HaLiJuSaPa
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Posts posted by HaLiJuSaPa
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Wal Mart still sells Whistler GPS's? What model was it, I'm really curious?
I say this because when they first came out, there was a big push to sell them at WalMart because both companies are headquartered in Bentonville, AR, but I had thought that was a year or two ago. Have they come out with new models?
I have a Whistler GPS (Galileo Elite 200). I bought it off EBay from a "clearance" vendor. I say this because they have been discontinued. Whistler says it is because they are going to be making "Tom Tom" style turn by turn GPSrs with voice prompts in 2006 instead. Whistler still supports them well though
The unit isn't bad performance wise (it is actually a Holux which is the Taiwanese company that makes a lot of those units you attach to laptops with DeLorme software), but I have to agree what people say here vs. the Legend, mainly because of two features that would make it a hardship for someone who does more than occasional caching:
1) It only shows position in DD MM SS.S, not the geocaching standard of DD MM.MMM
2) You can't really use any of the standard waypoint downloading software and are thus limited to manual entry (after converting per #1 above).
I like the unit personally, but if I were doing several caches each weekend I think this would drive me nuts and I'd be trading it in for a Legend too!
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Nancois, in defense of cache owners (which I am not as of yet), I imagine it is somewhat difficult to develop a Terrain 1 cache because the setup may be TOO visible and muggles with plunder it and all. But as you say, don't give a cache that's at least a 1.5 or 2 a "1 star".
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Ah, this (alternative winter activities to caching) by someone who (at least so the profile says) lives somewhere where winter only really exists in some of the nearby mountains.
Hey Cotati, you forgot to mention downhill skiing
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Yes, it must be some intereference of some sort; I don't believe SA would be turned on for these facilities and not the Pentagon. Thanks for all your help!
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But didn't our government do such a thing over Afghanistan when we overthrew the Taliban after 9/11? Or is it just that it's not possible over so small an area.....
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If I haven't used my GPS in awhile, I will put it in my car and have it on going to and from work to keep it "warm" and keep the almanac fresh.
I have noticed a very peculiar thing. Each time I do this, I find when I park at my job that I get a different reading each time, it has varied by as much as 1/4 mile between days! The maps on my GPS also show my location in a different place each time. And I usually have 6-9 satellites firmly locked at this location, so it's not a poor reception issue.
This does not happen anywhere else on my commute, nor has it happened anywhere else I take the GPS. It drove me nuts but now I think I may have a theory. There is a nuclear power plant less than 2 miles from my workplace. An armory for the local National Guard unit is less than 4 miles away.
Is it possible that Selective Availability still exists in this area? Though it is generally "turned off", can the government somehow "micro apply" it near sensitive areas like I imagine these are? If anyone knows, I greatly appreciate your response, thanks.
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Magellan 315, sounds like winter is going to become a time to do Waymarking instead
I must say based on the amount of DNF's people are claiming on here, I'd expect to see a lot more logged out there.
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Isonzo, we have had that problem too. We lookup some "terrain 1" caches to bring our 4 year old and 2 year old to, and find that the last 10 feet involves extensive bushwhacking or climbing on rocks that was pretty hard for them. These 1's truly were not "someone in a wheelchair can get it" caches.
I heard from a friend of another "terrain 1" where the find is in a hole in a tree where someone in a wheelchair could easily get to the tree but could not reach it (in fact for that matter, this friend is only 5'1" and she was angry that she couldn't reach it either and was lucky to have a taller friend with her who grabbed it). I could accept that one being a 1.5, but not a 1.
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Of my 12 non-virtual, non-locationless finds, I have already seen 2 caches that need maintenance. The first one the owner took care of right away. The 2nd was a bit of a shock to me because a couple of other cachers had found it only a few days before and no one said anything about the condition. I don't know if that one was taken care of.
In both cases, I think the problem was that the container was not the waterproof "ammo can" kind (albeit the 2nd one was a hide that an ammo can would be a bit big for).
But though they are still eager to cache again (at least when we see some warmer weekend days without snow cover), it was kind of a turnoff to my wife and kids.
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"Ground Zero" in this case is probably what is known as the "Zip Code Centroid". Usually, it is the location of the post office in the zip code in question.
However, what you are saying only applies if you do the search for nearest caches by your home's zip code. If you go into your account/profile page (this is true even for free basic members as I am one and it works), there is an option to search the nearest caches based on your actual home coords.
It can make a difference. I live about 1 1/2 miles from my zip code's post office and my nearest vs. 2nd nearest caches are reversed when I use the "home coords" option vs. just plugging in my zip code. And this is in a fairly urban area.
I hope that helped....
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My experience too is that the GPS works much better in the cold with the Energizer Lithium AA batteries. Their 2500 MaH rated rechargable didn't work too bad either, but the Lithium definitely worked better.....
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Being a cold winter night here in the US Northeast tonight, it's neat to hear someone writing about it being summer and hot out in a forum :-) Thanks.....
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248, the reason that we have so many standards is that Europe unfortunately "locked" themselves into GSM by essentially forcing 1 standard on the population.
While forcing GSM does mean much better cell phone coverage in European rural areas compared to American ones, CDMA became a superior standard in terms of signal range, wireless Web browsing, etc. But because Europe is "stuck" with GSM (it would be difficult and expensive to provide new towers, phones, etc.) they cannot provide it for those who want the better wireless Web, etc. Most Asian countries have actually done the reverse and "forced" CDMA as the single standard since they didn't lock into GSM but also don't like having four systems like we do here in America.
I am not saying this as a fan of CDMA, in fact I use T-Mobile, which because of the many non-GSM standards in the U.S. is probably the carrier with the least coverage (except for the pre-merger Nextel iDen network). One shame about CDMA is that you cannot just transfer a SIM chip with all your settings to another phone like you can with GSM (which is why I like it).
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First off, welcome to the world of caching! Having only discovered it myself a few months ago, I find it to be a great way to get into the outdoors and to learn about parks, playgrounds, etc. that you never knew of before (even ones that are <5 miles from your home!) in addition to the "thrill of the hunt".
Maybe you should find some other stay-at-home moms and form a caching team! You can go together to the cache and one or more moms can be the "designated watcher" while the others find the cache when your GPS gets to it. On most "1.5 terrain rate" and below caches the "watcher" can get close enough so that baby can still see "mama" hunting and finding it. Only one of you needs a GPS to do it.
Congratulations on your new addition and enjoy the hunt!
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I hear you loud and clear. Besides all that's mentioned here (i.e. difficulty/terrain ratings, "kid friendly" icons), another thing to look at is the actual cache description as it will sometimes tell you whether it's a good cache to take the kids to.
I have much smaller kids (4 1/2 and 2 1/2), and they love "caching", but I have to be careful to find one that is either not too difficult a terrain (I find most 2's a little rough for them if I go myself with them, and even with my wife or a friend along a "2" can be a little difficult for kids that young) or that is not so difficult that they get bored and cranky (doing ones with encrypted hints help in that area).
Keep in mind that a 1.5 terrain rating may be easy until you get to "Ground Zero" on your GPS, but then involve rocks or other terrain that may still be difficult for a little one (however I think an 8 year old would definitely be able to handle it, I'm thinking more someone half that age or less).
Unfortunately, you rarely see a true "terrain 1" rated non-virtual cache because that is supposed to be a cache in which in a person in a wheelchair can easily go over and grab it. It would be nice to see more of these both for small kids and for handicapped individuals, but there aren't too many "terrain 1" situations that make for easy hiding from non-cachers who could steal or vandalize it.
If you are inexperienced in finding micros, you might want to avoid those with kids (especially smaller kids) if they get bored and cranky somewhat easily.
Just my thoughts. Good luck and happy caching!
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Black Panther, my thought (which others have said before this) is that unless there's some law that doesn't allow it (i.e. you have to pay some tariff or something before it's shipped to you), maybe just buy it on eBay (PayPal usually converts currency quite well) if the seller has OK'd shipping to New Zealand since it sounds like it will still be cheaper. I am assuming that a US Etrex gives the option of showing everything in metric numbers for non-US use, but I'm not sure. I'm sure an Etrex expert like briansnat or someone will know that, though he correctly pointed out the basemap issue if having a map on there is importan.
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Oh don't worry, Fergus, the "cheating" part was kind of tongue-in-cheek, he did help me.
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Tbs
in Trackables
Another thought is to just go back to another cache you already found in the past that you know will be big enough to hold the TB. This is great if you're short on time since you'll just be going right to the cache without looking and can dump the TB. Good luck!
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Actually, Vagabond, many models say the ideal is to hold it at a 45-deg angle away from you towards the sky.
Kripp, two other thoughts no one has given here:
1) If there is an option to do so on your GPS, get an external antenna. Sometimes in tricky GPS reception conditions this will help solve the problem. They are usually magnetic so you can attach it to something metal, two common ones some people do are either to wear a "baseball cap" with a metal top and attach it there, or to attach it to something metal on a backpack, like a zipper or they velcro on a metal piece for this purpose. It looks a little geeky, but it can help a lot, especially in tree cover. You can usually get one on eBay for as little as $20.
2) Go for caches that have some sort of encrypted hint (most do) to help you. And especially as a beginner, don't be ashamed to use the hint, it will help you learn the general way things are hidden.
Enjoy and good luck!
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Lowrance GO's work in a similar way as Briansnat described for the Etrex's (I do not own one, but have tried a friend's out and have considered getting one), it fixes best if you hold it at a 45-deg angle when walking.
Also, you will get a somewhat faster fix if you stay still when "warming it up", though walking during warm up should not affect it too much. I used to have a problem with my current GPS (Whistler Galileo Elite, also sold abroad as the Holux GM-100) where it would not fix at all if I started it in a moving car, but I then learned a firmware upgrade fixed that, though it usually still takes about 8-15 minutes to "warm up" if I do it in a car at highway speed (vs. about 3-5 when I'm walking with it and maybe 1-3 standing still). Once it gets the fix it works fine though.
The GPS maker of my GPS also expressly says in their website's FAQ that you should use lithium batteries (or a rechargable with a very high MaH rating) if you are using it in cold weather for best performance as someone else noted here. I have found this to be true too.
I thought at first maybe something was wrong with my GPS but both my brother-in-laws (who both have Etrex Yellows) have assured me otherwise.
Good luck and have fun with your GPS!
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Although I know that most of the state is not above the Arctic Circle, I would imagine that in Alaska the relative lack of daylight during the winter months would be another hinderance to caching in addition to snow (when I first heard you talk about "a foot of snow" I thought you were in upstate NY where some parts got big snow yesterday but then saw the part that said you're in Alaska). I know quite a few people night cache but like snow caching it is harder and does increase DNF's and I imagine many places where caching is done are closed in the dark. Just wondering.....
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Fergus, I've done that once or twice (called my brother-in-law for a hint/clue), while he gave it I think he was annoyed and considered it "cheating"
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BlackPanther,
I have to admit when I first saw you saying that a yellow Etrex was $300 for example (when I've seen it for under $100) I was like "where is this person looking"? Then I saw your profile and realized that you are in New Zealand and I guess a NZ$ is valued different.
I guess I was thinking like the stereotypical "ugly American"
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IVxIV, I'm curious about the 16-channel aspect of Lowrance IFinders. I know the more channels the better reception (or at least the more satellites you can get), but I've always wondered since there's never more than 12 birds over one's horizon at once how anything above 12 channels improves reception.
This is not to knock what you're saying, I've heard mostly great things about the IFinders vis-a-vis reception but I know that most Cobra units are 18-channels and I mostly hear they have the worst reception of any make of GPS!
Speed 19ft Accuracy
in How do I...?
Posted
In my car vs. the speedometer the GPS has proven quite accurate. As an ultimate test, I had the cruise control set at 65 and it never read below 64 or above 66.
So speed is quite accurate. Now altitude on the other hand....