andylphoto

Okay...this one isn't exactly scenic, but the station itself is rather unique. It's not the oldest one around, but perhaps the one I've recovered that's got the most "character." Not just a standard disk set in concrete. RK0635

You've already got some good answers on why this one isn't in the database. It looks as though MN-DOT has had this station marked destroyed in the NGS database already. One clarification though--the reset disk you found is a reset because it was intended to replace the original station. The disk, however, is a new disk, set in 1975, and not the original 1933 disk. The original disk would have been a different style and would have been stamped 1933. The disk you photographed is definitely a 1970s era disk. I've seen one instance where the original disk was re-used to reset the mark: RL1686 Most other resets have used a new disk, and in fact many, if not most, resets I believe are set before the original marks are destroyed.

I noticed that yesterday around noon time. I was kind of hoping they took it offline because they had such a big backlog of GEOCAC uploads to add.

I also replied in the other thread where you mentioned this. If you do a delete by symbol, it will delete everything with that particular symbol. For example, if you wanted to delete all found caches, you would choose the open treasure chest and it would delete all waypoints with that symbol.

What do you mean by "old geocaches?" You can do a delete by symbol to delete the found ones, if that's what you're talking about.

I would second the recommendation of the Legend Hcx. I recently upgraded to a 60Cx, but the Legend Hcx would have been a very close second. In fact, a good friend just purchased one, in part because I recommended it to him. This model has the newer high sensitivity receiver, so it will keep a better lock on the satellites in "difficult" terrain, where the sky view is more shaded--canyons, indoors, dense tree cover, etc. It also has a slot for removable memory, so you can purchase a Micro SD card to store maps. Auto routing maps make it usable for driving--the City Navigator maps will set you back a little over $100. The built-in basemap will give you a general idea where you are, but is very crude. It will even autoroute you as long as you stay on major highways. If you want a good all-around unit to use for driving directions and frequent outdoor activity, this would be a great choice. EDIT: As mentioned above, the "non-automotive" units don't talk to you. Instead of saying "Left turn on main street," it will beep at you to warn of upcoming turns and give you on-screen instructions. As long as this is acceptable, the outdoor units do a fine job at auto-routing.

When you're in the Map Setup screen, instead of unchecking each tile individually, hit the menu button again. There you should be able to hide or show map families (i.e. "Hide Ibycus USA," "Show City Navigator" etc.). Makes it much easier than clicking on each individual map I do this frequently as I have both CN and Ibycus. I use CN primarily for auto routing, but I find that often the Ibycus maps have better detail on back roads. To show the Ibycus maps, I have to hide CN. It took me a while to figure that one out.

I guess 5/18 was a popular day!

Update on RK0538, CASCADE. I heard back from Deb on this station, and here is basically what she recommended: If the station's setting remains stable, which this one is, she said it's still useful for general positioning. In this case, there was one intact RM to aid in assuring this was the appropriate monument. She didn't say specifically, but this may play a part in the station's usability. She said log it in POOR condition, and in the text portion of the form describe it thoroughly, and emphasized including the condition of the RM's. If the station's setting were NOT stable, she said to let her know and she would mark it destroyed, but also suggested in this case submitting a NOT FOUND report for it, again with detailed descriptions of the monument and RM's.

Good question, Paul. I'll post in that thread with the general information.

I also got an email back from Deb yesterday, responding to a note about this station. I had emailed her about this back on about 5/22. With the slow response to that and recoveries not being updated, I was figuring she may have been out of the office for a while.

That's interesting. I've been deleting the waypoints when I remember to do it, but it's kind of annoying when I forget. Most it does overwrite. I think my current tally is a little over 700--it probably duplicates only about 10-15 of those. Thanks for the response and information.

I have a Garmin 60Cx, and routinely move waypoints back and forth between my computer and the GPS. For instance, I'll adjust the coordinates on the computer via maps then reload to the GPS, or I'll average coordinates in the field, then load them back onto the computer so the set there is current. The problem I'm having is that *some* waypoints don't overwrite the GPS waypoint when I do the transfer. My understanding was that if I have a waypoint called "HOME" in the batch transferred, this will overwrite a waypoint on the GPS with the same name. Worked for a couple years on my 60C with no problems. Now I've got some that don't overwrite when I transfer them to the GPS. Instead, it will create a second waypoint called "HOME 1" with the same coordinates. Then I've got essentially duplicate waypoints with slightly different names taking up space. Why does this happen...and why only for a handful of waypoints? What am I missing here? Thanks.

Coggins is correct. If you've ordered the Windows version, you'll have to install it on a Windows machine, convert the maps to a Mac-readable format with Garmin's Map Converter, then install them on your Mac. Following this procedure, you'll be able to view the maps in Bobcat and install them using your Mac.

I'm not in front of my Mac right now, and have never printed from Bobcat. But the first question is do you have the maps installed on the Mac? If you've got the Mac Topo, then you're all set. That said, Bobcat is still considered Beta software...Not sure if there's a print option or not. If not, a workaround is to use Grab (look for it in the Utilities folder, I believe) to capture tiff of the window or your selection, then open it and print from Preview. Preview does a great job in my experience of auto sizing and rotating to fit on a sheet.

26131 Ontonagon, MI I guess that explains it. I've been very pleased with the Ibycus maps. I did notice that once I hit ontonagon county, many roads seemed to be shifted by about 50 feet, if I recall. I was planning to post about it, but wanted to do some more experimenting to see if it was everything or just certain roads. I guess the maps are only as good as the data that's available though. Thanks again Ibycus for your hard work on this project. It is MUCH appreciated. I have the maps loaded on 2 GPS units--on my 60Cx, I have CN2008, but I also have the Ibycus maps. There are times when the back roads are more complete on the Ibycus mapset. I also have it loaded on the 60C that I use sometimes--I don't have CN on that unit, so these maps are all I use on that one.

Here's one: AA8070

With that in mind, here's some background on a couple. Some is duplicated from what you could read in my logs, but there's some additional information here as well. RK0502, the Dukes lookout tower is gone, but all concrete footings are still there. The area is wooded and kind of cool--a 30-second walk from M-94. There is a former tower near Skandia, RK0500, also very close to the highway (US-41.) Not sure if there are any remains or not, as I didn't look closely. Highway has been widened at this location. The Three Lakes lookout tower is gone, but I believe footings are still there. It's about a half-mile drive/walk off the highway. It can be driven with a truck, and some cars. Coordinates are the same as USGS mark RL1521. RK0533, The Gwinn tower location is kind of remote, but can be driven to with a truck or some cars. Tower is gone, but footings are still there. RK0616, the Walsh tower is gone. Footings are still there, but not much to see at this location. RL1585, Covington tower is gone, and the site is located on private property. QM0582 and QL0578 in Dickinson Co. are both drive-ups. The latter is a RM located under the Vulcan tower. It's located near the Norway Mt. Ski area, so regular traffic. If you make it up into the Keweenaw, RL1596 is located at the site of the Elm River tower. Tower is gone, but some remains are still there. I think one corner was destroyed by logging operations. You can drive to within a half mile, possibly closer with a large 4WD. The Hairpin lookout tower is gone, but footings remain. RK0587. You can drive to within about a quarter mile or so. Hope that information is helpful. Those are the ones I recall having personally visited. I might get a chance to visit the Wetmore tower later today. If so, I'll update with an edit. EDIT: The Wetmore tower is still standing. It is fenced at the bottom, and used to support two-way radio antennas.

I am starting to wonder if the June statistics will be the same as the May statistics. I've still got reports from 5/18 that haven't been updated, along with June recoveries. We've got a few days left, I guess...I keep checking.

Looks like BDT's list had several downstate ones as well. Interestingly though, there are some PIDs that didn't make either list: RK0533 RL1585 Both are Marker Type 57, but destroyed. BDT's list has other destroyed marks... RK0616 RK0502 That's just two examples from each list...I haven't done an exhaustive search by any means--just anecdotal based only on towers I've visited and/or marked destroyed. EDIT: tosborn--you posted while I was typing. I had assumed the station wasn't in the list because of its destroyed status. But then I noticed a couple in the BDT list (not yours) that have also been marked destroyed by the NGS. Kinda weird.

Looks like you've got some PIDs to sort through! I looked through my previous logs and noticed RK0533 doesn't appear to be in either list. Not sure why that one didn't get picked up, as it looks like other destroyed marks do appear. I've had several towers marked destroyed that are no longer there. A couple things to consider...are you interested in the towers because of their status as benchmarks, or just interested in the lookout towers? Are you interested in former tower locations, even if the tower has been removed? If so, you'll find a lot of both. As I mentioned, you'll find several in both lists that I have visited and had marked destroyed as the tower is no longer standing. If you're interested in towers or tower locations where the tower wasn't a benchmark, you can find a number of those by looking through data sheets. Often, triangulation station disks were set in the vicinity of lookout towers, because both towers and triangulation stations were set at high points. Often, one of the reference marks for a triangulation station was set in the center of the base of the tower. These towers were sometimes, but not always, included in the database. I just did a quick search of Marquette County, specifying horizontal control stations, picked a few likely suspects and came up with a couple at locations of lookout towers: RK0513 RK0516 RK0499 The one I mentioned in the first paragraph is also in this category. I have also visited a couple where the tower was referenced in the data sheets for other stations (FOX & VULCAN, both in Dickinson County) where the tower was still standing and used for other purposes: QM0582 QL0578 From the NGS datasheet page, you can also do a search by county for destroyed marks. In Baraga County, for example, you'll find RL1585 which doesn't appear on either list above. Obviously, this would only get you to lookout towers that formerly existed. Hope that helps. Andy

First two things to check...make sure both batteries are correctly positioned. If one is backwards, the voltages would cancel and it would have the same effect as having no batteries installed. Second, try a new set of alkaline batteries. It could be your charger is broken rather than the GPS.

Yes...what you place in the photo is up to you. I like to get at least the stamping, so I know what mark it is, and the rod in the background. I'll also include my GPS if I want a record of the actual coordinates on a scaled mark. Many people also take a wider photo, showing the general area and the location of the benchmark. I label mine with an arrow and the PID most of the time, others put a colored circle or square around the station. This can be helpful to others who search for the mark after you. For example, I posted two photos for the mark pictured above: RL1456. The photos are helpful. First, they prove you found the right mark. They can also help those who come behind you to find the mark. Posting photos isn't required, but it is recommended when possible. For more ideas on photos and to see what others are doing, visit the Benchmark Gallery. Happy hunting!

I'd agree...without looking at the datasheet for the specific station you searched for, I'd have to also guess that you found it. Did it look anything like this? As foxtrot_xray said, a lot of newer stations are this type of mark. Stainless steel rod is driven into the ground in five-foot sections if I recall correctly, until it won't go any further, then rounded off and a sleeve is placed around it. The top of the rod is the bench mark. Welcome, and keep asking questions--it's the best way to learn! I recovered a few of these before I learned about the stamping in the rim. Now I'm going back out to "re-recover" and take more pictures. Andy

Well, for some of us, what could be easier would be a program that would run on a Mac. Seriously, I've still got a couple of questions. I can send you several counties that I've reported on extensively, where you'd find quite a few stations with HH2 coordinates in the text. If you can mine those and upload, that would be great. For future recoveries though...As I run Mac at home, I am unable to run Gethvlst to create the HH file. In thinking about the way I do things, I am wondering if you could take a GPX file and go from there? The way I have normally been doing things is to manually adjust coordinates via topo maps when a mark is present, then when a mark is found, I'll average that waypoint to make my coordinates more precise for reporting, then load the *updated* waypoints back into my computer. From there it wouldn't be that difficult to delete all irrelevant waypoints and create a new GPX file to send, containing only the marks I've found on a given day/week/month or whatever that I can provide HH2 coordinates for. Is that an acceptable way of providing you the information? Looking forward to hearing back on this.