Pathfinders4

How do I get geocaches from geocaching.com into my inReach or into my iPhone on Earthmate?

I had a very similar experience. I was riding an area where I might hunt this upcoming year. I dutifully marked out gates, stands, road intersections, and other landmarks into my GPSr. Got home to the computer and started playing with Google Earth. While some coords I wasn't 100% sure of (trail intersections, for example), others I was (like gates, structures). The conversion from GPSr coords (N XX deg XX.XXX etc) didn't match up with GE's formula. I wasn't 3 miles off on any of my marks, but far enough that marking a property boundary to avoid trespassing could get dicey. I will have to check my datum setting. I hadn't thought of that while we were in the field. Good luck. No matter what GE is very cool, especially showing stuff to our little pathfinders. PF4

We began caching as Pathfinders4, with mom and dad pathfinder and two little micros. Now 500+ finds and 3 years later, Boy child has expressed an interest in establishing his own geo-caching account and geo-name. He is NOT excited about the prospect of starting at Zero ! Short of relogging every find ( ), is there a way to go back and "select" the finds he participated in? SITE FEATURE SUGGESTION: (It would have been very handy, if possible as a site feature, to include a box check for a "Baby on Board" count. That way, as the geo-kid gets older, once he/she can have their own account a reasonable find-count already exists). Thanks for the assist! PF4

If you haven't heard Microsoft's new Vista software is incompatible with Palm's OS (or vice versa, I guess). My previous harddrive crashed and we "upgraded" to a new computer which came with Vista. I tried to reload my Palm Quick Install and lo and behold, I get a note from Palm that the "software is currently incompatible". All this happened the night before we were off to DC for a road trip. It's tough doing virtual caches if you don't know what clues to search for. Has anyone figured out a "work-around" to get the pdb files from GSAK onto your palm using Vista? (I am NOT a techie, so you can't be too detailed in your assistance). If it makes any difference, I was able to load "part" {?} of the software. My Palm will hot sync now, but when I try and export caches from GSAK, I get a message that there are no users on the desktop and that I should use Palm Desktop to create a new user. Any help is greatly appreciated. BTW-Incredible virtuals around the mall in DC. Highly recommend the adventure!! Thanks- Pathfinders4

Ordinarily I would agree with you. But shouldn't a TB get "credit" for the miles from its activation point to its first cache? Is there a way to establish a virtual cache using the activation coords or home zip code to represent a starting point? (When you activate a bug, it only asks for the State of origin). PF4

I recently returned from a road trip to Texas and took along some TBs (mine and others). For a couple, this was the first time they were placed in a cache. I activated them in NC and took them to Texas, but their miles still show "0". How can I go back and establish a "starting point" for a TB? Can I use the same method for bugs in the future? Thanks PF4

Thanks all. Got a hold of Garmin Tech support by phone and email. They hooked me up with a software update and a master reset and, I think, I'm good to hook!! Will keep all the advice in mind should it happen again. (I still may use this as a good excuse to "upgrade"!!) PF4

We're three days away from GeoWoodstock 5 and my Garmin eTrex has just started this odd "quirk". Periodically during normal operations, it gets these horizontal lines across the screen. The screen is still visible, but it looks like it's going to phase out. It does it while on the car jack and when outside of the car on battery power. Batteries are new. It's done it in several locations over the last couple of days, so it's not power lines, microwaves, aliens (sunspots??) I have had no problem with coord accuracy (at least, not outside of the usual problems I have when caching), but this is something very recent. Has anyone experienced anything like this before? Is the unit getting ready to head to the "great Cache in the sky"?? Is there anything I can do or will Garmin have to take a look at it? Any help will be appreciated. Pathfinders4

Okay, sometimes I’m accused of being that "good idea guy” and I’m not sure it’s always meant as a compliment…. Either way, let me hear some feedback. Would it be in the spirit of a mystery or puzzle cache to hide the cache coordinates in a Soduko puzzle? The puzzle would be a simple one, posted on the cache info sheet. Once seekers solved the puzzle, the coordinates for the cache would be revealed in the solution. I've not seen it done yet in my area, but I've yet to see it all anyway!! PF4

Okay gang. I'm not a techie, but not completely giga-challenged either. Type slow, I'm taking notes. I want to do paperless caching with my GPSr (Garmin etrex) and my Palm PDA. My GPSr will get me there; I want to carry the cache info sheets on my Palm (no more printin' them off). I've been researching; reading thru the forums and doing my homework. As I understand it, I need something like GSAK on my home computer (I'm pretty decided on GSAK) and something like cachemate on my Palm to read the .gpx files. Swiss Army Knife manages, displays and "spins" the data from geocaching.com and allows me a method to download the results to my Palm. The cachemate on my Palm then is able to read (and display) the grids; logs, description, hints and pictures of a cache info page. Is that about it or am I missing something? 'Preciate any help. PF4

Looks like spelling (or better yet, proofing) isn't my forte either (milage sounds like something that should come out of a silo on a farm). So my mileage is calculated from cache to cache. (The other problem I'm having is that the finder has held on to it for 3 weeks (so far). Thanks for the quick answer. (BTW - Why does it say "tadpole" next to my posting?)

Okay. When I activated my travel bug, the website asked me the TB Origin (or something like that). I entered my state (NC) and activated my bug. I drove it over 200 miles to the coast and dropped it in a cache. Another user retrieved it and (as of yet) has not dropped it again. The TB is still showing 0 miles traveled. Technically, if it never leaves NC, won't it always show "0 miles"? Is there (Was there?) a way to give my TB beginning coordinates to more accurately track the milage? Thanks. PF4

Okay... I thought I had kind of gotten the hang of this. My first cache had a travel bug in it and I moved it on fairly quickly. It's still in the same cache and if I can get it to it's goal, I will go back and retrieve him. I saw someone mention a Travel Bug Hotel the other day. What would be the sense of establishing a cache with just travel bugs? Are there enough of them out there to keep the game moving? (BTW- the little Pathfinders and I are loving the heck out of this new hobby. After a month and a half we already have 10 found!)