gravechaser

Now I feel stupid. Struggled with this for a week and not once did I give a thought to checking on possible Garmin software. I've used EasyGPS for so long that it's burned into my brain, lol. Anyway, thank you VERY much. I am in the process of downloading BaseCamp now. Their website says they have dropped the name brand MapSource and are now using and recommending BaseCamp. Seriously appreciate the suggestion! Happy Days! Gravechaser

Health is letting me to begin caching again so I cleared the GPS for a fresh start. It's a Garmin 60CSx. I use EasyGPS. The 1st file is for geocaches,the 2nd is local waymarks; & the 3rd is for local benchmarks. On EasyGPS I can change the icon for the waymarks (WM)and benchmarks (BM) but regardless of changing the icon when I send that saved file to the handheld it shows each and every one on the unit as a geocache. I really want caches as caches, WMs as a separate icon and BMs as a third distint icon. Is doing this even possible without going through the GPS manually and changing each one? I'm banging my head against a virtual wall trying to think of a workaround and coming up blank. Suggestions, even of using different software, is welcome. If it matters my desktop is running Windows 10 and so is my laptop if I have to use that. Thanks, Gravechaser in Illinois

I think some of you are right. It totally depends on where the cache is located. In our case our main drive is right of a high traffic highway and it circles around to come out on the side road next to our house. We have a huge evergreen windbreak on both road sides of the place. We are also less than 1/4 mile north of an Illinois state park which has around 4 caches now I think. Those aren't big enough to help people move travel bugs so my kids, who cache with me when I'm physically able to go, suggested that we put a large one out along the side road. That way people won't be along the highway, with our drive being so large at that end there is plenty of parking, and it is far enough away from our house that usually the dogs, who can't get that far away from the house (wireless radio fence :-)) rarely bark anymore. I think they know it is OK for "strangers" to be at the end of the drive. I'd like to put a much larger container out but I don't have the money for a larger piece of concealment right now. If I can get the cash gathered then it'll be a much larger piece that we can put a 5 gl bucket under. I digress, however. We regularly have loggers, most of whom are staying at the park or going on or coming back from vacations. It's been a great place for them to drop off a bug that may be too large for the majority of the caches around here. Unfortunately most of the caches in our area have become "small" or smaller yet. Very few are large enough to hold swag of any kind. We've had more than our share of motorcylists stop by, too. Of course, we don't hear complaints as those who don't like to be that close to a cacher's home doesn't try ours. It really is to-each-his-own. I don't mind this kind of cache but I'm very uncomfortable with caches in high or moderate traffic areas. The kids and I have stealth issues. Mrs James Bond I'm not. I have had three comments made to me about the cache. I was gently informed that, in case I didn't know, our wireless in-house network wasn't secured (at that time) and several cachers were able to find, sign, replace and log the cache right from their parking spot. That has since been fixed. Everyone has a type of cache that they are uncomfortable with. Just my cane-wielding 2 cents. Gravechaser Illinois

We put an ammo can out for our cache. It is called "Tippy's Home Forever". We adopted her from our local pound- a beautiful little German Shorthair/coon dog mix puppy. The kids had just enough time to fall in love with her before the Parvo that she'd contracted in the pound took her down. We weren't able to bury her here but this was the only home she'd ever had so we chose to honor her presence. The kids wanted an ammo can so we could observe the items that were traded in and out- so far the swag is staying at the "good quality" level. There are people who won't do our cache, though, and I understand. We put it in a far corner of our yard out by the main highway. It is far enough away from our house that my husband is comfortable. Poor guy is a muggle. I just can't convert him. But HE was the one who suggested putting out a cache for Tippy. I don't find memorial caches depressing. Instead I find them touching. That someone loved someone, even an animal, enough to remember them makes me smile. It is Love, after all, that makes the world go 'round.

We live in Illinois near Terre Haute, IN. We have killed 2, yes, two Brown Recluse spiders inside our house. So incredibly NOT COOL. We kill spiders- any and all- they are all fair game. When I or the kids find a spider on a cache (or in the house) we "shoot" first and ask questions later. If it were my cache? I'd kill it immediately and still make a note on the cache page that one was killed there and for the finders to be very careful.

I don't understand GSAK. I have perused the Cacheye site and I like it because I can drag my PQ right into it. It seems to be very very user friendly and that's important for a low-computer-skill old bag like me.

I believe in Illinois there is a law on the books stating that cemeteries are closed from sundown to sunup unless otherwise stated by the cemetery association. I don't know of any at all that are open during the night-time hours in our county. Of course, I might be wrong about there being a law but my poor excuse of a brain is screaming there is a law.

So it could be said that you have not got satisfaction? GOF: U got that right! I ain't got no satisfaction!

I cached for over a year before I figured out how to access the forums. If TPTB would have "advertised" and advocated use and reading of the forums then that complete ClusterBomb GetSat mess would never have to be used. I tried GetSat several times and completely despise it. If I am expected to use it then I will find any other site to get the information I'm looking for. When I need to look up information I want to be able to do it quickly and easily. GetSat is the equivalent of asked the IRS for help filling out your tax forms. I'd rather eat ground glass with Cool Whip than use GetSat again.

I'm not a computer geek by any means. I know how to find my way around this forum, though. I finally went to the "satisfaction" area and boy, I was not impressed at all. There is no organization to the threads at all- I was simply perusing and got lost. My quasi-newbie (142 finds) thoughts are this "get satisfaction" thing is a complete waste of precious resources. Just what was "their" justification for this outsourcing? And outsourcing is exactly what it is. I just don't get it.

Not ever having worked where "Casual Friday" was allowed I still think it sounds great. Personally I can't because I drive a dump truck and I highly value my geocaching attire and don't want to get grease/dirt/assundry crap on it. But...I wear my bright red Cache Slash Fest (since retired Halloween party) T-shirt year round when I go to Terre Haute shopping! It's really a conversation starter!

I want to thank you, Jumpin' Jack! I looked specifically at nos. 5 & 6, changed them and I just got my query results and it worked PERFECTLY! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I've played with my settings and took a preview of the query and it looked good but then when it ran...well...that's why I asked. Wow, I didn't think of Illinois conflicting with my home coords but it makes sense! I'll go change that and see if it will run correctly. I'll post here if it doesn't help. Hopefully it will and I really really appreciate it!

I liked the "cache baggers" and "cache pickers", there are a lot a great suggestions! My kids just refer to those who trade down as "fun-suckers". So far I've not had to use a bar of soap for swapping the first letters. For the record I'm 42 and my kids don't care to trade unless there is something they think is pretty neato. I keep little screwdrivers, tape measures, - you know- handy adult stuff- to trade up- if I find something I think is cool or if the cache has been depleted I'll put some extra stuff in it.

My PQs used to run along just fine and were bring in results on a weekly basis. Roughly 3 weeks ago my PQs stopped returning results- the emails didn't have an attachment but just the line saying my Query had no results. I don't know why as I'd not tinkered with anything. I've gone back in to play around with my PQ settings with little luck. I've double checked all my preferences on my queries and the only thing I can think of is perhaps my "placed during" choice needs tweaking. I had the top box called "none selected" marked as I wanted all active caches to be queried- regardless of when they were placed. I'll give my specific setting choices- maybe some of you can see what I'm doing wrong. I've looked this over so many times it is probably something small that I'm overlooking and another set or 5 of eyes will help? My main query is set at 150 caches of: 1. Any type 2. Any container 3. I haven't found, don't own and are available to all 4. Difficulty and Terrain are both greater than or equal to 1 5. Within Illinois 6. From my home coords 7. Radius of 30 miles 8. Placed during: am AGAIN trying the "between" 1 Jan 1995 to current week 9. Attributes- I've left those alone as I'm really not picky. Thanks to any of you who have valid suggestions. I post occasionally, search often, and haven't found anything that helps me with this particular problem.

I've been having trouble, too. All of a sudden my PQs began arriving having no results. I'd not changed anything at all. I've gone in on them and tinkered with the time frame and still I'm getting nothing. One of my PQs is for the Terre Haute area and there are new caches being published around there almost every day. I've almost given up trying to use the PQs now.

My children are 16, 13, and 9. I take them geocaching occasionally and always have a good time whether we find the cache or not. My 16 year old began taking her camera with her after we kept seeing deer, turkeys, wildflowers, mushrooms, beautiful views and now she is a very accomplished photographer. She still caches, photographs when she goes, and was asked to take all a high school Senior's graduation photos. She did a beautiful job and she owes it all to geocaching. My 13 yr old is very mathmatically minded and loves using the GPS. He likes to measure how far it is to each location, loves to stop and look at bridges to see how they are made. He now is planning to go to college to become a mechanical engineer to design bridges and get a surveyors license. Geocaching introduced him to more than watching TV or playing basketball which results in joint injuries for him. He has NEVER been hurt while geocaching. My 9yr old girl loves nature. I've learned a lot about wildflowers and the "weeds" that grow near them so that I can educate her about them. She is now drawing wildflower blooms and the bugs that we see. I usually take each child separately but even when we are together we have the oddest but heartfelt conversations about family history, area history, their personal problems and solutions, natural science, hurt feelings, sadness, you name it we talk about it when we are out. We just don't have those good deep conversations at home. Being outside away from the house seems to relax and free us from our personal silence. I honestly think if I didn't take the kids geocaching that I wouldn't be as close to them as what I am. We have a great relationship.

In our part of the world, CyBret is da bomb. Just about every local cacher I've ever met knows or knows of him. I don't know how many he has found but it is lots and he has plenty of great caches of his own. Plus he's a super great guy! Hosts a great annual event at Moonshine, too!

Yes, my 16 yr old daughter enjoys going caching but only in the fall and winter for some reason. I think it's because our 13 yr old son is working with his dad in the fields and can't go with us. I also have a 9 yr old daughter who is just now asking to go with us. We have had some great conversations while driving around. We've talked about things I never dreamed they would want to talk about- both good and bad! Actually my 9 yr old is the only child enrolled in the new 4H project GPS Technology, or so we've heard. I told her it was very bad form to show muggles where caches are so she decided instead to take the project judge on a "Historic Cemetery Tour". We went by ourselves to take close photos of each one while I gave her the real and/or traditional history of the cemetery and the people in it. She was disappointed when we had to stop at 6 cemeteries! She was having so much fun marking and photographing each cemetery that she didn't want to stop. Before we'd gotten home she was asking when we can go snag another cache!

If the cache location bothers you then don't go back to it. It's really that simple. To want the cache removed just because of a stupid bird is dumb in my opinion. A temporary heads-up on the cache page is all that is needed just to be aware that a large bird may attack you. Once the eggs have hatched the vermin will be on their way and all will be well. We, as a farm family, do what we can to provide cover and foodsources for songbirds. Turkeys are not endangered. There is a hunting season for them. We live in IL and, as farmers, we have more problems with turkeys that we ever have with deer. Deer don't reproduced anywhere near as fast as turkeys do nor do deer come out and follow our planter through the field picking out the seeds from each furrow! Personally I curse the idiot who wanted to release these things back "into their native area".

In general "they" want "you" to be able to take care of the caches that you place. Some people in the past have placed caches while vacationing in Florida when they live in Maine (fictional but realistic example). It's unrealistic to think that that cache could be maintained by the cache owner. Admittedly, I don't know offhand what the rule of thumb is for how far away one can live from their caches, but ask your cache reviewer. I've found that my reviewer is quite helpful. Their volunteered job is to help caches get published for the rest of us to find.

That's what Jeremy said on his Facebook status recently.

I think either location is pretty cool, especially if there is a cache there. We're 46 and 42, already have our burial plots bought in a small country Church cemetery and are planning on long flat topped stones propped up at one end so the kids at Church (that already play in the cemetery) can have a slide to play on. They already use the larger stones as home base for tag. I've asked my husband to plan on a small hole being carved into my stone so I can have the kids put a cache on my stone.

Nope, I'd not nominate one of my logs. While I have been told I'm funny when talking to someone I am smart enough to realize that I am not a good writer. I did nominate a log from one of my 2 cache placements, though. It was the first log of a FTF pair and I laughed until I cried. My hubby couldn't care less about caching but I read the log aloud for him and he burst out laughing too. If it made him laugh? I figured it was worth it!

Being a woman I prefer to have someone with me when I'm out in the boonies. That someone is usually one of our kids. I HAVE gone out alone at times but only if I know the area well.