raouljan

try doing a search for "recovery form" There is a form that you can fill out and send in.

quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat:This looks like an excellent virtual cache. Its a shame that it's been deactivated because some power hungry park manager on a whopper of an ego trip, decided to stomp on the cache owner's 1st Amendment rights. I would hope he would reactivate this out of principle. "Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing" - Helen Keller I am confused... I saw nothing that said that this was removed because of a "power hungry park ranger". I really like the A+B bit to get the final coords. Very creative - and looks like a bit of work. So... why was this cache archived?

Given a fairly clear view of the sky, the Yellow eTrex will do the job. You should have little trouble finding one on eBay for a lot less than retail. Also check the "For Sale" section on this board.

That 6 seconds is a short period of time... but a rather large piece of ground

But come on! Having bagged some Benchmarks I have to say that these little puppys are not that easy to find... (think +/- 6 seconds)... they are small, close to the ground, sometimes covered and can be in some pretty hairy places. Virtual Caches tend to be non-impacting type hunts that take you to interesting places and, usually, make you learn something about that place. Having read the local (Arizona) news on how "bad" geocaching is... and Colorado Parks recent decision on not allowing caches in parks, and the problems associated with putting a cache on private property (liability for falling in a drainage ditch)... well... looks like V-Caches are the "wave of the future". Having said that... I do think that there is a need to "raise the bar" for bagging V-Caches. Taking a picture in front of a sign seems a little easy, but on the other hand - answering 20 questions to get credit seems a bit much. Perhaps a seperate discussion group dedicated to the "art and science" of V-Caches would be a good place to thrash this out. Just my $.02 worth...

Take some silicone RTV out with you... Spray top of BM with WD40 (makes it easy to get the silicone back off) Squeeze RTV onto top of BM wait......... When RTV sets up (depends on thickness and temp), remove and take with you. When you get home, cast some plaster into the silicone mold... wait for set up and remove.

I think "best" is a misleading concept. There are many variables in getting a GPS. I have not seen one that will not perform the task. However - if you want a top-of-the-line unit look to the Garmin 76S. The Garmin V is a big favorite also, but the triangle shape was a de-selector for me. Look at it this way... you are buying a radio receiver with a compter hooked to it. When analyzing a radio system, you start at the antenna and work your way through the system. A GPS with gobs of bells and whistles does little if you cant lock onto signals. Thus a QuadH antenna would be a 1st "must have" (IMHO). There are message, after message, after message on this topic. Most will lead you in a fairly circular route. My informal tally shows the following as the top choices - not in order.. Garmin Vista, V, 76S Magellan SportTrak - Pro Meridian Gold, Platinum (also by Magellan)

When I upgraded I got three files in the download package updater.exe, update.txt and 013001000214.rgn updater had to be run from the directory with the rgn file. On a side note .. the updater did not recognize any port about 4.. which caused me a fit of reconfig (hear that Garmin?)

Is there some way we can get to the benchmark page besides the sentance link on the home page?

Tell you what. I will drop by the Post and check on price. I will drop it into the mail and when you get it you can send me some old Kroner (for my collection). Just glad to help.. --->>> Looks to be about $16US [This message was edited by Raouljan on August 15, 2002 at 11:39 AM.]

Very cool hack! How 'bout keeping track of the EPE (or HDOP) and then back correlating them to sun spots

Very cool hack! How 'bout keeping track of the EPE (or HDOP) and then back correlating them to sun spots

For those of you with a bit of spare time on your hands.... You can use a program used by Amatuer Radio Operators to locate Sats used in Amatuer Sat Communications. This program predicts visability of sats from a given location (like your home). The program can show the position of any orbital item for which the Keplers (orbital math parameters) are available. The program name is "WxSat". Once loaded with the keplers, WxSat will display a world map with all of the orbits overlayed.. updating in real time. The program also has the ability to print out a "pass list" that will tell you what birds are going to be in view, at what altitude and azmith at what time. A web search will locate the program for you. Then you need to find the keplers for the GPS birds. This can be found at http://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/gps-ops.txt

I have noticed this as well. For those out there that are interested in sunspots, solar flares - or just want to get to know that yellow ball up there a bit more.. http://www.sunspotcycle.com/

I have a home-made garmin, round 4-pin that should work on a 12 (worked on mine). The garmin end is hard plastic - used to be sold under the name of "purple connector" (tho its black). It's yours for the postage.

I know that this topic is a bit old, but had to ask the question. Given how waterproof GPSrs are nowdays - for what do you need a bag?

OziExplore is a great piece of shareware that allows you to input a scanned map and then register the corners with actual coordinates. A web-search on OziExplorer will tell you more than I ever could. Your eTrex will out put a standard set of "sentances" that allow OziExplore to know where you are. The format for these sentances in NMEA. It is selected from the "setup" -> "interface" menue. As an example... I scanned in a copy of the Hertz (as in rent-a-car) map for Houston. I then found a couple of coordinates for the corners using MapQuest and registered that map based on those corners. This is not "registered" as in how you pay for software, but "registered" as in telling OziExplore where the corners of the map are in the real world. I pulged in the old eTrex, turned on tracking and had an very high resolution "moving map" on my laptop as I drove around (and around, and around) the fine town of Houston. Does this help?

Both OziExplorer and TOPO! will mark your current position on a map and follow as you move. With Ozi, you supply the map. With TOPO! you supply the $$ I think all GPSrs have the ability to output NMEA. So... plug one end of the interface cable into your GPSr, the other end into your PC, fire up TOPO or Ozi and select the "automatic tracking". Nothing to it...

Both OziExplorer and TOPO! will mark your current position on a map and follow as you move. With Ozi, you supply the map. With TOPO! you supply the $$ I think all GPSrs have the ability to output NMEA. So... plug one end of the interface cable into your GPSr, the other end into your PC, fire up TOPO or Ozi and select the "automatic tracking". Nothing to it...

Another idea.... How 'bout a Pocket Query with the Data Sheet?

So... off we go in search of the wily BM... Trusty eTrex in hand.. paper? I don't need no stinking paper! Standing in the middle of a patch of ground next to the road, doing the HULA and trying to locate the BM. Now I have seen BMs before, and unless this one is really something special, it had no right being where I was.... Back and forth, back and forth... how hard can it be to find a BM? About the time I figure that this whole thing is a shabby method of getting me out of the house... up rolls a truck marked "AJAX SURVEYING" and out pops a guy who walks right up to the BM (obsured by a bush).. on the other side of the road... about 500 feet from where I am looking... Now, come on! What's going on here? How can a guy with a GPS be that far off? Datum? Bad lock? VOODOO? "Ahhhh" sez the guy from the truck... "this is a VERT ORDER II" BM... and your GPS ain't worth squat" Lesson learned.... always take the paper! And now for the idea - well two.. 1. Dear Benchmark WebMeister... how 'bout some color indication at the top of the BM page that shows if it is a H or V benchmark? 2. Is there a way we can show bagged BMs by state?

NYC? Sounds like canyon country! Get a unit with a Quad Antenna as your first "must have"... then find the GPSr with the options you want. Good luck! It only took me a month of reading the boards before I landed on the 76s

*gawk* And I thought that selecting a new GPSr was going to be easy... just read the boards and find what everyone else likes....... Screw it... I'm gonna get a 76S Reasons? 1. Compass and Baro 2. Lots of room for maps 3. Can be powered by just about any DC source 4. Is a Garmin 5. Has a Quad antenna 6. Floats 7. Can use an external antenna

*gawk* And I thought that selecting a new GPSr was going to be easy... just read the boards and find what everyone else likes....... Screw it... I'm gonna get a 76S Reasons? 1. Compass and Baro 2. Lots of room for maps 3. Can be powered by just about any DC source 4. Is a Garmin 5. Has a Quad antenna 6. Floats 7. Can use an external antenna

More like the 76 1 meg memory quad antenna (nice to see in a low end Garmin) no mag compass no baro