geo-jedi

I started off with a Garmin Emap using it for non-geocaching purposes for well over a year before doing any geocaching. Since then I acquired a Garmin Legend and a Forerunner and used them for geocaching. For a while, I carried a standard compass until I found I didn't usually need it. Then as soon as they came out, I sprung for a Garmin 60CS. It is a wonderful tool. Battery life is great compared to the Emap and the Legend. Still, as far as I am concerned, I would have done just as well if not better with the 60C. I use the compass but as often as not, it seems that it is off which causes me to pause and recalibrate. If you move, then you get your arrow even if there were no compass. I never bother with the barometer/altimeter. So there may be those who need these other sensors (indeed, I thought I might be able to use them), but it seems that they are of no use to me so here's my offer to anyone.... Give me your new 60C and $20 and you can have my 60CS! Team Geo-Jedi

The "geocache" page is simply a filter of all the waypoints, that is filtered by the type "unfound geocache". If a point doesn't show up as part of "all waypoints", it won't show up as a geocache waypoint either. Still have no fear - it is not taking up extra space. You can also filter by any other symbol by clicking menu when on the all waypoints page. Geo-Jedi

Does anyone have all 50 yet? Team Geo-Jedi

I was planning a geocaching trip recently. I would also have liked to be able to export the filtered set of caches and the data from only the columns I was using to a CSV format for use in other tools. I couldn't find the function. I eventually had to dump the gpx and spend lots of time fooling with it to get what I needed. Did I miss something? Is there such an export capability? The software is great - my registration fee will be on its way shortly. Geo-Jedi

Wrong Way, Don't try to load geocaching to only one page. I don't think you can. Just think of the "geocache" option as a built in filter for a portion of your stored waypoints. After you find a cache and click "Find", the icon will change to the "found geocache" open container symbol. At that point, it will no longer be part of the unfound geocache list but will be on the list of all waypoints as a Found Geocache. If you really think there is a separate list, how many geocaches do you think the 60CS can store? Why isn't this limit in the documentation? It is helpful to remember that this is software and what you get is what was built, not what you think *should* be there. I've been playing with my 60CS for a couple of months and it is a real joy. I have 3 other GPS' (emap, forerunner, and etrex legend) but the 60 is so much more advanced. Maybe information from this thread will go to a 60CS FAQ's. Team Geo-Jedi

Have you donwloaded/installed the topo basemap patch? This is from their website... ================== Please note: This patch is only applicable for all versions of the MapSource United States TOPO product. It will not affect any other MapSource product. Change: Removed fragment of map template from northern Minnesota area so that MapSource would not report an error when viewing data in this area. ================== I no longer remember exactly what I did, but once Mapsource kept crashing. Uploading the patch fixed it. Team Geo-Jedi

CR, I like it, I like it. Good job! I suppose the user of the tool can figure out how many factors and how the original digits have been re-ordered (although that would be a useful extension to the tool). Geo-Jedi

... I thought it was something I was doing wrong. I've had the same trouble with being stuck on a state. Team Geo-Jedi

CR, When we first set this up for a puzzle cache, we considered using a 19 digit number which is more precision than most calculators and computer based spreadsheets. To get the right answer would require doing at least some of the calculations with pencil and paper. We then decided that was too mean. For a simpler scheme with fewer digits, one can use the following idea... lat is XX xx.abc, lon is YYY yy.def where you give the XX xx and YYY yy. Then the product of the factors is ZabcdefZ. Sandwiching the required decimal minutes makes the scheme more "secure". Again, the only security that is of concern is that the person can't guess the final answer without finding all of the preliminaries. This scheme doesn't work so easily when the "factors" are simply numbers that are visible on signs or statutes. It is better if the factors are numbers that are placed in micros or somehow under the control of the cacher. Geo-Jedi

Factors work. We did a cache that required the multiplication of a set of numbers to come up with the coordinates of the cache. The final product was 17 digits. The last fifteen represented the coords. Do make it even more secure, you could make the middle fifteen the coords. The hard part is finding the factors once you know where the final cache is going to be. Fortunately, there are factoring programs out there that will help. You may have to play with the non-coord digits a bit to come up with reasonable factors. We did this as a puzzle cache where factors were left in a number of caches that needed to be found first. This technique prevented anyone from guessing the final coords without having found all of the preliminaries. As an example, your GCGY97 hide at 33 12.221 79 58.371 would be embedded in 8733122217958371 which is the product of 3 31 109 766,261 and 1,124,303. or in 2533122217958371 which is the product of 169 19 31 227 233, and 481,141. Team Geo-Jedi

Just coincidentally, I suppose, the PQ's showed up just after 7 pm PDT. Geo-Jedi

Is anyone else having trouble with PQ's today? I would have thought that a few hours would be enough time on a Monday. They don't even seem to have been generated. I have waited before on PQ's stuck in the mail queue but this seems to be slightly different. Chances are that they will show up because I took the time to ask. Thanks, Team Geo-Jedi

Does anyone else use the "Mine" symbol to represent their own caches? I find it useful. Would it be possible to add that symbol to GSAK? Thanks, Team Geo-Jedi

#3 is BruceS. He has 3403 listed but as far as I can tell he stopped loggin online with that account back on November 3rd. He posted some early notes about power caching. Team Geo-Jedi

There was no "filter.cds" file where the program was installed on the C drive! A search showed that there WAS such a file on the D drive where I installed it before. Deleting the new install and putting 3.02 on the D drive where it had been working before solved this problem. Indeed it was user error. Thanks for the hint to get it fixed. I am up and running once more. Thanks again, Team Geo-Jedi

Hi Clyde, I've been using GSAK successfully up to and including 3.0 final. Today, I loaded 3.02 and it wouldn't start. It wanted to send the following: Application... Start Date : 05/01/2004 16:46:13 Name/Description: gsak.exe Version Number : 3.0.2.20 Exception... Date : 05/01/2004 16:46:13 Address: 00405448 Module : gsak.exe Type : EVariantError Message: Invalid variant type conversion. Active Controls... Form Class : TfmHistory Form Text : GSAK Version 3.02 Control Class: TfmHistory Control Text : GSAK Version 3.02 Computer... Name : MIRAGE Total Memory: 1024 Mb Free Memory : 577 Mb Total Disk : 14.94 Gb Free Disk : 2.91 Gb Operating System... Type : Microsoft Windows XP Build # : 2600 Language: English (United States) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Address |Module |Unit |Class |Procedure/Method|Line| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |006A99FD|gsak.exe |fOffline.pas|TfmOffline |OpenCaches |2656| |006A96BC|gsak.exe |fOffline.pas|TfmOffline |OpenCaches |2612| |006B1117|gsak.exe |fOffline.pas|TfmOffline |OpenAll |4244| |77D5C906|user32.dll | | |EnumWindows | | |006B1014|gsak.exe |fOffline.pas|TfmOffline |OpenAll |4229| |0069D80B|gsak.exe |fOffline.pas|TfmOffline |FormCreate |893 | |004C323A|gsak.exe |OvcState.pas|TOvcAbstractState|FormCreate |384 | |77E75327|kernel32.dll| | |lstrcatW | | |77E7B3E5|kernel32.dll| | |GetModuleHandleW| | |77F54B3B|ntdll.dll | | |bsearch | | |77F54B3B|ntdll.dll | | |bsearch | | |006BE5F3|gsak.exe |gsak.dpr | |GSAK |57 | |77F54B3B|ntdll.dll | | |bsearch | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What do I need to do? Geo-Jedi

How about a $10 one time fee to log your 10th find or your first hide, whichever comes first... Increase premium membership by $1/month or $10/year... Let's have a well funded site that can throw hardware and maybe even staff at problems. Team Geo-Jedi

We're Garmin users from eMap to Legend to Forerunner 201 and now a 60CS. Since I had all the mapSource software/maps, I thought I'd be set for the 60CS only to find that to take maximum advantage of its autorouting capaibilities (which are way cool!) that I'd need to buy some more software. You might need to factor that into your decision making as well. Team Geo-Jedi

I pay more each month for broadband internet access than I do for a year's worth of gc.com member access. Even at that rate, my internet service provider won't guarantee 100% up time. Perhaps, I am not being demanding enough as a consumer. Then again, maybe my technical background is forcing me to be realistic about the limits of technology. It is good to see that progress is being made with the website. It is good to hear that there are continual plans to upgrade the hardware. I'd rather see TPTB workin' on it than bantering on the boards. Please keep up the good work. You're helping lots of people to get out and have some fun. Thanks, Team Geo-Jedi

For about $15, you can get one from Purple Computing at pfranc.com. Unfortunately the shipping is about $8 for UPS. The PFranc's are a loosely intertwined group of folks who make Garmin connectors and related parts. You can find out more about them on the Web. I talked to a relative of one of the original pfranc's. He had his own plastic company and made a form for the connectors and then did a large run. He sold them for a little more than cost using the honor system. Since then, others have done similar things. I had one of their connectors for my Emap and now one for my 60CS although now that I am using GSAK, I hardly have any use for the serial cable. Since GSAK can export mps files which can be read by MapSource, I download waypoints into GSAK, export to Mapsource, and then load to my GPS using the USB cable. Team Geo-Jedi

Get some interviews and updates for famous cachers and hiders such as BruceS, WaldenRun, OtisPug, and CCCooperAgency. Have some reviews on new equipment and software - Garmin 60C and 60CS, the latest ExpertGPS, CacheMate, etc. Get highlights from various caching events around the country such as the "Here Come the Raisins" event in Las Vegas. Show some cache density maps - today compared to 2 or 3 years ago. And something special for the April issue to tweak newbies.

What a pleasant surprise! I like the new look and the new functionality. Having full logs is fine with me. The All Geocaches Found feature is especially cool - I can't wait to be able to dump it out as a GPX and get it all plotted! I could stop and end with compliments but I am sure you really want feedback so here are a couple of things (albeit small points). 1. When I scroll the calendar, all but one of the logs disappear. Actually, only one day's worth of logs show up with no seeming way to bring back the last 15. 2. I'd feel slightly better if you said my membership would "continue through" rather than the dreaded word "expire"... a marketing thing All in all - this is worth more than the price of admission. Thank you for working at making this such a cool site! Team Geo-Jedi

My 60CS just arrived. It took a while to initialize as it thought that it was Feb 29th. I had to get it to start a new search so it could get the right date and access the right almanac data but I digress... I went to the altimeter page and hit right arrow, and it shut down - TWICE! It fades and then off. Team Geo-Jedi

My 29 day expiration notice for my annual renewal came. I paid for another year the way I pay most bills these days - using online banking. I wondered if it would work until I saw that Groundspeak had indeed received payment. I thought all was well until I received my 14 day expiration notice. Please don't tell me that I will have to find my old checkbook and actually send a piece of paper through the mail to hang on to my precious GC charter membership. Or maybe the underlying message is that there are only 14 days before I expire... as opposed to only 14 precious days left to renew my membership and maintain my access to GC.com... Both my e-mails on this topic have been responded to by bots only. I searched this topic and did not see any similar message. Thanks, Team Geo-Jedi p.s. keep up the good work - we love the site ... and geocaching!

For me the best hides are those that are invisible to muggles and obvious to cachers when they put their mind to it. Anybody can make it difficult to find something by lack of care or bad luck in getting coordinates, or by hiding the cache in an obscure place. Under a random bush when there are hundreds of bushes is obscure as is hiding something under a rock in a field of rocks. One can transform an obscure hide into an elegant one if perhaps there is one bush that is unique, or the rock is in the exact center of the field, or it is the middle of three stones that line up to give a perfect view of a distant waterfall. When it is possible to discern the thinking behind the hide as opposed to simply trampling every bush or turning over every stone, one is beginning to get to the elegance of the geocaching sport. Obscure hides also tend to be difficult for the hider to re-find the cache. Most of our hides focus on keeping them out of a muggle's view. All are obvious when you know where to look even if getting into a position to be able to look might require special effort. Team Geo-Jedi