billrow

My son (Apple employee) finally convinced my to switch from my Andriod phone to an iPhone. The Geocaching app on iPhone seems to have some cooler features. But... I can't see any way to download a GPX file to the phone in order to search for specific caches, which I could do on the Android. I know, the app has lots of filtering available, but I prefer to do filtering in GSAK, and then copy the file to my phone. Any idea if that can be done? And if so, how? I managed to get a GPX file to my phone from my PC using the iExplorer app, but don't know how to get the Geocaching app to look for it. ???

No, I never log "TFTC". I always go in via the web and try to enter something interesting after I have logged the basic info from the field. And a few extra clicks isn't really a huge deal. It's just that as a retired software developer, I find it annoying to have an app that is streamlined to minimize the keystrokes taken away from me, and forced back to one that doesn't seem to be designed with usability in mind. Again... just my two cents. Feel free to ignore.

When I am doing "freeform" searching in the field, I use the Groundspeak app on my Android phone. But if I want to load up a GPX file of caches to look for, I have been using the GeoBeagle app, for one reason: MUCH easier to log a field note! It looks like the use of GeoBeagle has basically been disabled now, with the loss of logging via text messages. I would suggest the developers look at the way logging works in GeoBeagle. Here is the comparison, which shows 8 touches required on GS app, vs. only 3 with GB: Groundspeak APP: On main page for cache, first have to scroll down Select “Post a Log/Field Note” Select “Log Type” Select “Found It!” or “Didn’t Find It” (or infrequently, different log type) Select “Edit Message” Type something (required) Select “OK” Select “Submit to Geocaching.com” GEOBEAGLE: On main page for cache, select “Log Find” or “Log DNF” Select “Log Cache” Select “Send” (text can be entered first, but not required) Much easier to log with 3 clicks than 8; especially as you're heading down the trail to the next cache. I know the intent is to support logging totally from the field. But since logging as a field note is supported, it seems there should be an easier option for creating the field note. I imagine at least 95% of logs are either Found or DNF, and for notes or others, the log type could always be changed when accessing the field note from the website. And of course more text can be adding to the log from the computer. Just my $0.02...

I've been using the android GC app for some time with no problems. Recently I started getting "Can't connect to GC.com" error. I thought I would try reinstalling, so I removed the app. When I look it up on the marketplace it shows status "purchased", and I see option to install it. But when I try to install, it tells me it's not purchased. And I don't see any option to purchase, even if I wanted to pay for it again. Any ideas???

!!!!! I have two puzzle caches that depend on being able to look at specific dates of logs to get info. It would be MUCH too tedious to click on every log entry to see the dates. I guess I'll archive them now! (Ever hear the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."?)

Let me make sure I understand this: You just go to the location, and do whatever silly thing the poster thought up to do. Nothing to find; no information to get; nothing to sign. But it adds to your numbers. Stupid! Seems like there are other things Groundspeak could be spending time on!

Seems like this would be an easy thing to do (and probably is), but I haven't figured it out. I would like some info describing the zone to always display when the player is within the zone. If I set description in the Base Information section, it always displays when zone is active and visible, even if player isn't in the zone. I guess I could use Proximity or Distance to control it via a message, but that wouldn't detect when player is actually in the zone. I can display a message for the Enter event, but then if they do some other function, then come back to the zone screen, the description isn't there anymore. ??? BTW, I'm using Wherigo Builder, if that matters.

Great input! Shoulda known there would be some GSAK macros to help with it. I'll give them a try. Thanks!

I'm not sure if this would be a GSAK question or a GC.com question, so I'll start here. I'm planning a trip in a couple of months, and starting to load some specific caches I would like to look for into a GSAK database. Some are coming from various PQs, then doing some filtering in GSAK. And some just individual caches that I'm grabbing into single GPX files, and loading into GSAK. It would be nice if I could refresh that data just before my trip with current logs and other info. I could create a GPX file from the GSAK database, but don't know if there is a way to bring that back into GC.com to get latest data? I don't think you can generate a PQ based on a list of caches in a GPX file? That would be opposite to the normal flow of data. Any ideas??

Is anyone aware of a mapping app that provides a view of cache saturation over a broad area? Using the gc.com Google Maps interface, you quickly run into the 500 cache limit, and have to do lots of map scrolling to expand your search. One thing I could envision would be a map that would use color to show cache saturation, like the weather radar that uses colors to show storm intensity. It could be based on a grid with one “square minute” of lat/long as the lowest level of detail. It wouldn’t need to have any detailed cache info, just a count of the number of caches within each grid cell area, perhaps with a filter available for cache types. Then as you zoom in, it could overlay the count number onto each area. It would be really cool to be able to click on one of the cell areas, and have it take you to gc.com Google Maps for that location, to find details of caches. This shouldn’t be too hard to develop with the Google Maps API. The question would be if it’s possible to extract the cache counts needed from the gc.com database? Or, maybe there’s already something out there that provides similar functionality?

I'm working on my first cartridge, using the Builder. You can create commands for Items, Characters, and Zones, and there are checkboxes to show/hide. But when you go to create an Action, there is an option to "Show or Hide a character or item command"; but I can't see any way to dynamically show or hide a Zone command. Is this not allowed for some reason? Or some other way to do that? Thanks for any help, Bill

When investigating a cache that hasn't been found for some time, I will go to the CO's profile to take a look, and possibly send email. I often find that they have no cache finds or hides for several years, so I assume they are no longer "in the game". But the "Last Visit" date on the profile almost always seems to show a fairly recent date. Hard to believe that someone has had no caching activity for several years, but is still getting into their GC.com account? Especially when I see it for lots of different people. Could there be a bug???

NEVER MIND.....!! I had changed the format on gpx files created from GSAK, and didn't realize how that would affect what Geobeagle generates. It's all better now...

I have been using Geobeagle for a while on my Driod phone, and sending field notes with SMS to access on GC.com. It was working fine until the last couple of weeks. when the data starting to be rejected by GC.com. It previously came up with default format like "GEOC @GC12345", using the cache id, which worked. It is now defaulting to "GEOC @CacheName", and GC.com responds to the text msg with "Hmm... We don't recognize the code CacheName." I think I installed an upgrade to Geobeagle, but can't remember if it was about that same time? Or maybe something changed in my gpx files? I sent email to the author of Geobeagle, but no response. Has anyone else seen this happen?? Thanks, Bill

Story of my life: I find a feature... it turns out to be a bug! But thanks for the info.

When I'm using the Google Maps function within GC.com (where it shows caches on the map), if I want to move around to a different area on the map, I have to click/drag, click/drag, etc. very quickly if I don't want it to jump in and pull up the caches for the current map view. (In other words, if I need to do the scrolling several times to get to the area I want to see). Occasionally I seem to get into a mode where I can keep moving the map location around WITHOUT it trying to immediately refresh the caches. But I have no idea what action is changing me to that mode! Just seems to happen sometimes. Any idea how that works?

just a test

Geocaching.com is down! Oh, my God! My life no longer has meaning! Yahoo or Google down for a while? No problem. U.S. Missile Defense System? We could get by without that for a while. But not geocaching.com!! Oh, the humanity!!!

Thanks for the info. It's sure nice to find a forum where you can get quick helpful responses, without getting flamed about how stupid your question is!!

I'm just getting started with this, and trying to understand how pocket queries work. I tried creating one and submitted it, but had some parameters wrong, so got zero results. I figured out the problem, and submitted again, and got results which I could preview. But I guess my first attempt went into the scheduling queue, and I got email back with zero results. So does that mean I can't run it again for a week?? Guess I could just create another one with a different name... Is there a way to preview the PQ to make sure it's working as desired, without submitting it to be scheduled? Can't seem to see how to do that. ?? Thanks for any advice.

I'm working on an idea for a series of puzzle caches. All would work from the same basic concept, and use the same method for computing the final location. But each would have a different kind of puzzle involved. I would like to be able to create a single reference document of some kind that could be accessed from each individual puzzle cache page, which would include the basic instructions for the overall puzzle concept. I don't think creating a waypoint would work for this, as I believe it has to be attached to a single cache? And also the reference document would need to include html and link to a graphic for a puzzle example. Is it possible (and allowed) to create a separate cache (not sure what cache type it would be?) that would include all of the reference info, and then I could refer to that from the individual puzzle caches (ideally by using a direct link in html)? There wouldn't be any physical cache associated with the reference item, so I don't know if that's permitted. Or, is there some other way to do this kind of thing? Thanks for any advice.