Solar Max
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Posts posted by Solar Max
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This morning at about 5:54 AM, it's cloudy and 34 here in Olympia. ( Temp according to my car's outside temp sensor. ) Nice caching weather. Maybe I'll finally be able to find one or two today.
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"The proud owner of a Meridian Platinum. The Ultimate all around, high memory, auto-routing GPSr on the market!"
Leatherman, you are absolutely correct. It is. I have one too...and it's still not snowing
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Well, I'm looking out the window, still no snow.
Your Olympia correspondent.
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I type this from our room at the Best Western. There IS high speed internet access here for $10 extra a night, from the base rate of $60.
On another topic, it is NOT snowing, but it did try. The worst we saw was around Federal Way, where I5 was slightly slick while changing lanes, but no real problem.
One more note, thanks to lucyandrickie and Supergenius for today. It was a blast!! Thanks again Eastsiders!
Now, where is everybody??? We're here already, where are you??
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Starting at UTM coords 16T E 737152 N 4949950 (it's in Michigan):
Go due north exactly 15 km.
What are your new coords in UTM?
Once again with a quick mental calc, I get 16T 737152 N 4964950. I just added 15000 meters to the Northing. Then I cheated a little, just to see where that actually is. It looks like Comins, Michigan is a nice small town to visit some time. Maybe I should do a "Closest" Pocket Query.
Fizzymagic, good to see you again. Your intelligence provides an anchor in these sometimes stormy Forums.
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The simple fact that UTM describes distances in METERS makes it more useful in my way of thinking. With UTM coords I know how far I am from where I want to be. When I see "N 45 26.876 W 119 23. 566", then "N 45 25.497 W 120 01.44", I have no idea how far apart those are, without consulting my Map, PDA, or GPS Receiver. Give me 10 T 456224 5116778 and 456933 5117896 and I can do a quick calc in my head and see that they're about 1100 one way and 700 the other way meters apart. Another mental shortcut and you get about 1300 meters away. No way I could do that in Lat/Long. Not a chance.
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Nothing I said was a "Garmin vs Magellan" thing. Just differences in how they operate.
Of course there are two kinds of poeple. Those that find caches, and those that use Magellans.
Fair knight, thou dost wound me to the bone, with thy comments about Ferdinand Magellan and his swarthy crew. I suggest a duel; I shall represent the forces of Goodness, lightness and Magellan, and thou shalt represent the forces of Garmin and darkness. I suggest serial cables at 2 paces.
Magellan went all the way around, remember?
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MapSource Metroguide is a "must have" for Garmin users, IMHO. As for 14 ft, that's about right, and I have seen 7 on mine (etrex) , but only when WAAS is available, and the unit has been very still for a few minutes.
Oh, and yes, the Vista is a very good unit, by the way. Don't let anyone else tell you different, especially a Magellan convert like me.
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Do i need to convert them from a .loc to whatever it needs to be to be imported to Ozi then onto the GPS through it as well?
Whats a good program to convert them? and whats the best way to upload them to my GPS?
Either is good, but I thinks we should clear up the differences between EasyGPS and OziExplorer.
EasyGPS is a way for you to get existing waypoints (geocaches) from the site to your hard disk, then via serial, USB, or other connection, to your gps receiver.(eTrex I believe you said. Do you mean the Yellow eTrex? If so, you will need, or maybe you already have, a cable to connect the two.) It works very well with every receiver I have ever tried with it, about 6 different models.
OziExplorer is mapping software of the very first order. If you have calibrated Topographic maps, or any other maps for that matter, you can transfer your track and waypoint files to your computer through the cable, and into Ozi. This helps you to see what the terrain is like (if you haven't been there) or any access there is to the waypoint (roads, trails, etc.) On the flip side, you can plot a waypoint, then see where that waypoint is on the planet. This is very handy for "puzzle" caches, that require projections. Ozi is much more accurate (that is, it has a better model of the Earth in it) than your eTrex does. We use Moving Ozi, in which you run Ozi on a laptop, connect a GPS receiver via Serial cable, switch the GPS receiver output to NMEA, and start Moving Ozi. Immediately, you will see a big yellow arrow show you where you are on the map. Very handy driving along a lonely logging road, knowing exactly how far away the next turnoff is. Come to think of it, it's not bad in town either
.You can also CREATE your own maps in Ozi and calibrate them, but you'll need the Full version for an accurate calibration.
And yes, you can convert the two with GPSBabel. That's pretty cool too, when you are a Garmin/Magellan family. Two versions of the same waypoints, thanks to GPSBabel.
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Looks to me like you have your first 2 finds, icecool. Congrats.
We too, live in the Capital Region, and would be happy to have you teach us a few things, or vice versa. My next project is the series of X-Treme GPS caches that popped up so quickly around here. Email if you'd like a partner.
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I am a self-professed UTM convert, and now a UTM snob. I like being able to compare real distances, as UTM is in metres. The d/m/s thing on Lat/Long doesn't do it for me, and the less I have to figure out the better. I found, however, that when we were in the US a few months ago, that local cachers did things exclusively in Lat/Long. That's OK, and it's good that metres and yards are fairly close together in distance, so I can convert from metric to Imperial, and sound like I belong! I also like that CacheMate on my Palm converts Lat/Long into UTM, so I have them both on the same screen. VERY ! Anyway, that's where I stand!
PS for ICQLOVE: I have a Rino 120, and you can have it in whatever format you choose! On the Setup screen, choose Units, and then just change your Position Format to whatever you like! Hope that helps-good luck!
What she said. I do what she tells me.
It's all just funny numbers to me. I ain't good with them gazintas.
Oh, and ICQLOVE, don't thank her too much. You should see WHAT she makes me do. Then there's that goofy pet Rhinoceros she just HAD to have....and guess who has to change the Rhino litter? All this for UTM.
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I wouldn't even hesitate. We have both MapSource 5 USA and MapSource 4 Canada on our Legends, Venture, and Rino 120. Invaluable, even without the Topo maps for Canada.
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Can we be friends now?
I can't recall ever not being friends
I hope you saw the humour in my posts, as that was the primary focus. I ask a favour of Olar, though. On your next visit to Ottawa, let our new PM know that we won't protest if he visits, like we did when his predecessor was here. Our new guy can actually speak both official languages, where the previous one spoke neither. No wonder George Bush didn't like him; he couldn't understand him. I am a Quebecer, and I can't understand him either.
Then we should take a little trip to the Eastern Seaboard, and let them know that New Mexico isn't very new anymore, and deserves a lot more than it's own quarter. Some of the most beautiful terrain in the world is in NM, and many caches that I have not yet done, as my last visit to NM was before I began caching.
Hey 'Sax, why not come see us in Olympia Saturday? What can it be, only 1800 miles or so?
A short drive, and probably a lot quicker than clearing airport security at Albequerque or Santa Fe. -
I do know this, however: Had WE sunk one of our old ships in US waters accidently, I think the US Government's response would have been much stronger than the one our goverment had.
We would have sent warships and troops and claimed the land between Alaska and Washington State in order to make those two states connected!
American cachers are great people. I know a lot of them, and would like to adopt one as a pet. ( That was a joke)I wonder if Sparky is available...(That was a joke, too)
That might not be far from the truth. While on vacation in California once, I was asked about the origin of my licence plates. I explained that British Columbia was between Washington and Alaska, along the Pacific coast. The old timer involved shook his head, then declared that there "weren't nuthin' twixt Warshingtin and 'Laska", and walked away muttering something resembling " dern easterners", or some such. This made me feel quite at home, as our federal government in Ottawa is quite unaware that we are here either.
As for the Satire Wire, I have often wondered why the West Edmonton mall has 7 submarines, to impress the general public into spending money at the mall, while The Royal Canadian Navy has 3 submarines. Having seen our (HMCS Vancouver, for one) Fast Frigates from the Ops room and the Bridge, I can vouch for their effectiveness. They are equivalent to the US Oliver Hazard Perry class, but with a longer lifespan. (That means we can't afford any more of them) And they have one strategic piece of equipment not found on any US warship: The BEER machine. No, I am NOT kidding. Just don't DARE attack us during Happy Hour, or we'll blow chunks at you.
Seriously, and more to the topic, the great thing about this sport in my mind, is the interaction between cachers, regardless of politics or geography. I believe that I am the only Canadian member of the Washington State Geocachers Association, and am waiting very patiently for Thursday to roll around, and we can meet up with our Washingtonian (is that the right term?) friends in Olympia. Come visit us 'Sax, we'll show you a good time in two countries, and two languages.
A prochaine, mon ami. J'espere que vous nous vistez dans la future immediatement.
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The City of Victoria dumps raw sewage into the Strait. The Cominco smelter has dumped heavy metal waste into the Columbia River on the Canadian side of the border and contaminated Lake Roosevelt so bad that it is being considered for listing as a Superfund site. Maybe the Canadian government can deal with these issues before we pull that cement-laden scow from 1,500 feet down.
Regarding the Victoria sewage issue that you mention, the same government that you mention says that study after study proves that primary or secondary treatment is not necessary, due to the flushing action of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. You can make your own judgement on that. I am not an oceanographer, so I don't know which is true.
As for Roosevelt Lake, I can say nothing, as I have not researched the matter. I do know that most of the dams on the upper Columbia were built because of an agreement between the US Government (and Bonneville Power) and the British Columbia Government. ( and BC Hydro) We are not at fault ALL of the time, just most of it, I suppose.
I do know this, however: Had WE sunk one of our old ships in US waters accidently, I think the US Government's response would have been much stronger than the one our goverment had.
I'm with Seneca: let's leave it there, and just decide who should maintain it. I suggest a Difficulty 5 Terrain 5 rating.
And one more note; this thread was meant to be a gentle ribbing to those that made an error, and I'm sure not meant to kindle a political debate between two great nations, who share the longest undefended border in the world.
American cachers are great people. I know a lot of them, and would like to adopt one as a pet.
( That was a joke) -
From what I can see, the Pioneer is a member of the Magellan 300 Series, or a close relative. They are an older unit, but depending on the features, and the displayed resolution ( does it countdown in feet, meters, or tens of each?) it should be a good starter unit for you. Why not try it out first? It seems to be on a par with a yellow eTrex, and the Magellans of this type keep lock better in the forest than an eTrex does. (I have both a Magellan and an eTrex)
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Ok, this caught me off guard. No one here is talking about the release of the new Rino 130?
And you people are not talking about it????Where is CACHERUNNER? I thought she would be one of the first ones talking about this!LOL
The last time I looked over there, she was drooling all over my monitor, while perusing the Garmin Rino page. I have been relegated to the laptop, and it's inferior graphics.
It sure looks to me like a Vista wrapped up in an FRS radio shell. Very cool.
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I will be leaving Yakima on either Wed Night (late) or Thursday Morning (Early) If ne one wants to jump on the band wagon, drop me an email, I want to do some cachin on thursday for anyone that wants to hook up. I dunno, Hope everyone makes it over the pass if they have to go over it. Cya there!
~Tenniskid
Hey TK, how have you been?
We arrive in the afternoon Thursday, staying at the Best Western. Let's go play as we did in Spokane.
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It turned out that, thanks to some great friends and teammates, I am using a Palm IIIc running Cachemate 3.22, and Cacherunner is running a Zire 21 with the same software. I also got a Tungsten T3, but as I was warned, it's a great PDA, but I wouldn't dare take it into the wild, and chance losing it. The Palm III has a better cover, and seems a little tougher thatn the T3. The test will be in Olympia in a week.
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I will not post the name of my store as I do not want to use this forum to shamelessly promote us.
I'm not proud, and I don't work for Capital Iron either, so I can post that cachers should go see the Groundspeak gear that Pete brought in. Very cool. Have you run started to run out of some items yet, Pete?
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Sigh..they won't let me respond the way I WANT to in this forum...so I presume you meant those "water wings" you used on the way to that KFWB cache in the park?
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See we NBers can walk on water.
Ummm...maybe just that YOU can walk on water. I saw you do it last summer, remember?
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We, and some other malcontents, will be at the Best Western.
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I just yelled downstairs to my wife and asked her what she'd be wearing if we lived in Hawaii.
She told me to bite myself.
Look at it this way
, no I mean how caches can they have on an island. Quick somebody figure this one out, remember the .1 mile rule.I think there were over 400 on this particular Island the last time I looked. (Vancouver Island). Today was partly sunny and 45.
Should I Go For A Legend Or Vista As My Next Gpsr?
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
We have 4 Garmins in the house, and I have to say, for the extra few dollars, the Vista is the better way to go. Our Legend has enough memory (8Mb) for local stuff, but that's pretty lean if you're planning a longer trip. Vista, you won't regret it.