caderoux
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Posts posted by caderoux
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I cache only with my iPaq (and pen, Camelbak, hiking pole, Leatherman, ...). I have a BlueTooth GPSr, which communicates to Mapopolis. I use GSAK and GPXtoMaplet to make the maplets for all the caches I'm going to hunt.
As far as GPXSonar, I actually prefer GPXView, BUT GPXView doesn't let you make notes. But I've found GPXSonar to be real flaky. There was the promising CacheDragon, but this software appears to have been abandoned - this had GPS controller and cache database all in one application.
As far as paper-based, I've never _really_ cached that way. Even at the beginning, I would copy and paste from the built-in notes on the iPaq to get the coordinates into Pocket CoPilot. But I've never had a traditional GPSr either.
As far as an interface, Mapopolis has a fabulous interface and with a huge color screen on a Pocket PC - it's a great alternative to the relatively limited interfaces of most traditional GPSrs. And it gives me driving directions and everything.
I think the main problem is battery life, even with a separate battery in the BT GPSr, the backlight on the iPaq drains the iPaq battery.
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These people who never log online are welcome to play this game their way, but I wouldn't call them geocachers, because they are not fully participating.
They're just getting listings and giving nothing back, not a status on the cache, not a find and DNF or a note. I think they are bad geocaching citizens, on the scale from good geocaching citizen to cache maggot, these are the anti-social "geocachers" in the middle. While caching is not an online game, the listing service does facilitate the game. It's a courtesy not only to the owner but to other cachers to log online. Writing the logs online is an important part of what makes geocaching what it is.
In a world without travel bugs, trade items, muggling, cache maggots, animals, weather, event caches etc. it might be fine for an owner and other cachers to have no idea of the history of a cache or each others attempts. They just go to the cache, do what they want to it, and never have anything available but the cache description and never give anything back or share any information. This kind of game would be sterile, vacuous and meaningless, not to mention difficult, since there would be no such thing as a note, SBA, or enable/disable - you just hope the caches you've got listing for are still around and the owner is checking on it all the time for all the people who may or may not exist and who aren't giving them any feedback.
If everyone was simply to come here, get listings and never enter any data, and never interact with other cachers through logs, what you would have would be nothing like what we call geocaching, and it would not be popular at all. Oddly enough, most people do log online, thereby creating the game/sport/activity/hobby/pastime as we know it and love it.
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I understand that the results are not stored, but the "problem" does not occur when there is sorting from an origin. To "resolve" the "problem", there would not need to be storage, just an explicit ordering (as there is in the SELECT TOP n ORDER BY distance).
I've been trying to use preview to do more work online and PQ emails less, as I was thinking this would put less load on the PQ server (I am running in minimal trigger-only mode - just a few PQs a week). In this case, it would seem that the pagination is functional but pretty much unreliable in the preview, as you could go back and forth through the list and never find a cache you are looking for if the cache keeps slipping onto a page you aren't viewing.
I'm sorry about the bad link. I thought that I had seen in previous threads ( http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...dpost&p=1202829 ) that users had posted links to stored results and that other people could then save them as their own PQs? But I see that the format is different and it has to go to the query definition page instead:
http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/gcquery.a...aa-15d4338c89fc
However, my question was about what the purpose of the preview is if you aren't specifying distance from origin? Is it just to check that the query is basically working?
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http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.asp...aa-15d4338c89fc
I did a PQ for all locationless. Because it doesn't specify an origin, the sort order is undefined.
Problem is, as you page through the results, you may see a cache on a later page which you have already seen (and miss a cache as you page through).
Is preview meant to be used to do any actual work like this (like find caches to add to bookmark lists or read logs of recent activity)? If so, it may need to have a consistent sort order for these types of quereies.
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We've already been told that it doesn't even happen right away. The system puts it in shortly after approval. So something must trigger THAT to happen. Why can't that just trigger the things that the "Published" note triggers without actually putting the note there?
I don't like to repeat myself so I'll just quote myself. I've yet to see this answered but people continue to claim the "Published" note is needed to trigger the new notification system. If that is true then it does look like it was hastily implemented. It does not appear that the system(s) are working together the way they should.
Also, it should not be there because it does not need to be there. Unless another reason is given as to why it needs to be there.
Also, it offers no more useful info than was already available to the cahce owner on the cache page. They could have very easily made that info available to everyone on the cache page with out a note.
It may very well happen right away (transaction inserted into database), but simply that the page is not regenerated to show it (just like find counts on finders aren't updated until someone adds a new log).
You can already see this sometimes when you add a cache to my watch list, but when you return to the cache, the button still has the add to watch list text instead of remove from watch list.
And yes, I do have my browser set to "Every Time".
Regardless, arguing about not having "Published" is about as silly as not having the disabled and enabled logs - those are also very useful in showing what happened and when. The published log does give information not available elsewhere on the page.
With regard to implementation, it would seem that the transactional implementation is the correct one. Whether you should see (perhaps optionally) these transactions might be a matter for discussion.
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Lost all my notes a couple hours into a day of caching on Saturday.
What's the prospect on a fixed version or a version with error logging or something?
Any other product to keep the notes?
Back to GPXView and the builtin "Notes" application?
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We have a lot of moisture problems here in New Orleans. It's a pretty cache dense area and getting denser. Ammo cans are pretty good, but everything else is prone to problems. Even ammo cans can get a ziploc caught in the gasket, and then you're f****d, 'cos once the moisture gets in it seems to stay there.
And then in the heat, you get moisture vapor INSIDE the ziplocs in waterproof containers. We've got people here (Bamboozle) putting an extra log in a film can inside the cache to keep it dry. But then there are two logs, a notebook and a film can - that seems kind of silly, 'cos some people will sign one and not the other. And then you might upset the purists who claim "if you don't sign the log, you didn't find it" if there are two logs.
RULE #1 - DO NOT CACHE IN THE RAIN
RULE #2 - DO NOT CACHE IN THE RAIN
No matter how hard you try, a drop of water will get in the cache, and then it's all over.
After that, there are other "guidelines" I try to follow (if I have the materials with me - and that's another topic completely - I try to travel a little too lightly):
If the outside of the cache is wet, dry it off as best you can before opening the cache, because moisture on the outside is going to get to the inside, no matter how hard you try.
If the cache is dirty and you rinse the cache from your camelbak, you need to dry it off, too. If dirt gets in the seal, water will get in later.
If the log is damp or the ziploc is damp inside, dry it or replace it
No ziploc is sometimes better than a ziploc which holds the water in
A pencil will probably pierce a ziploc before you've even zipped the bag shut
Little logs in baggies (rolled or folded) are doomed, and they always will be - until someone comes up with something better, I just handle them as best I can
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Very cool. A real nice description of what caching is about, too. Must be a local cacher/caching employee involved.
<engage pedantic mode>
"with different caches each day to peak the interest of all ages."
should be
"with different caches each day to pique the interest of all ages."
</disengage pedantic mode>
unless perhaps, mountain climbing was involved and it's a pun!
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Actually the OP has a point. I was posting last night after midnight my time (EST/DST whatever) and the date didn't change to 8/1. I think that is because the site is on PST. I was happy.
So just post your logs by midnight PST and you should be okay.
Since I live in the PST zone I sometimes get home and start posting before midnight and it takes me until after before I finish. There are usually several I enter with the wrong date before I realize its switched.
Move - it's easier than adding a feature to the site. ;-)
Seriously, there's a lot of ways to skin this cat. They all have pros and cons.
I'd like to see automated logging via a web service.
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That's exactly what http://www.geocaching.com/pocket gives you. You can have 20 "presets". Tick the box to run it today and (if you haven't been greedy) odds are very good it'll run within scant moments.
If you have been greedy, then no soup for you!
Greedy is a relative term. If the surest way to get a pocket query is to create a new one, then I'd like to have an easy way to create a new one. What could be easier than having a preset and telling the pocket query generator to create a new pocket query using the settings contained in said preset? Checking the day on an existing pocket query does not create a new query.
Copy query parameters from a selected saved PQ definition to a new query definition - and yes, I think this would be useful, because I like to clone mine and use the oldest one, because sometimes on weekends you need to use a really old queries (or a new one) to get the GPX files within minutes. A query which ran the previous day won't come very quickly.
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Or did you log it before it was listed... hmm?
(just kidding)
Well it's bad enough that it was kind of embarrassing that I couldn't find this one by myself.
But I did get quid pro quo from the owner - as I was driving to his newest cache, his wife called me for a lifeline while they were on a cache where I had been the only finder.
I was dying from the heat on this bridge and had to go back to my car for water and called them back. Should have found it myself, though - somehow just never felt/saw it.
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Your nearest MOC (checking against your last find from your profile) may very well be here in New Orleans:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-c837c758ad6c
We just had about 20 MOC placed last week (with none in the state before) - we're trying to avoid a problem from a group of teachers on tech days who tend to stuff micros with calling cards and never log on the web site.
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Member only caches have a little head on them on the search pages. You may not have any in your area.
Non-premium members will not be able to view the pages, but will see them in the search.
Even if there are no MOC in your area, you will have all the other advantages of premium membership, including pocket queries which will save you more than $30/year in ink and paper if you use them to go paperless.
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http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...c1-b364c661a7a8
It looks like I found the cache before it was published. I got the notify, went out and found the cache and logged it later that night. However, my entry comes before the new "Published" entry.
At some point when this page is revised, perhaps the sort order be "Log Date" and then "Log Actual Entry Date/Time/Sequence Number", so that Published would never appear to come after other subsequently entered logs.
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Apologies in advance if this was already suggested, but in the notification, could we have the name of the owner (Cache Name By Owner Name)?
Got my first notifications today, found one (FTF) and solved the puzzle on the other and will hit it tomorrow (hopefully another FTF).
Thanks,
Cade
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We have a few great ones here. They are all pretty hard (I have one of the easy ones), but you don't even see attempts on a lot of them.
My easy one is accessible from the streetcar, pretty close to City Park, it is all in one cemetery, and doesn't take much longer than a regular traditional.
But I guess there are a lot of people who'd rather attempt 40 caches in City Park - they haven't found all the local caches. From my point of view, I have to find whatever gets put out, because I'm usually up to date with all the local caches.
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It's not too competitive here. Got one yesterday on the way home after work - am expecting another one in a few hours (both pretty hard puzzles). Maybe get some in City Park today, too. The caches appeared in a massive batch on Tuesday, and I guess most have been too busy to hunt them.
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Most multis - people just don't seem to even attempt them - regardless of difficulty.
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I've done it in the past (sitting in a car on a dead end street logging a cache by the lakefront), but will not try to do it that way any more since that guy got charged with a crime for it.
Of course, sitting in a hotel room or lobby of an office building is different - everybody is doing it and who knows if it's a free AP or not.
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What I mean is that gpx and loc files are meant to help cachers find caches. If the cache isn't approved yet, then no one should be trying to load it up.
I used to use the GPX file from my own caches. I thought this was a feature, and I thought I was using it legitimately.
Mapopolis waypoints aren't able to be exported and gc.com won't accept a GPX from GSAK to list a cache, so instead of typing waypoints and all the cache details into both GSAK and gc.com, I would just type everything into gc.com and then get the GPX into GSAK. For multis, I would then copy the base waypoint GCXXXX to GCXXXX-1, etc within GSAK and enter corrected coordinates for each stage, so I could have all the coordinates on file in GSAK (since they'll be gone from Mapopolis and also from gc.com as soon as the reviewer deletes my reviewer notes). This is similar to the way I track a multi in progress if it is going to be spread over multiple days.
I haven't hid a cache since the change which broke the feature which wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, so it's not a big deal, but it does mean that my next listing will probably just not be in GSAK or back in Mapopolis until approval, which may mean a higher chance of me losing the coordinates.
Not a big deal - just showing how this "feature" was being used by me.
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We could post an SBA note, but in my experience, this can upset some cache owners - (Who do you think you are? Saying my cache should be archived!")
It is a cultural thing? Maybe something about the British make them worry that they might upset somebody by posting a SBA log. Seems if I had forgotten to archive my event I would be happy to see a note to remind me. If I had a good reason to not archive I would leave a note for the reviewer why.
I think the problem is with SBA logs on traditional caches where the cache just needs maintenance and not archiving or where someone may think you are the cache police (e.g. This cache is on Indian Reservation and the last person who look was stopped and asked if he had a permit to be on the reservation so it must have been placed without permission). I can't see any issues with using SBA on an event cache.
I don't see what the problem people have with SBA potentially hurting the hider's feelings on any cache. Any person can just as easily write a note which doesn't meet the owners high standards (some people get really upset here when a finder posts TNLNSL).
As long as you THINK about it before you post an SBA, that should be enough:
Is it too early to post an SBA (newish cache, just happened to be muggled vs. a cache with a history of muggling and maintenance is simply impossible)?
Is a note about maintenance more appropriate?
Does this cache really need to be archived or can it be maintained or adopted?
I don't think this has anything to do with becoming cache police or a busy body - you're simply posting useful information when it's relevant.
There don't need to (and can't) be rules created to enforce good judgement and good cacher citizenship. We just have to let people learn it.
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People can still log on an expired cache, it just isn't as easy to find. So an organizer archiving the event even a few days after the event has occurred still only incurs a minor inconvenience. I think I archived my event cache about a week afterwards.
Sba Etiquette...
in General geocaching topics
Posted
Unless you are 100% sure the cache is gone (people who have found the cache before have reported the site bulldozed), you really do need to visit the site.
Then email the owner or enter a note to see if they plan on maintaining it.
Then enter an SBA.
This happened on a local cache. Most of the prolific finders found it. I visited and it was gone - I could even see how it was hidden. I emailed the owner but got no response. I asked a finder at an event and they confirmed the hiding method. I saw that another local cacher logged it as a find and replaced the cache container. I went out a couple days later and the cache was gone again. It was in a mini-muggle-intensive area and I knew the cache would not be maintainable. Since I had never had an email back from the owner (I offered to send a photo of the attachment area so he'd know it needed maintenance), I entered an SBA. Given the history, an approver archived it almost immediately, but I have seen cases where they'll archive a cache after also giving the owner a chance to check their email.
Having said all this, IF you honestly think the cache should be archived for some reason, I think there is not problem with entering an SBA at any time.