F1rst_Timer

I've just ordered 1 silver and 1 gold. Great looking coins !!!

I've only just realised what this is all about yesterday. I was fortunate to have one a few miles away from home (LQ:Cheshire) and one a couple of miles off my route to work (LQ:Gtr Manchester) and managed to grab FTFs on both (5.5 hrs and excess of 10 hours (?) respectively after publication). Maybe I could get a hattrick when Hazel gets her ball rolling, and with PP&R away. Naahhh probably not, I'm not an "FTF shark" and was just lucky to have those two published when they were and where they are. I don't have any plans to go for the merseyside one.

Unfortunately, I have never met any other cachers in the 3 months I've been caching Well, I did meet one in Prague a couple of months back but he was Czech and didn't speak a word of English so I can't really count as having met him properly. May not meet any in the near future either as I am having to curtail my caching at the moment due to work and an imminent house move (going to be redecorating for months after the move )

I was using an Arkon CM800 (?) powered mount with my Ipaq H3950 for about 6 months until the Ipaq packed up. I got it from expansys.com, I still have the mount and it still works. I have since replaced the whole lot with a Mio P350 which has a built in GPSr

If you go to the homepage of geocaching.com, there is a "Resource" link in a small menu on the left hand side of the page. In there you will find a software section. Where you will find some links to download this type of software. Personally I like "Cachemate" but there are also others for your consideration. Obviously these are not up to the standard of GSAK due to the limited processing power/capacity of a PPC but nevertheless are extremely useful.

I haven't actually bought any but they are only £3.95 from Here

I don't think GPSGate will be needed. On the MIO P350 and under GPS settings there is a check box for "Manage GPS automatically (recommended)" and a description which reads:- Windows Mobile manages access to your GPS device and allows multiple programs to obtain GPS data simultaneously. If you clear this check box, some programs may not be able to obtain GPS data."

I am using the MIO P350 with TomTom, Memory map, cachemate, GPXsonar and BeelineGPS. I have had no difficulties in setting up any software to run with the GPS. Just the other day, I was off to do some 'caching and I set up my route in TomTom, and promptly put it in the glove box as I was stopping off at a shop to pick up a newspaper on the way. By the time I got to the corner of our street, it was giving me directions from inside the closed glove box !!! I think it's great.

Thanks for all the comments. I've downloaded the Cachenav plugin, and I'll compare which I find more comfortable to use between this and the one within memory-map. I'll have to wait until Sunday though to try it out (as the PPC is a Father's Day present). To answer the question in the previous post, the receiver is in-built Sirf star III (20 sat) so should be half decent)

Thank you very much, it looks just the thing I'm after.

Fantastic, thank you. That sounds exactly what I am looking for.

I have already posted this in the "GPS and software" section of the forums, but after 20+ reads haven't illicited a response yet so maybe this may get more of a response on a local forum:- I will be getting a new Pocket PC next week with integrated GPSr to replace my old Ipaq (and Garmin Etrex). Is there any (free ?) software that would give me a similar display and function to the GOTO display on my Garmin ? (The screen with the arrow that points in the direction of the waypoint, with distance etc) I will also be using the new PPC for TomTom, cachemate (in partnership with GSAK) and memory map (UK). (Does memory map have this function on PPC Navigator ???).

I will be getting a new Pocket PC next week with integrated GPSr to replace my old Ipaq (and Garmin Etrex). Is there any (free ?) software that would give me a similar display and function to the GOTO display on my Garmin ? (The screen with the arrow that points in the direction of the waypoint, with distance etc) I will also be using the new PPC for TomTom, cachemate (in partnership with GSAK) and memory map (UK). (Does memory map have this function on PPC Navigator ???).

Hi Boloaks, I am looking at buying a Mio P350 (is it compatible with 2gb cards?) .. and according to the page at the link below, the P350 is compatable with the Otterbox. The otterbox will be bigger than the PPC to allow it to fit inside. It is held snugly in place by a foam insert. The Link (if I can get it to work):- Otterbox

I had thought about this, the cacher was local and he had already logged his visit, saying that he had taken the TB but hadn't logged the find of the TB. So he did have access to the internet to log the cache find. In all fairness it could simply have been an oversight on his part. Having said that, there had been several disappointed visitors to the cache since his visit, according to the comments left in the log book.

Sorry this is another newbie question. OK, It is a given that GPSr's have an elevation setting for each waypoint, but is it really beneficial to enter elevations from memory map, for example. Does it increase the accuracy in any way, or is it a complete waste of time ? Does anybody use this feature ?

Wow, plenty to think about here. Thanks to everyone for all these comments. Looks like the majority opinion is I should have taken the TB as well (or at least should have taken the number and "discovered" it). Never mind, I'm sure there will be plenty more in the future. Funny someone has just mentioned in this thread that trackables should be logged quickly. I have just visited a chache this morning that the page reckons a TB was in residence. In actual fact, according to the log book and the logs on the cache page, the TB had been removed about a week earlier and still hadn't been updated that the TB had been taken. I have emailed the 'cacher in question. Is there anything else I should have done in this situation ?

Being a newbie, i came across a situation I was unsure of what the "correct" action should have been. Last weekend, I visited a cache which held a geocoin and a regular TB. What I opted to do was to play it safe and just take the coin (as it was prettier ) and log it as a find. I ignored the TB and left it in the cache. Would I have been entitled to also log the TB as a "discovered" (or perhaps a "find" too) ? Could I have taken both and logged both as "finds" ? I have read quite a bit about this within the forum, but failed to come across a definitive answer. Although a lot of the posts appeared to be from across the pond, I would like a local (UK) idea of what the etiquette is in this situation. Any advice/comments gratefully received.