+TotemLake Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 What I'm looking for is the real reason you even considered buying the GPS? What made you think... I wish I had one right now? Was it survivalism? Was it finding your way in? Was it finding your way back out? What's your story? ========================================== I'll start off with mine ========================================== The real reason why I'm into GEOCaching, and why I am studying my unit as carefully as I am... A few months back, my daughter and I noted the gross inaccuracy of a particular trail map we were using due largely in part to mother nature, and trail maintenance. We found the location and direction of the trail varied a more than just a lot. Yes, I do know how to read and triangulate map positions. Ever try doing that in the dark? Also, the one thing I really hated, was the uncertainty of do I carry on with the hike or setup an excursion camp and wait out the night? How close was I really to base camp? I decided then, it would be nice to have a GPS to keep our bearings on the camp. And, the right GPS, I surmised, would show me a map location of where my camp is in relationship to where I am at thus helping me to find my way back more quickly or make the judgement call of setting up a trail camp and wait out the night with confidence that I made the right decision. With the decision to buy one, I realized I would need to know I can trust the gadget in my hand to get me out of trouble and not into it. What better way than GEOCaching? Cheers! TL Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Read about geocaching in a local newspaper. So I purchased a GPS so I could join in on the fun. I've found many additional uses for the GPS since then and I won't leave home without. I've used it for cross-country snowshoeing, finding my way around strange cities, marking nice campsites while backpacking, marking dropoffs in lakes for fishing, determining my speed while downhill skiing, replacing the broken speedometer/odometer on my bike and more. "It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Someone is going to markwell the pudding out of this thread... Anyway, I spotted a blurb on TechTV about geocaching when I was complaining that there wasn't anything to do in MidTN. I then jumped on eBay and bought my 3+. The rest is geo-history. Quote Link to comment
+DustyJacket Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 I wanted to buy one, ever since moving to this God-forsaken state that does not even have a mountain range to tell you which way is west. Geocaching just gave me the excuse to get it by the wife, since it would be exercise and will maybe reduce my extra weight...... DustyJacket Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case... Quote Link to comment
+TMAN264 Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 I read about Geocaching in the comic book "Knights of the Dinner Table". So far that has been the only use of my GPS unit. Make a sanity check. Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 TotemLake, you’re pretty close to me. I was in the woods in north Ft. Lewis, on the southern border of Steilacoom. Hormone Dave and I drove my truck in there to see if we could find a path to the Sound. We parked the truck at the end of a tiny trail and used a compass to hike due west until we found the water. Sadly, hiking due east on the way back did not lead us back to the truck. We spent two solid hours wandering in circles until we finally found the dadgum truck. The next day I went over to the BX and bought the Garmin III+. (Today I have the V and love it.) I went back to the same patch of forest and marked the truck’s location, then wandered around for half an hour or so, trying to get lost. The gps brought me right back to the exact location I marked for the truck. What surprised me was that even though the unit said I was only twenty feet away, I still couldn’t see the truck! http://fp1.centurytel.net/Criminal_Page/ Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted May 8, 2003 Author Share Posted May 8, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Criminal:TotemLake, you’re pretty close to me. I was in the woods in north Ft. Lewis, on the southern border of Steilacoom. Hormone Dave and I drove my truck in there to see if we could find a path to the Sound. We parked the truck at the end of a tiny trail and used a compass to hike due west until we found the water. Sadly, hiking due east on the way back did _not_ lead us back to the truck. We spent two solid hours wandering in circles until we finally found the dadgum truck. The next day I went over to the BX and bought the Garmin III+. (Today I have the V and love it.) I went back to the same patch of forest and marked the truck’s location, then wandered around for half an hour or so, trying to get lost. The gps brought me right back to the exact location I marked for the truck. What surprised me was that even though the unit said I was only twenty feet away, I still couldn’t see the truck! http://fp1.centurytel.net/Criminal_Page/ LOL I experienced that same problem back in the late 80's and wished I had my map and compass then! That was at the north end of the Long Beach Peninsula. I ended up marking my way through three trees at a time in front and three trees in back to keep my path as straight as possible till I either hit a path or the other side of that peninsula while carrying an exhausted 3 year old the entire time. I since swore I will never by a lost yahoo ever again. Cheers! TL Quote Link to comment
+The Leprechauns Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 quote:Originally posted by TotemLake:... and why I am studying my unit as carefully as I am... Let's keep this forum family-friendly. If you must discuss this topic, we prefer to use the code phrase, "fiddling with the external antenna." But I am glad that you're so happy about your GPSr. x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x Some mornings, it just doesn't pay to chew through the leather straps. - Emo Phillips Quote Link to comment
WolfPack2099 Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 I heard about Geocaching from a friend and decided that I needed to get a GPS right away. I now carry my GPS around everywhere... it's come in really handy while hiking. I don't know how we survived without it. Quote Link to comment
+Jamie Z Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 I first wanted a GPS just out of high school when they first came out. I was ecstatic that they had handheld devices that would give you your location on the earth. Of course, I had no real use for it. Being a newly-graduated HS student, I couldn't very well afford one, and kind of lost interest. I kinda lost interest in society actually. I became more-or-less a hermit for a few years. When I reemerged into society, my uncle told me over the phone about his GPS. I excitedly asked all sorts of questions... and a few days later decided to order one from Amazon when I saw that they were fairly inexpensive. While I waited for the GPS to arrive is when I discovered geocaching when I was researching GPS online. So, if not for geocaching, I'd probably have a GPS anyway, but I likely wouldn't get much use out of it. Jamie Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted May 8, 2003 Author Share Posted May 8, 2003 quote:Originally posted by The Leprechauns: quote:Originally posted by TotemLake:... and why I am studying my unit as carefully as I am... Let's keep this forum family-friendly. If you must discuss this topic, we prefer to use the code phrase, "fiddling with the external antenna." Dang it... now I gotta clean the coffee off my keyboard and first aid the scalding in my nostrils. Cheers! TL Quote Link to comment
+Web-ling Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 The only reason I bought a GPSr is so I could do a better job of hiding caches. I had already found 33 caches and hidden 2 before I bought my little yellow Etrex. I still find about 2/3 of my caches without it. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Geocaching. Prior to that I used Topo Maps for my off road exploration. The only reason I ever bought a compass was for geocaches that require one also. ===================== Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+jtice Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Well, basically, Im a complete techno junky, who loves to get his hands on any electronic device. I had no REAL reason or use for getting it, besides, I just had too. I always wanted one sence the first time I heard about them. I do alot of hiking and camping. But never really thought I was gonna get lost, but I figured why not make it alot easier. Moreso than not getting lost, I love being able to mark waypoints. Like a nice set of rocks I find, and want to go back to and climb some day. A cool cliff face with a great view, a cave I found, etc. One of the things I look at the most is the distance away from my destination. Even though I know where my buddies house is, I love looking down at my GPSr and saying, hmmmm, exactly 1.3 miles away now. The funnest thing I do alot of is playing with USAPhotoMaps. It gives you satillite photos and topo maps of areas. Its great to be hiking in a location with a printed out satillite image of the area you are in. And then after you get home be able to see your track log layed out over it. Geocaching:::: I actually heard about Geocaching the day after I bought my Vista. I read about it on the gpscity.com forum. As soon as they explained what it was, and I spent about an hour on this wonderful site,,, I was hooked. How perfect !!! I get to go out hiking like I like to do anyway, and actually have more of a purpose to it, Treasure Hunting !!! AND, I get an excuse to play with my high tech gaget! What more could you ask for? I cant wait to go on my next big trip. I have yet to use it alot in the car. I plan on hooking it to my laptop, and looking at that little dot travel across the screen on Mapsourse, and the satillite images. Quote Link to comment
+wimseyguy Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 quote: Read about geocaching in a local newspaper. So I purchased a GPS so I could join in on the fun. Oh no, another thread where I had the exact same reply as BrianSnat. These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes; Nothing remains quite the same. Through all of the islands and all of the highlands, If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane Quote Link to comment
+Divine Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat:Read about geocaching in a local newspaper. So I purchased a GPS so I could join in on the fun. I've found many additional uses for the GPS since then and I won't leave home without. What he said. - From the shallow end of the gene pool. - Quote Link to comment
+sledgehampster Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 I bought mine while doing fiber optic cable work. Worked great for doing routes. That has ended now but I kept the GPS and really enjoy it. Even talked my Mom (Hi Bravesfan) into getting one. We both enjoy Geocaching. Quote Link to comment
Team BooneDog Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 I bought a gps 4 years ago after having a "near" really bad experience while snowmobiling around winter park colorado. I was riding all day, on and off trail and ended up going down a valley that we couldn't get back out of. This was about 3pm at night, with about 1 1/2 hours of daylight left. We had to ride about 8-9 miles "boonedocking" through the trees to hit another trail, but of course when we hit the trail we had no idea where we were. We rode another hour to find a main trail so we could figure out our way back to the truck and with very little light left in the day, and much less gas in the fuel tanks we we decided to head "this way" Just as we were leaving a saw another group of sledders through the trees on another trail so we ran them down and found out we would have been heading the wrong way and would have run out or gas for sure before getting anywhere. They lead us back to the trail head and I only had about 1/4 gallon of gas left. That scared the heck out of me. Went and bought a gps the next day. I found out about geo-caching this spring while trying to show my girlfriend how to use my gps while snowmobiling and she came home and did a web search since she didn't like any of my explainations. When you see the light at the end of the tunnel, make sure it's not a train coming at you Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 just needed the newest toy (Platinum). [This message was edited by TEAM 360 on May 08, 2003 at 05:25 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Developed my interest in GPS while in a Air Force test squadron where we did a lot of testing of GPS systems in the late 80's. Decided it was time to buy my own receiver in 1995 after I got totally lost in a Saudi Arabian Dust storm. In 2000, I decided I really loved GPS when a Yellow eTrex was largely responsible for keeping me from spending a miserable night trying to bivouac above timberline. I got caught in an unexpected heavy blizzard while climbing Kings Peak in the Uinta Wilderness area of Utah. Thanks to the ability provided by the GPS to navigate in the poor visibility, I was able to safely make it back to my camp, which was approximately 8 miles of mostly bushwhacking mountain travel away. Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I first got really interested in GPS after SA was removed (I was looking at them before, but thought 100 meters was not very accurate) so I bought my self a 315 as soon as I had the money (early June 2000, I still celebrate its birthday). The primary reason I bought my unit was for camping. My first encounter with geocaching came when I was looking for games to install into the GPS (like you can with graphing calculators) and happened to come along the geocaching web site. I did a quick search of it and found that there were no caches for hundreds of miles around me so I forgot about the site. In October of 2001 some one in the yahoo 330 group or Meridian group posted a link to Clayjars meridian review (I was waiting for my unit to come so I was really anxious to see pictures and opinions and how it was different from my 330 I had at the time). Even at that time I was not really excited about geocaching (I can't really say I am now because of the lack of them in eastern SD) since there were only a few within a hundred miles of my location. So I mostly became addicted to all the GPS information on these forums. Know I can be seen taking my GPSr everywhere because I found so many uses for it. Even today I found it handy when the person in front of me hit I deer while we were basically in the middle of nowhere. I used the mapping in the unit to describe what streets we were on so the police could arrive. Wyatt W. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. Quote Link to comment
GeoVet Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 A buddy got an emap as an option on a new X-terra. It was either that or a mountain bike. He chose the emap and gave it to me (yes I begged)! Been playing ever since. Quote Link to comment
+team travel pig Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 there was a subliminal message in that npr piece, and it made me do it. Quote Link to comment
+shawhh Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 got my gpsr back in 1996 when planning a canoe trip through the ten thousand island region of the everglades. decided to get it to use as a back-up to my compass and charts. after that trip i didn't use it very much as i still tend to go with map and compass, but enjoyed playing around with it out in the woods. then geocaching came along and i finally feel i've gotten my money's worth out of it. still using my garmin 12xl. -harry Quote Link to comment
+JetSkier Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I originally bought my GPS so that I could take my Jet Ski into the Intercoastal Waterways and be able to find my way back to the boat ramp when I was done! For that reason, I ended up getting the Meridian Marine. Now, I mostly use it for geocaching. It comes in very handy, though, when I need to traverse from one major road to another through side streets. JetSkier Quote Link to comment
+Uplink Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Back in 1995, I was boat camping on Blake Island (where GCB0DD is today), and I had to leave to take my nephew to the airport for his flight home. Problem was, the fog had visibility down to a quarter mile, and I had to cross the shipping lanes. I managed the 12 mile trip to the Des Moines marina with just a chart and a compass, but it wasn't easy. Bought an Eagle Explorer GPS, and have made several foggy passages since and it is MUCH easier! Have since upgraded to Garmin Map76 for Geocaching. Anyone wanna buy a boat? Quote Link to comment
+emike Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I've always thought GPS technology was cool, and I have always had a fascination with maps compasses. As a follow-up to my family getting me a Handspring Visor for Father's Day, my daughter bought me a Magellan Companion for Christmas that attaches to my Hanspring. Several months later I received and broadcast email message from a student at the college I work asking if anyone was interested in Geocahching with the URL for geocaching.com included. That night I went searching for my first geocache finding it easily. Then, from the webpage I rediscovered benchmarks. I use to hunt them up from old topos when I was a kid. I set out to find and photograph as many benchmarks in my home county (Knox, OH) as I can. But now that my Son has gotten interested in Geocaching I guess I'll have to get him his own Companion so I can get mine back. EMike Quote Link to comment
Team Geo Treker Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I got mine last year to mark locations of broken drain tile and large rocks in my fields. I only discovered geocaching and benchmarks this Spring. I have also used it to navigate our nations highways. My Legend has over 9,000 miles recorded on it. The best part is it is Tax deductable as a business expense. -BrianF Quote Link to comment
martmann Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I bought my Street pilot III strictly for in car navigation, well before I got into Caching. Bought my eTrex shortly after I became unemployed and realized I was spending more time looking at a PC monitor than I did while I was working (looking at a monitor). I had heard about geocaching when the geocaching forums first started back in 2000 I guess, when a friend of mine who was a GPSr collector briefly explained geocaching then showed me a thread in the forums, (now my memory is a little sketchy here), of a heated discussion of someone upset because somebody else said in an online log that a lot of new trails were forming around his cache, which upset the cache owner because he thought his cache would be archived because of that, or something like that. My friend asked what I thought of it, I forget what I said, But I remember thinking the idea of geocaching was cool. FF to Feb. 2003 after a month or so of unemployment, I get an ad-mail from GPScity, and see the Caching accessories section, and it clicks. I need a handheld GPSr! Got it about the 2nd week of March, after FedEx sent it on a trip around the country like a travel bug, from NV to WA via Miami. Oddly, now a lot of my PC time is spent reading the forums, mostly because I'm still new, and have learned quite a bit from the forums. I imagine that will taper off as time goes by, but I do get out at least a few times a week for a few cache hikes. 30 finds since March 18th not a lot, but a good mix. _________________________________________________________ If trees could scream, would we still cut them down? Well, maybe if they screamed all the time, for no reason. Click here for my Geocaching pictures and Here (newest) Quote Link to comment
the Ice Age Travelers Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I bought my first one about 8 years ago for use on my boat. There is bay on Lake Michigan that has some very shallow spots that are unmarked - about five miles out to sea. I learned how to find the passage with chart and compass - but the gear junkie in me just wanted the GPS. I paid over $500 for an Eagle handheld back then Quote Link to comment
+Kouros Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I bought mine solely for Geocaching. It was second-hand off a friend, slightly damaged after he tried to prevent the ground from hitting his feet by using it as a throwing weapon, but it works OK. I had used one before for boating, and once or twice when on Hikes, but for those activities I must admit I still prefer to use the good old map and compass, and just keep the GPS as a backup. Admittedly, I did find a new use for it earlier today when I was forced to use the lanyard as a makeshift doglead, but that's a whole other story... ------ An it harm none, do what ye will Quote Link to comment
+aka Monkey Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I remember reading about GPS back when I was a kid in the 80s, and thought it sounded really neat. I watched as GPS units become more common over the years, but told my dad I wouldn't get one until the price dropped below $100 because I had no practical use for it. Then I found the eTrex for $119, and figured that was close enough. Once I got it, I found I actually WAS using it for stuff. I found out about Geocaching shortly thereafter, and then bought myself a Legend. Now I've got two Rinos (a 110 and a 120) and a Geko 201. I'm hooked. My only concern now is that I see the possibility of Geocaching being legislated out of existence. I see far more "They just banned it in our area" stories than "They encourage it out here" stories. Quote Link to comment
+Mr. 0 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Welll I bought my first one a while back ('99, I think). The reason I wanted it is because it looked like fun, plus I was planning a week long trip to places I've never been before. What I was doing was heading into PA, MD, VA, WV, to do some mountain biking....my plan was to have no plans. I had no maps, only a general idea of where I wanted to end up, and I made no reservations anywhere. So I would pick up a map once I entered whatever state, ang find a cheap hotel to stay in. I wanted the GPS to keep track of where I'd been more than anything. I placed an order online for it, and it arrived at my house....the day after I left for the trip. So I used it in the car all the time, and on the bike just for fun. I then read about Geocaching last fall on a message board and it gave me another use for the GPSr. Mr. 0 "Remember that nature and the elements are neither your friend or your enemy - they are actually disinterested." Department of the Army Field Manual FM 21-76 "Survival" Oct. 1970 Quote Link to comment
+Jacksons Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 A gps with mapping is a mans answer to"never having to stop to ask for directions" I'm a man and I can change if I have to,I guess. Quote Link to comment
+Zartimus Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Sometime in the late 90's I picked up a Magellan 315 because GPS units seemed really cool. I thought I'd mark places like my house, funny places in the woods, landmarks, and maybe use it for fishing (you know, get back to the boat-launch, mark that secret fishing spot). Funny thing was, I had not educated myself about SA when I bought it. When I found that we were constrained by the football field, I was a bit disapointed, but still had fun with it. When SA went bye bye in 2000, I saw a little TV blurb on geocaching and thought to check it out because it too sounded neat. It was.... P.S. traded in the 315 for a Garmin Legend soon afterwards. I loved the maps! Quote Link to comment
+Delta-S Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I was with the local Sheriff search&rescue team. It was a handy item to keep myself from getting lost. Not long after, the whole team was using them and it soon became a required piece of equipment. Quote Link to comment
+BigJon Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 My dad had one and used it to plot WPTs on the lake for good fishing spots. I was interested but didn't know how they really worked. I joined the Army and was introduced to the PLGR. I learned about maps and how to use the PLGR with it. I recently ETS'd and came to work for this fellow here back where I was from orgnially and he flies hot air ballons. He showed me the Garmin Map76 and I was like how nice it is compared to the military stuff. So I went exploring the web to see just what the civilian models had to offer. This is when I found geocaching.com. After reading the msg boards and looking up caches in my local area I ordered a GPS and the rest is history. Now my plan is to get my wife hooked. Quote Link to comment
+Centex Trekker Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Am I the only one who's willing to admit he bought one (Spor Trak Map) AFTER, he heard about geocaching? Ever since I read an article in some car mag about these guys who were out in the desert looking for a certain trail and couldn't find it. They checked their position with a GPSr, checked the map, and discovered they were only yards away from it. They looked around on the ground awhile and found it. This was some years ago, so I don't recall if it was before or after SA. At the time I thought that was really cool, but didn't want to pay that much. Then I read a Blog about geocaching.com. That was all it took! Quote Link to comment
+RobRee Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 my initial use for my GPSr handheld (magellan sporTrak pro, and 315) was for geocaching. i stumbled upon this site, and thought my family would like it. i have had GPSr in the form of earthmate for a few years now, but the laptop can be cumbersome. fishing is one of my favorites. i use the GPSr to mark locations, structure, and drops in the big lakes. i also keep a BASS log, and mark every spot i catch fish. i find i carry it everywhere now. my wife always ask.. what roads are coming up, and chuckles when she see i'm right. robbie A family that Geocaches together... eventually gets wet. required reading My first bible [This message was edited by Theole34 on May 22, 2003 at 06:54 AM.] Quote Link to comment
dogsoldier Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Will Wheaton did, in a post he made on www.wilwheaton.net. Quote Link to comment
Team Spending Time, Saving Cache Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 I had originally got my first GPS many years ago (I think it cost $700 and it was a handheld Garmin 75) I had a decent sized boat and needed to get offshore quite a few miles and make it back in, not to mention to get to those special fishing spots. Since then I have bought an Earthmate for my laptop then sold it. Then I got a Garmin eTrex Venture (still have it) and started Geo'ing and now about 2 days ago I bought a Magellan Meridian Platinum so I can get a better lock under tree cover. That's my story and I'm sticking to it Live to Cache... Cache to Live... Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 quote:Originally posted by dogsoldier:Will Wheaton did, in a post he made on http://www.wilwheaton.net. Last time I looked at that website, all he did was whine. Whine about the war, whine about not being able to get an acting job, bla bla bla... Quote Link to comment
Team Kender Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Heard about Geocaching on NPR as I was driving into work. Got a Merigreen on ebay a week later. Team Kender - Willow and Dan exploring the Bay Area backroads! Quote Link to comment
+M-Class Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 My first GPSr came with a laptop computer I purchased on eBay. I didn't really care about the GPSr when I bought the computer, but I thought 'I've heard about those before.. sounds like a neat toy'. While waiting on the computer to arrive, I began looking on the web to find what sort of software I could use with it, etc. That is when I found out about Geocaching (I believe I found Buxley's site on Google, then found Geocaching.com from there). Then... Wow there is a cache 1.5 miles from where I live! I told my wife about it and we both thought it would be interesting to try out, but hauling a computer into the woods would be rather awkward (and get a few strange looks too). After doing some research, we bought a Map 330 and set out Geocaching. So, what compelled us specifically was Geocaching, but only after I got a computer that happened to include one and wanted to know what I could do with it. Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 The first GPS I bought was for my parents to use with their laptop and their motorhome. Concidering the fact that their VCR still flashes 12:00, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. About a year later, I got a NAVMAN GPS for my Palm m130. I was using it for golf...calculating distances to the green. It was while looking for additional golf-GPS software that I stumbled onto geocaching.com. I used the Palm/NAVMAN combo to find my first couple of caches, then upgraded to a MeriPlat. "Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand." Quote Link to comment
+evergreenhiker! Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Well, back in Sept 2000, the gps had just become better tools. I'm an avid hiker and thought it would be cool to have one of those eTrex Summits as it also had an barometric altimeter. I had been shopping around for an stand-alone altimeter when I noticed the Summit. My friend John has a 200 dollar altimeter watch by Suunto and the gps cost just 50 bucks more so I went with the gps. I knew nothing of geocaching and wouldn't till Jan 2002. The altimeter proved to be very accurate...comparable to John's watch. Had a blast taking a million waypoints and uploading to my mapping software to see where I had been that day. So that's my story. Quote Link to comment
+bartacus Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 quote:Originally posted by TotemLake:What I'm looking for is the real reason you even considered buying the GPS? What's your story? I first read about Geocaching on Slashdot in September of 2000. It sparked my interest, but I didn't pick up a GPSr until May of 2002, and then it was purchased exclusively for Geocaching. (Over time, my GPSr been used for travelling, and other ways too, but that was the original reason.) Quote Link to comment
+TractionMan Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 Hi! I'm a newbie on the Geocaching scene. Although I did sign on about a year ago, I didn't actually go out to find my first cache until last week. Then why a GPSr? Well I'm into kitesailing, mostly on land using a kite buggy (parakart). After wrecking quite a few bike speedometers I thought about getting myself a GPSr. Perhaps a little bit expensive just for a speedometer, but then it's the only way I can get a speed reading when sailing on ice (with runners intead of wheels) and kiteskiing. When I was searching the net for info about which GPSr to purchase, I came across geocaching.com and thought it might be fun. Made a quick search on caches in the area and there turned out to be quite alot of them here in the south of Sweden. I finally got myself a Garmin eTrex Venture and I'm very pleased with it. It has gone through hell sometimes due to high speed wipeouts in the buggy, but it has never ever failed to do what it was supposed to do. A real nice piece of equipment I must say!!! Happy flying! /TractionMan Team Wipeout Sweden Sorry about my rather lousy english... Quote Link to comment
auntyweasel Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 My sister's bf took her geocaching. She was hooked. She kept telling me about it, and the she borrowed his and we went. One cache and I was hooked! We've been borrowing his for a couple months and bought our own today. Never invoke anything bigger than your head. Quote Link to comment
+jollybgood Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 quote:Originally posted by TMAN264:I read about Geocaching in the comic book "Knights of the Dinner Table". So far that has been the only use of my GPS unit. Make a sanity check.http://www.mi-geocaching.org/ Hoody Hoo!! Good man. Good man. Jolly R. Blackburn http://kenzerco.com "Never declare war on a man who buys his ink by the gallon." Quote Link to comment
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