Thot

You can make your benchmarking hobby serve a useful purpose by submitting your results to the NGS. They encourage you to submit them. I do this and have written a PDF file explaining how and explaining how I do it. If you don't want to submit finds and DNF's you can just submit pictures. But, since the coordinates are often poor the ones you take when visiting the mark can be helpful the those who use the benchmarks for surveying. You can read it here: http://www.factsfacts.com/benchmarking/UpdatingNGSBenchmarkData.pdf The method has changed since the topics pinned to the top of this forum were written. Though I never did it the old way I think they have made it much easier. I'm certainly no expert at this but I've probably submitted about a hundred by now using the method described in the PDF file above. Oh yes, I should add. No one has used any of this PDF, it's links or the utilities before except me so if you find problems, email me or post them here. Thanks.

If that's the NGS database of benchmarks, I use that for my benchmark hunting. The GC database is too far out of date.

Where can I find out how to do this?

As I've done benchmarking I've probably found 10 or so that are too new to be on GC.com. What do others do with these -- anything? Here's an example of what I did with one. I posted a note on the nearest existing benchmark to it in GC.

There's nothing on that driveway. That must have been a piece of trash. I'm reasonably (75%) sure the benchmark's gone. I didn't post here to get help finding it I was trying to see of anybody knew what that is in the picture I posted in case is was some odd kind of benchmark.

I'm not sure how you know where I was looking but here's the whole story:

AW2067

Has anybody seen one of these things and know what it is? While out yesterday I found this thing (see photo) at the location where a benchmark was supposed to be. I found no benchmark but I found this where the benchmark was supposed to be. I didn't measure it but it looks to be between 20 and 30 inches tall

I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean the existence of a RESET indicates the original was destroyed? Or, do you mean the Description of the RESET will typically state that the original has been destroyed?

I think my copy of the database is about 18 months old. There are several of these pairs near me. Here are a couple: AW2755 Z 640 AW1308 Z 640 RESET AW2756 K 646 AW1309 K 646 RESET

I do a little benchmarking (not much) but I have questions I haven't figured out the answers to. I'll start with this one: When there's a benchmark labeled "Reset" does this automatically mean the original no longer exists (has been destroyed, removed, paved over, etc.)? If so, why does the mark with the original name still appear in the list?

If they can do what you suggest, to avoid clutter, I would suggest they send only one notice for a given log. Usually people post all of there pictures at one sitting, so if you get notice of one you will probably find their others by the time you get the message and go to the log. Of course if you have the notices sent to your smart phone you may well get there before they're finished so stifle yourself for thirty minutes. Personally, my preference would be for them to hold the notice and check for photos before sending. I wouldn't mind if they held it for as much as an hour.

I enjoy looking at pictures cachers have left, but there's no notice when a cacher leaves pictures. I rarely go to the cache page so it may be months or more before I realize they posted a picture. I suggest a notice (could be optional) of whether someone has left a picture. I understand pictures are not uploaded instantly after a log has been posted. I'd suggest one of the following: Wait 15 or so minutes after a log is posted before sending the log notice to allow time for the cacher to upload a picture. If they have posted at least one picture a note could be added to the log notice. Another, not as clean way, is to check the log again say an hour later and send a second notice if they have posted a picture. For me, this is less desirable because I already get a lot of clutter, but better than not knowing about the pictures.

Thanks. Amazing you must download them in blocks of 25.

Question 1: I just downloaded my visited waymarks. Is there a way to download them all at once rather than a page at a time? Question 2: Using the page at a time method it says I only have 96 but the ribbons say I have more than a 100. Does anyone know why that is?

Wrong thread

Thanks, that worked slick. Somebody should update the pinned stuff with these instructions.

Thanks, but that link doesn't work either.

I spent the better part of a day yesterday trying to get benchmarks into GSAK in a useful form. In your pinned Me First topic, under County Downloads, nothing seems to work. It reads: First, clicking on NGS, as instructed, is a dead link. Second, after stumbling around on the NGS site I found my state, but there was nothing about "County Archives." Third, so, I downloaded the huge State file and dropped it on BMGPX (an unsupported program) and it choked on the file. Fourth, I found a page that allowed me to select my county's data but wouldn't allow me to download it. It refused saying I was asking for too much data. Fifth, I downloaded some benchmark files from GC in Loc format (GPX doesn't appear to be available) but when imported into GSAK the descriptions are not present in a form that can be exported to my Palm or Nuvi in the way I do cache descriptions. Is there a (hopefully straightforward) way to get benchmarks into GSAK.

It's this one

Can somebody tell me how to get to the cache rating system?

That's because the first was posted while I was composing mine, thus I didn't know about it.

What if it's a 4+ terrain cache that's 30 feet up in a tree and the cacher's find log says, "I saw it but didn't want to climb the tree. What if the cacher's find log says "I could see the cache, but I was on the wrong side of the creek."

I assume that's one of the 'unusual situations' I mentioned. But, as many wet & soaked logs I've run into, only a very few were totally unsignable mush. I carry replacement logs with me, so in those cases I can usually sign one of my replacements and include it in the cache. Another such situation is a rusted shut container.

Never mind. I found it