Rocketsteve

My wife's idea of a "camping trip" is a suite at the Marriott Hotel! I did an urban cache (decon container) with her to show her what it was like, and after just five minutes, she said she was "tired of looking". I convinced her to continue, and she found the cache within a couple of minutes. She opened it up, looked through it, and then looked at me with a blank expression and said "Is that it?". It was then that I realized that while I'm out looking for a cache, she'll be at the mall spending our cash.

I like the lock-n-locks because they come in a lot of different sizes. Also, the containers are rigid enough so that they dont warp from the heat or having a substantial amount of weight placed on top of them.

I completely disagree! I recently sold a Magellan GPS315 w/ user manual and accessories, that I've owned and used for many years, to a young mother so she could go geocaching with her sons. Because she said her funds were quite limited, I asked her for $20 plus the actual shipping cost, and now she's out caching with her sons, using a gently used GPSr that she never would've gotten on eBay for less than $30. The Garage Sale forum made a young mother's desire to spend more time with her children possible.

Ditto! Here in central Florida, the diamondbacks love the scrub palmettos and the water mocassins love to be in and around the swampy areas, so snakes boots give me a greater sense of security when I have to move through these environments to get to a cache.

Would I be correct in assuming you now know how to put lat. & lon. coords. into the GPSr? I owned a GPS315 for many years, so what kind of tips are you looking for?

I've got to get me one of those!!

THATS the ticket I was looking for....When shopping for rechargables then, how do you identify 'protected' from 'unprotected'? Also, from some of the forums I read, the charger also makes a big difference. Some will go to trickle charge after charging is complete. I'll assume (Hate that word), this also prevents 'explosions'? After reading your last post, it seems as though you're only focused on using Li Ion batteries in your GPSr. Might I suggest that you consider using NiMH batteries instead. In addition to being more plentiful and having a larger selection to choose from, they don't have the overheating problems like Li Ions do. As far as chargers are concerned, there are two basic types of chargers being sold today for NiMH rechargeable batteries. The first type has a micro chip controller that regulates the charge and puts the charger into a trickle (or standby) mode when the batteries have reached full capacity. The second type also has a chip to regulate the charge, but instead of going into a trickle mode, it shuts the charger off completely. With a "trickle charger", the unit will come back on only to top-off the batteries when they drop below full capacity, and then go back onto standby when it is done. When the standard charger shuts off, the batteries will receive no "top-off" and they will start to gradually self-discharge as all rechargeables do. In both cases, the micro chip controller stops the charging process when the batteries have reached full capacity. I've used reachargeable batteries for over 20 years and I've never had one exploded on me. That's not saying that it couldn't happen, but the odds of it happening are so low, that it's not even worth worrying about.

Problem Solved!! Copy and paste the following web address onto your browser. You'll be taken to a page that is a PDF file of the Magellan 315/320 User Manual. There's a tab in the upper left part of the window that will allow you to save the file to your computer, so you can go back to it whenever you need to without having to go back online. Just make sure your Adobe Acrobat Reader is up-to-date. If it's not, you'll probably be prompted to download and install a newer version of the reader, but it's pretty much automatic. https://www.magellangps.com/assets/manuals/gps_310_315_en.pdf Good luck and I hope this helps.

And if "mr007s" suggestion doesn't work, you can always re-format the card with your computer. Now, with a newly formatted card, just load your maps and off you go!

OUUUCCCHHH!!! That one's gonna leave a mark!!

Now how did you know?? I'm going to Japan in the spring and have already looked up caches. I will be buying a travel bug to put in at least one of them. Now - that doesn't sound obsessive in me - just... uhmmm.... ENTHUSIASTIC! (yeah, that's it ) LOL The ones with the biggest problem are the first ones to deny it!

uh, were you naughty this year Rocketsteve? maybe thats why Santa didnt bring you a new gpsr Not any more than usual.

Welcome! Here is the website you want to go to for FREE maps: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/

They might be a good option on some GPSr, but on my Venture HC, there's a locking/retaining pin right in the middle of the battery cover. Also, the plastic cradle in the battery compartment is contoured to fit one (1) AA battery on either side fo the locking/retaining pin attachment point, so a CR-V3 wouldn't even fit inside. Also, at a rate of 3.7 volts, it could damage the electronics. Even though OEM specs tell you to use a 1300 mah battery, increasing the amount of "mah" does not increase the voltage coming off the battery. Most "AA" NiMH batteries produce 1.2 volts from a full charge (2 AAs = 2.4 volts), while your standard "AA" alkaline battery will produce 1.5 volts when fully charged from the factory (2 AAs = 3.0 volts). Increasing the "mah" of a rechargeable battery increases the length of time that the battery will be able to supply the necessary voltage to power your GPSr. Personally, I use Rayovac Hybrid Rechargeables (2100 mah). I have two in my GPSr, and I keep two more and a pair of regular alkaline batteries in my GPSr belt pouch as spares. When these rechargeables no longer provide a sufficient amount of run-time, I will buy a set of Maha PowerEx Rechargeables (2700 mah).

I think Santa and I need to have a serious sit-down, because I didn't get a new GPS for Christmas, but it sounds like everyone else on the planet DID! Welcome to ALL the newbies!

I agree. I think you're close, but not quite there yet.

And if anyone doubts NordicMan, can you say "Apple iPod"?

Just be sure to get at least a 2GB microSD™ card for your GPSr, because the detailed topo maps on http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/ have a tendancy to eat up a lot of memory. Other than that, have fun and "Cache On"!

STOP!! Put your hands up and back away from the GPS receiver! If you quit now, there's hope for a complete recovery. If not, you're likely to end up with an addiction that will cause you to go places that you would NEVER think of going before, but because you want to find that hunk of plastic or metal, you'll willingly put yourself hip-deep into whatever it takes to get to GZ. There is hope, but you have to "Just Say No"!

I didn't realize they had a "Polar Bear Geocaching Club" in Pennsylvania. Aren't you worried about freezing any dangling items?

I've logged 119 caches and quite a few hunting seasons with my Venture HC. I love it!!

When downloading caches from Geocache.com is so easy, I don't understand why you would even bother with Garmin's website.

The weekend before last, I got the chance to meet geocacher "Cusmith" and he got the chance to meet me. Does that count?

NO. Infact I geocache so that I can get away from my wife. It's peaceful in the woods without her! I'm guessing that you've been married for over thirty years.

Here's another website to do your lat/lon conversions: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/bickel/DDDMMSS-decimal.html