Kai Team

I agree with you - I hide caches from muggles, not from cachers, although I occasionally enjoy the more frustrating (er, I mean challenging) caches hidden by folks in the first camp!

I have the eTrex Vista and agree with all of the earlier comments (20 ft is normal, 6-7 feet is best with WAAS enabled and a clear sky). I wanted to add two things that I've found helpful: 1) You can display the GPS accuracy on the Vista's navigation screen, which is very helpful when caching (it tells you how far off you might be!). Choose the navigation screen from the menu. Once on the navigation screen, use the "Click Stick" to go down to one of the two little windows at the bottom of the screen. With either of the little windows highlighted, click the click stick and use it to choose and select "GPS Accuracy". The accuracy of your unit, which changes with different terrain conditions, will now show in that little window (I keep "GPS Accuracy" in the lower left window and "Speed" in the lower right, since speed determines whether you are getting an accurate bearing from the GPS or are relying on the electronic compass, which I find rather unreliable). 2) What Sam Stone was talking about a few posts up is almost what's called "waypoint averaging" - i.e. I marked a waypoint, walked away...went back to the same spot and marked another one, and did this 5 times. It is a very good practice when you place a cache, to reduce the error in your posted coordinates (mark 3-5 waypoints, walking away and coming back between each one, then average them by adding the numbers to the right of the last decimal point together and dividing by the number of waypoints you're averaging). If the person who hid the cache used waypoint averaging and you know how accurate your GPSr is at the moment you're approaching the posted coordinates, you'll have a much better idea of how close (or far away) the cache could be!

I agree that leaving something would be bad form for the reasons mentioned - again, think of the impact if a lot of people started doing this (abundant geolitter). I definitely read the logs before going out to look for a cache or after a DNF (to get a clue about what I did wrong, now that I've seen the area). Logging it on the website is the best way to share your experience!

Call it a micro and note in the description that it's inside a larger container (can even say it's inside a 4" PVC pipe if you want to offer that much information, or you can save that for the hint), or Call it a traditional and note that it's "a four inch container with a micro inside (i.e. no trades)". Seems that if the point is to avoid confusion, all you have to do is provide a little more information in the description, regardless of what you call it!

How are you "downloading" the waypoints? An aspx file extension is related to a web database application - definitely not what you want (but it may be what you'll get if you're saving search results, as opposed to downloading them). There are three ways to download waypoints: 1) Download a single waypoint from a cache page by clicking on "Click Icon to Download" just below the cache coordinates. You have a choice of .loc or .gpx files (gpx files contain more information), depending on which icon you click. 2) Go to "Hide and Seek a Cache" and run a search (e.g. by zip code). Click on the checkboxes next to caches you want, or click "Check All" at the bottom right of the search results page. Then click the "download waypoints" button at the bottom right of the search results page (the button just below "Check All"). This produces a loc file. Using either of these approaches, you'll get a dialog box that will ask you what to do with the file - click on "save" and then save it to a location on your computer where you can find it later (I recommend a geocaching folder under "My Documents"). You can then open this saved file with EasyGPS. 3) If you're a premium member of geocaching.com, you can generate a "pocket query" by going to "My cache page" and clicking on "Run Pocket Queries". Pocket queries are emailed to you, rather than downloaded directly. Pocket queries generate gpx files (they may be "zipped" when sent to you if you request that option - you can download a program like WinZip to unzip them after you receive them). Running a pocket query allows you to set many characteristics of the search, and provides for automatic updating/regeneration on specified days - it's worth becoming a premium member if you plan to do much geocaching! Hope this helps! PS - If you do get addicted to geocaching, as many of us have, you might want to try something more sophisticated than EasyGPS, like Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (GSAK). It' free to try for 30 days, $15 to buy. Although it's more complicated to learn, it offers an array of sophisticated features that will make geocaching much easier over the long run (and it's easy to learn if all you want to do are the things EasyGPS does, like downloading waypoints to your GPS)!

I was geocaching in beautiful Hawaii (island of Kuai'i) and followed one set of coordinates to - a garbage transfer station. After double checking the coordinates, I stepped outside the car and was overcome by the smell - I got back in the car and continued on to the next gorgeous cache location (there are a lot of those in Hawaii). So, garbage transfer stations are off my list (can't figure why anyone would locate a cache there, or why others would log it without noting the odiferous location).

I'd start by checking the connections between the computer and the GPS - sometimes a cable gets knocked lose without you being aware of it (unplug and replug the cable at both ends, just to be sure). Next, go to EasyGPS "Help", "Contents and Index (F1)", "Configuring your GPS receiver". Walk through the steps and make sure your GPSr is configured properly to communicate with EasyGPS (if you haven't used the GPSr in a while, it could be that the settings changed - i.e. if the battery went dead). After checking the connection and the configuration, go to the "GPS" menu in EasyGPS and click on "Test Serial Connection". If the connection test fails, I'd try installing another program - there are several good programs out there with more capabilities than EasyGPS (you might decide you like one enough to keep using it! Two that I'd recommend are: Utopia, which is free (it also requires that you download and install G7toWin to link to your GPS - the link to this free program is on the Utopia website). Another is Geocaching Swiss Army Knife, which is free to try (for 30 days) and $15 to buy. It has even greater capabilities than Utopia, although the user interface is a bit more complicated (ain't that always the case?). I'd recommend GSAK if you're plan to do much geocaching over the long haul. Good luck!

If you don't want to do the math or get into downloading, converting and uploading, you can just go to the Jeep.com Coordinate Translation Page and plug in the numbers. Depends on how many conversions you're doing, and how much effort you'll save by downloading a program to do the work for you!

Hmm - I agree with BP, MOPAR, Team DEMP & CompuCash. Looks like TotemLake was premature in declaring BP's opinon "in the minority". I like CompuCash's idea of printing (small) mailing labels to affix to the log - it serves the same purpose (assuming SIG cards aren't supposed to be trade items, which is a good assumption), and they don't flutter to the ground every time you open the log book, like those annoying magazine business reply cards! When that happens, Geotrash is the right description for them!

A former geocacher from my area (NY) moved to California last year. I knew him professionally and therefore know for a fact that he moved, but I don't know him personally and have no way to contact him. He joined geocaching on April 9, 2001 and placed four caches between April 14 and April 29, 2001. He has four finds - the last one was logged on May 2, 2001. His profile shows that he is "not validated" and his last visit is listed as "never visited". The most recent logs for his four caches report that they are in disrepair, one has been moved (slightly) from a dangerous location, another reportedly has been scattered, etc. One or two appear to be in minimally OK shape, but they are obviously not being maintained. My questions are: 1) is there a period of time beyond which a cache should be considered abandoned by the owner? 2) if a cache appears to be abandoned by the owner, whom should I contact at geocaching.com about the situation (and how do I contact them)? 3) who removes abandoned caches to avoid geo-litter? Is this something I couldor should do, assuming someone at geocaching officially deems the cache(s) abandoned?

Be careful about making this one too hard - as noted above, make it too hard and people will turn over every rock, certainly not in the spirit of geocaching (respecting the environment)! I found one micro cache hidden in an old stone wall (an abandoned part of the Erie Canal). To prevent wanton destruction of the wall by avid cache hunters pulling out every loose rock, the cache owner placed a small "X" in black marker on the one rock that had to be moved to find the cache. She noted this in the cache description (i.e. "don't move any rocks except the one with the X"). Given the number of rocks (it was a long section of wall!) and the small size of the "X", it still took 20 minutes to find. I thought this was a great approach since it was challenging but also respected the environment that the cache was hidden in.

It would be very bad form to deliberately hide a cache at a location other than the stated coordinates (not talking offset caches here). As others mentioned, the coordinates may have been accidentally inaccurate (I've seen coordinates off by 80 feet), which is why it's good practice to average several readings when you hide a cache. Some GPSr's have waypoint averaging built in, but this approach is almost as easy: Set a waypoint at the cache, walk off 50-100 feet, come back and set another waypoint, walk off in another direction come back and set a third waypoint, etc. Then manually average these waypoints to get the most accurate reading (depending on the accuracy of my GPSr when I hide a cache, which depends largely on the terrain where it's hidden, I'll average 3 to 5 waypoints). It's also possible that someone moved the cache from its original location (no self respecting geocacher would do this, but caches are sometimes found and messed with by the uninitiated). In either event, I would post your coordinates in your "found" log and, if you think the cache may have been moved, email the owner so that they can check it and relocate it if necessary.

The geocaching.com requirements for posting a "Mystery/Puzzle" cache state: Unless a good reason otherwise can be provided, the posted coordinates should be no more than 1-2 miles away from the true cache location. This allows the cache to show up on the proper vicinity searches and to keep the mileage of Travel Bugs that find their way into the cache reasonably correct. Seems like the same guidelines should apply to a multi or offset cache for the same reasons.

I couldn't find anything about generating waypoints along a route in either the post referenced above or the GSAK help file. Maybe I missed it. The only way I can think of to do this is to pick a center point every 25 miles along the route, generate separate queries within a 25 mile radius of each center point, and then combine the queries using GSAK or other waypoint management software (e.g. Utopia). This seems like a tedious approach for a long route. Anyone know of an easier way?

A little provocation isn't always a bad thing. I disagree. People who won't take the time to put a cache back where it was aren't going to be reformed by a "provocation". If anything, it will make a few want to push your buttons by deliberately leaving the cache out. At the very least, it makes the game (or the cache owner) seem mean spirited to those who read the cache page. I have a magnetic micro (City View, GCGF7F). I added a note to the cache page that said, "I've replaced this cache three times in 12 months - please return the cache to exactly the same spot where you found it (so that's it's hidden from casual passersby), make sure sure it's solidly reattached, and be discrete to protect it from curious onlookers. Thanks!" Shortly thereafter, the following log appeared: "Well Well... I'm logging this as a found - with a twist. As we were walking to the coordinates, we found a "geocach" key holder on a light pole (maybe 150 feet out). As it turns out, I think it was the one we were searchign for that someone had taken and simply placed there. No log was in it. At the spot for this geocache, you could see the rubbed spot where it had previously been pulled on and off. At any rate, we put the keyholder at the spot we thought it was suppose to go, but it currently has nothing inside in the way of a log". I went to check the cache and replace the log and they hadn't placed it in the correct spot, but I can't fault them because it was a rubbed spot where others before them had placed it incorrectly. In the final analysis, cache maintenance is part of the game. If a cache is too high maintenance, then you should archive it and get on with your life! (I'm sticking with City View for a while longer, but many more times missing and I'll either relocate it or archive it).

I have a very small backpack reserved just for geocaching. In it I keep: 1) Motorola walkie talkies (for when a geopartner and I are going separate ways, or one is staying behind while the other braves a potentially hazardous area), 2) Bug Spray with deet 3) Afterbite (for when you forget to put the bug spray on) 4) A spare baseball cap (for when you forget to wear one, or the one you're wearing blows off and over the cliff). 5) A small tube of sunscreen (but it was supposed to be cloudy today!). 6) A few spare pencils (for micros or regular caches with dull, broken or missing pencils or with pens that freeze up in the winter or run out of ink - in those cases, I'll leave a pencil or two in the cache). I like the Bic mechanical pencils that you can buy in a 30 pack for about $5. 7) A small notebook (for writing notes, or adding to a cache who's logbook is full or missing). 8) A plastic trash bag (for the unexpected CITO event) 9) A couple of zip lock bags for salvaging waterlogged cache logs. 10) My GPSr. 11) A spare set of batteries for the GPSr 12) Some homemade business cards with the geocaching website address and a brief explanation of the game (for the muggles that you meet on the trail who want to know what the heck you're doing - the cards always break the ice and save you from spelling "geocaching" each time). The whole kit ways a couple of pounds at most. When I'm ready to go geocaching, I grab my backpack, a water bottle and my walking stick. These items have been added one at a time, after I've needed each one at some point and haven't had it. They're all I need for the caches I seek (I usually skip the ones requiring climbing gear or scuba equipment).

I have an eTrex Vista with an electronic compass but rarely use the compass because of the need to hold it level (I love the unit except for this issue). The GPSr prompts you when you're not holding it level, but gives no clue about which way to tilt the unit to achieve level (it can be suprisingly hard to figure out when you're standing in the woods on uneven terrain - and constantly tilting it this way and that to find level gets old very fast). I went so far as to buy a small bublle level for this purpose, but then you might as well just carry a separate compass! At this point, I usually just walk quickly for a few paces so that the GPSr navigation mode can find the bearing. I've never heard of a tri-axial compass (mentioned by JohnnyVegas) and don't know which units have it, but if I had it to do over again, I'd certainly look for one! Finally, as others have noted, it's a good idea to carry a non-battery operated compass in any event (if you're out long enough, even a spare set of batteries is no guarantee). I'm with everyone else - if you can afford it, try to find a GPSr with a tri-axial compass. If you're on a tight budget, use a separate compass.

Great question - I don't know of a way to sort the PRC file, but an alternative is to use the Mobi Pocket "Find" function. With Mobi Pocket open to your cache file, tap the drop down menu on your PDA and then "Find". Enter the waypoint under "Search String" (skip the first two characters - they all start with "GC") and tap the "find" button (with "match case" and "whole word" unchecked). Mobi Pocket's find function is slow (and quirky - it looks like it's only searching a few pages over and over again even though it is searching the whole file). Be patient - it may be slow, but it's usually faster than scrolling through a huge list! PS - if you're looking for a hint in the appendices, you can use the same approach- if Mobi Pocket finds the cache description, just repeat the find function and it will find the next entry for that waypoint, which is its hint.

Thanks for the replies!

The following disclaimer is on the geocaching.com screen used to change your username: Due to the nature of listings on Geocaching.com, Changing your username will not immediately change the logs on the cache listings. However, all your logs will still apply to this account. The word "immediately" is confusing. Does this disclaimer mean that prior logs will never change to relect the new username, or that they will change at some point, just not "immediately"? If the latter, when will they change? Thanks!

quote:Originally posted by Jeremy (Admin):Step 0: Get maps operational (soon!) We'll have a beta by this Friday. Bottom line: This is the top priority Step 1: Move to new platform Step 2: Finish locationless caches. We definitely have a plan for this, and as part of the coding I am doing to move to .net I am adding pieces to work with locationless caches. They are not going away. Jeremy Irish Groundspeak - The Language of Location Thanks Jeremy. I've had an idea for a locationless cache (it's been done in other states, I noticed) since I first joined in May, and was getting a bit antsy. I agree with Southdeltan that it would be great to post an update on the page where it announces the moratorium (i.e. http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx ), and perhaps on the home page (general status update including this one). Thanks again - the site gets better all the time! Kai Team [This message was edited by Kai Team on September 23, 2003 at 12:47 PM.]

Thanks Happy Frog. I've taken your advice. Kai Team. Kai Team

I placed a travel bug ("Otto the Orange") in one of my caches. Three days later (August 30) someone logged the cache and noted the TB was already gone. No one else logged the cache between the time I placed the TB and the time it was noted as gone, and the TB still hasn't been logged, so I went and checked the cache myself and sure enough, it's MIA. I'm reluctant to archive the bug in the hope that whoever has it will wake up and log it, but on the other hand I don't want to mislead people into thinking there's a TB in the cache when there isn't. Any suggestions? Kai Team

Does anyone know how long the moratorium on new locationless caches is likely to last? The sites says until adequate technology is developed, but I wonder what that means and what the plan is. Thanks! Kai Team