biosearch

Staff, yea, go figure. One of the reasons I'm trying to do it right? By the way, I went into a church just down the street from my house (I mention this because I saw your profile) and asked about placing one there. I was dismissed off hand. Won't put one there. It just seems that when I ask permission, which is what one should do, it doesn't work.

There are only 28,701 geocachers? If you think about the population of the world 6,556,802,973 that ain't that many, is it? Or is that 28,701 account holders just those that posted the recent/new logs. That comes out to just about 6 new logs per account holder... Just curious...

I'm trying to do the right thing. I'm contacting the local authorities to let them know if I am placing a cache or asking permission if I need to. I'm running into roadblocks. Today I took the time to go to the local university police department and let them know that I was going to be placing a cache on the edge of the campus, border, in case the campus security noticed anything that they thought was out of place. I was told, and I'm still trying to figure this one out, that the sidewalk on the public street outside the edge of the campus was campus property, regardless of what the maps at the city planning commission say (I have a friend who works there and I've checked). Additionally I've been told that campus property is off-limits to individuals who are not staff or students, especially after hours, and they can be asked to leave or (for a second offense) arrested. (I'm still trying to figure out how town residents or visitors attend football games). I've even offered to give do a training session concerning geocaching to the campus officers and actually teach them how to use the gps units that they use for work that they know very little about. And still I run into this... Anyhow, I'm following the rules, not placing caches on private property, informing the local officials and I am still running into roadblocks. Why? It isn't as if I'm destroying property, placing them on nature preserves with threatened/endangered plant species, destroying property, interfering with other individuals rights, etc., etc. Are others having this much of a problem or are others simply not checking with the authorities and just doing their thing? Just frustrated and need to let off steam/rant....

The Garmin Gecko (which I know nothing about, but there is information on the following site http://gpsinformation.net/geko-201.html, you can go there for reviews of just about every gps) retails for 114.00 but there are some on eBay for less (I don't know if there are reserves on them). Lowrance iFinder GO Portable Handheld GPS Unit runs for 68.66 at Tiger GPS. The magellan eXplorist 100 is the least expensive at retail price that I've been able to find (I've been thinking about getting one for my geocaching buddy, my nine y/o daughter) . They can be had for 89.00 at TheGPSStore.com. However, this unit does not have usb connectivity, it does not have the base maps or (obviously) the ability to upload poi's, waypoints or detailed maps. If you want anything more, especially usb connectivity, you're going to be in the neighborhood of 150.00. I use the eXplorist and the outdoor bundle (with maps etc.) can not be beaten for the price, but again it will most likely be out of your price range. Having been in the teaching field I know how money matters and this is a rather extravagant purchase, as these things go.

Just a thought, if people who want to place items that may be illegal or dangerous happen upon geocaching, purchase a label and.... You get the drift... What happens then, and how is anyone going to know the difference? Just a thought....

I use the Magellan 210. It is pretty much made for geocaching. It has usb connectability and you can load geocache downloads with the software that comes with the unit. You can also add detailed maps for the locations that you will be going to, and this is a very very very worthwhile feature. You can pick one up at the gps store for 149, an additional 40 dollars and get the wilderness package with includes the mapsend topo maps (which on their own are 90 bucks). You can get the less expensive model (the 100) for 90 dollars, but the 210 is really worth the extra if you can afford it. A great deal of how well they work, or how comfortable you are with a gps, has to do with your experience. If you have a chance to talk to others that have these different units and have them let you use one with them looking over your shoulder giving you help, it would answer a lot of your questions far better than this forum can...

I've got a 210, love it. The only difference, and one you may want to upgrade for, is the usb connectability which allows for uploading geocaching points directly from your computer, adding detailed maps, etc. This isn't necessary, however. The 200 has all of the other features that the 210 has and is as easy to use as any gps can be. You'll be able to enjoy this silly, addicting past-time/hobby/evilness just fine with it... Good hunting...

You can use any gps for geocaching.... That said, some are better than others. I use the Magellan Explorist 210 and love it. Yours is pretty much the same thing, the only difference being the usb connectivity and the ability to upload more detailed maps. If you really get into this you will probably want that for the detailed maps and the ability to upload your waypoints/geocache locations, directly to the unit from the computer, but for a starter unit, the 200 is easy to use, has the features that you absolutely must have, and will get you well on your way....

Thanks for the information already and once I get my hands on the unit I may just be e-mailing one or two of you to discuss it. I'm thinking of using it more for placing caches then hunting for them. The post prucessing software, along with the pack antenna which I also have available, should give me a far better location then I would get with my magellan. I am interested in the idea of taking multiple readings and averaging them, however, I know that there is some error to this still. I am wondering how to average, or is there a program that is able to accomplish this? Thanks...

It is always about the journey and not the destination. It is not about the numbers but about the quality. So much or my taoist wisdom. I have placed one cache and have one other planned. I take my time, look for places to put them that will offer good experiences for the cachers, no sense in numbers. And, you're showing your age with the Alice ruck, you ought to get something that is better for your back, 12 years of humping one of those had destroyed my back. Check out REI Co-op for something good for you... And keep trying to up the standards, it is worth it, if only for yourself....

...nobody in the house can find anything to put left-overs in.

I'm guessing you're in New York? Just a hunch. I'd try (if you hadn't thought of this or arn't a member yet) http://www.ny-geocaching.org/ Local groups are cool. The NY one has something like 1108 members and you can look at the member list if you are a member. That might be a place to start. You can also get information about get togethers, CITO events, etc. and hit some of those to find contacts in the area. If you find some way to look them up on the Groundspeak site, let me know...

I've got the chance to use a trimble, one of the better ones, with the antenna pack, etc. Was wondering if anyone out there used one, has used one, uses one for work (surveyor, etc.). Would like someone to discuss issues and quirks concerning these units. Something about being able to place a cache and having sub-foot accuracy for the coord give me a kick, why I don't know....

Cub Scouts and Webelos. Father was in the Air Force and there was always a pack or troop on the bases we lived at. Father was a scoutmaster. Dropped out of it when we moved back to the states, much more to do and not enough time to do it all. Then joined the Army, like someone said, that's sort of like the Boy Scouts, no?

I'm wondering which one of the people that has posted already is "The Muggler"? And does it really matter? Have fun and start logging your envelope muggle finds.. Yet another stat to keep track of.

I can't answer the question about travel bugs, but I might be able to give some advice in reference to the "fit rating". The elevation should be taken into account on the terrain rating, but it may not be. In any case, most map programs for gps units have the option of topographic data. Make sure that you load this when you load the local maps (if you have the map programs). If this isn't the case (you don't have the maps or they don't have topo information) use Topozone. Near the bottom of every cache page you will find a link to every internet mapping program you can think of, at least two of which have topographic information. (I'm not sure if this is a premium feature or not as I have a premium membership and can't view the caches without logging. If it is a premium membership feature you can always join and it is worth the few bucks if you do enough caching just for the pocket queries along.) If that isn't an option at present you can take a bit of time and still use topozone. Now, I'll admit that the maps at topozone are usgs maps that are as old as I am, but they can still be helpful.... You can plug in just about any coordinate information (UTM, Lat/Long decimal degrees, lat/long degres and dec. min., and degrees/min/seconds) and get a location that shows you what the elevation is and what the change in elevation is from the nearest parking area. Make sure that you WGS84/NAD83 in topozone as I'm certain that is what your gps give you. The roads and trails may very well be out of date, but the elevation will not have changed that much. A vertical change of 10 m (in the right map scale) will show over how long an area that 10 m change is spread. For a really good example of this look at GC7EB9 and click on the topozone map. You would have something of a climb to get to the cache (it looks like from the nearest trail on this map you would have a climb of about 350 ft in elevation over about 0.4 miles distance. I've never been to this cache, never been to this area as a matter of fact, but with this data I know what I'm up against. The topozone information is, without a doubt, crucial when you live in areas with drastic elevation changes in short distances (like Colorado). The cache noted above is listed as a two star for difficulty and a four star for terrain. Others would disagree I'm sure. I don't go by the cache owners ratings. They don't know what I am capable of and I don't know what they are capable of, which is truly what the rating system is based on. Use all of the tools available to you and I'm certain you'll have a much more enjoyable time. Check it out and let me know what you think.... If you've managed to get this far, hope it has been worth your while...

For god sakes, they were all wearing black pants, no shirts, hiding in the bushes and throwing eggs at each other. I would have told them, "leave, leave now" too.

A couple of things. Yes, I believe that local groups may be able to accomplish more than a national group. Yes, I believe that a national network of local advocacy groups may help to work towards solutions on the local level by sharing expertise. This is not necessarily the same thing as a national advocacy group, but a network of local advocacy groups. This could actually be done through a specific forum area, if one does not already exist. Yes I believe that it may be legal for a city/state/national organization to require a cache to be listed at geocaching.com. Of course I am not a lawyer or an expert in these matters, but what it appears to me to be is an acknowledgment of the rules, regulations and approval structure that geocaching.com/Groundspeak has implemented. In essence, the parks have placed the caveat that they must conform to these guidelines. I would argue that to be accepted at many of these locations, something of the same would or should be required within the rules established by those authorities. Making rules that do not require caches to be listed with any organization makes it less controllable. As for TN laws, it appears that these laws apply only to cemeteries. The laws that were listed are actually on a genealogical website and may no longer apply an official TN website with the same applicable rules, regulations or laws would be helpful. If the phrase "play at any game or amusement" is the stipulation that is referred to as disallowing geocaching, even virtual geocaching, then the same could be true of genealogical work (amusement), sightseeing (amusement), a family having a lunch on their family plot on a summer afternoon (amusement, and yes some families do this on their anniversaries associated with a loved one who has passed), even visiting a relatives gravesite could be, with a stretch, construed as being illegal (amusement), even drunk fraternity initiations would be illegal (amusement and games). Obviously all of these do not fit into the same category and some are without a doubt within the bounds of what was envisioned when the law was passed. I believe that common sense and discretion is the key here. If geocachers are to work with local officials then some concessions must be made. At the same time if geocachers are willing to make concessions so to should the authorities. Working with them on a local level seems to be the best solution. National networking would, without a doubt, help in that arena. If one thinks about it, caches, by definition, should not harm, destroy or intrude in any way upon the local area, both native and manmade, or intrude on the privacy of individuals. Caches are supposed to be hidden and geocachers are supposed to be discreet. If either or not, it really isn't much of a cache now, is it?

Nope, Bluegrass Reviewer hedaman. (Has anyone considered that this may be a blatant way for cachers to do some cheese eatin (Army slang for sucking up) with your local reviewer in the hopes that they might just approve something that they wouldn't had you not mentioned it. We can only hope.... )

Even before I read Keystones comment I was thinking event cache. Not only would it give them an opportunity to show the work that they are doing with the wolves, but it would allow the local geocachers to get together and see a local place that they would have to go to some trouble to get to. Make it an event cache and if it does well, look at making it a yearly thing. That is almost a "cache by appointment". I also don't think that is a very good idea. As for Waymarking, it may not be the best idea, depending upon what sort of area it is, how they deal with the wolves, if it is considered a nature preserve or not. There are many places in this area that I know of due to the work that I do, that I would never list because of the sensitivity of the areas (threatened species, etc.). Just my thoughts fwtw.

I truly wish that there were caches like this in my area. As most of you have said the cache page did describe the cache well. I see no reason to complain. The not about 1%'s, this not being what caching is about, the placement keeping children out of the hobby, etc. makes me wonder what exactly a person with 1700+ caches thinks the hobby is? I've placed one cache. In a city area with micros everywhere. I have had only three visitors to that cache, I do not expect all that many and I would hope that I end up with some dnf. It is a cache hunt, key word being hunt, not walk up and stumble into. Long treks through the woods, difficult terrain, difficult navigation, etc. make the hunt more rewarding once it is over. Then again, apparently, that is not the case for some.

So basically what we have determined up to this point of the thread is: There really is no need, unless we actually plant to place 115 per square mile across the face of the planet, we won't need more than perhaps seven, at the most eight characters. The ability to place caches off the planet surface is improbable at best. We are all really, really, really serious geeks...

Cache GCZZZZ will be the 512,400th cache hidden. Adding one digit to the code to get to GCZZZZZ will allow for 28,218,030 caches ... or 27,705,630 more caches. In the last 12 months we've hidden approximately 177,750 caches (it's actually a bit more than that). This means that at the current rate of cache hides, we'll hit cache GCZZZZZ - and run out of numbers again - in just a little under 156 years. You may be right. Maybe we should add two digits instead of just one. Well yes, but eventually there will be cache saturation and they will either have to change the limit of 0.1 miles or simply stop approving caches. I wonder what the number total caches for the earth's surface would be (included ocean and water feature space) if there were one for every 0.1 square mile area. And I'm sure that there is someone out there with the knowledge and time to figure it out. I'll just keep wondering...

I like the hunt, especially when you have no idea what you are looking for. For the most part I go out with nothing but my gps, no notes or descriptions, just the clue that is listed with the cache data, if that. I'm looking for a challenge. As for micros, you may think ill of me to ask this but I must, what do you actually consider a micro. Pleas, let me explain. The standards list a micro as something the size of a 35 mm film canister or smaller with perhaps only a logbook. So I've got these pill bottles, bigger than a film canister, smaller then a breadbox... What would you call them? They are certainly smaller than a decon container (which I like using as I have many left from my Army days) but they are about twice the size, or more, than a film cannister. Should I just mention it in the note? Now I've only placed one cache, but I'm planning for others, already have the pill bottles camo'd up and ready to go. Have a site or two picked out already. Am willing to change the container if people think I need to, but the sites are too constrictive for a normal sized cache, but will hold more than a micro. Ideas?

I have a tendancy to think that the people running the show used to be in the military and so the most difficult and illogical approach is the one taken.... But then I don't know what they are really planning on doing, so...