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Geomate.jr Owners Report


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My apologies if people have already seen this posting on other threads, but I'm anxious to get everyone's opinions. There have been some great suggestions on various topics and I would love to hear what people think of the following ideas:

 

Rebate - we would have loved to offer the Update Kit at the same time as the Geomate.jr but alas, reality took hold and we are still a few weeks away. We are seriously thinking of offering a rebate to those daring enough to venture out and try the Geomate.jr before the Update Kit is released. Anyone interested?

 

Trackable ID card - to help people learn more about geocaching, drive people back to Geocaching.com, and to ensure newbies don't think the shiny coins are prizes, we would like to include something like a "Trackable ID card" that educates people on trackables and what to do with them. Thoughts?

 

Inclusion of a trackable - I'm really liking the idea of actually including a geocoin or TB with each unit sold. Could go a long way to getting people back to GC.com and establish a greater appreciation for trackables. Obviously there is a cost consideration, but perhaps a possibility will present itself.

 

Your thoughts and opinions on the above would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

Warren

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My apologies if people have already seen this posting on other threads, but I'm anxious to get everyone's opinions. There have been some great suggestions on various topics and I would love to hear what people think of the following ideas:

 

Rebate - we would have loved to offer the Update Kit at the same time as the Geomate.jr but alas, reality took hold and we are still a few weeks away. We are seriously thinking of offering a rebate to those daring enough to venture out and try the Geomate.jr before the Update Kit is released. Anyone interested?

 

Trackable ID card - to help people learn more about geocaching, drive people back to Geocaching.com, and to ensure newbies don't think the shiny coins are prizes, we would like to include something like a "Trackable ID card" that educates people on trackables and what to do with them. Thoughts?

 

Inclusion of a trackable - I'm really liking the idea of actually including a geocoin or TB with each unit sold. Could go a long way to getting people back to GC.com and establish a greater appreciation for trackables. Obviously there is a cost consideration, but perhaps a possibility will present itself.

 

Your thoughts and opinions on the above would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

Warren

Hi Warren,

Not sure where you wish to go with your trackables education initiative, however, education surely needs to be addressed. Sadly a shiny coin too often gets bagged and does not " live the life " the owner intended.

My Geomate is en-route from REI and I admit to being on pins and needles. I anticipate using it as my "impromptu stop and cache" unit. In the event I encounter difficulty with a hide Geocaching.com is but a few clicks away. With respect to the rebate issue ... a nice thought, however, I don't believe that it would be fiscally sound to have it open ended ... adequate publicity and notification of the start and end points might buffer the grumbles and mumbles.

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Rebate - we would have loved to offer the Update Kit at the same time as the Geomate.jr but alas, reality took hold and we are still a few weeks away. We are seriously thinking of offering a rebate to those daring enough to venture out and try the Geomate.jr before the Update Kit is released. Anyone interested?

 

Yeah! Finally a tech company that wants to thank its early adopters!

 

COOOOOL!!!

 

Trackable ID card - to help people learn more about geocaching, drive people back to Geocaching.com, and to ensure newbies don't think the shiny coins are prizes, we would like to include something like a "Trackable ID card" that educates people on trackables and what to do with them. Thoughts?

 

It's a must do. I think it will go a long ways to relieve the angst towards your product.

 

Inclusion of a trackable - I'm really liking the idea of actually including a geocoin or TB with each unit sold. Could go a long way to getting people back to GC.com and establish a greater appreciation for trackables. Obviously there is a cost consideration, but perhaps a possibility will present itself.

 

I like the idea too. :laughing:

 

Here's a thought that could kill 2 birds with one stone:

 

Any Joe Geocacher can buy a trackable. Any Joe Geocacher and buy a sequence of tracking numbers alone to have put on a coin or other personal trackable.

 

Why not go in a unique direction....? :):ph34r:

 

You could make these units trackable themselves...:o

 

Your partnership with Groundspeak should get you a massive amount of trackable numbers cheaply to emboss on your production units....

 

Each person could then activate their 'mate as a personal trackable. You could then produce a nice coin to thank your early adoptors that didn't get an embossed trackable unit and that takes care of your rebate.

 

I'd certainly be verrry happy to get an early adoptors coin instead of a rebate.

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Rebate - we would have loved to offer the Update Kit at the same time as the Geomate.jr but alas, reality took hold and we are still a few weeks away. We are seriously thinking of offering a rebate to those daring enough to venture out and try the Geomate.jr before the Update Kit is released. Anyone interested?

 

Yeah! Finally a tech company that wants to thank its early adopters!

 

COOOOOL!!!

 

Trackable ID card - to help people learn more about geocaching, drive people back to Geocaching.com, and to ensure newbies don't think the shiny coins are prizes, we would like to include something like a "Trackable ID card" that educates people on trackables and what to do with them. Thoughts?

 

It's a must do. I think it will go a long ways to relieve the angst towards your product.

 

Inclusion of a trackable - I'm really liking the idea of actually including a geocoin or TB with each unit sold. Could go a long way to getting people back to GC.com and establish a greater appreciation for trackables. Obviously there is a cost consideration, but perhaps a possibility will present itself.

 

I like the idea too. :laughing:

 

Here's a thought that could kill 2 birds with one stone:

 

Any Joe Geocacher can buy a trackable. Any Joe Geocacher and buy a sequence of tracking numbers alone to have put on a coin or other personal trackable.

 

Why not go in a unique direction....? :):ph34r:

 

You could make these units trackable themselves...:o

 

Your partnership with Groundspeak should get you a massive amount of trackable numbers cheaply to emboss on your production units....

 

Each person could then activate their 'mate as a personal trackable. You could then produce a nice coin to thank your early adoptors that didn't get an embossed trackable unit and that takes care of your rebate.

 

I'd certainly be verrry happy to get an early adoptors coin instead of a rebate.

this sounds like a very neat device.

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We must remember that if we put too many bells and whistles on jr, it will no longer serve it's primary functions. That is to just turn it on and go; and to be low cost/kid friendly. I foresee a Geomate.sr down the road with more bells and whistles.

10-4 to that statement - The huge appeal to me is the simplicity coupled with the spontaneity. Given my situation I have control and access to many of the units at the top of the complexity heap. Colorado's, Oregon's, PN20's, PN40's etc. etc. etc. My go to unit remains a CSX60 in large measure due to its simplicity.

 

More Bells and whistles properly reasearched, reasoned and developed Hmmm a GeoMate Sr.

 

O.K. tongue in cheek with the Sr.

 

Just my $0.02 worth

Edited by humboldt flier
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We ordered our Geomate.jr today through REI online. They still have free shipping for GPSrs. We like the idea of spontaneously looking for caches no matter where we are. Great concept! :P

i ordered mine on monday, from rei... said it'd be here the 2nd, but it came today!!!! its soooo cute! can't wait to get out & try it! :blink:

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We ordered our Geomate.jr today through REI online. They still have free shipping for GPSrs. We like the idea of spontaneously looking for caches no matter where we are. Great concept! :P

i ordered mine on monday, from rei... said it'd be here the 2nd, but it came today!!!! its soooo cute! can't wait to get out & try it! :blink:

 

We have a local REI about 5 minutes from my office and I've never been in it... I've been wanting to check it out since I've been caching...

 

Also,, I've been thinking about picking up one of these lil Geomateys for my Daughter and or for a friend to use....

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Well, Here is the skinny as I found it.

 

Tonight in Coastal Humboldt there is a thick fog which hampers signals and drives us nuts, however, it enables us to do the spastic go in circles confused GPS'r dance. Soooooooooooo with that as background information.

 

Time to start up from battery insert 2.75 minutes.

Subsequent re-starts varied from 8 - 20 seconds.

Signal acquisition has been stated above. 8 - 20 seconds.

 

Accuracy: 6 - 9 feet >> with a number being spot on the dot. Zero out was right on top of many caches utilized during this evaluation. >> The fog did not seem to bother this unit.

 

Next I took Jr. directly beneath some high tension electrical transmission lines.

Accuracy: Spot on the dot. Zero out was right beside this particular cache. >> The electromagnetic forces did not seem to bother this unit.

 

Next I took Jr. into a dense tree covered area.

Accuracy: Went in the toilet. >> This factor should not surprise anyone.

 

Well, as you are aware evening gives way to night and flashlights became necessary.

 

The display reads well under a flashlight. Warm yellow, LED white, as well as night vision preservation light of red, blue and green.

 

I am most pleased with the unit ... I now have to find out how to reverse a key entry. I inadvertently mashed the button to indicate I had found a cache. Dooooooohhh ( Got to "UN-FOUND" Da Puppy )

 

A back-light would be a nice addition >>> I WIL BE KEEPING THIS DEVICE

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Warren, I have a question... mine is a month off for the date! It thinks its April! Is there anyway for me to change this? (Not that it matters, really.... just gonna bug me!) :D

 

I'm not sure what you are referring to. Do you mean the date that is displayed when you mark a geocache as found? Or the date that is displayed at start up.

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Warren, I have a question... mine is a month off for the date! It thinks its April! Is there anyway for me to change this? (Not that it matters, really.... just gonna bug me!) :D

 

I'm not sure what you are referring to. Do you mean the date that is displayed when you mark a geocache as found? Or the date that is displayed at start up.

Hi Warren, How can I "unfound" a cache that I inadvertently declared as found ... have yet to locate that section in the downloaded manual ... or I have simply been overlooking it.

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Couldn't resist, bought one today. I'll see how it fits into the geo-bag.

 

Turned on and picked up the three caches I have hidden within 2 miles of house. I took a while to distinguish "5" and "S" from each other on the screen in the GC code.

 

More soon, packing wife and kids off with it.

Edited by Maingray
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first time out with mine today...

 

First cache (stupidly forgot to pay attention to the #'s!) didn't find, but, it was in a really random area...

 

2nd cache, found where it used to be (marked as found in the junior... got home, found out the cache had been archived).

 

3rd cache, didn't find, gave up cuz husband was cranky! (again, stupidly forgot to pay attention to which cache we were hunting for!!)

 

All in all, it was a decent test run. Now I wanna try & figure out where we were on #1 & #3 so I can go back & try again!!! :P

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first time out with mine today...

 

First cache (stupidly forgot to pay attention to the #'s!) didn't find, but, it was in a really random area...

 

2nd cache, found where it used to be (marked as found in the junior... got home, found out the cache had been archived).

 

3rd cache, didn't find, gave up cuz husband was cranky! (again, stupidly forgot to pay attention to which cache we were hunting for!!)

 

All in all, it was a decent test run. Now I wanna try & figure out where we were on #1 & #3 so I can go back & try again!!! :P

Hi, If you determine how to un-found a cache please share the information with the rest of us. ( I mistakenly mashed a button and declared a find.
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first time out with mine today...

 

First cache (stupidly forgot to pay attention to the #'s!) didn't find, but, it was in a really random area...

 

2nd cache, found where it used to be (marked as found in the junior... got home, found out the cache had been archived).

 

3rd cache, didn't find, gave up cuz husband was cranky! (again, stupidly forgot to pay attention to which cache we were hunting for!!)

 

All in all, it was a decent test run. Now I wanna try & figure out where we were on #1 & #3 so I can go back & try again!!! :P

Hi, If you determine how to un-found a cache please share the information with the rest of us. ( I mistakenly mashed a button and declared a find.

 

No, i didn't figure that out... i forgot to take the little cheat sheet with me & I was pokin' those poor buttons left & right til I finally got it marked as found! I only have 1 smiley face.... :D

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We got our Geomate.jr this afternoon. I checked it out outside and I'm pleased with the result. I recommend downloading the User's Guide from www.geomatejr.com. It was a big help. This unit will be very handy for geocaching on the fly. I even got a 2 bar lock (3 bar is the best) indoors! I am looking forward on getting the update kit (available soon) since the current cache load is dated 19 April.

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A friend and I stopped in REI and each picked up a Geomate.jr on lunch this afternoon...

 

He picked up one because I got him addicted to caching using my Colorado 400t... I suspect that after a few trips out him and the wifey will upgrade to something a bit better...

 

I picked up the Geomatey jr. to have as a second unit to give to my Geopals, so they have something to look at while crusing through the woods and whatnot...

 

Hopefully, we'll get to try it out in a few days...

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Elsewhere you stated that "unfiltered" downloads of specific areas will be available. Is that unfiltered Traditional caches, or would it include other types (Multi-stage caches, and Puzzle caches, for example). If the latter, how would one get around the inability to input coordinates?

 

Ah, yes, sorry, traditional caches only.

 

since this is designed for "jr's" or kid's...does it exclude Micro's or nano's? I hope so.

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since this is designed for "jr's" or kid's...does it exclude Micro's or nano's? I hope so.

 

Nope, they are included. I turned mine on in downtown Chapel Hill, NC and up popped the 20 closest traditional-onlys. They include micros and some terrain 3.5s.

 

The unit is going to get a workout soon when my kids take it to the beach next month and I'm at home. My wife has a Blackberry so she can pull further cache info as required. The ability for her to get up and go with the kids like that is awesome, and it's awesome for me to not have to prepare a GPS for her preloaded with caches.

 

So far, thumbs up. I'll be first in line for the update kit.

Edited by Maingray
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Yep, micros are included in the default database. It was a tough call, as we want the best experience possible out of the box for a newbie, but this also means keeping the geocache density up. The size of the goecache is displayed clearly, so it is very easy to skip over the micros and go for something a little more substantial.

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Warren, so I take it from the lack of an answer there is no way to mark a cache as unfound if you accidentally mark it as found?

 

See text below from post #45 on the first page of this thread for your answer. :rolleyes:

 

How will the updates work? ie, will they totally over-write the existing database, to clear archived caches, and if so, will it NOT add back "found" caches?

 

Is it possible to mark a cache Found, then mark it Unfound - so it's still on the list for other cacher's use. Or does marking a cache found even remove it from the list?

 

I'm liking these questions - thanks guys.

 

When the device is updated, we completely replace the existing list with the new one to ensure only the latest and greatest are available. But we do implement some smarts to make sure that any geocache that has previously been marked as found remains 'found'.

 

At this point we don't actually remove the found cache or have the ability to change an individual geocache from found to unfound. Again, no promises, but we are looking at some options here to allow users to customize the Geomate.jr to suit their needs - after all, one size really does not fit all...

 

That said, you can clear your found list from the device if you want someone else to take it for a spin and mark their own found caches - no Update Kit needed...

Edited by Thrak
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Warren, I have a question... mine is a month off for the date! It thinks its April! Is there anyway for me to change this? (Not that it matters, really.... just gonna bug me!) :)

 

I'm not sure what you are referring to. Do you mean the date that is displayed when you mark a geocache as found? Or the date that is displayed at start up.

 

I believe the date shown at startup is the date of the database version.

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Warren, I have a question... mine is a month off for the date! It thinks its April! Is there anyway for me to change this? (Not that it matters, really.... just gonna bug me!) :)

 

I'm not sure what you are referring to. Do you mean the date that is displayed when you mark a geocache as found? Or the date that is displayed at start up.

 

I believe the date shown at startup is the date of the database version.

 

yeah, i figured that out a bit later! :facepalm: :anibad:

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I know that it says in June of 2009 that the update kit will be available. But, Can we order it now somewhere. Like a pre-order. I am to get my Geomate Jr tomorrow. If there is no pre-order then does it look like the end of June that we can order. Looks like the are selling fast. bickhart814

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so... i have a question...

 

What's the difference between what the geomate jr does & a pocket query?

 

Pocket query=500 caches, logs, description and hint. Different types of caches permitted. Customizable to which caches you want returned. Must load on your own GPS

 

Geomate Jr=250,000 caches, difficulty and terrain only. Traditional caches, selected by Apisphere. Loaded on the Geomate JR, you don't need another GPS.

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Warren, so I take it from the lack of an answer there is no way to mark a cache as unfound if you accidentally mark it as found?

 

Sorry about the 'no response' thing - needed to get away from the computer for a bit and take in some fresh air. Added a few more geocaches to my found list though!

 

Unfortunately at this point there is no way to mark an individual geocache as 'unfound'. You can however clear the entire found list by pressing and holding the found button (the small button on the right) for about 6 or so seconds.

 

We are looking into doing a lot more to manage the found list with the Update Kit though.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

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so... i have a question...

 

What's the difference between what the geomate jr does & a pocket query?

 

Pocket query=500 caches, logs, description and hint. Different types of caches permitted. Customizable to which caches you want returned. Must load on your own GPS

 

Geomate Jr=250,000 caches, difficulty and terrain only. Traditional caches, selected by Apisphere. Loaded on the Geomate JR, you don't need another GPS.

 

Just a couple quick corrections...

 

250,000 caches, difficulty, terrain, size, and GC code. The proloaded default 250,000 are prefiltered by us (geocaches need to have been in place for about 4 to 6 months, have been found relatively recently, and we typically don't include 4's or 5's). But, with the Update Kit, you will have the option to load an unfiltered list - so any and every traditional geocache (premium member caches excluded) will be yours - even the ones just posted yesterday. Pretty cool hey!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

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I guess that pocket queries aren't really something I need to worry about for now, since my geomate is the only piece of techno-gadgetry I own...

 

:unsure:Jr. has it ready to go and if you have a cache attack you can grab and go. With .Q's you have to get into the data base and fiddle and diddle = work a little bit before you head out.

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I cruised over to REI during lunch today. The peg that held over a dozen Geomates last week had only one left. Thats pretty brisk sales.

 

I stopped by the REI when I passed through Asheville, N.C. after GW7 and they were sold out.

 

The lesser half of Cherokee Cachers is an REI employee. I'm going to call and see how sales of that unit are doing at his store in Houston.

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Last week, as a test, I tried out my Geomate.jr on three caches I had already found. Worked perfectly. Yeasterday, I looked for three caches for real and they were not uploaded on the GPSr. This was a little disappointing, however, I realize that the uploaded caches have been filtered. I wouldn't think that there would be any problems like this when the upload kit becomes available.

Edited by Colonial Cats
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we went out yesterday... found 4, & we had for 4dnf's. Considering I've got a total of 6 finds, 1 of which doesn't count since it'd been archived, but, the junior still thought it was there, and 1 with someone else using her blackberry & me not having a clue what was going on, I'm pleased! ;)

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we went out yesterday... found 4, & we had for 4dnf's. Considering I've got a total of 6 finds, 1 of which doesn't count since it'd been archived, but, the junior still thought it was there, and 1 with someone else using her blackberry & me not having a clue what was going on, I'm pleased! ;)

 

I believe that you are the first person we've seen here that actually got started by using the Geomate Jr. What got you interested, and how did you come to find out about geocaching.com? One of our main concerns (some of us, I should say) with the Jr. was that those that bought it would not know about this site, and hence not know about the ethics of caching and trackables (and perhaps not even logging their finds here) So I think many of us would be interested in your story.

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we went out yesterday... found 4, & we had for 4dnf's. Considering I've got a total of 6 finds, 1 of which doesn't count since it'd been archived, but, the junior still thought it was there, and 1 with someone else using her blackberry & me not having a clue what was going on, I'm pleased! ;)

 

I believe that you are the first person we've seen here that actually got started by using the Geomate Jr. What got you interested, and how did you come to find out about geocaching.com? One of our main concerns (some of us, I should say) with the Jr. was that those that bought it would not know about this site, and hence not know about the ethics of caching and trackables (and perhaps not even logging their finds here) So I think many of us would be interested in your story.

 

Well, to make a long story short, I asked a question about "what is all this..." There was a cache a few hundred feet away from where we were sitting, so she showed me! She used her blackberry, but told me about this cool new toy that she'd seen online... pre-loaded caches, saved your finds, etc. So, I started trolling this site! I think I clicked every link I could find! I found the 'toy' in the store area, sent her the link asking if that was it- it was! So, since we already have the MIO Knight Rider telling us where to go in the car, I KNEW the husband wouldn't let me have anything that required serious $$. And I liked the simplicity of it... I didn't have to figure out how to load stuff, how to delete, nothing to making the going out there part stressful! And I know that if I don't get it right away, have fun with it right away, or even just start out stressed, I don't go back to it.

 

We use my phone to track what we found & didn't find. The other day when we went out, I just started a new note in my phone & made a :) on one list & a DNF on the other. Yes, it keeps track of what you've found, but, you can't access the list unless you're outdoors (it just keeps flashing 'gps srch! find clear sky!") (Warren!! Can you fix that?!?!) And I dont have any way of knowing what i didn't find, unless i keep the thing on til I get home (& then we're back to the same problem!).

 

As for your question about ethics & trackables & such... I tried to read as much as i could while I was waiting for my junior to arrive! Part of that is just my personality. I tend to find out about something, get really excited & then fizzle out, where as my husband takes his time to research EVERYTHING & then figure it out. So, I kinda tried to go about this his way, since while $70 isnt THAT much $, its still quite a bit... and I didn't want to make it another gadget i just had to have & then let it end up in a drawer!

 

I know that eventually I'd love to upgrade to something more grown-up (heheh... for lack of a better term?) but, like I said, usually i jump in with both feet, so, this time I'm going about it baby-steps style!

 

Hope that answers your question a bit! I tend to ramble & stop making sense about half way thru my posts, so, sorry if I did that!! :D

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Yes, it keeps track of what you've found, but, you can't access the list unless you're outdoors (it just keeps flashing 'gps srch! find clear sky!") (Warren!! Can you fix that?!?!) And I dont have any way of knowing what i didn't find, unless i keep the thing on til I get home (& then we're back to the same problem!).

 

G'day Mahini

 

First, thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with both geocaching and the Geomate.jr! It is very much appreciated and I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts.

 

As for your question above, it is possible to review your found list without needing to go outside! Keep pushing the page button (the small one on the right) until you see the list icon appear (it looks like a list with a little smiley on it and the word FOUND will be shown on the display). This is your found list. Now just press the NEXT button (the big one on the left) and you can scroll through all of the geocaches that you have marked as found. You will see the GC code and the date you found that geocache.

 

As for the ones you didn't find, this is a good point and one we want to address - not sure how just yet, but working on it. We are looking at implementing better geocache management ability through the update kit as well. This way we can keep the product very easy to use but have more powerful features for those 'advanced' users.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

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Last week, as a test, I tried out my Geomate.jr on three caches I had already found. Worked perfectly. Yeasterday, I looked for three caches for real and they were not uploaded on the GPSr. This was a little disappointing, however, I realize that the uploaded caches have been filtered. I wouldn't think that there would be any problems like this when the upload kit becomes available.

 

Yep, the most likely reason the caches were not part of the default list is that they haven't been in place long enough. To try to give the default list some staying power, we only include caches that have been around for at least 4 to 6 months. But the magic of Update Kit will fix that - we will create new lists every 24hrs and you will have the ability to select an ALL geocache list. This way you will be sure to have every geocache (Premium Member Caches excluded) that are currently in place up to the last 24hr window.

 

Just between you and me, I'm really looking forward to the Update Kit as well! It's going to be awesome to be able to update my Geomate.jr before I head out for the weekend - the best bet is I don't even need to know where I'm going! (Which suits my planning style perfectly...)

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I too am a first time cacher and am starting out with the 'Jr.

 

I found out about geocaching a few weeks ago when doing a search for local hiking trails (have put on a few pounds in last few years /sigh ), there was a link on the site to geocaching.com, I clicked, and here I am.

 

This seemed like a really fun little hobby for me for one main reason, my 5yo daughter Erika. I took her for a walk recently in a nice wooded park near our home, and she loved running through the brush, lifting logs looking for bugs and snakes, I had to grab her to keep her from jumping in the pond after a bullfrog she saw!

 

So, I got her excited about going for a walk in the woods last weekend by saying we were going on a "treasure hunt". But, I didn't own a GPS (other than the dashboard model that won't let you input coords), so I borrowed my brother's. He has a Magellan 315 (circa 2003). Very capable model, but the guide book was not very helpful and due to being a legacy product, I was unable to download drivers to allow me to load cache locations direct from the website. Though the Map It function on geocaching.com had a cache about a 1/4 mile from our house, the coords I entered had us about a half mile PAST the anticipated location. I think it had something to do with the format that the coords were entered vs the way the gps was expecting them to be entered. Needless to say, our jaunt ended with a DNF. :-(

 

A little more research here led me to the Geomate Jr. I figured, I don't do that much hiking, and what I do is on pretty clearly marked trails that I am familiar with, so a more advanced GPS wasn't necessary. And since I was doing this as an activity for myself and Erika, I figured this model would be great since I don't have to worry about mis-entering info and she can hold it and lead the way.

 

Really excited about trying it out, though with T-Ball make-up games this week, not sure if we can until the weekend. Will update when I can!

 

BTW, when you setup the Jr to recognize your current location as your HOME location, does it list the lat/long? If it doesn't, that would be great, then people could use it to place caches as well. (Forgive my ignorance if it does, haven't even powered it on yet!)

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This seemed like a really fun little hobby for me for one main reason, my 5yo daughter Erika. I took her for a walk recently in a nice wooded park near our home, and she loved running through the brush, lifting logs looking for bugs and snakes, I had to grab her to keep her from jumping in the pond after a bullfrog she saw!

 

This is awesome. Thank you so much for sharing. If I had to point to one reason why we developed the Geomate.jr, this is it - to give an affordable and easy way for parents and kids to enjoy geocaching and the outdoors together.

 

BTW, when you setup the Jr to recognize your current location as your HOME location, does it list the lat/long? If it doesn't, that would be great, then people could use it to place caches as well. (Forgive my ignorance if it does, haven't even powered it on yet!)

 

Yep, you can totally use the HOME feature to quickly mark a location of your own hidden geocache and then put it into the hands of someone else to go find. I have done this numerous times with various kids and adults. It's quick, easy, and fun!

 

To do this, simply press and hold both buttons to mark a HOME position. By default, that will then be your selected target and you're good to go! You can go to the next closest geocache by hitting the NEXT button (the big one on the left). And by pressing and holding the NEXT button, it will take you back to HOME. You will know you are heading HOME as it shows a little HO on the screen.

 

Good luck! I'm sure you and your daughter will have a blast.

 

Cheers

 

Warren

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