Paul, This is, as they say, off topic, but I think it will be of interest to other graveyard stompers. I noticed your signature: "aka Graveseeker on Geocaching.com," and this is a subject that I have been considering. That is, I often have a hard time finding graves a second time. Is a GPS precise enough to get me back to within a few feet of a grave? If I buy a GPS, would the coordinates it gives me work on anyone else's to get them to the same spot? The FAQ on the GeoCaching.com website said they should get you to within 6 to 20 feet. That should be close enough to find a headstone. Could you give me some personal feedback? Thanks. -Les ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lester L. Noll lnoll@netnitco.net http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/lnoll ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Smith" <prsmith@houston.rr.com> To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 7:15 AM Subject: Re: [FO] Backup-Restore-Gedcom > > Make a backup CD and store it in your desk at > > work. Etc. > > This is a good idea but it's even simpler to simply attach a gedcom or > backup to an email and send it to yourself at work. Depending on how much > work I've done, I can send one an hour or one a month and I can go to bed > that night comfortable in the knowledge that the house may burn down around > me but my data is safe <g>. I've probably got 40 of those emails in a > folder at work. The disk space is minimal and you can delete older emails > as necessary. > > P.S. I also do this for other important files such as my financial records > from Quicken and my Outlook Contacts folder. > > P.P.S. This works equally well with a sibling or cousin. You can store > each others files for safekeeping and that keeps everything in the family so > you know it won't get lost. > > > Good Hunting! -- Paul > aka Graveseeker on Geocaching.com > where YOU are the search engine. > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > My very basic Windows beginners help: http://freepages.computers.rootsweb.com/~adelr/index.htm > basic HTML: http://freepages.computers.rootsweb.com/~pasher/ >

> This is, as they say, off topic, but I think it will be of interest to other > graveyard stompers. I noticed your signature: "aka Graveseeker on > Geocaching.com," and this is a subject that I have been considering. That > is, I often have a hard time finding graves a second time. Within about a 6 meter square. > Is a GPS precise > enough to get me back to within a few feet of a grave? If I buy a GPS, > would the coordinates it gives me work on anyone else's to get them to the > same spot? Yes; the accuracy of this system is so dependable and precise that the military uses it to pinpoint troops and enemy positions. If we can find hidden geocaches, some of which are as small as a film canister, located hundreds of yards (and sometimes miles) out in the woods, you can find a gravesite. I've even heard of geocaches which use mathmatical computations of dates found on graves to produce new cache locations - kind of a progressive scavenger hunt. > The FAQ on the GeoCaching.com website said they should get you > to within 6 to 20 feet. That should be close enough to find a headstone. > Could you give me some personal feedback? Thanks. Any decent GPSr which is out in the open and receiving from at least four sattllites will get you much closer than 20 feet. I personally think that GPS location systems will be the wave of the future for genealogists - especially those with family graveyards which are difficult to locate or gravesites in the midst of huge graveyards. Course they'll also be good for locating churches, libraries, courthouses, etc. I recently wrote to Dick Eastman suggesting that he do an article on GPS usage. Hopefully, he'll develop something soon.

Thanks to all for the info on GPS devices. This definately sounds like the way to go. -Les ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lester L. Noll lnoll@netnitco.net http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/lnoll