Real New

[mikemaupin]

Hi Fellows, this is my first post and I need lots of help.

First let me introduce myself and that may end this new interest before I get stsrted.

My name is Mike and I am 66 yrs old. I have health problems, diabetes among others and my walking is pretty much limited to 100 yds or so one way, I have had 6 eye operations but thanks to good doctors I can see good enough to drive and do other things.

 

I just bought a new TomTom ONE XL-S, can this unit be used fo geocaching? I have prog. 4 friends and checked it out only that far and sort understand that much . Would it be possible to get into this new interest with these limitations if so what else would I need? Thanks for any and all help, I will wait on what you folks say before I go any further, Mike in TN

[+lrosell]

Hi Fellows, this is my first post and I need lots of help.

First let me introduce myself and that may end this new interest before I get stsrted.

My name is Mike and I am 66 yrs old. I have health problems, diabetes among others and my walking is pretty much limited to 100 yds or so one way, I have had 6 eye operations but thanks to good doctors I can see good enough to drive and do other things.

 

I just bought a new TomTom ONE XL-S, can this unit be used fo geocaching? I have prog. 4 friends and checked it out only that far and sort understand that much . Would it be possible to get into this new interest with these limitations if so what else would I need? Thanks for any and all help, I will wait on what you folks say before I go any further, Mike in TN

 

Welcome Mike!

 

I woiuld say that it would be POSSIBLE to use the TomTom from Geocaching but not recommended. You can certainly try. Remeber to set the Tomtom to OffRoad though, otherwise it will give you VERY bad directions.

 

I did find 5 caches myself using a TomTom before I caved in and bought a Garmin 60CSx.

[+StarBrand]

It is possible but not recommended. The tom-tom is just not real suitable for Geocaching - you will reget using it the first time it slips out of your hand and into a mud puddle on the trail. It does not give the best directions and has limited battery life. Not real ergonomic in the hand as well. Best to leave it in the car and get an inexpensive handheld like the Garmin Venture HC.

[mikemaupin]

Hi Fellows, this is my first post and I need lots of help.

First let me introduce myself and that may end this new interest before I get stsrted.

My name is Mike and I am 66 yrs old. I have health problems, diabetes among others and my walking is pretty much limited to 100 yds or so one way, I have had 6 eye operations but thanks to good doctors I can see good enough to drive and do other things.

 

I just bought a new TomTom ONE XL-S, can this unit be used fo geocaching? I have prog. 4 friends and checked it out only that far and sort understand that much . Would it be possible to get into this new interest with these limitations if so what else would I need? Thanks for any and all help, I will wait on what you folks say before I go any further, Mike in TN

 

Welcome Mike!

 

I woiuld say that it would be POSSIBLE to use the TomTom from Geocaching but not recommended. You can certainly try. Remeber to set the Tomtom to OffRoad though, otherwise it will give you VERY bad directions.

 

I did find 5 caches myself using a TomTom before I caved in and bought a Garmin 60CSx.

 

I dont recall seeing a "off road icon" on the ONE XL-s Mike

[+wapahani]

The TomTom One XL-S is a nice Geocaching GPS.

Most don't know that you can go in and view the COORDS directly, and I have found thus far that the COORDS are right on.

Now, I will assume you won't be deep wood caching, but if you are, then I wouldn't use it.

 

But YES, you can use your XL-S with much luck.

 

Tap the screen where the time is shown, then when the next screen pops up, tap the signal strength and battery meter on the right side of the screen. This will show you your actual COORDS.

 

Now, that said, you can add in your COORDS with the laptop on Google maps.

 

If your really into it, I suggest buying a second GPS to take into the field.

 

otherwise, you can use your TomTom One XL-S with good success!

[+wapahani]

Hi Fellows, this is my first post and I need lots of help.

First let me introduce myself and that may end this new interest before I get stsrted.

My name is Mike and I am 66 yrs old. I have health problems, diabetes among others and my walking is pretty much limited to 100 yds or so one way, I have had 6 eye operations but thanks to good doctors I can see good enough to drive and do other things.

 

I just bought a new TomTom ONE XL-S, can this unit be used fo geocaching? I have prog. 4 friends and checked it out only that far and sort understand that much . Would it be possible to get into this new interest with these limitations if so what else would I need? Thanks for any and all help, I will wait on what you folks say before I go any further, Mike in TN

 

Welcome Mike!

 

I woiuld say that it would be POSSIBLE to use the TomTom from Geocaching but not recommended. You can certainly try. Remeber to set the Tomtom to OffRoad though, otherwise it will give you VERY bad directions.

 

I did find 5 caches myself using a TomTom before I caved in and bought a Garmin 60CSx.

 

I dont recall seeing a "off road icon" on the ONE XL-s Mike

 

I think what they are saying is when you reach your location (using the drive to location feature) when you arrive, make sure to clear out the route and don't enter anything.

The downside to this is having to write your COORDS on a piece of paper.

[mikemaupin]

The TomTom One XL-S is a nice Geocaching GPS.

Most don't know that you can go in and view the COORDS directly, and I have found thus far that the COORDS are right on.

Now, I will assume you won't be deep wood caching, but if you are, then I wouldn't use it.

 

But YES, you can use your XL-S with much luck.

 

Tap the screen where the time is shown, then when the next screen pops up, tap the signal strength and battery meter on the right side of the screen. This will show you your actual COORDS.

 

Now, that said, you can add in your COORDS with the laptop on Google maps.

 

If your really into it, I suggest buying a second GPS to take into the field.

 

otherwise, you can use your TomTom One XL-S with good success!

 

Yes, thats faster than what I was doing. I was tapping the screen to bring up the MAIN Men then tapping HELP ME then tapping WHERE AM I, are thos COORDS just as accurate? Mike

[+jbar]

Hi and welcome.

 

I'm not sure about your GPS, but I also started with major health issues. At 35 I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure from a virus and could barely walk across a parking lot. I had 4 doctors who had very negative opinions and one with a positive attitude. I stuck with the positive doc and slowly worked started to recuperate. Initially he did not want me to exert myself but as my heart started to get stronger he wanted me to exercise. At first I couldn't go further than 100 yards and I was exhausted getting back to the car. I used Geocaching to slowly build up my heart. That was 6 years ago, last month I was able to go backpacking with my son, we walked 23 miles in 2 days. It was the best I've felt in years. 6 months ago I was diagnosed with non-insulin dependent diabetes. I've still been caching. I've had a couple incidents of low blood sugar while caching. I'm just starting to get used to controlling my blood sugar while exercising. I always cache with carbs in my pack. My advise it to just start slow, research the caches you want to do, and find a partner to go with you. Geocaching can be very rewarding. Good luck!

[+wapahani]

Mike,

I'm not sure, as I haven't done it that way before. We just found it the way I described, and I don't have the TomTom here right now.

 

I've even had another cacher double check mine to see if we were close. He had a Garmin Ex and it was spot on with it.

The only drawback is it can be a little slow, so just settle and let it do its magic.

I think you will be happy.

 

I also have health issues, so trekking off into the woods just doesn't happen for me.

 

We like the TomTom even more so then others in the past. It also serves a purpose for Mrs. Wapahani to use in her job too.

[mikemaupin]

Hi and welcome.

 

I'm not sure about your GPS, but I also started with major health issues. At 35 I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure from a virus and could barely walk across a parking lot. I had 4 doctors who had very negative opinions and one with a positive attitude. I stuck with the positive doc and slowly worked started to recuperate. Initially he did not want me to exert myself but as my heart started to get stronger he wanted me to exercise. At first I couldn't go further than 100 yards and I was exhausted getting back to the car. I used Geocaching to slowly build up my heart. That was 6 years ago, last month I was able to go backpacking with my son, we walked 23 miles in 2 days. It was the best I've felt in years. 6 months ago I was diagnosed with non-insulin dependent diabetes. I've still been caching. I've had a couple incidents of low blood sugar while caching. I'm just starting to get used to controlling my blood sugar while exercising. I always cache with carbs in my pack. My advise it to just start slow, research the caches you want to do, and find a partner to go with you. Geocaching can be very rewarding. Good luck!

 

Thanks a bunch for that reply ibar, I can relate to what you said and itd great that you are doing so well, I know you are pleased.

Now I need a coupla of places close to me to try to find. I have no idea as to where to fing them on this forum. I am close to JohnsonCity TN out next to Try City Airport in tenn, junction of hwy 36 and 75, Mike

[mikemaupin]

Hi and welcome.

 

I'm not sure about your GPS, but I also started with major health issues. At 35 I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure from a virus and could barely walk across a parking lot. I had 4 doctors who had very negative opinions and one with a positive attitude. I stuck with the positive doc and slowly worked started to recuperate. Initially he did not want me to exert myself but as my heart started to get stronger he wanted me to exercise. At first I couldn't go further than 100 yards and I was exhausted getting back to the car. I used Geocaching to slowly build up my heart. That was 6 years ago, last month I was able to go backpacking with my son, we walked 23 miles in 2 days. It was the best I've felt in years. 6 months ago I was diagnosed with non-insulin dependent diabetes. I've still been caching. I've had a couple incidents of low blood sugar while caching. I'm just starting to get used to controlling my blood sugar while exercising. I always cache with carbs in my pack. My advise it to just start slow, research the caches you want to do, and find a partner to go with you. Geocaching can be very rewarding. Good luck!

 

Thanks a bunch for that reply ibar, I can relate to what you said and itd great that you are doing so well, I know you are pleased.

Now I need a coupla of places close to me to try to find. I have no idea as to where to fing them on this forum. I am close to JohnsonCity TN out next to Try City Airport in tenn, junction of hwy 36 and 75, Mike

 

I guess I put the wrong name above it should have been Tadpole, thanks to you both. You'al will have to overlook my typos, becaus of the vison, sorry, Mike

[+jbar]

Just go to the home page www.geocaching.com, on the upper right corner of the page enter your zip code. It will give you a list of nearby caches. Open one from the list. On the cache page near the bottom is a map. Iy you open this it will show you the caches on a map. you can move around the map an it will show you the caches as you scroll. When you see one your interested in, just click on it and the page will come up with a description. Start with caches with an easy rating. The difficulty is listed at the top of the page. Using the map will allow you to pick caches within easy distance of the road.

[mikemaupin]

Hi and welcome.

 

I'm not sure about your GPS, but I also started with major health issues. At 35 I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure from a virus and could barely walk across a parking lot. I had 4 doctors who had very negative opinions and one with a positive attitude. I stuck with the positive doc and slowly worked started to recuperate. Initially he did not want me to exert myself but as my heart started to get stronger he wanted me to exercise. At first I couldn't go further than 100 yards and I was exhausted getting back to the car. I used Geocaching to slowly build up my heart. That was 6 years ago, last month I was able to go backpacking with my son, we walked 23 miles in 2 days. It was the best I've felt in years. 6 months ago I was diagnosed with non-insulin dependent diabetes. I've still been caching. I've had a couple incidents of low blood sugar while caching. I'm just starting to get used to controlling my blood sugar while exercising. I always cache with carbs in my pack. My advise it to just start slow, research the caches you want to do, and find a partner to go with you. Geocaching can be very rewarding. Good luck!

 

Thanks a bunch for that reply ibar, I can relate to what you said and itd great that you are doing so well, I know you are pleased.

Now I need a coupla of places close to me to try to find. I have no idea as to where to fing them on this forum. I am close to JohnsonCity TN out next to Try City Airport in tenn, junction of hwy 36 and 75, Mike

 

I guess I put the wrong name above it should have been Tadpole, thanks to you both. You'al will have to overlook my typos, becaus of the vison, sorry, Mike

 

Which page do I go to to find a geocache close to me? I read a lot of the faq and other things, did a google search and all I have found is how to leave a cache. Where do they post these? Mike

[+jbar]

Use the search function on the first page.(upper right corner) You can put in your zip code or your home coordinantes from your GPS. It will give you a list of caches going outward from the location you entered.

Then just pick one from the list and double click on it.

[mikemaupin]

Just go to the home page www.geocaching.com, on the upper right corner of the page enter your zip code. It will give you a list of nearby caches. Open one from the list. On the cache page near the bottom is a map. Iy you open this it will show you the caches on a map. you can move around the map an it will show you the caches as you scroll. When you see one your interested in, just click on it and the page will come up with a description. Start with caches with an easy rating. The difficulty is listed at the top of the page. Using the map will allow you to pick caches within easy distance of the road.

 

Thanks a bunch, this did the trick. There is a BUNCH of them, some I could almost walk to. The unit I have has a feature I love and thats the DEMO feture, I can type in the coords and drive through the route without leaving my chair. A friend is going with me tomorrow and we could stay busy for a month and never get 3 miles from my house. Thanks agian fellows for the help, Mike

[+kjohn73]

mikemaupin: Welcome to the fold!! I don't have any advice at all, just wanted to say welcome. It is great to hear from someone who could easily just sit on their butt feeling sorry for themselves. I have just ordered a Gramin 60Cx (same as what my outfit uses for work) and hope to actually do some geocaching with it. I struck out on my first "hunt", but I will be trying again as time permits. I live in southern Saskatchewan. 80 miles east of Regina. From one "newbie" to another - have fun!!

[+Annie & PB]

Hi there!

 

Sounds like your GPS, even though mainly an in-car one, will be perfectly adequate for the type of cache you will be doing at the moment. I suspect initially you will not be wanting or able to go too far from your vehicle anyway??? So the issues like mud and rain on the trail will not be of concern.

 

When you look at the first few cache pages check out the little stars at the top of the cache page.

Terrain of 1 would be best to start with and also look for caches of a regular size, I suggest. Careful reading of the cache page and any hints/ logs should give you an idea of whether any bending, climbing, scrambling around it required - so you can judge whether it is suitable for your abilities at present.

Any cache that says it is a 'park and grab' or anything of that type is likely to be one that is relatively easy and close to the road so you don't have to walk too far. And avoid the ones that have a row of the little blue faced DNF smilies looged recently.

 

I'm guessing though that after a couple of months of caching if you do a few each day, you will be starting to feel fitter and can walk a little further!!!! (and then you can always get a handheld GPS at that stage if you feel the need.)

 

All the best for a successful start to this addictive hobby and to improving health for you.

 

Annie

[+DaFunkyFrogs]

Welcome Mike!

I just wanted to let you know that there are caches out there for every ability/disability you could imagine. My husband and I are both mobility impaired (hubby is 61) but we have found and logged over 500 caches, and have placed 70+ of our own. Neither of us are capable of walking any distance, or climbing around or otherwise. But we have been persistent and determined. The terrain ratings really help a lot to find caches that we are physically able to look for. So, don't let health problems stop you! At first I thought this might be something that was beyond us, but it has been so much fun! And we have found that we can actually do more than we thought.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

 

 

I guess I put the wrong name above it should have been Tadpole, thanks to you both. You'al will have to overlook my typos, becaus of the vison, sorry, Mike

 

Just a point of clarification. "Tadpole" is just a name that is used in the forums if a message is posted by someone that has not created an avatar (the little photo under the posters "handle") and the are not a premium member. You'll see it quite a bit in the Getting Started forum.

[+ncfinn]

I thought tadpole was a person who had not yet posted questions/comments that many times in the forums.

Edited June 26, 2008 by ncfinn

[mikemaupin]

I thought tadpole was a person who had not yet posted questions/comments that many times in the forums.

 

Sorry bout that, just wasnt paying att.