gcfishguy

Check on the GPS, and like it says above, "Be sure it is setup to use WGS-84" From the "Getting Started" area of geacaching.com: "Geocaching uses the WGS84 datum by default. We also use the format HDDD MM.MM, which is a standard for GPS receivers (like the eTrex). " Once you have it set up correctly, make sure you didn't enter a wrong number in the coordinates, and you should be set. The GPS will point to the cache. It's very possible that you have to follow a walking trail that seems to head off in the opposite direction but the trail loops around and ends up at the cache. That's part of the fun.... When someone uses the term 'bushwhacking' in caching, it refers to the above. There may be a walking trail that loops around but if someone decides to bushwhack, they follow the arrow. Some people would rather stroll along an established trail and take the long way...others think nothing of heading straight to the cache, regardless of what sort of gnarly stuff they have to climb over, through, etc. The other saying is that you always find the easy way to the cache, after taking the hard way to get there. You beat and thrash and you're signing the log and glance over 10' in the other direction...oh look...there's the trail....

The first couple times, it can seem impossible. but it's not. First, check and make sure that your GPS is set to use the same format as the coordinates posted. Someone else can explain it, but essentially, there are lots of different map datums, and if you're set to the wrong one, your GPS will take you to the coordinates, but way off from the correct datum... Anyway, WGS84 is the universal one.... The GPS will get you pretty close, but they have a margain of error....so when the GPS tells you you're there, it's actually telling you that you and the cache are pretty close to each other, but you still have to hunt around. People put a lot of work and money into their caches, so hiding them well so they won't be accidentally discovered and destroyed is high on the priority list. Caches can range in size from a 5-gallon bucket to a tiny container that you can sit on the end of your finger...the tiny ones can be real buggers to find. So, start hunting for caches marked as "Regular". Even those can be tricky to find. They can be camoflaged to look like an item the belongs there, and they can also be hidden under, behind and inside of other things. No caches are allowed to be buried, so you never have to dig. Also, you should never have to break or destroy anything to get at the cache. The name of the cache usually offers some suggestions, and the hint will help as well. There are relatively no light post caches where I am, but those are pretty common. (The skirt at the bottom of the light post lifts up, and the cache is hidden under it.) For people who KNOW that, that's an easy one, or quick grab. For someone who is new and doesn't know that they lift up, they can look all day and find nothing. After you get some caches under your belt, you'll be approaching the cache, and be spotting the usual hiding spots before you get to it....in that hollow stump, tucked in beside that log, etc. The caches are rated, terrain and difficulty. If it's a 5 difficulty, it's gonna be HARD to find. But, it depends on how you think when you're looking. Cachers will hundreds of finds have had to come back to a Diff-1 cache several times, because they just weren't looking the right way.... If all else fails, take a kid with you. Once they find out there's containers full of toys out there, they'll be sniffing them out like a bloodhound. It's fun, and not nearly as hard as it seems when you first start. Don;t give up. Also, look for an event, or something near you...go with your local club and you'll get lots of pointers.

Yup....I'm stuck with it, it looks like. The size of the POI label makes no difference either. I guess I can set the proximity alarm, and if it yells, I'll just zoom in to find it. Not much else I can do.... Thanks all!!

Hey there. Just in case you don't stumble across it while browsing through the posts, this will help you when shopping: The eTrex line are all the handhelds with the buttons on the sides. The 60 series has a slightly larger screen, the antenna sticking out the top, and the buttons below the screen. The 70 series is larger, floats, and has the screen at the bottom and the button on the top in front. The lines that are most common are the eTrex and 60's. The H in the model name means it has the high sensitivity antenna/chip. (Very good feature to have if budget allows) The C denotes a colour screen. The X means that it has eXpandable memory (card) that can be used to store more maps and such. The Garmin website also has a page you can compare the features of one unit to several others. It seems like the Garmin units outnumber the other brands, so you might have more access to help with a Garmin. There's nothing wrong with the other brands at all, and they do what they're supposed to do, there just seems to be more Garmins out there in the caching world. I started with a Garmin, and got some software that I liked, so each time I upgraded, I went with a Garmin. Most cachers will tell you that it's far more economical to shell out a bit more for a GPS, and get the one with the features you're drooling over, because if you are technical and really enjoy caching, you'll like keep upgrading your GPS to take advantage of features that you didn't know existed. I started with the yellow eTrex, and 4 units later, I have a 60CSX. If you buy new, you'll lose money each time you upgrade. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a basic model like the eTrex yellow. When you boil it down, they all have an arrow that you follow to the coordinates. For all intents and purposes, all GPS units that you go buy now are as accurate as each other. A more expensive model has more bells and whistles, the ability to add more detailed maps, might be easier to load caches on, and so on, but one won't be more accurate than another. It just depends on what you want to do. Please note, there ARE differences between the models as far as WAAS, and sensitivity, but for the beginner, those don't make a big difference. Just remember that if you walk into a store to buy a new GPS, the $600 unit is going to have an arrow on the screen that points you to the same place as the $89 unit. The basic features I wouldn't want to live without are a colour screen and a USB connection. Some of the lower end garmin models still use a serial connection, which may not even connect to a newer computer without messing with serial to USB adapters and so on. Keep an eye on your local classified websites, as you'll often see great deals on GPS units there. A lot of people will buy them or get them as gists, then realize they have no use for them whatsoever. I picked up a 60 CSx for $155..it was brand new (opened the night before I bought it)...long story, but it wouldn't do what the seller need it to do, so he sold it for the amount of money he needed to buy the unit that would... (Golf application of some kind) Either way, great score. So, read through the forums here, since there's about a million threads with people asking what GPS they should buy, and there's a ton of info here. have fun, and don't be scared to post questions!

x2 on what crashen said. That's what I do with my 60csx (same screens as the Legend, though). It works really well, and most of the time, it has all the info you need. With GSAK you can set it up to create the POI names with info in them, etc.. Mine drops the two first letters, and then adds the type and size. So on my screen, the POI (or waypoint) name that you see is (Example) vy73 TR So, the cache ID is GCVY73 and it's a 'Traditional' cache, and the size is a 'Regular'. <<Edit>> I forgot that I also have the terrain and difficulty as part of the visible name....so the POI label I see on the map would actually be vy73 TR 13 (denoting terrain and difficulty of 1 and 3. <<End Edit>> In the description, I have the name of the cache, the last 4 log results represented as letters (FFFF) (last 4 logs were 'found it) and then the hint. Only takes a couple minutes to set up in GSAK, and saves a ton of work. AND, I don't need anything to write down the caches I find, because once you 'find' the POI, at the bottom the screen you can just hit 'save' and it saves it as a waypoint. Since I only have my caches as POIs, I just pull the list of caches that are saved as waypoints, and that's my list of found caches for the day.... Really happy I read about that method of loading caches as POIs....I hardly ever have to pull out the palm pilot and read details now.

Hi folks...not to sound un-appreciative, but that's not my problem... What's happening is that I want to change the zoom level at which the POIs are visible on the map. I'm using POI loader to create a .poi file from a GPX of 4000 or so caches. The POIs show up as a small silver dot. The problem is that the software does not show POIs on the map unless you're zoomed quite far in....to eliminate clutter, I would imagine. I would like to be able to see my custom POIs (caches) without having to be zoomed in that close. It's not the proximity distance.. I look at the map, and there's no custom POIs visible....I zoom in, and in, and in, and when I hit the 80M level, they're visible. I zoom out one level, to 120m, and they vanish. Ken, I checked what you suggested, just to make sure, but that's not it. I already had the map detail set to 'most'. But for fun I changed it to 'Least', and the POIs still only appear at the 80m zoom level. (And closer) With my 60CSX (and the hand-held eTrex models), you can adjust the zoom level of the 'Map Points', so your POIs will begin being visible at whatever zoom level you select. Just below halfway down this page, it's explained for a Garmin hand-held. I'm trying to find out how to alter that setting in Mobile XT.

Bump! Someone's had to have run into this before......

I've had an Etrex yellow, a venture, a Legend csx and now a 60csx, and my vote would be the 60csx. I have no experience with other manufactures, so cannot comment on their products. It's rugged and has good battery life. (Not quite as good as the legend did, but you have at least 2 sets of spare batteries anyway with you, right.....?) I have never used an H model in the etrex line to compare it to the 60csx, but I cannot think of a time when I have ever lost reception with the 60csx....in the glovebox or center console of the jeep, in the camera bag, even right now, in my computer room (no windows) in the basement of my house. Somehow it can sit on my desk, and grab a signal through a wooden door, across a hall, up a flight of stairs, and out through a steel entrance door that leads under a carport and still have a reported accuracy of 6m. My previous Legend CSX (non-H) gave me absolutely nothing, sitting on the same desk) The external antenna likely gives it a bit of an edge over the etrex line with the internal patch antennas. (I'm sure that theory will be shot down, but......) Also, the 60 has a bigger screen than the etrex line also. Some would consider that a 'frill' but since the main use of the GPS is looking at the screen and interpreting and acting on what you see there, the easier it is to see, the better.

I always used cachemate ($16 or so...) on an 8MB palm m150. A-1, except if you plan on loading a ton of caches, and say, the last 5 logs, you'll be wanting a bit more room. I like to have all the caches in New Brunswick with me when I head out caching, jeeping, etc. I have found 170 something, so that leaves 4413 (active). Those 4413 caches, converted to a palm database (including the last 5 logs) weighs in at 7.30MB. With the last 2 logs, it's 5.19MB, and with no logs, it's 3.70MB. I set Reversing Falls as the center point and filtered out everything except the caches in a 100km radius, and ended up with 1666. A palm database file, with the last 5 logs for those 1666 caches comes in at 2.93MB. So...keep in mind that a chunk of a palm's memory will be taken up by the pre-installed apps, and cachemate. Depending on how much info you want for each cache, you might want to look into a 16MB model. I know....why would anyone want to have 4000 caches with them? Well, the first time you forget to load up a different area, and find yourself there with a bit of time to kill but no cache info, you'll kick yourself. I know I always did. Anyway....that should give you an idea of how many caches take up what kind of space. If you plan on really getting into this, get GSAK, and a premium membership so you can run queries and stuff. It saves a HUGE amount of time over inputting stuff manually, or editing caches one at a time. You won't regret going paperless, it's much simpler and you always have the cache info, even if you're not where you planned on ending up. Another option other than the palm, is to use your iPod, and cachemagnet. It creates 'notes' files (like text files), and you can run off (I believe) 500 at a time. I run them off in batches and then copy all the text files to the same folder, and it only takes a second to scroll through them and have all the cache info on the ipod screen... If you already have an ipod with a screen, it's no more hardware to buy or lug around, and the text files take surprisingly little space. Plus you don't look attract as much attention scrooling on an ipod as you would fiddling with an antique palm pilot. :-) With GSAK, a premium membership, and some determination (and a lot of reading on these forums) you'll find out that it's crazy the amount of stuff you can do very easily. I think, if I never looked for another cache, I'd still keep playing with the software available, just because it's fun. I'm no expert, but if you have questions or anything, drop me a line. gcfishguy <at> gmail DOT com

I have a 60cSX, which I use on the ground, and I upload all the caches for my province as a POI file. I like to have them all on there, as I never know what direction I'll be heading, and so on.... The 60cSX is a bit clunky to use in the Jeep, so I've been watching for a car unit at a good price. My co-worker found the deal where Canadian Tire was selling the Curtis GPD359 for $47. He was nice enough to grab one for me as well. So, a couple changes to an ini file, and a quick registry mod, and you can access Windows CE and install any GPS software you would like. (Getting fun now...) I used the built in GPS software (Sygic Drive) and then ran iGO8, and then tried Garmin XT. I settled on Garmin XT, since I already have topo canada, City Nav, etc...and it'll make things easier for keeping waypoints, tracks and POIs all organized between the new unit, the 60 csx, and mapsource. I'm sending the same poi file to the XT unit as I am on the 60cSX. Essentially, I want to have a proximity alarm on the pois on the XT, and be able to see them as I'm driving around, and if I want to cache, I can grab the 60 and go hunt. Or use the car unit to get myself as close to the cache as I can, and then use the 60 when I leave the Jeep, and so on...whatever... The problem is, in Garmin XT (running CityNav 2009, if it matters), the zoom level where the POIs are visible is 80m. I want to be able to see the caches (pois) at a lower zoom level, like 200m or 300m. I know how to change that value on the 60csx, but cannot find it anywhere in the settings of Garmin XT..... Anyone know? Thanks!!!!!!!!

Going on a cruise this March, and I was wondering what the best option is for picking up some city navigator type software for the Bahamas? I'd like to do a few caches if they're close by, but it's mainly just to have a sense of what is where. So, for a 60csx, what Garmin (or other) map would you recommend?

Awesome....thanks!!!!!!! I'll give it a try.

Background, I suppose.... I'm a member of my local Jeep club, and we go out on the weekend, and sometime run an established trail, and sometime explore new trails that need thinning out, etc. And other times we're exploring crown land, through clear cuts, etc, and creating new trails by joining woods roads together, skidder trails, etc... I always make sure to clear my track log before we leave, and then transfer the tracks to my PC when I get home, and clean them up, etc. What I'm having trouble with is how to actually put the trail on the map to have, long term. I'm using a 60CSx, and I have Mapsource TopoCanada. Over the course of several weekends, we may run several different sections of trail, and then end up connecting them weeks later. I want to be able to keep the tracks on my map (laptop) and also in the GPS for when we're out there. What is the easiest way to get this acomplished? Maybe it's just me but cutting and joining tracks in Mapsource is nothing less than painful. Plus, it expects a track to have a beginning, follow a course, and have an end...so connecting a network of trails together into one track is a real pain.

If you're patient, you'll watch the classifieds, or kijiji or whatever online classifieds you have local to you. I picked up a brand new 60CSx, for $155. it was shipped to the seller for a specific purpose, and it wouldn't do what he needed it to do. He needed the golfing unit, and it was $155...so that's what he sold the 60CSx for, and he was aware of the retail price on the CSx. I learned my lesson with cheaping out, so I always pass it along. Save up the money and spend the extra to get what you WANT. I started with a yellow, then a Venture, then a Legend HCx, then the 60CSx. Right from the get-go, I drooled over the 60CSx, and had I just saved up and bought it, I'd be ahead money. But, all my co-workers would have gotten such good deals on used GPS units either. And not sure if you knew, (someone else asked also) The H stands for the high sensitivity chip, the X means expandable memory (micro SD) and C stands for colour. Most already know that, but for new buyers, it makes it easier when comparing models. I'd recommend the Legend HCx, or the 60CSX. If you're the basic type and just want to hit go-to and find a cache and don't need maps and everything, just go and buy a new Yellow. Essentially, a cheap yellow is every bit as accurate as an expensive model. The expensive models have more frills, but when you get down to it, all you really need is an arrow that points you in the right direction.

I have a 60CSx already, but recently got into jeeping and wanted to get a cheap automotive unit to mount in the jeep, and keep my 60CSx as well. What I do now with the 60..(for caching), I load my PQ's (or will, once I renew my expired membership) and I create a GPX that I then run through the POI Manager and create a POI file with all the caches in my province as POIs. I do that because, I never know where I'm going to end up, and you can't store nearly 4000 caches as waypoints. It's been working out well. I'm pretty familiar with the mapsource and the handhelds (had 5 garmins now) but never even used one of the car models. Don't want to cache with it, and I'm familiar with Garmin's activation process for multiple units (or lack thereof). What I'd like to know is: - Can mapsets be built and uploaded to the c530 like with the 60csx? (I have topocanada, metroguide, city nav, etc) - Can those mapsets be used in the same way? (Meaning, as for searching and navigating for roads, cities, intersections, POIs, etc..will they work with the c530?) - Does the c530 support and use tracks in relatively the same way as the 60csx? (Don't really need to trac-back, etc...just mainly want to be able to save trails as tracks and keep them on there to be displayed later) - Can I load my POI file that I keep my caches in on the c530 and use it in the same way as the 60? I know someone must have the answers, so I'll wait patiently. :-) <><

For the acronyms and such, use the search feature and read the FAQs. Not being snooty, they're a wealth of information and most of the common questions are answered in them. I'm sure someone will post some links to them while I'm trying this. But, TFTC = Thanks For The Cache In other words, a quick thank you to the cache owner, for taking the time and effort to place a cache for us to go out and find. I've had only Garmin units (4 of them) so I can't comment on the other brands. If you plan on using it in the woods, stay away from the car units. You can cache with them, but they're not very rugged, and won't stand up to the outdoor abuse that a rubberized waterproof unit will. How the Garmin software works is, you install it on your PC, and you can then select map blocks to send to your GPS. I'm Canadian, so I have topoCanada. I can choose to select only a few blocks of a map around my area and send those to my GPS, or I can select all of them (if my GPS has enough memory) and send them all to my GPS. The maps that your GPS will display are saved in an image file. So, if you select a bunch of maps and upload them, it makes an image out of them, and overwrites your old image. (Talking garmin still, not sure about the others). I have TopoCanada and Metroguide...I actually use Metroguide more than topo, because it seems to have better details for rivers, streams, ponds, and small roads. I'd expect Topo to have the better detail, but it doesn't. On Garmin's website, you can use their map browser and view the different map products. It lets you view each product so you can get an idea what kind of detail it offers. The map viewer is over on the right hand side: http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/ontheTrail/ The GPS connects to your computer and can send data either way...meaning, you can walk around your paintball field and mark the positions of crows nests and bunkers and such, and then upload your tracks and the waypoints to the map software on the PC. Or, you can draw tracks, routes and waypoints on the map software, and transfer them to your GPS if you wish. It depends on the task you're trying to acomplish. As for the GPSr to buy. There are tons of posts outlining the differences between them. I will tell you this....if you expect to get into caching, and use the GPS a fair amount, don't cheap out... I started with an eTrex Yellow, then upgraded to a Venture, then to a Legend CX, and now have a 60csx. Long story short, if you skimp now, you'll find out cool things that you can do with a higher model, and be upgrading all the time. In the Garmin line, the C denotes colour, the H is the high sensitivity chip, and the X means expandable memory. I couldn't live without all three. :-) My suggestion would be a 60csx, I have one and love it. If you wanted to go a bit cheaper, you could go with a Legend HCX. There's others right in the same range that are a bit more and a bit less...they just have more or less features. if you wanted to spend more, there's the Colorado's and so on. Just depends on what you need. <><

**Edit - It was explained in posts below, and it turns out that the electronic compass does indeed play into the actual navigation to a waypoint. So, everything in italics below is FALSE. I left it there, in case (and I know there are) others were thinking the same way as me. Thanks for setting me straight!** I think the issue is that everyone seems to want to link the electronic compass to the process of following an arrow that's using sats to point you to a waypoint. The two have nothing to do with each other. On a non-electronic compass unit, the compass screen is a compass rose that uses sats to determine where north and south is and display that on the screen. If you're stopped, the GPS can't tell if you're facing North or South. You need to move enough that it can compare your current location with the location you were at a few seconds ago...then it can tell what direction you're walking, and show you where North and South is based on the direction you're walking. With an electronic compass, the unit doesn't need to be moving or have sat reception to display North and South. It doesn't point to a cache or anything, and it doesn't work with the sat data that the GPS uses to show you your location.... it just shows you what a regular pocket compass would show you. North is that way, South is that way, etc. For me, the compass on my 60csx is of no value to me at all. Not because of bad design, need for calibration, or anything like that. The only time I ever need a compass is if my GPS craps out and I've lost my bearings and need to get back to my jeep. If that happens, I take out the Sylva Ranger that I ALWAYS carry when I'm in the woods, and use it to head back to the general vicinity of my jeep. Before I leave the jeep, I always put out the compass. The road I'm parked on runs east and west, I'm heading South into the woods, so if I get turned around or anything, I walk North and I'll come back out to the road. I swing the ring around to the bearing that I'll need to come back out on (my back bearing) and put it back into my pack and off I go. There would be a lot less people get lost each year if they carried a simple $10 pocket compass, and made note of which way they walk away from their car. Look at the road you are parked on. Look at what direction you're going into the woods (say, South), and if you get turned around, just walk North and you'll come back out to the road you're parked on. Anyway, that's my take on the whole thing. I have never used the barometer or the compass on my 60csx...ever. I bought my csx used and it had those two features on it. Had I bought it new, I would have bought the model without those features and saved some $ if the savings was enough to consider. There have been a few times that I was bushwacking to a cache, and kept losing reception. I found a spot where I had reception, took note of the bearing that the GPS said I had to follow to get to the cache, pulled out the Ranger and set it to that bearing and used it to bushwack because the GPSr couldn't hold a fix. If I had an electronic compass, yes, I could have used it for the same purpose. But, since I always carry a good compass anyway, I just used that... If you're trying to be accurate, it's easier to use a compass that you can use the mirror and sight ahead accurately than mess with a small digital screen. My point - Your GPS will get you back to your car if you get turned around, electronic compass or not. If your GPS gets smashed on a rock and can't guide you out, well, the built-in compass isn't going to work anyway, is it? To me, the compass is a backup for use in case of an emergency. You should never be in the woods without a real compass, and you should make a habit of taking it out and looking at it before you leave your vehicle, so you know what general direction to walk to get back to it. I spent some time in search and rescue, so, yes, I'm harping on having a good compass and knowing how to use it. And when I say 'how to use it', I don't mean you have to be able to lay out a topo map and actually navigate with it. Understand that it points to North, and understand how to use that information to get you out of a jam. I went in North, so I come back out South....easy as that. A $10 investment and taking 10 seconds to get your bearings before you head off into the woods could very well save your life, or at least save you from having to spend a very uncomfortable night in the woods. If I'm wrong about the compass having nothing to do with having the GPSr point you to a waypoint after hitting 'go to', I'll stand corrected, provided you explain it well enough. :-) Edit - Yup, turns out I was wrong. :-) <><

Getting back to TFTC.... I'm guilty. But I can honestly say, when I put TFTC in the online log, I stop for a minute, have a quick look at the cache page, and remember that particular cache and the place it took me. Yes, I'll copy and paste something like "Found this one while out caching with my daughter....etc etc...." but that doesn't mean that I'm not saying "TFTC.....Thank YOU for taking the time and effort to place this cache, because if you didn't, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of finding it" I mean it, but I don't always say it, and this topic has made me aware how thankless a TFTC sounds. We're living in a copy/paste world where people (a lot of people) don't even communicate with words anymore...just acronyms. I'll make more of an effort in the future... I thought about how I'd feel as a cache owner.....spending $ and hours to get it just right, and then have a turkey like me copy/paste a log without a couple words of thanks. I have no caches out there yet, but I hope to be able to get the time to place a couple in an area of woods that i spent a lot of time in when I was younger (much younger). Sharing a spot where I spent hours...days, exploring, building camps with my buddies, hiding up a big tree and watching deer at dusk..... and get a TFTC log for all my hard work....yeah, I agree, it sucks. <><

GSAK is absolutely worth every penny. It's mind-boggling what you can do with it. It works flawlessly, and Clyde (the creator) is always quick to help if you have problems. Software that works well, and is created by a 'little guy", and supported well, I have no problem paying for. My $0.02 <><

If anyone's reading this later on, here's the good word..... It works. I got out for a couple hours this afternoon, and tried it out. It's exactly what I was looking for... I use the POIs, find the cache, then select the POI that I'm at and save it as a 'Geocache Found'. It doesn't actually modify that POI; it's still there, just the way it was....but the Geocache Found icon covers the dot on the map, and when I got home, I went to my waypoints, sorted by symbol, and logged all the caches listed there. Then I deleted the waypoints by symbol. Super! Of course, I mark the caches found and move them out of my 'unfound' GSAK database, and generate a new POI file, but I did that each time anyway. Mainly what I needed was a way to flag a POI as found, and have a list of them on the GPS when I get home to log. Worked great, and only one thing to carry around...the GPS. No palm, no paper, no notebooks. Thanks all!! <><

I wrote up that reply and forgot to submit it while I was playing with the GPS. (Loaded up some new maps and was side-tracked...TopoCanada, CN North America 2009, Bluecharts, etc) Anyway, I tried the 'Save as geocache found" idea, and that will actually do what I'm looking for....I think. Look on the map, find the next cache (POI), find the cache, go back to the map, select the POI and hit "Save". Done deal. I tried saving a POI as a waypoint before, but didn;t see a 'Save' option once you start editing it. I clued in that it saves as a waypoint as soon as you hit "Save" on the POI...I was thinking you had to save it after you edited it as a waypoint. The POI stays as it was, but it creates a waypoint (Geocache Found) with the same name as the POI. That will do what I want...when I get home, I can "Find, Waypoint, Select Symbol" and there will be a list of the caches I found. Then update my GSAK database, etc... okay...that'll work, and eliminate the need for the Palm, and notebooks, etc. Everything's in the GPS. If anyone has any comments on a different/easier way, please post... And I know I'm long-winded, but I also know how much I've learned reading other people's posts (both the questions and the answers).....someone's likely going to have the same question as me, so maybe this will help them out also. <>< Edit: Chuy! - Exactly! :-)

Hi folks....I should clarify... What I'm hoping for, is a way to 'change' a POI from a POI to something else on the fly. Or even to be able to rename a POI in the field, and add "F-" to the name or something. I recently got a 60CSx, and have been playing around with tags, and have found that I can use tags to give a POI name and description enough info that I can just leave the Palm at home. What I used to do was to write the CG codes for the caches I find, as I find them, on the back of a printed map. (yellow eTrex days) then I would use that list to log them when I got home. Later, I got a palm and went paperless and would use a 'notepad' program on the palm to make note of the CG codes as I found caches, so it was easy to log the list when I got home. I had (and still have) Cachemate, but to go into it each time and find the cache and mark it found, then go through Cachemate when I get home....well, I might as well just jot the GC number on a piece of paper. :-) Now, with the 60CSx, I have everything I need right there, except a way to keep a list of my found caches out in the field. I know, I could just carry a little notebook or something, but between the backpack, GPS, camera, I'd like to simplify things as much as i could. Also, mosquitoes and black-flies are very thick and hungry in this area, so it would be great to just sign the log, replace the cache and get moving again, instead of having one more thing to do before I can get moving again. If you've ever stood in the woods signing a log and being eaten alive, you know what I mean. I do keep several DBs running in GSAK; a few for unfound caches (one for each province right near me) and a 'Found' database for my found caches. I pull out my list, bring them up in GSAK, log them in the bottom window, set them as found and flag them. Once they're all logged, I move them to my Found database. My hope is that I can somehow flag a POI as a found cache as I'm walking away from it....and be able to see the caches I found that day on my GPS when I get home. Tracks are fine, but I have no way of knowing if I passed a cache up to get it on the way back, or if it was a DNF, or there were muggles around and I decide to try it again on the way home....and so on. Sorry, I'm one of those people that almost likes the data management and techy side of caching more than the actual caching. (Almost...) :-)

Lately I found 2 real good deals on an Internet classified site. Last night a friend bought a Venture Cx, excellent condition, hardly used, for $100. (The H units have better reception in cover, I know..but for a map-capable starter unit with microSD card and colour screen, that was a good deal) I found a 'brand new' 60csx in the same place for $155. I replied to the ad and told the poster that if he could convince me it wasn't stolen or a scam, I'd take it. The company that supplies all his golf equipment sent him the GPS and the garmin golf software to try out and recommend if he liked it. Long story short, the golf software they supplied only works on the Garmin golf GPS. Absolutely of no use to him at all, so sold it for the amount of $$ he needed to buy the golfing unit. So, a 60CSx, and all the stuff that comes with it, immaculate condition, turned on twice while trying to make the software work. $155 (Yes, seller was aware of the value, and said "Over $400 value" right in his ad) I still pinch myself now and again..... Moral of the rambling..... Watch the classifieds; a LOT of people purchase one or are given one as a gift, and don't end up using it. Another thing, and everyone will likely tell you the same....a basic GPS will get you to caches just like a top-end model, but a couple times out and you'll be looking to upgrade. I've been at it a couple years, and this is my 4th GPS. (All worked fine, just upgrade, upgrade, upgrade...) Started with the yellow eTrex, then a green Venture, then a Legend Cx, then the 60CSx......ugh <><

K. That's what I thought... I saw someones post, and I was sure they said that they take a POI and save it as a "Geocache Found"...but they were likely not familiar with the difference between a waypoint and a POI. Thanks!!! <><

Hey there... I have all my caches as POIs, around 4000 of them. No macros, special icons, etc....just grey dots. 60CSx I have tags that generate the waypoint name and description with enough info that I hardly ever have to take out the Palm. My question is, after i find a cache that's a POI, is there a way to flag it as found somehow? (Save as a 'geocache found', mark it somehow...?) I've been carrying a small notebook and jotting down the GC code with each find, but I'd like to know if there's a way to modify a POI to something else to set it apart as a find.... Going caching after work, so if you have an answer right now, let's hear it. :-) Thanks!!!!! <>< Edit: Can't spell