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I owned and used a GPS during the SA years. Found it really useful once. Most of the time it was just extra weight. Couldn't retrace your steps. You would be 100 to 200 feet away. Kind of hard to do when you're in woods with lots of undergrowth.

Degree Confluence S33E22 I found Geocache GC1656, Geodash GD3-1104 and Degree Confluence S33E22 on Saturday as part of my "Grand Slam" during a 1000 km round trip. And I hid Geocache GC1A67. All in one day. Ok, they were all relatively easy. The dashpoint was 600 meters off the highway. I only had to cross a railway line and jump a fence to get there. The cache was 50 meters from the road on a mountain pass. The degree confluence point was 200 meters from a dirt road and only required jumping one fence. And I hid the cache at the degree confluence. ------------------ Peter Scholtz www.biometrics.co.za

You can't really go wrong whether you wait until you can get a Vista or go with a base model. The price of the base etrex today is what the vista will be tomorrow. I bought a Magellan 315 a couple years back for around $200.00. Today if you shop around you can find them for around a hundred and for less than that if you find a store liquidating what they have left before the Meridians hit the shelves. All it is going to take is another technology shift and the Vista(or Meridian) becomes a doorstop and is priced accordingly. For what it is worth, I pre ordered a Meridian Gold a couple weeks ago from a discount supplier and paid about $40 more than I paid for my 315 when it was new. Anyway, an option you might consider is getting the legend instead of the Vista and buying earlier since it costs less. The onboard compass the vista has is 100% worthless for navigation (it is accurate to +/- 5 degrees, the same as a $2.00 Walmart compass) and the altimeter would only be used by pilots or possibly rock climbers. BTW, the compass reduces battery life by over 40% Just an idea.

I found Geocache GC1656, Geodash GD3-1104 and Degree Confluence S33E22 on Saturday as part of my "Grand Slam" during a 1000 km round trip. And I hid Geocache GC1A67. All in one day. Ok, they were all relatively easy. The dashpoint was 600 meters off the highway. I only had to cross a railway line and jump a fence to get there. The cache was 50 meters from the road on a mountain pass. The degree confluence point was 200 meters from a dirt road and only required jumping one fence. And I hid the cache at the degree confluence. Has anyone else done this yet? ------------------ Peter Scholtz www.biometrics.co.za

I dropped my lifeline and it has no pulse. I dropped my eTrex about 2 feet of the ground on a tile floor. I thought to myself, No big deal it is tuff yellow little guy. Went to turn it on and it doesn't work. Help!!! The sad thing is the coordinates for a cache a place 200 miles away was in there. I guess it will be a 5/5 level one. I guess I broke the crystal in there. I bought it 2 months ago and toss the receipt. Any advice to getting it fixed or a new one???? Thanks

I dropped my lifeline and it has no pulse. I dropped my eTrex about 2 feet of the ground on a tile floor. I thought to myself, "No big deal, it is tuff yellow little guy." Went to turn it on and it doesn't work. Help!!! The sad thing is the coordinates for a cache a placed 200 miles away was in there. I guess it will be a 5/5 level one. I guess, I broke the crystal in there. I bought it 2 months ago and toss the receipt. Any advice to getting it fixed or a new one???? Thanks

Not sure why you are getting such an innaccurate result. I use the 315 as well and find that it *usually* gets me to within 10 feet or so of a cache location assuming clear skies. The only time I was ever off by as much as you report was under 90% tree cover while on top of 600 feet of rock that went on for miles and even then I was only off by < 200 feet. And I suspect that at least half the error was the cache hider's coordinates as nobody's gps could avoid all the multipath present in this situation. As was stated, make sure you are using the WGS84 datum and you should be fine. The only other thing I can think of, and it is a longshot, is that the automatic waypoint averaging feature on the 315 kicks in too early and this can throw you off. What I mean is that when your unit is in averaging mode it no longer displays the coordinates you are receiving, but rather it is displaying the average of all coordinates received while the unit has been in averaging mode. The 315 will enter and remain in averaging mode if you are moving at around 2 mph or slower. This is the only negative I have with the 315(later Magellan units have corrected this). You can know whether you are in averaging mode or not by looking at the first nav screen and it will say averaging or EPE. It is possible that you slow down as you are investigating a potential cache spot, your unit starts averaging and as a result your position will be very innacurate as you move around, unless you move fast enough to get the unit out of averaging mode. I have learned that when I want to get a position with my 315, to stop, then walk quickly to my spot and stop again. This "forces" the unit out of averaging mode.

quote:Originally posted by dzmiller:You can get the 330 at gijoes.com for $180. How much is the Gold? The 330 is a heck of a lot of gps for under $200. I went to this site and the 330 is still listed for $249.99.

Ya know, it strikes me that there is a huge potential market for these films, if somebody knew how to sell the stuff. How many of you have Digicams? My Sony Mavica's lcd was scratched when a buddy borrowed it. He was good enough to pay for the repairs ($200!!!) and after that I got a piece of clear lexan and mounted it with some putty. Not real pretty, but effective. These types of films would be ideal for protecting cell phone displays, digicam displays, etc. etc...the possibilities are pretty wide open in this day and age. Something to think about. On another note... please be careful with cleaning the display with things like WD 40, RainX and the like. As a boater, I have seen many people ruin plastic windshields and isinglass (those clear plastic curtains on boats) by using petroleum based polishes and cleaners. Test in a small corner before you fog your screen!

ou can get the 330 at gijoes.com for $180. How much is the Gold? The 330 is a heck of a lot of gps for under $200.

quote:Originally posted by Wesley Horton:Take a look if you are itching to use the GPS to find somthing. While there is no cache, it can be rewarding just to find the things. I've searched for two and found one. One was easy: the description allowed me to walk right up to the disc set in the side of a building, even without the GPS. My unit said I was 200 feet off, but further reading on the NGS report told me the accuracy was +/- 6 seconds, which could be nearly 600 feet! I looked for another that had a much higher degree of accuracy, but it was set flush with the ground in a park. According to the NGS report, the last recovery was in the 70's, so who knows if it's still there, or perhaps covered over with turf. My next target is for a 6 inch concrete post on the 18th tee of a public golf course. I don't know if I can just wander out to a golf course to check it out though. It's worth a try. Regards... Scott redd@interbug.com http://interbug.com/pigeon

The Magellan website says AVAILABLE NOW, but where???? AZMark, the MAP330's are $225 at amazon.com You can usually find a coupon for $10 - $20 on the net to reduce that even more. Consider no shipping, no sales tax for most people and their price is very close to the $200 plus tax. ------------------ Interested in Geocaching in the state of Georgia? Visit the Georgia Geocachers Association home page at http://www.ggaonline.org

I believe that they are due out in Oct and Nov. What I'm waiting for is the price drop on the 330map. If that drops below $200.00 with the now added WAAS, that will be a good pickup. So if anyone sees some good deals, make sure you keep the board posted!! AZmark

I'm so glad you linked that page! I spent over 10 hours yesterday semi-planning a couple week-long hikes in the Alaska bush. Was wondering if there was but didn't know there was a site to look up benchmarks. Definitely useful for the backcountry, but in my opinion, more useful for calibrating Altitude. About a year ago I spent 200 bucks on a Suunto Vector and the darn thing's useless half the time if I have no idea what the altitude is when i wanna calibrate it!

Well just for my 2 pence worth... I got a Garmin E-Map... very nice great for navigation with the maps. The only drawback is the lack of waterproofing... So on my last trip to the states I bought a etrex legend (200 dollars).. which has all the functionality of the e-map but is waterproof and much more resistant to knocks. I load my e-map maps up into the legend and it is great for caching. ps: If you are in Frimley... I am near Camberley.

Well just for my 2 pence worth... I got a Garmin E-Map... very nice great for navigation with the maps. The only drawback is the lack of waterproofing... So on my last trip to the states I bought a etrex legend (200 dollars).. which has all the functionality of the e-map but is waterproof and much more resistant to knocks. I load my e-map maps up into the legend and it is great for caching. ps: If you are in Frimley... I am near Camberley.

quote:Originally posted by EraSeek:SATELLITE CLOCKS ================ Each Block II/IIA satellite contains two Cesium (Cs) and two Rubidium (Rb) atomic clocks. Each Block IIR satellite contains three Rb atomic clocks. This is from the usno site and I have read several other places where they specifically state that each has four atomic clocks. I'll see if I can find them again. What did I miss there on the page? The gps display can be off if it has not caught an update in the last 12.5 mins, then it should be within about 1 sec, and the internal clock should be within a few nanoseconds. Isn't that what it says? Forgive me if I'm slow here. Eraseek, I defer... Everything I had read led me to believe that each satellite had one atomic clock. I was mistaken. I think your interpretation of the material from the website I cited is correct. I think the discussion at this time might be somewhat dated--that receivers nowadays keep track of the leap seconds, and that they also display correct time (within about 1/10 second) once the satellites have been all acquired. However, I believe my main point stands--of what benefit is it (other than bragging rights) of having a clock accurate to 200 nanoseconds (or what ever) when it is only displaying full seconds.

I will tell the cacher about incorrect coords if they are significantly off. If what he posted (his 40° 37.260 111° 51.200 yours 40° 37.259 111° 51.195) were correct, those are only off by 23.86 feet - much less than the error that you would get from a GPSR. Why bother, you could be off by 20 feet and he could be off by 20 feet. I think getting that close is pretty darn good. On the other hand, if it had been off by 100 or 150 feet, that's worth considering, and I (as the cache's owner) would want to know. But why bother with telling people their coords are off when you could be incorrect, also, and they very well both could be off? It does make you sound a little elitist - but I wouldn't have responded so curtly as he did.

quote:Originally posted by wizmedic:... Well, this morning, I got this email: "Wiz. Check my coords? You must be up there in the geo social circle to even suggest it. Lets compare: mine 40/37.260 111/51.200 yours 40/37.259 111/51.195 Notice that both my lat/lon end in zero? Ever heard of Magellan Pioneer? (it's older than some children in this sport) WAAS? Get real. Sorry if you the one to catch the brunt of my wrath, but I am sick of the "elitist" attitude I have been getting from many (almost all I encounter) in this sport. Instead of upgrading my equipment I am ready to drop geocaching altogether. (handle name)" ... I would not lose too much sleep over it. I think you did the right thing and that person was a jerk for sending you mail like that. Maybe they woke up on the wrong side of the bed and had a bad day/week/month.... I see many people post updated coordinates on cache pages as a courtesy to the next cache hunter. I have posted updated coordinates without suggesting the cache hider update them. I simply point out when I found it, I was at x.xxxx / x.xxxx. It really is a bummer to hunt and hunt only to find the original coordinates were not accurate. He should "get real" and lighten up. Funny how he points out attitude.... ------------------ Brian & Terry San Diego, CA [This message has been edited by bridaw (edited 28 August 2001).]

quote:Originally posted by wizmedic:... Well, this morning, I got this email: "Wiz. Check my coords? You must be up there in the geo social circle to even suggest it. Lets compare: mine 40/37.260 111/51.200 yours 40/37.259 111/51.195 Notice that both my lat/lon end in zero? Ever heard of Magellan Pioneer? (it's older than some children in this sport) WAAS? Get real. Sorry if you the one to catch the brunt of my wrath, but I am sick of the "elitist" attitude I have been getting from many (almost all I encounter) in this sport. Instead of upgrading my equipment I am ready to drop geocaching altogether. (handle name)" ... I would not lose too much sleep over it. I think you did the right thing and that person was a jerk for sending you mail like that. Maybe they woke up on the wrong side of the bed and had a bad day/week/month.... I see many people post updated coordinates on cache pages as a courtesy to the next cache hunter. I have posted updated coordinates without suggesting the cache hider update them. I simply point out when I found it, I was at x.xxxx / x.xxxx. It really is a bummer to hunt and hunt only to find the original coordinates were not accurate. He should "get real" and lighten up. Funny how he points out attitude.... ------------------ Brian & Terry San Diego, CA [This message has been edited by bridaw (edited 28 August 2001).]

That is correct as far as it goes. The receiver does generate extremely accurate time for its position calculations. However, receivers may or may not display that accurate time on the unit itself. I've read that on some (older?) units, the time displayed may be off by as much as nine seconds. The other problem is that most readouts only read to one second. It takes a mighty sharp mind to mentally subdivide that out to 200 nanosecond divisions. Here's what I would do. Check the readout against a known accurate source (WWV, commercial broadcast, etc. That should give you some idea of its accuracy.

That is correct as far as it goes. The receiver does generate extremely accurate time for its position calculations. However, receivers may or may not display that accurate time on the unit itself. I've read that on some (older?) units, the time displayed may be off by as much as nine seconds. The other problem is that most readouts only read to one second. It takes a mighty sharp mind to mentally subdivide that out to 200 nanosecond divisions. Here's what I would do. Check the readout against a known accurate source (WWV, commercial broadcast, etc. That should give you some idea of its accuracy.

Once the GPSR syncs to 4 or more satellites its clock will be adjusted to the correct time within about 200 nanoseconds. See http://celia.mehaffey.com/dale/theory.htm or http://www.howstuffworks.com/gps1.htm A lot more accurate than any watch you might have.

I looked and all the big sporting goods stores here in Albuquerque do not have outlets in Indiana / Ohio. Check your yellow pages for sporting goods stores that carry hiking/camping/hunting equipment. There are two REI outlets in Chicago, though. Even discount stores like Wal-mart Kmart and Target will let you read the boxes and maybe take the unit out and read the manual. I just wouldnt expect much expert knowlege about GPS units from one of those employees. It has been my experience that for every one you find that might actually know what they are talking about, you run into three or four that have no clue, but often confidently give false info. The flip side of that is one can usually return a product to a department store with no hassle if it doesnt meet your expectations. I have a Garmin III+ that I would highly recommend. They can be found on the internet for as little as $240. I realize that is out of your stated price range, but most GPS units that allow you to load maps into them are in at least that price range neigborhood. If you can find a regular Garmin III they should be less than $200. The only real difference is the + lets you buy additional software (about another $100) so you can download more detailed maps. Both units have a built in basic roadmap. (highways and MAJOR city streets) I also have a Magellan Blazer 12 and an Eagle Explorer. I wouldnt recommend either of those for Geocaching. Best bets for cheap would be the basic yellow E-trex or the Magellan 315. I think both of these are available for less than $130. (I saw the E-trex for less than $110 somewhere) Whatever you do be sure that you can enter lat long minutes to 3 decimal places! The cheapest units only let you enter two, which technically increases your search area by a factor of 100! (realistically it isnt quite that high) Here is what I said to someone else in your same situation on another thread: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000368.html good luck, and any more specific questions, please ask! Someone here will know the answer. [This message has been edited by Gliderguy (edited 25 August 2001).]

You guys got me going on these theme ideas. I am planting one tommorrow called "Ye Olde Pirate Treasure" Here is a sample of the write up: Arrrrrrrgggh ..... Mateys!, it is I, Cap'n Paul here. I have been secretly passéd ye map coordinates to give ye from one of the Blackbeard crew. Shhhhhhhhhh !!!! Not a word or ye will only end up being flogged, keel hauled, or having ye throat cut by those thievin', crimson coated, yellow-bellied, villainous pyrates and buccaneers. It is so sweet, I got this wooden treasure chest, put 288 fake gold coins in it with a log book that looks 200 years old. I am pumped up. I will post link with pic later.