TeamCatalpa
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Posts posted by TeamCatalpa
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Getting a manufacturer's warranty and everything in perfect condition comes at a cost. Do some more checking....I bought my Garmin new off ebay and Garmin accepted the receipt for the rebate they had going at the time, so I got a good unit at a much lower cost.
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Well, this is the first piece of good news here I've seen in a while! Thank you thank you!
Now I have just three requests:
1. Leave the old search link there forever!
2. Add a link to the instructions for the new search, instead of leaving it buried and hard to get at when people are already frustrated.
3. Please, please, don't mess about with any other part of the site! We don't need change for change's sake.
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This just gets worse and worse....now I can't get any response from the stupid new search. Following some of the instructions that folks have kindly put together, I leave the window blank and go to 'add filters'. I could sometimes get some results by putting in a location. I put in "Cleveland, OH" and all it does is cycle me back to the opening page. No error notice, no information on what is wrong, just back to the opening page.
So I guess you have to do a whole state, not a city. How incredibly stupid and annoying! I'm going on a road trip this weekend, but I'm not covering the entire state of Ohio! Why can't I search for Cleveland, OH?
I'm very thankful for the work of other cachers putting together instructions and links, so glad to have access to the old search where I could put in the zip code and get a sensible result.
This new search is just a horrible disaster and is completely ruined the useability of the site and the enjoyment of the game.
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I cannot tell you how much I hate the new search function. Yes, there are some nice new features that I might use once a month or so, but my daily searching has now become a nightmare so bad that I no longer use the search engine, I just try and find the cache on the map. Except sometimes I can't - an archived cache that I know the name of, the GC code for and the cacher who hid it, yet it does not come up on a search. To look for a cache I just found 5 minutes ago, I have to do an advanced search because nothing I put in the search engine comes up with anything but a DNF. Unknown cache logging is now a total pain because the original coordinates are up to 3 km away (in Adelaide that's a thousand cache icons to check on the map). Multis are impossible to find unless they are next to the starting coordinates.
You either need to issue a users' manual to tell us how to do the things that we used to be able to do so very easily on the old search engine, give us the option of using the old search engine instead of the new one or just admit you stuffed up in a seriously major way and get rid of this turkey of a search engine and give us the old one back.
+me and countless others !!!
+me too!!!
Seriously, does Groundspeak (or whoever the shadowy characters are behind the scenes) even acknowledge that this is a problem? Have they responded at all to the complaints? I haven't seen anything but stone cold silence....no change to make the search results more readable, no change to the ridiculous 30 mile limit, not even a link on the search page to a list of instructions on how to use the darn thing, nothing!
At the very least, they could simply leave a link up to the old search.
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I appreciate those who have done the work to post links and how-to info. I really appreciate the link to the old search, as I was able to plot out some caches for my upcoming road trip.
Despite following the instructions, I have yet to be able to get a useful, state-wide result from the new search, nor have I been able to get a list of the event caches. It seems no matter what, no matter which computer or browser I use, I can't ever get past the 30 mile limit.
I still say bah humbug to the whole mess.
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You know, I've honestly tried. I've spent more time than I should have trying to get used to the new search. And you know what? It still really sucks.
I hate it. I hate the 30 mile limit, I hate the lack of information that I get in the search results, I hate the format of the results, so much harder to read, and I hate that it's not flexible, intuitive, or even useful.
I hate that it has no helpful hints or instructions with it. I have to go digging for answers. I work full time and have a lot going on, and changing geocaching from a fun hobby to enjoy when I found a bit of free time to something unrewarding, frustrating and time consuming just really sucks.
I most often use the search function when I'm traveling, and really liked how the old one showed the favorite points. That helped to quickly narrow down which caches are worth going for when I'll be in that town for a limited time.
And now I can't even download the results!
Bah humbug. Please, for the love of geocaching, don't go messing up the pocket queries or cache pages!
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We've been caching since 07.
Couple of things:
For the most part the page is just fine as it is. A few tweaks to make owner tools easier to use would be helpful. I find it simple, useful, and the features I don't use don't get in my way.
But really, it's not broken, so why fix it? And please, please, don't change it so completely that it becomes unusable, like the new search.
Also, why aren't these sorts of topics given a mention on the main website? And why is there such a short comment period? I was caught completely unaware with the new search and if I had had any idea of how badly that was going to get jacked up, I would for sure have commented on it! I only happened to see this page because I'm following the discussion about new search and hoping for a miracle.
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No matter what I do the search will not work without the '30 miles' I can't leave it blank. Where I live, 30 miles is nothing! Why, oh why in the name of Groundspeak did you make these horrible horrible changes?
I can't find events, I can't even search "Michigan", let alone do any interesting searches for my road trip next week.
Not sure why it's not working for you. Do these work?
- A search of all types of caches in Michigan that have not been found by TeamCatalpa: =TeamCatalpa&r=23"]www.geocaching.com/play/search?nfb[0]=TeamCatalpa&r=23
- A search of all Event caches in Michigan: www.geocaching.com/play/search?types=6&r=23
If these give you results, then you can click "Change Filters" in the Results page and made adjustments to the filters, then click "Update Search".
If these links don't work, then I'd suggest closing your web browser and re-opening...then trying agin. Maybe your browser is somehow saving the 30-mile preference.
When I click on the links you provided, I get results. The list is sort of confusing, as without the different color backgrounds it's harder to read, and it's not by date, like the old event search was. Is that what it's going to look like from now on?
And most importantly, how in the world did you get it to do that? The more I search for workarounds and tips and help, the more confused I get. I'm not dumb, but I'm not a computer programmer, nor am I happy about or willing to spend hours and hours fighting with the website just to feed my geocaching hobby.
It's just so sad and distressing and messed up!
But if you (or anyone)could point me to an understandable, step by step sort of information on how to use this rotten new search I would really appreciate it.
- A search of all types of caches in Michigan that have not been found by TeamCatalpa: =TeamCatalpa&r=23"]www.geocaching.com/play/search?nfb[0]=TeamCatalpa&r=23
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I cannot express how angry and upset and frustrated I am with the changes!!!! I've tried all the tricks people spoke of; I've tried different browswers, I've even tried different computers.
NOTHING.
No matter what I do the search will not work without the '30 miles' I can't leave it blank. Where I live, 30 miles is nothing! Why, oh why in the name of Groundspeak did you make these horrible horrible changes?
I can't find events, I can't even search "Michigan", let alone do any interesting searches for my road trip next week.
This has completely soured me on the sport, it just can't go this way!!
Please, please, please, please, please, bring back the old functionality!!!!!!
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I can't understand why this site gets jacked around so much....this new search is so awful.
I'm trying to follow the instructions shown above for finding events, and it won't work. It keeps saying it won't search without a radius, but the radius only goes to 30 miles.
I'm so frustrated, please help!
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I prefer to use mine with the backlight on, but it's not a big deal to turn it on.
I carry it or stuff it in my pocket when I need my hands free.
Don't ask me how I know but the 60 csx can handle being submerged in Lake Huron.
I've found it to be a tough, reliable, accurate unit - in my experience more accurate and easier to use than the 62. I can zip it deep in my hunting pack and it will plot an accurate track even through heavy brush. Now if only it could do paperless caching!
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I have the 62csx and love it. Can't afford to get the upgrade right now; however my office just purchased the 62s. How tempting it is to pilfer it for a weekend of paperless caching! My boss expects me to be the user/trainer, because he knows I have the previous version. We're using the Garmin topo US 24K smart card map. I have been fiddling with it for a while, but no matter what I do I can't make it show the street names until it's zoomed in to .2 miles. I have gone into the map set up menu and told it to show the street names when zoomed to .8 miles, but they don't show. I have tried resetting it at various zoom levels but it refuses to show until .2. I know it was just a matter of adjusting the zoom level on my unit to get the amount of detail I wanted on the map, but it's not working on this one. Very frustrating! Can someone help me figure it out? Thanks.
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There are 30 caches within 10 miles; 4 of them are mine, and I haven't found 6 of them because they're puzzle caches that I can't figure out.
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If we didn't cache in cemeteries, we'd hardly have any caches at all! I'm in the Saginaw Valley of Michigan, and probably 75% of our caches are in cemeteries. (The rest are stupid light pole caches, which aren't worth the time or trouble, but that's another topic.) The cemetery caches have taken me to quiet little out of the way spots that I didn't even know existed, full of history and interesting to investigate. Indeed, before I became a cacher, I would frequently explore cemeteries and take rubbings of the old headstones. I also work out on the road, and often pull off into cemeteries to eat luch in a quiet corner.
I love the cemetery caches, when they're well done and repsectful. I've only found two that I felt were in bad taste; one was a film can (which are lousy cache containers!) jammed into the ground right up against a tombstone, and the other required one to actually stand on a flat tombstone to reach up into a tree. But most of the time they are good caches.
I've placed a few caches, and almost all of them are in cemeteries. I make an effort to research the history of the area and write about the people for my cache page. And all of my hides are off on the edge, sometimes even through the fence, never at a tombstone.
And not all cachers are idjits! I've seen a lot of comments about cachers disrupting funerals, etc., and don't tar everyone with the same brush! My caching friend Kat and I were out on a big caching run, and wanted to get one last find....however when we got to the cemetery, there was a service going on, so we quietly turned around and left. And we had gone alsomst 20 miles out of our way for this stop!
So it still, as always, comes down to your own decision. If you don't like cemetery caches, don't do them - but don't get nasty with those of us who like them. If you do like them, just be respectful.
Why do things always get so complicated?
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I HATE cut and paste logs. I go to a lot of work to make my caches interesting and fun, and most of them have a lot of historical research behind them.
So I appreciate it when people get the play on words or small bit of humor I put in the cache title sometimes, or when they voice appreciation for learning about the area.
There were two particular teams, though, that made a caching blitz through the area, and every log was the same. "Went ...with...for a weekend of caching, what a time we had. I personally logged 97 finds for the two days. This one was somewhere in the middle, we didn't number them as we went. Nice hide. TFTC" A nice enough log for one find, but it was simply cut and pasted for all of them. How boring and lazy.
By the same token, I always try to make my logs interesting or funny or a least a reflection of the fun we had with the cache. If I'm very disappointed in a cache, for instance when a cache owner uses a lovely historical cemetery with lots of good hiding spots for a lazy little micro in a silly film can that doesn't keep the water out, I will respond with a terse "found it" log. That cemetery could have been used for a much better cache. But good caches are worth a lot more.
And while my best day caching was 14 finds or so, even if I had more than that I would take whatever time needed to post nice logs for those caches, rather than cutting and pasting a lame log.
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There's a couple I met at a geocache event last year who have a beautiful golden retriever that finds caches. I can't remember their name offhand, but I believe the dog was Riley. She literally has found caches for them, often when they couldn't locate them.
My geo-dawg, on the other hand, just runs around like a nut sticking her nose into everything, and isn't particually interested in what we're doing.
Maybe if you take him along a lot, and let him sniff the containers, he'll get the idea that the plastic/metal thing he can smell is what you're looking for?
Good luck!
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My friend and I hid some caches together. We considered ourselves co-owners. Later she found out that since she lives so far away, she wasn't considered an owner of the caches, so logged them as finds. I had no problem with that.
However, I saw a cache published on Nov. 28; by Dec. 5 no one had logged it yet. So I went after it thinking I'd have a FTF. But once I got there, I found someone had signed the paper log as FTF, on Nov. 27th! They were a relative of the person that hid the cache, and apparently had helped with the hide.
That kind of ticked me off. If you're going to sign the paper log and claim the FTF, for crying out loud at least log it online, too, so folks aren't so disappointed. That cacher never did post the find online, so do I have a de facto FTF, or do I not count it in my stats?
I also think it's wrong to claim a FTF on a cache you helped hide. That's just lazy and cheap.
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Our whole Team (Me, my kid, and my dog) are female. We were introduced to the sport by a girlfriend. I went to an event that was pretty evenly split gender-wise, so in my experience it is not just a techno-geek sport.
Besides, we found some of my favorite caches by kayak, and that's not really a geek activity. Or do techno-geeks dominate in urban caching? We cache out in the countryside.
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I second the empty logbook answer!
Geocoins, pathtags, and travel bugs top the list; I don't usually trade swag, but when I do I like fishing lures, batteries, pins, patches, a keychain light or an audiobook.
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I've never seen the "." posts before. When a cache is a quality cache, I will always write a bit about how much I enjoyed it, or how wonderful the scenery was at the site. Then I'll add the acronyms just to let them know if I traded swag or not. I haven't been caching very long and thought that was how it was supposed to be done.
For lame caches, such as a nano on a light pole, or the ever-popular useless film can tossed in a corner with wet pulp for a log, I say very little. I'm disgusted with the lack of creativity or caring, but I don't want to start a word war, so I'll just say 'found it'. I did comment on one that was hidden partly under a tombstone, just thought that was disrespectful.
I never have anything good to say when some lazy person sticks a nano or micro out where there was plenty of room and interesting locations for a good sized cache.
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Like others have said, with travel bugs and geocoins, anything can happen.
I also will try to help a little to clean up or repair a cache if I can; however it is not my responsibility to purchase supplies for all the poorly maintained caches I find.
When I place a cache, I strive to provide a good, sturdy container that will remain watertight. It really drives me nuts when folks put out flimsy fim cans or pill bottles or pickle jars. Those kinds of containers never stay watertight, and the logbooks turn to mush. I think it's really lazy to use film cans.
On a recent caching day, six of the twelve caches we found were in film cans or pill bottles, and the logs were all pulp. What a pain! On a couple of them, I noticed that numerous 'log was wet, could not sign' logs were posted, but the cache owner didn't do anything.
Why not take a little caring and thought ahead of time to place a quality cache container that can take the abuse of of time, weather, and use, and still protect the contents? It shows a lack of creativity and caring to just dump a plain old film can in a spot and call it a cache.
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Leaving electricity out of the equation, and thinking back to the opening post, my least favorite cache I have found was a 35 mm. film can tucked down into the grass right up against a head stone. I love caching in cemeteries, but REALLY didn't like that the cache owner had put a stupid little film can right up against the grave like that, when there were plenty of trees and bushes off to the sides for a larger cache container and a much more polite sort of hide. It would be unacceptable in my book to be so close to the grave where there are other options.
In fact, that's pretty much my biggest objection to some of the cache owners in my area. Wasting a spot that would have been perfect for an ammo can or a good sized lock and lock on another stinking micro. The other day we crawled through a bunch of mosquitoes and scrambled through brush on a river bank, only to find a pill bottle with a bit of camo tape on it. Lame!
Magnetic boxes under a lamp-post skirt? In a Wallyworld parking lot? Lame.
Micros are ok if they take me somewhere special and there isn't a good spot for a regular cache.
I have found some fantastic caches, my favorite was a small that was hidden in a hollow tree. The only way to get it out was to find the string up above and pull it out. Really cool!
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33.7 miles total; 48.1 with my finds and hides filtered out. Not very cache-rich, but I don't feel so bad after reading some of the others here!
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I actually got my favorite FTF prize today. And yes, I like it when there's a finder's prize, just icing on the cake for the FTF. Today's cache was a very well done multi, and when I found the final stage I was rewarded with one of those 'survival in a bottle' things. It's a large plastic drinking bottle, like for camping, with a flashlight, emergency blanket, whistle/compass, things like that stuffed inside. Very cool.
Favorite Things to Find in a Cache
in General geocaching topics
Posted
I like to find marbles. Mine are so badly scattered I appreciate finding some new ones!