Some Northwest Newbies!

January 4, 2005

Hi everyone, I'm Kristin. I'm a newbie, along with my fiance David, and sometimes my mom, Pam. We all live in Scappoose, OR. I discovered caching about 2 weeks ago, finally got to go out and loved it.

Though we don't have a GPS unit yet, we were still able to find 2 local caches, and I even picked up a TB! I can't wait to go hunt for more, and place this TB Patches in a new home. I know it will be even better once we manage to get a GPSr - for now it's kind of rough being limited to the basic ones since we can't solve any of the puzzles. Hopefully that will change soon!

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself! I hope I'll have a chance to meet some of you locals eventually. Have fun out there!

Kristin

January 4, 2005

Welcome, Kristin, David and Pam! If you like caching without a GPS, you'll LOVE it with one! Oh, the magnificent places it will take you! Since you live so close to Portland, be sure to check out the forums at pdxgeocaching.com. Lots of the local group "hang out" there.

--laurak of dasein

2.8k · January 4, 2005

Welcome indeed. You'll never run out of caching opportunities in this area - especially if you venture into the big city or Forest Park.

If you're interested in meeting other cachers just keep tabs on the www site that dasein mentioned. There are frequent excuses to get together!

January 4, 2005

Thank you dasein and and marathonman! I'm checking out the PDX site right now. I'm definitely planning on caching in Portland, and Beaverton, etc, etc... can't wait!

2.7k · January 4, 2005

Welcome to the sport! Be warned....it's ADDICTING! You'll meet some great people and discover cool places.

1.6k · January 4, 2005

Welcome! May your caching experience always be fun.

9.5k · January 4, 2005

Welcome! I'll look forward to meeting you someday.

1.2k · January 6, 2005

Scappoose, eh? Well come to the GeoMunch Breakfast this Sunday! It's just east of the Portland airport! Glad to have ya! :blink:

January 7, 2005

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!

Sparrowhawk, the breakfast sounds really fun! Any chance that we could get some more info about the location since we're "GPS challenged" right now? <_< Think I might have it figured out after looking at the event pictures, but I wanted to make sure. Anyway, thanks for the invite!

January 7, 2005

Do you plan to get a GPSr soon? I just started in October and have had so much fun. Ok, maybe I'm a tiny bit addicted... <_< Actually, my Garmin has been so useful for more than just caching! Glad you joined the fun!

Edited January 7, 2005 by LittleBlue

January 7, 2005

I'd have one right now if I had the cash! :rolleyes: I want one really bad, gonna have to save up though.

January 7, 2005

Hey all you new folks, don't forget we have a great club for the addicts. www.geocachingwa.org. Peace, Nolenator

January 8, 2005

When are you no longer considered a newbie?

1.1k · January 8, 2005

When are you no longer considered a newbie?

Until you've posted a question to the forums. Welcome old salt.

March 15, 2005

Okay another newbie/neocacher. I've been lurking for awhile. Got my GPSr last week and so far have been skunked twice. <sigh> In my defense the only 2 times I tried I did it with limited time (waiting for my SO to get her hair done and on a lunch break). I was hoping I'd be able to do this without having to stoop to RTM however it doesn't look that way.

Anywho, I live in South Everett, work in the Factoria area. And am looking forward to enjoying this hobby. My doc says I need to get out more and this looks like the way to do it.

My previous all consuming hobby was scuba diving however I've been forced to cut back on that for a while and sitting around & moping hasn't worked so far.

Anyone that wouldn't mind having a newbie tag along some time just let me know. :lol:

Ed

recdiver@gmail.com

2.8k · March 15, 2005

Okay another newbie/neocacher... <snip>
Anywho, I live in South Everett, work in the Factoria area...<snip>

Anyone that wouldn't mind having a newbie tag along some time just let me know.

Ed

recdiver@gmail.com

Welcome Ed!

Don't worry, it takes a few DNFs to learn that it's easy to ask for help. I should know. :lol:

I live in Monroe and you are welcome to get together with me anytime. I'm not a seasoned pro like most of the others, but I'm more than willing to share. Message/e-mail me if you are interested.

In addition, there are plans in the works for a group of us to possibly come up to your area in the near future to do the night cache up there. Keep your eyes on the forum and you'll see it.

Cheers,

Brian

March 15, 2005

Okay another newbie/neocacher... <snip>
Anywho, I live in South Everett, work in the Factoria area...<snip>

Anyone that wouldn't mind having a newbie tag along some time just let me know.

Ed

recdiver@gmail.com

Welcome Ed!

Don't worry, it takes a few DNFs to learn that it's easy to ask for help. I should know.

I live in Monroe and you are welcome to get together with me anytime. I'm not a seasoned pro like most of the others, but I'm more than willing to share. Message/e-mail me if you are interested.

In addition, there are plans in the works for a group of us to possibly come up to your area in the near future to do the night cache up there. Keep your eyes on the forum and you'll see it.

Cheers,

Brian

Sounds good. First thing I gotta learn is how to get the caches into my Vista C, then it would be nice if I could get them in my Palm TE, although that isn't such a big deal right now.

And of course figuring out what the buttons do so when I accidently hit the wrong one I'm not standing in the middle of a trail talking to myself as I try to figure out what I did. Oddly enough it seems to scare the other people around me.

1.1k · March 16, 2005

And I own several caches around Factoria for after work adventure.

March 16, 2005

I am not sure but I think this would work for your palm. For getting caches into my iPAQ I just open the cache on IE or Firefox and then save the web page to my storage card. This way I can view the web page for the cache with the built in browser on my palm when I am on the road. It is a poor man's way to view the caches and this way I get the logs and the hints and the cords. It is only a little annoying because it pulls in all the accessory files for all of the caches and takes a bit to transfer the files to my sd card. I had written an app that would harvest the caches off of the geocaching site every night and put them into a DB on my web box but I didn't keep that up so don' know why even mention it :lol:

9.5k · March 16, 2005

I am not sure but I think this would work for your palm. For getting caches into my iPAQ I just open the cache on IE or Firefox and then save the web page to my storage card. This way I can view the web page for the cache with the built in browser on my palm when I am on the road. It is a poor man's way to view the caches and this way I get the logs and the hints and the cords. It is only a little annoying because it pulls in all the accessory files for all of the caches and takes a bit to transfer the files to my sd card. I had written an app that would harvest the caches off of the geocaching site every night and put them into a DB on my web box but I didn't keep that up so don' know why even mention it

Unlike the PPC (unless the Palm OS has changed), web pages have to be pulled in and converted. Typically, Plucker or some other app is used to pull down the web pages and then convert it to the appropriate file type the Palm can read.

March 16, 2005

For getting the caches into your Palm, check out this site

http://www.geocacher-u.com/resources/paperless.html

March 16, 2005

For getting the caches into your Palm, check out this site
http://www.geocacher-u.com/resources/paperless.html

Thanks. A week or so ago I was browsing and found directions for using Cachemate and GSAK, they looked good so I got Cachemate and a demo of GSAK, now of course I can't find the directions. Anyone know which ones I'm talking about?

thanks,

Ed

March 16, 2005

Though we don't have a GPS unit yet, we were still able to find 2 local caches, and I even picked up a TB! I can't wait to go hunt for more, and place this TB Patches in a new home. I know it will be even better once we manage to get a GPSr - for now it's kind of rough being limited to the basic ones since we can't solve any of the puzzles. Hopefully that will change soon!

Try this site.. http://www.gps4fun.com/ Or? if your in a hurry, Circuit City at Jantzen Beach.. Fishermans Marine next to GI Joes at Hayden Meadows. Then of course, there is REI.. They moved from the Jantzen Beach area to someplace in NW Portland.

Welcome to the clan.. If you aren't using a GPSr.. you must be caching by Orienteering? That has got to be a challenge.. would be interested in learning that.. in fact I am studying that aspect of it. :rolleyes:

Edit: The Geomunch is at the shilo Inn restaurant off Airport Way 2nd Sunday of month.. in case Sparrowhawk didn't get around to telling you. See ya there.

Edited March 16, 2005 by OccidentalErrant

March 16, 2005

Thanks. A week or so ago I was browsing and found directions for using Cachemate and GSAK, they looked good so I got Cachemate and a demo of GSAK, now of course I can't find the directions. Anyone know which ones I'm talking about?

There's several good tutorials linked here; the one that got me going with Cachemate and GSAK was this one.

March 16, 2005

Thanks it was the second one I was looking for. And another question, last night when I tried to upload a couple of waypoints to my GPS I was getting com error messages. It looked like GSAK couldn't find my GPS which was plugged into a USB port. And my only options were COMM1 or 2. Any help would be appreciated.

thanks again,

Ed

March 16, 2005

Thanks it was the second one I was looking for. And another question, last night when I tried to upload a couple of waypoints to my GPS I was getting com error messages. It looked like GSAK couldn't find my GPS which was plugged into a USB port. And my only options were COMM1 or 2. Any help would be appreciated.
thanks again,

Ed

Was your GPS plugged directly into a USB port, or was it using a Serial-to-USB adapter? If the former, GSAK includes beta support for it, but you have to enable it specifically in the GPS Setup dialog (GPS menu, Setup) by clicking the Use USB checkbox. I've never tried this myself as I don't have USB GPSr.

If you were using a Serial-to-USB adapter, be sure the drivers for it are installed correctly and that you've chosen a COM port for it to use/appear as. You can usually do this in Computer Management/Device Manager/Ports (COM & LPT)/ by finding your adapter listed and double-clicking to get to its properties page, then going to the Port Settings tab.

Hope that helps!

2.8k · March 16, 2005

Which receiver do you have?

Does it support USB? (I would assume yes, since you are probably using the cable that came with it, right?)

I just started using GSAK as well, on the Setup screen, is there a button/checkbox for "USB" for communication protocol? I seem to recall that.

March 17, 2005

I have a Vista C which came with a USB cable. I don't recall seeing anything in setup about USB however my daughter was breathing down my neck at the time cuz I was interupting her on-line chats! I'm thinking she needs to get her own computer or more likely I need to buy me a laptop and give the computer up as lost. :blink:

Pasha mentions a beta verison??

I was going to register GSAK till I found he'll only take PayPal since he lives Down Under. I've avoided using PayPal all these years guess I'm just going to have to break down and use it.

I'm not old and set in my ways, I'm not, I'm not , I'm not... :unsure:

March 17, 2005

Pasha mentions a beta verison??

No, not a beta version of GSAK - the USB support in the current version is at the beta level. May work, may not, but I'm sure Clyde would appreciate feedback either way.

1.7k · March 18, 2005

I have a Vista C which came with a USB cable. I don't recall seeing anything in setup about USB however my daughter was breathing down my neck at the time cuz I was interupting her on-line chats! I'm thinking she needs to get her own computer or more likely I need to buy me a laptop and give the computer up as lost.
Pasha mentions a beta verison??

I was going to register GSAK till I found he'll only take PayPal since he lives Down Under. I've avoided using PayPal all these years guess I'm just going to have to break down and use it.

I'm not old and set in my ways, I'm not, I'm not , I'm not...

I also have avoided PayPal. Send Clyde an e-mail and offer to send him cash. That is what I did. He is very easy to work with. I also pay my subscription to Ground Speak with a personal check. Dick, W7WT Yes, I am one of the older OLD Geocachers and very set in my ways.

March 20, 2005

For the record I was able to down load waypoints to my GPSr thanks Pasha for the assist. Unfortunatley work, family obligations, and the weather has kept me from caching this weekend. Next weekend is mind darn it! Unless my wife tells me otherwise.

And I was given the option of sending cash for GSAK and am considering that strongly.

Ed

2.8k · March 20, 2005

I'm a newbie with GSAK myself, but so far I like it!

As for next weekend, if you are able to get away, I'd be more than willing to show you some tips. I'm sure we can find someplace neither of us has been to...

Some Northwest Newbies!

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