Seamus

I'll second the vote for the eTrex yellow, as it is the only of the three that has PC connectivity. You may not need it now, but the ability to download waypoints without having to plug them in by hand is a VERY nice feature to have. With the Geko and Explorist series, the only option is to upgrade to another unit; with the eTrex yellow, it's just a cable.

Wow. If ever there was a place that desperately needed to have a well-stocked ammo box with plenty of swag hidden somewhere in the landscaping, that's gotta be it.

Would something like this cause faulty GPS readings? Wrong band. Unless you're transmitting right in the middle of the GPS segment of the band, it won't cause problems. I've got a cache that lives quite close to an active commercial FM broadcasting tower (lots and lots of power), and there have been no problems with bad readings or interference.

The problem here is that degrees, minutes and seconds are angular measurements and don't convert directly to miles, meters, feet, etc., which are linear. One degree of longitude at the equator, for example is quite a long distance measured out on the surface of the earth, while one degree of longitude at 80 degrees north is considerably shorter. In order to determine the "length" of a given angular measurement, you also have to know the radius of the circle you're measuring that angle upon (which is derived from the latitude). Sorry, but it's a lot like comparing apples to oranges. Without additional information, there is no easy conversion from degrees to miles. You can't get there from here - at least not without an adapter. Edit: Or, given your latitude, you can use the link provided above (the adapter) and convert easily.

oohhh...ooh yeah- solar, w/ radios ... imagine the cool multi-caches you could get. instead of DTMF- you could use a morse code beep- perhaps a phrase or something, to activate the voice responder Come to think of it, don't most (all?) FRS radios include some sort of "roger beep" at the end of their transmissions? Just breaking the squelch and the beep should provide more than enough signal across the earphone output to trigger the playback circuit. Anytime anyone transmits on channel "x" within range of the transceiver, it would automatically key up and play the coords back to them. Edit: Actually, I guess the "call" function on these radios sends a tone or tones that lasts something in the neighborhood of two seconds, specifically to wake up other FRS radios that may be in power saving mode. When the call signal is received, the FRS unit responds by playing an audio alarm through its speaker or earphone jack, right where you would want it for detecting an incoming signal. Just have the seekers punch the "call" button when they get there, and you're in business. This could work...

My understanding is that data was disallowed outright on FRS, and in order to be able to transmit those data packets, the spec for FRS had to be amended. If I recall correctly, the databurst has to be shorter than 1 second, with no less than 10 seconds between databursts (I could be wrong here - it's been a while since I read it). These timings are supposedly handled by the Rino firmware and the operation is transparent to the user. Would be interesting to have a radio-equipped cache lie in wait, listening for a DTMF tone or something before it sent its databurst (provided DTMF is allowed on FRS as well, and the seekers would still have to figure out how to transmit the tones through their unit). Come to think of it, rather than requiring the seeker to be able to receive and decode the databurst, have it trigger a digital voice recorder chip that actually "reads" the coords over a specified channel on the radio. The cache coords get the seekers to within easy range for FRS (even with dying batteries), they transmit the activation signal, and it calls back a second or so later. Standby current on these things is pretty low, even moreso in "battery saver" mode (which would probably require a 2-3 second activation tone in order to be sure of triggering). Probably wouldn't take too much fiddling with off-the-shelf units to get it to work, and the transceiver wouldn't even have to be at the cache itself - just nearby. Place it high up where a solar battery charging system will do some good, and the elevation will provide some extended range even using the crummy stock antenna. (Now you've done it - the wheels are turning...)

Without having read the thread you're referring to, usually just the presence of a GPSr, or mention of the words "cache", "coordinates", "ammo can", and of course "geocache" are all as good as a passport and travelling papers for me.

Looks like you just get one pant, no mention of a pair You have to find the other one. That's why they're GPS pants!

Yes, commercially available night vision and image intensifier units can see infrared. More practically, most camcorders can see it too, at least to some extent. Easiest way to tell if you have something that can see IR: point your TV remote at the camera, scope, or what have you. If you see it flashing (probably brightly), you've got an IR viewer. Many camcorders and digital cameras have an IR filter in the optics, to more accurately reproduce color, I guess, since black and white cameras don't often have them (my best IR imager is a $40 B/W camera-on-chip unit that I hook up to a handheld TV set - no filtering at all, and a remote control can be used like a dim flashlight).

Only problem is, you need to wait for them to initialize before you put them on in the morning. (...and best not to think too much about "losing coverage" in dense woods)

Actually, I have toyed with similar ideas several times before moving to Florida. The one I was working on used visible red LEDs in the flasher so that you didn't need a camera or light intensifier/night vision units to see it, but tossed in a couple other kinks to make it interesting. If I can manage to get out of Florida and move back up north, I'll have to get something placed using a beacon or two...

Solar powered, dark aactivated IR beacon: As you suggested, use a solar yard light as the base. Pick up one of those little clip-on single LED flashers, usually available for a couple of bucks per 4-pack or whatever. Finally, an IR LED from a dead TV remote or somesuch. The flashers usually (in my experience) run off of a couple of button cells for 3 volts. Similarly, the LED yard lights often use a pair of AA or AAA NiCd cells, also for 3 volts. Replace the LED in the flasher with the IR unit, and replace the LED in the yard light with the flasher/IR combination. Mix thoroughly, and serve well chilled.

When I was living in Maryland, I hit a few caches while visiting my folks in Florida, about 750 miles from home. One of those caches is now about 5 miles away from me, as I have since moved to Tallahassee, placing the vast majority of my finds over 700 miles away. with any luck, I will be moving back up to the Maryland area soon, and the caches here in Florida will be little more than a distant footnote in my caching experience.

Trolley Line #9 stumped Fergus and I twice (logged DNFs both times) before we found it. It was odd to see people finding it so easily after it had given us such trouble, but once we found it, we understood that we'd been relying too much on the coordinates and not enough on the description. Sure we felt a little bit silly once we found it right where it was supposed to be, but it was a fun cache and we enjoyed it.

I'm with Stunod on this one. If I make an attempt to find a cache and fail to find it, it's a DNF. If I cannot get to the cache site due to reasons that will still be in effect for more than a couple of hours (something that may prevent others from being able to find it), it's a DNF as well. There's no dishonor in logging a DNF, and it doesn't make you any less of a cacher to do so. I figure that if I can't make it to the site due to trail washout, maintenance, etc., then it's the least I can do to inform anyone coming after me that there were issues that they may need to take into consideration before seeking it. On the other hand, I know several "death before DNF" types who wouldn't log a DNF (and would probably log it as a find) if they arrived to find a smoking crater in the ground where the cache should be.

On that same page, there will be a small white banner with your stats on it. Click this banner to see your profile as others will see it. Edit: Ummm... Yeah. what CompuCash said.

We have that already with virtual caches. Sure some virtual "placers" require some proof of having been there, but not all. Quite a few are content to have created the cache page, and watch people log it.

I've got a pair of those from a couple of years ago. The caches were physically there when we found them, then archived because in one case, the hider hadn't secured permission to place it (and wouldn't have received it if he had), and in another, it was vandalized. The owners (apparently) changed the cache types to virtual prior to archiving them, and I now have two virtuals that I didn't find.

Actually, what I was referring to was audio CDs with music on them, rather than CD-Rs or -RWs. I often find some real (often forgotten) gems in the "bargain bin" of the used music stores, for only a few dollars each. CD companies sometimes re-release older discs in remastered form, often containing new tracks. A couple of times, having "upgraded" to the new version of the CD, I carried the older disc in the cache bag until I found a really great cache to put it in, and traded out for something nice. It's a fun way to share some of your favorite music with someone else.

Amen to that! These guys put a heck of a lot of time and energy into making this sport what it is, and a lot of that goes unseen by the average paticipant. A big part of the approver/moderator gig is to say "no" to people for various things. Unfortunately, while the "nos" are a very visible part of the job, the "yesses" aren't. People complain that the mods are always stepping in to shut down threads, yet they never seem to complain when they don't step in, and let threads go on their own merry way. That "non-moderation" is just as much of what they're here to do as is the stepping in to nail down threads before they get too far out of hand. I guess what it all boils down to is that the admin/approval/moderator team is here not to smack people around and hold grudges, but to ensure that the sport, and everyone's participation in it, remains fun for everyone. Does that mean that everyone's going to get their way and go home happy every day? No. There will always be some amount of unhappiness and conflict whenever there are people involved. Overall though, the mods are doing what they feel is best for the Geocaching community as a whole, even if it means having to step on a toe or two from time to time. I admit that I have a great deal of respect for the entire Geocaching team. They started with nothing more than a concept back in 2000, and with the help of thousands of players and a dedicated staff, have turned it into a worldwide sport, with more than a hundred-thousand(!) caches hidden in more than 200 countries around the globe. Being an administrator, approver, and/or moderator is, I imagine, an awfully thankless job a lot of the time. I imagine that relatively few people even bother to say "thanks" from time to time, for all the work they put into the running of the site. Similarly, I imagine that the "flames" vastly outnumbmer the "props", since whenever someone has a problem or a beef with the way things go, they're right there on the front line, taking the abuse. Every day, these guys do what they do, taking the flames, having to tell people "no", maintaining the systems and the forums, all for the love of the sport and what it means to them, and to everyone else playing the game. That takes a lot of dedication, especially on those days where everyone seems to be piling onto them for some perceived slight or another. Without their work behind the scenes, there wouldn't be a Geocaching.com, there wouldn't be a Groundspeak, and there wouldn't be Geocaching as we know it today. I know I speak not only for myself, but for a good number of other cachers out there when I say "Thanks, guys. We really do appreciate everything you do." Thanks again! Keep on Caching!

We all have days like that from time to time - someone hears you're planning on going out cache hunting, then they get there right before you do and move them. Seriously, bad days happen. We've had caches that took us several tries to find - nothing for it but to log a DNF and try again later.

The eMap does have connections for external antenna, data and power. They just aren't the same type as the rest of the Garmins from the same generation of units. The antenna is a small (MMCX or MMCX/r?) coaxial connector, and the power/data is broken out to a bottom-mounted connector next to the battery cover.

With possible exception of number one, I tend to agree with The Leprechauns (McToys don't really qualify as "toys" for number 6, though). I also enjoy #2, the hand-made items, and on the occasions that I get out and cache down here, I leave chainmail juggling balls as trade items: These are popular items in and around Maryland, where Fergus, who taught me how to make them, uses them as his signature items. I also enjoy finding CDs (production discs, not burned copies that violate the heck out of copyright laws), and usually tote around a few good CDs in my bag for trading out should I find one in a cache. In general, if you avoid the "gumf", and use items that you would enjoy finding in a cache, chances are pretty good that someone else will probably enjoy finding them as well.

Probably. We didn't think to ask him at the time. (It was some kind of rattler, though. Either that or it was some other really loud type of snake.)

Excellent idea! Even if the DNFs aren't recent, a count of them can be a clue as to how easy or difficult the hide might be, or how well maintained the cache might be. I'd love to see a find/DNF/note breakdown in the listings.