Dave_W6DPS

I don't know which is worse: Not being able to find help when I need it, OR, Getting "help" when I don't want it..... My two cents worth, refunds available on request. (US funds only)

The geocaching course is $50 and the orienteering class (linked from the same page) is FREE??? This just doesn't seem right--orienteering takes more instruction and--arguably--more skills, but the same length class is free... In fact, the ONLY one of the five classes that they charge for is geocaching! HUH!?! My two cents worth, refunds available on request. (US funds only)

I haven't traded in any cache I have found solo. (Which is about half, so far.) If I am with my 11 yo son, he likes to trade. I generally just like the fresh air, exercise, and bit of a challenge... My two cents worth, refunds available on request. (US funds only)

Saturday I had three straight caches where I let my son do the trinket trading while I wrote in the log--by the time I had finished each he had already traded, closed the container, and was replacing it. On the first one I almost walked away with the log after telling him what a good job he had done getting the cache back into the "as found" condition. Maybe just someone with their mind already on the next cache. You would think they would realize what they had done in time to take the log back, IF it WAS and accident. My two cents worth, refunds available on request. (US funds only)

quote:Originally posted by JoeCthulhu:You are a nerd! Any self-respecting geocacher knows you wear the laryard around your wrist. I have a 3 year old son who usually needs a little help on the steep hills....I can't be the only one that occassionally puts the lanyard around their neck, can I? --CoronaKid Putting the lanyard around their neck is not a good way to help your 3 year old up a steep hill! You could damage the GPS! [sorry, I couldn't resist!] My two cents worth, refunds available on request. (US funds only)

This has me thinking, too. Islands, bouys, even areas where the shortest way to access is by boat, otherwise you have to hike all day--leaves the option open for landlubbers.... Why limit to lakes? The pacific coast around here has a lot of areas accessable by kayak or paddle board, but not by land. Thought provoking question, thanks! My two cents worth, refunds available on request. (US funds only)

Are you actually carrying two GPSr unit turned on at the same time? If so, try using one to find a location and note the coordinates, turn that one off and turn on the other. See if they are closer this way. Two receivers opperating very near each other, say less than about 2 to 8 feet depending on the receivers, can interact due to their IF stages interacting. Sometimes, I have seen one ham transceiver so desensitized by a common AM/FM radio that it was useless when both were turned on. Other times the effect is much less. If they work okay when one is turned on, but not both, the answer is only to use one at a time. If they give different readings when only one is turned on, something else is going. Take both to a known location and see which is reading correctly. Hope this helps! My two cents worth, refunds available on request. (US funds only) Dave_W6DPS

You might want to look through the posts. Australia doesn't have as many hams (or anything else) per hectare as the US, but there are quite a few and they are very active. There are not a lot of repeaters (retransmission stations to extend the range of hand-held ham transmitters) in the outback, but there are other options. If I can hear a fellow in Mt Barker, West Australia, from my car in southern California, I would think you could reach someone around your location. It took a mobile 10 meter rig, magnetic mount antenna, and 25 watts for my contact with "down under" last week. The record for backpacker to backpacker ham radio contacts was recently set when a hiker in California confirmed a two-way contact with a hiker in New Zealand. I don't know how difficult it is to get a license in Australia, but something you might want to think about. I wouldn't go hiking or geocaching without a hand-held transciever. My two cents, refunds available on request (US funds only). Dave_W6DPS

I like the idea of a multi-legged course with a combination of coordinates and traditional orienteering. Coordinates that lead to an orienteering puzzle that leads to more coordinates, etc. Trivia questions sound interesting, too. Maybe throw in a couple to spice things up. I do have to ask, since you are listed in Temescal District and I live in neighboring Tahquitz District of C.I.E.C., will this be at one of our council's camps? Or a nearby council? I think it would be great, and I know some boys who would love to "beta test" any configuration you come up with! Dave_W6DPS Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 196 Committee Member, Crew 196 Lake Elsinore Dave_W6DPS@yahoo.com

I have looked at other sites and databases, but this site seems to have the most listings in southern California. Your mileage may vary, but this seems the best for me. I try to avoid confusion by not registering with more than one group if one meets my needs. It just boils down to how much time you want to spend at the tube... My two cents worth, refunds available on request.

I have looked at other sites and databases, but this site seems to have the most listings in southern California. Your mileage may vary, but this seems the best for me. I try to avoid confusion by not registering with more than one group if one meets my needs. It just boils down to how much time you want to spend at the tube... My two cents worth, refunds available on request.