BCandMsKitty

where do you get that?

I'd love to know how you would attach a magnetic cache to an aluminum table. To the OP I have had relatively good luck with cache longevity, but there have been some that didn't last even 2 weeks! As far as I am concerned, if you hide them well, and in a good location (out of public view), then it's usually a matter of luck. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. I have most trouble with urban caches, so don't hide many of those.

We agree with all of the above points. For us it's any well maintained cache that we can tell the hider made an effort to hide a quality cache. It doesn't have to be anything grand or wonderful. A unique container, or camo, or nice location always helps. For urban caches, I'll almost always award a fav. point if we can search for the cache in privacy. I detest the caches that have a description asking one to use stealth, and we find it hidden where we will be exposed while searching.

Here are some ideas

I don't have many images on my cache pages, but all of my image hosting is done on my own server. Well, rather on server space I pay for each month. I used to have a web page devoted to a retail store we owned, and I just kept the server when we closed the site, and store down. Any image I post anywhere is uploaded to this server and I know as long as I keep paying, the image(s) will be out there on the web. In whatever format I want .. with whatever exif data I want in them. My setup costs me $10.00 per month, but there are other cheaper hosting companies out there. I only mention this as an alternative for anyone who is serious about their image hosting and can afford the option.

Man that is one of those things that gives me the willies. I've run into some weird critters in the woods but (knock on wood) not one of them. If I ever go off pavement in Bear country I plan on carrying the biggest can of bear spray they have, my lucky bear bell and a slow hiking partner. Reminds me of a joke .... How can you tell if it's bear scat on the trail? It has bells in it and smells like pepper spray!

Absolutely! There should be NO numbers put on how many caches found before publishing. Of course, there will be mistakes made by new hiders .... so what? That's how many people learn. Many of those people grow into great hiders, who might have lost interest otherwise.

Lets take something that helps reviewers (like the cache score) and refuse to try to help make it work simply out of spite. Who said anything about no longer logging dnf's? Is anyone paying attention to what's being discussed here? No one is being spiteful. I'm sorry you're taking this so personal but like bfentje, i'm not letting Groundspeak's algorithm determine how i log caches. A cache gets a DNF log if i don't find it, period! Some of you seem to be taking this like it's the end of the world,, it's not. Y'all have a good weekend! Exactly!

So what if the person who wrote the DNF writes "Sudden downpour, had to stop searching, I'll come back later?" The cache owner needs to check on the cache or it should be archived? It seems to me that you are arguing just for argument's sake. If you're interested in real life scenarios, I went back and checked most of my caches. There are several that have DNFs logged ... one that had 2 in a row!!! All except one of these, have the next cacher logging a find. That one is still outstanding as the last log being DNF Guess what? No harassing email from HQ on ANY of them! Where are all these horrible emails that would make one want to stop lodging DNF so nasty grams won't be sent to unsuspecting cachers, as you are promoting? You haven't heard of the automated emails? There are quite a few posts about them if you go back through the forum a little ways. Sure I've heard of them. And I've seen some of the posts, but, truthfully, have you had any DNFs on your caches and how many automated emails have you gotten? I wonder what the ratio is of DNFs posted on all of geocaching to the number of automated emails actually sent.

So what if the person who wrote the DNF writes "Sudden downpour, had to stop searching, I'll come back later?" The cache owner needs to check on the cache or it should be archived? It seems to me that you are arguing just for argument's sake. If you're interested in real life scenarios, I went back and checked most of my caches. There are several that have DNFs logged ... one that had 2 in a row!!! All except one of these, have the next cacher logging a find. That one is still outstanding as the last log being DNF Guess what? No harassing email from HQ on ANY of them! Where are all these horrible emails that would make one want to stop lodging DNF so nasty grams won't be sent to unsuspecting cachers, as you are promoting?

THIS^

I figure that if my contribution to the community actually had value, the system would not be configured to ignore all context of those logs. Groundspeak clearly doesn't care, other geocachers apparently don't care, so why should I make the effort? Writing DNFs has two purposes for me: my own records, which I can track privately, and providing information to others that is now evidently worthless. DNFs are not worthless to me! I couldn't care less what Groundspeak thinks about them! The cache belongs to me. They just list it. A DNF will tell me that you were at the cache and didn't find it.And I can watch the cache and respond if a problem develops. If you (and others)don't log the DNF at all, I lose valuable information. Who cares about the nag messages? They in no way change how I respond to DNF messages on my caches. They can easily be ignored and treated as the trash they are. I have heard many geocachers say they are bothered by the nag messages. The new system removes cache owner agency and insinuates that a cache has a problem as soon as someone can't find it. Many cache owners don't know about this feature until they receive the message, and it can be upsetting. We see posts all the time from cache owners who are alarmed when the automated system accuses them of neglecting a cache. I don't wish to participate in treating my fellow geocachers like that if I can help it. If DNFs are valuable to you as a cache owner, you should address your concerns to TPTB who have implemented these changes, rather than criticizing individual cachers who are just trying to keep up with the moving goalposts. Give me a break!

I figure that if my contribution to the community actually had value, the system would not be configured to ignore all context of those logs. Groundspeak clearly doesn't care, other geocachers apparently don't care, so why should I make the effort? Writing DNFs has two purposes for me: my own records, which I can track privately, and providing information to others that is now evidently worthless. DNFs are not worthless to me! I couldn't care less what Groundspeak thinks about them! The cache belongs to me. They just list it. A DNF will tell me that you were at the cache and didn't find it.And I can watch the cache and respond if a problem develops. If you (and others)don't log the DNF at all, I lose valuable information. Who cares about the nag messages? They in no way change how I respond to DNF messages on my caches. They can easily be ignored and treated as the trash they are.

Well, yeah ....

If it's a Traditional cache, who reads the description? Agreed. We don't know of anyone who's been in this hobby more than a year or so who reads descriptions of a traditional, unless it's D/T are higher than 3. I guess this is a bit OT, but we must be the odd couple. We read every description before we search for a cache, traditional or not. Sometimes there is some valuable info to help find it. Somehow, not reading the cache page is sort of disrespecting the effort the CO put into hiding it, and to me is in the same realm of just writing TFTC instead of some sort of decent log. Edit: speeling

This! Why not?

Look HERE

Just a hint. If you want to fond something on this forum, don't bother with the onsite search function Google search will find things much easier. All I did was open Google search, and type this "good swag for a geocache" Got me everything I linked to.

Welcome to the hobby The best tip I can think of is to have fun!

Some answers Geocache Swag ideas What are some good items to put in a geocache? And dozens more

GREAT! I'd much rather see the indication that I tried and DNF'd than it just looking like a cache I haven't even tried yet! Of course this doesn't do anything for those that are reluctant (for whatever reason) to log their DNFs.

Bye

The only one I've ever used is geochecker.com It's easy to use from the hider, to the seeker.

Welcome to the addict ... ermm... game. You'll find lots of us over 50 (and some over 70) that play this game. It's a great way to get out and get some fresh air and exercise. The hard part is knowing when to decline the challenge(s) some cachers build into their caches ... like tree climbing, and such. I gotta keep telling myself ..."you don't have to find ALL the caches" One important do, is look for easy, larger caches first. On each cache page, right at the top, you'll see the terrain and difficulty stars that the cache owner has selected for their cache. Lower number of stars, cache should be easier. Right there is also the size of the cache. Try to pick medium to large. (some cache owners rate a micro as a small, so a few smalls will be actually a micro. Don't get discouraged. Sometimes it takes finding a few before you get the idea of how people hide them, and you'll wonder why you didn't find it the first time. Please do log a DNF if you don't find a cache. There's no shame in a DNF. It just means that you looked for it and didn't find it! Responsible cache owners watch DNF logs as an indicator that they might have to do some maintenance. Also, please do try to say a bit about each cache, if you can, when you log your find(s). Too many people just log TFTC", or "found it". Many cache owners appreciate some feedback on their caches. Above all, do have fun.

Fairly easy may be aimed at folks that have geocached for a while People develop what's called "Geosense" (being able to figure out where a cache is hidden based on past experiences) and what's easy to the hider (and other experienced cachers) may not be easy to a beginner. Generally, for a beginner it is best to look for caches that are rated 1.5 star terrain, and 1.5 star difficulty. If they're rated correctly, they should truly be easy to find. Also, try to look for caches that are larger (listed as medium, or large). All that info can be found in the top 2 or 3 lines of the cache page right under the cache name. Welcome to the game, and above all, have fun.