Data Hacking

280 Part IV — Playtime
FIGURE 11-26: Reradiating antenna
Protecting the GPS
GPS receivers get quite a few knocks, bumps, and scrapes outdoors. They are quite robust and
handle life outdoors pretty well, but you should still take a few precautions to ensure its safety.
The following sections describe some steps you can take to do just that. In addition to protecting
your unit from damage, you need to ensure that your GPS makes it home with you!
Protect Your GPS from Loss
“Found cache, took plastic toy, left GPS.”
This isn’t something that you read often in cache logs, but it does happen. The geocacher navigates
to the cache paying close attention to the GPS unit on the way there. However, once they
get to the cache, they lose interest in the GPS and put it down somewhere. They retrieve the
cache, do a swap, fill in the logbook, and then replace the cache and leave — without the GPS.
It may seem unlikely but it isn’t. Unless you’re made of money, or have access to a lot of units,
take steps to protect your GPS from loss. Here are some simple steps that you can take:
Tie It to Yourself
It seems simple and obvious, but this is the best way to prevent loss. Most people use a wrist
lanyard, but this can become awkward. It’s far better to tie it to a convenient loop on your
jacket or pants. Use strong parachute cord for this job.