canpaddle

Up to what point would too many stages become too many? Of a multi cache. In the woods for example, and do all the stages in the multi need to be 1/10 mile apart or can they be closer? Does this matter if its your multi being placed? Should all stages of a multi be placed winter friendly? Looking for some good advice on multi's placements. Thanks

Any strange, large, out there SWAG you have encounterd? Strangest?

Well for the first year of my caching I was a member status. I dont even think how I could have done all that hours of paper work and notebook after norebook on notes and coordinates and clues and descriptions, all written down by hand. I remember sitting in parking lots for hours at a time manually putting in the wps. into the Garmin, Legend. My first five attempts at finding a cache ended in failure and doubt. The first cahce I found was Billings Park over in Superior, Wsc. I cached this labor intensive way for about a year, with several times there if I recall correct an attempt or two at getting a ftf, which I did not nor could not, always getting beaten to the prize. I dont even think I had a cell phone back then. I had no connections, no power, no hookups, except finding caches as I could. After about that first year ( had no idea of what happened really) I became a premium member on 12/4/09. No idea why I had not done this advancement sooner??? Whooa... check out all this new information! ( Hey Im serious, had no clue of this stuff). Then came the morning of 12/26/06, when I checked the computer and saw there was a ftf about forty five miles away in Wsc. Forty five or so mile drive in -10F. no problem, loaded up the info and the geo-dog and off I go in my truck. The cache was a 1/1 rating, micro. After about twenty minute search, I opened up the cache signing the empty log book. I left a TB inside. I really think I floated on the drive back home and entered in the cache page of found and a FTF! Man I was so happy. Since that thrill that had came upon me after several near misses, opened up inside the drive to go out again, and again, activley persuing the FTF when I could, leaving home in the middle of the night, and in all sorts of weather, all to gain the chance to sign my name to a peice of paper in the woods, and for the chance for the FTF. Not always seeking the ftf letting many pass by, but still going out. Sometimes seeing other cachers looking for the prize and meeting up with some of these guys is all so much fun for me, meeting many over and over again, or wondering who is going to show up. So yes, there are active FTF seekers out there, and Im one of them, its part of the reason I geocache and the way I look at it if I did not like doing it then I would not do this activity. 684 total caches found with 167 being FTFs. Roughly 22%. Thanks

About two years ago, my caching partner (GF) and myself were in Wisconson birdwatching, when she said theres a cache hidden here. I came over to where she was and sure enough a regular ammo box, complete with swag and log book. I signed the log and logged it in as a find. We did not even have our GPS unit with us that day. About two winters ago, myself and another friend of mine were looking for a cache up the North Shore, when I found a Letter Box Cache, by accident, which had stuff in it and a log book, which I signed. I did not know anything about Letterboxing then, and still to this day really dont either. I just logged my username thats it. Have you ever stumbled onto a cache by accident, or while searching for a multi stage, finding the final without the coords. by accident?? Some would call this luck. I call it a determined deep down drive, a sense of competiveness, a keep on going not giving up, "get her done" attitude. Not luck, determination.

It was Christmas of 2005, when I received a Garmin Etrex Legend, from my girlfriends sister. I thought whoa, a gps. Huh, hmmm, what am I supposed to do with this? Id known what a gps was, but in my 45 or so years had never used one much less ever seen one. I dont fish that much so I thought Id use it to go hiking with it. I remember taking it to a local State Park and walking around with it and trying to look at the directions in the manual and just trying to get it figured out some on how to use it. I did this and walking around the neighborhood and having it in my truck watching where I was going and stuff like that. It was a gps, no big deal, I didnt really understand it, seemed rather, well, boring really, I had no clue!! After doing this idle type of activity for several weeks, my girlfriend came home one day and told me that a co-worker had told her of a website called Geocaching.com, that I should check it out. Did not know what geocaching was or nothing about it. Somehow I figured out how to put in waypoints and went out in search of my very first find. I looked and looked for the first six or so not finding any of them. I wasnt impressed with this activity, and not even knowing if this gps worked or not. Then one day right around that time I found my very first find! Yes Yes Yes!! My very first one! I signed the log and left .32 cents in the container, all the money I had in my pocket at the time, drove home as fast as I could and logged my first find ever on the cache page. Now Im coming up on caching for four years now. Geocaching is great!!

Keep checking it that way you will get more views haha lol

Actually - Yahoo has been known to throttle the rate they will accept the email from Groundspeak and/or block the emails altogether. It has nothing to do with any spam filters or settings that an end user can control. I don't know if that is the current issue but it has happened many times in the past. Try a gmail account for Groundspeak emails - many users report that those just work better for getting 100% of your geocaching emails. StarBrand can you expand some on what you just said? "What is gmail account for Groundspeak emails??" Gmail is a free e-mail service provided by Google. A lot of Geocachers use this service to receive e-mail from geocaching.com. I have never heard of any issues receiving mail through them, but then again I don't constantly browse the forums. I check the email on my phone and am conected that way the email is set up to get new notifications through GC.COM but checking the fourms not sure what that is but is it through Groundspeak fourms?

Actually - Yahoo has been known to throttle the rate they will accept the email from Groundspeak and/or block the emails altogether. It has nothing to do with any spam filters or settings that an end user can control. I don't know if that is the current issue but it has happened many times in the past. Try a gmail account for Groundspeak emails - many users report that those just work better for getting 100% of your geocaching emails. StarBrand can you expand some on what you just said? "What is gmail account for Groundspeak emails??"

Sometimes I think that too because often when the cache is published the owner posts a note saying TB drop or something like forgot to mention bring pencil or something like that. Wonder if that that makes a difference or not. Or when its posted someone else says a note something like thats clever or similiar. I wonder if the posting the notes after its published has anything to do with it??

Do you just pick the town you live in and make a area of say 80 miles for puzzle cache traditional caches and multil caches size any container not been found of any type? Or when making it have one for each type unknown 80 miles, traditional 80 miles, and multi 80 miles?? I have never really understood PQ set ups have tried found not helpful, dont fully understand them but I still get new noticications on my yahoo email, but not all of the new ones get listed for my set up

Have been wondering why of if there is a reason I get some new notifications when others are posted well within my mileage area. Some days for example I may get email saying there are two new ones posted 50 miles away, and a few days later I may get on the email the weekly notices and there are say eight others newly posted within the mileage range I have set but did not get notified by email. Is there a reason for this? I have noticed other logs at times saying for some reason they were not aware of a particular new posted cache either. Thanks

I have not posted in quite awhile. I just have a question: Is it allright to take a TB from a cache (and of course log it) and after a few days place it again in a cache that you yourself own? Of course logging as a TBdrop.

Id say to purchase for first time a Garmin Etrex Legend.

The rubber grip around the side of the gps unit is coming undone. Whats the suggestion for reattaching it to the unit again? Re-glue it somehow? What do you suggest? Thank you. Only about two inches of the rubber grip is loose.

Yes thank you all very much. Ive learned alot here so far. I guess Ill use the EasyGps and my Map Source together and alone beings its what Im used to doing beings Im not high tech material.

So as a run off of my post yesterday I dont have any maps in the EasyGps screen. Are they supposed to be there? Also what I see is my caches found, not found, ext.ext. sorted by different topics like symbol and description and some others. Are there more stuff in the program to do besides just that? I can put wpts. on a blank map screen, move the map screen, and pan in/out but no map detail. How do the maps work? Thank you.

Hey there folks Im not new its just that I haven't posted in a while. Anyway my question is downloading waypoints into my Legend. Are these extra programs needed, like GeoBuddy, and/or EasyGps? They offer free for a short time then what. I've been using pen and paper for the past year to enter coordinates needed to locate caches(68) so far I think. It is confusing at times I will admit and time consuming and really unorganized at times also. So I upgraded to premium and thought "download waypoints... cool". These other programs seem complicated and difficult to download. I already use the map source TOPO and that suites me just fine, but now I can download the waypoints. But I need these other programs that are expensive, confusing, and roughly the same as I already can do. So as a Premium Member do I still have to purchase more programs just so I can download waypoints? Id like to know what others think that know more about this topic than I do.

Yes thank you for the advice. It seemed to work and the line has went away. It took me a little while to figure out to hold all three buttons at the same time till I noticed buttons was in plural. I was pressing each one by itself. Anyway thank you. canpaddle

OK thank you Ill try that now. I have Legend. Ok I just put the Legend outside and turned it on and panned to the end of the line. There is not a waypoint at the end it just ends near a little town called Lindell I think? Anyway it just stops there boom it stops. How strange. And I checked all the waypoints stored and didnt notice a Garmin wpt. of any sort. Any more suggestions? I think this is just so strange. Maybe someone in my living area could take a lookat it?? Not sure/but any advice needed. canpaddle

OK thank you Ill try that now. I have Legend.

Hi I have the Legend and can tell you how to run it except for the Mystery line. canpaddle

Hello Im not familiar with your GPS that you have mine is the Legend. But Ill say that if you have even modest computer skills and can figure out the farious functions of tool bars and such even by just piddling away at them Id say you could figure out the maps and how to use them. I was able and have hardly any skill at all. Im not kidding.

Yes thank you for responding. Yes Ive deleated everything I could think of including the track log and Ive cleared the track log and saved tracks. Ive never ever even been to Kansas before. I dont want to deleate all the waypoints that are stored in it allthough I could down load them and then put them back. Any other suggestions? I wish this line would just go away I dont understand why its there/ Whats the purpose of it and how did it get in the GPS? I dont remember seeing it until recently. Help would be cherished. Need help I thnk all who respond with any advice. canpaddle

Well thanks for the reply. My GPS still has the line. The line ends somewhere in Kansas. I live in MN. The line only appears when Im tracking where Im going mode. It starts from where ever Im at at all times. I cant get it to go away. Ive switched modes from bearing, to course, and that doesnt work. Ive even deleated all tracks and route logs and that hasnt worked either. Ive deleited all there is and switched map sets(WIS. to MN.) and the line still stays with me where ever Im at heading to the middle of Kansas. I dont know how to get it to go away. Is it allways going to be there? When I turn off the TRACKS MODE the line is not there anymore, but returns when its in the track MODE. Any suggestions?? Also Id like to add Im aware of the pointer which wasnt on and the compass is just the empty circle cause its not in the track back or GOTO. The line appears when Im in the tracks MODE. When in the tracks mode I can come home and put into maps on the computer of where I was and where I went. Its not in the GOTO or route or Trackback features. Any help would be thankful canpaddle