7rxc

I get most of my information re new caches etc. from the newsletter sent out weekly. Definitely not instant, but then neither am I. I also browse the area(s) I'm going to be in (mostly home ) on the Hide and Seek page map view. Green boxes stand out in the middle of the yellow smileys. Of course there are still a limited number of caches either way. Always keep tabs on your account settings and make sure your email address is up to date and that you check it. That goes for whatever you might expect to come. Pays to know where the forum Private Messaging system indicates as well up in the right corner beside your avatar. Many just ignore messages there as well. To BST: I get watch list notifications on several caches and trackables as a basic member. Doug 7rxc

I tried to use my trusty Garmin Communicator I've been using for quite a while on Friday morning. For the first time in a while it refused to work. It did offer an updated version. After loading that it worked fine. I used this laptop with Vista Home and Chrome. Which points out something. Under my settings, you have to watch out for the fact that Chrome downloads it but does not run the file... you have to do that yourself. There may be a setting to automate the run, but I don't have that right now... so I have to click on the .exe that is on the download bar or from some other point on the computer. That used to make me wonder why until I realized the problem... BTW it caught me out Friday since I was in a hurry to go get a cache via bus. Luckily I had time to regroup and get it done. Suspect that they force updating the file by simply refusing to work with older versions after a period of time. Just wish that they wouldn't pick when I'm in a hurry. If I wanted to run under IE it would have to also download that version configured for IE. (and I assume others as well). Doug 7rxc

Your problem was in NOT removing the http:// that the posting form offers you. Pasting into that (forcing a replace of it) works, or deleting it and starting fresh. Doug 7rxc

Since when does VI and the Lower Mainland have a winter season? Get out there and cache! Doug 7rxc

I just use Google Earth. GE has map pins and other markers that come in a range of colours and sizing. I have found caches one colour, unfound another and DNF's yet another and so forth. Just save them into My Places. There is no reason why you can't adjust the screen to the desired area and then do a screen capture if you wanted to... Edit it (cropping) a bit and save it. You could print that out, but it's up to you to select whether or not to do in in tiles or as one piece. Me I save the money and just look at it on the computer. I do the same for marking trails for reference and for keeping track of completed and future things to add to OSM maps. Doug 7rxc

Since this is an international forum... I'll add a caution. While such things are subject to US FCC rules for sure, IN THE USA, the rest of the world has their own rules. Low power transmitters are legal in Canada under Industry Canada rules. As for the rest of the world, make sure you follow your own radio regulations. Some countries are quite strict. And they change. Using one of those 'player device' to FM wireless connections might do the job. A friend has one he uses to redirect from his vehicle sat radio receiver to a portable stereo receiver indoors or wherever. Don't ask me the Canadian rules, but they are probably close to the Part 15 FCC rules with mods. Doug 7rxc

Good observation. I wonder how many people set up multiple chains of accounts for the same reason (new players). From the sound of it there is no mechanism to recover passwords or to even receive any mail from ANYONE via that/those email accounts used but not validated, assuming the system requires different ones each time since it does not allow duplicates, or maybe that is just usernames. Getting it sorted out is very important to most cachers, new and old. Doug 7rxc

While PMOCs take more work (which will disuade most people), they are available to find and log, as already noted. They are available to anyone with the knowledge/ interest to do so. Puzzle 'unknown caches' and puzzle 'multi's require seeing the blocked page, but those are the exceptions, and there are no hints ever for any of them. THAT is the security blanket, since it seems most cachers won't exert themselves... making a cache harder or on more difficult terrain is also good security regardless of the membership level. I suspect advertising it as a LPC or GRC is getting to be that way as well, at least as far as lifespan as well. Many quit looking for those types early on. Others save them for bad weather finds, only. Validation and frequent verification of that validation status will be a good starting point. Validation without the checking says nothing about the status of a cacher. A valid email that is never responded to by anyone is worthless. Perhaps it's time to provide specific ID to GSpk to register. Real people tend to behave better than anonymous ones. That act might work for the less mannered PMs as well. Noobs are not the only problems... just hard to contact. Doug 7rxc

Took a minute to find a cache that fit the description... IF I got the right one (likely) then there were 3 DNF's prior to the OP, all with comments about the cache needing a checking out. Then the OP filed a find and NM again with comment about checking it out. Then came a CO disable log. NOTHING after that log, perhaps a NA was deleted. That cache has a good history, including maintenance, so I understand the CO not wanting to archive it. Points out the problem with the naming of that Log type... Needs (Reviewer) Attention would be far more apt as many have pointed out over the years... That said, no excuse for tongue lashings, or for that matter hard feelings, unless there is more to it somehow. There may be reasons for not rushing out and checking, but disabling the cache is proper until it is done. Weather, holidays, work can mess up plans to do so, not to mention health. Who knows, the cache might be there somewhere, I look after one that requires refinding a lot. People keep relocating it to be helpful, and it is fine where it is without their assistance. Perhaps it was the CO and is just waiting for coordinate relocation update. I have never been there, but some places are just too exposed in winter months compared to spring through fall. Anyway, it looks like it is being dealt with in some form, IF a NA was posted, the reviewer is probably doing their job and watching over it all. So time to get back to normal caching, I think. Doug 7rxc

Just a question, since you seem to be diligent in maintaining the cache... If you want the older TB's to travel, have you considered moving them yourself, based on how long they have been there? Oldest first of course. Even one or two at a time. At least they won't sit there forever that way, that benefits the TO some as well. I suspect that the situation you described may have been arranged between cachers, I'll drop some off, other cacher picks them up. Perhaps it was just someone who looked no further than the latest drops (newest), that happens too. Doug 7rxc

Yes, but it beats probing for cachers who neglect avalanche warnings, now doesn't it? Doug 7rxc

It's usually not to hard to contact the job supervisor, and usually easy to get some rough scheduling information. That might help 'rescue' the can before it gets taken up with the slash piles. Waiting too late might prevent you from getting in there at all if they fence it off. Explaining your concern might help as well, since you are willing to remove it and get it at least disabled in the short term. That will help reduce the number of finders trying to locate it... and thus his problems with shooing them off his/her site. Doug 7rxc

Looks good! But I'm sure from your 2nd post you know that... One thing... A personal opinion as a basic member... I'd love to see a PMOC or similar after the GC#. Saves me a click or two (not a disaster) since I've seen the promo page a lot by clicking these.. IF I got wind of the location and wanted to hunt it I can, would and have hunted PMOCs... that isn't the problem. Just the wasted time. Doug 7rxc

The attribute is 'available in winter', should mean that it can be located and retrieved during normal local winter conditions. Exceptional weather could change that. BTW Read this topic! for how to information.. and an update to that. Doug 7rxc going to shovel some more 'camouflage'... darn.

I'd have a look at the graphics requirements if everything else seems to have loaded... raster or vector. That often messes up visual systems... I don't use Ibycus and certainly not a 541s... a quick scan of the ads provided no hint, so it would be necessary to do some comparisons perhaps or find the manual for all of the above. Which does Ibycus use and what is used by the maps listed as compatible with the 541s. What about OSM maps? Doug 7rxc

One of the reasons I try to always post a meeting time and a later departure time... People who aim for the first usually make it for the second IF they are coming at all. The later you are, the more you need to consider making sure one DD is for me! Doug 7rxc

That arguement goes both ways to support a definition of permanence... it clearly states that temporary caches (with definition) will not be published... I would argue that it is equally impossible to be a little bit temporary... it's either temporary or permanent (to a reaasonable amount of time). It may eventually need to be archived, but if a cache is both significant and maintained then a reasonable amount of time could be quite long. I hate it when people shut down perfectly good puzzles before I get to log them as finds... most often it doesn't matter since I have the coordinates solved and quite often find the container still in place. One really big problem with the current adoption system is related to the email/Personal messaging problems mentioned in another thread... much of the time it's impossible to contact cache owners, active or not. I'd like to see a secondary process for quasi-adoption to allow for maintenance to continue for locally significant caches by local cachers. There would have to be some strictly enforced rules for that though. We're not talking about LPC's or GRC's or boxes under rocks... or any 'average' cache. But something that serves to be enjoyed over years... proof would have to be on the prospective adopter though, including a history of involvment with geocaching. Not sure exactly what that would entail, but more than just saying 'can I please!'. There was an adoption thread way back where it was discussed about making some sort of 'Will' regarding a cachers plans for their caches under certain circumstances... Forget who's profile I was on the other day, but it clearly stated on the profile that their caches were open to adoption in the event of.. Maybe that could be part of it. But that is just for one circumstance of course. Just dropping out, quite another thing. Doug 7rxc

It has been said that "a journey of 1000 miles, begins with the first step". That is very true. Also equally true is "watch the first step, it's a doozy". Just something to think about. For me, the first step once you get to the puzzle page, is READ the whole thing from beginning of the page to the bottom, then read it again.... and again. Let it sink in. Good idea to make notes of what you see. Afterwards, try reading between the lines, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively. Setters hide stuff everywhere possible and then some at times. Don't ignore anything no matter how trivial it seems, information can be hiding anywhere on the page and logs. The problem is to gather it up and then winnow out the chaff and misleading stuff. It may sound trite, but it's just a problem to be solved and most problems can be 'attacked' by the same method. Most of the satisfaction in puzzles is often figuring out that first step. Once you are onto the method of concealment, solving it is often just legwork and fairly boring... but, sometimes there is a complex second or third step. You can also run into Red Herrings, decoys and simple misdirection. But that is good, why else would you do puzzles. Cut your teeth on easier ones, using fairly 'standard' puzzle forms, like cryptography, or math skills, or simple logic puzzles. There are much harder ones which will put you off, but you have to start small, develop some skills and gradually increase the difficulty level. One harder skill to learn, is when to bail out on an approach and start again with a clean slate. But be warned, as you get into harder levels, it isn't uncommon for puzzle setters to push you toward a state of frustration where you abandon the correct trail for something else. I prefer to start again but continue to work the frustrating path as well. A lot depends on what skills and knowledge you bring to the game, like everything in life. It is not uncommon for the biggest hurdle to be overwhelmed by the apparent difficulty of the posed problem. Usually it isn't anything that bad once you winnow out the extra data. I used to hate math problems (verbose) until I learned to do that first while reading it over again for the third time. THEN it got much easier since you only needed a part of what was given. Hopefully by now you've seen the references to NiraD's listing, and that is excellent schooling/exposure to some of what is out there. Good luck. Doug 7rxc

The GC Code tag has been around for a while, but I tweaked it to work with coord.info. I added the Geocache tag yesterday. Thanks for the tweaking, and the new tag... I was just pointing out the list of tags existence to FL and others. Doug 7rxc

I might be one of the few who know what this means, Doug Good point, I tend to focus on WHO I'm responding to... in this case on VI... oops there I go again Vancouver Island... For the rest of the world... Tim Horton's Double Double (double cream, double sugar, usually LARGE, to go, donuts optional) Coffee. Doug 7rxc

A few observations... one as TDM 22 said, most of us have GPS or smart phones both which not only give no reason to be lost, but the also have clocks that reflect th world time standard, via the GPS timing setup... ultra precise. NO EXCUSE to NOT know the right time.. Another thing to consider is that because of that, the people coming probably expect things to be on time. The organizer in many things is the one who allows late starts (enables it by waiting). IF you get the reputation of waiting around for stragglers then others will start assuming you will do that and feel no reason to be ontime, since they know you will wait (within a time limit) so why be on time? Have you ever thought that about other events... Joe always starts late so... I can grab a TH DD on the way maybe a cache too! Doug 7rxc

It's possible the OP saw something from years back. My first 'state of the art' GPS would only give coordinates to two decimal points. With UTM display you could get a bit finer, but not much. Even when they turned off SA that limited things... that .001 = 6ft was accordingly .01 = 60. GPS was limited to map equivalent accuracy for civilians . you could estimate closer... but it was also much slower and high sensitivity receivers NOT around yet... I still use the old rig for rough work and in the car. EPE's were higher for both placer and finder as well. Multi path and tree cover / canyon effects were quite limiting as well... Still found caches then. Fun to go back to the older GPS for the experience if you can find one that works... oh wait most of those still function unless damaged or fried. Doug 7rxc

Are you sure? Invision has a custom BBCode plugin: http://www.invisionpower.com/support/guides/_/advanced-and-developers/api-methods/custom-bbcode-plugins-r47 Not only that, but they have been available on the posting form for years... look at the blue/white circle (HELP) with the ? on the top bar of the form on the right... whole list of useable BBCodes. Doug 7rxc

if it's a field puzzle: yes! I agree that puzzles can be DNFed... one of my count last year, I found the field puzzle, but the coordinates for the second (final) stage produced nothing. I scoured that area until forced out by a storm, so DNF that time, again on another day, but... I did find the cache on a third trip and claimed the find, first in over a year or so. Sometimes I condense multiple DNF's after finding into one DNF with all the information for all of them. I haven't done that for last year in all cases yet. Focus is on the finds for me, but who's counting. As for unsolved puzzles, I'm not sure they would be DNFs, since in my view the hunt for the cache (push GOTO) has not yet taken place... Solving is information gathering and prep work. But that is my 'way' of playing. Doug 7rxc

Yes, the solution is some sort of gear reduction system, just need to add some friction loss in there to prevent the output shaft from turning the motor. We used to 'mine' old VCR units that almost worked. Lots of low voltage motor/gear units in those, and most VCR's are disposed of due to recording problems or playback, simply cheaper to buy new than repair. Much of the time it was just stretched or broken drive belts or simply dirt in the things... Hardly ever saw one that didn't have lots or working bits... later ones tended to be direct drives though... older ones are better in my book. Check out an online robotics website for sources for DIY parts sources. I used to get all mine from local electronic repair shops. Haven't tried since the advent of CD/DVD players, but they are around. Doug 7rxc