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Post by SSO JOAT on Oct 18, 2010 10:09:52 GMT -9
A very cool new device on the market for geocaching. The "Chirp" is a little transmitter that can be programmed to transmit coordinates and a text field of 50 characters. They cost about $20 each and apparently are already stocked at REI and can be ordered directly from Garmin. Currently, the Garmin Oregon series, Dakota 20, GPSMAP 62 series, and GPSMAP 78 series units can receive the signal. The effective range is about 10m (32 feet), so you have to navigate to within the normal error circle of the cache coordinates to receive the signal. These can be used to augment traditional and multi-caches when placed with or near cache stages. On a multi-cache where you have a container with coordinates to the next stage, this device can also be placed with or nearby so that Chirp-enabled device users don't have to find and open the container, but will automatically receive the next stage coords upon arrival. People without the right GPSr just complete each stage by the normal methods. At the final cache, the Chirp can be used to provide added hints to the cache location for those with the right GPSr. So, upon arrival at the final GZ, those users would automatically get a hint as to finding the cache. Per a lengthy discussion the last couple days on the GS forums that has culminated with an official position by GS on this device, if any cache is created that requires the use of a Chirp-enabled device to find the cache, it must be listed as a mystery cache and have the new "beacon" attribute set to indicate that this special tool is required. Naturally, making a cache where the Chirp is mandatory to finding will greatly limit the number of people who can/will seek the cache, especially in the short term. Since the Chirp is nothing but a radio transmitter, I'd expect that 3rd party receivers might be on the horizon if the concept kicks off. Perhaps even 3rd party transmitters will show up someday. It opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for this sport. buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=74811#productTabThis item coupled with the new GPSMAP 62 and 78 series units that do everything the Oregon does in a traditional GPSr package (with real buttons) has me looking at upgrading my trusty old GPS 76CSx this winter (my Christmas list is forming ;D ). If I do that, you can expect a Chirp or two to arrive at a cache on the Central Kenai very soon thereafter.
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Post by ladybugkids on Oct 18, 2010 12:16:43 GMT -9
Call me a wet blanket (or worse), but...
With the propensity for $10 geocoins to get stolen from caches, I wouldn't be keen on placing a $23 beacon in a cache container. Even though the Chirps are password protected to be programmed by only one GPS, a hostile cacher could still commit malicious mischief by swiping them.
I also don't look forward to the "Needs Maintenance" logs that will be written when the battery wears out after the first year or due to extreme cold.
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Post by SSO JOAT on Oct 18, 2010 15:05:53 GMT -9
My second thought as well, regarding theft. I would highly recommend that anyone who puts one of these things out doesn't put it in or on the cache. Hide it nearby in such a way that the cache should easily be found before the chirp.
Garmin says you can't put it inside a metal container as this will block the radio signal. Thus, placing inside an ammo can won't work. So, if it were to be attached to the cache, it would need to be outside and permanently attached (while still allowing battery access).
For a multi-cache stage, I'd hide the chirp something like 10 feet away from the physical cache for that stage in a place that would be difficult to search (high in tree, center of dense brush, etc). That way a chirp-enabled GPSr will detect it, but people finding the cache stage shouldn't accidentally discover it.
I also had a passing thought about the battery performance in the cold. It uses a lithium battery, which has the least cold effect. It also includes a low battery signal in the info sent to a chirp-enabled GPSr when it gets to that point. Thus, just getting into the transmission zone with your GPSr will let you know if the battery is low. Should make owner maintenance easier and hopefully any cachers using it that see the low battery alert would think well enough to mention that in their log.
Of course, if you are just augmenting a physical container, a dead chirp doesn't prevent people from finding the cache, it just puts the chirp-enabled folks back on the same level as everyone else.
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Post by ladybugkids on Oct 18, 2010 19:15:38 GMT -9
The Chirp could serve as the stage of a multi-cache without being associated with a container.
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Post by NorthWes on Oct 20, 2010 11:50:18 GMT -9
While I really really admired the capabilities this tool provides for enhancing a cache, my first thought was "So few cachers do Radio Days..."
My second thought was "so few cache owners do regular maintenance"
My answer to both thoughts was "I do my own maintenance - I know how I'm having to cable-up caches (worth more than a Chirp, by the time I swag-up a new ammocan) so theft's not an issue, and I know the caliber of cachers who've done scobey's 'Radio Days' is my target audience"
I know how I want to integrate its use into a Night Cache format. I know I could load the combination to a padlocked ammocan onto a Chirp to add a muggle-resistant twist. I wonder if it can be integrated into a Wherigo cache, as receivers are all Wherigo-capable, aren't they? And... as a low-grade transmitter, I wonder if there's going to be issues with Chirp placements interfering with other parts of spectrum usage? Of course Garmin's checked out the legalities of the slice of the spectrum Chirp's using - but I'm thinking about bleedover issues, etc.
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Post by davemeister on Oct 20, 2010 15:25:52 GMT -9
hhhmm, I think I like this chirp, sounds like some good ideas coming through for this item. I have a night cache in mind and would love to incorporate this technology. Sounds a little pricey but this wouldn't be used for every cache so I wouldn't mind spending $23 now and again for this. I know the Oregons, Colorados etc are more and more popular, does anyone have any idea how many people use these as their primary GPS or actually have them compared to other models?
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Post by ladybugkids on Oct 20, 2010 16:21:42 GMT -9
One could get a general sense of how many people use which GPS on the geocaching.com website's GPS review page.
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Post by davemeister on Oct 21, 2010 8:23:14 GMT -9
Congrats to Scobey for the first AK "Chirp" cache! Awesome!
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Post by SSO JOAT on Oct 23, 2010 9:46:31 GMT -9
That was a quick entry! Hope it doesn't toss a ringer into CH's Anchorage blackout challenge. coord.info/GC25Z5JI had also thought about the possibility of using the Chirp to give access info for a final cache. Of course it has to be a puzzle when you do that, but I don't see that as too much of a problem as you're already starting with a very limited audience. There are a number of ways one can work this device into a real puzzle. In fact, one multi-stage puzzle concept that KK & I had bounced around last year would be perfect with the addition of $100 worth of chirps. I'm dragging that idea, which was very cache-construction intensive to start with, back out of the archived ideas file. Of course, I'll have to do a GPSr upgrade before I can even program a chirp, so there is time to plan...
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Post by ladybugkids on Oct 23, 2010 17:41:15 GMT -9
That was a quick entry! Hope it doesn't toss a ringer into CH's Anchorage blackout challenge. Depends on if CH ever downloads a software update on his Oregon. I think he's at V2.90 and the Chirp update comes with V4.10 or V4.20 . My Oregon 300 took the chirp update just fine, but I haven't been able to try it out due to being out of state since shortly after Scobey's cache published.
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