jerryo

According to your profile you're a standard member and you can't do pocket queries unless you're a premium member so you'll need to upgrade that first. Well, maybe not first, but you can't do PCs without premium membership.

I didn't think I'd mention that bit as people may think I have a problem with non premium members

It probably is old hat but this is a forum and not just a library so here’s some info. I used to use a yellow etrex and I used a cable (have you got one?) connected to my pc to input waypoints into the GPSr from the ‘Net. Probably an easy way to start would be to go to geocacheuk.com and register. From there you can find a nice simple map of the UK with all the caches that you have/have not found or some lists of what you’re after. You can then download them to a file on your PC (save them (all) in “Easy GPS” format) and then use Easy GPS (download from easygps.com) to transfer them to your GPSr via the cable. You can also link the GPSr directly to the geocaching.com website and directly download individual waypoints that way after you’ve obtained a small file to enable this facility. There are probably loads of other things you can do, but that’s a start.

Steady on there! If we're willing to pay much more as premium members, there's never going to be the possibility of getting all these other freeloaders to contribute I've never seen anything from a non-PM acknowledging that they get something for nothing: they’re in denial. The only “valid” point ever made is the “but, mister, you said it would always be free, you can’t charge now” line, and it’s only valid in the sense that it once applied. Look at the excuse they often use: "I don't use the PM features so why should I pay?" Now the owners are spending serious cash on the technology we all use and not just the PM services and they have a right to change the rules. I don’t really care about adverts as they can be ignored. I don’t mind people not paying either. Honestly. What I do object to is their continuously justifying not paying a bean in the face of overwhelming facts. Just once I’d like someone to say (without sugar-coating it), “yeah, it’s free and I’ll use it like that if there are people willing to subsidise me.” At least that’s honest. That said, though, I would be interested to know how many premium members there are relative to those cachers who elect not to support the caching community. Are we really in such a minority? Supporting the community does not mean going out and setting caches either. We all do that. Has anyone noticed that the people posting in this thread are, by and large, premium members? Everyone else has remained very quiet; off caching at our expense.

Come and get it someone: GCXKD3

I think we know the answer to that one

I wonder why it is that people think either the PM fees must rise or it’s the advertising route. Why not charge everyone a little bit? As suggested above, it could be arranged so you could only log a set number of caches before membership fees kicked in. This would keep people with multiple identities happy too. And as far as potential cachers not starting out as there may be a fee levied after a while goes? I couldn’t personally care less, it’s their loss. Although it needn’t happen that way.

To ensure you really do want to play the game there could be a free trial period. Easy peasy.

“Don’t tar everyone with the same brush”? What are you on about? I merely said that I agree with charging people for the service: my view is that I think all cachers should pay for what they do get, not what they can get by being a premium member. It’s only, what, fifteen quid. A year. How much do you spend on petrol/Tupperware/goodies? Don’t answer that, it was a rhetorical question. You have your opinion and want something for nothing; I have mine and am prepared to pay for it and comparing vehicular taxes is fatuous. The premium membership fee doesn’t just go into the pocket query fund, it pays for new kit too. New kit like you’re getting the benefit of after the recent tweaks. Good isn’t it? Another rhetorical question.

Sorry, couldn't resist. I agreee with you.

The Turf, now there's a blast from the past. I used to go there when I was studying in Oxford in the early 80s. If it's the same place.

My bad

We came across a medieval battle re-enactment in the middle of nowhere in a wood. Lots of hey nonny no; girls with pointy hats and veils – though no burquas – and knights of yawn, er, I mean yore in abundance. I think I preferred that scene to the pubic hairs and toenail clippings I once discovered in a cache (they were identified as such by the "owner*" in the log too!). I certainly didn’t expect that. Ugh. *edited to say it wasn't the cache owner but the biological owner.

Some people have sock puppet accounts so their archived caches can be transferred to them (before archiving) and then they won’t have dead caches on their page. That seems ok and I think (?) the moderators don’t mind this. If you are referring to the people who have "dual identities" that are secret so they can pretend to be someone/something else then it's probably weird! It seems pretty clear that you could find out who it was by seeing which genuine cacher had logged the finds too. I think the moderators tolerate this activity (?) as long as no one’s annoyed by it. Speaking of which, I’m surprised that no-one has been “anti” the dual loggings stance as this site can become a tad argumentative at times. Bite, someone

Badger shows off the latest industrial-sized Tippex dispenser.

I wouldn’t have a problem with it. I never (or rarely) check my logbooks anyway. I’m too trusting perhaps although I don’t think I’d delete a log anyway unless it was a deliberate wind up. I thought that’d happened recently on one of my caches but it had actually been logged by someone I didn’t think even existed: Somewhere in here And even if the person doesn’t exist, someone bothered to go and stamp the logbook so that’s fair enough with me.

A syllogism, then: Major premise: Regent’s Park is better than London Minor premise: Regent’s Park is an area of countryside Conclusion: Countryside is better than London. Ergo, you prefer the countryside. This is backed up by your signature lines: From London and heading for a cache near you! This implies you are leaving London to go caching. It does when I read it as I’m nowhere near the capital.

That sounds sensible. I'll have to see my vet now. Again

She’s certainly better than her co-presenter, Bill (Panurus biarmicus). A general comment though: It's still best to dose your dog with a proprietary tick spray like Frontline. This makes the ticks easier to remove, less likely to transmit disease (dogs can get Lyme disease too) and LESS PAINFUL for your dog when you remove them. Contrary to popular opinion, the local anaesthetic that the ticks use when inserting their bits into the flesh doesn’t stop it hurting when you wrench them out with a crocodile clip.

Ditto that. I've found a source of 0% alcohol Stella Artois online, which is really good. Knocks Kaliber into a cocked hat.

I didn't put anyone down; I made a comment and added a smiley. A smiley is an item that's designed to indicate something that might be missed in the written word although they clearly don’t work in some cases. I’m not surprised you took it wrong though; this forum is full of people who take things wrong and like to bicker. That’ll be why everyone is always so friendly here. I’ve seen that after a few replies many threads get quite antagonistic and degenerate into a tiff. I’m merely adopting that sort of stance. Do you want a pint?

?

Very probably but if you have a crossbow and someone suggests you shoot straightened twigs out of it rather than bespoke bolts then, even if it's their best idea, it's still not right. Even though it is cheaper. I have tried this sort of thing on many occasions and found that the potting compound is excellent. Silicon is ok although in large(ish) quantities it can take ages to dry – some brands don’t dry properly at all – and the electrical/thermal properties of silicon may be an issue. I did use a smiley. Where’s yours?

Because the stuff I already mentioned is specifically designed for the purpose

Maplin Electronics Potting Compound? edit to add this