Gecko Cacher

Thanks Toojin!! It worked Boy I didn't know GC had that service. Awesome Thanks Gecko Cacher

My geowife bought me a Vintage Air Power unactivated P-51 coin on eBay and I am trying to find out how to obtain the activation code for it. It says that it was made by Alan and Elli's Geocoins but when I try and go to their website it is no longer active. Any suggestions?

Been there done that. "Hey honey...you stick your hand in there" Pokey Sticks for sure in my case and usually when caches are hidden like that there are lots of twigs etc around that can be used. We don't have snakes to worry about but I'm concerned about spidies (I'm petrified of them) and what if there is a racoon or some other animal is in there? A good flashlight also comes in handy in these cases as well. Happy hunting! Gecko

Update: Got my exchanged Vista C back from Raytech this morning and I have to say I am very pleased with the service that I received. I sent my old scratched up GPS in a week ago and 10 days later a totally "like new" exchange GPS! Considering the distance from BC to Quebec and back and the processing that was really quick. No issues when I uploaded maps from Mapsource of data transfer from GSAK. I'm back on the Geocaching trail this afternoon. Life is good! Gecko

Simply for the fun of it! It's only a game and a great way to explore the outdoors. Other than spending a bunch of money on tech stuff it's pretty cheap entertainment. Gecko

Been there.....done that! My geowife and I started out with the same user name so then I divorced her (only in geo terms) early when she gave me my own GPS on my birthday. After that I started caching under my username. Because of our hobbies and work schedules we sometimes would not cache together so having different names made sense. Somethimes she will cache with her girlfriends while I'm playing with the mancachers flying our RC airplanes. It also makes going for a FTF kinda fun Geck

If the cache container is big enough how about another (or two) earth magnet on the inside? Gecko

If I head out on long caching day I usually have my backpack on so it gets clipped onto my shoulder strap at GZ. This also works good for terrain where you need both feet and hands Otherwise the GPS is on a lanyard and goes into my left pant or jacket pocket. I used to leave it around my neck but have scratched the screen a few times just bending over. The Blackberry Bold (Cacheberry) goes into my right pant pocket affter making a field note so now my hands are free to sign the log book and put the cache back into it's hidy hole. Then I start walking away from the cache and the lanyard gets caught on some bushes and rips the GPS out of my pocket I have thought about mounting the GPS on my walking poles but I figure it would get pretty banged up especially when I let go of the poles to break my fall. Now if I could just merge my Blackberry and GPS into one really unit with all the features of each then that would be cool. I think it comes down to the cacher and where they feel comfortable having the GPS Gecko

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Love the Cacheberry application for sure! I have been using it for the last couple months and like the ability to download caches directly from geocaching.com when on the trail. Add the features of field notes, recent logs, hints and the ability to sort in many configurations and it's a winner in my books. It's amlost like sitting in front of my laptop. Both my Geo wife and I got our BB Bolds at the same time to get new cache alerts and it paid off the first day getting a FTF. Gecko

Well I tried polishing the scratches out but they still are visable as they are too deep to completely remove. I work in a composite shop and even using 1200+ foam pads and rubbing compound the result was the same. Since I really like my Vista C I decided to bite the bullet and send it in for repair (Raytech in Canada) to also get the rubber grip replaced (yes I have reattached it several times ). I was surpirised to find out that my GPS will be replaced with a completely refurbished GPS which the service center says will look just like it is brand new with the latest software etc. The flat rate cost plus insured return shipping came to $147 including taxes so I am pretty happy with that since the GPS will be good as new! Next investment will be screen protectors! Thanks everyone for their suggestions Gecko

After 3 years of all weather caching the screen on my eTrax Vista is so scratched that it is time to get it replaced. Has anyone had there done by the folks at Garmin and if so what was the turn around time? Thanks Mark

With all the latest technology out like the iPhone & Blackberry units, what is the best way to get the latest cache alerts while out caching? RCTP

I'm heading to Argentina for the F3A World Championships (R/C Precision Aerobatics) this weekend and there are a bunch of caches there that haven't been found yet. It could be a great couple of weeks to get FTF's and besides......it's summer down there now

Instead of waiting around last night to log my caches I did them them this morning without any issue. We all have to keep things in perspective. I remember way back, when we had to send our cache finds by the Pony Express or personally take them to Seattle by wagon train via the Oregon Trail Thanks Geocaching.com and the folks at Groundspeak for making this hobby of ours so accessaible anywhere in the world. RCTP

Is there a way to change the view squence of a thread so the most recent post is viewed first of a Topic? RCTP

I am happy to report that the quick fix that I did to our eTrex Vista's worked great. I also repaired IFlyRC2's GPS'r and we spent the day caching yesterday without the gaskets showing any issues. Today will be the big test as we are heading to an Earth cache and the rains are falling pretty good. We don't expect any problems as the silcone used along with the orignal clear tape in place will provide a good seal against water. RCTP

I decided to give the repair a go myself tonight. I started by removing the gasket and then cleaned up the GPS and gasket with a mild solvent to get rid of the sticky mess that the original two sided tape left. I left the clear backing of the two sided tape on the GPS as it looked like it was in good condition and provides a good vapour barrier. I then applied a very light film of clear All Purpose GE Silicone 1 to the GPS area where the gasket attaches to then carfully repositioned the gasket making sure all buttons functioned properly. As expected the gasket had stretched from use when the original glue failed so I used a scalpel (very very sharp) to remove about an 1/8th inch of the rubber right at the bottom where the lanyard attaches to. A couple of drops of vey thin CA (Crazy Glue can be used I suppose) was applied to the joint. After making sure the silicone started to take hold, I wrapped the GPS carefully in painters masking tape until the silicone 30 minute tack free time expired. After about 45 minutes I unwrapped the GPS from it's little cocoon of green tape and powered up the GSP and was very pleased with the results. I then gave the GPS to my better half (RVTraveller) for some testing and she was pleased with the results so much that she wants her GPSr repaired now. Anyway, I'll do some real testing the next couple of days in the bush to see how the repair stands up. Knowing how this silicone works I think it will be just fine. Worse case senario I'll purchase a new gasket and start all over. RCTP

Hi Dan, Makes sense as we have the dashboard mounts. I think I'm going to test some adhessives that I use in my R/C aircraft that is flexible but doesn't breakdown like the double sided tape that was used. The stuff is like Shoe Goo which I think will work great. RCTP

Thanks echo4lima for the info. What was the turn around time on the GPS? RCTP

My wife and I both have the eTrax Vista C and both units have experienced the rubber grips becoming unglued from the units. A friend of ours has the same model and it has the same problem. All three units are coming on 2 years old. We don't know if they can be sent to Garmin for repairs or if there is another fix that I can do. It looks like a clear two side tape is used when assembling the GPS'rs. Thanks Mark

Thanks jcar for the info

I was given a 2005 Washiington State coin by a cacher visiting my area last year but it hasn't been activated yet. I am able to "pick up" the coin on the Washington State Geocaching website but I can't seem to log it in the geocaching.com site. Does the coin first have to be activated for it to be logged or "shared" with other caching web sites data? I'm heading to Argentina in November and thought it would be kinda neat to drop this coin that far away from it's origin. Thx RCTP

I got my first and second FTF last week and now find myself on a "high" to get more. It's so bad that even if I wake up in the middle of the night I get up to see what has been posted. Now that my geo wife and I have different user names we figure we have the geo site covered 24 - 7. Are we addicted? Nah Got to go something came up on my email

Sorry I can't remember the question as I was thinking about Geo caching. Can you repeat the question