wicca303

Thank you so much for this. I was asking for something like this in another thread and sort of got told that it wasn't practical to give a bullet point list, as people would just bullet point their answers, I wouldn't do that but was unsure what I was supposed to say other than the obvious TFTC. If you don't mind I'd like to print this out to keep in my caching bag, so I have it for reference. Hope this will be ok?

I started Geocaching in 2007 with a friend. When he was showing me how to log finds and fill in the logs, he specifically told me that we should always be adding TFTC, and a reference to whether or not we took anything TNLN. Along with these i should add a time of find. But that was it. I'm just restarting caching on my own (the friendship didn't last and with no GPS i couldn't cache in the interim) if i hadn't seen this thread i would never have known that the above was actually considered bad form when writing a log, and would have carried on writing them this way, because i was under the impression that this was the accepted norm. If cache owners expect more details on logs I would find it really helpful to have a guide (maybe in the FAQ section) that tells me (and other newbies) what we should be writing, maybe something very brief with bullet points that could be printed off and carried in your caching bag. Or maybe the cache owner could put a brief note in the description saying if you have the time please leave a longer log, saying what you liked/disliked about the cache, how easy/hard you found it, what your impressions of the area were, etc. I dunno whatever you want people to talk about. I'm a writer and photographer so things I always have with me are a compact didgital camera (and often my DSLR), an A6 notebook, and a handful of pens. If i knew what cache owners wanted i would quite happily get my notebook out after finding each cache and scribble a few notes to type up into a log when i got home, maybe take some pictures. But with pictures i'm never sure what it's acceptable to show in a photograph taken at the cache site (but that's another topic)!! So please don't generalise that we're lazy cachers just becasue we post an abbreviated log, it might simply be that we didn't know any better even after reading all the guides and things. As to deleting a log that just has TFTC, i would be really upset if someone did this to me, i think (like someone said they do) you should at least email the person who logged the find and explain that you'd like to know a little more about their find, at least give them the chance to edit the log before deleting it.

Thanks for that, i spent weeks reading everything on the forums about different GPS units before deciding. I knew i wanted a Garmin but didn't know which one. Oh brilliant will go download it now.

Thanks. Read the Oregon wiki which the Dakota wiki links to and there's some great tips i'm looking forward to trying out. I'm hoping when i have the unit in hand i will be much less confused by things the wiki's talk about. After working out how to use the GPS to it's full extent (as regards geocaching) my next step is trying to work out how to do puzzle caches. They just completely baffle me.

You can do that (through the "GPX file" or "send to GPS" buttons), but you'd still need a premium membership. "Send to GPS" still works with a basic membership, but you won't get the cache description nor the hint. You could only use a 3rd party tool like GSAK to "hand craft" the GPX using copy/paste from the cache page. PQs have two functions, their main function is a bulk download of a large number of cache listings (with all the details) and the secondary use is an extended search. Try here for a good intro: http://www.markwell.us/pq.htm Hi, Thanks for that. Been and read it. Think i've got it but it's raised another query. GSAK............do i need to download this program to be able to download pocket queries to my Garmin Dakota? The advice is slightly conflicting and i'm not sure what bit is right. Or when i get the Dakota (and my premium membership) and download it's software, can I just plug it in and drag'n'drop the pocket query files onto it, or even then would i need another program inbetween? Thanks, and sorry for the slight dumbness, it'll fade fast once i get the Dakota and can start playing around.

Just realised i got my dates mixed up so won't be upgrading my membership until the week after now. However i would still like to be able to do a few specific caches on the saturday. Is there a way to load the full cache info (description, hints, etc) without doing the pocket query? I only need to do it for about 10 caches. Thanks. Read the wiki page but don't understand some of the things it's telling me. Thanks.

Sorry for your losses. HUGS. Just to echo ao318, it might be worth looking at the Garmin Dakota 20, very similar to the Oregon but a bit smaller and also in the lower price range. I've just spent weeks researching Garmin GPS units, and with my budget and wants, the Dakota was tops for me. It has the 3-axis compass (which apparently is something else that's good to have), and it can be used for paperless caching, plus you can download free maps from ..........somewhere (sorry forgot where now) for it, and it fit with my smaller budget. Plus i read in comparitive reviews that the screen is easier to read in direct sunlight than the Oregon. I know it means thinking about yet another unit but if you look at the comparison page on the Garmin website it might cover what you need without breaking the bank. Good luck with caching.

Oops. It would appear that i just bought a Garmin Dakota online. I've never had my own GPS before, i used to go caching with a friend and he used a Garmin Etrex, which i looked at but decided i might as well spend the extra and get something so i could do paperless caching, and decided on the Dakota because it had the 3-axis compass like the Oregon, but was in my budget range. Does anyone have any hints and tips on getting the most from this unit? I know i need to upgrade my membership to Premium so i can run pocket queries to load onto it, but have no idea what they really are or how to go about it? Are there idiot proof (step by step) instructions somewhere? Thanks in advance, and apologies for all the stupid questions i'm going to be asking. The Dakota is getting delivered on Wednesday afternoon and I plan to use it on Saturday for the first time. Will be upgrading my membership on Thursday. Toni.