hoovman
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Posts posted by hoovman
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Moral of the story - always take a mobile phone with you. I confess I don't always. Did need to be "extracted" out of the forest after a roller-blading accident once. Not fun.
Depending on where you go, it's not hard to get out of cell phone range. Some of the newer GMRS radios have a 12 mile (ideal) range. Having one in the pack is probably a good idea too.
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Have you ever planned a trip and wanted a list of caches along the way that weren't far off your travel route?
If you're a premium member, you can use the mapping tool to easily do this.
Do a zip code search for the city/town you are starting at. (If you're not starting from home, you can look up zip codes by city/state here )
On the search results page, click the MapIt button in the upper right:
Pan the map until you find the road/street/freeway you'll be on. Zoom in/out until the map shows the road and about the distance you're willing to travel off your route. Use the "pan a direction" tabs around the outside of the map to follow your path along your route. (Remember there are Pan NW, Pan NE, Pan SW, and Pan SE tabs at the corners too, but they're invisible until you move the mouse over them).
When you see a cache or caches close enough to your route, click the Identify radio button below the map, then click on/near the cache. You'll get a listing of nearest caches, with the one you clicked at the top of the list.
Open any interesting caches in a new window, then continue on panning along your route.
I did this for a weekend trip with 3 other people and was able to bring up a bunch of virtuals that we all enjoyed.
I hope you find this tip helpful.
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And if I'm going out beyond cell phone range, I like to take a FRS/GMRS radio. Really far out might merit a signal mirror.
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Geocaching reminds me that:
- it's not always important to know a complete solution to a problem before trying to solve it.
- the first or obvious path does not always get to a goal
- reading directions can be important
For the first point - if I'm going to a cache less than 20 miles away, I'll print maps, but I don't usually look at them. Instead, I plug in parking coords, get in the car and just follow my electronic "nose".
For the second point: just this past weekend, I got as close as 0.15 miles from the cache on a main trail. GPS was pointing at a right angle to the direction I was traveling. So I think: 0.15 mile bushwack, sounds OK, and head off. 200 feet from the cache and I find myself toe-to-toe with an impassible marsh!
For the last point: doing a virtual with my wife in the car and my friends in another car, communicating over FRS. We are getting really close to the coords, and right *after* the exit to the rest stop, I notice on the print out: "...located at a rest stop..."!
- it's not always important to know a complete solution to a problem before trying to solve it.
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(added email notification)
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Regarding the "free pizza at my restaurant" sig item: I'm a little surprised no one has quoted this guideline:
Commercial caches attempt to use the Geocaching.com web site cache reporting tool directly or indirectly (intentionally or non-intentionally) to solicit customers through a Geocaching.com listing. These are NOT permitted. Examples include for-profit locations that require an entrance fee, or locations that sell products or services.Seems to me that a case could be made that the pizza sig item is a way of getting new customers. I have mixed feelings about this specific case.
Is it acceptable for, say, a car salesman to leave a business card in a cache?
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Add me to the list too, please. I'm a little fuzzy on what the sandbox is/will be, though.
Is there a writeup or FAQ? Is there documentation for the Groundspeak extension to GPX?
Thanks,
Jeff
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WTF??? can you put that in "people who have no clue what you mean" terms lol
Nafai is asking if it will ever be possible to read geocaching.com with a news aggregator.
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I noticed that people make all sorts of suggestions for improvmements to geocaching.com that there just isn't time to implement them all. That got me to thinking that there must be some programmers out there who would love to get their fingers in the mix.
I am not suggesting you open the site to programmers.
Instead, perhaps there's a way you could allow programmers to write their own tools that search geocaching.com data - an API as it were.
Not that you're google, but they do it: http://www.google.com/apis/
You could have an upload area where people could upload the utilities they create, and if you liked the feature, you might be able to incorporate their code in the site.
What do you think?
Jeff
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Quote : "Another trick is to place a floaty object inside a hollow pipe (such as a fencepost, etc). The geocachers have to fill the post with water to make the object float into reach. Generally used for intermediate coordinates, since objects in a cache would probably make it not float anymore! "
So only one cacher, gets the hide...? How do they remove the water from a fence post ?
Pull the cork that's in the hole near the bottom of the post!
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Another combination lock example:
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... a PQ won't return archived caches.
Interestingly, when I select all states and Found By Me, I don't get any physical caches that are archived, but I do get at least one virtual cache that's archived.
Yeah, if you're reading this Jeremy - count another request for "show all caches I found, even archived ones"
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...There's no way to limit the search results to just MOC's except through a pocket query...
Jackpot! I didn't think about checking in PQs, I was just using the regular search. Thanks!
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How long does it take for freshly-cut bamboo to dry to wood-like?
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I've read the help; I've searched the forums. I can't figure it out:
How do I list "subscriber only" caches?
And, yes, I am a PM.
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Try here. They have several color varieties and styles precut to 60".
Watch out for painted/dyed bamboo though - you might end up with a sweaty green hand!
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An etrex yellow has been all I've ever needed, but I've added a magnetic compass to my pack. I've never searched anywhere remote enough yet that walking straight in any direction wouldn't get me to a decent road in a mile or three.
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Lock 'n' Lock food storage boxes (found at Target stores around here) are great.
edit: yeah, what Carleen said
For folks who hide a lot of caches, target.com sells a 23-piece Lock-n-Lock set
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Of course, I should have specified a size. I was thinking of alongs the lines of 3" x 4" x 6" so that the stickers I have would fit on any side of the container. Bigger would be OK, if it didn't get too expensive.
And I'm thinking something more durable than T-ware or Rubbermaid.
Funny, that's almost exactly what Dixie's Crew posted a link to - Thanks DC!
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I'm about to place my first cache. I've got "official" labels from MiGO:
and I'd like to use a good waterproof that is clear.
Any suggestions?
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Parking even a big camper at the Metroparks should be no problem.
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Here's a search for caches within 60 miles of 43623 (a Toledo ZIP I happen to remember):
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.asp...=43623&dist=600
You can easily do Wild Would and Wild Should in the same day. They are both really good!
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What about the mini M&M tubes? Brightly colored, I know, but are they waterproof. May put some out for some young friends.
Used food containers, even thoroughly cleaned are generally not advised, as they may spark animal intrest.
I wonder if animals like snuff.
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Did you hold the unit the way the manual said to? I think some brands (eTrex) need to be held face up for best reception others (Garmin?) should be held with the screen facing you.
How-to Find Caches Along A Travel Route
in General geocaching topics
Posted
Interesting technique Markwell has there. Might be a bummer for Mac users, as it relies on Microsoft Streets & Trips which I don't think runs on Mac.