Data Hacking

Chapter 11 — Hacking Geocaching
Hanging a GPS from a cord around your neck is not recommended, as it presents a grave danger
to you if it snags on a branch while you are moving through undergrowth. If you want to hang
a GPS around your neck, use a ball chain (such as those used with military dog tags) that will
break away under pressure. However, remember that if the chain does break away, your GPS will
end up on the ground!
Add Contact Details
Add your contact details to the startup screen of your unit, as shown in Figure 11-27. Many
units enable you to do this. It doesn’t prevent you from losing the GPS receiver, but many people
have had their units returned to them by honest geocachers because they did this. If possible,
add the same information to any case in which your gear is carried.
FIGURE 11-27: Contact
details on the GPS
Make It Easier to Spot
Drop your GPS receiver onto leaf-covered ground, and I’ll guarantee you that you’ll have a
hard time finding it. Drop it at night and it’ll be even harder, if not impossible, to find. You
have several simple options for making your unit easier to see.
One of the easiest things to do is add a piece of reflective tape to the lanyard, as shown in
Figure 11-28.
Alternatively, you could replace the parachute cord lanyard with cord that contains a reflective
strand within the cord, as shown in Figure 11-29.
Both of these work great. If you drop your GPS unit, all you need to do is shine your flashlight
around and you are bound to find it. If you want a system that doesn’t rely on reflective tape or
cord, you can add an always-on light source to your GPS by adding a Glowring, shown in
Figure 11-30.
281