Mr_Mikey
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Posts posted by Mr_Mikey
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I have not run into a FTF situation but have been hunting in an area or walked up on someone hunting, the first time this happened they asked me if i had any luck yet, they gave me the time to find the cache without jumping in front of me, since I am new to this I have just followed their lead and give the first person there the chance to find it. I have not been asked for assistance and have not asked for assistance either.
Common sense and a sense of fair play makes this a friendly sport, the kind you want to share with your kids, unfortunately it sounds like you had to deal with a rude self centered person only interested in himself and not concerned about the basic enjoyment of geocaching.
Maybe in the future they will make geocaching a full contact sport and it will be easier to deal with rude people.
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Another simple program is EasyGps, you can rename the file before you download it, this program is free and although GSAK is probably better you might want to try EasyGps first since it is free then move up to GSAK.
I use a palm pilot to store all the data in when i am out in the woods, to find caches in a specific area I use the "MAPIT" function on the upper right corner of the page that lists the Caches. this shows a map and all teh caches in the area you want to go to. I download all the hints and directions into my Palm.
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Gallet's response actually does work, I use this method all the time, I get in the trees and lose signal, I can get within under 10 feet using WAAS, but not every cacher uses the same model GPS so their coordinates will not always be the same as yours.
Do not worry about the quailty or the neat things the fancy GPS units have, I started with a Geko 101 and now have a legend and love it.
Another suggestion would be to go out with another geocacher, once you start understanding the methodolgy in hiding a cache it becomes easier to find the caches.
Whatever you do, do not give up, once you find your first cache you will be hooked for good, I am also a newby at this, I only have 50 finds right now. I am looking forward to my 100th find.
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I have not used any of the Magellans, just Garmin. I started out with the Geko, seriously looked at the yellow etrex but went ahead and got the Legend. Great GPS, not the fanciest one out there but does everything I want at an affordable price. I also have Vista I picked up on ebay. I still prefer the Legend over the Vista.
the legend has Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) which has been really helpful in some locations.
you can go to the garmin page and look at the specs on all the Garmins.
I cannot say whether Garmin is better than Magellan but everyone I know uses Garmin.
I did order a case and cord for mine right off, makes it so nice to download directly to the GPS Unit
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I just picked up a used Garmin Vista to replace my Legend. when I get within a couple hundrfed feet of a cache I lose the arrow (course pointer), the feet are still displayed. Makes it interesting to find a cache.
Has anyone run into this? This is a used GPS, all other functions work perfectly.
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Easy Gps is the way to go. you can rename your caches befoer you load them into your GPS unit.
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I have the palm IIIx and I just got a palm m515. I paid 25 bucks for the IIIx included hot sync cradle and shipping and handling, this nice thing about this model it is takes AAA batteries. The only problem I have had is if it gets hot it is hard to read. I paid 40 bucks for the m515 with case hot sync cradle and car charger. both on ebay.
I carry the pda in my bag in case i need a hint. I do manually log my finds in a small notebook in the front of the pda case so I don't forget what i took and left. I started out writing everything down before i left, what a hassle. the only way to go is with a PDA
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I have read that using WAAS uses more batteries. I only use WAAS if I am stumped on finding a cache, for the most part I have found the majority of caches not using it.
http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/waas.html
This is Garmins description of WAAS
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I used easy gps and change the name before downloading it into my Garmin legend, it limits the amount of characters in the name though, but it is close enough I can reference my Palm for any further informaiton.
GSAK does much more but I am not familiar with it, easy GPS, is very easy to use
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I have been pretty lucky on most of the cashes I have found, they have gotten me within 15 feet of the cache. When I cannot find one I will find the spot the posted coordinates say where the cache is, and come at it from different directions trying to find a center point and then work my way out from there. This has saved me in heavily wooded areas.
There may be a better way and someone with more experience might post it, but on the average I would say I am within 25 feet by using the posted coordinates which after reading these posts is very good marking.
I have used WAAS on some difficult caches and gotten within 5 feet of the cache.
I use a garming legend.
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This one is only a 4 but could be listed as a 5 quite easily. You climb about a thousand feet per mile, hike across a boulder field at about 10 thousand feet elevation, if you get stuck there over night unprepared you can freeze to death. But it is beautiful country. And there are bears to eat you if you fall asleep.
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/gmnearest.a...p;lon=-111.6602
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On occasion I will leave a small bag with a few pieces of a meteorite. I look back at the postings and see that they are picked up fast but never placed in another cache. I only have a small amount left but will keep putting it out, I thought it would be fun for kids to have some meteorite fragments.
I agree about the swag placed in caches, it is no fun to hike a couple of miles uphill to find someones broken stuff in a cache.
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Wooden buffalo nickel with my info on the other side.
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I am new to geocaching as well. I have been fortunate not to have run into any muggled caches, I am a photographer who has gotten into geo caching, there have been a few times that there have been curious bodies around while I am trying to find or log a cache, just pulling out my camera seems to satisfy there curiosity.
I have not been caught in the act of pulling out a cache or having one in hand while logging it, so i have not had the opportunity to explain about geo caching and try and convert a muggler to a geo cacher. I recently found a cache that the local forest service officer had found without a gps and logged an entry.
My thoughts on a muggled cache would be; move the cache to a safe spot, contact the owner and give him the new coordinates and explain what had happened.
If you post this in your log, other cachers will see it and know to wait until the owner has fixed the cache.
Moderators, if this is not an appropriate way to handle a muggled cache, please correct me and let me know a better alternative.
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I just use "easygps", it is free and really easy to use, it will let me rename the cache in my Legend, easier to keep track of that way. I tried GSAK which is highly rated, but I still prefer easy gps.
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I sold my Garmin Geko 101 which was a great starter unit, it had options my new legend did not. The Geko 201 has WAAS which can be helpful but is a battery drain.
I paid 150 bucks for my legend but have seen them on ebay for 99 bucks. I purchased a cable for mine to download directly to the gps unit, i got tired of punching in coordinates and my eyes were getting to tired. The legend is considered a mapping gps, spend a few extra bucks if you can and get one that you can download to. It will save you money in the future. Magellan or Garmin, i know people that use both, they all find caches. Good luck
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I am also a "newbie" to geo caching, Just found my first cache today. I found out about geocaching while researching some old ghost town sites I wanted to photograph.
I am going to be involved in geocaching for the same reason I do photography, not for the wealth, or the publicity, but simply because It is enjoyable. I am in the outdoors, away from most people, exploring areas that may be new or may not be new, and when you are looking for a cache you see more than just a trail, you will see things you may not have seen the last time you were there.
I do not feel the need to justify myself to someone who does not wish to understand about geocaching, If they are interested then fantastic, another person to hold an intelligent conversation with. If they are not interested, so be it, I won't waste their time explaining it and I won't be wasting my time listening to their reasons not to geocache.
I have been asked this same question as far as digital photography, I guess the response fits for both.
It is fun, simple as that. Why let someone ruin that fun, for any reason.
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Just when I think I know what direction to take replacing my GPS, more good info comes up. I have spoken with a few other people that do have the compass in their GPS and they say they would not have one without it, no matter the cost.
So for the sake of more confusion, if I decide to get a GPS with a compass any recomendations as fas as which Garmin to get?
I have been told the vista cx is great, but it is also not very affordable at this point. Has anyone had any problems with factory refurbished or are these just a myth?
My goal is to replace mine by next weekend.
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So far the compass in my Geko has been flawless (I always have spare batteries in my geko case).
After reading the responses it appears that the only correct thing to do is whatever works for that person.
The prices of a GPS with a compass far outweight the benefits of one without. I have usually used a compass in conjunction with a top map in trying to locate a specific area. SO the good old map compass will go back into the back pack and I will just look for a GPS that has more bells and whistles than the one I am using.
The venture CX and the explorist 210 seem to be the most recomended GPS on this forum. But I have time before the money is there so I will keep reading and learning until I buy one that will meet my needs.
I appreciate all the valuable information and cannot wait to start finding as well as placing caches in Northern Arizona.
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I am just getting started into Geocaching, I have been using a geko 101 primarily for being able to mark waypoints and the compass when out in the woods. I have found that a lot of the places the geocaching community have already marked for geocaching are also the same places and areas I like to go for my photography. So why not enjoy 2 activities at the same time.
My main question is that after reading the recomendations on this forum it sounds like the venture cx is extremely popular as well as affordable. The vista cx has a compass but is priced way outside my limits.
Why do the majority of gps units not have a compass ?
I quit carrying my old map compass when I got the geko 101.
Your thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated.
Legend CX off by 25 feet
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
Just got a new Legend CX for my girlfriend to replace her legend blue. It is off by 25 feet. This is in comparison to her old legend and my Vista hcx when finding a geo cache. this was consistant on 14 caches.
I had this same problem with my Vista hcx and garmin had me change a setting in my unit. unfortunately i deleted that email last year and now they have no idea other than to say being off by25 feet is acceptable.
I do remember them telling me it was a map issue where the unit was following the map and not the true gps coordinates but other than that I have been through the unit comparing it to my vista and cannot find any different settings.
Has anyone else had this problem and if so do you rememebr the setting that needs to be changed?