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What the heck, we helped with the first. I am sure that I can talk Rhonda into helping with anyothers. Sorry, I haven't been around caching much lately but the Dive team has kept me VERY busy lately. But, we are back into the swing of things. I can't believe that there are all these caches in KC now..... I have to get busy. Ryan and Rhonda

Never mind protecting the park land. Protect your own butt. Ms. Keener says that Rangers have an "obligation" to "accost" people who don't play by the rules, although she doesn't know what the rules are. So hide your caches in local parks, where Rangers feel an obligation to *talk* to people instead of to accost them. ------------------ Chip the Big Folk

Yeah, I e-mailed Buxley and asked him to consider making a detail map... and it was done within 12 hours. Talk about service! Thanks, Ed!

ManuelCasi's experience gives me an idea, so maybe something positive will come from his experience. Using Geocaches as a place to meet people. You could leave semi-anonymous information about yourself and an email address, like a special yahoo or hotmail account. You know you have at least a love for Geocaching in common, which would at least give you something to talk about on the first date. It might even be possible to create caches specifically for this purpose. Dan

quote:One word of warning: make sure you have fresh batteries. Bad things can happen if your Etrex shuts off during upload. Many thanks for this tip. I won't forget. As for using an IBM, only Macs at work, but luckily like every other Macuser in the world, I know about a gabillion people who have an IBM. I'm sure I can talk my neighbor into playing.

Quote, from Redd umb question alert: What if you need to carry other supplies like food, clothes, tent, etc. How do you carry water and a full pack? What I do is talk just the bladder and place it in in the top section of my backpack. Mine has a top cover, with a small compartmnet and that is where I put the water.. As far as keeping the bladder clean, if I am out in the bush, it doesn't seem to be a problem as long as I keep water in it and rotated. For longer term storage, I place my bladders in the freezer..

Quote, from Redd umb question alert: What if you need to carry other supplies like food, clothes, tent, etc. How do you carry water and a full pack? What I do is talk just the bladder and place it in in the top section of my backpack. Mine has a top cover, with a small compartmnet and that is where I put the water.. As far as keeping the bladder clean, if I am out in the bush, it doesn't seem to be a problem as long as I keep water in it and rotated. For longer term storage, I place my bladders in the freezer..

I was using an approx 4yo GPS (originally purchased for fishing but it broke down last week, diagosis yet to be determined), no maps, just minimal info, worked fine! Regarding salesman and product knowledge... mutually exclusive aren't they (no offence intended porsteve! - in the world of the web this is even more so) Heard an advert yesterday for a car yard extolling the virtues of their female sales force. I thought, well that wouldn't be a bad idea, they could talk to (not down to) women buyers, and if they read the sales brochures, they would know more about the cars they sold than the current crop of guys one has to encounter!

I was using an approx 4yo GPS (originally purchased for fishing but it broke down last week, diagosis yet to be determined), no maps, just minimal info, worked fine! Regarding salesman and product knowledge... mutually exclusive aren't they (no offence intended porsteve! - in the world of the web this is even more so) Heard an advert yesterday for a car yard extolling the virtues of their female sales force. I thought, well that wouldn't be a bad idea, they could talk to (not down to) women buyers, and if they read the sales brochures, they would know more about the cars they sold than the current crop of guys one has to encounter!

Hello all, I'm a journalist working on geocaching-related piece for a well-known UK magazine. I'm hoping to make contact with UK-based geocaching enthusiasts prepared to talk me about their experiences and endeavours as regards this new sport. Thanks in advance. Harry Sabbers.

Sounds like researching the topo info for the area of the cache would help. I am the worst person to talk about it, but tracking down as much information in advance a possible can really make caches a lot easier. I have been within 200 feet of a cache found a river between the cache and me. Had I bothered to grab a street map, and a topo map I could have had easy parking near the cache, and short walking distance. That said, we really could use a more descriptive terrain option. Something like how some movies will say "Rated PG-13 for brief nudity", we could have "Rated 1.5 for short steep hill". It is possible to do that now in the description, but it is completely subjective. Maybe have a disable checkbox? I think even just mentioning in the cache placement FAQ to keep this in mind when writing a description for a cache would be a big help. Dan

ly' then that's what we must do. I agree we need to do all we can to show our best to those who are not familiar with geocaching. What could help is to take those unfamiliar or even those who say they are against geocaching on a cache hunt. They would find it is fun, family orientated, and generally safe. Except for one biker jerk, I have been free from hostilities. People I talk to tend to think this is a pretty neat thing. But then I have not placed a cache yet, just hunted them. We need the best press we can possibly get - always. I would LOVE to take a park ranger along with me some time. One-on-one in the woods. It is a challenge before us. [This message has been edited by Lou C (edited 17 August 2001).]

I can help you out. Lets talk offline.

Hey Peter, I am all american, I just worked over in jo'burg as a paramedic for 2 years. I sure miss the country, and the cricket! It was alot easier to talk afrikaans to some patients. But it has been 3 years since I have moved back to the states and I have to say, I have lost most of it . Forgot about all the trouble in Zimbabwa, so I'm sure it not the best time to be placing any caches there. So, I guess Botswanna and Joburg will my spots to add a few caches. Totsiens.. WizMedic

Hey Peter, I am all american, I just worked over in jo'burg as a paramedic for 2 years. I sure miss the country, and the cricket! It was alot easier to talk afrikaans to some patients. But it has been 3 years since I have moved back to the states and I have to say, I have lost most of it . Forgot about all the trouble in Zimbabwa, so I'm sure it not the best time to be placing any caches there. So, I guess Botswanna and Joburg will my spots to add a few caches. Totsiens.. WizMedic

Well, I have downloaded the programs, but can't get them to talk to my 315. I know everything is working because delorne works quite well with my gps. I have to my knowledge set everything correctly (nema on/off etc..) so I don't know what is happening. I believe the delorne is good but I was just looking for versatility. Ronin

Well, we are off topic, but its funny to hear facts about MI lakes from someone in CA. I have a brother South of LA a ways. Everytime I go there and talk about being on the great lakes, invariably someone says," What's so 'great' about them?". It seems strange to me that people look at a map of the US and don't see that each of the great lakes are bigger than many states! Heck, CA's biggest lake is the Salton Sea at 350,000 acres, next is Eagle Lake at 22,000 acres. We have three lakes contained on the interior between 17,000-20,000 acres, but Lake Michigan is 14,270,000 acres! Huron is 14,720,000, and last but not least Erie at 20,290,000 acres! Not lakes that you normally take the ol' family boat out on to take a trip across, huh?

I use the Cobra Micro Talk two way FRS radios out on the trail and have been very pleased with them. I also have a no-code-tech ham license and can attest to the adictabilty (is that a word?) of that hobby as well. The two meter band is very popular with motorists and outdoorsy types in my area and if you really need help out in the woods there will always be someone monitoring the frequency who can send aid. Good luck, N3YKX

quote:Originally posted by trash:bunkerdave, Perhaps you had better review your past posts (all 357 of them) to see just what kind of image you are sending to others about the character of geocachers. Don't you have better things to do all day? You mention procedures and processes...well I am going through proper procedures as I contact the USFS. The person or persons who placed this cache certainly did not. Have a nice day! First off, let me defuse this exchange by saying that I am not interested in fighting with someone who I believe is on the same side (albeit further left) as me. Your initial post seemed to me to leave no room for disussion or compromise, so I responded accordingly. As for the previous humor, I do not apologize. As Jeremy said, it was an attempt to put a better face on what had turned ugly. Only those who are familiar with the issues of wildlife and conservation would see that humor, and as far as I am concerned, the context should have been a clue that you are dealing with informed individuals. Have YOU read all my 357+ posts? Talk about having nothing better to do. Actually, I consider myself fortunate that I have as much time as I have to do something I enjoy as much as this. I think I am in agreement with you on one thing, actually. Wilderness areas are not appropriate places for geocaches. I have found only one, (which I left) but it occurred to me that it probably would have been better placed elsewhere. As for USFS and BLM land, these are lands which are being managed to preserve their beauty, but not to the same extent as the wilderness. I think these areas are appropriate for geocaching. You may not agree, and if not, then I am wrong about you, and we have no common ground in this issue on which we can build. If we can agree on this, then there is room for discussion. So there it is: National Parks and wilderness areas are, IMO, out. USFS and BLM land is in. I have not placed any caches on NPS land or in a wilderness area. I have placed 2 on USFS land and 3 on BLM land. It might be of interest to some that I have become increasingly involved in an emerging hobby called GeoDashing. The locations are coordinates generated at random by a computer, and the object is simply getting there to take pictures and write about it on the Internet. Geocaching will always be my "first love," as it was the reason I bought my GPS. I have found that those who enjoy Geocaching for the same reasons I do, (the adventure, not the trinkets) tend to gravitate toward GeoDashing. I will be the first to admit that there are some pigs in Geocaching, with 30-40,000 people participating, how could there not be? The containers provide, for some people, enough incentive to go out and find them and take what they want and leave nothing, or leave junk. These are not the kind of people I want to bo associated with, but as a public hobby, you have to take the good with the bad. I have enjoyed every one of my "dashes" (a grand total of 4, so far, compared to 123 caches) as much as almost all of my cache hunts, it is exciting to go out to a place you are almost certain, or at least it is easy to convince yourself, that no on else has ever been, even if it is only a few square feet of earth. I do not say that people need to see every place, or even have vehicular access to it, but if a person has the desire, however strange, and the stamina to reach a chosen destination, they should be at least allowed to do it. I guess I am an explorer at heart. I love climbing summits and highpoints around my state, and while I do not sign summit registers myself(My group does this on the Internet) I respect the right of others to use them. I believe this is all anyone here is requesting of you, to respect the right of others to participate. There are 280 million people in the U.S., and a precious few of them care enough about wild places to do anything about preserving them. There is no sense dividing what is already a relatively sparse population into ineffective factions. [This message has been edited by bunkerdave (edited 16 August 2001).]

quote:Originally posted by trash:bunkerdave, Perhaps you had better review your past posts (all 357 of them) to see just what kind of image you are sending to others about the character of geocachers. Don't you have better things to do all day? You mention procedures and processes...well I am going through proper procedures as I contact the USFS. The person or persons who placed this cache certainly did not. Have a nice day! First off, let me defuse this exchange by saying that I am not interested in fighting with someone who I believe is on the same side (albeit further left) as me. Your initial post seemed to me to leave no room for disussion or compromise, so I responded accordingly. As for the previous humor, I do not apologize. As Jeremy said, it was an attempt to put a better face on what had turned ugly. Only those who are familiar with the issues of wildlife and conservation would see that humor, and as far as I am concerned, the context should have been a clue that you are dealing with informed individuals. Have YOU read all my 357+ posts? Talk about having nothing better to do. Actually, I consider myself fortunate that I have as much time as I have to do something I enjoy as much as this. I think I am in agreement with you on one thing, actually. Wilderness areas are not appropriate places for geocaches. I have found only one, (which I left) but it occurred to me that it probably would have been better placed elsewhere. As for USFS and BLM land, these are lands which are being managed to preserve their beauty, but not to the same extent as the wilderness. I think these areas are appropriate for geocaching. You may not agree, and if not, then I am wrong about you, and we have no common ground in this issue on which we can build. If we can agree on this, then there is room for discussion. So there it is: National Parks and wilderness areas are, IMO, out. USFS and BLM land is in. I have not placed any caches on NPS land or in a wilderness area. I have placed 2 on USFS land and 3 on BLM land. It might be of interest to some that I have become increasingly involved in an emerging hobby called GeoDashing. The locations are coordinates generated at random by a computer, and the object is simply getting there to take pictures and write about it on the Internet. Geocaching will always be my "first love," as it was the reason I bought my GPS. I have found that those who enjoy Geocaching for the same reasons I do, (the adventure, not the trinkets) tend to gravitate toward GeoDashing. I will be the first to admit that there are some pigs in Geocaching, with 30-40,000 people participating, how could there not be? The containers provide, for some people, enough incentive to go out and find them and take what they want and leave nothing, or leave junk. These are not the kind of people I want to bo associated with, but as a public hobby, you have to take the good with the bad. I have enjoyed every one of my "dashes" (a grand total of 4, so far, compared to 123 caches) as much as almost all of my cache hunts, it is exciting to go out to a place you are almost certain, or at least it is easy to convince yourself, that no on else has ever been, even if it is only a few square feet of earth. I do not say that people need to see every place, or even have vehicular access to it, but if a person has the desire, however strange, and the stamina to reach a chosen destination, they should be at least allowed to do it. I guess I am an explorer at heart. I love climbing summits and highpoints around my state, and while I do not sign summit registers myself(My group does this on the Internet) I respect the right of others to use them. I believe this is all anyone here is requesting of you, to respect the right of others to participate. There are 280 million people in the U.S., and a precious few of them care enough about wild places to do anything about preserving them. There is no sense dividing what is already a relatively sparse population into ineffective factions. [This message has been edited by bunkerdave (edited 16 August 2001).]

Hi. I have a Megellan 310 also, and am very pleased with it. While I have only searched and located 1 cache and 1 multi-cache, I have not had any problems with accuracy thus far. I was within 3 feet of the last one with my GPS. However, I've seen quite a bit of talk on here about the 310 vs. the 315, and am still thinking seriously about taking mine back to Wal-Mart and getting the 315 - if only for the cool maps that supposedly come loaded on it. quote:Originally posted by celts:I don't see a Magellan 310 listed here. My friend ( a newbie) bought a Magellan 310 yesterday. Is she correct in stating that the coordinates only carry out to second decimal, and if so, what difference will that make in her accuracy?

If i leave a non-commercial card with my email address and a note telling people to contact me if they want to talk..and my purpose is to be there for them just like other people were there for me..r u people gonna throw it away cause it might have "religious" overtones? this is my first post since i have just registered on the site today .. and i have not yet gone on my first hunt .. but i would like to think that i could leave something like that along with other tokens from my town or state or region or whatever and not have others be "offended" at my gestures and throw my things away simply cause they did not like them. if i leave something from texas will it be tossed too by ya'll who don't like texans or are offended by the lone star state? to me .. i have the perfect example .. i work at a company that caters lunch every day .. i used to work on weekends as part of my schedule .. on sat they brought in a most excellent french silk pie and there was enough to last all weekend for all people who had to work .. when i came to work on sun .. looking forward to another piece of most excellent pie .. i found it in the trash .. not just one piece .. but the whole pie .. turns out ONE person did not like his slice so he threw away the WHOLE pie .. am i the only one who would see a problem with that? isn't that a bit selfish? just because you would have no use for it or because you do not like it does not mean that some one else would not find meaning in it and enjoy it so why throw them all away? you don't like it don't take it-read it-touch it. DISCLAIMER: as i mentioned before i am not talking bout ads for any commercial service or group or business card .. merely things that have personal significance for me. also i agree about leaving garbage and used paperproducts..that's just gross

Hi! My name is Christine Haas and I work at WTSP (CBS 10) in Tampa Florida. I'm trying to do a story on geo cacheing. I'd love to talk to anyone about the search and we'd like to feature the "hunters". Please contact me if you can offer any information. Again, Christine Haas WTSP email- chaas@wtsptv.com phone- (727) 577-8497 Thanks!!

There was an interview with Prof Charles Merry of UCT on Radio 702 and Cape Talk during the Computer and Technology Show, Saturday 11 August 13:00-14:00. I'll upload the MP3 as soon as I get a copy. A transcript will be available on iafrica.com soon. ------------------ Peter Scholtz www.biometrics.co.za [This message has been edited by Peter Scholtz (edited 14 August 2001).]

quote:Originally posted by Gliderguy:... I used a 300mw (not even full power of 500 mw) pager sized FRS radio to talk to a kid more than 8 miles away. ... That is about the best case of line of sight you can get... The current record for distance using FRS is a little over 120 miles. This was done between 2 mountain tops in North Carolina. This was an extreme case - normal distances are 1-2 miles. Bob