Geocaching

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What is it?

Since I got a GPS receiver in December 2001, I have found 22 geocaches and gotten ahold of immeasurable bounty.
 
As you can see, the GPS unit shows a map, the time of day, and a trip odometer.  Actually, the map page is only one of four navigational pages it can display.  The others are a page showing satellites with which the unit is trying to communicate; a compass; and a trip computer showing, among other things, average speed, maximum speed, moving time, and stopped time.

This particular model is highly configurable.  The data at the bottom of the page can be changed or removed.  The map can be set so that up is always north or always the direction in which you are moving.  Waypoints (markers) can be added, deleted, moved, and even downloaded from geocaching.com.

In addition to these navigational features, it can also report the time of sunset, sunrise, moonset, and moonrise for any date; or just show you a calendar for any month you like.  So, in addition to being a gamepiece for geocaching or a safety device for wilderness adventures, it is a source of (a limited amount of) information.

Any SCSU students interested in forming a geocaching club?  Let me know.

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