Team_FussyPants

Seriously right?! I need to go caching up there! We just have plastic army men and McToys in our caches, they have dancing girls to trade for. Although she couldn't have been that great if a micro was considered fair trade

To me it doesn't have to have amazing graphics and technology to be good movie. I've seen some amazing movies that were filmed with mediocre technology at best. Everyone gushed about how great Avatar was, and while I agree the graphics were amazing especially in 3D, I though the story itself was tired and predictable. Dances with Wolves meets Fern Gully. I've got this one in my queue hoping it will be entertaining.

Amazon shows it as a release date of February 16th, which makes sense since its a tuesday, new releases always come out on tuesdays. I also have it in my queue so we'll see when it gets sent out.

We have a cache here locally that has an ingenious mechanism inside an ammo can, and when you open the lid it presses on the button of one of those hand held airhorns like people use at sporting events. The name of the cache and description does give a hint that you'll get a surprise, but you totally dont expect that sound! Its out in the middle of no-where on the side of a hill in a canyon and doesn't attract attention when activated. It has received VERY good reviews from finders, and to my knowledge no complaints (none in the logs anyways). I thought it was great, and so did my wife. She's a casual cacher who only comes along when I drag her out. We found the can and I opened it up, then immediately shut it as fast as I could. It took us about 10 minutes to stop laughing at ourselves, then we finally figured out how to disarm the cache and sign the log. I personally think its one of the best caches in our area, and I'm not alone with that thought. I say go for it, just do like others have said: Hide it where it wont draw attention, and at least hint that the cache contains a surprise. I have a feeling you'll get an overwhelming positive response from your area cachers.

I'm really into drag racing and campaign a dragster style car call an altered (Well I used to, sold it a couple years ago and am working on a new project). We competed in the division 7 Super Comp class and my competition number was 7151. Not super creative I know, but I used it as a log on for several racing forums and now its just easy to have the same user name everywhere.

Now we're talkin! I'll give that a shot tonight, I also received a tip that geobuddy gets the job done very well. I'll report back with my findings. Thanks everyone!

Yeah this is where I seem to hit a wall, I've found plenty of programs that let me create nice pretty routes on a map/image, but actually getting that track to my garmin is an issue. Team CowboyPapa, your method definitely sounds like it has some merit, any idea if the Delorme software plays nice with Garmin GPSr's? I just downloaded the free trial of GeoBuddy, I'll give that a shot, as well as the ExpertGPS that someone mentioned. USA photomaps sounds like it has some potential as well. I guess what I was really hoping for is someone found a way to use the routes created on google earth since its so user friendly and seems to have about the best images out there.

Ok, I did a search for this and cant seem to find the answer for my question. What I'm trying to do is create routes for doing some backcountry riding on my dirtbike. I would like to create routes leading me to caches and other cool locations. I have mapsource software with city navigator and the topo maps for my area, but the problem is they dont show all the dirt roads and trails that I need to create my routes. Ideally what I would like to do is create a route on google maps or earth and use the satellite images to lay out my path, then somehow transfer that my gps (Legend HCX), although from what I have read that doesn't seem possible. Has anyone found a way to do this? Thanks in advance!

Great. Where were you when I suggested someone with a lathe could make replacement pins for ammo cans? And everyone laughed at me like I was some of whack job. He probably would have also metioned that making a nail with a lathe is an inefficient use of time. I bet if you were to stop by a machine shop with a bolt and ask them to drill it out for you, most places would do it for free. If you grabbed a regular low-quality bolt like the typical grade 5 stuff from the hardware stores they could drill it out for you in a few minutes. If you're a guy give them the "I dont have much cash but...", or if you're a woman just show up People are usually pretty accomodating.

I have the three "main" geocaching apps, "geocaching", "geopher", and "igeocacher". Each has its pros and cons, but lately I seem to find myself using the geocaching and igeocacher app. Geocaching app is great for when you're on the go and somewhere new. As long as you have cell coverage it will pull up all the caches around you, and a nice feature in the newer version is the save, where you can save a few caches you want to find onto your phone so you no longer have to rely on cell coverage, which is nice when reception is spotty. Once that cache is saved in the app its like having the waypoint saved onto your gpsr, of course you wont be able to use google maps when you dont have coverage, but at least you can still find the cache. The field notes feature is pretty handy as well, you basically log the cache on your phone and it gets uploaded as a fieldnote on your account on gc.com, then its just a couple clicks to make it an actual log on the cache page. igeocacher is an app the mimics the gpsr format that we are used to, but also contains all the cache pages offline (no coverage required). You download all the waypoints over a wifi network, and can save a HUGE amount of waypoints. If you do have cell coverage igeocacher will show you the cache on google maps, and a new feature will also show you the surrounding caches on the map as well. The compass on this app is very well thought out and works great. This app seems to have the most ongoing development and is only going to get better in the future. As far as finding caches with the iphone, while I agree its not quite as good as a dedicated gpsr, its still pretty dadgum good. I consistently find caches with mine, and when I'm at gz it usually says I'm within 5-10ft. I have an old etrex yellow (which I found alot of caches with) and a legend HCX, I would say the iphone is much more accurate than the yellow, but not as good as the HCX. So if you already have an iphone and want to get into caching, the iphone apps are a no brainer. Even if you buy the main three, its still only going to run you $23, where as even a used yellow is around 50.

I was also pretty happy when I saw this on the sneak peak of the 3.0 software, this sounds like it can greatly improve the functionality of all the caching programs. Plus the way apple will let developers use the gps means we'll get some good turn by turn navigation apps

We use only the iPhone, and love it! I mean the app from Groundspeak isn't perfect yet....but has been performing well for us. We love the way you can see the Google maps, log history, search for caches near your location...all from the palm of your hand. I can't imagine doing it any other way now. I'm a newbie to geocaching and just got an iPhone G3. Where do I start? What app should I get? I have MacGPS Pro for my laptop and a bunch of good topo maps. Now I'm trying to get the iPhone setup for geocaching and need some direction. -THANKS! I like the "Geopher" app for on the go caching where Im in a new location and just want to grab a quick cache thats close. The "igeocacher" app is much more like a standard handheld gps where you can download a gpx file to the phone and have all the cache info available even when there is no cell coverage. Some people prefer the "Geocaching" app over the Geopher that I mentioned, and each has its pros and cons, overall I find the Geopher more to my liking, plus it just got changed to opensource code so I expect you'll see some pretty big developments in the future.

Yes, that is definitely the way to go. I found the pointer and update/refresh rate pretty useless until I used the satellite map. Much easier and now I'll use it occasionally. However, I still will only use it in a pinch as my Oregon ( or most handhelds ) is much better for bigger caching days. I noticed that those who have said that they use it exclusively have a low number of finds ( almost all under 100 finds, a lot under 30 ). How many caches are you folks finding in a day using the iPhone-only method? Also, how many iPhone-only cachers have used handheld-GPSrs and what models have you used? I use my iphone almost exclusively now. In the past I've used a yellow etrex, and a palm treo with a bluetooth gps (sirf III chipset). I think the iphone's accuracy is as good as the sirf III I used with the treo, and much better than the standard etrex yellow. I think the current downfalls of using the iphone as a standalone gps is the fault of the software available, although I dont if thats caused by the limits imposed on developers by apple. I used geoniche on my palm and the software is far superior to any of the caching apps available, and that is on a platform with half the power of the iphone.

I've heard alot of people complain about the accuracy of the iphone gps, and I have to disagree with all of them. I have all three of the geocaching apps, and I tend to prefer geopher and the "unauthorized" app. Both regularly lead me right to the cache with accuracy thats more than adequate for geocaching. I think sometimes people get upset when they find a cache and their gps doesn't say 1ft in the "distance to cache" box. The cache locations are only as accurate as the person who placed the cache, their gps, and their ability to use that gps. I've found about 20-30 caches with my iphone, and dont recall a situation where I was ever more than 14ft or so away from where the iphone said it would be when I found the cache.

I've used Geopher in and area with no cell coverage and it worked awesome. Worked better than my standard etrex, the etrex would drop the signal where the iphone kept going. I just picked up a legend hcx, so it'll be interesting to compare the iphone with a newer high sensitivity receiver.

I have an unlocked Palm Treo 680 up for sale, by itself its perfect for paperless caching and an awesome phone. But I have this phone completely set up for doing geocaching. I have a Bluetooth GPS reciever with the Sirf III chipset, which has amazing reception. I've had this receiver in my pants pocket, under serious tree cover in Connecticut, and had no problems getting a strong signal. To use the GPS for geocaching I have the "Geoniche" (http://www.raydarllc.com/) program installed, which is a remarkable program (as much as I hate to admit it, its better than what is available for the iphone, and I have an iphone Shocked ). This program lets the phone operate basically the same way as the new Garmin Oregon. The phone is also loaded with Tom Tom navigator, so it will operate just like one of the new garmin nuvi navigators. You can also load caches on to the Tom Tom and the phone will get you directions on how to get there, no more getting lost in neighborhoods! This set up works seamlessly together, the only reason I'm selling it is I bought a new iphone 3g with the GPS. The phone is in like new condition, my old one broke and cingular replaced it, then a month later I got the iphone. Its always had a silicone cover and screen protector on it, so no bumps and bruises. I have all the cords and software. I'm asking $180 for the complete package, phone with Tom Tom (software alone is $100) and geoniche, Holux bluetooth gps, all cables/chargers and software. I'd also be interested in a trade for a higher end handheld gps as well, looking to get a 60csx. Thanks!

Regarding the accuracy of the iphone, I have found it to be a bit better than my old etrex yellow. And I found ALOT of caches with that thing. I took my etrex and my iphone caching up in Connecticut a few months back, had the coordinates loaded in both my iphone and etrex, under heavy tree cover the etrex lost the signal several times where the iphone kept the signal and got me right to the cache. I've found that even when the indicated accuracy of the iphone doesn't seem to good, it will take you right to a cache and show you about 5-10ft away. I realize its not as good as new high sensitivity recievers, but we've all found tons of caches long before they came out. I've gone after about 20 caches with my iphone now and have found all of them, and none were more than about 10ft from where the iphone said they'd be at.

Any updated from Apple on the approval of this App? I currently am using Geopher almost exclusively for caching now. I will carry my Etrex yellow in my car with me if a cache is a good hike from my location, mainly just to save the battery on my iphone. I was previously using Geoniche on my palm, and I think developers for iphone apps could learn alot from that app, it worked extremely well and was simple to use. Combine it with the power of the iphone and it would be an amazing tool.

Just got back from a cache hunt with my iPhone and geopher and thought you guys would like the results. I'm up in NW Connecticut for a race and had a free morning, so decided to take some of my crew out for a little caching. The cache was in a pretty remote location with pretty heavy tree cover. I entered the coordinates while I still had cell coverage and edge, no 3g though. I also took along my etrex as a "backup". On the drive to the cache I was in and out of coverage, then lost it altogether. The compass sceen still worked fine, but obviously I couldn't pull up the cache page anymore. I On the way to the cache geopher was right on with the etrex. Once we got under the tree cover everything changed, when I thought I might have to resort to the garmin it dropped out and geopher was going strong! My buddy had the garmin and keep losing signal and had to try to find clear sky, while the iPhone kept on track and led me right to the cache showing 10ft (3.5m) to cache. When the etrex finally got signal it showed 34ft to cache. So much for the iPhone supposedly not having a good enough gps for caching

Haha, at my last job I was a project engineer for a HVAC company. It required me to go out to many jobs and check on the progress, take notes, answer questions, check blueprints, etc. At most of those jobs I had to wear a hardhat, I also had my Nextel cell/PTT and clipboard/plans. With that getup I could walk onto any jobsite with no questions asked. It didn't take me long to figure out that I could wear the same thing urban caching and no one would take a second look. After that my "job checks" usually ended up with me finding several caches in the local area. I've learned that acting like you belong somewhere is a great tool for not only geocaching but life in general. If I saw someone constantly looking over their shoulder and acting suspicious, I'm going to assume there's a reason for it. But if you go about the search like you're supposed to be there people tend to pass you by. Of course there's always the need to protect the cache location so that it doesn't get muggled, but usually a well timed grab takes care of that.

I tend to feel weird when I go caching by myself anytime a cache is located near a playground/park where there are children present. Being a younger male out walking around by himself by children I'm sure makes some parents uncomfortable, and cant say that I blame them. If I get close to a cache and see that its pretty close to a play area where children are present, I'll come back later. Or if its far enough away I'll take the long way around to hopefully stay out of the watchful eyes of parents.

I've had mine for about 3 weeks now and I love it. I've been using the geopher lite app for caching and it seems to be working very well for me. I've found every cache i've gone after with my iphone, and the phone showed about 1.5-4 meters from the cache when they were found. I haven't taken it under real heavy tree cover yet, but under normal cover it seems to pick up a good signal. There's alot of rumors and misinformation out there regarding the GPS on the 3G, but it does indeed have a true GPS chipset, and a very powerful one at that. Right now the downfalls of geocaching with the iphone lie in the app available, but the developer is working on it, and there is another app in the works. Being able to pull up the full GC.com website anytime you want, as well as instantly find all the caches close to you is awesome. Yesterday I found 3 caches, dropped off a coin, picked up a travel bug, logged all the caches and travel bugs, and even found a place to eat lunch all with my phone.

GPSr is just short for GPS receiver. Its used to refer to pretty much any hand held gps unit. Yes the 3G's gps is much more accurate then the first version. The first gen iphone just used triangulation from cell phone towers to find your location. The 3G version has an actual GPS chip built into it, and uses wi-fi and triangulation to help find your coordinates quicker or when the gps cant pick up satellites.

To refresh the coordinates, open geopher and it should go to the navigation screen (the one with the compass and arrow) then tap the "set target" button on the bottom right. That will take you to the second "Target Geocache Location" page, usually it will search for caches close to you automatically, if not tap the "new search" button on the bottom right. That should cause geopher to reacquire your coordinates and give you the closest caches. BTW, went after 3 more caches today using geopher, found the first two no problem, and the program led me right to the cache. Didn't find the third, but it was no fault of geopher because it seems to be gone according to the previous two logs. The second cache I went after was under some pretty good tree cover and I lost my bearings a little bit, but was still able to figure it out with a little trial and error. I think a small keychain compass would work wonders.

Okay, stupid question.... What do you mean by the "navigator" on Geopher? Do you mean the compass with the red arrow? Because I thought I read on the Geopher blog that it doesn't actually work. If so, then that is super news and I'm very excited that it worked for you. can't wait to try it myself (heading off today for a family camping trip. I'll see if I can sneak away if there's a cache nearby! Yeah I mean the compass screen. It does indeed move, just not in the same way the navigation screen works on a handheld. Basically it takes your current location and points to what direction on the compass the cache is from you. So if the compass is pointing south the cache is south of your location regardless of your heading. It won't move much until you get closer to the cache, but it does in fact move. It does take some getting used to, and having a compass with you would help as well. I too am excited about being able to "sneak away" for caches. I travel a lot and come across unexpected free time, so now I can see what's close and instantly go after it.