Geocaching: What It Is and How to Have Fun With It

Using your GPS to travel and see all the different places and points of interest is all the rage to having one today. As well as its a cool thing to have one if you just like the eye candy and the technology itself. And they can help you out of many a jam if you get into one like a traffic backup in your city or town.

In earlier articles I mentioned all the many different uses for GPS today. As well as what the next step is for GPS in our cars. To cover you from getting ticketed by the local yokels (Police) for using certain devices in certain states where they're not allowed.




But what about using your GPS to have some fun! Well you can. And that is a game called Geocaching. Most of you have probably heard of it before. But I like to bring back old things to keep them fresh in mind for those folks that maybe haven't heard of it or experienced it before. So......

What is Geocaching?

Well Geocaching or Geocashing as some like to call it, is actually a treasure hunt of sorts. Using your GPS to locate the treasure. No its usually not money your hunting for. Not saying it couldn't be, but most likely not. It is usually a logbook that you find and can sign and there may be some trinket or little toy for the kids or something of that nature.

Geocaching is a fun activity for an individual or more better yet for the whole family. It can be done locally or state wide or even nationwide. It comes in different degrees of difficulty. Depending on how extensive you want to make it.

How does It work?

Usually you use a hand held GPS unit for the activity. If your going state wide you can use your car GPS to get into the general area of the treasure. Then when you get on foot or can't drive any farther, the hand held unit comes into play.

To participate, you need to be able to input the Coordinates of Longitude and Latitude into the GPS. Depending on your unit you may need to download software to the GPS to be able to input the coordinates. There are websites devoted to Geocaching where you can find hunts to go on. I'll list those for you later at the end of the article.

What you do is pick your favorite site where these activities are posted and you join up and select which Geocaching hunts you wish to go on.  As mentioned they are based on degrees of difficulty.

What are the Degrees of Difficulty?

Examples of difficulty are such as using your GPS tracker to locate a treasure container in an easy place to find. For example it may be located next to a road, or just off the road back in some shallow woods by a trail. These would be examples of easy classified difficulty.




An example of a medium classified difficulty might be a hunt that is located a couple of miles into some woods or off road somewhere. And then a hard classified difficulty might be somewhere where you may have to hike many miles up into some mountains to find the treasure container.

What Do You Do When You Find the Treasure?

Usually what you will find will be a container in the form of plastic, wooden or metal.  In the container will usually be a logbook that you can sign.  And then as mentioned earlier, a trinket of some kind usually for children.  It is customary that after you sign the logbook to replace the book back into the container.

You may decide to keep the trinket.  But it is customary to replace the trinket with something of equal value for the next Geocaching hunter to find.  Then just place the container back in its position, and be on your way back to your vehicle.

Then What?

When you get back to your place of residence, you log back on to the website where you got the assignment. On the website you log in that you have found the treasure for the specific hunt you chose.  And what you did with the find.  Then simply rinse and repeat and have more fun.

A Small Video Introduction to Geocaching:

Here's a short video of some folks having fun with their GPS.....

Some Things to Remember..

An important thing to remember, especially if your going on a high degree of difficulty Geocaching hunt is its a good idea to bring an extra battery for your GPS unit.  Also a regular Compass.  And be sure you remember to mark the trees or make some kind of landmark to find your way back in case you get lost.

Also on the high difficulty hunts be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks to keep your energy up!

The Wrap Up...

Like I said, I would give you a list of websites where you can get involved with Geocaching. Here they are:

• Geocaching.com

• Navicache.com

• brillig.com/geocaching/  "Buxley's Geocaching Waypoint"

Other than that, nothing else to be said except, God bless you, have fun, and be safe.


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Awesome Pics: Gunstock, Woodcarving and Engraving

There are lots of different types of artistry around for most anybody.  Everything from drawing to painting, knitting to crocheting, fabric weaving to basket weaving, and the list goes on and on for artworks.  As well as the list for the names of famous artists.

One of my favorite types of art has always been the art of woodcarving.  I'm sure if you have any type of interest in woodcarving you have seen the guy who makes awesome carvings out of tree stumps.  Using a chainsaw to accomplish it with.  Very cool stuff.




However today I wanted to shine the light on a more smaller and tedious type of carving wood.  The type I'm talkng about is done on the butt of a rifle usually.  Gunstock woodcarving and engraving is an art form that there are few who can do it with good accuracy and precision because of the smaller area that there is to work on.

It takes steady hands like a Surgeons or Dentists and special woodcarving tools to create the woodworkers picture on the gunstock.  Not to mention practice, practice, practice.

I'm going to hold back on my long winded article writing, cause I really wanted to share some awesome pics with you, showing you some of the work of people who have done this type of art.  I hope you enjoy these pics as much as I have.

Note:  To see who the Artists are just place your mouse on the picture and see the pop-up.  Also you can click them to see a larger image of them individually.

Now thats some really great gunstock woodcarving and engraving artwork!  Hope you enjoyed it.

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What Is The Next Step for GPS In Your Car

With the many variables to the uses of GPS for the multitude of activities in life, the ways of its use are becoming countless.  We see GPS being used in biking, hiking, boating, jogging and even Iditarod Dog Racing across the wilderness of Canada.

Not to mention all the commercial uses for it.  GPS is truly extraordinary in its multiples of applications and uses. In the beginning of the consumer use of GPS it was focused on our automobiles.  So I wanted to see what the next step for how it would be adapted in the automotive industry is.




As I was researching for this article I stumbled on another blog where the writer was talking about how Google wants to get into the auto business.  Imagine that, Google getting into the auto industry.  Who'd of thunk that up. Well anyway, the writer explained that Google is in partnership with other companies to create a car that drives itself.

You can't blame Google for wanting to diversify I guess.  Naturally, GPS came to my mind when I was thinking about how this would work.  Sure enough, later in the long article, I read where a patent had been filed with the US Government back in July of 2001, for an additional step for how GPS would be used in our cars.

So far this has not happened yet.  But the patent was approved back in April 2009.  So far as I know, I'm one of the very few who has spoken of or written of this on the internet.  So your getting pretty fresh stuff in this article folks. Now, how do they plan to use GPS and what way are they going to use it thats not already being done?

Without quoting the Patent word for word, I'll put it in my own words as I usually like to write anyway.  The patent itself is a very long read if you get my drift.

The Abstract:

What they want to do is say in your car or truck or van, where you have multiple devices such as a DVD Player, Radar Detector, and a Cell Phone, they want to create an automatic notification system using GPS for these devices.   




The Why:

Because in certain states your driving in you are not allowed by law to operate your Radar Detector.  Some states a DVD Player while driving.  And now theres laws in some states that you can't use your Cell Phone without a hands free device connected to it.  As well as new laws to keep people from texting while driving.

The How:

In your GPS unit, in your automobile, will be an option to input the data to each of your devices that you have. For example, for each of the devices mentioned, you would simply input either the devices serial number, or make, and model of the device.

This is called registering.  After you would have all your devices registered into the software of the GPS, the unit will take over from there.  Built within the GPS software system will be a hierarchical list of Jurisdictional Information for each State.  Concerning the use of these devices on their highways and roads.

For example, I believe in the State of Maryland, your not allowed to operate a Radar Detector.  So when you crossed the State lines into the State, and you had your Detector registered in your GPS units software, it would cause an audible alert and a message on the GPS screen.

Such as "Please turn off your Radar Detector, you are not allowed to operate it in this State".  The same for any of the other devices in your vehicle.

The Conclusion:

This technology could even be taken a step further. Such as the ability in your GPS to automatically shutdown your device as well as give you info for the State your driving in.  Its amazing what the mind can dream up isn't it!

I think this is a very useful invention that the Patenters have come up with.  Very innovative.  Will you have to purchase a new GPS to use this technology?  I wouldn't think so.  I would think it would be just like when you update your GPS with maps.

You may have to pay for it, but you would simply download the software to your unit.  And then simply register or input the devices information into the GPS and your done.  Pretty cool stuff.  

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See How GPS Is At Work In Our Daily Lives

When most people think of GPS technology, I think the first thought is keeping track of where your going in your car.  Or if your on a hiking expedition so you don't get lost.  But there are vastly different uses for it in todays world.

Ways that you may know and some you might not know about.  In this article we will explore some of the other ways it's being used.  Primarily GPS is used for location or locating a particular point of interest.  The GPS unit will get its coordinates from the Systems satellites and calculate its position to within 35 feet on earth.




Brief History:

It is a remarkable system. GPS was first designed in the 1960's for the military. Then later, President Clinton opened it up for use to everyone in the 1990's. There are 2 companies who jumped on the bandwagon to create hand held units for consumers. And they are the oldest and most recognizable.

• Garmin
• And Magellan 

Other Ways For It:

These are the oldest, but today in 2011 there many more companies who manufacture them for consumers. What are some of the other ways and uses for them?  Besides the Military, here are other industries that use the technology:

• Police, Fire and other emergency service units 
• Aviation Aircraft
• Mapping, Construction, and Surveying Companies
• Automobile Manufacturers 
• Rescue Operations - Such as the Chilean Miners last year 
• The Trucking Industry 
• GPS Equipped Balloons - For Weather
• Archaeologists, Biologists, and Explorers 

These are a few of the ways we see GPS at work in our daily lives.  In fact I'm sure most of you know that GPS is built right into every Cell Phone manufactured.  No, I'm not talking about the Apps that you can download to your Iphone or Android phone, that make it a hand held unit.  Although, that is really cool.

What I'm talking about is your cell phone has GPS built into the 911 emergency capability of the phone. You have 2 options for it.  Set it to "911 only" or "always on."  Truth is all cell phones have GPS tracking ability.  Whether its set to 911 emergency or not.  It is a tracking device, as long as there is power to it.




The Niche Details:

Let's run down that list of uses up there, and give a little more detail to them.  Emergency services units such as Police, etc., use it to determine the nearest available units to an accident or other emergency.  GPS for these folks results in many lives saved because of being able to get to the scene of the emergency much faster. 

The GPS's ability to calculate the exact longitude and latitude has been and will continue to be a lifesaver to many who otherwise may not make it in life and death situations.  A very good use for the GPS System.

Most all Aviation Aircraft have it installed now and its uses are wide.  One such use would be for the autopilot system in airplanes.  Helping the aircraft and air-traffic controllers to navigate the sky's much more safely.

Another aircraft use, is it helps in the wild fires that some states have to plot the area of a wild fire so the firemen on the ground can get updated maps to the hottest key fires.  Thereby helping in fighting the fires for maximum control.

Construction companies use GPS to help them in the building process.  One such use was in the construction of the English Channel tunnel.  The British and French workers started construction from opposite sides of the channel.  The GPS system helped them to make sure they met right in the middle.

Construction crews rely on the GPS to help them mine and use mine equipment much more safely. Thereby saving these companies time and money.  Not to mention, saving costly accidents that might cost lives as well.

Of course as most know, that Automobile Corporations are building the GPS capability right into the vehicle's on-board computer systems.  Soon all makes and models of cars, trucks, etc. will have it built in. The first and most notable being the GM Onstar System.  A very useful system for GM and it's customers.

Other rescue options for the use of GPS, are such as last year when the Chilean Miners were rescued from 700m underground.  GPS was used to pinpoint the perfect place to drill the rescue hole.  Some of you may remember it was used in 2002, for the rescue of miners in Somerset, PA.

The Trucking Industry has a wide array of uses such as tracking company trucks on runs. Tracking mileage, time of driving, and speed. It also help those companies to keep track of the drivers log books as well.

Weather Stations such as the US National Weather Service use GPS on balloons to give constant location updates of storms, and also in the case of hurricanes and tornados to measure wind speed and direction, altitude, barometric pressure of the storms, and many other critical updates to them, for your's and my safety.

Archaeologists and Biologists can even use GPS to help them locate Ancient Ruins and migrating animals, as well as study endangered species of animals, such as Manatees, Giant Pandas and many others.

In Closing:

The uses for GPS are almost endless. It's as endless as the imagination. You've just seen a few here in this article.  Can you add anymore to this list?  If so, if you leave a comment please share your experience with us.

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Make Your Garmin 400C Series Fish Finder a Chartplotter

Garmin is probably the most widely known and well known for GPS units in the world.  They have GPS for all sorts of activities.  Including biking, hiking, driving and hunting to name a few. Global Positioning Systems are the premier way to go when it comes to keeping track of where your at and your surroundings.

A far cry from the old compass days, GPS can give you all sorts of information.  Even pinpointing right down to within 35 feet of where you are on planet earth.  Gone are the days of road atlases and compasses, move over cause GPS is here to stay, if you can afford it.




Not only is Garmin the leader in GPS but, they are also strong in the Marine market.  With their great fish finders coupled with GPS technology leading the way. Today Garmin has leading fish finders that have built in GPS technology to help chartplotting and finding fish for bass boats and and many other fishing equipment.

When Garmin first came into the fish finding market for fishermen, their finders didn't have GPS capability. Now that they have fish finders with it built right into the unit, what about those of you who bought a unit before they had GPS built in?

You like the unit you have, but you'd like to have the chartplotting ability as well.  And you don't want to spend the $400 or more on a new one that has it.  The solution is to have yours hooked up so it will work as a chartplotter as well.

If you have a 400C series Garmin fish finder it can be hooked up to their CANet system to give it sonar capability and send chartplotting information to your GPS unit in another part of your boat. A hand held unit or mounted.  This article will tell you how to do that and save you money at the same time.

What is CANet?:

Garmin's CANet is a one-megabit Controller Area Network that allows users to connect their unit to one of the new GPSMAP 200, 300, or 400-series chartplotters. This allows boaters to read sonar displays on chartplotters located elsewhere in the boat. Your hand held or mounted GPS becomes the chartplotter.





Hook Yours Up for Better Fishing:

NOTE: To use the Garmin CANet system with your Garmin 400C Fishfinder you must obtain a CANet Kit. Contact your Garmin dealer, or visit Garmin.com.

Your fishfinder 400C is already a CANet compatible sonar device. Using the CANet optimizes the performance of those compatible units, allowing sonar information from the Fishfinder 400C to be shared with up to two CANet compatible Garmin GPS units.  A CANet connection provides full sonar readings, including Ultrascroll,

So you can view and control the same information on your compatible GPS unit(s) as you can on your Fishfinder 400C. Thereby making the chartplotting capability a real thing.  Without having to purchase a new combination fishfinder GPS.

In your CANet Kit that you purchase will be the installation instructions. After installation be sure to test it, in the water.  Some adjustments and tweaking may need to be made for optimal performance.

Wrap Up:

This should help you to have a better performing fishing season this year and beyond. So don't go out and spend a bunch of money on a new unit. If you have the Garmin 400C just change it over for cheaper and just as good.

You can use the extra money you would've spent on a new one to spend on gas for your boat.  Lord knows you'll need it, cause gas prices are approaching $5.00 a gallon.  I love fishing myself, and have the luxury of living right next to the biggest lake in state of Ohio.  Thankfully, I don't have to go very far to enjoy my sport.

Hope this article is beneficial to those of you that have the Garmin 400C fishfinder. I hope you have a great and fun fishing season this year and beyond.

Note: If you'd like to purchase the Garmin 400C fish finder, at a good price, you can do so right...here


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