I lost my GPS!

[+AustinSweetnSour]

I took a road trip over Christmas, and somehow, in between the last cache I found and the time I unpacked, my GPS disappeared. It's been 2 weeks now, and I'm suffering from withdrawal horribly! And the worst part was that the GPS wasn't really "mine" it belonged to a friend that's loaned in to me until I could buy my own...so now I need to replace his, before I can get myself another one!

So meanwhile, I'm having to live vicariously through you guys in the forums!

I assume I'm not the only person out there that's had bad luck like this??

[+hukilaulau]

I "lost" my eXplorist 500. After three days without it I ordered another one, refurbished. Then I found the original one, so now I have two idetical units!

[+StarBrand]

Too much work and too much snow has me in withdrawl symptoms - will have to make some time soon.

[bogleman]

How about taking your new GPS out for it's first run and promptly smashing it to little pieces trying to take a picture. Garmin felt sorry for me so they sent me a replacement which had a bad power button sooooo a month later I get another replacement and then I promptly lost it on the trail. Spent about 2 hours of frantic searching before I found it. Fell out of the stupid belt clip.

[+Bad_CRC]

if you don't recall having it after returning home from the last cache you found, I'd post a note on that cache page describing the GPS, and asking the next cachers to keep an eye open for it. It's not uncommon for people to find GPS units while caching.

[dinovagsd]

Ohhh, sad, sad. That is so tough.

 

We just started caching and tell our kids to make sure they pull the drawstring thingy on their wrist. I jokingly told my oldest son -15- that he might lose his entire hand/wrist if he gets caught up in a tree, slips and slides. "Yup, I could just see your hand and wrist hanging from the tree still holding the GPS," I told him. He's okay with that sense of humor. Silly.

 

Have you checked under the car seats, in them, maybe in trunk, maybe under carpeting in trunk. Did you wear a different jacket that's now hanging in closet, like a special event coat? Suit? In with a Christmas gift? Do you have a lot of "secret compartments" in your car that you don't usually use?

 

Seriously, I pull out this prayer once in a while, only when really necessary, and this would be the time for you. I think I've used it maybe 3 or 4 times in my life and it has worked. "Dear Saint Anthony, please come around, for something's lost and can't be found."

[+ScoutingWV]

... always take a waypoint ...

[+2qwerqE]

Here's my story of my lost GPSr. Three years and 2 new GPSrs later, I can't say that much has changed in the obsession arena. But I've never lost it since so I can't be too sure about that.

 

A Fine Obsession by 2qwerqE

[+egami]

I keep my contact info. and reward if found message. I am sure not all units are able to store this nicely and then it's contingent on being found.

 

Fortunately, I've never lost it long term...the first day I had my I lost it going down the highway on my motorcycle. It flew out of my pock and I had about a 20 miles span to work with in finding it...fortunately I was able to trace back and find it on the shoulder of the road with very minor damage.

[+ScoutingWV]

I keep my contact info. and reward if found message. I am sure not all units are able to store this nicely and then it's contingent on being found.<snip>

 

That's a good idea. I have a GPSMap 76CSx and can place some info on the startup screen. I think I'll do that this evening.

[+joranda]

I left mine at a cache before after a FTF. Got home went to take it out of the car and it was no where to be found. Drove back to the cache and found it on the ground. I was about sick. Lucky for me, no one else had been there yet.

[cowcreekgeeks]

Oh boy...some of you might hate me. Our unit was given to us by a coworker who found it on his property. It was nestled neatly between the tire tracks of the ATV that was trespassing on his land during hunting season. It needed a new button band but I rigged something and we've been caching whenever possible ever since. Nice tresspasser. Thanks.

[+egami]

Oh boy...some of you might hate me. Our unit was given to us by a coworker who found it on his property. It was nestled neatly between the tire tracks of the ATV that was trespassing on his land during hunting season. It needed a new button band but I rigged something and we've been caching whenever possible ever since. Nice tresspasser. Thanks.

 

What is that ancient proverb....finders keepers, losers weepers? I might tend to follow that practice if I noticed someone had been taking that particular liberty.

[Dinoprophet]

Ironically, your GPS knows exactly where it is.

 

(Almost lost mine once. Shortly after a find, I realized I didn't have it. On the way back to the cache to look for it, I spotted it hanging from a bush by the lanyard, which must have been sticking out of my pocket).

[+BlueDeuce]

... always take a waypoint ...

 

That is funny.

 

-------

 

Definitely put your contact info in the start-up screen.

 

Most common locations to lose your gps: Cache site, dropped into hiking gear, top of car.

 

I've seen (well knew about) a gps inadvertently dropped inside a closed umbrella and one in a pair of boots.

 

Check that stuff, I'm telling ya.

[+teamdundat]

IN the south of wetern Australia the porogorups (that is a big range of mountains) and on top of one the is a massive rock and it's highest of all the mountains and ofcousre there is cache there but that got burnt but anyway it's a 3k walk back to the car park nad we left the GPSr on a small rock for it to settle but when we almost got back to the car we looked for it but we couldn't find it then i sprinted all the way up and it was still on the rock and then i felt alot better.

[O-Mega]

I have had that experience, while out night caching in Land Between the Lakes (LBL) I lost a Garmin Rino. Now we kid around about the loose Rino at LBL , I am thinking of having an event with the possible prize being the Rino .

[+queen_ladybug]

I have had that experience, while out night caching in Land Between the Lakes (LBL) I lost a Garmin Rino. Now we kid around about the loose Rino at LBL , I am thinking of having an event with the possible prize being the Rino .

I was there when that happened!! At least there won't be any stampedes from the loose Rino.

 

Haven't lost my GPSr, but I did nearly lose my brand new Razr phone while in the woods caching (in LBL too) found it the next morning after retracing my steps.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Try complaining to Magellan - a cacher told at an event the other day that she complained in writing to Magellan Customer Service that her Magellan wasn't as accurate as a friend's Garmin - she soon got a new Magellan in the mail, and another the next day, and another the next day!

 

Now that's customer service!

 

No telling what they'll send if you write that you lost your beloved GPS and are, uh, lost without it!

[+team lagonda]

i never heard of a gps getting lost..i,ve mine trained to come home if it drops outta my pocket..i had a lil yeller trained so good i was 20 miles away n the next mornin it showed up on my porch..a little low on batteries but ok....

Edited January 15, 2008 by team lagonda

[Finkster5]

Losing your GPS while caching, thats like losing your gun while hunting!

[cowcreekgeeks]

Losing your GPS while caching, thats like losing your gun while hunting!

 

Worse yet...like losing your gun while in Iraq.

[+Rattlebars]

I have mislocated mine only once. It was in my jacket pocket in the closet. I have lost mine on a river during a storm while I was canoeing, but it floats so I was able to retrieve it (Magellan Meridian Color).

 

I have, however, had some thorn bushes relieve me of my cell phone while caching. But I went back to the area with my wife's phone and kept calling mine. Found it! Whew!

 

The prayer is: "Tony... Tony.... Turn around. Something's lost and can't be found!"

 

While saying that, spin around. You will be pointed in the right direction when you stop! Works for me quite often!

 

Good luck!

 

RATTLEBARS

[+FluteFace]

I haven't yet lost a GPS, but have come close. I keep leaving my trusty hiking pole behind. I left it near Mt. Rainer at a cache place away from the trail . . . luckily it was found and returned because I left a note on the cache page. The next time it disappeared, it was near Spokane. It wound up in Montana and was again returned to me, this time via USPS. I've since put a travel bug tag on it because it travels further than I do!

[+JonInNH1]

I keep my contact info. and reward if found message. I am sure not all units are able to store this nicely and then it's contingent on being found.

 

That also assumes the person who finds it can figure out how to turn it on.

[+ironman114]

I keep my contact info. and reward if found message. I am sure not all units are able to store this nicely and then it's contingent on being found.

 

That also assumes the person who finds it can figure out how to turn it on.

 

Push enough buttons and you can figure out how to turn it on. I did.

 

I found my first GPS while on vacation, sitting on the shoulder of a hwy. I found the battery case first then the rest of the unit. I stopped at the first store and filled it with 6 AA batteries and started pushing buttons. I soon had it fired up. unfortunately for the owner it didn't have his home coordinates in it. Neither did he register it with Garmin, I checked.

 

At that time (1999) a Map 175 with the marine mount for boats was selling in Cabelas for about $600 and it was about the size of a red brick!

[+dark_onyx1982]

I do hope you find it. I agree your best bet aside from going out and searching for it yourself is to post a not on the cache page of the last cache you visited. I lost my mace near a cache once and had it returned to me by posting a note.

 

An extra step you can take to help ensure recovery in the future is to place a label with your name and number inside the cover to the battery compartment. That way the info is not exposed to the elements and will not fade off. I also have a trackable geocoin attached to mine. If is gets lost, the finder can enter the coins tracking number and it will have my info on it along with any reward info.

 

I hope it does turn up.

[+SidAndBob]

Bad news.

My eTrex hung round my neck for a few years without a problem (they're yellow for a reason too), but when I upgraded to a CSx I nearly lost it a couple of times. I put it on a lanyard attached to my belt straight after that. Now I have it on the short lanyard it comes with clipped to a caribina on my belt. It doesn't hit the ground if I drop it now. I have had no close calls (touch wood) in the 2 years since.

 

I have nearly lost my wedding ring a few times whilst caching as it's too loose. The first time I noticed it in the fork of a tree as I was replacing the cache. Last week I thought I'd really lost it, but it turned up in a walking boot. It now sits in a drawer until I can get it adjusted.

[+OzGuff]

I lost my incredibly new 60CXs on a maintenance visit. Went back a few days later with a metal detector and found it!

[+sbell111]

Try complaining to Magellan - a cacher told at an event the other day that she complained in writing to Magellan Customer Service that her Magellan wasn't as accurate as a friend's Garmin - she soon got a new Magellan in the mail, and another the next day, and another the next day!

Now she has four Magellans that aren't as accurate as her friend's Garmin.

 

I have nearly lost my wedding ring a few times whilst caching as it's too loose. The first time I noticed it in the fork of a tree as I was replacing the cache. Last week I thought I'd really lost it, but it turned up in a walking boot. It now sits in a drawer until I can get it adjusted.

On my honeymoon, my wife and I were walking down a cobblestone street in London and I was 'talking with my hands' when we heard a 'Ping!'. Sure enough, my ring had flown off my finger. It took me a frantic few minutes to find it.

[Geohobby]

Sorry to hear that.

 

If you are looking to get a new one there is a web site that offers ratings and reviews for GPS that are good for geocaching. It also shows you places to get a new GPS for pretty competitive prices. (from what I could tell.) [commercial link removed by moderator]

Hope it helps you.

 

-Geohobby

Edited January 18, 2008 by Quiggle

[+kraushad]

Sorry to hear about your lost GPSr - that would definitely be a drag!

 

if you don't recall having it after returning home from the last cache you found, I'd post a note on that cache page describing the GPS, and asking the next cachers to keep an eye open for it. It's not uncommon for people to find GPS units while caching.

 

Makes me thing about revising the message on the startup screen of my GPSr to include some contact info in case you ever leave it lay somewhere (assuming the batteries are still good enough to turn it on) .... thanks for jump-starting my brain!

 

Or I could just do what the other poster suggested about a name and number in the battery compartment idea. Thanks again for another great idea. YOU GUYS ROCK!

Edited January 18, 2008 by kraushad

[+uk89camaro]

 

I have nearly lost my wedding ring a few times whilst caching as it's too loose.

 

Mine went a few weeks ago, possibly whilst caching, but can't be sure. 24 bloody years, never been off my finger. Have lost a bit of weight, and it was cold.