Skytraveler

I guess my problem was I didn't have possession of the Travel Bug. As soon as I "grabbed" it, I was fine. Thanks for the follow up though.

How do I place my new Travel Bug in its first cache? I've posted a note to the cache, but can't find any option for selecting to place a Travel Bug in the note page. Can someone help with some DETAILED instructions? Thanks!

That sounds like a good option. I third that request. Dark Skies!

I would suggest starting small, and working you way up to that "big" cache. Place one in your local area that is easy to place, and easy to get to. Then work your way up to harder and harder caches. IMHO. Dark Skies!

I went looking for a cache the other day. I thought it would be a mile hike at best. I ended up hiking over 6 miles. I was very thankful I had some water with me. Also, a hat is nice if you're going to be out during the day for any length of time. Try one of the really nifty hats from Geocaching.com! If you're bringing a cell phone, thinking you'll be able to call someone if you get into trouble, remember they sometimes don't get service out in the woods. Let someone know where you're going and when you should be back. Last thing. It's better to have something with you that you end up not using, than needing something that you didn't bring. Dark Skies!

I went looking for a cache the other day. I thought it would be a mile hike at best. I ended up hiking over 6 miles. I was very thankful I had some water with me. Also, a hat is nice if you're going to be out during the day for any length of time. Try one of the really nifty hats from Geocaching.com! If you're bringing a cell phone, thinking you'll be able to call someone if you get into trouble, remember they sometimes don't get service out in the woods. Let someone know where you're going and when you should be back. Last thing. It's better to have something with you that you end up not using, than needing something that you didn't bring. Dark Skies!

I like to make sure that if I take something out of a cache, I leave something at least as valuable. I would not take out a 4 or 5 dollar pocket knife, and leave a 50c playing card. It's up to the finder, but I like to leave a cache a little better than I found it. Dark Skies!

I like the idea. It's great when we can mix Geocaching with other interests. I think having the person shuffle a deck at home and picking a card would be nice, but I don't know how you would do it. I've watched several magicians on tv do tricks where they "knew" a card I had picked at home, but I don't know how they did it either. Keep working on this. I'm sure it will be a hit. Dark Skies!

Thanks Skully and Mulder et al. I never thought about the cache hider going back and enjoying the stories of all the hunters that found their cache. I think that is a neat idea. I for one will try to be more descriptive when I log a cache. By the way, on my way to this forum a funny thing happened...Just Kidding. I will try to do better with my logs. Thanks. Dark Skies!

I have been looking at all the GPS units for sale. May I say that I am very overwhelmed. Can someone please tell me a good unit between $100 to $150 that will work seemlessly with Geocaching? Dark Skies!

Hi, this is the original poster. Based on everyone's replies I must furnish some information. I am using a Megellan Navman GPS unit that hooks onto the back of my Palm M515. It looks like a sled that the Palm unit rides on. The software I am using is Cetus GPS. This software will let you see the satellites overhead and tell you the signal strength from each. When I check the signal strength I am getting 3 bars from about 7 to 8 statellites (usually). The problem is it won't give me a position until atleast 2 have a signal over 4 bars. If I get 3 statellites over 4 bars then I get altitude as well. Maybe this GPS unit isn't all it's cracked up to be. What do you think? Dark Skies!

Can anyone tell me how often they cannot get a strong enough signal to use their GPS system? I have found that about 25% of the time I cannot use my GPS because of signal strength. I just wanted to know if this is common, or if it's just my GPS. Thanks. Dark Skies!

I think the original purpose of the Bug should be considered. Always communicate with the owner, this is the most important! Bugs are very distinct in their goals and instructions, so these must be considered when holding onto them. A quick rule of thumb is: if you aren't sure, contact the owner and get his/her opinion/approval. Holding Bugs isn't bad, as long as approval is received and the result is worth the time in captivity. The hardest part of being a Bug owner is not knowing where your Bug is! Just MHO. Dark Skies!

I sort of agree with the post above. I think if people want to rate the caches, they can do so in their logs. I will typically read the logs before I go on a hunt to see what people have said about it. I know there is a chance that there may be a hint or two in the logs, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. The beauty of Geocaching is its simplicity. Someone hides, someone hunts. If we start gumming it up with all sorts of details, then we lose the real reason we're looking in the first place. Dark Skies!

Count me in! Dark Skies!

I have a Palm M515 with the new Navman GPS unit. You can buy it for about $200 and it is available for many different Palm models. I've used it for about two weeks now. It locks on quickly. Mapopolis and Cetus GPS are two great programs for Geocachers. You can put the GPS coordinates into Cetus and it will give you an arrow showing you where the cache is relative to your own position. Great for novices! Cetus is free. Mapopolis is under $10 per map depending on the area you are looking for. I would only recommend Mapopolis if you are going to do a lot of driving. Dark Skies!