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I have a pair of Motorola FRS Talkabout 250 and like them alot. Good range. They claim that they have a 2 mile range with line of sight. I have found that I get about 1.5 range reliably with line of site and about a mile in heavy tree cover. My father has a pair of the Motorola FRS 60 radios. They have similar perfomance but a few different features. Both units run for at least 24 hours of standby time on three AA batteries. The Talkabout 250 can use voice activate hand free system were the 60 you must still press the button to talk. The 60 has a call feature were each person can pick a unique call tone. There are a few newer version out there that might have other features. I have not used the other brands but a friend had a pair audiovox unit and they seemed to work well with my Motorola units on a day of skiing. Just remember that Motorola developed the FRS radio system for what that's worth. But for the price, range and unit size you get with the FRS radio I would suggest the FRS radios over a handheld CB.

personally the more magellon units i see the more impressed with them i become, garmin units are nice, dont get me wrong i love my vista, but i think for a beginner that the superior antena on the mag. units plus ease of use might make them superior, but my opinion gets swayed every time i see the shiny marbles that keep falling out of my ears....lol just make sur you go to a reputable sporting goods store and talk to as many geocachers that use the units ...even ask to go caching with them, we love showing off our skills at tracking down wild caches, to neophytes, and then make an informed choice on what suits your needs best. hope i didnt confuse you too much, Elwood

Enjoy the hunt, and if you find any *really* good caches around there, talk about it. I'm close enough that I might make a run through that area if there are any really good ones.

Enjoy the hunt, and if you find any *really* good caches around there, talk about it. I'm close enough that I might make a run through that area if there are any really good ones.

Not much choice in South Africa as it hasn't taken off yet. I'm actively seeking media coverage and will finally get an interview on Radio 702, our largest talk radio station. (Not me, I don't do public speaking!) Unfortunately when the media bites, they don't let go. So once you get the media you want, you can't control it from then on ... So yes, the fast growth because of the publicity could be a bad thing, but I don't see any other way of doing it. At least the Early Cachers have debated many issues and come to excellent conclusions that should help ... 1/2c ------------------ Peter Scholtz www.biometrics.co.za

Hello, picked up a few caches my self and also planted a few. Scotty quote:Originally posted by hsabbers: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.

I saw a small article in "Trail Runner" magazine about this site on Monday. Even though it did give the pros and cons about caching.....so called "destruction" of wildlife.... I immediately hopped on the website. Tuesday I did a little research during the day and went out that night and bought an ETrex. Wednesday I went geocaching for the first time. I didn't get out of work until 6, and by the time I got out there it was just about dusk. Although the darkness prevented me from finding it I will be back there early tomorrow morning. I was so close I could smell it......... dadgum......... Thank you to the rocket scientist who came up with this sport. Can't wait till the weekend so I can pick a new quest to shoot for. Talk to you soon Dave M.

quote:Originally posted by Iron Chef:A Geocaching IRC server would be great. :~) I think an IRC server would be great also. If you would like to see a good example of a well controlled chat area look at momsonline.com. I do think that they can be overly strict sometimes, but I know for one that I can go there anytime and find nice people to talk to. I don't go to any other chat area. They allow men...LOL... so check it out.

Ya........it is ironic. I went to go see Dave at Giants stadium June 11, but I didnt want to go to Meadows. I am in the running for a certain job that is really strict on drug use. I went to all three Meadows shows last year and they were too smokey..... both kinds......so I just decided on NJ this year. Man do I love the Lillywhite sessions.......Everyday what?... almost forgot what that record sounded like!!!! again.... talk to you soon...... Dave P.S. I do have quite a few bootlegs....this could turn into a fun way to trade!!! Let me know [This message has been edited by DMBfan (edited 08 August 2001).]

Hey Clayjar ... we seem to be the only one's typing here ... people are going start to talk ...

Cacher stooping to commercialism? I don't think so. It's ClayJar the guy who's been trying to get on Car Talk for years stooping to geocaching to get on the show.

or and I can prove it.) My very first hunt with two of my kids was a complete failure. The terrain was worse than we were led to expect and we never did find the cache. The reason: Cacher left the wrong coordinates (confirmed and corrected by cacher.) Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth! Yeah, the cacher may get a reading, but what if his accuracy is really low because of a lack of acquisitions. I'd even check my coordinates against a topo map to make sure they were correct.

I got through on the first call. Time on hold less than 10 min. In fact I had another call come in for me on another line and put them on hold(thinking it would be a long time as I've heard talk of) and when I came back HE was waiting for me. They were very nice and did not hesitate to say send it in. They also said send in the ext. ant. And gave me their FED-EX shippers #. I called 8:00 am their time on Tuesday. And another trick I use when its hard to get through is............ When it says press 1 for???? Don't press any key. This way it sends you through right away like someone with a rotary dial. Try it it works most times.

I'm a 40 year old mother of 4. For the past year or so I've been looking for an activity that my entire family can do together. It's not easy to find something that fits that need for ages ranging from 8 to 45. When I first read about geocaching, it sounded like a neat idea, but I didn't realize how much my kids would enjoy it. Now we spend 1 or 2 weekends a month hunting caches in our area. We have been to parks that we have always heard about, or driven by, but never had a "reason" to stop and see. We've found a real great playground in Walton, KY (Picnic in the park cache), learned a lot about the first settlers in our area (Pioneers Honor cache), and discovered an amazing view of our city from Devou Park in KY (Cinti Vista cache). This past week while on vacation in KY we actually saw a bald eagle at Cave Run Lake because we were out hiking for a cache (Daniel Boone #2). And if it hadn't been for looking for the cache we would never have been on the trail, much less stopped at the lake. My kids have learned to hike responsibly (we "cache in and trash out"), seen numerous animals (deer, turtle, fox, etc), and this is one family activity, that while being good for us, they actually enjoy. An added benefit is that I've found that on those hikes we actually spend a lot of time talking to each other. I've learned a lot about whats really going on at school, with friends, etc since we started geocaching. Also this is a sport where skill level doesn't have anything to do with age. Often the kids figure out where the cache is before the adults do. We've also placed some caches, and the kids have learned quite a bit about responsiblity with checking on them, replacing worn out or soaked logs, cameras that have been used up, etc. We talk about where to place our caches so that there is minimal impact to the environment, and will periodically move our caches if it looks like a trail is being worn to them. I'd like to think that if we go at this responsibly the BLM will see this for what it is - a wholesome family activity that gets people to enjoy (often) less well know portions of our public park system. I sure know I'm not sure what we'd be able to replace this with if we couln't do it anymore.

You've been trying to get on Car Talk for years, and the closest you've gotten is this week, when you very well might get on the show (find out tomorrow). What is my question? My tires are just about due for a replacement, and I need to know what kind to buy, since I've been driving all over the place since I've picked up this new hobby called geocaching. [This message has been edited by ClayJar (edited 07 August 2001).]

You've been trying to get on Car Talk for years, and the closest you've gotten is this week, when you very well might get on the show (find out tomorrow). What is my question? My tires are just about due for a replacement, and I need to know what kind to buy, since I've been driving all over the place since I've picked up this new hobby called geocaching. [This message has been edited by ClayJar (edited 07 August 2001).]

In the easygps preferences, make sure that you have the GPS type set to the correct model for your GPSR. Also, the fact that you can see NMEA data in hyperterminal means that the receive data and ground wires in your home made cable are okay, but it doesn't prove that transmit data works. I also have a home made cable, and it sometimes gives me problems. Every time I start to use easygps with that cable, the first step I take after starting the program is to click on GPS Version info which is under the GPS menu. This option talks to the GPSR and asks it to transmit back its make, model, and software version number. If this step works, then I know for a fact that the GPSR and easygps can talk to each other. WHen it doesn't work, I know my cable needs reseating...

Don't know about the Boy Scouts, but the Girl Scouts have a badge called "Finding Your Way". When my troop earned it this June we added in how to use a GPS after we finished up the compass work. After we had that down we went out and located a cache, and then placed our own. From my perspective, as a leader, while the badge work taught them some really good skills (map reading & compass work), the geocaching made it really fun - and they now had to use the map reading and compass work in addition to the GPS. On top of it all they've really enjoyed following their cache ("East of the Fork and West of the Spoon") this summer. It's made for lots of talk.

I'm trying to figure out why these topics are 95% thoughtful discourse and 5% generalization and namecalling. If I spit in your face would you want to talk to me? Or compromise? Come on. to: bbnot2busy I prefer to keep the toys in the caches. That's what a geocache is and should be. I don't think it's the size of the cache that is the issue but the existence of one. to: navdog Not sure what a permit would mean. That's what compromises are all about. I would expect optimally would be to speak with a land manager to find out the "safe areas" and hide them there. Jeremy

quote:Originally posted by mav:...when you use a MOMS Club event to teach all your friend how to read a GPS so they can convince their husbands to try it! ...when you wish they gave extra bonus ratings to caching with a 27 pound baby on your back and a 2.5 year old toddler in tow ;-) (Just remember my 2's & 3's are YOUR 3's & 4's heehee!) mav Stop talking about me! I did just that at the last meeting of my MOMS club playgroup and am thinking of selecting a geocaching walk in the local park (where we plan to plant a cache soon) for one of the future playgroup days that is my pick! You know, I fully expected hubby to chat with some of the other dads at or Summer Bash this past Saturday and talk GeoCaching up, but instead he listened in on an aviation discussion! Will be inviting one of the playgroup families along for a hunt soon anyway because I was sure it was right up her alley, and when I told her about it her eyes just lit up! And in my case, it's the 2-year-old that's 27 pounds, and the second won't be born for several months yet! The toddler loves to go "treasure hunting!" T-storm [This message has been edited by T-storm (edited 06 August 2001).]

quote:Originally posted by mav:...when you use a MOMS Club event to teach all your friend how to read a GPS so they can convince their husbands to try it! ...when you wish they gave extra bonus ratings to caching with a 27 pound baby on your back and a 2.5 year old toddler in tow ;-) (Just remember my 2's & 3's are YOUR 3's & 4's heehee!) mav Stop talking about me! I did just that at the last meeting of my MOMS club playgroup and am thinking of selecting a geocaching walk in the local park (where we plan to plant a cache soon) for one of the future playgroup days that is my pick! You know, I fully expected hubby to chat with some of the other dads at or Summer Bash this past Saturday and talk GeoCaching up, but instead he listened in on an aviation discussion! Will be inviting one of the playgroup families along for a hunt soon anyway because I was sure it was right up her alley, and when I told her about it her eyes just lit up! And in my case, it's the 2-year-old that's 27 pounds, and the second won't be born for several months yet! The toddler loves to go "treasure hunting!" T-storm [This message has been edited by T-storm (edited 06 August 2001).]

Come on guys, you're getting too specific on me here The example I presented was just that, an example. If it is such a unique example, tell me that and I'll find something else to talk about. I just figured that maybe this was an issue that other folks had run into and I was trying to offer a possible solution. I'd be surprised if any of you experienced seekers haven't run into caches rated the same that had very different time requirements.

Come on guys, you're getting too specific on me here The example I presented was just that, an example. If it is such a unique example, tell me that and I'll find something else to talk about. I just figured that maybe this was an issue that other folks had run into and I was trying to offer a possible solution. I'd be surprised if any of you experienced seekers haven't run into caches rated the same that had very different time requirements.

There are the varied types that you talk about, just not as common. Hide it and they'll come to find it!

All this fancy talk and quoting studies... I read the reports and learned some things that I wouldn't have known before, but none of it is really necessary. What I mean is this. The question a conscientious cache placer should really ask is: "Did I make a reasonable effort to ensure that my coordinates are accurate enough for the average geocacher to find my cache?" In my mind, this means: 1. Make sure that you have good satellite geometry. You want at least 4 satellites locked in. You want those satellites to be dispersed across the sky, not all directly above you. If you don't have good geometry, you should try another day. If that isn't an option, make a descriptive hint and state in the description that you are concerned about the coordinates. 2. Take several readings. Stand over the cache for a few minutes then record the coordinates. Walk away from the cache. I think 100-150' should do fine. Walk back to the cache. Stand over the cache for a few minutes then record the coordinates. Repeat a few times. 3. Arrive at a median value or an average. In the case of a median value, try Jeremy's "Shotgun" method. For an average, just average the coordinates. 4. Test your coordinates. Come back on another day and act like a geocacher. Enter your coordinates as a waypoint and see how close you can get to it. This is what I would call "Quality control". 5. Monitor your cache. Keep an eye on the logs. If the coordinates aren't good, you'll see it in the logs. Other cachers will occasionally post what they feel the best coordinates are. [Out, out dadgum typos!] [This message has been edited by PharoaH (edited 06 August 2001).]