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[+geo66]

HI,

I have been interested in geocaching for a year and this year my husband got me a GPS for Christmas. YAYYYYYY!!!!! The person at the store where he got the GPS said the one I have is a good one for geocaching. It's a Magellan Explorist. I have figured out the functions and settings on it and have looked at the site for caches around my area. Do I understand correctly that when you find a cache you do not remove it, just take something out and put something else in? Also, do these caches just remain in the spot until the owner decides not to have it anymore? I've noticed that some are found over and over from 2003 to 2004. I can't wait till the cold is gone so I can get out there.

[magellan315]

When you find a cache you should ony sign the log book and trade for any items that you may see. You should never remove a cache unless requested by the owner.

 

The cache should be returned to exactly where you found it, even if your GPS says your 30' off. The encrypted cheat may be written to bring you to a specific location. By moving the cache you will affect other Geocachers who look for it.

 

Caches can remain in a location for years, sometimes outliving the original owners interest in Geocaching. These caches may be monitored or adopted by other Geocachers who are willing to deal with any maintenance issues, if needed.

[+geo66]

Thanks for the reply. I had not planned on moving anything and I read that an item removed fromthe cache means something is put in its place. I was curious about when the caches were found if others continued to look for the same ones. Now I know the answer to that question. I will continue reading about it in the FAQ's.

[+welch]

Thanks for the reply. I had not planned on moving anything and I read that an item removed fromthe cache means something is put in its place. I was curious about when the caches were found if others continued to look for the same ones. Now I know the answer to that question. I will continue reading about it in the FAQ's.

yes, which is why its important you hide it like you found it.

[+GPSKitty]

Here are some links to keep you busy while you are waiting for better weather.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/faq/

 

http://factsfacts.com/geocacher.htm

 

http://www.geocacher-u.com/

 

 

Welcome to the addiction.

[+webscouter.]

Don't wait for it to warm up. Some of the best caching is now. Animals are different, woods are quite, plants are dormant. An entirely different sport than when it is spring, and a great part of the sport.

[+sept1c_tank]

I like caching in the cold, too. Or you can sit back in front of a warm moniter and read the back issues of Today's Cacher.

[+Sputnik 57]

Add to your reading list: Markwell's update to the FAQ and Prime Suspect's GeoLex.

[+robert]

Don't wait for it to warm up. Some of the best caching is now. Animals are different, woods are quite, plants are dormant. An entirely different sport than when it is spring, and a great part of the sport.

Definitely! Just dress properly and you're good to go.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

HI,

I have been interested in geocaching for a year and this year my husband got me a GPS for Christmas. YAYYYYYY!!!!! The person at the store where he got the GPS said the one I have is a good one for geocaching. It's a Magellan Explorist. I have figured out the functions and settings on it and have looked at the site for caches around my area.

<snip>

I think the Explorist model is fine to get started, since it's easy to use and low-cost. You'll find that it is somewhat limited, though. The Explorist series cannot connect to your computer, so you must manually enter all waypoints. As a beginner this isn't much of a problem since you're only entering a few caches at a time. If you really get into geocaching, you're going to want to download all waypoints for your area through your computer. Most other models (Magellan and Garmin) have a data cable you can connect to do this easily. The Explorist is the only model that I know of that doesn't have this capability.

[+geo66]

Thanks for all of the replies. I will buy a better GPS once I begin the missions and start finding caches. For now we are short on money so my husband got me the Explorer. I think he figures I will lose interest quickly. Thanks for all of the reading material as well. I will definitely learn alot.

[+briansnat]

The Explorist is the only model that I know of that doesn't have this capability.

 

Tha Garmin Gecko 101 doesn't either, but I recently saw it for $49. That's a pretty good price for a GPS!

[+JMBella]

Welcome to geocaching! If you get into caching for more than a few weeks I think you'll out grow that GPS.

I'll also reiterate that caching is great in the winter. Don't wait, get out there and have fun!

[+SerenityNow]

Welcome to the greatest sport on earth! Two years ago, we got a GRSr for Christmas and found our first cache the next day. Our addiction grew pretty fast and we're just as enthusiastic about it now. Our suggestion to add to all the other advice that you've received is to look into a local geocaching group in your area. They more than likely will hold events and get-togethers where you can ask questions, discuss problems and share stories of your geocaching adventures. The group will probably have a yahoo groups forum or their own website for daily contact.

Have fun!

[+Night Stalker]

Since the explorist will not allow you to connect with your PC you will be unable to download maps to you GPS. Many cachers don't care about this feature, but for me it has been extremely helpful. I own a Magellan SporTrak Pro. This allows me to download TOPO maps of the area I want to cache. It makes it easier to get to the cache area also.

 

If you have the funds you might want to look at the Garmin GPS 60c. This is what I use currently. It has the features of the SporTrak Pro plus the ability to auto route. This means that I can select a waypoint and tell the GPS to take me to it. It will ask if I want to follow the road or not. When I say follow the road it will give me turn by turn directions to the closest point to the cache. This saves me a lot of time trying to figure out how to get to a cache in an area I am not familiar with. The downside is this unit is considerably more expensive.

 

[+hukilaulau]

Just to add a different point of view...

I love my Magellan Explorist. Sure, it can't download a gazillion waypoints, but I can manually download all that I can do in a day without much trouble. It can't guide me turn by turn to the nearest access, but finding it on my own is part of the fun. I have to use paper maps if I want a good look at the area, but I think reading maps is fun!

Guess I'll never be the type to shoot zebras from a jeep, either!

[+Square Bear]

I’d also like to add is get out and do some in the winter. The advantages are that parks usually have less people, and with less foliage you will get a better lock on your GPSr and can probably get a little closer before you have to enter into search mode.

Edited December 26, 2004 by Ray&Rose

[+SGM & MRS D]

Dress in layers, wear a cap, use polypropolene long underwear, and drink plenty of water for hydration, but above all GET OUT THERE AND CACHE!

 

We have more fun in the winter and early spring here in South Carolina than in the summer.

 

You need to be aware of local hunting seasons if you cache in a wooded area, but you can wear a safety vest if this is the case.

 

I hope you enjoy it the sport.

[+geo66]

I went out yesterday on my first mission. I wanted to find all 4 that I went to but only found one. Finding it made me want to just stay out and find them all. The wind picked up and got pretty cold fast. I live in Illinois so we have no snow just pretty windy at the moment. My daughter got more excited than I did and now she wants to go out again today and search again for the 3 we could not find. My GPS led me right to the one we found and it is true that there is no one around in the winter. I think I can't find them because I'm not sure exactly what I am looking for. Containers, boxes, or whatever. The one we found was a long black tube. So thats what I was looking for. I'll try again today.

[+welch]

I went out yesterday on my first mission. I wanted to find all 4 that I went to but only found one. Finding it made me want to just stay out and find them all. The wind picked up and got pretty cold fast. I live in Illinois so we have no snow just pretty windy at the moment. My daughter got more excited than I did and now she wants to go out again today and search again for the 3 we could not find. My GPS led me right to the one we found and it is true that there is no one around in the winter. I think I can't find them because I'm not sure exactly what I am looking for. Containers, boxes, or whatever. The one we found was a long black tube. So thats what I was looking for. I'll try again today.

Usually the size of the container is given. Micros are small, like film tube. Regualr are around shoebox size (know what an ammo box is?). Minis are between the two in size, large is big of course. Virtuals have no container, read the description to see what your looking. Mysterys / unknown you just not disclosed. Sometimes, the owner will say right in the description what the container is.

[+geo66]

The caches I am looking for all say micro except for the last one. So I have been looking for a very small container of some sort. They are all placed by the same person and are clues leading to the last one. So I assumed they would all be in the same type of tube. Yes, I know what an ammo box is. I am now looking up what WAAS means. This appeared on my GPS yesterday.

[+welch]

The caches I am looking for all say micro except for the last one. So I have been looking for a very small container of some sort. They are all placed by the same person and are clues leading to the last one. So I assumed they would all be in the same type of tube. Yes, I know what an ammo box is. I am now looking up what WAAS means. This appeared on my GPS yesterday.

wide area augmentation system

 

the short is its supposed to help correct error your gps is working with.

the downside is that the sats for it are in geosync so if you cant 'see' them it can't help you. Also if your someplace where you can't constantly see it, when it is seen it will casue the gps to update, which might mean it will 'jump' around every time it updates. Which is why I don't use it (and it runs down batteries quickly), but some really have good luck with it.