Cachetrotters

There is a way to test this with several receiver types at one time. A volunteer is needed who lives near an amusement park with any type of roller coaster with big drops--Sandusky, anyone? Anyway, it should be easy enough to find out the total track length for a coaster, which would include all loops and rises/drops. Check the odometer when finished and compare to the out-and-back distance if you were to walk to the farthest point and back on the ground. Modify this setup as required. don

Not sure where you are getting that information about lamp life for high intensity bulbs. I have seen that 2-3 hours life-span number before in these forums. I called Surefire and asked about this (because who wants a bulb that will barely outlive a set of batteries, right?). They responded that they expect to get 30 hours of lamp life from their bulbs. And that sounds much more reasonable. Don

Thanks to all who cared for an itty-bitty bear on a 2700+ mile journey. My family picked him up this morning at Boundertom's HTGHD # 19 - Columbus cache. The little guy has been frozen in Flagstaff, partied at the Fiesta bowl, seen the northern-most reaches of Michigan, and skipped his way through Indiana and Cincinnati. I looked on a few TB info pages, but did not see an answer to these 2 q's: 1) Can a TB be renamed and re-missioned for a return trip? or 2) How can it be retired with honors? He was a well-behaved bear. Cachetrotters

Hhmmm... So you say. Waiting for evidence to support your claim.

Oh, come now, Mr. Keith Watson! Get into the spirit of the discussion. You're being entirely too reasonable. Don't be afraid to show your-- 1) Bias, if you have direct personal experience or 2) Prejudice, if you only hate it because someone else said so.

quote:Originally posted by SirRalanN:<snip> Test 1 Both the speedo and the GPS agreed Test 2 GPS read 0.4% SLOWER than Speedo Test 3 GPS read 8% FASTER than Speedo Test 4 GPS read 7.2% SLOWER than Speedo <snip> Did you really mean to say 0.4%? 0.4% of what speed--something is needed to make this relative error meaningful. Perhaps you meant 0.4 mph, which would indicate a zero bias and therefor constant error at all speeds. Otherwise, if the speed is 100 mph, 0.4% is 0.4 mph, or 4 tenths of 1 mph. At 30 mph, 0.4% is 0.12 mph. Perhaps your speedo has a sensitivity error? But how can you know? Even if a speedo is digital, unless it displays tenths mph the uncertainty is 0.5 mph at all speeds. That means the speedometer display error alone is larger than the stated error at 100 (0.5>0.4), and over 4 times larger than the stated error at 30 (0.5>0.12). If the speedo is analog, I would expect even larger uncertainties. don

My Meridian and STPro show 60 mph when my speedos indicate 61 mph in both my Century and Taurus with the cruise on, straight and level, and open ground (so. Cal. desert). This is supported by the roadside radar trailers on several occassions. But, how do I know that I can trust any of it? Fundamental measurements of time and distance, of course. There is a 4-mile measured mile course on a local freeway. That and a nice little digital stopwatch tell me what I need to know. Milage markers are generally accurate anyway, so I use them regularly, but I never trust any single one. I take several readings over several miles at several different locations. Works well. don

quote:Originally posted by SuperAlpha:L4 Lumamax - 5W LED - 65Lumens...is that bright enough? Although the lifetime is similar to the Xenon counterparts, unlike Xenon, these LEDS have a bulb life of 10,000 hours whereas Xenon is usually 3 hours (approx 3 battery changes) <snip> This statement got me to thinking--this is a very short time for a bulb. Perhaps you mis-stated, but I contacted the SureFire company and asked about bulb service life. They replied: Dear sir, We expect to get 20-30 hours out of our bulbs. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to write back or call us at 1-800-828-8809. We are dedicated to providing world-class customer service and welcome future inquiries or comments. Stuart Yager Technical Support This sounds much better at 20 to 30 battery changes instead of 3. don

I recently purchased a SureFire Nitrolon G2. After checking out several flashlight models and brands, I decided on the G2 at $34. Also, SureFire batteries are about 1.25 each before shipping (12pack/$15). Others are charging 2x to 4x more for the 3V Lithiums. I still use the Mini-Mags--they keep the paper from blowing around on my desk.

Yep. If you clear your tracklog before starting the walk from the car or other reference point, the 'breadcrumbs'--your track-- can be backtracked. Your receiver has the ability to create a backtrack, probably from the ROUTE menu. This will guide you back the way you came, provided your GPSr was on all the time. PS: Now that you have some first-hand experience, it's a good time to re-read the manual. Many things will crystalize for you now. don

While my story isn't as emotionally compelling as some here, our TB is a likeable fellow (Ohio Bound Bear) and most have been willing to move him along fairly quickly, until now. He has just gone over the 60-day mark, beating the previous understandable mark of 42 days last winter. An active couple from South Bend, Ind. has him. I e-mailed a "hope every thing's OK..." last week but have had no response. They're still alive because they were on the site just a few days ago. Previous e-mails to other cachers yielded quick responses. I don't know whether to keep waiting or e-mail again. He's very close to his destination. Perhaps I should log a note on the TB's page? don

quote:snipBy using the Magellan 310 on the DD:MM.MM setting, like Olar says, you could be out by up to 10 metres. Or, switch it to UTM, and be spot on. One could argue that UTM gives a more precise position than DD:MM.MMM. Thanks, don't mind if I do argue. Lest we forget, accuracy and precision are related, but not the same. Even though a coordinate may display 1 meter resolution or arc-second to 4 decimal places (DMS.ssss), it does not necessarily follow that you are where it says you are. UTM showing changes in position in 1 meter intervals would be more precise than DM.mmm, as you state, but not more accurate. don

I suspect Cobra outsourced the entire project to another manufacturer and is not involved in anything but stamping their name on it, whereas Magellan and Garmin likely design and write specifications for theirs even though assembly is done overseas. don

quote:Originally posted by Ouchie_Jumbug:Thanks for the link. The only problem is, there still isn't anyone who's actually used one. There are web pages that sell them, and the Cobra site has spec sheets, but I can't find any reviews or even comments from users. I'm beginnning to think nobody is using them at all. I know they're new, but they aren't *that* new. Oh, well. Just visited the site and they are out of stock on the high-end model. It looks nice, but who will be the brave soul to shell out over 200 bucks just for a test ride? Cobra is a well-known name, but has no track record with GPS. For the same money, I'd get something that is a known quantity until the Cobra GPS quality evidence is presented. don

quote:Originally posted by Jolly B Good:thanks for all the thoughts and advice folks. Guess the only way we'll really know is when my cradle and null modem arrive next week. I'm hopeful it'll work. (snip) Interesting thread. Question: Why not build your own null cable with components from, for example, Radio Shack? If asthetics are not important (molded connector), this seems a faster/cheaper way to go, and allows length customization. As for RS-232 specifications, I guess that's why it's still RS, and not an IEEE standard. RS=Recommended Standard. don

Good Call. In terms of efficiency, as I am a hunt-and-peck typist, this makes the most sense. G is left of center on a 'QWERTY", P is far right, S is left, and u is right of center. r, however, is left of center, and requires the right finger to hunt farther before pecking.......

For those not interested in or reading regularly about astronomy, the high-end telescopes now provide positioning for alignment using built-in GPSr in the forks. Some advertise in excess of 12 channels so you REALLY know where your telescope is, so therefore polar-alignment is better than the competitors model. Sheesh. PS- Can't wait to hear all the crying from those who couldn't find the cache with 18 channels--more than enough of that now with only 12...

r = receiver We wouldn't want anyone to mistakenly think we are all carrying around GPS satellites in our pockets... If there was anything worse than an anal retentive condition, this would be the perfect example.

Are you one of many here that like to take things apart to see what makes them tick? If so, perhaps you did not make a good seal when you put it back together again. The shell seal and battery compartment seal may well be two different types--one designed for long term wear-and-tear and the other designed to be replaced at the factory every time the shell is opened, which is the only place it should be. If you have salt-water corrosion then it could be water vapor getting past the shell seal over time. On the other hand, how many cycles does the battery compartment cover have? 20, 30, 40 sets of batteries? Perhaps it needs cleaning or replacement. And perhaps the sliding tabs need a little realignment to pull the cover snug. My Meridian...water tight...yes! don

just plopped from that elephant....

quote:Originally posted by Sissy-n-CR:The COLOR has a higher rez screen. 240x160 Kind of disappointed by Magellan's use of the word resolution when they are actually describing the size of the display in pixels. Not the same thing. So I did a little checking based on spec data at the websites. The ST Color now has a display that is about 35% better than the ST Pro (a good improvement) and is 77% of the Garmin Vista (better, but needs work). Hope this puts it into better perspective. Vista: H 137p/in, W 145p/in. ST Color: H 104p/in, W 114p/in. ST Pro: H 70p/in, W 74p/in. don

Don't understand your 'reasoning' on this--suspect you don't either. robertlipe is right about folklore. don

If the manual doen't tell you how to, then this unit may have a fixed format display. Edit: Found the website, finally. No manual to download. The FAQ says the 100 has 221 different datums in memory. I have to believe that the format can also be changed. It may be burried in a sub-sub menu. Look through them all. Unfortunately, the FAQ also says that this unit is not WAAS or DGPS capable. Pity. don [This message was edited by Cachetrotters on June 14, 2003 at 09:07 AM.]

Sure-- stiff upper lip, nose in air, straight back, rigid inflexibility--typical symptoms of a pole stuck in the usual place. Borrow a GPS (unless boaters are beneath you) and be on with it!

Some minor terminology confusion here. Format and datum are not the same thing. For example, using the WGS84 datum, you can have several formats--how the gps displays the position. Deg and minutes and seconds (DMS), degrees and minutes and tenths of minutes (DM.mm), and degrees and tenths of degrees (DDD.ddd). don