Geocaching in Switzerland….. AGAIN!!!!!

WOW! Once again, my gorgeous wife and I went ‘home’ to visit her parents in Sankt Gallen, Switzerland. I’ve learned a couple of things about caching in Switzerland: Firstly, no matter where you go, you’re always going UPHILL!!! No matter what direction you take, no matter where you go, regardless of how you plan your caching day, you’re always going UPHILL!!!! Secondly, Swiss cachers almost NEVER make even a traditional cache easy to get to, or find. They really seem to like to add puzzle elements into traditional caches.  The Swiss cachers, obviously, don’t have access to the ammo cans that are often found here in the U.S.   However,

it’s not unusual to come across a German Army mess kit. They’re not bad, but they don’t have the gasket that ammo cans have. Equally ubiquitous are the Tupperware-type containers.  Lastly, no matter where I cached, there was always a breathtaking view! If you can travel to only one place in Europe, do yourself the favor and go to Switzerland!!!!

Spisegg Brücken Cache

Caching in Europe is so cool because history is always around you! Being a Catholic, I found myself stopping in every church and cathedral I could find. I don’t think one of them were build after 1600!!!! Sankt Gallen, Switzerland, is named after the saint who lived in the area in 612 A.D.!!!!!!

Here’s another cool cache in Switzerland, GCZYYR, a cool multi-cache designed around a bridge that was built in the 1700′s!  Again, being in Europe, almost every geocache has a sense of history about it, if you’ll just look around a little!

Something else that makes caching in (non-English-speaking) Europe a little more difficult is translating the geocaching

web pages!!!!! Okay, I’ve tried machine translation through Alta Vista. That works fairly well, but if you’re working (especially) a complicated puzzle cache, this probably won’t work very well. Remember, languages tend to be highly

Beautifully marked trails were all over!!!

idiomatic. For example, if I told you I throw everything into my geocaching backpack along with the kitchen sink, you’d understand to mean I put EVERYTHING in my pack. However, automated translation wouldn’t pick up that idiom, and the meaning is lost.  My wife and her parents are born and raised Berliners (East Berlin, that is!), and they have difficulty in translating geocaching web pages because they aren’t cachers (though their English is excellent).

Here are some photos of my latest caching spree during the CHRISTmas season in Switzerland!!!!

Geo Skiing – CC Skiing and Geocaching (what a combo!)

Here’s my first stab at converting a camera phone movie to You Tube. I think I’ll just buy a dedicated video camera. Anyway, enjoy!

GSAK and Cachemate… Couldn’t Be Easier, Pt. I

This is a short video showing how simple it is to load caches into GSAK. Just drag and drop the .ZIPped PQ from GC.Com onto the desired database displayed. GSAK makes organizing your caches (found and not-yet-found), loading them onto your GPSr, and loading them onto your Palm (either Palm OS or PPC).

All Batteries are NOT the Same!

Okay, almost every GPSr today uses AA batteries. However, just because two batteries are AA size doesn’t mean they provide the same amount of energy over time. Essentially, yes, all AA batteries will start out producing about 1.2 Volts, +/- .1 Volt. However, due to the chemical composition of the batteries they will have different discharge rates, or ‘lives’. To get the most out of your batteries (especially rechargeables), you’ll need to ‘team up’ your batteries. Here’s an analogy:  you are responsible for assembling a cross country train that will be hauling dozens and dozens of cars. Further, you’ll need two locomotives to haul these cars and you have different kinds available to you. If you’re wise, you’ll pick two of the same kind, and here’s why.

If you select two of the most modern diesel locomotives, they will produce the same horsepower, travel at the same speeds, and have (basically) the same ranges. Each locomotive will work in concert with the other.

Do you see a problem here? 

While the venerable puffer-belly had its day in the sun, it’s no longer a match for its successor. The steam engine has neither the strength, speed, nor the range of the diesel. As a result, the diesel will end up pulling all of the cars behind it AND must push the locomotive in front of it. As the steam locomotive finally loses steam (pun intended), it becomes nothing more than dead weight for the diesel. Not good.

We do the same anytime we put two different kinds of batteries in our GPS receiver. Firstly, batteries must be the same type (NiMH, NiCad, Li Ion, Alkaline, rechargeable Alkaline, etc.)  Nextly, the batteries should have the same CAPACITY. This is measured in mAh (milliamp hours). Now, I’m always on the look out for great deals in rechargeable NiMH batteries. As a result, I have a bunch of batteries with different capacities. Here’s a photo showing some of the different kinds I have:

If you look closely, you’ll see that one set of batteries have a 2000 mAh capacity, another with 2500, and the last with an advertised capacity of 2650 mAh. I stress the word ‘advertised’ as I’ve heard there really isn’t anything with greater capapcity than 2500 mAh. But…

Equally important to using the same kind of batteries together is CHARGING them together. Never charge different kinds of rechargeable batteries together, nor batteries with different capacities. While not necessarily dangerous in the case of AA rechargeable batteries, it can shorten their lives.

Protect Your Paperless Caching Investment!

Okay, so you’re into paperless caching (very ecological on your part!). However, it’s important to protect delicate

A great investment in your great investment!

electronics from harsh weather, dirt, dust, and abuse. A good way to start is to protect your PDA or smart phone with an Otterbox. Another (very cheap) investment is a pack of screen protectors. Essentially, they are nothing more than very thin, very clear sheets of contact paper that keep your PDA’s screen from getting scratched up. I bought a pack  of  13 Palm screen protectors at a local office supply store for about $13 (US).  I’ve used them not only for my PDA phone, but for my Garmin GPSMap60cx. I’ll probably not need to buy another pack for a long time to come.

To apply the screen protector, first clean the screen of your PDA. A Q-Tip with a LITTLE rubbing alcohol or window cleaner should do fine. DO NOT let the alcohol or window cleaner run into the device itself from the edges of the screen! Then, thoroughly dry the screen. Next, cut the screen protector material to the size of your screen. Palm’s screen protector sheets come with templates that you simply cut out. Personally, I cut my just a hair larger than the template. Peel the screen protector sheet from the backing, taking care NOT to touch the sticky side. If you do, there will be a beautiful fingerprint left. Apply the screen protector at one end of the screen, slowly rolling the material onto the rest of the screen. As you do so, use a soft cloth to wipe across the screen protector to eliminate any air bubbles from forming.

Palm's screen protectors have templates on the back ready to cut.

By the way, a word of warning if you use a Palm phone or PDA: NEVER use a metal stylus unless your screen is designed for it! I’ve read on several forums of screen failures being caused from just that. Use the stylus that came with your device.

A New Way to Cachemate!

Cachemate on the Palm Centro

So I’m at work the other day when the wife calls. She’d been complaining that my current phone was really beat up and badly in need of replacing. So, she asked me, “I’m at the Verizon store; since you’ll never get around to getting yourself a new phone, what do you want?”  WHAT A WIFE!!! I immediately thought of cachemate! How great would it be to leave the old Palm 500 at home???

Normally, Verizon sells NONE of their PDA’s without hooking you into a contract for a data package. However, my wife was insistent (as was I) that I didn’t need or want a data package. Finally, they caved! Within 20 minutes of getting my new Centro, I had CACHEMATE installed on it. I was also ecstatic to find the Palm Desktop program for the Centro didn’t crash my computer (as happened about half of the time with the old Palm!!!).

My wife also bought me the silicone Body Glove for the Centro, but I may

Easily readable screen, no data package required!

end up buying Otterbox’s case for it.

A word of warning about Verizon. Remember how my wife insisted we didn’t want a data package? Well, they tacked it onto my first bill ANYWAY! One phone call from my wife fixed that. Further, your phone’s data applications can STILL connect with the Internet- one wrong ‘click’ on the screen and you will pay for it with your first and second child!

The real upside to the Centro (or any phone PDA) is that it eliminates having to take one more piece of equipment into the field. However, having two devices rolled into one has the downside of over dependency; it that appliance dies, you’ve lost BOTH functions (phone AND Palm). But, so far, so good!

Winter Geocaching!

Geo-skiing!!!

When I first got into caching, I wondered if it was done in the winter. Of course, it can. But, depending upon where the cache is, the type of cache and how it is hidden, and the amount of snow on the ground, this can be problematic. Sometimes, just getting to the cache can be a hassle.  Take GC3B8C for example. It’s in a beautiful piece of National / State forest in Michigan.  Normally, it would be an easy hike in any season other than winter. However, due to the average snow fall here, a cacher would either have to snowshoe in or ski in (cross country ski, that is!).  I have been an avid cross country skier for about 3 years now. I can’t believe I haven’t tried it earlier in my life. Downhill skiing (alpine) is just plain BORING! In Michigan, at least, you’ll spend far more time on the chairlift than you will actually skiing. Then, there are the crowds of pushy skiers. Lastly, if you haven’t had to pay for a lift ticket, you’re in for a surprise.

Cross country skiing and geocaching go hand-in-hand!! Imagine going to a state or national park, skiing and caching ALL DAY in the peace that is true nature….. and all for the cost of a parking permit (around $4-6, in Michigan).

If you’ve never tried cross-country skiing, please, give it a try! It’s amazing exercise and very inexpensive! For instance, in a local used sports equipment shop, I bought my first set of skis (skis, poles, bindings, and boots) for about $150. The equipment was in next-to-new condition, too. You’ll find a lot of used cross country ski equipment in this condition; people run out, buy new equipment, find cross country is a little strenuous (especially at first!), then sell it.

Paperless Caching Accessories – The Otterbox!

Okay, so you have a Palm for geocaching. Maybe, you’re even using one of the many PDA or ‘Smart’ phones. Constant exposure to weather will eventually cause moisture to invade you paperless caching companion, thus causing catastrophic failure at some point. I’m more worried about the data ON my Palm than I am about the Palm itself. Fortunately, there are a TON of various Palms to be had for $20 or less, so you can even stock up on those! Again, the data is what is REALLY important! Enter the Otterbox.

Otterbox makes an entire line of waterproof boxes, specially designed for todays personal electronics (Palms, iPods, Blackberries, etc). By placing your electronics in an Otterbox, they are safe from crushing, scratching, and drowning, even in the harshest environments! For the PDA’s, Otterbox has the 1900, the 2600, and the 3600. They’re not cheap, running anywhere from $50 – $100, depending upon where you buy them.

Here’s a great video showing how a PDA fits inside the 3600. Inside such a case, a PDA can take all of the abuse a geocacher can shell out!

Why Paperless Caching With a Palm???

Some wonder why I would cache with both a Palm and a seperate GPS unit? Why wouldn’t I just purchase the new Garmin Colorado or Oregon that does paperless caching? Well, let’s look at the pro’s and cons:

Pro:

Buying a GPSr that does paperless caching too is convenient and minimizes the number of devices you take into the field.

Cons:

1. Bundling too many appliances into one box almost always results in the mediocre performance of all of them.
2. Putting a GPSr and a paperless caching device together will leave you stranded if either application ‘dies’; you’ll then end up losing both devices when you send it in for repairs. Essentially, you’re putting too many eggs in one basket.
3. I’m not one of those who has to have the latest and greatest of everything.  As my old grandfather used to say, “When others run, you walk.”  I have always avoided buying the first of anything – I’ll let all of the bugs be discovered and worked out first. I don’t want to be the Beta test team. Therefore, I’ll stick with my GPSMap60cx until it no longer works and makes no economic sense to get fixed. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just stupid and wasteful to get rid of something that works great, just so I can be the kid on the block with a new pair of skates. Whooop-dee-doooo.
4. As much as the Colorado and Oregon cost, it’s far less expensive to buy a moderately priced GPSr and an inexpensive Palm. If my Palm gets broken, big deal. Somewhere,  I’m sure I can find another $15 for another one.
5. The $500 I would spend on a new Oregon would be far better sitting in my savings account than in Garmin’s.

Well for what it’s worth, that’s my take on paperless caching with the Garmin Colorado or Oregon. If you already have one, that’s wonderful! However, until she gives up the ghost, I’ll stick with my 60cx. But, I think we have a lot of caching to do before that happens!

Deleted Cacher’s Log -or- “Doooooooooh!”

This past weekend was one of those rare ones when I could cache to my heart’s content. I went to a local state park the day after Thanksgiving. I could only get two caches in before heavy snow started falling (thus causing my GPSr to bounce something fierce!). So, I came back to the park on Sunday and I bagged TEN more caches!! Wooohoooo. So, that afternoon, I started logging my finds for the weekend. However, due to family commitments, I could only log the first two that I found on Friday.

Around 6:30 that night, I get one of those automated e-mails from Geocaching.com stating that my two logs had been deleted by the (same) cache owner. I was astounded! I had never had one of my logs deleted. I double checked the cache pages, just to make sure there were no additional logging requirements. Nope. These were your basic find / sign / hide cache. Now, I was really getting ticked! The gaul of the cache owner. I had heard about these guys in the past, but never thought I’d meet one.  I’d never found one of his caches before, nor had I ever met him in my life. I could not imagine why he had so capriciously deleted my two logs.

Instead of flying off the handlebars and sending an e-mail I really shouldn’t have, I spoke to a couple of local cachers who suggested I fire off a polite e-mail to the cache owner, enquiring why my two logs were deleted. “Okay, Pete,” said I, “Deep breath, be pleasant, now…. type.”  I fired off the e-mail and waited for some snotty, arrogant reply. It didn’t come that night.

The next day, I rushed home after work to check my e-mail. Going to my Yahoo! account, I saw the e-mail from the cache owner, waiting for me like a rattlesnake in the tall grass. I opened it. In short, this is what he said:  “Hi, there was no problem with your logs. You just logged both caches twice!”  DOOOOOOOH!!!!!

When I had gotten home from caching on Friday, I logged my two finds for the day. On Sunday, I had completely forgotten I had logged them already….. and logged them again.

I learned a few lessons from this incident. I hope you can learn from my DOOOOOOOOH!, too.