SeekYeFirst
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Posts posted by SeekYeFirst
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Today I released my very first Travel Bug into the wild. Taking advice from this forum thread, I selected a item of little value but still pretty neat & secured it to the Travel Bug with a length of aircraft cable & a heavy duty crimp. You'll notice the ID number is not in the photo. Any feedback is appreciated.
It's mission is to travel far & wide in search of a lock which it can open.
COOL!! I love old keys, but would NEVER steal a bug!
Good luck! What happens when someone finds the door that it opens?? -
Hi everyone! I just found out that one of my 4 travel bugs, the other are MIA, has traveled over 15,000 miles! Is that a lot? What is the farthest traveled bug out there? Is there a way to tell? Thanks.
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Yep - just the copper things!
Ha. You are making fun of me now, but that's ok. I like to have fun!
You forgot to mention, did you purchase that from England...if so, do you live there, in which case, I won't try to order it from there. Is it common for people to order items over the internet from over seas, either direction? Ok, so roll your eyes again! I deserve it.
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I have an Etrex and bought this USB cable a few weeks back and it works fine, no hassle (For the record, I have no connection to this seller at all, I can just vouch for the fact that I bought this and it works!)
It goes straight from the Etrex to a USB port, and I download pocket queries into EasyGPS (free software) and then you can export it to the GPS in a few seconds.
They provide the drivers on a mini-CD. I'd never seen one of these before but it works just as a normal CD in the drive.
Hope that helps.
This looks like it might work! However, are you in England??? The price is not in dollars, and I'm not sure they will ship free from Europe!!Ha. Maybe I can find something like it in the state?
Thanks! I'll check out that link. However, does your Etrex have the little copper metal things under the flap or some other sort of port? Mine is an old version, so it only has the copper things. I don't have a ETREX GEKO, just the plain ETREX. It might make a difference?
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I have an Etrex and bought this USB cable a few weeks back and it works fine, no hassle (For the record, I have no connection to this seller at all, I can just vouch for the fact that I bought this and it works!)
It goes straight from the Etrex to a USB port, and I download pocket queries into EasyGPS (free software) and then you can export it to the GPS in a few seconds.
They provide the drivers on a mini-CD. I'd never seen one of these before but it works just as a normal CD in the drive.
Hope that helps.
Thanks! I'll check out that link. However, does your Etrex have the little copper metal things under the flap or some other sort of port? Mine is an old version, so it only has the copper things. I don't have a ETREX GEKO, just the plain ETREX. It might make a difference?
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I bought This USB cable on ebay. It works great and is under $20. From there download easygps or GSAK as mpilchfamily suggested.
Thanks! Can you tell me what specifically to look for on ebay so I know I am ordering the correct cable? I'd like to have one, even if I upgrade to another GPS in the future, so that friends can use the old one when I have company. Thanks!
Any USB cable that says it is for the etrex should work. Stay away from the serial cables. It is an old style connection which nothing uses any longer, infact most computers dont even have the port any longer. I have heard nothing but problems getting them to work with modern computers.
Sorry, I need clarification. I thought I was told that the cable will be a serial cable, and since I don't have a serial port on my lap top that looks like the one that someone posted here, I will also need a serial to USB adaptor?. Are you telling me that Garmin, or someone, makes a cable that will connect to my old Etrex and then directly to a USB port in my lap top? That would be better than having to find the corresponding adaptor, too! Thanks, again.
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Last question, since you have been so helpful...a friend has an app on his phone where he can go to see if there are any caches in the area he happens to be at that moment...then he can use the phone to go there. He can even see the current cache details. I think it's called "c:geo" or something like that. Do any of the GPS units do that, or must specific cache info always be downloaded by the user first?
Thanks so much for your time and help!
That APP violates the Terms Of Use agreement for the site and can get you banned.
It only works on the android phones but the site makes an official App that is pretty good as well as Apps for a few other platforms as well. Need the data package on the phone to use them. All the standalone GPS units require that download the caches before heading out. Your unit is not paperless and will only have the most basic of details.
YIKES!!! I had no idea anything like that would be 'illegal'! When I saw it, it looked like he was accessing the regular www.geocaching.com web site, too, with a Nearby map as an option. I don't understand Apps and that sort of thing. I just have a normal cell phone.
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Once you get the cable you can download 20 caches at a time from the search results page. If you become a premium member you can download 1,000 at a time, though your eTrex only holds 500.
Thanks! When I download these caches, what information will show up on my Etrex? The cache name? A number? Anything more than what is entered when I do it by hand, or just the coordinates and some sort of name? My Etrex only allows maybe 5 or 6 characters for the name. Sorry to be so ignorant about everything, but questioning is how we learn!
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I bought This USB cable on ebay. It works great and is under $20. From there download easygps or GSAK as mpilchfamily suggested.
Thanks! Can you tell me what specifically to look for on ebay so I know I am ordering the correct cable? I'd like to have one, even if I upgrade to another GPS in the future, so that friends can use the old one when I have company. Thanks!
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There is a cble that connects to those pins and connects to a PC through a serial port. You will likely need a serial to USB adapter to connect it to your PC. Then download and install the Garmin Communicator software and your set to upload caches through the Send to GPS option. As for a PQ you will need a program like GSAK or EasyGPS to open the PQ and send the information into the unit. You may want to consider an upgrade if you have the budget for one. Any of the eTrex Legend or Vista models will be much better then your current one and come with a USB cable to connect it to your PC. You'll still need the communicator software for them to communicator with your PC and the other software to transfer PQs.
If you can afford it i would suggest getting a paperless unit. One that can take every bit of the information available in a PQ and have it at your finger tips on the unit. You'll have all the cache details right there in the field with you.
Thanks for the info! I'm not sure what a serial port is, but if it is round with holes in it, I have one of those on my computer!
Is there a cost for the Communicator software and the PQ software? Where do I get those?Wouldn't a paperless unit be wonderful!! I take it you are not talking about the Legend or Vista? Can you suggest a unit, most modestly priced? I'm happy with the Garmin brand. What sort of cost am I looking at?
Last question, since you have been so helpful...a friend has an app on his phone where he can go to see if there are any caches in the area he happens to be at that moment...then he can use the phone to go there. He can even see the current cache details. I think it's called "c:geo" or something like that. Do any of the GPS units do that, or must specific cache info always be downloaded by the user first?
Thanks so much for your time and help!
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Hello. I bought my GPS in 2005. It is simply a Garmin Etrex, the copyright on the package is 2001. It has worked great for me, however, what a pain to hand enter all the coordinates. We went to an event a few years ago, and someone took my GPS and entered the caches for the picnic through her computer. Unfortunately, I wasn't watching what she did, but I'm guessing there is a simple way to do it. Also, would I be able to enter pocket queries, if I became a premium member, on this simple GPS? Oh, there is no plug on my GPS, only some brass metal thingies.
Thanks for your help! -
GPS came today I loaded up some way points and we were off to finding 4 of them the last one a 10:45 at night in the woods it was fun.
A question is there a trick or software for loading the waypoints into my GPSr "Legend CX" instead of hand entering them all?
Thanks
For more help on Caching and the basics to downloading waypoints to your GPS , I suggest that you head to
http://www.geocacher-u.com/101/firsthunt2.html and do some reading. They will explain the how to of everything.
ENJOY,
IronmOn
I checked out this site but it only told how to hand enter the coords.
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Good question! I'll be watching for this answer too! My thumb was getting sore this weekend after entering 10 caches!
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If you are in the US, from the Geocaching main page, click on "By State" in the upper right hand corner. You get a listing of all the most recent events and latest caches. But click on the word [Map] next to the name of your state at the top. An old form of Geocaching.com map will come up.
The nice thing about this old map is that you can zoom, pan, and identify caches without being a premium member.
It seems to be a little-know little-used feature, but should be well suited for what you are looking for.
This is great! Just what I was looking for! thanks!
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I noticed a "map it" square in the top right of my search page. You know, the page that lists all the caches within , say, 10 miles of the selected zip code. I clicked it and it gave me another map, but nothing was marked on it. It had a legend which made it appear like there should be little symbols on the map where caches could be found. Do you have to be a premium member to use that?
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Whew! That's great. I guess I need to make some before I can trade with someone else. I'm fascinated by the creativity of these cachers! I can't even imagine how they made the ones with polymer clay! Such detail! Maybe I should try to think outside of the box.....but wooden nickels are so down-to-earth.....we'll see! Thanks for the info!
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Sorry, I'm relatively new to this. I only have about 16 finds. I love this game and drag my hubby out whenever I can! So...I have found 3 of these wooden nickel type items in caches. They are so interesting to me, that I thought I could collect them, rather than take some other item out of the cache, in exchange for an item I brought along. There are no numbers on them for tracking. But I'm wondering if they were supposed to stay in the cache for others to see who have been there. Also wondering if I was supposed to trade one wooden nickel for another. If I did a no-no, I will be happy to place them into another cache. Just let me know. Here are the nickels (is that what they are called?): The Geozingers (in color), Team Lightning Bugs (basic), and Jack 99 (larger keychain).
ONe more question, where can I create my own signature nickel? They are so neat. Could you buy plain nickels, have a stamp made and ink your own?
OK, I'm bracing myself for a handslap!
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I picked up a geocoin at a cache this week, but I am unsure what I am supposed to do with it. Am I supposed to log it some how and move it along,or can I keep it? ( it is really cool) I'm new to geocaching, and havn't been able to find out what to do. Thanks
I was wondering about these 'coins' also. What is a geocoin? Are they metal or could they be wood also? What makes it a geocoin? Are they just any circular item that contains the name of the geocacher?
Trying to understand. thanks!
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But please, please, please do not turn this into a countdown thread...
8 more posts to go...7 more and I'm not a tadpole...You get the idea.
HEY! I made it! Goodbye tadpole!
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Just wondering how I could find out about caches along the way as we travel on vacation...or even just to grandmother's house? I know the route we would take by looking on a map and would want to know if there are any caches near the route so we could take a detour here and there to find one. I can't search the web site by coordinates, or zip, etc. because I don't know that info. Is there such a thing as a map of all the caches....sortof pinpointed, where you could click on the dot that happens to be near our route, then it would tell us the coordinates or name and we could look it up from there? Am I explaining myself clearly?
Thanks! <><
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When you get the cache page open, click on the cache map on the bottom right.
After it loads, you can zoon in on it to get street names. Use the best view to plan your route.
Try looking at the other maps as well. You might like one better than another.
Also, you can enter coords on google maps (the regular ones, not the kind you have to download the whole program for). I like those, because once the map loads, you can click and scoot it around to look for a better view. I use it on "hybrid" often, even though I have mapping software now.
You might also try terraserver
The topo map on there shows some street names, and often shows parking lots (the info there can be years old though, just beware).
To search map quest by lat & long
Hey! I tried that and it works great! Now if I only had ink in my printer! But I know the area I'm going to tomorrow so I can write down the directions! Thanks! Happy Easter! <><
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I use an inexpensive GPS (without maps) by using Google Earth. It's free software that you can use to map out what caches you want to find and where they are. You can download a .KML file from www.geocaching.com that puts all the caches right on the Google Earth map and you can click on each one to get details. It's very cool and VERY necessary to do your mapping if your GPS can't.
This sounds like a nifty idea, though I'm not quite sure I understand exactly what you mean or how to go about it. I don't know what a .kml file is!
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I left the house today with the coordinates in my GPS for 4 caches. Our territory has been expanding farther away from home now. Following the GPS to find something 14 miles away is tricky and sometimes aggrivating since roads don't always lead where you want them to! So what should I have done? How do I get closer using a road map, so I don't have to watch that little arrow? Thanks for the help! I love this game, but I don't want to waste gas, as expensive as it is these days, going in circles!
SeekYeFirst <><
Well, if you go to the cache pages, sometimes the hider will provideparking coordinates. Enter those as well as the waypoint coordinate. If they don't, but tell you what park it is in, you could check maps online or with teh town conservation commission (if it is under their jurisdiction). I dunno what GPS you have, but if you have a mapping GPS with teh basemaps only, you might consider spending teh money for more detailed maps.
I was talking about finding the parking lot or the general vacinity, as in city...area...that sort of thing. I have a GArmin $80 GPS. Very basic. I don't think it has a map with streets and the sort on it.
SeekYeFirst <><
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I left the house today with the coordinates in my GPS for 4 caches. Our territory has been expanding farther away from home now. Following the GPS to find something 14 miles away is tricky and sometimes aggrivating since roads don't always lead where you want them to! So what should I have done? How do I get closer using a road map, so I don't have to watch that little arrow? Thanks for the help! I love this game, but I don't want to waste gas, as expensive as it is these days, going in circles!
SeekYeFirst <><
What should new geocachers know about trackables?
in Trackables
Posted · Edited by SeekYeFirst
What does it mean on the trackable page when it asks if the trackable is "Collectible, yes or no"? Why would anyone send off a collectible travel bug...that is just one more reason for it to be nabbed! I must not be understanding the issue. Thanks! Nevermind, searched and found the answer. THanks anyway!