StarshipTrooper

Doesn't TopoZone data also come straight from USGS? Anyway - Arpegio, it looks like your main problem is that you bought the wrong GPS for your use. If you wanted a unit that worked as a hendheld and an autorouter, you might have done better with an IQue3600. Mine came with all the mapping I need (all US streets) on DVD. And it all loads onto the hard rive of my PC.

Thanks for making me look closer, Red90! I was unaware that Cachemate has a plugin for use with the IQue. The "export" button puts the caches on the map page and Navicache gives me a compass page. Way cool! Now I can have voice guidance to my caches!

Okay - what is the waypoint converter? Where can I get it? I'd love to be able to use the IQ for city caching.

It depends. Does the building not have doors within several hundred feet of the outside cache? Is the indoor cache on the observation deck of a skyscraper? You would need to make a case for this to the reviewer based on the unique setting of the caches. Generally you would face an uphill battle. I recall saying no to a cache in a town square across the street from a library that had a cache inside it. It is pretty easy to walk out the front door of the library and cross the street. Thanks! You've just revived one of my old ideas that I gave up on...

What about inside and outside a building?

Oh yeah - I also download free "ebooks" and read them in my short blocks of free time (the PDA is always with me). And the DeLorme mapping program is nice - especially with the add-on gps.

With all due respect to the Supreme Commander, Uber Geek and Evil Overlord ... If you want to hide a micro in the woods ... GO FOR IT!!! Just remember, you've been warned. The log entries for your micro may have to be censored in some states. And for cring out loud, if you want to drill a small hole in a dead tree stump ... (get permission and) GO FOR IT!!! If you are looking for unanimous approval in these forums, forget it. Ain't gonna happen. For once, I completely agree with Clearpath! BTW - *I* find that *hunting for* a micro in the woods is a bad idea. But sometimes I do it anyway.

Even though it seems that other caches which might be equally guilty of "agenda" do exist, and even thoigh I disagree with Keystone's assessment - that is not a reason for any particular cache approver to stop trying to apply that standard as he sees fit. I may not think that the OP's cache offends the rule - but he should accept the approver's final decision and move on. Modify the cache to meet his/her approval, or find a listing service that will accept it as is. But no one should assume that all caches will be held to the same standard with all approvers (standards and enforcement being somewhat iffy), and this whole thread of argument kinda shows why the OP's cache is even an issue with the site management.

I'm CoyoteRed and JohnnyVegas on this one. It doesn't matter if one has to be tall or have long arms to grab the cache. There are lots of caches that require special equipment to access them. Just because I can see one with binoculars doesn't mean I should log a find. If it takes climbing gear or other impliments to get the cache, then that's the only way I'm going to log it. If it's out of my reach for any reason, it's a dnf until I figure out a way.

Unless the owner invited folks to log the cache again in the new location (which I would never do, unless it had been moved much more than 53'), I would post a note that it had moved and then forget about it. I have one such multi-cache that had to have the final stage moved about a half a mile because of a change in land issues. I posted a note on the cache page that second "find" logs for the new final would be accepted. Without such an invitation, I wouldn't claim a smiley. Wow! Lookit those worms fly!

You might enjoy this link from my sig line, or this one from my profile. I'm kinda curious about those that carry in a backpack...... it would seem to me to be pretty useless back there. In the hopefully rare chance you might need it, would you really be able to access it in time? Mopar - I already knew about those two, but thanks anyway. Backpack carry makes sense in some situations. Like when you're only carrying it because at some opint in your outing you might participate in a little informal target shooting, but it would be unsafe or impracticle to carry in a more "tactically suitable" location. (I know - it's a stretch, but it's not uncommon) But if you think you're carrying the gun/knife/pepper spray/whatever for protection, the backpack is only slightly better than leaving it behind in the car. That is to say, if you can't reach it quickly, why bother? This brings to mind a recent thread here about a group of cachers who were assaulted at a cache location - in Washington, IIRC - while one of the victim's gun was carried uselessly in his backpack... Edit: There *is* at least on backpack that I can think of that is designed for quick access from a special gun pocket. If I can find a link, I'll post it. One would have to be more limber than *I* am to rely on that system though.

PWCORG, thanks for that link! Even though it's a little dated, the historical analysis is great.

Are you using Cachemate? If you are, don't overlook the "log" feature where you can log the cache from the cache page on your Palm, then convert it to a memo which will be transferred to your PC during synchronization. From there, you can cut&paste to log online. Besides that - I find the address&phone book, the day planner, and the To Do list features of the Palm almost indespensable for everyday business.

RK - next time you're in Boise, check out the collection of lights at Sportsmans Warehouse. They sell a 3w Luxeon LED light with their name on it for $34.95. Sometimes it's on sale for $25 or $30. I've been using one of these for over a year now and it seems to be indestructable and has a nice throw. It's a decent cheaper option to Surefire lights. It does use the 123 batteries (as do most of my lights I carry regularly), but they aren't that expensive if you buy them directly from Surefire and they last a long time in this light. (2 or 3 months, usually - and I work in the dark more than half the time) They also carry another lower-priced option that looks very good - IIRC, Optonetics? or something like that - that looks very good. What you're looking for is a 1w, 3w, or 5w (all the 5w I know of are still very expensive), using what they call a "collimator" (sp?) lense. It's easy to spot, 'cause it has that spherical shape. Note that some of the cheaper lights use a similar lense with a 5mm LED - that's not what you're looking for. Also - it should have an aluminum body, because the Luxeon LEDs put out a lot of heat and will have a shorter life without proper heat-sinking. There are ways around that, but they are more expensive.

LED's have come a long way. Even so they are new enough to where some things just have not been demonstrated. LED's typically have a hard time with 'throw'. Until yesterday I didn't even know what that was, but it turns out that's what I like about my Mag Lights. They have the ability to focus the beam which gives them great 'throw'. All LEDs I've ever seen suck at that. Has this issue been tackeled by LEDs yet? Yes. And you don't have to spend $90 to get that kind of performance anymore. Look for a 1watt or 3watt light that uses a spherical lense, rather than a reflector.

Sigh... sbell111 says: "I do think that your being overly paranoid. Of course, 'those people' would have no ideea whether you were actually carrying at that moment. Also, how suspicious would it be if someone told a cop that I pointed a BDA380 at them? Do you really think that most people can identify a specific weapon from a few feet away?" I guess I'm not getting across my point. He DOESN"T HAVE to see it. And if you state publicly that you always carry, odds are you will be carrying. I suppose you could be bluffing though... sbell111 says: "...BTW, I think the super huge mags change the weapon's balance too much." So do I. sbell111: "I love it when people pull out the old 'If you disagree, you're stupid' argument...." I didn't say that. If anything, I implied as to mine OWN shortcoming..."...it will be way to difficult for me to make you understand...." Did you catch the "for me" part? Hey - I'm on your side here, for the most part. Don't be so touchy! sbell111: "People get in a tizzy around here if you say that you like micros. I'm not going to limit my behavior for the sole purpose of pacifying them." Yes they do. And you shouldn't. But a little diplomacy can go a long way. Anything that helps these threads from not being locked might be worth considering. Now - I've disrupted this thread too much myself. I won't post again unles I can add something to the OP's question...

Please elaborate. How would anyone be able to cause you more trouble simply by knowing what your carry weapon is (beyond the knowledge that the warthog has more stopping power than my BDA 380 and I have a possible two more chances of dropping my target)? I, for one, am very interested in other people;s feelings about methods of concealment. It helps me to know what their specific weapons are to judge whether their concerns should be mine. For instance, I would likely care about what the warthog owner has to say about concelement more than someone who carries a 'full-frame' weapon. I haven't read cold statements such as you suggested. Did I miss them? In every thread regarding this topic, two points have come up. 1) If you are going to carry a weapon, you must have the proper training and practice. 2) If you are going to carry, you must be willing to use the weapon, if necessary. These are very basic rules, not a 'bad-a**' boast. Most people who carry a weapon never have to use it. The rest wish that they didn't have to. I don't see the harm. Its fair discussion that is geocaching-related. There are many topics that come up in here that don't interest me. I have the option to not open those threads or to hold off on posting if I can't add to the discussion. (Of course, I'm just as likely to post saom snarky comment, but that's my decision.) Sorry about the clutter here... Answer to question #1: If he knows who you are and he knows what you carry, it goes like this... Complaint: "Officer there's a man with a gun" Officer, so&so threatened me with a gun" or some such variation. Officer: (among other questions that can be answered with fiction) Describe the gun? You see where this leads. Being able to describe the weapon is considered as evidence that it has been seen. Sure - you may beat this, but at what cost? That's just one example, and I'm sure you think I'm being paranoid - but, well, whatever... Answer to question #2: Check out posts 40 and 44. Other similar threads have such posts as well. Answer to comment #3: I don't see the harm in toning it down a bit either. It's really not bad here, but it could be better. As for the photos...do you really want photos of you and your guns out on the internet? If you see no problem with that, it will be way to difficult for me to make you understand. The photos really aren't necessary (except in the case of the Keltec clip example), and many non-gun folks look at them as a form of boasting. Answer to comment #4: Sure, you have that option. I'm just pointing out the things that 1) are specifically unwise, and 2) cause the non-gun folks here to get in a tizzy and disrupt the thread or cause it to be locked.

Or...TNLNSL-TFTC can also mean, "We cached all day/night and bagged dozens. Now I have a limited amount of time to get them logged so the owner will at least know we were there - and then I have to go to work/bed/dinner." ON the physical log, it might mean, "We found this cache on a day/night in which we intend to hunt for as many caches as we possibly can. When we get home, we hope to have so many caches to log online that we'll only have time to post the same kind of log there." It could also mean, "I love to cache, but I'm very busy. I barely have time to hunt in between obligations and even less time to log them online. I liked your cache, or else I wouldn't even bother with TNLNSL." Don't take it personally. It's not about you or your cache. Some people would rather hunt than write.

Interesting to me how you went from "having some questions/concerns" to simply making your own statement. Anyhow - ignoring the fact that your slanted view of anyone's competence with a gun (probably based on your law-enforcement culture background - I've seen how poorly trained the bulk of YOU folks are) is not based entirely on factual history...And in spite of the fact that you weigh your own words with passages like "it is quite possible you would never get the gun out of your holster.." (hint - it is also "quite possible" that you WOULD get the gun out).... ...I will attempt to answer your ONE question/concern. Question: Why would you feel the need to carry a gun? Aswer: Many possible reasons. 1) To have a tool with which to deal with the possibility of criminal attack. Right here on this forum, there have been anecdotes about violent criminal attacks on geocachers who were breaking no laws. 2) Animal attacks. Not all vicious animals are bears, and not all animals do what experts tell us they are supposed to do. 3) Duty. Studies have shown over the last couple of decades that states which allow legal concealed carry by law-abiding citizens have a lower violent crime rate than those that don't. Some of those studies show a direct correlation (allowing for other factors) of reduced crime rates to active participation in concealed-carry. This can't work if no one participates. (argue the stats all you want. The reason is still valid) 4) Practicality. For many gun owners, it makes more sense to have it with you than to leave it somewhere - for various reasons. Use your imagination. 5) Principle. If you truly believe in the second amendment (those of you who don't have nothing to do with this reason), this is a pro-active why to support it, encourage it, enforce it, whatever... 6) Practice. You can often tell which legal gun (concelaed) carriers only do it occasionally or just started. They're the ones that are "showing" - inadvertantly or otherwise. It takes some practice and experience to find what works for you without showing. The day you become aware of a particular threat is not the best time to begin this process. I'm sure there's more - but if you really wanted an answer, that should be enough. Accept it or don't - it's still a logical answer.

Agreed (hence the relevance of discussing concealment methods and appropriate hardware for same). Open carry invites trouble, therefore you are very right in saying "keep it to yourself". But posting in this thread is not "showing off" but rather discussion of do you carry when caching.... Yes, but I wasn't addressing those who simply post to this thread. Here is an example of what I was talking about (not picking on anyone intentionally - just grabbed the most recent): "Count me in with a Para-Ordinance Stealth Warthog .45..." Not a very good example, I admit - but my point is that there is no need to give specifics of WHAT YOU CARRY to have this discussion. Were this person to accidentally piss off one of his locals that reads this forum, that person now has all the info he needs to cause the Warthog owner a lot of hardship. You may consider that far-fetched, but it is based on real-life incidents (loosely), and though it is probably less likely than the possibility of actually NEEDING that gun (a possibility that a lot of folks here are blissfully ignorant of), it is still a possibility that is not worth feeding. Furthermore - If, God forbid, you ever have to actually SHOOT someone in defense - bold statements of one's prowess with a gun or willingness to use it WILL be sought out by unscrupulous prosecuting attorneys and tort lawyers. Don't think for a minute that anyone has any rea anonymity here. If such a thing happens to you, your PC will likely be confiscated as evidence - and you know what that means... I'm just saying that a discussion on carry methods and gear need not include pictures of YOUR gun and YOURself in various methods of carrying. Besides, perhaps if you tone it down a bit, you wouldn't get so much backlash. There ARE sites for discussing all of this where it is welcome. It's not surprising to me that some here would take offense. That's no reason NOT to discuss it here, but it IS a reason to keep the discussion a little low-key and less provocative.

Sorry to be picky, but this is one of the things that I'm on a lone crusade to change in this world. The correct phrase is "I couldn't care less". If you "could care less", that means that you care some. If you "couldn't care less", that means you don't care at all. I'm also trying to rid the world of the non-words "alot" and "allot". I see these around here a lot. I've given up on trying to deal with "your" vs. "you're" - and "their", "they're", and "there". And that is all the time you've been "allotted" for "your" crusade here. It's neither here nor "there", but you can correct them until "you're" blue in the face, and "they're" still going to butcher that phrase, because they really "couldn't care less". Oh yeah - thanks a lot. Now I know I'm not the only one.

The Mods are afraid of the Geo Neo Gun Nuts. Just like in real life how the NRA pushes all the lawmakers around Capitol Hill. Wow. That was not even half way through the first page. I didn't bother to read past page one - so I apologize if this has been addressed already. Every time this subject comes up, there is no shortage of folks jumping in to "show what they got". It's no wonder some others think it a little strange (gun enthusiasm). But the point I really want to make is that as a gun owner and a legal carrier, it is not wise to let the public know what and where you're carrying. If any of you don't understand why that is, that is evidence that you are lacking in training. Think about it. Seek training. Keep it to yourself.

Quirks are what give people personality. I can live with quirks. What bothers me is the folks who's caches have been confirmed to be missing, but won't replace the container or archive the cache. Or the ones who, after numerous DNFs, won't even check on the cache.

I know Criminal stated his preference against going down this road on this thread, but I can't help but make this observation... There are a lot of folks who still think Treadwell's perception of bear "personality" is correct (whether they are aware of it or not). Some of them might even be geocachers. Those folks probably need a little graphic reporting to wake them up and start thinking about their own safety and the safety of their families. Thanks, Crim, for posting those excerpts!

I think you should look at your lease agreement. I'll bet it states in there somewhere that the mileage shown on the car's odometer will be assumed to be the correct mileage - or words to that effect.