Flyingcompass

Glad you decided to go for it and are finding it worthwhile. I also at first wasnt keen on the cost, but after thinking it through, a one off cost of $30 (i think that was about £22?) wasnt really a lot. The way I thought of it was, thats about 8x cooked breakfasts in the works canteen. So, I went on a diet, stopped having breakfast at work for a few weeks and saved the money to buy GSAK!

Until they corrode and cover the cache and contents in corrosive goo. If fresh, and sealed, they wont corrode. They will if part used or inside an electrical device, or if they are of cheap construction. Trust me, im an electronics engineer! A decent make alkaline such as Duracell procel should be used, stay away from cheapo chinese cells! I suspect they would be traded out very fast anyway

wow,some great ideas there! I especially like the idea of a couple of fresh spare AA's! Just the thing to find as your GPSr's battery begins to fade!

Some good hints there. Cheers. It will be some time before we start it off, as we want to find as good a spot as possible, and also need to get enough TBs sorted to start their journey from it! Im located beside a trunk road, which is quite busy, but theres not many good places nearby to it. Theres three spots im considering which I need to check out, two would involve just pulling off the road by a few hundred feet, the other needs a bit more effort (two corners to turn, but still only a few 100 yd) but has more cover, and is also better for pedestrian access. My only worry is proximity of other caches, it might be a tight squeeze! Another option is to make it a part of my 'Tower View' series, beside where I work. Its not close to a major road, but it is a major landmark (1200ft concrete TV tower) and the woods nearby i had already marked for another cache. Theres parking right beside it as well, plus myself on duty at work! Regards not including TB Hotel in the title, I can see the reasoning behind this (although it does stomp on my first name choice!) but how do you then identify the cache as a TBH?

I like to put SWAG and swaps into my larger caches that have a practical value, but im running out of ideas. I normally start a new cache off with a button compass (my sig item). Other practical items I put in are things like antenna lead adaptors, SD card cases, radiator keys, key chains, small gauges/tools, etc. Ive some 'housewives' (small emergency sewing kits, like you get in hotel rooms) to go in the next ones. What other 'practical' but cheap items could I include?

I suppose it all depends on what the TB owner considers 'cool', and what the discoverer considers 'cool'! I have one TB out at the moment, a toy hen, whos mission is twofold - first to try to get to her aunties in Australia, but second, to visit other hens (real!) and have her photo taken with them on the way (I keep Hens!), I think thats cool, as do my kids, but I guess not everyone does, The next one im due to release is a survival compass (little button compass' are my sig item) who has, to me anyway, a way cool mission - to visit caches located near things used for navigation. This could be a lighthouse, a map shop, etc, maybe something obvious and simple like a roadsign, or something specialist like an aviation DVOR beacon, or even the Garmin design office! Cool is whatever you think it is, and your missions should be what you think is cool

Hi All, I have a number of hides, ranging from disguised nanos to regular 'tuppaware' types, and have earned a few favorites, so it seems time to move onto something a little bigger. Im considering setting up a Travel Bug Hotel. Apart from being a container big enough to hold a good few TB's, what other features are the mark of a good TB Hotel? From reading the forums ive got the following pointers - - Should be in an easily accessible location (parking nearby) - Should be a low muggle risk (out of view of passers by/traffic) - Should be convenient to search through at GZ (maybe a nice patch of grass etc) - Should be somewhere at least nice, if not in itself interesting - Should start off with a reasonable number of TB's already in, say five - The CO should keep a regular inventory and chase up any TB's with issues, and move on any that have stayed too long Are there any other factors I need to consider? FlyingCompass

Thanks for the info. Im really new to all this Android and smartphone stuff. Im actually in a very high tech job, but phones have never really been my thing (but my eldest son has just got a new smartphone and theres no way I was going to be out tech'd by him!) Ive downloaded my first app, GPS Status, so I can at least get to grips with the GPS and get the first fix sorted. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, and I think its 'Ice Cream Sandwich' its running, but I dont have that data usage option? Ah! Just checked - its an earlier version - Gingerbread? anyway, a 2.x version. I think theres an update available, but ive only had the phone a matter or hours! not got that far yet. I have network data access turned off, and am using the wifi for most of this.

People, Im just upgrading to an Android smartphone (first time), and am on a fairly limited data usage contract (250MB/m) Can anyone provide me details of the data usage of the Geocaching.com app? Essentially, what im wanting to know is how much data it uses to download a cache' details, how much to upload a find (these details will help me manage my data usage), but probably more importantly - how much control will i have of the applications use of the data connection? In other words, will it connect of its own accord for any reason, or will it only use data connection as and when I request cache details/upload a find? My data connection via the mobile network will most likely be deactivated when im not deliberately intending to use it anyway, and most times I will try and use wifi where I can Cheers for any info Martin Flying Compass

Rarely except in my own caches, i leave my 'signature' item, which in no way is unique to me, but goes with my username - I leave a compass. Usually a small 'button' compass. That way it is tradable, and they are functional (although some of the cheap chinese import ones i wouldnt trust to actually navigate with!)

Occasionally, as im sure we all do, I find a cache where the logbook is either full or damaged (usually saturated), or sometimes missing entirely. I now carry a few various blank logsheets in order to replace any I find full or unusable. However, this leads me to a question of etiquette - what to do with the old log? My way of thinking is that I should email the CO offering to send them the old log for their records, and let them decide if they want them or if i should dispose of them. I'd like to think if someone found one of my logs full they would offer to get the full log to me. Of course, if i do replace a log i say so on the caches online log page. Would others agree with this?

Im just starting out at paperless, and after looking at the various options, ive gone the kindle way, for one very simple reason - I have a Kindle! I can see how it might not be strictly paperless, as i'll still need a notebook to jot down which ive found and my thoughts etc, and then log them when back home, but it does mean i dont need to print off the notes and hints for the caches. MY Kindle is the current issue wifi type, and my GPSr is an eTrex H. I use GSAK and the mobigen macro, i found this to be incredibly simple (just pull up the caches, run the macro, drag and drop the mobi file into the kindles documents via USB), although it did take my kindle quite a few minutes to notice the new file and recognise it. As for the risk of damage in the field - i have a tough leather case on my kindle, and except when i need to read the info, i'll simply put it back in my bag! The Kindle does have various highlight and annotation features, which might be usable to record finds, making it fully paperless. I'll report back my experiences

Can anyone direct me to an app that will allow me to use the GPS on my Sony Ericsson Elm mobile? Ideally a fully functioning geocaching app, but short of that just something that will actually let me use the GPS to see where i am (ie lat/lon). The supplied apps are not any good for me.

I think it is 'per day'. The first three i downloaded at about 23:30. The second it let me have at 00:06

I wondered if something like that might be the case (planning premium membership soon), but only three? I have to say thats a pretty tight limit! I would have thought even as a basic member i'd have been allowed a usable number, say 20 or so. It did seem that this limit was reset on restarting the software, and i gather also resets daily. It might be managable, just, for a while

Hi All, Im trying to use GSAK so that i can lop the GC part of the cache number off to fit my etrax H better. Now, i have only just downloaded it and am still finding my way around, but I did manage to select the geocaching.com access and tell it to download caches. The map circle tool said it was set for 20km radius from my location, and i happen to know there are at least 15 in that area i havent yet found. However, the first attempt returned only three caches. I rechecked the settings and tried again, only to get the error message that i had exceeded my download limit! I removed all the caches from the database and tried again, getting the same message. Can anyone tell me how to get around this? Is this an issue with the GSAK software or a limitation from the geocaching website? And why from a radius of 20km did it only report three caches? I suspect its me doing something wrong, else a subscription limitation of some sort? Any help much appreciated

Cheers, I'll try that out

How do i cut off the first two? (yep, having GC at the start of them all does seem a bit daft) I just click the 'send to GPS' and it sends them, no editing option i can see (doing this off the map). I know i can edit them in the unit itself, but that kinda defeats the object of having the serial lead! Is there an edit option when writing them to the unit from the main cache entry listing?

Hi, I use a Garmin eTrex H, which i find basic but functional. I have the serial lead for it and use the option from geocaching.com website to send the cache details to it. However, the cache numbers are seven characters long, and the etrex H only accepts six, so it truncates them and loses the last character. Is there any easy way to avoid this? I wouldnt mind if it cut off the first letter, as thats always a G! But the last letter can often be crucial to knowing which waypoint it is! FlyingCompass

Not so. Its a matter of perspective, and something i had drilled into me many moons ago as a scout. From above, if the terrain below the cliff is similar to that above, the cliff itself can be invisible. On something like a scree slope, it may not be possible to see the cliff edge until perilously close to it. There is a key idea here - Dont rely on GPS! GPS is a tool to ascertain your position, that is what it was developed to do. high resolution/ scale cartography is the item designed to show you what is there! If going off trail, use your GPS only to verify your own map reading. Plan a route based on the map detail, take a bearing along the route to a visible feature and walk point to point between features, keeping your eyes on the terrain. Dont blindly follow a GPS unit, nor even a magnetic compass. The only person who can actually tell you what the dangers are, is yourself! You are the person crossing the terrain, so you must observe it and make sure its safe. As mentioned before - animals follow the best route to something they need. Animal trails are often the safest route, although they wont necessarily be going where you want to!

Hmmm, that doesnt sound like the GPSr, sounds more like your PC thats playing up. HAve you tried it with a different PC?

My take on the use of SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation Systems), is that theyre not intended to improve accuracy per se, but rather to help eliminate random fluctuations in accuracy due to ionospheric disturbances. In reality, this is only really of great import in aviation use, but since my unit has the ability, and i doubt its enabling has any great detrimental effect on battery life, i think having it on is sensible. It may help a little to stabilise the unit when in the sort of high Radio Frequency energy environs i often find myself in! For what its worth, I didnt see any indication of the SBAS capability in use, so suspect that such a basic unit probably doesnt give any explicit indication of it.

Cheers, i'll look out for such an indication.

I have WAAS set ON on my eTrex H, in order to make use of the EGNOS system. Im currently located inside a very high RF environment building so havent noticed any effect (i'll be taking it outside in a little while), Does the eTrex H indicate in any way onscreen that WAAS/EGNOS corrections are being applied?

So, dont go after micros? Not sure how micros in a heavily wooded area 'take up room'? If the price of fuel is a big problem to you ( I note you say gas so assume possibly incorrectly your American - your fuel is massively cheaper than here in the UK)then hows about taking a walk rather than a drive?