NormalGeo

I usually consider myself ok with technology, but a few weeks ago I purchased my first Garmin, a GPSMAP 64st, and I am completely perplexed at how to use it for Geocaching. Suffice it to say the 64st is making me feel like a total n00b. I've been using an iPad mini tethered to a Bad-Elf Pro GPS, and it is so easy to use; however, that configuration lacks the ability to deploy .gpx files. I have no problem putting together a 'Collection' of Geocaches using Basecamp, then exporting them to the 64st. The problem is that I cannot figure out how to access these when in the field. I seem to only be able to access these caches when the 64st is directly connected to my computer. I can easily view what is on the 64st using basecamp on my computer, but I can't figure out the buttons to hit on the 64st to actually access them on the device. The 64st seems to only want me to go after the preloaded caches, but most of the time (in the area I cache), the cache I am seeking is not included in the preloaded caches. As for accessing a GSAK generated .gpx file from the 64st, I can't even figure out what buttons to push to find the files on the device. A little help pointing me in the right direction (proper forum or a good user manual) would be appreciate.

They are not archived, but disabled. Yikes, sorry about that. I know the difference, but misspoke. I have corrected my original post. Hopefully it is now accurate.

I was the last to log these as found before they were disabled while they are awaiting being fixed or potentially archived. I logged them Wednesday morning. By Thursday they were disabled. This is my second forum post. My first ever was yesterday. I will risk the flames since perhaps my perspective will be useful. Frankly, I had a tough time choosing between found and DNF for these. Still uncertain, but if my logs in any way swayed the decision to disable, then I am actually pleased. These were the first webcams I have attempted and the outcome was awkward. I definitely found the location and probably found one of the webcams. I don't think the other is even there anymore. I found the specific pages for the web feed for the cameras while standing at each GZ. I specifically visited Beale street to try to find these caches. The first I visited was Beale Street Blues and seeing the cam there, I figured it was a tech issue on my end. Heck, when my iPad wouldn't display the cameras and I saw a message that there is an Earthcam app, I guessed that the problem was with me and I downloaded 'found' the $0.99 app. What I didn't find was a live camera to photo document the log. My original call was this constituted a DNF and that was how I began to log it. I gave the BSB page's description one more read and I noticed the CO's instruction to post a selfie if the cam isn't working. It was that instruction from the cache description that tipped me over to logging a find. The fact that I had done all of the above and the fact that there were many other selfie logs still had me at DNF. The CO's instructions made the defining difference for me. Minutes later I was standing at the This Bud's for You GZ and a similar story was unveiling. Only this time, I saw lots of camera on various walls, visible with the naked eye from GZ. I am not even sure I know which, if any were the right one. Only two seemed likely based on likely field of view of cameras. Again, many found logs noting camera wasn't working. I noticed the Earthcam app has a search for webcams in the area, and which are online feature, so I gave that ago. It indicated there are NO Earthcams in the area. Not just there and offline, simply NONE extant. With the BSB experience, this experience, the knowledge that webcam caches are legacy caches and all of the found logs of broken or missing webcams, I concluded that it was the CULTURE of the geocaching community to log these as found, no matter their state. (I am still debating that, but look at the date; there are way more 'found' logs on these broken cams than DNF logs.) Yesterday I noticed the two webcams were disabled. When. I saw this I nearly simultaneously thought, wow, I am glad I visited their GZs before they were disabled and might be archived, and it is long overdue that action be taken on these. Glad, because it left me with an interesting story. The stories in general are part of what has made me a rapid Geocaching addict. Pleased to see them disabled because being not functional so long and still being considered active seems to go against what I saw as the geocaching ethos. As I logged them, I was thinking I has misunderstood the spirit of geocaching. Seeing them disabled after careful consideration immediately restored my positive view of the geocaching community. I look forward to seeing how the story unfolds. Ready, set... flame away.....

First forum post... Here goes. Thoughts on TBs making serial cache visits and TBs living unreleased. I started caching less than five months ago in preparation for a trip from the US to Europe. I soon found a TB that would have spent the winter buried in Illinois now. I contacted the owner and asked if I could take it off mission to Europe and was encouraged to do so. Turns out his pre-teen is watching it and hoped to see lots of photos of where it travels. I have a seven year old and we had lots of fun logging visits to many caches with the TB and posting lots of photos. GPS tie to iPad running ground speak app makes this really easy. We wanted to provide some nice vicarious travels and hope we did. I was very worried that the TB would go missing once I released it, particularly since I have not being doing this long enough to know which caches are likely to lose trackables and which are safe. Now we have a TB being watched by a pre-teen from the Netherlands and will release it soon, but have taken it to many caches and logged with photos. Unfortunately while it is easy to make comments and post a photo tied to the cache and it is easy to log the TB as visiting. The Groundspeak app doesn't make it simple to log the same information to the TB's page, and in the app, when logging the TB from the cache page, there is no option to upload a photo to the trackables page. That is why most of my TB visit logs are blank. The information worth reading and photo worth viewing are part of my log of the cache's page, which is linked to the TB visit log, but not directly visible in the TB visit log. (Perhaps I am missing how to use a key feature of the iPad app?) So, my pre-teen got really excited when she found a key chain fob with a 'found it' smiley in a cache. She traded for it and wants to take it to every cache she visits. I support her vision, so I bought a TB tag and she chained it to her fob. We keep one family account. When she is along for a find, we log her fob as visiting. When she isn't along, the fob doesn't visit. So here you see a TB that has not been released and we don't plan to release it, but I would like to think we are using it appropriately. If you are curious about our antics, I think it should be easy to get to my logs and photos since my post discloses my account. I would be happy to receive constructive advice on whether we are doing this geocaching sport the right way, if there is such a thing. Certainly, we are doing it the way we enjoy. I hope we aren't annoying owners of trackables and caches by logging the details we do. (I try to avoid photos and logs that are spoilers unless spoilers are already present for a given cache. I am careful not to post photos of trackables with code visible.).