StarshipTrooper

Well then, quit eating the garbage to get them - and take the kids caching! I don't have any problem with mctoys - so long as they're in the original packaging. Believe it or not, I've actually "traded up" by leaving a (new in package) mctoy.

I have a couple that have gone over 9 months without a find. Of my few that have gone over 6 months, three have only been logged once and one has yet to be logged. I have observed that even here in the great northwest, there are few cachers who will go far for a cache, and even fewer who will hike any distance. What I find even more interesting is that I know I have found more than one suburban cache that had sat idle for a year or more. I have no idea how that happens...

You can get a Palm 515 for around $70 on ebay (with a little patience), and it will work well for caching. Make sure you get a hard case for it - many of the used ones are offered with hard case. I have had good luck buying used Palms from ebayers with good feedback. If yuo want to go even cheaper, you can get a B&W Palm IIIxe usually for around $30 or less. I still use one of these when I think I might be too rough on my nice Palm. You want to become a premium member so you can download pocket queries to your palm via GSAK. That way, you have all the info from the website (logs, hints, etc) right in your pocket. It opens a whole new world of caching!

Having gone with both the AAA battery unit (Palm IIIxe) and the rechargable unit (Palm 515), I would offer that the battery style is not the decision-maker. Yes, you can carry extra batteries - but you can also use a 12v adaptor for in the car. Most of the time, most of us will not be away from the car for more than a few hours while caching. You can also get a pocket-sized battery-powered emergency charger that gives you many quick "mini charges", for very little money on Ebay. Since both ways have advantages, I still use both. I use the 515 for any time I will be caching from the SUV, because I like the bright color screen and the bigger memory (and I have it attached to the Magellan GPS Companion). But I use the IIIxe whenever I will be going anywhere there is a likelyhood that it may get dirty, wet, dropped, or fallen on (because it's cheap to replace). So, I guess my answer is - get one of each, 'cause one is nicer and the other is cheap. They both work great with Cachemate.

One more thing that helps is to turn on your GPS's "show map grid" feature - if it has it.

"...Now, you're just showing off!" Like Brian said, different units do different things better - so of all the units on the market, the one I want is "several".

I'm assuming that by "lagging" you mean slower updating of your position after already obtaining a lock. I don't know about your particular unit, but I have found that the few that I have will lag more in cold-weather operation. Also, any function that involves more resources (mapping) will make that more pronounced. In answer to your question - no, it's not the sattelites. If by "lagging" you mean slower to obtain a lock - it's still not the sattelites (barring a temporary condition caused by solar activity). If you are out in particularly cold weather, you might want to switch to lithium batteries.

You have to be a premium member to get the gpx files. If you want to know what gpx files will do for you, it's easy to describe... With GSAK, Cachemate, and gpx files with your PDA, you get all the text info that's on the cache page. It is definitely worth the expense if you want to do more than a little geocaching.

That would be a Garmin Legend with a Quad Helix antenna. Mo'betta, IMO!

Just to expand on that, any Palm with 8 meg or more of memory will do the trick. Lot's of Palm IIIxe's out there can be had for cheap, and they run on AAA batteries.

Muddog, I see you are in this area. I hadn't heard of any cachehorde strikes lately. Which caches did you hunt that had been taken, and what signs did you see that it was the same cachemaggot?

So where is the cachemaggot striking now? We had it around here in SW Idaho for awhile, then it left. Seems we tracked it's presence to Eugene Oregon area right around that time. Maybe if we all get together with what we know we can get some idea of it's identity and notify it's parental units.

It's been in and out for me the last few days as well. Aggravating!

Delorme Topo5 combined with Delorme Street Atlas will give you topos you can load onto your PDA. There is also a provision for capturing and using online sat photos with that package.

You can also import cache waypoints from GSAK. Additionally, I have created tracks and routes to upload to my Garmin from Topo5.

Hey - are those carbon fiber wheels??? Very trick!!

Life must truly suck for someone who expects everyone and everything to be PC. If a little humor based on life's difficulties offends you, how do you deal with your own adversity?

I agree with the previous post 100% Deifenbaker - dump those Mobi files and switch to GSAK with Cachemate. You'll love the difference!

Basssax - since you have Beeline, maybe you can answer some other questions for me... I'm thinking this would be just the ticket for a non-geocaching application I'm working on. I need a unit that will hold more than 1000 waypoints (looks like Beeline covers that). It doesn't need to zoom any closer than, say, 800' scale. I need to be able to put 500 or so waypoints in one route. I need to be able to watch my progress on a "map" page, but actual mapping is not necessary. I need to be able to watch my route navigation data on the same page (multiple boxes or windows). I need to be able to setup the map page in "track up" mode with the "you are here" icon neer the bottom of the screen. I need a selection of icons for waypoints other than just geocaching icons (like signs, crossings, or maybe just simple color bars or dots would be even better), and the ability to add labels. I need either unlimited waypoint proximity alarms, or - better yet - speed sensitive alarms in routing. Multiple alarms (different alarms for different icons) would be even better. Would the M5/Beeline combo fill these needs? I'm also a little concerned about the speed-trap alarm feature. I'm guessing that it is based on some sort of radar detection method, which would be a constant annoyance in my application. Can this feature be turned off?

Hey Nerve, I read your log and...dang! At least I had help getting out of my mishap. BTW - just curious about the EMTs having to follow your voice. Didn't they have gps?

Well, yes - this summer I broke my foot and suffered bruises, scuffs, and pulled muscles all over my body while caching - sort of. Actually, I was on my way out of the hills from placing a new cache (still not found) on my trailbike. Another rider came around a curve and plowed right into me as I was almost stopped where I thought I was clear out of his way. Technically - this wasn't really a caching accident, since the only connection to caching is that it got me out of the house and to this particular place. Coulda had such an accident almost anywhere. Really - it was a motorcycle accident after I just happened to be caching. Oh yeah - I'm almost fully recovered and back to caching and riding.

What a coincidence – I just recently found such a glass container and emailed the owner with a polite suggestion that he might want to switch it out for plastic. I can’t see any justification for using glass. All glass containers (that aren’t ridiculously expensive) will eventually get broken. Then you have glass shards. Why even bother with it, when you can get durable clear containers of the same size from Rubbermaid for just 2 or 3 bucks? As for the rodent problem – if the cache is too far away to maintain, then it probably should be in some kind of container other than glass as well. Besides – I have yet to see a Rubbermaid jar with screw-on lid that was damaged significantly by rodents. Even if your glass doesn’t break – the very idea of unattended glass containers is repugnant to most – if not all – land managers. This can’t be good for geocaching, and it isn’t worth the risk.

Is that so? Then would you like to sell them? (Cheap, of course - since they stink so bad...)

Much simpler than using a mapping program to organize and swap your waypoints... Go to the Geocaching.com resources link (left side of page) and click on "geocaching software" under "resources and tools". Scroll down and click on "EasyGPS". This is freeware that quickly and simply moves waypoints back and forth between your PC and your GPS. You give the group of waypoints it's own name, just like any other file. The waypoints all have unique names and you can choose icons just like on your GPS. You can also edit each waypoint entry on the PC in EasyGPS. I use this for several different waypoint files that have nothing to do with geocaching, and it's the simplest and fastest method I've seen. When I have an EasyGPS waypoint file that is very important I just burn it onto a CD and it's saved permenently.

I guess I'm a little confused. I thought the Iques used Palm OS, no?? I can only find one link for Beelinegps, and it is only listed for pocket pc. That's a shame, 'cause it looks like something I've been looking for... Edit: Wellll....okay - I did some checking, and the Ique M5 is indeed Pocket PC. The older Ique3600 (which canbe bought reasonably on Ebay) is Palm OS. Dang! That means to get the software I want, I may have to buy brand new stuff.