+Ladycacher Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hello everyone! I am needing a little more information on getting started. I noticed on the logs that there are some letters, tn/ln/sl. I know that tn-take nothing, ln-leave nothing, but what is sl? Also what is better to buy a palm pilot or a GPS system. I want something under 200.00, but durable that will do the job. What do I need to get started or take with me? Is it ok to take pictures of what I find? Just general infor or any info will help. I also plan on taking my husband and kids once in a while with me, anything I should know about taking kids? Thanks alot! Sabrina Quote Link to comment
+Ladycacher Posted March 25, 2004 Author Share Posted March 25, 2004 Also, how do I get a picture to show up under my profile? Thanks Sabrina Quote Link to comment
+RV Paces Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Welcome Sabrina. I'm new too and I know how you feel and have asked the same ??'s yes, take your husband and kids. it's great fun. be careful, they might get hooked! SL means signed log. sometimes they write tnlnsl or lntnsl, means took nothing, left nothing, signed log. I had FTF in my log. that's First Time Finder. In my hood. means in my neighborhood. I'm learning some of the jargon. As to putting a photo on your messages. It's a trick. Took me 3 days to figure out a AVatar. Well, try reading under General Geocaching Discussions and bring up the one on top saying Test Posting Area, The place to test Avatars. posted Dec. 14 2002. how to insert an Avatar. print out the directions and then give it a try. I finally got mine today. read down to all the chats and you will get more hints how to do it. good luck. rvsued Quote Link to comment
hydes Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hi and welcome! I can take a guess at sl: perhaps "Signed Log"? Also I'd like to recommend a couple of basic GPSrs. We've had great luck with the eTrex Geko 101 and the eTrex "Yellow", both can be found for under a hundered dollars. I did a bit of reading before buying our first GPSr. It seems that 1) stand alone gps receivers can run longer on a pair of batteries and cost less overall and 2) palm solutions tend to be less specialized. I guess this is only appiles to the more advanced models with mapping capabilities. Hope this helps. Nathan Quote Link to comment
+RV Paces Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 hi again. We have a Magellan Map 330 hand held GPS'r . it's easy and user friendly. we actually need two, as we both want to have it at the same time. We have to take turns being the one to get close to the cache with the gps. this is under 200 also. we were lucky to get it for under 100 from someone who couldn't use it, and didnt' need it. sold it to us cheap. look on e-bay too. shop around. get something simple as you will need to "have fun" and not have something so complicated you spend all your time trying to figure it out. We scout out the close places to where we will be visiting. print out several sites, figure out the clues, highlight important data and log them in before we leave home. between the paper information, and the GPS coord. we have a great time seeing how close and accurate we can be. Quote Link to comment
mistaken4sisters Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hello ladycacher & welcome! We're fairly new here as well, but here is what we can offer... The whole PalmPilot/GPS system, we'd go with a GPS...simply because it makes finding the caches that much easier. Right now, when we cache, we take the GPS and paper (GASP) copies of the cache pages (we do print on both sides) and we keep them until we've done them. IF you have/need a PalmPilot for something else, go for it, but so far, we've done just fine without. From what I've seen, people have expressed the opinion that if you do use a palmpilot, get a cheapie from e-bay. What do you need to take with you? That all depends...are you talking about as far as finding the cache, the hike there, or once you get there? Finding the cache, as before, we'd go with the GPS...the hike there, check out this thread in the forums discussions As far as once you get there, there are several options. You can go the "TNLNSL" way (took nothing, left nothing, signed log), you can bring some "swag" with you (usually something that is "semi" useful or interesting, and doesn't cost a lot), a "signature item" (again, there are tons of threads on this, but try here) or do a search on signature items. Or just go with the TNLNSL route for a while & see what's in your area. Keep in mind that with kids, they'll get a kick out of the whole idea of picking an item & treasure hunting, so maybe think about what YOUR kids might like to find (within reason) in a cache. Look at the cache pages, and read the logs as to what others before you had to say...that will give you an idea of what is in the cache, whether its something you can do with kids, what the "accepted" practices are in your area, etc. As far as pictures, it seems most cache owners prefer that you don't take pictures that will "spoil" where the caches are for others, but anything that is interesting, or in some cases, the cache itself are more than welcome. Again, read the logs and the cache pages well. You may also want to check out the "locationless" caches (look at ...these) they are ones where people state a specific thing and you try to find it in the world around you. Pictures are very often required as far as "finding" them. As far as kids go, all the caches we've done (all 30 of them) have been pretty much "kid friendly". You need to decide what the kids can & can't do & heed the warnings on the cache pages & the logs. In our area (NJ), it seems there are a lot of families that cache, and we try to take that into account as far as what we place in caches. Finally, as far as where to upload images for your profile, etc, go to "my cache page" and then "edit profile" (its towards the bottom). If you want to add images to a cache page, you first have to log the cache then you'll get the link to upload images. Hope that helps you. Quote Link to comment
+RV Paces Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 forgot to mention that I think pictures are a fun addition to geocaching. I like to take them of us on the way to or from a cache. try not to get the exact hiding spot in the picture or it will make it too easy for the next guy. I take TB's and take their picture, (being careful not to get the tag number in the pic.) before I put them in the new cache. I think the owners would like to "connect" with their TB through a picture to know that it is still active and moving. Don't take a TB unless you can help it on it's journey or mission. read it before taking it. Be sure to log it when you take it and when you replace it. Have fun. Quote Link to comment
+nwscooby & family Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Another newbie here! I took photos at my first two finds. I tried to keep them cropped to keep from giving the location away. The thing I am discovering is the most difficult part to learn is where to look for the cache once you are in the general area. So far, my son and I have found 3 out of 5, so we are not doing too badly. BTW, I purchased a Garmin eTrex Vista (I am a techie professionally, so had to get more bells and such). And I take paper copies of the cache info. Quote Link to comment
mistaken4sisters Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Oh, a few more things we thought of...there are a bunch of other "things" that we've found go along with caching...Here they are: "Where's George" (here), geocoins (look under geocoins, signature items, etc in the forums), letterboxing here, and book trading (here). Also, check out if there are any "local" caching organizations or look at the regional geocaching forums. Those are bound to have information that will relate directly to you. Have fun! Quote Link to comment
+Nyteyes Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 I bought a Garmin 76S and sadly i think i like my legend better. The extrex legend by garmin is an awesome GPS. They run 100-200 bucks depending on where you area but i love them. Quote Link to comment
+Imajika Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hello everyone! I am needing a little more information on getting started. I noticed on the logs that there are some letters, tn/ln/sl. I know that tn-take nothing, ln-leave nothing, but what is sl? Also what is better to buy a palm pilot or a GPS system. I want something under 200.00, but durable that will do the job. What do I need to get started or take with me? Is it ok to take pictures of what I find? Just general infor or any info will help. I also plan on taking my husband and kids once in a while with me, anything I should know about taking kids? Thanks alot! Sabrina Wow! Lots of questions! 1. TNLNSL = Took Nothing, Left Nothing, Signed Log 2. TFTC = Thanks for the cache 3. In my opinion it is better to buy a standalone GPS unit and then buy a cheapo PDA if you want to go paperless. I use a Garmin Etrex Legend and a Palm Zire 21 for caching. 4. To get started, take your GPS, the cache page printout (or your PDA), some small trade items if you want to trade and a pen (just in case the cache doesn't have one or it is broken). 5. It is okay to take pictures but don't take a picture of the actual cache hiding spot...or if you do WARN people so they can choose to look at the pic or not. Plenty of people take picture of caches or themselves at a cache. Generally they don't take a pic of the actual hiding spot though. 6. Lots of people take their kids caching. Most cache pages will warn you if it's not a good hunt for kids or disabled people. 7. You can add an avatar to your forum posts if you become a premium member. Welcome to the addiction! Quote Link to comment
+Perrin Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Couple extra points. Imajika says you need to be a premium member to have an avatar. Uh well that isn't true unless something has changed very recently that I'm not aware of. I had an avatar long before I became a premium member. Everything else she said is good advice. Check this thread for your avatar creation needs. Also please restrict your testing of the avatar appearance to that thread. That's what its there for after all Quote Link to comment
+Ladycacher Posted March 25, 2004 Author Share Posted March 25, 2004 Thank you all SO much! I took notes and will start looking for a gps today. Thanks again! Sabrina Quote Link to comment
+Imajika Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Couple extra points. Imajika says you need to be a premium member to have an avatar. Uh well that isn't true unless something has changed very recently that I'm not aware of. I had an avatar long before I became a premium member. Everything else she said is good advice. Check this thread for your avatar creation needs. Also please restrict your testing of the avatar appearance to that thread. That's what its there for after all Oh yeh! Duh! I typed that very late last night. I was thinking about forum titles. That can only be changed with premium membership. Sorry for the misinformation! But, hey, I got the rest of the answers right. Quote Link to comment
4x4van Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 By the way (BTW), FTF means "First To Find", and only applies if you are the first one to find a cache. Occasionally, a cache hider will include a "First Finder's" prize, that typically does not need a trade item. Some cachers get up at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to head out for brand new caches in order to bag an FTF, so it's usually difficult to get one. Although, the more remote caches are a bit easier; my only FTF was for a cache that had been hidden over 6 months earlier, but it was in a remote enough location (3 mile hike, 2500ft elevation climb) that it had remained a virgin(?) for a long time. Quote Link to comment
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