OuttaHand

My other main hobby is Sporting Clays. It is a shotgun sport similar to shooting skeet or trap, except that you are presented with clay targets that are doing different things at different stations. In a round of 50 clays, we move to (as many as 13) different stations and shoot clay targets that may be flying straight away, straight toward you, side-to-side, straight up, or even rolling on the ground. It's very challenging as proven by the scores. Great shooters rarely get scores better than 40 out of 50. I tend to get scores in the mid- to upper-teens. But it's still a lot of fun!!

I have a model 76 (not the 76S) and I love it. I bought it after reading several recommendations on this board just about a year ago. Since then I've used it on dozens of caches and it has held lock under some serious tree canopy. I have since bought a Rino120 and like that one too. At the time I got my Garmin 76 I paid a bit over $200 for it. If the price is still up there, then I would suggest popping just a BIT more and get the Rino120. For nearly the same price you're getting mapping ability and radios! But if you're committed to the 76 line, then yes -- it's excellent.

Mine has a history outside of geocaching. This web page tells it all: http://users.elknet.net/kevong/OuttaHandWebPage.html

...and when you DO find the storeroom shelves, do you trade even/up? or do you just leave McToys?!?!?!?

Hi -- I'm OuttaHand and I'm a geocacher. Whenever my wife wants to go somewhere, I check to see if there's a cache nearby. I read the discussion boards (you bunch of enablers!) just about every day. I have 3 GPSr's when I only need one. I have no intention of changing .. um.. I mean.. I recognize I have a serious problem and I intend to rehabilitate myself. yeah, right!

Both my Garmin 76 and my Rino 120 switch to feet as soon as they hit .1 miles. You definitely want this feature for caching!

I would certainly agree with able2ru! I have a Rino 120 and love it! It might be a little more $$$ than a tru entry-level GPSr, but if you get into this (and you will) you'll end up buying a better one later on anyway. Might as well save just a little longer and buy the good one right away.

I was the one who wrote off the patch antenna. Based upon what? -- Recommendations of those who have used both types for geocaching, many posts in the boards here and on our state's geocaching boards, personal experience with both types. In each of those cases, the quad-helix has proven to be better in conditions where the patch antenna has had poor reception (tree cover, cloudy skies, etc.).

So what are you saying? "OuttaHand WINS" isn't a fair rule???? The person below me tries to jam 9volt batteries into his GPS instead of AA's -- figures better voltage = better reception!!!

Pop the extra few $$$ and get the 120 !!! I have one and love it. Once you get one with mapping you'll never regret it. You'll find yourself using the unit for more than just geocaching. As far as the GMRS license -- I won't claim to know the exact letter of the law, but I'm not going to worry about it as long as I don't use those channels.

Hmm -- the specs on the most expensive one at $209.95 -- presumably the most feature-rich of the lot -- say that it has a patch antenna, can only hold 10 track logs, etc. It says it can use an SD memory card -- but for what? It does not say that it can receive maps from a mapping program. I'm sorry -- but I'm not terribly impressed with the unit -- at least not based on what I see on THIS site. For the same money I can (and do) have a Garmin Rino 120 with mapping, radio, quad-helix antenna, etc. etc. etc.

Two caches come to mind as far as clever hiding spots. One is a cache I found last weekend. It was a tupperware container inside a hollow upright tree. Basic enough. Except that when you looked inside the hollow opening at the base of the tree, you saw nothing. Along the inside edge of the tree was an upright stick. On top of the stick was the tupperware. Completely out of sight until you looked UP into the hollow and/or moved the vertical support stick. #2 is one my dad hid. It is in a round 1/2 gallon clear container. He found a fallen birch tree which was decaying apart. For those of you who know trees, you know that the insides of a birch will rot out and leave the bark. My dad took a hollow section of bark from the center, wrapped it around the cache container, and replaced it back into the center of the fallen log --right in line as if it were still in tact. The cache description describes it as a regular sized cache so you don't really look at a 6" diameter log for such a container.

I voted that I won't apply for the license. But that's only for the foreseeable future. If things change, then my answer may also change. The main factor in my decision right now is that I don't have anyone to talk with on GMRS!!! I have a Rino120 which is equipped with both FRS & GMRS. I leave it on channel 2 (FRS range). Everyone I know that has handheld radios has only FRS. Until there is someone to talk with, it's silly for me to plunk down $75 for the license.

I love the idea! I always carry my digital camera with me while caching and love to take pics of things other than my wife holding an ammo box! One suggestion for an added category: black & white. Even taken with a digital, it is easy to convert a photo to black & white. Black & white photography takes a completely different "eye" for composition and would add a nice variation to the usual photos. ALSO-- how about 2 overall categories: One for those who want to pay $10 and be eligible to win a prize; and one that's free to enter and just want to be judged on content. The prize for this category simply being the pride and satisfaction of a nicely-taken photo.

I have a Rino120 so my radio is on all the time I'm caching -- mostly because I forget to shut it off to save the batteries. I generally do leave it on channel 2 but I have yet to hear any other cachers. I'm also waiting for that magic moment when I see another cacher on my screen (using the peer-to-peer positioning).

First attempt to find a cache was with an old Garmin 45. Useless. Then checked the message boards, read recommendations, bought a Garmin 76, and found many caches with it. Great unit. Have since upgraded to a Garmin Rino 120 and love that one even more!

I'll toss in a few: I Have A Rino Wish To See Others On Screen Rinos Are Too Scarce and Weekend Geo-Hunt Lots of Fun Searching With Dad Happy Fathers' Day! or Tupperware In Stump Hidden From Those Passing By Found With GPS and finally -- Wife Thinks I'm Crazy Two Hundred Bucks To Find Junk But She's Here With Me! [This message was edited by OuttaHand on June 12, 2003 at 10:32 AM.]

My main pet peeve is those who gripe TOO much about the quality of the items in a cache. If I want treasure I'll look for the Lost Dutchman Mine. I have a case full of items I've traded for while caching. They range in "value" from a toy that was free in a box of Cheerios, up to a $3 - $4 Ty Beanie Baby and everything in between. I value the free toy from the cereal just exactly as much as the $4 Ty Beanie. Each item represents a satisfactory conclusion to a hunt and a great time with my wife while geocaching. Period. I don't intend that I should become rich as a result of this hobby.

Difficult to say exactly because you have unknown variables. But here's my take on it. If the hider had the same 10' radius of accuracy that you had in that spot: If you are standing on the spot where your GPS says the coordinates are, then you could be up to 10' off in any direction. So the possible coordinates according to YOUR unit could be in a 20' diameter circle around that point. Now lets assume that the hider had the same possible 10' accuracy. He may have been standing anywhere in that 20' (diameter) circle, including anywhere along the outer edge. With his 10' of accuracy, that puts the possible location up to 10' MORE outside of the original circle. This makes your actual search area of a 20' radius from where you show the coordinates to be. Thus pi times radius squared yields approx 1257 sq.ft. EDIT --- just finished typing and I see Prime Suspect must have been typing at the same time. Glad to see we both ended up with the same answer (I rounded up).

I see a knot-hole just up there. I bet the cache is in there!

When the most recent war started, I saw a TV show talking about the "tools" of the modern military. One of the items they showed was an off-the-shelf Garmin Rino120. They like the peer-to-peer positioning capability so they know exactly where each other is.

Here's another... http://neilm.com/whitejeep/convert.mv?convertaddress

I have 3 caches placed. One on our own property (I approved that one), and two in state areas. One is a "State Recreational Area" which I did not ask permission for. The other is in a "State Forest". Since there has been some problems nearby to us (Madison, WI) where they have outlawed ALL caches in their Forest Preserves, I decided that I had better ask for permission for my most recent placement. I e-mailed and then called the superintendent of that particular unit, told him all about what geocaching is, and asked him permission. He informed me that the particular place I had in mind would be a bit dicey as there are certain places within that area that are off-limits, but are not clearly marked. I suggested a spot across the road which is still under his jurisdiction and he said that would work well. I guess the bottom line is that you should try it work with and educate the powers-that-be in order to allow our hobby/activity/whatever-you-call-this to continue on.

Garmin Rino 120 Garmin 76 as a backup Both excellent units.

ok -- here we go... Garmin 76.....$225 Garmin Rino120....$240 (just 'cause I wanted a nicer one) 4 or 5 orders of stuff from Oriental Trading Company....$75 or so 6 or so Plastic jars to hide 'em.... $15 4 pill capsules for future micros....$15 pkg of Travel Bugs.....$20 Gas, fast food while out there, etc. .... $? Bottom Line: Don't really care!!! I love it!! Due to some recent medical problems I lost a lot of my old hobbies. I started this one just a year ago and I love it. So, overall, I don't care what it's cost!!!