Kai Team

This is bad information, and totally WRONG. The "Archive This Cache" is essentially ending the life of the cache. You can NOT unarchive it yourself, nor can you edit or change any part of the cache after it's been archived. It's done. D-E-A-D dead. It's not reserving the space, someone else can put a cache in the same place as an archived cache. What I guess you meant is the "Temporarily Disable This Cache" option to the left, under the cache name. THAT option works like you describe. Thanks for correcting my rather serious misstatement - I did mean to say use "Temporarily Disable This Cache" to temporarily take the cache off line and "Archive this Cache" to permanently take the cache off line. My sincere apologies for spreading misinformation.

Oops - it looks like the approver may only appear if you own the cache, which is a cache 22 if this is your first cache! Here's what's in the lower left corner of one of the pages for a cache I own, just below "View them all on one page": Current time: 9/8/2004 1:03:20 AM Last Updated: 4/14/2004 9:53:08 PM Last Found: 9/4/2004 7:00:00 AM Approved By: NJ Admin Rendered: From Database Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum My best advice would be to email someone with a recently placed cache in your area and ask them to click on the approver link in the lower left corner of one of their owned cache pages and then send you the URL that pops up (which is the approver's profile, and contains a link to email him or her).

I'm not sure of the exact limits on the owner's ability to change a cache - my comments are based on my experience. I've edited coordinates (to improve accuracy), short and long descriptions, and difficulty level without needing further approval. Since the HTML is included in the long description, you should be able to change that as well. However, when I moved the cache I mentioned above 800 feet, the site required me to resubmit for approval (which is why I think the limit for moving a cache is 0.1 miles). In that case I wrote a note to the reviewer about the reasons for the move when I resubmitted the cache for approval, and he/she approved it without any problems. The general rule of thumb is you have quite a bit of flexibility as long as you don't alter the basic characteristics of the cache - beyond that, I can't offer any guarantees. Edit: added more detail

No one knows for sure who the approvers are (the subject of many posts on this forum - let's not go there!). The best way to try to contact the approver for your area is to look in the lower left corner of the page for a recently placed cache in your area and click on the link after "Approved by". This isn't foolproof, because reviewers change, sometimes for a two week vacation, sometimes because an approver is very busy and another approver helps out, and sometimes because they move on permanently.

When you own a cache, two new options appear in the upper right hand corner of the cache page when you visit the page while logged in: "Edit this Cache" and "Archive this Cache". The edit option gives the owner the ability to edit the cache page, within limits. You can edit the description and hints any way you want. You cannot edit the cache type (e.g. from physical to virtual) nor can you move it more than a certain distance (0.1 miles - about 500 feet, I think) without resubmitting it for approval. The idea is that you can edit/update your cache page as long as you don't change the essential character of the cache. The archive option allows the owner to temporarily take the cache off line (e.g. if you need to perform maintenance) or to permanently take it off line (if you've decided it was a bad location or if you don't want to maintain it anymore). Folks who are going to place lame caches are going to place lame caches regardless of whether they can stake out a locaiton in advance, and vice versa. My point was that none of us are perfect, and even a well planned cache can go awry. Personally, I had one cache that went missing 5 times in a little over a year. After replacing it four times, I finally decided to move it to a more secure (less traffic) location. I'm still waiting to see if that solves the problem (the first to find in the new location left it out in the open and the cache got soaked)!

Excuse me for going off topic a bit, but what is the "OT Forum"?

I think your proposal is fine - it nicely balances the interests of both paid and non-paid members. I've been a premium member since shortly after I started geocaching and feel that it's my civic duty to support the site. However, I wouldn't be a geocacher at all if everyone had to pay (or if a majority of caches were MO), because when I first heard about geocaching (on the radio), I checked out the site and how many caches were in my area before deciding to lay out my money on a GPSr. Then I tried a few caches to see if I was going to like the sport before laying out the money to become a premium member. Of course now I couldn't live without Pocket Queries, but that's another story! I suspect that if everyone had to pay from the get go, there would be a lot fewer premium members, and the site would have less financial support than it does. Personally, I think GC.com has found a good balance in leaving it up to the members to decide if they want to pay and receive a few more benefits, and in leaving it up to the paid members to decide if the want to create a MOC. Power to the people!

I have a hard time with the idea of staking a claim on a location, because it makes the location unavailable to others without actually making a cache available to the geocaching community. If this became a widespread practice, we could see hundreds of locations "staked out" that never end up with caches - there are enough problems with geotrash (abandoned caches) without adding virtual geotrash (abandoned locations that were staked out)! I guess I don't understand the need to "test" the location. If it gets wet in a hard rain, replace it with a better container (or relocate it slightly and change the coordinates). If you want to collect better coordinates over a couple of days, post the cache with the initial coordinates and then edit the cache page to improve the accuracy of the posted coordinates. That's precisely why geocaching.com allows owners to edit their cache pages (within limits). In the meantime, others can enjoy your cache and you're location is secure!

According to the eTrex Vista manual, the WAAS satellite numbers are 33 and up, not 35 and up. And yes, it says differential correction has been received if you're showing the "D" in the satellite signal strength bar. It also says (I didn't know this) that "it is helpful to orient the unit antenna toward the WAAS satellie shown in the skyview". It doesn't say why, but I'm guessing that this may speed up the process of downloading the information needed for corrections.

Good point Clyde - both Team yGEOh and I were assuming that Team Flushingrouse was trying to use the delete (del) command in the batch file, not the GSAK commands (automation) file. Team yGEOh said that in his reply, but it should be emphasized - the "del" command will only work from the batch file, not from the GSAK automation file (i.e. put the "del" command in the batch file after the GSAK run command and before the EXIT command)! Also, as noted, if you do use the delete command in your batch file, be careful that you've closed GSAK before running GSAK automatically (i.e. running the batch file), since GSAK automation will not (currently) work if GSAK is already running, but the delete command will still delete your gpx file!! Edited to correct references.

My experience was similar to Renegade Knight's - it took a while for the WAAS on my Garmin eTrex Vista to start "working". It didn't seem to be doing anything at fist, but I just left it on and forgot about it. I now frequently get WAAS (D's on the satellite signal strength bars) and single digit accuracy.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong in regards to this... I added the line both Before and After the EXIT at the end and it still leaves the "new.gpx" on my desktop... Some more digging I suppose... The del command should come before the EXIT command (anything after EXIT is ignored). Make sure you're typing the full path and file name exactly - if you're off by one character (even a space), the file won't be found and therefore won't be deleted. I find that the best thing (given long paths in Windows these days) is to copy and paste the path directly from Windows Explorer. Press the Windows Key and "E" to open Windows Explorer, then click on "Tools", "Folder Options", "View" and check the box next to "Display the full path in the address bar". Click "Apply" and "OK". Use Windows Explorer to navigate to your "new.gpx" file, highlight the entire path shown in the Windows Explorer address bar, copy (right click - copy) and then paste (Edit - paste) the path into your batch file. You still have to type the \filename (e.g. \new.gpx) at the end, but the odds of a typo are greatly reduced! Edited for a typo - doesn't it figure!

We appreciate your continuing efforts, Clyde! Being able to set dialog options through the macro will be a great enhancement. It isn't much of an issue for me right now because I tend to be a creature of habit - once I find a set up that I like, I don't often change it. I would still add the options once they're available. If I forget that I ran a manual operation with different options, I don't waste my time wondering what's suddenly wrong with my macro the next time I run Auto GSAK (nothing, which is why it would be a waste of my time!). We will stay tuned... Thanks for sharing, caderoux, and for bringing the thread back on topic - your script is obviously more advanced and is helpful for generating new ideas and figuring out how to implement them!

In my experience, many permit requirements don't have a fee when first enacted, but almost all have (escalating) fees after they're in place. I've seen it so many times that it seems like a deliberate strategy - start out with a no or low cost permit requirement to reduce initial opposition, and then tack on a fee a few years later, then raise the fee whenever you need revenue. I don't object to requiring a permit or a fee, if the fee covers the cost of issuing permits, inspecting and removing abandoned caches, etc. What annoys me is when the fees escalate beyond the cost of the regulatory activity and start generating general revenue for the government. And don't even mention the "lockbox" concept - I've yet to see one that couldn't be raided when times get tough.

The automation built into GSAK 4.1 is great! It’s fairly simple and the rewards are high: with one double click, I now load my latest Pocket Query into GSAK, filter it and export the results to my GPSr, MapSource and my Palm Pilot. I’m instantly able to plan my next outing in MapSource, and the GPSr and Palm Pilot have all the information I need, all with a single double click of the mouse (and a press of the Palm HotSync button)! I've also customized my exports so that all three have the same information (e.g. waypoint name) the way I want it (e.g. GC waypoint code without the leading "GC"). I hadn’t created a batch file since the days of MSDOS (I know, I’m dating myself) and decided to start this thread to share what I learned with others interested in automating GSAK for the first time, and to encourage those with more experience to share their GSAK automation tips. The basic approach took me about an hour and involved: 1) Open GSAK and manually create and save any filter(s) you want to use. Skip this step is you already have your desired filters saved. 2) Manually perform any exports from GSAK that you want to use so that you can choose the options you want (GSAK automation uses the same options last used – i.e. if you want it to open MapSource when an mps file is exported, or load the pdb file into the Palm install tool, or name the waypoints in a certain way, all you have to do is manually run exports with those options selected). Skip this step if you already have exports set up the way you want them. 3) Use a plain text editor (like Notepad, which comes with Windows) to create a GSAK commands (macro) file. This is the most complicated part, but isn’t that complicated. 4) Use a plain text editor to create a batch file with the GSAK run command and name of the macro file you created in step 3 (this is very simple). 5) Create a desktop shortcut to the batch file (very simple). I’ll skip manually creating the GSAK filters and exports, and move right into the automation part: 3) Create the GSAK commands file: GSAK commands are explained in GSAK help, under “Miscellaneous Features” “Automating GSAK”. The commands file can be saved with any name and the “txt” extension – my file is named “GSAK_Commands.txt”. The paths and filenames shown below in italics will be unique to what you call things and where you save them on your computer. The commands file I created is listed below (lines preceded by # are comments that don’t do anything): # Load latest pocket query LOAD file="C:\My Documents\My Pocket Query.gpx" # Filter for available caches that I have not found. FILTER Name="Available_Caches" # Export to MapSource Export Type=MPS File="C:\My Documents\My Pocket Query.mps" # Prompt to connect GPSr, then export to GPSr PAUSE Msg="Connect the GPSr and turn it on before clicking 'OK'" Export Type=GPS # Export to Cachemate and remind me to HotSync. Export Type=CMT File="C:\My Documents\My Pocket Query.pdb" PAUSE Msg="Remember to HotSync the Palm Pilot!" EXIT “Available_Caches” is the name of the filter I manually created and saved in GSAK. The PAUSE command and MapSource export are new to GSAK v4.1 (thanks Clyde - it just keeps getting better!). 4. The batch file is easy. It can be named anything with a “bat” extension (mine is called “AutoGSAK.bat”). It contains three lines: CD \Program Files\GSAK\ gsak /run "C:\My Documents\GSAK_Commands.txt" EXIT The first line goes to the folder where GSAK.exe is kept (the folder noted above is the default location under Windows), the second line starts GSAK and runs the commands in “GSAK_Commands.txt”, and the third line closes the window the batch file runs in. 5. To create a desktop shortcut to your new batch file, open Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder where you saved the batch file and right click on the file (AutoGSAK.bat in this case) and drag it to your desktop. When asked whether to copy, move or create a shortcut, choose “Create Shortcut”. Double click the desktop shortcut you created, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Clyde, I've been playing with Automating GSAK and now have a batch file to run GSAK from the command line and a GSAK macro file that 1) imports my latest PQ, 2) filters it, 3) exports the filtered results to MapSource and opens the map, 4) exports to my GPSr and 5) exports a Cachemate PDB and installs it on my Palm Pilot. Fantastic - the whole process takes one double click and no time (assuming I remember to attach the GPSr and hot sync the PDA)! 1) In an earlier post, someone asked about getting the Palm Pilot installation dialog to go away. I avoid this problem by having the CacheMate file exported last (I still have it automatically invoke the Palm Pilot installation program, and the dialog still appears, but it doesn't matter since it's at the end of the process). 2) I love the "Pause" command added to GSAK automation in version 4.1.0 - I use it for exactly the reason you suggested - to remind me to connect the GPSr before the download command is invoked - among other things. A suggestion for a future version - would it be possible for the Pause command to offer options rather than just "OK"? I'm thinking something like "Continue", "Skip Next Command" and "Exit". It would then be possible to have a complex macro where a process could be manually skipped (or the macro stopped altogether) at a pause. Thanks - GSAK rules!

Under the "GPS" menu, click on "Send Waypoints". A dialog opens that allows you to enter %parameters under "Build the waypoint name using tags" and "Waypoint Description Format". Also, under the "File" menu, click "Export" and select the format you wish to export to. Depending on the format you select, you can use the same parameters for name or description (this keeps everything consistent between your GPSr, your mapping software, and your PDA, if you use all three, as I do). I use "%drop2" (without the quotes) for the waypoint name, which gives me the waypoint code without the GC (avoids having to enter "GC" when searching by name on my GPSr). I just prefer the code to the smart name (old habits, I guess). I use "%Name by %By (%Dif/%Ter)" (without the quotes) for description - tells me the cache name, the owner, the difficulty and the terrain. Edit: Sorry, I answered this question from an earlier page about where to put the smart tags, then realized Clyde had already answered it on the following page, and done a much better job than I had (forgot this was a ten page thread!).

You must have missed the first sentence in my post: "There's a difference between topic drift, which is a normal part of conversation, and deliberately derailing a topic". My points about narcissists were directed at those who deliberately derail, not normal convesation drift.

There's a difference between topic drift, which is a normal part of conversation, and deliberately derailing a topic. If the topic drifts, you can usually pull it back on track with a relevant post. If it’s deliberate derailing you’re asking about, it's a lost cause, because some people are narcissistic. They don't care about anyone but themselves and what THEY want at the moment (a higher post count, to share their unrivaled "wisdom" or sophomoric wit with the world, to talk about what they want to talk about, etc). They don’t even think about what others are trying to accomplish (a good conversation), much less care. Their comments are funny sometimes, but that misses the point, doesn't it? (I love a person who can make an on topic post and generate a laugh at the same time - those are truly clever people who are a welcome addition to any forum!). Narcissists believe that they’re in the majority in any community (they are a legend in their own mind), and anyone who disagrees with them is in the (inferior) minority - hence the personal attacks and slurs against various groups. It's a sad fact of life - unfortunately, you can't control other people. Best to try to control your reaction to it, i.e. "get over it, or die mad". Console yourself with the knowledge that when they're posting in a forum, they're not sharing the road with you (now that's really something to worry about). If all else fails, take a break from the forums before you burn out.

Two weeks for approval is very long - it usually takes no more than 72 hours for approval, in our experience (often much sooner). Of course it is peak vacation season, so they may be running behind or something may have slipped through the cracks. Go to your cache page and press and hold the CTRL key while clicking on the "Refresh" button (assuming your're using Internet Explorer as your browser) - this will force the page to reload from the Internet (vs. loading from the cache on your hard drive - no, not that kind of cache ). Check the page to see if there is a reviewer note (usually a bright red header at the top, and a note of explanation below where the logs normally appear). If you're sure there isn't a note, you can contact the approver for your area by going to another cache in your area that was recently approved and clicking on the link after "Approved By:" in the lower left hand corner of the cache's page (this is PROBABLY your reviewer, although they do switch off from time to time to cover vacations and things). This will take you to the reviewer's profile, from which you can email them a question - be sure to include the cache name and waypoint (GCXXXX). Or, you can send your cache name and waypoint (GCXXXX) in an email to contact@Groundspeak.com, with a question about the delay. They're pretty good about following up, in our experience.

Yup - caching can be an addiction. A little geocaching addiction test: Are others telling you (or are you feeling) like you should be "cutting down"? Are others getting angry with you because of your caching? Do you feel guilty about your caching? Do you ever have an "eye opener" (cache when you first wake up in morning)? If you answered "yes" to three or more questions, you may have a problem! We cache pretty steadily throughout the year (we like getting outdoors in all seasons), but never feel compelled to do it (like it's a competition to see who can get the most smilies). If we have a busy period, or the weather is really bad, or we just don't feel like it, we don't. Then after a week or two, we usually get the urge and might go out and find four or five in one day. The point is to enjoy yourself doing it, whether that's 20 a week or one a month. I wouldn't worry about a lull (so what if you never cache again, if it's not something you want to do?).

Although the rule is "close enough to maintain it", it can be interpreted as a time rule: i.e. close enough to maintain it as frequently as needed - i.e. in a reasonable amount of time. In the final analysis, it's not how far away you are, but how well you are able to maintain the cache (some people shouldn't be allowed to own caches no matter how close they live). IMHO, this cache should have been archived by the reviewer (I also think it was great of wildlifeguy to discourage reviewer bashing and for others to respect that wish - the reviewers have a thankless job and we should cut them some slack!). If a cache receives several consecutive DNF's from experienced geocachers, I don't think waiting a month to check it is reasonable, UNLESS you temporarily archive it with a note explaining that you can't check it right away. If you have to archive it multiple times because of this, I would argue that it's too far away for you to properly maintain it. I take the maintanence requirement seriously: If one of our caches collects several consecutive DNF's, I try to check it within a few days, or by the following weekend at the latest (depending on how far away it is and what else is going on in my life). I'll often post a note saying that I'll check it by a certain date, not out of fear of reivewers, but out of courtesy to my fellow geocachers. If I can't check it within a week (e.g. if I'm away from the area), I'll temporarily archive it, with a note, until I can. If I see a cache with 3 or more consecutive DNF's from experienced cachers and no notes from the owner, I won't bother to look for it (it might as well be archived as far as I'm concerned). There's enough frustration in life without looking for a cache that may, or may not, be there. Nothing annoys me more than people who are invested in seeing how many caches they can place, regardless of whether they can maintain them (I'm not suggesting that's the case with wildlifeguy).

I like the idea of using a photo album for the logbook (keeps the photos clean and in chronological order), and I'd recommend one of those small photo albums with cellophane pages designed for a single 3x5 or 4x6 photo per page (your description should indicate the size of the photo that will fit). A small album like that would fit nicely in most cache containers, and people could log their find on the back of their photo (the notes on the back of the photo would be visible through the cellophane if it's one photo per page). If someone didn't want to leave a photo for some reason, tell them they could slip a piece of paper into one of the photo slots (you could even supply some appropriately sized sheets of paper if you wish)! Geocaching rules require a logbook, but I don't recall anything about the type of logbook, as long as it meets the intent (to verify the find), which notes on the back of the photos would.

I also have a broadband connection, but the approach Thot suggested still seems, IMHO, very cumbersome and time consuming (not to mention the time he spent writing his program - which is great if you enjoy it and have the programming skills!). Since people have different skill levels and place different values on time & convenience, let me share my experience. I first used EasyGPS and was happy with it for a little while. Then I became a premium member, mostly to support the site (I didn't see any great advantages to membership at the time). Then I started using Pocket Queries - now I don't have to do anything to receive my weekly updated list of 350 local caches - the information laden GPX file just appears in my inbox, with the frequency and on the day(s) of the week I selected! The Pocket Query is prefiltered for a variety of characteristics (cache type; cache container; owned, not owned; when last found; has travel bugs; terrain and/or difficulty greater than, equal to, or less than any amount; centered around a waypoint, zip code or coordinates; within a defined radius in miles or km; and when placed). If I'm going someplace else, it only takes a moment or two to generate a new pocket query for that area with up to 500 caches in one file, again pre-filtered on any of the above characteristics I choose. You can also simultaneously receive the same information in eBook format for a PDA (more on that later). Once I saw the beauty of Pocket Queries, I started using Utopia, which is free and more robust than EasyGPS but with a simpler/more intuitive user interface than GSAK. It includes an offline viewer that is faster than a broadband connection (and more printer friendly than the geocaching.com pages), allows you to decrypt hints by default, select the number of logs shown, and filter caches by found, not found, type, difficulty, terrain, distance, etc., etc. (if you want to filter your comprehensive pocket query for what you feeling like doing on a particular day). Pocket Queries and Utopia made planning a geocaching outing so much faster and convenient - I loved it so much that I emailed the author, and he used a quote from my email on his website (with my permission)! My first reaction to Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (GSAK) was similar to Thot's - much more difficult to use and understand and not worth the effort. After seeing it praised so many times in these forums I gave it another chance, and after playing around with it for a couple of hours, I became a GSAK convert. It's much more powerful than EasyGPS and more powerful than Utopia in that it allows you to export GPX files to your PDA in the CacheMate format, which is so much better than MobiPocket Reader (for eBooks). Different strokes for different folks, and I might not have ended up using GSAK and Cachemate if I hadn't evolved my way to it, but that's my experience, for what it's worth!

I also use degrees - more precise than cardinal letters, but not as fine as mils (there's a point at which more precision is an illusion). If you're used to a magnetic compass with cardinal letters and find converting degrees in your head awkward (e.g. 0 = N; 90 = E; 180 = S; 270 = W; 45 = NE; etc) when you want to know a direction (e.g. a description says, "walk northeast from the cache for a beautiful view"), you might want to use cardinal letters. But it's fairly easy to make the conversions once you've used degrees a little bit!