MajBach
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Posts posted by MajBach
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I've been receiving mine but everything is in plain text.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by Sliver & Lucy:I almost forgot GO LEAFS GO!!
Guess the weather was warm in Ottawa yesterday, eh Cliffy? Heh Heh
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by Sliver & Lucy:I almost forgot GO LEAFS GO!!
Guess the weather was warm in Ottawa yesterday, eh Cliffy? Heh Heh
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by 300mag:We actually had to check out the hockey game on and off 5/0 Senator's. But this was all cache related stuff lol. We needed some hockey info in case we get some tricky question in a cache
300mag & Cliffy [This message was edited by 300mag on May 03, 2002 at 02:28 PM.]
I hope you got to watch the entire game and soak it in. It'll be the last time Ottawa wins a game until the Rideau freezes over!
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
[This message was edited by 300mag on May 03, 2002 at 05:59 PM.]
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quote:
Originally posted by 300mag:We actually had to check out the hockey game on and off 5/0 Senator's. But this was all cache related stuff lol. We needed some hockey info in case we get some tricky question in a cache
300mag & Cliffy [This message was edited by 300mag on May 03, 2002 at 02:28 PM.]
I hope you got to watch the entire game and soak it in. It'll be the last time Ottawa wins a game until the Rideau freezes over!
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
[This message was edited by 300mag on May 03, 2002 at 05:59 PM.]
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a
in How do I...?
That would be 'eh? eh?' in Canadain.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by peter:Rechargeable alkalines start with a slightly lower capacity than regular alkalines and the capacity per charge drops slowly on subsequent charges - especially if the cells are used until they're almost discharged. They usually only last for about 25 recharges compared to the hundreds of charges obtainable from NiMH. They're a good choice for applications where the self-discharge rate of NiMH cells is unacceptable.
Precicely why i bought a charger that charges both types. The recahrgeable alkalines are great for remote controls (I have about 7 of them - the era of hi-tech. Man, I'd probably be 50 lbs lighter if I didn't have remote controls!), flashlights for my car, boat, motorcycle & toolkits, and wall mounted clocks.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by hawkeye1101:It sounds like the charger is a pretty good one for the money.
The question I had is why they never put the mA/H rating on Alkaline batteries, but they do on re-chargables.
Maybe they don't want you to be able to actually compare the bunnies to the copper tops etc.
So do the Ni-Mh run as long as or longer than Alkalines? I also wondered how the rechargable alkalines fit into the picture.
Good observation!
Sorry it took so long to respond - out of town.
As you probably noticed, there is anothoer thread currently discussing your question. My experience is the NiMh last about40 % longer than bunnies. So far, i have only seen this when using the full charge of the batteries with 5 days or less.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by hawkeye1101:It sounds like the charger is a pretty good one for the money.
The question I had is why they never put the mA/H rating on Alkaline batteries, but they do on re-chargables.
Maybe they don't want you to be able to actually compare the bunnies to the copper tops etc.
So do the Ni-Mh run as long as or longer than Alkalines? I also wondered how the rechargable alkalines fit into the picture.
Good observation!
Sorry it took so long to respond - out of town.
As you probably noticed, there is anothoer thread currently discussing your question. My experience is the NiMh last about40 % longer than bunnies. So far, i have only seen this when using the full charge of the batteries with 5 days or less.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by CountryLover:Seems like there are two schools of thought concerning use of NiMH and their lifespan compared to Alkalines.
Here's my own results, though not exactly scientific,
I put in a set of freshly charged 1800Ah NiMh batteries into my Etrex Summit, then left it indoors with no signal and waited for it to drain. The result : about 7+ hours
Yet to try it with alkalines 'cos I stopped buying them once I got the rechargeables.
When I read the responses here from people stating their NiMH do not deliver as much time on a charge as alkalines, I think to myself: there must be something wrong.
Your NiMH batteries may be well into their service life and cannot hold a full charge relative to brand new. Perhaps they're not fully charged from thr charger. Or, your GPS is one of the few that are really energy efficient and can suck the juice from the alkalines to a much lower voltage.
I wish I still had the link, but some time ago I read a comparison test of the current draw of many GPSrs. My GPSr (GM100) had the highest current draw of them all. There was a Garmin, possibly the V or III+, that came a pretty close second. I just purchased 4 1800mAh NImh. On a full charge, I get 9 - 10 hours of use out of them. Alkalines yield 6 - 9 hours; six if I leave the unit on and 9 if I drain them over several days. Seeing that others are not getting anywhere near the same life from the same batteries in a unit that draws less power than mine, leads me to believe there are something wrong with the batteries state of charge. I don't argue that Alkalines can deliver charge for longer in *some* units, but I do question the observation that 1800 NiMH are only delivering 7 hours. Perhaps this GPSr only requires two batteries?
If you have a lot of time on your hands,
this link is the most informative of all battery links I have read.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by Jamie :Why do you think long log entries are inappropriate? I like to read long cache logs. You might have to split it up into two (or maybe three) sections and post the sections as notes, but it'll go. I doubt anyone would complain.
Jamie
It wouldn't bother me either. I didn't want to make any assumptions however.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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I mean you guys know all the better places to go to. When does Ontario Place open? Last time I was there I wasn't old enough to drink. (I think it was called Upper Canada Place).
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by David S. Costantino:Boy, do I have questions.
#1. Do you think I should settle down a little before I jump into the world of geocaching?
#2. What is a good GPS unit to purchase for a newbie who has 3 kids who will want to learn to read it?
#3. Where should I get this unit? Can I get it online, or shoul I get it locally and get a warrantee with it?
#4. How long have you fols been doing this? I don't consider myself a putz so I can't understand why I haven't heard of this before. I would guess It got much easier in 2000.
Thanks in advance
squirrelly as all heck
Welcome. Before long, you will realize how fast the popularity of this 'hobby' is growning. I've owned a GPS for over two years and I only stumbled across Geocaching while doing a search for software for it. When I first became a member here back in February, I believe there were less than 3000 others. Recently, we crossed 10,000 member threshold.
To answer your questions, no need to settle down too much. It is an exciting sport and the novelty does dwindle a small amount, but you soon learn there is so much more than just the 'scavenger hunt' aspect of it; especially if you have a family.
For GPS units, they come in a wide variety of functions and prices. I would strongly suggest you do a bit of reading on their capabilties and pick a unit best suited for you. I find there a two distinct classes of GPSs, ones with maps and ones without. Try reading a bit here.
or here.
That should keep you busy for a bit and there is definately more than enough info to arrive at your own conclusions for an appropriate GPS.
Don't forget to read the FAQs for geocaching as well. There has been several (occassionaly heated) discussions here about finding/placing a cache and their contents - it wise to be well informed before heading out.
One final point. There is basically an unwritten rule -well suggestion anyway - to find several caches before placing your own. I guarantee after your first find, you'll be thinking about when/where you'll want to place your own. Give it some time and find several others first. You'll notice after several finds, there is much to be said about experience when it comes to Geocaching. Further, there are already many many caches out there - especially in the U.S. - so there is certainly no shortage of places to go. You'll want to make sure your first cache is a memorable one. I myself have found over 30 but have still not hidden one. I'm just waiting for a little light bulb to start flashing over my head.
Again, welcome aboard.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by TJWilson1:Here in the Land of Newfie over the last few days it's been overcast and between -3°c and 3°c. Now, Wed, April 17, it's snowing!
At least it's consistant on the coasts. Here, one day you're planting the garden, the next you're shovelling snow.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by Jamie Z:MB..
One a _day_? I use a virus scan program, and for the four months I've had my computer, that program has detected exactly _one_ virus. Where are you gettin' yours?
Jamie
Although I do have a virus scanner installed, I don't use in except to scan an individual suspected file. I've been getting them through e-mail. They all have been the one Hawkeye suggested. Most say 'returned mail'.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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I don't use a virus scannner - I find they're more of a pain than viruses are. But lately I've been getting an average of one virus/day. I recon i'm used to seeing only one virus every other month. what's with all the increased traffic lately?
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
I am sure that this will offend, but I thank god every day that I wasn't born in California.
Doesn't offend me but I'm surprised. My X-mas present to my wife in 2000 was a trip to L.A. and Vegas (we're from Canada). Flew to L.A., rented a car and took in the sites. Stopped in at Death Valley on the way to Vegas. then to Palm Springs and San Diego. Also drove on the Pacifc HWY north of L.A. too. I thought it was a gorgeous state. You can practically see all four seasons any time of the year. I think the only state I like better (for scenery) was Montana. I've probably visited about 30-35 states too.
quote:
I am forced to drive my 450hp 4X4 that comsumes more gasoline at idle that the gas pump can deliver. It has no smog controls at all and there are no smog checks where I live.Hmm not a statement to be to awful proud of. HP has always been a poor substitute for verility.
quote:
But on the flip side, we have the tallest mountain in the lower 48, the biggest national parks, giganitic trees, volcanoes, vast sparsly inhabited beaches, huge caverns, etc etc.Again, this is a place worth bragging about. Indeed, most of N. America is. I mean, what is there you can't see here?
quote:
Don't forget that California is lucky enough to have all the electricity it could ever need!! Just try to forget about those blackouts. :-)Also don't forget though that much of this hasn't been paid for. Canada is still trying to reclaim the hundreds of millions of dollars in exported electricity it lost when CA. power companies claimed bankruptcy and then turned around and moved to Europe where they were protected from creditors.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by IHTFP:I agree. .
I don't know why my character imposes on me to research so much trivial things such as batteries. Once I had read up about batteries and went and bought a charger and cells, a few more questions arose. I ended up writing to Rayovac for the answers. They gave me a decent reply but also gave me the number to a former R & D guy that wroked there, so I called him. He's the one that really gave me the low down on this charger. You could tell he wasn't biased or anything either, typical electrical engineer personality.
He told me about the trickle charger. He also told me how it senses what type of battery is being charged. Also explained each bay is charged indiviually, BUT, when you double up AA or AAA batteries in a bay (i.e., if you were chargeing 5 or more batteries), the paired batteries MUST be same level of discharge. He didn't like this aspect of the unit. Also stated that the unit can be fooled (well, this is how i took it) if you put fully charged NiMh in the unit to charge. I noticed this one time after about 4 1/2 hours of chargeing 1700mAh Nimh batteries. The indicator lights went off, indicating a full charge. Moments later, there was a power interuption but when power was restored, the charger proceeded to charge the already fully charged batteries. Indicator lights stayed on for 8 more hours! He explained this something to do with a cycle reset. He said the current through the batteries at this point was negligeable (sp?) and an over-charge isn't really occuring. The unit is waiting to sense a change in voltage from the batteries which it is not receiving becasue they are already at full. The unit has a built in safety feature that prevents chargeing for more than 8 hours, so it shuts off.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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It is not appropriate to post sucha long log on a cache page, nevertheless, I wanted to share this with Shelly's Crew and other cachers for this cache:
Apr. 25
O.K., I'm at home now. Despite being an easy cache, I had one heck of a, er call it an experience, finding this cache.
A couple nights before, I knew I would be in Barrie and Orillia the next day or two on business, so I scanned the area for caches and made a printout to take with me. This particular cache was kind of out the way, so I didn’t include it. On the first night, I stayed at my brother-in-law’s place and logged a cache on his computer I found earlier that day. While on the PC, I again looked around and somehow paid more attention to this cache. I then realized it had a coin in it – which I really wanted to check out – so I wrote down the ID of cache on the back of one of my printouts and also the coordinates for where to park, or so that is what I would recall thinking the next time I read it. The next day, I brought it up on my GPS by referencing its ID and started driving. It took almost an hour to get there and three or four times along the way, my GPSr really acted funny. It would suddenly skew my present location and give me real wacko speed-readings. A simple power on/off seemed to correct the problem.
I ended up guessing wrong as to where to turn off the highway near L. Simcoe and found myself on some very dusty and windy back roads. Eventually, I approached the cache (as indicated by my GPSr) and noticed it was about half a kilometer directly north of the road in a bush that was fenced off at the road. Adhering to a strict ‘no fence hopping rule’, I drove up a bit and found a place to turn off the road and examine the situation more closely. I parked beside a big sign with a lot of birds and a description to the area. I figured I was in the right place but I had to find an entrance yet. Well, now I go to my sheet that had the ID and co-ords for parking for this cache (just a note, the cache ID I wrote down was at the top of the blank page and the co-ords for parking were at the bottom. It looked like two pieces of info for separate caches, but that’s just my sloppy handwriting I figure)d. So, I punch in the co-ords for parking and make them my destination. The GPSr said I was 51.7 kms away! What the heck? ‘Oh no, this is not the cache with the Geocoin in it! That one is in Barrie!’, I exclaimed to myself. Just to be sure, I doubled checked my coordinate conversion – yep, these are the right numbers. Then I cycled the GPSr power just to make certain I wasn’t saying I was someplace I wasn’t like it often had earlier today. Sure enough, distance to parking was still 50+ kms away. But wait a sec, now it shows I’m only 3 meters away from the cache I was currently hunting! I guess when I was up the road a bit, the GPSr was showing a skewed position again and I was indeed NOW at the correct spot for THIS cache. I hurriedly took a look around the area, but because of the sign, I quickly assumed this was virtual cache. So, I hopped back in the car and started south to get to the Geocoin cache south of Barrie. Shortly after passing the Kirkfield lift lock (first time I’ve seen it from land, as I will explain in a bit), I verified the ID number for the cache with the coin in it – I knew I had that right – and searched again for it on the waypoint list on my GPSr. I quickly noticed that there were two very similarly named caches on the list and I must have just visited the wrong one. When I entered the new ID, it immediately showed it to be 6 kms behind me! I had to stop the car to figure this out.
Turns out I had picked the correct cache the first time. The other coordinates were indeed for parking, but for a different cache with a similar name. Hence my reason for writing them on a different spot on the page.
The fact that when I drove by THIS cache the first time and the GPS indicated it was in the middle of the bush must have lead me to believe THIS was the cache with the specified parking. A detail I overlooked after cycling the GPS and getting a proper readout.
By this time, I have a self induced paranoia that I’m in some kind of race to find this Geocoin, simply because of all the wild goose chases I’ve just put myself through. So I raced back to the cache, all of 5 minutes to get there and started removing all the rocks looking for the cache. As I did this, I shook my head in self-embarrassment as I remembered reading the night before about how this cache (‘the one with the coin’) was one in which you could drive right up to. I quickly gave up on the rock hiding place and started scouring the other few remaining places in the immediate area to hide a cache.
*Sigh*, there it was. And there too, was the coin.
This was a nice cache and an even nicer area. I’m a bit of a birdwatcher myself but I didn’t see anything but a killdeer here. I guess that’s a little unique considering the time of year.
I cannot remember precisely what I took or left. I do remember forgetting my bag of ‘cache stashes’ at home and looking for something useful in the car worth leaving. Grabbed a small vacuum sealed pack of (tasty) flavored ground coffee and also left a Timmy’s coupon for a donut or muffin. Took the coin – of course.
My drive home was a little more relaxed than the drive there. I avoided those dusty roads for starters and took the highway paralleling the Trent. This was also a trip down memory lane for me. Late last year, my wife and I brought our new boat up here and took a long-weekend trip up the Trent. We launched at the nearest marina just east of Lake Simcoe and traveled to Pigeon Lake before returning home. Shortly after pulling the boat from the water and beginning our trip home, we were involved in a near fatal accident. We had just pulled onto Hwy 12 from Hwy 48 (the road most will probably take to this cache). Traffic was very busy but moving fast. We were travelling about 90 kms and I looked up in front of us and saw a hub cap in flight just hovering vertically a few inches above the asphalt. I pointed it out to my wife because it looked kind of comical, despite the fact it was travelling right at us at about 150 km/h. It then immediately dawned on me (from several years of towing trailers) that this is often a sign of a wheel about to come off a seized bearing. Sure enough, I looked over to the left at the oncoming truck and trailer and his tire and rim came off. I immediately reacted to avoid the hurtling rim/tire combination that was only perhaps three car lengths directly in front of us in our lane. It struck us in about the center of our lane, but we were almost completely off the road by now. Surprisingly, the force of my swerving the car did not cause me to lose control, even though it was abrupt enough to shear two of the four bolts mounting our 400 lb. outboard motor to the boat. From the time I first noticed the hub cap, to the time we were actually stopped couldn't' have been more than 5 – 6 seconds. The guy that lost the wheel continued without stopping up to the lights at the intersection we just came from. Not only did no one stop and inform him (he had multiple axles and mat not have even known – but I doubt it – the reaction of the oncoming cars should have clued him in), but no one stopped to see if we were okay either. Maybe they could see how infuriated I was. It took the cops over 90 minutes to arrive – they dispatched one from Whitby.
I don’t know why I swerved rather than applying the brakes. I think my initial fear was that the tire was headed straight for my wife. As it turned out, this decision literally saved our lives. The tire came off the trailer and hit the road and then bounced back into the air. It struck us in the middle of our lane but because I was already partly off the road, it ‘knicked’ the front driver’s part of our car. Had I slowed down even slightly, the tire/rim probably would have missed the hood on its flight up and went through our windshield. Even though it’s been 9 months, this really sunk in for me today for the first time. BTW, the ‘knick’ cost about $6500 of body and mechanical damage.
Well, this is probably the longest log I ( or anyone) have ever written, but I wanted to share it with you. Hope you found it interesting reading. Thanks for this cache as it made for a memorable day!
MajBach
Posted a few pics too.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
[This message was edited by MajBach on April 26, 2002 at 08:42 AM.]
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quote:
Originally posted by VentureForth:Wow. The ultimate geocaching vehicle out there for the environmentally conscious cacher. It's the NEW Toyota RAV4ev!
From the Toyota Website:When the engineers at Toyota developed the RAV4 EV, careful thought was given not only to the environment, but to functionality as well. Take for example, the RAV4 EV’s permanent-magnet motor. In addition to generating zero emissions, the revolutionary 67-hp motor is capable of approaching 78 mph, ....
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Honda introduced a Civic many years ago had a variable transmission - like a snowmobile belt. It also, if memory serves, ran on natural gas, propane or regular gas or any combination thereof. It was desgined specifically fo CA's stringent emission standards. When I read the article, the emissions test clearly showed the air from the exhaust to be 'cleaner' than the ambient air.
Don't know if those cars are still being produced. The new honda hybrid isn't doing as well as predicted either. Give the the fuel prices a chance to continue rising and we'll all be thrust back to the econobox days of the 70's.
Nice thing about that Rav4 is that it'll power your GPSr forever!
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by Hawk-eye:Go ahead and post any question you want ... unfortunately there are ... well, impolite people everywhere ... but there are a ton of folks that will help you out or at least point you in the right direction or link.
Case in point:
quote:
post as neededi say post as needed. those that dont like should use the delete key or back button more often. there will always be new people coming in asking the same questions and some new questions that havent been asked before.
have at it!
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by ScottJohnson63:I am new to this sport. I need to know what unit I should purchase. I plan to use mine while flying VFR, hiking, and camping etc. Can I upload aviation maps and road and topography?
Thanks
Scott
I've owned an M320 (which is an M315 with nautical aids), an M400 Colourmap, an Etrex and another Garmin Streetmap or something. I finally settled on a GM100, by Lowrance. The AirMap by Lowrance is very similiar but with airport info. I sounds biased because I own one, but I decided on it because I've owned others. Garmin is hands down the industry leader now, but Lowrance (Eagle) has always catered to air or marine applications. The GM100 is old by design but for capabilty, it still runs with the pack. It's big disadvantage is size and battery consumption. It's also the most programmable, especially when it comes to making your own maps or buying aviation or marine maps. Garmins still require buying hardware for maps instead of software, kind of a monopoly if you ask me. But their land maps are definately superior to all. I wouldn't recommend the newer IFinder from Lowrance becasue of compatibilty issues with older software. I also layed my eyes on a new Magellin today - looked pretty good but that was only in the box. That's the ONLY thing positive I can say about Mags.
As far as creating/uploading your own maps, don't let it weigh to much on your decision. Although the GM100 allows you to do this, it takes A LOT of patience, practice and reading.
I'm sure everyone here can tell you pros and cons for various units, as I just did. My strongest suggestion would be to go to GPSnuts website and read the multitude of reviews. They're definately *the* experts. Being a pilot, you're probably anal retentive of sorts so this type of info will definately serve useful to you.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by rworne:Actually, he IS right. You are correct with high drain digital devices, such as digital cameras. The internal resistance of alkalines is so great, you can kill an alkaline battery with less than a dozen shots off a digital camera, and 2-3x that amount with Lithium, NiCAD or NiMH (which all have much less internal resistance). Most of the current flow in the alkalines is turned into heat instead of useful work.
On low-current devices, alkalines are best for longer life-- but a set of NiHM in my Vista and one in my fanny pack will last nearly 24 hours of straight use, more than enough for my needs as a much lower cost than alkalines.
Many, if not most digital devices are high drain. Most GPSr witha draw of around 300 mA would fall into this category. Even if they were not high drain, they still require 1.1 V or more to operate. At that voltage, alkalines cannot supply 300 mA, unlike NiCd or NiMH.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
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quote:
Originally posted by harrkev:BTW..
The 1-hour Rayovac charger is nice in that it charges each cell seperately. Not a big deal for a GPS (which always used 2 or 4 betteries).
--Harrkev
The rayovac PS3 charger charges batteries individually and also has a top-up trickle charge, even though it does not state this on the box. For 1800mAh NiMh, typical charge time is 6 hours from dead. It does have a 12V optional adapter. However, it is 1/4 the price of the PS4 and also is capable of chargeing Alkalines (good for keeping as spares in your glove compartment (won't self-discharge) or in flashlights).
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?
New post from old find
in Website
Posted
If you enter the date you found it, it will place the log in its proper place.
MajBach
You can't have everything,where would you put it?