budd-rdc

In other words, cachers should not pay to geocache. What is wrong with rewarding other monetary supporters of this website, with caches? Is this too exclusionary for you? If tomorrow, every hidden cache changed to PMOC, I could understand your argument about this website becoming a "pay to play" website. The majority of caches are still "open to everyone" paying or not. <snipped content> Here is my most "exclusionary cache" Eisen-Faust Okay man, that cache ROCKS! I did one the other day where I went up a ridge about 200 feet, makes that seem like nothing. Back on topic, the main reason I don't like the PMOC is that in the future it could be used to justify making access to caches a pay based activity, and I think if the community balks at the idea, it won't ever become a feasible marketing target. It's a legitimate fear to have, but if you want my opinion, it won't happen under the current "regime." Groundspeak seem to have a good balanced mixture of membership fees, merchandising, advertising, and corporate sponsorships to sustain themselves, and at the same time, keep Geocaching reasonably "free." The gripe about MOC's should really go to the listing owner. After all, he ultimately chooses to do that. As noted earlier, many owners will remove the MOC status after special circumstances, like FTF opportunities, and I can live with that.

We don't always have the time, but when we do and friends are available, it is a lot of fun. My question really isn't a taunt, it is to discover why this is frowned upon and discouraged among some of the community. The keyword is competitive element. The frowning and discouragement are based on that. People who dismiss and ignore the competitiveness of this game (or anything in life) are burying their heads in the sand. It exists. It's human nature. One can choose to ignore it, of course, but many don't. A person who announces his cache run "achievements" is competing, even if it's against himself. There's nothing wrong with that, but by making it public, it is subject to scrutiny by others (and the "community"). If he wants to avoid the scrutiny, don't say "#5 out of 30" in the logs. Cachers in my area will occasionally announce how many caches they've found after a cache run. Some owners will complain that the logs were cut and paste, since that is not fun for them. Otherwise, as long as log books are signed, caches are rehidden reasonably, etc., we don't frown upon the practice.

Yeah, all the contestants have to eat the same brand hotdog, too, so no "I can eat whichever hotdog I want" exemptions... eliminates the potential taste advantage. I think record runs are a fun "bragging tool" for a local region, especially among cacher friends. Otherwise, I agree with TrailGators that there are too many variables, and as a result, too much controversy to really mean anything.

The short answer (and merely my opinion) is that administering virtual caches on GC.com caused problems, mostly political. The reviewers took a lot of heat for rejecting the listings. Hiders lacked the discipline to impose "quality control" so many finders complained they were becoming "lame." Many of the virtuals in my area are wonderful. It's likely many more were rejected without my knowledge. I don't blame people for wanting to recreate the wonderfulness by hiding one of their own. Unfortunately, that's no longer possible in Geocaching.com. You can still share the locations you find by using Waymarking, but as tozainamboku has said, it's more difficult to recreate the element of surprise there.

Yes it can be fun. I know a few people who tried record runs (around 200 in a 24 hour period), and they had to overcome challenges, including fatique and darkness. As you are already aware, the key is meticulate planning, including choosing the area and route, and targeting caches to minimize access and search times. Personally, I like improvising so I'll never be able to pull one off. I get mentally tired around 30 finds a day.

Nope, you aren't the worst geocachers ever, since there is no such thing as the best geocacher ever either. The problem you are experiencing is not uncommon, since the caches can be hidden in clever ways that you don't expect. You'll also have to get used to how your GPSr behaves in different environment, as it can point to many locations near tree cover, walls, buildings, etc. The people who hid the cache may not have taken that into account, so the coordinates might be significantly off. Previous finders might have moved the cache to a different location. The cache might be missing. I agree with you that not enough cache owners use explicit hints to help people like yourself, which can be frustrating. I'd go ahead and e-mail the owner and verify if you were close or not. You can also post a DNF. You can read through past logs for clues left by previous visitors. Don't despair. It does require some experience to get used to this game.

Yes there is such a number. It is controversial. As for a Guiness record, I'll defer the real answer to people who are familiar in setting one up. From what little I know, I'll answer that no, it can't be a Guiness record. As for telling us how you cache, it doesn't change the question because you aren't telling us why you want to know.

Even if Groundspeak removed the MOC feature, people can still choose to require additional logging requirements to restrict access, so "elitism" will live on. I've heard various reasons why a cache is MOC, and they have already been discussed. The only one that seems "elitist" is people hiding one to force people to become a Premium Member, since it's used as a recruiting tool. I suspect it's not effective, judging by how often this topic comes up. Besides, many of us became PM for the PQ.

I've used eBay for more than 5 years, so many of the issues discussed here are almost intuitive for me. For your first GPSr, avoid auctions because the risk is higher. Why not take the time to visit a retail store, so you can see the equipment firsthand? Don't forget to factor in the total cost, including shipping, handling and taxes. If you are willing to take the time to research things other than the features of the GPSr (seller ratings, "market" trend, etc.), then sure, eBay can reduce your risk and potentially save you money. If you are serious about saving money and buying it online, look for refurbished units, or in the clearance/close out sections of an online store. In fact, do the same if you are visiting a retail store.

If it's $30 a year to do the same thing I'm doing now, I'm indifferent as to who's administering Geocaching. Maybe a disgruntled Geocacher can argue for "taxation without representation." Maybe we'll have a Supreme Court decision on "Geocaching lameness." People can argue for precedents. The change in the game (and the resulting inefficiencies) might spark a new renaissance.

It's software version 2.14 - I dont think that I can upgrade this version. Also, there is no option for changing to WAAS enabled. (Just Normal, Battery Save, Demo) Yup, that's the latest version you can use for your eTrex, so no WAAS for you. No big deal, though. I have a similar setup, an eTrex Summit with version 2.50, no WAAS. As long as you get used to how it behaves under multipathing (especially near cyclone fences) and tree cover, it's a great unit for Geocaching.

PFF pretty much covered it. Some people go by the number of samples (100+ points averaged) instead of minutes, but that's essentially the same thing, increasing your data sample. He said the keyword, which is reproducibility. There are times when the location doesn't receive signals well, or suffer from multipathing (signals bouncing off objects before reaching your GPSr) - standing next to walls, large trees, and cyclone fences, for example. In that case, you can stand away from the obstruction, take your reading, then project, triangulate, use maps, or find other creative ways to guess the coordinates to the best of your ability. If you are still not confident, you can always write explicit hints.

I can say from personal experience that there really isn't a "most accurate receiver" among the popular makes, which would be Garmin, Magellan, and Lowrance. They may behave differently when you are moving, but if you let them settle in most environments, they report about the same position, within EPE (Estimated Position Error), good enough for Geocaching. I use 5 year old designs from both Garmin and Magellan, and the cheapest Lowrance on the market, but I can still get very close to caches hidden by users of more expensive models without problems. My guess is that you really want to discuss which receiver has the quickest position fix.

I hope it doesn't come to that. Inability to adhere to the honor system speaks badly for us, the participants. Better solution would be a " tax" since more finds you log, more GC.com resources you are using, so you should be paying more $ for Premium Membership.

They closed several of the stores around here because they weren't doing enough business. I recall the main office did some "sugarcoating" for their finances, so they no longer had the $ to market the franchise nationally, like they should have. Doesn't help when people are trying to change their dietary habits, with things like United for Diabetes TBs. Few years ago, I'd have said Quizno's. Now, try Panera Bread, if you want to start a franchise. As for Geocaching related retail store, I suspect there isn't enough volume to pay for the overhead, so you might have to do it as a side business along with something else.

I was in Northern Indiana area not too long ago, including South Bend. You should be able to pick up WAAS signal, even in lightly wooded areas, so I recommend you use it for a while and get used to how your Garmin behaves. Your 60CSx will behave just fine in case it can't pick up WAAS due to buildings and/or dense forest. Why bother switching it on and off when your Garmin is smart enough to know what to do?

I'm not offended... but there seems to be a demand for "In Before The Lock" Stats here.

I checked your profile, and looks like you are relatively new to the forums (but not Geocaching). You aren't a Premium Member, so you can't access the Off Topics sections to discuss this. Besides, it's better to talk about this topic among your peers instead of here, which is focused specifically on Geocaching related topics.

I'm surprised no one compares Geocaching.com to PBS (Public Television). They both rely on membership subscription and corporate sponsors to provide content. Well, PBS is non-profit so people make tax-deductible donations... I was non-PM for just over 4 months, and happily ignored MOC's. I became a Premium Member for the features I get in return, and I'm very happy with them. So I say why not. Others in the thread have already covered the many reasons why Premium Membership is a good thing.

Kind of like this one? Yeah, I visited that one when I first started Geocaching. Too bad the title wasn't more generic like "Tehachapi Best" or "World's Best Loop View" but considering when it was published (2003), I can see how it slipped through, due to looser guidelines. Even with the current guidelines, the political climate at the time would have risked cries of "traitor!" had it been rejected. I highly recommend the cache, but as a disclaimer, I'm pushing a railfan agenda.

Not quite true. It also updates the estimated accuracy of the averaged value. This quite obviously takes into accounts changes in the EPE during the averaging. IME, whatever calculation they are using for this works very well. Echoing your comments. Please use averaging when hiding a cache, if it's available. I've had very good luck getting very close to caches hidden by hiders who use it, even in dense redwood forests.

You might have to be more specific on what is considered "cheating." In the general sense, widespread cheating eventually leads to loss of credibility to an activity. Cheating is often overlooked when an activity is experiencing growth, where growth = significant increase in number of participants. An activity will often need to be regulated to demonstrate that it's fair enough so participants don't leave in droves. If you go back 8 years, you'll see plenty of examples. Major League Baseball, the stock market, eBay... Geocaching isn't a multi-billion dollar industry like above, so the consequences of cheating are far less serious. But it can still suffer from credibility problems, and drive people away eventually. If you want my opinion, cheating isn't a problem in Geocaching so people can still play the game the way they want.

I'm glad you spoke your concerns here in the forums. If this really was a censorship problem and Groundspeak remedied it after this, your actions achieved positive results. This thread is still here, and it looks the same as when I first saw it. Groundspeak, to my knowledge, isn't a malicious organization. Just remember the early victims of ID theft who were completely ignored because majority of people denied such a thing was possible. Lessons for the information age...

I don't own one, but have used one, and I believe it's true.

Some older versions of eTrex's do not support WAAS at all, and they are not upgradeable. Find [sETUP] then [sYSTEM] then select [sOFTWARE] (second button from the bottom), and tell us which version you have.