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Mac&Cheeser

By Mac&Cheeser
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Mac&Cheeser

Mac&Cheeser

Posted
Posted

Hi all, just wanted to pop in and see what these forums were all about. My husband and I are new to geocaching...in fact, we haven't found any caches yet since we have yet to buy a GPS, but I'm keeping an eye on prices. We have found a few letterboxes in our home area and we are HOOKED! Searching for treasure is COOL. :P

 

Look forward to getting to know some of you and sharing our experiences!

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Cpt.Blackbeard

+Cpt.Blackbeard

Posted
Posted

I have a blue million relatives living in Virginia, you're not one of them are you? :P

I bought my first GPS off e-bay, it was good enough to get me started, probably would have been good even longer if I hadn't dropped it 20 feet off a bridge abutement onto the rocks below. It still worked after that but sattelite reception nosedived. :D

Welcome to the sport/game/pastime/hobby, and the Forums to. :)

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Mac&Cheeser

Mac&Cheeser

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hiya! Can I get you some iced tea?

 

Peanuts? Snickerdoodles?

 

Yes, I am in Virginia, but I'm actually a native New Jerseyan so all that sweet-as-pie southern stuff is sometimes wasted on me. ;)

 

I've got my eye on Ebay to see what the prices are like... I think we'll probably start with the Garmin Etrex Legend since I like the basemap feature.... what happens with product warranties if you buy something off Ebay? Can you still get it fixed? We're currently having a problem getting repairs on a digital camera that we can't find the receipt for....

 

I am so excited...we are heading out to the mountains this coming weekend and plan to do some treasure-hunting!

 

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted (edited)
what happens with product warranties if you buy something off Ebay? Can you still get it fixed?

 

It all depends. If the unit is new and in the box and the dealer is reputable, you should have no problems with the warranty. In other cases its a crapshoot.

 

Also, don't forget to check the GPS Garage Sale forum on this website. Many good deals there.

 

We geocachers are continually buying the latest and bestest and looking to sell our old units.

Edited by briansnat
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Shenandoah Drifter

Shenandoah Drifter

Posted
Posted

Hi all. Another Virginia Newbie here. Lurking in the shadows to see how it all works and get an idea of what GPSr to buy. I'm thinking of a Magellean Explorist 210. I have been letterboxing for about 4 years and love the hunt. I prefer the more physically challenging hunts. Looking forward to getting started on some easier ones to get my feet wet. ;)

Shenandoah Drifter

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PlantAKiss

+PlantAKiss

Posted
Posted

Hello Mac&Cheeser!

 

I am also in Central VA (Richmond) and new to the hobby and just acquired my first GPS. ;)

 

I went on my first hunts this weekend...and found my first two caches, along with a friend. It was great fun and I found new places near to my house I didn't know existed. lol (I won't mention the other caches we looked for and didn't find... :) ...but we will try again!)

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BAMBOOZLE

+BAMBOOZLE

Posted
Posted

Welcome aboard......the following is something I put together that may be of help :

 

From what I have read I am convinced the Magellan Platinum is superior to the newer units. I have used them for years and currently have 4 , 2 of which I got on ebay. They have a 3 axis compass, sd card slot, sunken-large screen, wonderfull operating buttons, quad-helix antenna all of which the new ones lack ( some have some features, but not all) The Mapsend software works great with these.....I'm including a list which may be of use to you......it was posted by a couple of us on our states website. You can get these on EBAY with extras.

 

LIST OF USUFULL GEOCACHING ITEMS

I can’t say that mine is better than any other because I have only used 1 other. But my Magellan Meridian Color with Mapsend Software gets the job done. I can carry the whole Southeast US on my 500 mb sd card and have plenty of room for more. That includes dirt and gravel roads. Last summer, I lead a column of cars carrying 19 people across the Florida countryside in the middle of the night for 4 hours, and I did it from the rear of the column via CB radio. Missing signs were not a problem. That’s real-time mapping capability in a practical application. Superior signal stability under harsh conditions, etc, etc. So Watcha, what kind of Magellan are you using? And what did you do to provoke it?

 

Doggy is right.......again.

Bamette and I each use a Meridian Platinum ( Magellan) with Directroute Software and I have a Platinum for a spare. With the SD card capability you can store maps, lists of caches, etc. ( an immense amount) and you also have an electronic compass, big screen, easy to use buttons, and maintain a lock under heavy canopy for hours. I also have two Garmins but the Platinums are the way to go.

Grab you a couple of Palms on ebay, download spinner and plucker, and you're good to go. On a cross country trip you could load dozens of spinner files ( one for each city?) on your Magellans SD card and use plucker to put each one on your Palm, charge your batteries, and you're ready for weeks of caching ( you can also get the Platinum GPS on ebay w/ lots of extras for about $150.).

 

A convenient holster will give you a place to carry and protect your gpsr. A PDA holster will do the same for your PDA. An adaptor for your cig lighter will stretch your batteries life. A probe will help you avoid biting varmints. A mirror with an intense pocket flashlight will get you past those out-of-sighters. I like to use a lensatic compass for precision. I also use a wrist compass clipped to my watchband for qlance orientation. That’s just on the weekends of course. I like it so much that I’m looking for 2 more, one for my dress watch and the other for my son. I guess they’re out of season? If you are really loaded for bear, bring along a metal detector. If the cache has a coin in it or is made of metal, it will give you the edge. I guess that’s about it. I’m not saying I do that. It’s an interesting thought though

 

To add to the geocache tool list you must buy a top of the line MAHA battery charger ( I use three) and a supply of MAHA POWERX Ni MH batteries .....these are the best made ( don't take my word for it, look it up ) then you will have plenty of batteries for your digital camera ( my wife and I each carry one), GPS unit, flashlights etc.

For a small , powerfull flashlight you can't beat a Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax ( 5 blinding watts of LED driven by two 3 volt lithium batteries.....the batteries are $15 for a box of twelve and have a 10 year shelf life....kind of pricy but well worth it...will light up the woods.

I don't know if the most important thing was mentioned....a good walking stick. Local cachers and special guests can get one free at the View Carre' cache.......don't leave your car without your stick.

Also a small pocket screwdriver for digging out micro logs and other probing.

AND DON’T FORGET TO BRING A PENCIL.

LIST From Above :

 

1. Magellan Meridian Platinum GPS Unit + Belt Holster (EBAY- If you will have a regular partner , get two )

2. Palm M500 PDA and case ( ebay- buy an extra for backup )

3. 12” metal probe for searching tree cavities etc. for micro caches

4. 2 “ or 3” extension mirror

5. Small, intense flashlight ( Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax )

6. Pencil

7. Sharpie ( Fine Point)

8. Cotton Gloves

9. Pocket Screwdriver

10. Walking stick

11. Plastimo Iris 50 Hand Bearing Compass ( Great for offset caches)

12. C401FSDC MAHA NiMH Battery Charger

13. Maha 2500 mAh NiMH PowerX AA Batteries (GPS,camera,flashlights,etc. )

14. Digital Camera

15. Access to computer w/ internet connection ( premium membership in geocaching.com is best )

 

INFORMATION ON PAPERLESS CACHING

 

I got started with step by step info. I got from the Florida Geocaching website and I keep copies here at my View Carre' cache to hand out to others. I am not hi tech and can't quite use my cell phone but this guide is can't miss. If you can't find it email me and I can fax it to you.

 

http://www.floridageocaching.com/paperless.htm = step by step instructions.

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PlantAKiss

+PlantAKiss

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi Mac&Cheeser

 

I tried PMing you but it said "No such member." ??

 

I bought a Garmin Quest. It has been a little frustrating because the manual SUCKS. But a forum member here has been very patiently and kindly helping me with it via PM. I wanted both a car navigation unit AND a hand-held so the Quest fits that bill. I think I will really like it once I am more familiar with it.

 

I haven't had much time for caching lately. (I took in a rescue dog and there have been a lot of problems so all my time is going to the dog.) I'm hoping over the 4-day holiday I can spend some time with the GPS and maybe even get out to look for some caches.

 

The two I've found were easy and good ones to start with. There are a couple that I have tried twice to find with no success and that is really frustrating! Especially when you see the log and see how many people have found them. Makes me feel like an idiot. lol

 

What area of VA do you live in? What GPSr do you have?

 

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and good luck caching!

 

Suzanne

Edited by PlantAKiss
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WanderingGirl

WanderingGirl

Posted
Posted

I ordered the Garmin Etrex Legend from Walmart.com and am impatiently waiting for the postman to bring it!!! :cry:

 

I am new as well! I can't wait. My poor husband hears about it every day. After getting backordered at Staples and then ordering from TigerGPS.com, my Magellan eXplorist 210 bundle is finally on it's way and I should be getting it tomorrow! I have a list of caches that I want to find, including some for the Quest III.

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biosearch

+biosearch

Posted
Posted

I ordered the Garmin Etrex Legend from Walmart.com and am impatiently waiting for the postman to bring it!!! :cry:

 

I am new as well! I can't wait. My poor husband hears about it every day. After getting backordered at Staples and then ordering from TigerGPS.com, my Magellan eXplorist 210 bundle is finally on it's way and I should be getting it tomorrow! I have a list of caches that I want to find, including some for the Quest III.

Let us know when you get it. I'm more than pleased with mine and would be more than happy to help if you need it. I got the bundle as well. It is a fantastic gps for geocaching, pretty much designed just for that purpose. Good hunting....

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carleenp

+carleenp

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi Cheeser

 

I got your PM but it still won't let me reply. I hit the reply button and it says "No such member." ??? I will try to find out what the problem is.

 

I wrote a reply to you...I'll save it til I get this fixed. :P

 

Something with the forum software prevents people with characters such as the & symbol in their names from getting PMs. The email system will work though, so I suggest emailing through their profile.

Edited by carleenp
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Mac&Cheeser

Mac&Cheeser

Posted
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Posted

OK, now it won't let me make a new account. I am getting this error:

 

Server Error in '/' Application.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Bad Data.

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

 

Exception Details: System.Security.Cryptography.CryptographicException: Bad Data.

 

Source Error:

 

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

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carleenp

+carleenp

Posted
Posted

OK, now it won't let me make a new account. I am getting this error:

 

Server Error in '/' Application.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Bad Data.

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

 

Exception Details: System.Security.Cryptography.CryptographicException: Bad Data.

 

Source Error:

 

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

 

That was likely just the site hanging up for a moment. Try again. It should let you create a new account.

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Carpenterr

Carpenterr

Posted
Posted

Hi all, just wanted to pop in and see what these forums were all about. My husband and I are new to geocaching...in fact, we haven't found any caches yet since we have yet to buy a GPS, but I'm keeping an eye on prices. We have found a few letterboxes in our home area and we are HOOKED! Searching for treasure is COOL. :)

 

Look forward to getting to know some of you and sharing our experiences!

test

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