Spandoc

With some help I was able to get this, thanks!

Well, I found it. A string of numbers like this ###### ##-# and underneath that two letters and three more numbers. I have tried lots of combinations of those, but none works. I guess this is why I dislike puzzle caches so much. :-(

Thanks, that is so bizarre because that is just what I was doing yesterday but I kept getting the error message that it wasn't a valid code. I guess I must have been trying too many different combinations of the code. Anyway, mystery solved! Thanks. ;-)

Yes, the person who placed this and two other TBs in two of their own caches without logging them is fairly new at the game. I used 'grab from owner' in order to log them. There were one or two others in one of those caches - I should probably go back and get them so that they can get logged.

Thanks very much - I removed the pics that showed the code. Now please tell me how you did that magic trick! ;-) The TBWXRW wasn't on that coin anywhere! Thanks.

Had to resize front back, here they are. Edit: One pic removed due to code showing

So, I found a geocoin in a cache but when I go to log it I get a message that it can't be found. I have tried enter the code with and without preceding it with "GC" and using the O as a letter or a number, but still no results. It's old 2006, and faded, but you can just make out the code. There is nothing on the edge - it is smooth. Thanks! PS I will have to upload the front and back pics separately. Edit: Photo removed

Thanks, it was good to see some of the other good films that did not make it into the finals.

Fwiw, a friend suggested that I try Cachly. We went out this weekend and while geocaching app continued its wild spinning, Cachly led me right to all of the caches we were looking for. Ymmv.

Two similar threads for this problem so I am posting in the one that has more replies at the moment. ;-) I logged on here today due to similar problems wondering if others have been having them too. I am very familiar with bounce, the accuracy of GPS, how to work around it as outlined above, etc. However, I have recently noticed a HUGE difference in the amount of bounce while using the app. We spend winters in the desert where there is no interference from tree cover, etc. Occasionally there may be some mild bounce due to rock structures, minerals and so on, but not much. So it has been very frustrating lately to be experiencing massive swings in location when nearing GZ. I will be closing in when the needle jumps and points in an opposite direction, and not just 10 or 20 feet which is normal, but 80-120 feet. And when I try heading in that direction and start getting close it will all of a sudden jump and start pointing in an even new position. This happens over and over and I can tell you as someone who is geocaching for the third winter in this desert location that this is not normal activity and something with either Apple or the app has changed. Not sure what to do about it, I just wanted to chime in on the problem in case a developer or someone who has a fix sees this. Thanks. App version 7.3.0, iOS 12.1.2, iPhone 8 Plus.

I would just like to state for the record that I am wearing underwear right now. Not only that, but I bought it at a store. There - I said it. I know, I know, I will probably be banned and archived by a moderator now for writing that, but it had to be done. Yes, there may be family members who could be reading this who will be shocked by this admission, but c'est la vie (or maybe c'est la guerre?) Is it lingerie? I don't know, it came from a store in a mall so I guess so. My wife thinks I look sexy anyway. Seriously though, the person who said that a SMH icon is needed was spot on. Every time that I read this thread for updates I just shake my head more and more. I can just picture the parents now, hustling their children past the store whilst covering their eyes and saying "Don't look, don't look!" At least now there won't be an earthcache there to draw their attention to the doorway. SMH.

Thanks for taking the time to add that list. I have gotten to the point where when I open a map in the areas where I frequently go caching and the only unfound ones left have this big question mark icon. On most of them I am just utterly clueless on how to even start or perhaps too impatient when I can't solve the puzzle quickly on those that I might be able to get a start on. Normally I'd rather do a ten mile hike to get a cache than to spend the same amount of hours (or more) pulling my hair out trying to solve a #@%%!! puzzle cache. However, I am beginning to realize that maybe this is an aspect of the game that I should pay more attention to, spend more time with, and maybe enjoy the pleasure that will possibly come with finally solving one of these darned things. I'm inspired to get started by the comments and information in this thread (minus the deplorable incident experienced by kunarion). Nevertheless, I don't think I will start with the one I was looking at not long ago that brings you to the middle of a field and just says "the cache is not at the posted coordinates." Thanks niraD and others who posted some suggestions.

Nice video - especially if you watch all the way to the end. ;-)

The important thing is that the one I voted for should win. LOL Actually, I was told at the event that we could vote for a second and third place video, but that did not happen which is disappointing because there were quite a few that deserved mention.

Sigh. Okayyyy, I'll maintain them for you in exchange for airfare. Good luck on the news from the doctor, btw. It sucks getting old! (voice of experience talking)

Thanks to all who responded to my request for input. Based on comments from a couple of you I edited the description and made it more impersonal and general. I also wrote to the reviewer citing my confusion over the original description having 'an agenda.' After submitting the edit the reviewer has now posted the cache. So thanks also to him/her for this decision. And thanks to the person who spotted my use in the forum here of saying Smokey 'the' Bear. I did not use the name in the cache description, only here, but yes, the word 'the' is not part of the name. Apparently I have been calling him Smokey the Bear in error for decades, but no more. ;-) Here is the edited first paragraph of the description of the cache which is now published. Only YOU can prevent forest fires! The cache is close to the sign, but NOT on it. There are hundreds of campsites nearby here in the dry Eastern Sierra Nevada. There are frequently strong winds that can blow embers out of fire pits even if there are no visible flames. As Smokey would say, without wetting down these embers a huge fire can start due to the frequently dry conditions and the number of dead trees and vegetation in the area. Smokey thanks you for keeping this in mind! Read on for a bit more on the Smokey Bear campaign.

I recently submitted a new hide and after a couple of days I got an email from a reviewer asking that I "remove most of the first paragraph of [my] description" because "such wording constitutes an Agenda." I can understand such precautions; we certainly don't want to bring politics or religion into the game, for example. However, I think that it is an overreach in this case and I would just like to hear some other opinions. Here is the background: I live in the Eastern Sierra Nevada which in the recent past had five years of severe drought, then we had a good snow year, and last year was average to below average. We had fires burning nearby all summer long. Yosemite National Park (about an hour away) was actually closed to the public for about three weeks this summer due to a forest fire. We had smoke in our town for months. And of course there were huge, devastating wildfires throughout the state like the Carr fire north of here this summer that burned over 350 square miles. We get a lot of tourists here, many of them camping. Reminding people about the dangers of unattended fires does not seem to be "an Agenda" especially when the cache is hidden a few feet away from a gigantic, roadside, 20 foot tall wooden 'statue' of Smokey the Bear that says in huge letters "Prevent Wildfires." Now, I understand that there is a fine line between 'having an agenda' and wanting to remind people of how fragile an area is. I don't think that taking advantage of giant Smokey the Bear sign to remind people to be careful with their fires and how best to do it constitutes "an Agenda," rather it seems like something we could all agree on, similar to cache descriptions that say things like 'be careful of the fragile ground cover in this area' or 'please don't disturb the birds nesting in this area.' However, perhaps I am wrong? I would genuinely like to hear some opinions, whether pro or con, on this cache description on a cache hidden next to Smokey the Bear alongside a highway that cuts through tinder dry forestland. Thanks! The first and last lines are from the reviewer (name removed). Thanks for the submission, but I'll have to ask you to remove most of the first paragraph of your Description:"Please be careful with campfires here in the dry Eastern Sierra. There are frequently strong winds that can blow embers out of fire pits even if there are no flames. If you drive off or go to bed without wetting down these embers a huge fire can start due to the frequently dry conditions and the number of dead trees and vegetation in the area. Thanks! "Such wording constitutes an Agenda. The second paragraph of the cache description is just a brief note about the history of the Smokey the Bear campaign.

Thanks, that is what was missing. However, after rebooting the phone it has reappeared. Strange, but all set now, thanks.

Has something changed with downloading offline data for caches in lists? I haven't used this feature in a few months but needed to do it today for some caches in an area without cell coverage and the link/button to do it appears to be missing. I tried on my iPhone and on my computer with both Chrome and Firefox while connected to the internet. I used to see a refresh or download offline data link, but today there is nothing. I am a premium member. Did something change? Thanks.

Thanks! Good to know that I won't lose anything except the "download offline data" for caches when I am out of cell range. I deleted and reinstalled and everything seems to be working fine, and nothing lost that I can see except for that list data which I can update easily enough. Now to see if I have time to get a cache for today before it gets dark. ;-)

Starting last night and still continuing today I am unable to use the Groundspeak app on my iPhone 5s. When I try to open it, I get the main screen picture which then fades as if it had shut off and returned me to the main screen. However, double clicking shows me that it did open and I see the map with the last cache that I got yesterday highlighted. However, when I bring that screen up it is frozen, no touches work on anything and it too fades after a few seconds but it is still visible in the background. I see that someone else posted about this problem back in October but got no responses, so I'm not sure what to do. Unless someone has a better idea to fix this, I was going to delete and reinstall the app but of course get the message "deleting this app will also delete its data." So my question is, just what kind of data will I be deleting? I assume that all of my regular data like finds, lists, favorites, TBs in possession will still be stored on my account with geocaching.com, correct? So will I be losing anything that I can't recover? Or, is there a better solution? I have turned the phone off and on a couple of times and it has not helped. Thanks in advance for any help!

This has been driving me crazy. I usually have the problem on my iPad where I can only bring up a grid, accompanied by an error message that says location unavailable, make sure you have airplane mode turned off.' Well, it is off, but I get this error message a lot on the iPad with a strong internet connection. Sometimes the map comes up, sometimes it doesn't. The zoom in/out, moving the map, etc. does not work for me. Sometimes a full reboot will. Now it is starting to happen more frequently on my iPhone5. It would have come in handy to have the map yesterday when what should have been an easy cache turned out to be on the other side of a creek which I would have seen with the map, but I only had a grid. Turned it on this morning and still only had a grid. Zoom, move, etc. did not work unless I zoomed way out to a state-sized view. As I started to slowly zoom back in it just got blurry then went to a grid. Three bars on the phone + connected to internet. Very annoying. Did a reboot of the phone and map came back. I guess we'll see - but any suggestions welcome - thanks. PS I only started geocaching in May so I assume I have the newest version, also, I am a premium member if that matters.