Barnie's Band of Gold

Interesting. My caching account includes a Golden Retriever. He has never solved a puzzle but has periodically followed the scent trail of previous cachers right up to the cache. If it was a puzzle cache should we log 1/2 a find each?

*Putting on flame retardant suit* Only the pompous really care! It's just a game and surely the social aspects of caching with a friend are more important. Sadly a few have rigid ideas on how to "play" the game only to break their own rules when it suits them. Just relax, get out and have a good time.

and other forms of micros

I am against this leglislation because the definition of "distraction" is not broad enough. I see far too many commuters reading the paper, applying make-up, eating or "hand talking" while driving. Clearly these "distractions" impair their ability to drive safely but are not covered in this leglislation. And what about frazzled soccer moms trying to deal with kids in the third row of the minivan? There are laws on the books already that deal with careless driving. Problem is that charges are seldom laid unless an accident is the outcome of the careless act. This leglislation justs makes it so much easier to lay charges and is really just another cash grab.

I think you might be mistaken about Bluechart containing road data (at least all my versions do not). And also selecting two regions to unlock could be quite limiting for a cacher hoping to explore a wide area. The OP can go to the Garmin website and use their navigator to review the level of detail for individual map products. Be sure to investigate the areas you will be caching. Metroguide and City Navigator have very limited off road detail (lakes, rivers, trail systems, etc.). If you want these then Topo is your best choice. Having the very latest versions of Metroguide or City Navigator is not necessary (in my opinion) unless you want to cache in the newest subdivisions. A final note, you will want a Garmin unit that takes extended memory so you can load tons of map detail.

Sad reality is that some people have little respect for the property of others. Your best bet is to somehow identify someone that knows him and enlist their support in liberating your TB. Good luck.

This idea has no merit unless Groundspeak can monetize it.

Why are you jumping to conclusions and declaring this a "bug"? I see it as value add for non-premium members. Actually it is a win-win. The PM cache poster gets his audit log and I get to visit his cache without paying PM dues. Everyone except Groundspeak should be happy!!

I looked at his profile and he makes mention of getting back into the game after a years absence. I also noticed he has a few TB/coins in his possession for a considerable amount of time. Anyone from the Yukon that might know this character and the best way to get the message across that TB/coins are not tradeables and should be moved as soon as is reasonable?

Actually they aren't hounds they are retrievers! It was fun racing you and Neil and often showing up together or somewhat after each other. Like CGS the FTF quest doesn't excite me anymore. The local FTF guys can have the Walmart lamppost micro. Now another Great Potato Head Race or Geofellas April Fool's series would get me revved up.

Also all "found" logs are shown as "found it" and everything else is shown as "didn't find it". Haven't noticed unpublished caches - that would be a great service

BOTH UNITS ARE FINE FOR GEOCACHING. IF YOU ARE GETTING WITHIN 10 FEET THEN I WOULDN'T SWEAT NOT HAVING WAAS. MY EXPERIENCE WITH WAAS IS THAT IT IS HELPFUL WHEN A CLEAR VIEW OF THE WAAS BIRD IS AVAILABLE - NOT SO MUCH WHEN IT ISN'T. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE GPS12 IS A LITTLE HUNGRY ON BATTERY CONSUMPTION AND THIS ADDS UP WHEN IT CONSUMES 4 AT A TIME (THE ETREX HAS MUCH BETTER POWER MANAGEMENT). YOU MAY EVENTUALLY WANT A MAPPING GPS TO ASSIST IN GETTING FROM CACHE TO CACHE OR SOMETHING THAT WILL ASSIST IN GOING PAPERLESS.

The cache isn't on/at ....... What a useless hint. I don't want to know where it isn't (I ALREADY KNOW THAT), I want to know where it is. Here's another one. "the end". The end of what?

If you can't find it using google try Fizzycalc http://www.fizzymagic.net/Geocaching/FizzyCalc/index.html Does calculation conversions, projections, GC ID translations and a lot more.

Not unless you consider about 30 degrees above the horizon (average in the US) to be "low". I have seen WAAS working well under tree cover with a high sensitvity receiver. And the power "drain" is minimal as noted above.... I don't think it is appropriate to apply an "average" to the position of the WAAS satelitte for a US user. The consideration is "relative" to where the user is. For example, a user in Southern Florida will find that the WAAS satelitte (ID #35) is very high on the horizon and is likely to get a good signal in almost all conditions. On the other hand a user in Northern New York state is going to find the same WAAS satelitte very low on the horizon. A good signal for him will occur only if he is on a terrain peak or on a very large body of water (assuming the North end of it). While the average position of 30 degrees above the horizon may be quite true - this average does nothing for the real life experience for those facing a WAAS satelitte that is low (to them) on the horizon. While WAAS is a good technology for what it was designed for, it is not the benefitial in all cases.

WAAS satellites are geo-stationary and usually very low on the horizon. To get the most effective use from them you need to have no obstructions in your "line of sight" (to the satellites). With obstructions your GPSr accuracy is highly likely to be degraded. When WAAS signals are being received you will notice a "D" in the signal bars. "D" represents differential data and indicates that possible corrections are being made to your non-WAAS satellite data. If you are using your unit for geocaching in the usual locations that caches are placed - WAAS represents no value (and as you note extra battery consumption). Unless you are landing large airplanes in compromising conditions I would leave WAAS off.

There are many variations of the "Legend". Make sure you are looking at the colour version at a minimun. Ideally it is the HCX. H = high sensitivity, C = colour and X = microSD memory card slot. Anything in the Legend C and up supports USB and better battery life than the original Legend. Congrats on taking a pass on the Triton - the best decision you made regardless of which Legend you end up with.

12.3km (7.7miles) of which I have 4 to find.

Ok everyone.... happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear TOMTEC.... happy birthday to you. Now go out and find a few more caches. You're not getting any younger.

Only if it comes with the proprietary data cable. Otherwise take a pass and get yourself more modern unit.

server gremlins...

Boy that is a sweeping generalization. From personal experience I can tell you that they are not all bad. In fact I have a couple that are better at aquiring a signal in urban canyons than my Garmin eTrex Legend C (non-high sensitivity receiver). I have been more than pleasantly surprised with the performance of my Nokia N95 using geocache navigator. I do agree that a GPS equipped phone makes a bad choice for caching in all but the nicest weather - but there are some good units available for those commited to carrying one device.

Garmin offers a fishing hotspots product but sadly is not applicable to the handhelds being suggested here. But if such a product did exist - for a consumer handheld - how long would it be before all the Crappie are gone

It depends... First is the GPS function using maps on the device or downloading as you move? Second do you have an unlimited data plan? To illustrate. I have a Windows Mobile device that has Garmin Mobile XT and TeleNav installed. The Garmin Mobile XT uses maps that I installed and therefore its use does not incur data charges. The TeleNav application uses maps downloaded based on where I am and does incur data charges. The cost impact on using TeleNav of course depends on the plan or data subscription that you have subscribed. Before making your device selection make sure you understand where the data is coming from and any applicable charges for use.

Agreed, we have two very entrenched positions but hardly a kiss & make up opportunity! A continuing debate of individual positions will solve nothing. So......... What would be really interesting is which position do you align with? RES2100 or BQ? I'll start - I'm firmly behind RES2100. I have never done one of his caches where I thought his chosen rating was off-base. I always knew what I was getting myself into before setting out. AND THIS TO ME is what the rating system is all about. Let the games begin - pick your corner...