Ever Lose Your Gps ?

[GeoFD]

I Lost mine, I have been at work for 12 days straight , got home, no GPS , I took some time looking for it and noticed there were some new caches around so I went and bought a new one to try to FTF these caches but I was beaten by another cacher by a few hours.

[+JMBella]

I think my official lost GPS count is up to 3.

[uperdooper]

haven't lost mine yet, but i almost lost my cell phone twice today caching.

[+Seamus]

I very nearly lost (not "misplaced") mine some time ago. I was scouting for hides, and after I got in the car and made it up to about 40 MPH, I heard an odd thumping on the roof. Realizing what I'd done, I dropped my speed as quickly as I felt I could without it sliding off the front of the roof to its doom. Somehow, I got the car stopped and recovered my unit, none the worse for wear. My nerves were in a somewhat worse state.

 

In retrospect, I'm surprised that it stayed up there as well as it did. I should have lost it due to my numbskull mistake, but somehow it survived.

 

My first and still only GPSr.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

After my first week of caching, I couldn't find my GPS. I bought a new one several months later. I suspect my babysitter stole it thinking it was a funny looking cell phone.

[+crzycrzy]

As for me, I use the old skills taught me in Desert Storm when I was in the Marines.

Everytime I stand up to leave, I check for the critical items that I need to complete the mission. In this case, wallet, GPS, keys, cell phone.

I physically touch them, and that way, muscle memory does the checking when my head forgets...

It's a habit, what can I say. Useful for remember your rifle in the field too.

[+Renegade Knight]

...I physically touch them, and that way, muscle memory does the checking when my head forgets...

Interesting. I do this for my keys. I seldom ever lose them and feel naked without them. My GPS on the other hand I keep leaving on top of the vehicle. It's survived one roll off at 35mph and very nearly another. Good thing the GPS V thas that rubber grip on the bottom.

[+Night Stalker]

I can verify RK's last experience as it was on the roof of my vehicle when he remembered that he had left it there. I actually survived there long enough for us to stop at a convenience store for his fix of Mountain Dew.

 

There have already been 3 times that I have had to retrace my steps to a cache because I have left my GPS at the site. I have been lucky so far and found it in the area. Since it is in a Camo case it sometimes is harder to find than the cache. I am crossing my fingers that I stop doing this soon. I think it is a freudian slip because I want a new 60CS.

[+ohgr]

Mine dropped off the roof of the car also, I turned around about a block away from where I was parked, and it was already gone. A knock at the door 6 hours later and my gps was returned because I had put my name and address into the startup screen (Garmin ETrex).

 

Ohgr

[+Gambrinus & Crew]

... because I had put my name and address into the startup screen (Garmin ETrex).

 

Ohgr

That would be great. I looked in my Legend in Setup (and elsewhere) and can't see how to do this. Can you point me in the right direction?

[+Geo Leo]

...  because I had put my name and address into the startup screen (Garmin ETrex).

 

Ohgr

That would be great. I looked in my Legend in Setup (and elsewhere) and can't see how to do this. Can you point me in the right direction?

Go to the main menu and select the system menu. Then select the drop down menu (left button in the upper right corner), and select "owner information." Make sure that you have the latest firmware upgrade (v. 3.6). Early firmware versions do not have this feature.

Edited May 13, 2004 by Geo Leo

[+protocoldroid]

I physically touch them, and that way, muscle memory does the checking when my head forgets...

really good technique. old cigarette smoking habit makes me pat myself down to see what i'm carrying. definately helps with forgetting something. you just start checking, and then somehow... the brain is alerted by the hands. i usually am wearing cargo pants... so i'm always feeling my pants for cell, pda, gps, pocket knife, etc.

[+Nazgul]

I usually do the "touch and verify it's there" thing as well. It becomes kind of a weird habit to check occasionally while out hiking or whatnot.

 

I almost lost my first GPSr (a Garmin GPS 40, about 10 years ago) when it fell out of a pocket on a nighttime training exercise. After frustratedly searching through the hilltop grass with a flashlight for 15 minutes to recover it, I added a small piece reflective tape to all sides of the GSPr to make it stand out better in a similar situation. I did the same with my III+, but haven't gotten around to it with the new 60C.

[+Laserman]

As for me, I use the old skills taught me in Desert Storm when I was in the Marines.

Everytime I stand up to leave, I check for the critical items that I need to complete the mission. In this case, wallet, GPS, keys, cell phone.

I physically touch them, and that way, muscle memory does the checking when my head forgets...

It's a habit, what can I say. Useful for remember your rifle in the field too.

I do the same thing, for me it goes back to my wildland firefighting days. Never knew where I was going next and I needed that important stuff to be with me. I can go crazy looking for my keys if for some reason I put them in the wrong pocket and don't feel them when I touch the correct spot.

[+Amazingracer]

Had one stolen and lost another one while caching. Then I thought i Had my third one stolen and bought a new one, then i found so now i have two GPS's.

[+garri]

After my first week of caching, I couldn't find my GPS. I bought a new one several months later. I suspect my babysitter stole it thinking it was a funny looking cell phone.

of course, a cell phone without numeric keys must be very useful and a funny looking phone for this kind of people

Edited May 13, 2004 by garri

[Ferreter5]

I almost lost mine once.

 

I was walking with my GPS clipped to the shoulder strap of my pack. I braved my way through a huge patch of prickers. I was so happy to make it out of there that I didn't realize my GPS was gone until I was 200+ yards away. The prickers had grabbed the GPS's lanyard and pulled it off my pack. So...back in I went to find it. Luckily it was a happy ending with only minor scrapes and pokes.

 

Lesson learned!

[+joefrog]

I have also ALMOST come victim to the "oops, left it on the car" routine, except my preferred spot to leave mine is the tailgate, while I'm changing shoes or shedding the backpack. Had a few close calls!

[+AmishHacker]

As for me, I use the old skills taught me in Desert Storm when I was in the Marines.

Everytime I stand up to leave, I check for the critical items that I need to complete the mission. In this case, wallet, GPS, keys, cell phone.

I physically touch them, and that way, muscle memory does the checking when my head forgets...

It's a habit, what can I say. Useful for remember your rifle in the field too.

Thats exactly what I do.....Espically when I was on businesss trips in DC....everytime I leave a cache....Hand on my pocked for keys....hand on my back pocket for wallet....check for cell phone...holding GPS...have camera...GOOD TO GO......

 

I bet it looks like I am doing the Mocarana

[+Mudfrog]

Only had my Garmin GPSMAP 76S for a couple of months when i left it on the siderail of the truck after placing a cache. Took off and got about 6 miles down the road before i realized it wasnt with me. Turned around and went back but it was long gone. Cant find where to put "owner" information in my new one but you can bet i put my phone number on the back of the case this time!

[GeoFD]

Even putting yor inf in or on your GPS dosent mean that someone will return it, probably 1 out of 10 will return it.

[+Huntnlady]

When Sept1c_tank (Richard) was visiting me on his west coast trip, he started out the third morning without his. We raced back to the cache we had done the evening before, but it was not there. Then we turned my house upside down looking for it for almost an hour. Richard finally got a beer and a cigarette and sat down in the backyard to think about it. I got down on my knees and prayed. Guess who found it a few minutes later?

Hint: Heavenly guidance always helps.

We talked about it as our first find for the day.

Edited May 14, 2004 by Huntnlady

[+macatac1961]

I lost mine twice but luckily found it each time.

[+Team Flying Dachshund]

It would br great if the Gps had a tracking device in it that only you could acess. My friend lost his gps and he stopped caching for months. He was in the Military and this was about a year ago so everyone thought he was deployed to Iraq or dead or both. But than he showed up at an event and told that he lost it while cacheing on the west coast. Jeramy needs to make a device that can track a GPSr. Now that would sell very well if it ws under $20. I guess it could hook up to the gpsr and transmit its location every hour. This would me a nessesity for those with an expensive gpsr.

Edited May 15, 2004 by Team Flying Dachshund

[+GOT GPS?]

I had left a GPS on the Roof of a car once, and got a couple miles from home before I relized it was on the Roof. Felt around for it, but knocked it onto the road at 40mph.

 

About Lost and found:

I had lost at least a dozen Golf Disc's(Disc Golf), and none where ever returned to me or ever got a call. I had my info on all the disc's. All these lost discs where over a period of time an at a few Disc Golf courses.

[+GOT GPS?]

Ive heard of Key minders that allows the keys to "Beep", when you press a button on a remote. Helps when the keys could be anywhere. This way you can find a lost GPS among the clutter in the house.

[+Yellow Alligator]

Interesting Topic! I lost my Garmin 76s just last week when using it for work. The next day I was rummaging through my backpack, the truck, my messy office - everywhere trying to find it. I even had a coworker go out and scout the area where I was thinking it fell out while crawling under a fence. Nada. The next day I get a call from a state ranger asking if I lost my GPS! I had no identification on it, but I had talked to some farmers around the area and one of them happened to find it in the dirt road the same day I lost it. Fortunately he knew who I was, as did the ranger. Talk about LUCK! From now on, all my GPSr's are going to have my phone and email address plastered on them.

 

My worst scare however was when I was caching in Hawaii last Feb., coming back from the long Green Sands beach hike Cache at night, and driving down this rutted bumpy road. After a mile or so, I felt something wasn't right and started hunting around for my GPSr. I suddenly realized I probably left it on the roof, and sure enough, there it was. Thank goodness those old Map12's have lots of rubber on them!

 

YA

[+Cache Viking]

Left my Garmin V along with wallet, keys and a few other items in a fanny pack hanging on a Volley Ball net/pole while camping at the Kern River. Must have been there a half-hour before I discovered what I had done. Ran back the 1/4 mile from our campsite figuring the worst and found it hanging right where I left it. My lucky day.

Edited May 16, 2004 by Cache Viking

[+Etrex Pirate]

I was on a business trip to New Orleans last month and after about 10 miles of touring the town and getting a few caches along the way I made it to a regular cache where I could fit a pair of travel bugs I created. There were a lot of muggles around so it wasn’t easy to sign the log, trade TB’s and the rest without being spotted. I shoved my GPS in my pocket while attempting to stuff everything into this tight fitting cache (a funny side note one of the TB’s was a squeaker toy that kept squeaking when I was closing the lid). I carefully replaced the cache and was about ¾ mile away when I reached for my Garmin Vista and it wasn’t in my pocket. I was so tired from all that walking and was sure it would be gone but decided to make it back to the cache. Surprisingly it was still there. It was lying on the curb but face down so I guess it didn’t attract that much attention. I am now more careful about keeping track of it after I leave a cache.

[+Pobre Rico]

I left my GPSr on the trunk of my car after placing a cache at Alder Flats. When I realized what I'd done I started shopping for a new GPSr.

 

Then I got a call from a guy that had found it in the parking area. He hit the on button and it popped up with my name and address.

 

It was pretty cool that he contacted me and returned it.

[+JMBella]

As for me, I use the old skills taught me in Desert Storm when I was in the Marines.

Everytime I stand up to leave, I check for the critical items that I need to complete the mission. In this case, wallet, GPS, keys, cell phone.

I physically touch them, and that way, muscle memory does the checking when my head forgets...

It's a habit, what can I say. Useful for remember your rifle in the field too.

I've got to start doing that. Buying GPS after GPS after GPS gets really expensive.

[+sbell111]

I also learned the pat-down habit from the saame school as crzycrzy. It works.

 

When caching with a pack, I keep the GPSr in a case attached to my shoulder strap. I also clip the lanyard to a D-ring. If it falls out of the case, it won't be lost.

 

Of course, most of the local caches do not require the GPSr to be removed from the car.

 

My 3+ has served me well for three years. Hopefully, I'll get three more out of it.

[+harkins]

Even with my general pat-down paranoia (as everyone else seems to consider it), I still almost lost my GPS yesterday on my very first day of caching. I was very fortunate that I noticed pretty soon after losing it and was able to develop a good theory as to where it was and what happened. It still took an hour before my wife finally found it in the weeds we had to move through (I am positive I checked there, but another pair of eyes is always helpful).

[+garri]

If one day I found a gps lost by somebody i would not doubt to give back his unit to him.

 

For me, It's more satisfactory seeing how a person is happy to see his GPSr after lost it than having in my hands a GPSr wich it doesn't belong to me.

 

I would like that people will do the same when i lost something.

[+Jeeters]

Two or three caches ago, I made it back to my car to find out my GPS wasn't on my beltclip. The beltclip had broken. (This was the second time it broke, two - those beltclips that come with the neoprene Sportrak cases must hate me). Had to backtrack to look for the GPS, which was the last thing I wanted to do since the trail was very muddy and I was so glad to have finally made it back to the car. Luckily, I found the GPS (in the mud no less) just a few hundred feet back.

[+LETaylor]

I accidently left mine in the cabin of a sailboat we had taken out for the day on SF Bay. It was a "club" boat and I didn't realize what I had done for several weeks. It was my trusty old Garmin 12CX. I've since purchased a etrex Vista and am more careful where I set it down.

 

I've also input the "owner information" on this one. I've also replaced the Garmin screen that warns you not to rely on the GPS with my address, phone, email info, and offer of a reward for return of the unit if found.

 

The owner info screen is easily changed but the final screen is tough to do unless you have the right software. It would serve as a daily reminder to anyone that they're using MY gps receiver each time the screen came up.

[+bitbrain]

Lost mine for over a week after finding a simple little micro with the kids.

 

When we got back to the car, the youngest had the GPS. I asked him to put it in the backpack. FOr the next 10 days, I searched the house, car & truck for it. Couldn't find it.

 

On a whim, I decided to empty my pack completely. D'oh! He put it in the big pocket and it had settled to the bottom.

 

SwampThang gave me a new (smaller) pack for my birthday, so now I don't carry as mugh junk. Maybe I won't lose it again.