Gr8Scot
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Posts
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Posts posted by Gr8Scot
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I've received all the ones listed in my newsletter except for an Earthcache and one outside of my 100km radius setting, but that's what I would expect from my PQ settings. Some of the dates in the newsletter precede the dates of the relevant notification e-mails, but I have them all.
Have you checked to see that your PQ settings are still the same? Radius, type, etc.
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I wonder if anyone else has any similar stories to this? Please share if you do!
On Sunday I was out on an mtb ride up a tricky (for me) piece of trail called Kliprug in the hills outside Durbanville. I'm currently recording all my mtb tracks and uploading them to OSM, so as usual I had my Oregon in my back RHS shirt pocket. While climbing a tight right hand switchback that has rocks in the path, the chain slipped over the top of the gears as I put the pressure on to get round. This caused the back wheel to lock and when that happens there's only one way you go, and that's over! With feet clipped to the pedals, there's nothing you can do to stop yourself falling, and in this case it was into a pile of sharp rocks.
Fortunately injuries weren't severe (mostly pride and some grazed shins and elbows). It was only once I reached the end of the trail and was enjoying breakfast that I took a look at the Oregon and saw the damage that the rubber backing had suffered. There's no doubt that I would have been much worse off if it hadn't been protecting my lower back, as can be seen from the photo below.
So big thanks from me to Garmin for building these units so tough. There's no other damage other than to the rubber "skin" and the recording of the tracks was uninterrupted. Just as well that I had the screen side in though, so there's something to remember in the future.
PS: Any suggestions on how to repair the rubber?
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An established cacher with a new profile...
I look forward to a younger minds perspective and memories of my caches. (Not too brief, I hope!)
Couldn't agree more! I feel that any team member who wishes to start logging on their own should be able to log retroactively. Provided that they were actually present when the log was originally signed of course.
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Let's do a group toughie with D'Bob.
What do you think D'Bob?
Fit enough?
I know Gr8Scott is!
Ok, so I suppose I have no choice then. I'm in, and have no date problems in March that I'm aware of. I was also considering organising a nICE Event 2 for March, so perhaps we can make that while D'Bob is here and some of the others that can't make the walk could get to meet him there. Can we call on CnC for another Pub Quiz and I'll organise the same venue?
BTW - While walking back from the cache to the 10 year event with BruceTP, I offered to collate orders from Cape Town cachers for those stunning name tags that he gets made up. He said that if we can get 30 names together, that would be the most efficient. He'll then have them made and I'll get them couriered to me and then use our deliverymen to drop them off around Cape Town. If anyone is interested, please let me know.
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I was explaining geocaching to a friend the other day and he asked me how many active geocachers there were in SA and what the breakdown per province is. I've no idea how one defines a cacher as "active". Maybe someone who has logged a find or placed a cache in the last three months? Is it possible to get such statistics?
See my message of 16 November. I plan to recalculate this statistic, but first I have to get my database up to date!
That's great. Thanks!
Note to self - next time SEARCH before asking)
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There is a growth in geocaching. About 3 years ago it was actually getting boring to read the logbook. The same set of names always appeared somewhere in the pages. Only the sequence of names was different. Now it is a different story, at regular intervals I notice a new name not known to me. If you go to their profiles then they already have a substantial number of cache finds with some difficult puzzle caches on their names.
I reckon it's the advent of GPS enabled smartphones that's doing it. I know that one can indicate your equipment in your profile. Would it be possible to see what % of cachers use a traditional GPSr and which use smartphones?
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I was explaining geocaching to a friend the other day and he asked me how many active geocachers there were in SA and what the breakdown per province is. I've no idea how one defines a cacher as "active". Maybe someone who has logged a find or placed a cache in the last three months? Is it possible to get such statistics?
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I just had a listing published by ROTSIP: http://coord.info/GC2G4AK but I didn't get a notification email. Usually, even when it is my cache, I get one. I'm wondering if the new changes made these emails smarter, and I don't get one for my own caches, or if one just didn't go out. Did anyone get an email for this new cache? It was published 12:27 am according to my gmail. Thanks!
I didn't get the usual notification for a new cache e-mail either. Looks like some things have changed. My forum e-mails also normally go to a Forum folder but now aren't, so my forum filter is not working any more either. Probably a change in the subject wording. I'll have to check.
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It appeared just like the preview but different to the quotes above. So it'll probably just work itself out (or it's a bug they'll fix).
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Just looking at the new Forum - looks very different - hope it is still easy to use. First impression looks good!
I must say that I preferred the way the older version used to show quotes on a different coloured background, rather than just a light line down the left. Made reading the thread easier.
Interesting - the preview looks different to the existing posts in the thread. Preview is how I'd prefer it to look, but maybe once I post it'll appear like that. Let's see....
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Ah that seems a bit unfair
As far as I can guess, the proximity rule is to avoid a 2nd cache stealing anothers thunder, and 2 prevent 2 copy caches.
But GC shoud take elevation into account when applying the proximity rule. After all 2 caches 10m apart might actually take over an hour to get from one cache to the other and are thus 2 completly different caches.
100% agree with this statement. As far as I understood, geographical terrain had to be taken into account, but recent experience also proved otherwise. Maybe the proximity guideline needs to be changed from 160m as the crow flies (currently) to 160m via the shortest possible walking route? Imagine two caches on either side of a harbour entrance less than 160m wide (e.g. Kalk Bay Harbour), so it's not only elevation that needs to be considered.
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I just got my PQ for WC, and I see 91 in the SS: series for WC. Perhaps Paddawan can tell us himself?
You're about right. I realised too late that my new cache notification is set at 50km radius. Paddawan responded in the Fynbos Finders thread and said it's 90 with two to come. Now I'm even more gobsmacked!
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Also I got 58 of the SS series?
Looks like we both got caught out by our new cache publication radius or something. I just checked and it's actually 89!!!
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Paddawan just had 33 caches published simultaneously and presently has a 633:119 finds to placement ratio. Is this some sort a record? Obviously cachers with a low number of finds could probably top this, but say for anyone with over 300 finds?
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Western Cape geocachers: be on the lookout for low-flying FTF'ers as they tackle all of those new Shipwreck Series caches!
Wow! Surely that has to be some sort of a record. 33 caches published simultaneously! And a (633/119=) 5.3 finds per caches placed ratio has to be a record as well. Perhaps this question should be on the Statistics thread?
Well done Paddawan !!
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Agreed. A "Question to answer" part of a multi-stage does not have proximity issues, so take finders to your historical point of interest and let them collect an answer that takes you to the final. Not ideal, but a workaround of sorts.
Thanks for the suggestions. With some more effort I could probably do as suggested, although it's not ideal and feels a bit like cheating the system. Trouble is, I think I'm really going to battle to find anywhere nearby to put the final that won't clash. That's why I was so happy when I found the site originally. Oh well, just proves that the old "If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't" saying.
BTW, I just checked from my unpublished cache page, and the final in question belongs to a cache listed 4 PAGES away on the "show nearby caches" option! Not surprising I didn't expect that one to clash. It's a venerable highly rated cache on GCVote too, so in this case I'll gladly step back and try to find another solution.
This just illustrates the point of this thread though. The possibility of just giving up and publishing on Opencaching without a review process has, in my mind, serious implications should Garmin and GS not come to some sort of agreement. That's assuming that Opencaching takes hold of course. What concerns me is that Opencaching, by allowing upload of anyone's found list from a gpx file, could very quickly end up with masses of caches listed that they put no effort at all into helping create. Feels like theft to me.
Any thoughts on exactly what our legal rights to caches we place are? In the GS terms & conditions I've no doubt that we give GS the right to do what they will with the information we provide. But surely another company can't just take that information for themselves without the CO's permission? Any bets at to when the first US based CO sues Garmin for theft?
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Just added one. Just out of frustration really. Hidden a cache deep in a steep gorge, felt like it was miles from anywhere, only to find out it is 50m as the crow flies from a cache at the top of the gorge. Dont think I will ever get it published on GC.com.....so why not put it on OC?
Its Called Dark George
A FTF is out there.........
I'm in the same boat. Just spent a week in research for a new cache featuring an almost lost piece of Cape Town history, only to find on submission that it breaches the proximity guideline for the final of a multi that starts 3.8km away! How was I supposed to know that?
This is the second time in as many caches that I've had proximity problems. Has anyone any guidance for me, as I think I must be missing something about picking cache sites?
So despite the fact that I don't like intentionally flouting the rules, I equally don't want to see the effort I put into the research for this cache going to waste. And it's such a good bit of history too.
So I might just be tempted....
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If you look at their other logs you will see that they have actually been caching in the company of sy-chispa - so that maybe the reason for the brief log it may even be the person mentioned in the intro.
Fair point - I should have checked their other logs. But at least it set me thinking about what could be done to help new cachers get up to speed.
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Pixel (& Possum) drew my attention to the first log on sy-chispa's Camps Bay Historical Walk this morning. To me this is a classic case of a newbie not knowing the accepted protocol for logging a find.
Sy-chispa obviously put a lot of time and research into setting up this cache. To get a first log like that must be pretty disappointing to say the least! Obviously the logger just doesn't know any better and the only way to improve this is by education.
I've always tried to send a "Welcome to Geocaching" e-mail when I've seen a log posted on one of my caches by someone with a very low find count. Just to say hello and to offer assistance if they need any in the future. From now on I'm also going to add a link to post #27 above (CapeDoc's summary). This should hopefully assist in the education of new cachers and at the same time make them aware of the forum.
I just hope this doesn't come over as too patronising. Any thoughts?
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I've read through the posts on the US forums. Interesting idea about registering your GS handle so that it can't be used by someone else on the new site.
If OC does get support in SA, what would worry me would be the proximity issues that would crop up if GS and OC caches were placed so close to each other that people started finding the wrong one. The suggestion is to cross post your GS caches to OC so that the area around your existing GS cache gets "reserved".
I'm interested to see how GS responds to this!
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I gather that it does come with a basic map, so I won't need anything extra to start off with?
If it comes with the same Base Map as my Oregon did, it really is VERY basic. That map covers the whole world, so all you get for SA is the really major roads. Think N roads and some R roads. You really do need something better for geocaching.
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Our TB's tags were posted from Gauteng on Friday 26th, so I hope that they get to us by next Sunday! Not very confident, as something posted last Friday via the same service still hasn't got here.
What happens if they don't make it in time for the start at the event? Can we start late?Another alternative would be to place another order but pay the overnight fee for that one. If you place it over the weekend and then drop W@lly an email to confirm receipt of the order and to give you the tracking number, and you should have it by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest.
Took your advice and had a courier pick another two up on Tuesday - had them first thing Wednesday morning, so we'll be logging them into the EC shortly. Murphy's law dictates that the others will now probably arrive before then as well. If so I'll have two spares available if anyone is looking for some. I'll bring them on Sunday (if they arrive in time) but will have them available for you or anyone else in CT who wants TB's thereafter, if they don't arrive in time.
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Clearly Rotsip is the most important person to discuss this with and I don't really think any further discussion should be done here until is has been discussed with him.
I've already communicated directly with Rotsip and he indicated he would be happy to meet any group of cachers on an informal basis, but has pointed out that certain information IS confidential. I take that as a go, so I'd like to hear what Cape Town cachers think of the idea.
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Wow that's so spooky!
CapeDoc and I just had discussions last week around arranging exactly such an event for the Cape Town cachers sometime in the new year (after the silly season). The idea being that the locals would chip in towards the cost of bringing our reviewer down to the Cape for a weekend and arrange a get-together of local cachers, where the reviewer could give a talk and questions could be asked.
Haven't broached the subject with ROTSIP yet, but as it's now out in the open, I'd be interested to hear what he and the Cape Town cachers think of the idea. I can arrange the same venue we had for the nICE Event Cache and maybe we can twist CnC's arm for another pub quiz at the same time.
Feedback Cape Town?
Notifications
in South Africa
Posted
Do I understand correctly that your e-mail notifications are set for caches within a 20km radius of your home, but that none of the caches listed on the newsletter are within 20km of your home? In that case, that's what I would expect to happen.
I'm not sure what radius from home co-ordinates the newsletter uses, but in my case I get notifications of new caches which are at a greater radius from home in the newsletter, than what the radius setting in my notification e-mails are.