Jump to content

Seamus

+Premium Members
  • Posts

    354
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Seamus

  1. Well, I don't know if they would count as nicknames, but I've called mine a few things that I can't repeat here in the forums...
  2. Do you use a PDA with this computer? A lot of PDA hotsync software will "hook" the COM ports, even if it uses a USB connection rather than an actual serial port, it can prevent the COM ports from working properly. If this is the case, shut down the hotsync software completely (not just disabling it or putting it into standby), and then try the GPS again. Hope this helps!
  3. Typical example of someone who knows nothing of what they're talking about going for shock value and using peoples' trust in the Internet to pretend that they're an expert. Short answer: No. They're full of <bad information>. Sounds like another article from the "tinfoil hat" crowd.
  4. Sounds like you're having a problem with different coordinate formats. The coords you listed are in DD.dddddd format (decimal degrees). It sounds like your GPS is expecting either DDº MM.mmm' (decimal minutes) or DDº MM' SS" (degree minute second) formatted coordinates. To get to DDº MM.mmm format from your coords, get rid of the full degrees, and multiply just the decimal portion by 60. then becomes:
  5. Not all GPS units have built-in electronic compasses. When I get to the area of the coords, if the hide isn't immediately obvious, I take several readings of "<distance> at <bearing>" from various points around it. This often narrows it down quite well, and gets me to the cache quickly without having to do too much wandering around.
  6. When I first got into Geocaching, I picked up a map book for my county and one of the adjoining ones. By the time I moved, I had books for the next two counties in all directions. The books in question are from ADC, and lived in the cache bag, to be dragged around with us whenever we went out for a hunt. At the time, I was using a Garmin eMap with just the built-in basemap. I have since purchased a memory module and uploaded the more detailed Mapsource street-level maps, but I'd still bring my books along if I found myself back in Maryland for cache hunting. The detail and scope of the books far exceeds the abilities of the eMap's screen, and I find that I get a better overall feel from being able to see 17 inches of street-level map at a time, instead of a little scrollable window on the GPS unit's display.
  7. I've had problems getting various serial devices to work before, too. My first question would be if you are using a PDA with your computer as well as your GPSrs. Even if the PDA uses a USB port for connection, the software can hook the serial port(s), preventing them from working properly. If this is the case, shut down your hotsync software completely (not just disabling it or setting it to standby), and try talking to your GPS units again. Hope this helps...
  8. Okay... First, try these instructions. Then, to test your avatar change, you might wish to use the testing thread pinned at the top of the Getting Started forum. Hope this helps!
  9. The only instance of this that I am aware of was a test earlier this month of GPS jamming technology off the northeastern coast of Florida, which lasted for maybe a week or so. There was a forum topic about it, which linked to a few articles.
  10. It's for testing all sorts of things, not just avatars. People test colors, images, links, sig lines, and any number of things that would otherwise have to be done in "real" topics, where they would be annoying and off-topic. Why is it pinned? If it weren't, it could slide off the bottom of the first page, nobody would see it, and there would be a whole new batch of off-topic postings and "does this work?" threads. (now aren't you glad you asked?) Edit: Some people also check this thread periodically in order to help people out who seem to be having difficulty with a particular feature.
  11. Good point. Might be a good idea for those with urban caches in/around the "action" in Boston to temporarily disable or even remove them until normalcy returns, if only to keep the caches or those who might be seeking them from causing too many headaches. (Just my two pennies)
  12. Maine is also at a much higher latitude than Arizona, and you will get a different "spread" on the satellites up there. I get a more uniform distribution of satellites here in Florida than I did when I was in Maryland, and this may also contribute to more stable and consistent readings.
  13. ShutterBug ButterShug Go North! Okay, so only one of the cameras made it to where it was going - one went AWOL with the cache, another was taken by cachers who disappeared. It's still fun to know that they're out there gathering photos and moving from place to place. ButterShug and Go North! are ready to be restarted from here soon, and ShutterBug is preparing to make a return trip to Maryland. Camera bugs are fun.
  14. I'm sure it varies by the original application of the bucket. The caches I've found in 5-gallon buckets have been fairly easy to get into - no real prying necessary, though I imagine that some folks might have had a somewhat difficult time with them - depends on how much of a grip you can get under the lip of the lid, how it's sealed on, etc. Shop around for the buckets and see what you come up with. Edit: Leverage is a factor, too. Most of the time the hider happens to find an existing hole in a good cache spot that's just the right size and shape to accommodate the bucket, leaving only the top few inches exposed, so the bucket itself is held in place and the top is easy to pry off. Funny how those perfect holes just happened to be in ideal cache spots...
  15. I saw (and signed) one for the first time this afternoon. I didn't really measure it, but if I recall correctly, it was maybe 5 x 7 inches or so. Very nice book, and the pages are divided into top and bottom sections, so I guess you could cut it in half to make two half-sized logbooks out of it, if you so desired.
  16. Seamus

    Tnlnsl

    I used to be hypersensitive to the stuff, and have even contracted a poison ivy rash from using a computer after a cow-orker who had it. I've had it over most of my body, under my eyelids, inside my throat... ick. After I started caching, I was acutely aware of where poison ivy may be, and was very careful, though I know I came into contact quite a few times. While doing one particular cache, I slipped at the top of a hill, and left a green streak of crushed plants, most of them poison ivy, behind me as I slid to the bottom. Figuring I had just bought myself the worst case of P.I. known to man, I showered very thoroughly when I got home. Surprisingly, I only ever broke out in two quarter-sized patches on my wrist and ankle, and nothing further. Since then, I've never had a rash, though I know I've had plenty of accidental exposure. ....and to be on-topic, one that I never needed before moving down here to Florida: SABAMH - Spiders As Big As My Head!
  17. That post was in reference to a cacher who cross-posted an ad for their website on that date, spamming all the forums at once. They haven't tried anything similar since, so I suspect their current whereabouts are only known to themselves and the Puppymonster.
  18. Here we see an example of the rare albino geocache in captivity. It is very unlikely that such ammo cans could survive in the wild for very long, as their lack of any pigmentation would make it extremely difficult for them to blend into their surroundings. This one was found and taken in by a kindly geocacher, who has retrained it to serve as a storage and transport container for fragile objects and equipment.
  19. I'm pretty much in agreement with the rest, here. Removing the keychain without leaving anything in its place was the same as taking any other trade item without leaving one of your own. Removing the sticker was just as inappropriate as spraypainting someone's cache day-glo orange because you thought it would look better that way. If you have an issue with the appearance or contents of someone's cache, take it up privately with them in an e-mail exchange. If you think it really needs attention and they don't agree, then escalate to TPTB. I've seen numerous trade items that involve alcoholic beverages in one form or another. I know plenty of people who homebrew their own beer, ale, mead, and other alcoholic beverages, who love finding and trading for such items. Still, in all the caches I have found, there have probably been fewer total references to alcohol than I see in a typical day, were I to count the billboards, convenience store signs, t-shirts, TV ads, sporting event promotions, and yes, even keychains that are out there in the Real World. Yes, I feel that you were out of line in defacing someone's cache because you didn't care for the way they chose to decorate the container. I would certainly take offense at anyone doing something similar to one of my hides. The keychain is a lesser matter, but it still constitutes taking a trade item without leaving something in exchange. I'm also a bit puzzled as to why you chose to make a public issue of it here in the forums when you make no mention of it whatsoever in your cache logs, where potential finders might notice it and take it as a warning should they be as sensitive as you seem to be about beer references. At the very least, you owe the hider an apology for altering their cache. If you're really that sensitive to beer ads, should you find a cache with an objectionable sticker on it in the future, I respectfully suggest that instead of vandalizing it, you simply put it back where you found it, walk away, and find another cache to look for. (Two more cents on the pile) Edit: No "probably" about it. You do owe the hider an apology.
  20. For an event-based cache, you might try listing it initially with the coordinates of the spot where people will be meeting for the event, and give the actual coords in the reviewer's notes section of the submission form. That way, anyone who goes after it will find a big crowd of people there waiting for the event, rather than the box with an FTF prize. Once the event starts, announce the actual coords to those in attendance so they can go find it. After the event actually happens, modify the cache listing to reflect the actual coordinates.
  21. I love finding CDs in geocaches, and carry several around in the cache bag for trade items. I've never had any problems with viruses, worms, or other unpleasantness, probably because I take appropriate precautions with my systems. I wouldn't hesitate to trade for one of your CDs should I find one in a cache somewhere.
  22. Trolley Line #9 Took me three attempts to find, and even so, it was Fergus who spotted it, and not myself. The problem was that we were puting too much trust in the GPSr, paying too much attention to the coordinates, and not enough to the description and hint. We didn't pursue this one with a passion or anything - it was too far away to visit too often - but we'd make an attempt whenever we found ourselves in the neighborhood loking for another cache. We eventually managed to locate the thing, ad considering the hide, we felt awfully silly for having missed it twice before.
  23. Walk into the lobby, there's a receptionist, a logbook, and a cache note...
  24. When I purchased my eMap in 2001, it came preprogrammed with a waypoint called "Garmin", at their headquarters location. Apparently, they're still doing it.
×
×
  • Create New...