that pretty much ended my day of caching. So here's the question - Who has been bitten looking for a cache? I.e. Snake Bite, Dog Bite, Bug Bite, etc?
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Actually I have one, and when tactfully done, they can be an enlightening experience. Why would I ever create one? Because I wish to open a window into the life of someone who was very special to me. Just because a person dies, does not mean their life has to die as well. My father was a very interresting person who did a lot of good for a lot of people in his community. Just because there is not a plague or statue to commemorate his accomplishments, doesn't mean that his life is not worth remembering. That is why I made a cache for him so people would know the kind of person he was. In fact my mother recently passed away, and I plan on making a cache to remember her as well.
On a different note: How many times have you walked through a cemetery and actually looked at grave markers? Some are really fancy and some are just plain. Wouldn't be interresting to know who the person was? Where they came from?
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Take it from an a veteran cacher. Disable it.
I view this particular cache in the same manner as a cache of mine that was archived due to it's proximity to a set of railroad tracks. The cache was not on the tracks, and in my opinion there did not appear to be any real danger of anyone ever getting ran over. None the less it was archived just to guard against the possiblity of someone being ran over by a train. Plus it would bother me knowing someone was hurt going after a cache that I placed in a location that was obviously a lot more dangerous than a set of lightly used rail road tracks.
Hope that helps.
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Keep them small.. 
make them hard to find Think outside the box!!
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my dog at my cache exchange items but I had to have the cool little trinket in the cache. So I leave my two cents worth. (LOL)
While looking for a local cache, and talking to my wife at the same time, I went to lift a sprinkler valve box. As soon as my finger touched the hole I got nailed on the knuckle by a ground wasp. My hand and arm swelled up to triple it's normal size and I eventually had to go to the hospital, only to be told the swelling will go down in a week or so. 
Haven't posted in a while. Recently went out to find a cache in a local park. Grabbed a plastic underground sprinkler cover and I got nailed by a swarm of ground wasps. My hand and most of my arm swelled up like a ballon and that pretty much ended my day of caching. 
Keep them small.. 
make them hard to find 
Inexpensive GPS devices?
in How do I...?
Posted
You could get them a cheap garmin but if you look at yard sales, there are the navigation GPS units for sale under $30 and you can cache with them. Of course you can install the caching app on a smartphone. A garmin E-trek is also good or maybe this video will help.