larryc43230
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Posts posted by larryc43230
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Nat Geo Launched a Free Website for Printing Detailed Topographical Maps
Here's a direct link to the Nat Geo topo maps site:
--Larry
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I haven't tried it (I almost never use the "Send to GPS" thing), but I have to assume that Garmin Communicator will no longer work in the latest version of Firefox.
"Removed support for Netscape Plugin API (NPAPI) plugins other than Flash. Silverlight, Java, Acrobat and the like are no longer supported. "
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What happens when you yank out the USB cable connecting your GPS to the PC depends in part on how you've set up the USB options in Windows.
Safely Remove USB Drives Just by Unplugging Them
The article was written for Windows 7, but the information is also valid for previous versions of Windows and Windows 10 with a couple of minor tweaks.
Bottom line, whether it's safe to just yank out the cable depends on how the USB options in your copy of Windows are set.
--Larry
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I run a set of four date-based pocket queries that, combined, cover a 60-mile radius around my home location. I check the box for the current day of the week for all four pocket queries to run them. When the PQs have run, the last PQ I checked stays checked. If I don't manually uncheck it, it will run the following week. This is 100% repeatable, and has been for probably eight years.
I've never seen this. I run 30 PQs Mo/Tu/We every week so they stay checked but have a bunch of PQ's I run once a month or less so I check them when needed and they have always been unchecked afterwards. Most of the time I check these "once in a while" PQs when I need them so they mostly run within minutes.
This glitch was discussed in a previous thread, several years ago. A Groundspeak lackey posted that they'd documented the bug. They spoofed my account and reproduced the glitch, but also reported that it only affected a subset of users. They apparently gave up on resolving the issue, since they never reported back and I'm still bitten by the bug years later.
--Larry
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GC.com should consider supporting Add & Remove from Watchlist to the Live API. This would allow the apps to support this popular function.
I often want to add caches I DNF to my watchlist to monitor what others experience with the cache and being able to do this programmatically would be a nice perk.
GSAK already has this capability:
--Larry
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I've had an Oregon 600 for a while, loading PQ's before venturing out on an adventure. Biggest gripe I have is not being able to view hints from the GPSr, needing to refer to my smart phone which if I'm venturing out of cell range means downloading the PQs to my phone as well. Can one now view hints from the 700 series? Or is there a way to do this on the 600 series that I haven't figured out yet?
You have to be navigating to the cache before you can see the hint.
- Select the cache from the list of geocaches.
- Click "GO" to start navigating to the cache
- Return to the main menu
- Select "Geocaching" again.
Pressing on the big red question mark will show you the hint.
--Larry
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I maintain a pocket query that shows me all geocaches (of all types) that have been published in the past month. I almost never actually run the query, I use it to get a list of the new caches in my local area (within a 60-mile radius of my home location). I also have Instant Notifications set up to notify me of all new caches published within a 50-mile radius (the limit for Instant Notifications).
I previewed that pocket query just now, and I never received notifications for the following newly-published caches:
GC6PX2F Rock On!
Published 08/08/2016
GC6PW41 Trail bridge
Published 08/07/2016
GC68RNP Alley Oops!
Published 08/06/2016
GC6JYQC It keeps the Bugs Away!
Published 08/03/2016
GC6PM1P Who's your author?
Published 08/03/2016
GC6PV3B A Walk in the (dog) Park
Published 08/07/2016
GC6P44Y Bellefontaine Bike Trail Cache
Published 07/25/2016
All of the above caches are located less than 50 miles from my home location, and I should have received notifications, and didn't.
I count 7 notifications, just for new caches, I didn't receive over the past month. Heaven knows what other (non-publication) notifications I should have received but didn't.
The total number of new caches published in this area in the past month within 50 miles of my home location (according to the pocket query) was 81. I was never notified of 7 of them.
I rarely, if ever, go for an FTF, but this is still pretty irritating.
--Larry
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My Oregon 650 never had a problem connecting to my PC when it was running Windows 7. As soon as I updated it to Windows 10, I started having the same problem you described.
After a lot of fiddling, I determined that the USB cable, which had worked fine with Windows 7, couldn't provide a solid connection under Windows 10. I read somewhere that the Windows 10 USB drivers are more "particular" when it comes to the voltage coming across the USB line. I tried using an "official" Garmin-branded USB cable, and I've never had a problem connecting the GPS since then.
Bottom line: Try a different USB cable.
--Larry
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I did not and will not remove the Find It log for the container that is missing the log and lid but the container is still there and is in the location indicated in the coordinates.
You do realize that coordinates are not 'exact', right? "The location indicated in the coordinates" is really an area with a 30 ft radius.
Explain why every cache I have found has been within a radius a lot less than 30 feet from the posted coordinates.... Granted some of the caches were not at the exact location shown on the app but were a helluva lot closer than 30 feet.
You, my friend, are either extremely lucky or the cache hiders in your area are uncommonly conscientious about posting accurate coordinates. I can pretty much guarantee that once you expand your territory a bit, your experience will be quite different.
--Larry
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In my earlier response, I was referring, of course, to the Project-GC Greasemonkey script. In my case, anyway, I'm fairly show that's where the [object Object] pop-up came from.
--Larry
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I saw that odd dialog several times earlier this week. It was at the same time that my Project-GC membership lapsed while I wasn't paying attention. Once I paid for another year at Project-GC, the dialog stopped popping up.
I'm not sure whether my lapsing Project-GC membership directly caused the odd pop-up, but I do suspect the Project-GC connection had something to do with it.
--Larry
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I've used three different Garmin handheld GPS units over the years, and they've all reacted the same way inside a car.
Let's say I've set the GPS to point to a particular geocache (and I'm using direct navigation, not turn-by-turn). The "GPS Accuracy" displayed on the unit isn't affected by the car (if it reads 20 feet inside, it will read about the same outside). However, if the compass screen is displayed I can never trust the direction the compass arrow is pointing. The arrow might be pointing far to the left inside the car, and suddenly swivel 180 degrees when I get out of the car. I'm guessing that all the metal in the vehicle can interfere with the compass reading.
--Larry
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I've had this happen a few times too. Sometimes a PQ will still be 'checked' and will run the following week, even though I have it marked to "Uncheck the day of the week after the query runs". It seems to be a random problem though and I'm not sure I could reproduce it purposefully either. Hasn't cause me too much grief.
I run a set of four date-based pocket queries that, combined, cover a 60-mile radius around my home location. I check the box for the current day of the week for all four pocket queries to run them. When the PQs have run, the last PQ I checked stays checked. If I don't manually uncheck it, it will run the following week. This is 100% repeatable, and has been for probably eight years.
If I run the pocket queries one at a time, this doesn't happen. It's only when I run two or more PQs simultaneously.
I've reported this several times, to Groundspeak and here in the forums, and it's never been fixed.
If this is the most serious glitch I deal with on a given day, it's a good day. :-)
--Larry
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I have no idea what sort of extension or file you're already using to see caches in GE, but doing it yourself allows you to select whatever you want in your queries for display in GE.
It sounds like the OP is using the Geocaching Google Earth Viewer. If that's the case, there's no way that I'm aware of to limit the display to only caches you haven't found. In fact, I don't think the plug-in has any options
I'll add my vote for GSAK. Take the time to learn how to use it and you won't be sorry.
--Larry
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What's interesting to me is that I select a 50-mile range for my notifications and it resets to 49.7096953789867 miles.
In the rest of the world, that's 80 kilometers.
--Larry
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Yeah that's fair enough colleda, otherwise they get left and end up as litter if not maintained or removed. My cache has been approved and published but is out of my set notification parameters.
A WA geocaching page is a great idea and I'll have a look to see if any exist!
Thanks everyone, my issue has been resolved now.
There's a Facebook group that calls itself West Oz Geocaching.
--Larry
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Where can you download any version of MapSource? The last time I looked for it on-line, all I found were updates that required a previous copy to already be installed. That's why I've kept my original Trip & Waypoint Manager disk, from 2004, stashed away all these years.
Install Basecamp first and then you can install any update version of MapSource. You could uninstall Basecamp after if you wanted.
Thanks. I would never have thought to try that, and I still don't understand Garmin's logic, but it's worth a shot.
I'm guessing that installing BaseCamp installs the core files that MapSource updates need to see?
--Larry
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The full installer is contained within the update. This site gives a good description of how to get to the necessary files and install MapSource. I've used this process several times over the years and it works well.
All that just to get a new working copy of MapSource (that Garmin apparently doesn't want us to have, or they would have made it available the old-fashioned way)? Thanks for the pointer; I'll resort to jumping through all those hoops if I can't install it using my CD from 2004. I also have the update to version 6.16.3, which I think was the last update Garmin issued, stashed away on a backup drive. Hopefully, that last version will work in Windows 10; it works in Windows 7, anyway.
Personally, I've always hated BaseCamp due to the way it wants to manage and store everything within the program. I don't want this. I want to be able to open a GPX file, do stuff with it, and then save to the same file again. I don't want a collection of various things all mixed together in some nonsensical database. Hence, I keep using MapSource, even with my new Oregon 600. I do occasionally run into issues creating new GPX files with MapSource, but otherwise it works just fine for my purposes.
^ ^ ^
This!
Thanks for putting into words how I've felt since the first day I downloaded and tried BaseCamp. I do have BaseCamp installed, but I can't even remember the last time I launched it.
--Larry
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You can still use Mapsource. You don't need a disk. You can just download and install any version of it. Works fine in Windows 10.
If you don't like Basecamp, no point in putting you through the drama of trying to learn some other program.
Where can you download any version of MapSource? The last time I looked for it on-line, all I found were updates that required a previous copy to already be installed. That's why I've kept my original Trip & Waypoint Manager disk, from 2004, stashed away all these years.
--Larry
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For years, I've used Garmin MapSource for pretty much just one thing: Displaying track logs from my Garmin Oregon GPS. I set up the file association for the .GPX file extension on my Windows 7 PC so that I could simply double-click on the track file from my GPS (in GPX format) and MapSource would open and provide me with a nice review of my journey.
Now I'm migrating to a brand new PC running Windows 10. I still have the many-years-old installation disk for some ancient version of MapSource that I could try to use as the basis for installing MapSource on the new PC, but it might be time to give up on my old friend and try something new.
Did I mention that I really, really don't like BaseCamp? I've never been able to get used to the way it manages data, and I just don't want to bother with it just to display track logs on a map.
Can anyone recommend either a program (other than MapSource or BaseCamp) or maybe a Web site that can open GPS track files in GPX format and display them on a map, without my having to jump through hoops like converting to some other format first?
--Larry
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I keep seeing in pictures a small piece of paper with 'Go Illini'. What is this?
Illinitrekker is a cacher in my area who likes to include photos with his find logs, and most of these photos include him holding a little orange tag with "GO ILLINI!" on it.
--Larry
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Same here. Actually, my record is six DNFs before finally finding the well-camouflaged on my seventh attempt.i have logged multiple DNF on a single cache before actually logging a find.I only log one DNF per cache but may edit that log to note subsequent attempts. Makes sense to me since I can only find it once and my DNF rate is already high enough.
Every time I visit a cache and can't find it, I log a DNF. Each log I enter is a record of my geocaching "career," and I want a record of everything I've done and everywhere I've been. My "DNF rate" (actually, my find rate, its inverse) is front and center on my profile page.
I really don't understand the perceived stigma attached to one's "DNF rate." It's already high enough? Compared to what, exactly? Is someone calculating your geocaching salary based on your DNF rate? Does a high "DNF rate" somehow threaten your position in the pecking order of local cachers? Who cares?
--Larry
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Most probably wouldn't do it by hand, no.Do you really think most people would take the time and effort to log 1000 drops and 1000 retrievals?It's easy and fast using GSAK.
--Larry
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Ok, so to add further to this question, we took our daughters geocaching for the first time yesterday, and found their first cache.
We logged it, but the cache had little treasures, and we didn't have anything with us to trade (bad job, dad...) so my question is this:
We'd like to return and trade. Should we sign the logbook again? I wasn't planning on logging it as a find, but maybe appending our original 'find' log.
What's recommended, or am I making too big a deal of this? Although my wife & I been members for a while, we haven't really cached much, and are still pretty much noobs, but I want to start well with the girls, so any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
First, there's no need to sign the log in the cache again, though there's no rule against it. If you edit your original Find log, the cache owner won't be notified and might never read about your follow-up visit. I would suggest that you visit the cache and do your trades, then enter a new "Note" log on the cache Web page describing your visit. That way, the cache owner will know about your visit (and I'm sure they'll appreciate it).
--Larry
Is gc dot com down or is it just me?
in Website
Posted
I just received seven routine e-mails from GC regarding caches in my area (including one new cache publication), but when I click the link in the e-mail leading to the cache page, the correct title appears in the browser tab, but the little spinner thing (please forgive the technical jargon) just keeps spinning, and the page content never appears. The overall site appears to be up and running, but something is hanging up when it comes to either fetching cache data or displaying the result.