zenrandom

quote:I'm sure an engineer will come along and set me straight. Sounds like a close enough approximation to me. :-) -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

A buddy of mine in the navy actually bought a bunch of garmin vistas for the people that go out in the little boats... helicopters... I asked him why they didn't use the military stuff since it gets the nice precision encrypted code. His comment was that it was big, heavy, expensive, and harder to use. -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

Hey there, I'm researching a paper log entry on a cache that didn't have a corresponding web entry. Why? Because those visitors also took the travel bug. Of course no web log, no travel bug log. On the off chance that they have a user account similar to the names left in the log entry it would be nice to be able to search for them... and nicer still to narrow it down by state. So how about a search for user (profile) feature :-) Thanks -ZR ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

What really peeves me off is that you can't use your cell phone, or your gps receiver... but then you have those people that have laptops turned on with built in 802.11b playing against each other in games. Hrmmm I can't use a receiver, but they can sit their and broadcast spread spectrum at 2.4ghz.... If they are going to police electronic devices maybe they should be given some ongoing education into identifying and recognizing them. I mean really, if they are *that* concerned about transmission of RF interferring with the planes instrumentation, it's a crucial job skill. -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

Keeping them at least a few inches from each other is probably best. Electric current flow causes a magnetic field. Your compass needle could pick this up and become inaccurate. It probably really depends on how well shielded the gps case is made... but in general keeping electronic devices a modest distance from a compass is a good thing. -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

I have traded at one geocache. I have took nothing left a stuffed eeyore at another. I have took nothing and left nothing at yet another. I'll do whatever I feel like based on how i got there (if i biked there ill probably tnln) and what I have with me at the time. :-P -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

I noticed a great deal of difference between my venture and my legend (yes i know they are not the same). My legend seems much more sensitive in area's where my venture wasn't... upstairs in my house, i can lock on for a 3d fix to about 5 sats... i've done this in three houses now for anywhere from 4 to 6 satellites. My venture couldn't even think of doing that well inside. I chalk it up to lack of careful quality control at garmin myself... -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

or tell everyone it was great... ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

Honestly, who cares if she's selling pre-made caches? Really? Why spend so much time here debating the merits of the auction? If you don't like the idea, don't bid. Capitalism in action. Why am I wasting time replying? I'm just hoping that I can keep other people from wasting yet more time debating a non-issue. Now, if you bid on the cache, win it, and it's full of crap... feel free to warn everyone else off. -ZR ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

I ran into this old (im talking late eighties early nineties) guy walking around when I was looking for a cache. He lights up a cigarette, (i sure hope i can walk around like that when im at his age) and kinda looks at me and asks me what im doing. So I tell him what I'm up to, and how this thing in my hand works. He shows me his watch, which updates to the atomic clock signals, tells me how it changed from zone to zone as he flew to las vegas. So he asks me if I know where this thing is, and I point to this large bushy area and say somewhere in there. He laughs and says thats too much for him, he'll stick to walking. hehe -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

hey I've got 908 too... anyhow, a gun is also capable of emitting a loud enough sharp enough noise to scare off predator cats, wolves, coyotes... etc as well as most humans who would otherwise wish you bodily harm. they know that noise, and what it means from years of human hunting. im not advocating or encouraging anything, just stating a point of view. ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

Garmin and Magellan both make exceptionally good units. I think that sometimes Garmin's quality control is a little spotty because my venture did not do so well under tree cover, but the legend I have now picked up five sats with and epe of 21 upstairs inside the house with the blinds down and sitting a good 12 feet from the nearest windows....go figure As long as the unit works like it's supposed to, you aren't going to be unhappy no matter who you pick. If it's important for you to have a small form factor, pick the garmin etrex series. If you want a nice large screen pick the magellan, or shell out the cash for a garmin v. Mostly it's preference. The more I read the more I'm convinced that as long as you're using them the way they are supposed to be used, reception is fine with patch or quad helix antenna. Quad helix detunes somewhat when near a human body or large amounts of metal. Patch isn't as sensitive under cover as quad helix... considering im holding the unit i figure it's a wash. buy the unit you think you want, use it, be happy with it if it does what its supposed to do, and you wont have to worry about the garmin vs magellan debate. -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

you should be able to get to the diagnostic page of etrex w/ click sticks by holding down click stick while powering on unit. ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

I have seen EPE as good as 6' with WAAS enabled on my Legend. I'll take accuracy of <2m any day. woo On the other hand, i have seen EPE degrade significantly while I'm still in the process of gaining differential corrections for my satellite locks. i.e. had EPE of 16' without differentials, acquired a few differentials, EPE jumps to 30'. I just let it settle a minute or two. Which seems to be the really important thing with WAAS on the ground. Stop moving around so much! I'm sure it's just peachy in the air. ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

before i exchanged my venture for a legend, my venture had this problem as well. I took a small pair of pliers and pulled gently on the gold ribbon contacts of the end that connects to the gps. I plugged it back into yonder venture and everything was fine. your mileage may vary... -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

I've completed the solar cycle journey 28 times now. ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

your mileage will vary. If you are going to use the gps under tree cover, you'll almost never get a waas signal worth anything. To get a waas signal you are going to want a nearly completely clear unobstructed view of the southeastern sky for that waas bird. There may be more in the future, I believe they have said up to 19 waas satellites... I find waas nice for standing around just to know where I am *really* accurately but don't bother looking for it to come in when I'm hunting a cache. garmin has a really good description of waas here... http://www.garmin.com/aboutGPS/waas.html -zr ----- If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

woo hoo it works on my legend...

I've found that occasionally a course adjustment of the serial cable is necessary. Take a pair of needle nose pliers, gently pull on the gold contact bars on the serial cable, and then try it again. I had this problem with my venture, and it went away. -ZR

I bought a venture about a week and a half ago... which was just returned to galyans and exchanged for a legend... for another $25 after the rebate... it's worth it! -ZR

No, I didn't take the bug, it was taken by the previous visitor. I am going to go back and see if they left a name or something because they didn't log the find on the webpage and haven't updated the travel bug. The owner of said bug has emailed me, I live less than two miles from there...and frequently ride right by it on my bike :-) So I told him I'd check it out for him.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=1834&logs=y&decrypt= is the cache in question

There is a cache in my area that appears to have an owner that has been MIA... the cache itself is in so/so shape. It lost its logbook and some other geocacher was nice enough to leave one. By the looks of it though this cache seems to have been abandoned by its owner (who is also no longer active on geocaching.com. Is there a procedure for someone to take over maintenance of a cache that appears to have been abandoned by its owner. (I sent mail through geocache and haven't heard anything from them. Thanks, -ZR

cowlumbus myself :-)