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harraps

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Posts posted by harraps

  1. About a week ago I discovered that my account suddenly wasn't "premium" any more.

    According to the payment information I received during the auto-renewal (!!) last year, the premium membership expires on 6 May 2013.

     

    So two things are severely wrong here:

    1. Wrong expiration date is handled

    2. Auto-renewal does not work, despite the payment details are still correct

  2. Please be aware that the word "grab" is not used correctly on these help pages.

     

    "Retrieve" = a trackable is taken out of a cache container.

     

    "Grab" = a trackable is received from another cacher or was found in a cache, but omitting from the its inventory.

    In latter case, please:

    - wait a couple of days before grabbing. Not everybody is caching with a smartphone or has daily access to the internet (traveling, vacation!);

    - contact the previous holder and/or the owner to check what is going on prior to any speed-express grabbing;

    - give an explanation why "grab" was used instead of "retrieve".

    - drop and retrieve the trackable in/from the cache where you found it in, so the voyage stays intact.

  3. Seen that so many coins get stolen (by mistake or on purpose), it is surprising that there is no thread like the one in the TB section.

     

    So, what should they know?

    Basically, that the same rules as for TBs apply, and ...

     

    ... that the info sheet (and the how-to) is misleading. Groundspeak has seemed to be fallen in love with the word "grab", so they use it everywhere where they can, appropriate or not. Replacing it with the the correct "retrieve" or "take out of cache" seems to be no point of consideration.

    So new cachers try to do as told, which ends up with trackables being continuously grabbed and not being logged to any place.

     

    Info sheet:

    "If you are willing to log your part of this Trackable's journey and place it in another geocache as soon as possible (after you log your find), grab it from this geocache."

    Grab? Really?

    How about this:

    "If you are willing to log your part of this Trackable's journey and place it in another geocache as soon as possible (after you log your find), retrieve it from this geocache."

     

    How-to:

    "Step 1. Get the Tracking Number

    In order to log your find and "grab" the Geocoin, you first need to locate the coin's tracking number."

    "Step 3. Found it? Log it!

    Once you reach the Geocoin listing, you will want to write a log to let the owner know you found it. By logging the find you are also "grabbing" the Geocoin and putting it in your account's online inventory. This will ultimately allow you to drop the Geocoin in another cache."

    Second paragraph then explains the difference between retrieve and grab quite nicely - but too late. The TMTR-generation of all ages of nowadays hardly keeps on reading that far (if they ever bother to go to that page).

     

    How about:

    "Step 1. Get the Tracking Number

    In order to log your find and add the Coin to your inventory, you first need to locate the Coin's tracking number."

    "Step 3. Found it? Log it!

    Once you reach the Geocoin listing, you will want to write a log to let the owner know you found it. By logging the find you are also "grabbing" the Geocoin and putting it in your account's online inventory. This will ultimately allow you to drop the Geocoin in another cache."

     

    BTW - I usually find the coins first and then look for their Tracking Number.

    Am I doing it in the wrong order since years :blink: ?

  4. ... that the info sheet (and the how-to) is misleading. Groundspeak has seemed to be fallen in love with the word "grab", so they use it everywhere where they can, appropriate or not. Replacing it with the the correct "retrieve" or "take out of cache" seems to be no point of consideration.

    So new cachers try to do as told, which ends up with trackables being continuously grabbed and not being logged to any place.

     

    Info sheet:

    "If you are willing to log your part of this Trackable's journey and place it in another geocache as soon as possible (after you log your find), grab it from this geocache."

    Grab? Really?

    How about this:

    "If you are willing to log your part of this Trackable's journey and place it in another geocache as soon as possible (after you log your find), retrieve it from this geocache."

     

    How-to:

    "Step 1. Get the Tracking Number

    In order to log your find and "grab" the Travel Bug, you first need to locate the Bug's tracking number."

    "Step 3. Found it? Log it!

    Once you reach the Travel Bug listing, you will need to write a log to let the owner know that you found it. By logging the find you are also 'grabbing' the Travel Bug and putting it in your account's online inventory."

    Second paragraph then explains the difference between retrieve and grab quite nicely - but too late. The TMTR-generation of all ages of nowadays hardly keeps on reading that far (if they ever bother to go to that page).

     

    How about:

    "Step 1. Get the Tracking Number

    In order to log your find and add the Travel Bug to your inventory, you first need to locate the Bug's tracking number."

    "Step 3. Found it? Log it!

    Once you reach the Travel Bug listing, you will need to write a log to let the owner know that you found it. By logging the find you are also 'grabbing' the Travel Bug and putting it in your account's online inventory."

     

    BTW - I usually find the TBs first and then look for their Tracking Number.

    Am I doing it in the wrong order since years :blink: ?

  5. Is there any specific reason why this is not corrected?

    As it is described right now, "grabbing" a trackable is the standard log type to be written when taking a trackable out of a cache.

     

    The physical activity of grabbing and retrieving might be the same, but it is quite annoying to receive more and more unnecessary "grab"-logs.

     

    How about to exchange "grab" with "take out". Or even "retrieve":

    Step 1. Get the Tracking Number

     

    In order to log your find and "retrieve" "grab" the Travel Bug, you first need to locate the Bug's tracking number. The number is normally on the dog tag that is attached to the item, or, in the case of Geocoins, is stamped on the item somewhere. Make sure to write this number down before dropping the item in another cache. You'll need it to locate and "retrieve" "grab" the Bug online.

     

    Step 2. Visit the Travel Bug's Page

     

    Each Travel Bug has its own web page. To visit the Bug's page, either go to the cache page for the geocache where you found the Bug and look for the Trackable in the inventory list, or visit the Travel Bug home page and use the search tool. To use the search tool, enter the tracking number in the supplied box and click the search button.

     

    Step 3. Found it? Log it! ??? The whole paragraph should in fact be Step 1. Don't know how you do it, but I always need to find a trackable and actually have it in my hands before being able to access the Tracking Number / Code

     

    Once you reach the Travel Bug listing, you will need to write a log to let the owner know that you found it. By logging the find you are also 'retrieving' 'grabbing' the Travel Bug and putting it in your account's online inventory. This will ultimately allow you to drop the Travel Bug in another cache.

     

    If the Travel Bug is listed as being in a cache, you will have two options, retrieving it or grabbing it. If you took it from the cache in which it is listed, choose to retrieve it. If you took the Travel Bug from elsewhere, choose to grab it. Both logs require the tracking number, so keep the tracking number handy for the Bug you plan to log.

     

    Once you have successfully grabbed or retrieved the Travel Bug, it will remain in your online inventory until someone else grabs it from you or you place it in a cache.

     

    You also have the option to 'Discover' a Travel Bug under the 'Found it? Log it!' menu. This log type is used when you see a Travel Bug in person, but are not planning to move it to another geocache. This log type will not add the Travel Bug in your trackable inventory.

  6. A feature seems to have vanished, the icon which gave direct access to the Feedback Forum.

    Result of using the search-field: "Your search for the term feedback forum returned 1000 results".

    Gave up after having read 50 of them, so - as this is a missing feature for me - here are some questions:

     

    1) Is this to be seen as the new Feedback Forum?

    2) Where can I access my ideas I posted earlier in the old Feedback?

  7. Does anybody know how long the wait is?

    It still states "You must wait before sending another e-mail", but does not give any more information anywhere. Why?

     

    I use to contact cachers when receiving a "trackable not seen in cache" note (and waited for four weeks) to ask if they accidentally took it along, but forgot to log it. It is very successful, about 80% of the trackables turn up again with the comment "... oh, yes, just found it in my backpack, sits there since weeks, totally forgot about it, was too busy with finding caches".

    For highly frequented caches this requires to contact a lot of cachers, which is cut short now.

    With all these changes in the last time, I get the feeling that Groundspeak is more interested in finding new customers than take care of the existing ones.

  8. Maybe I misunderstand, but the whole sounds as if somebody used the "grab"-log a little bit too early. One should wait some days, at least a week, before using this option.

    This happens quite often, because Groundspeak is giving confusing instructions on their own how-to page:

     

    "Picking up a Travel Bug

    [...]If you found a Travel Bug the first thing you need to do is "grab" it online so you can add your own story to its journey.[...]

     

    Step 1.

    Get the Tracking Number. In order to log your find and "grab" the Travel Bug, [...]

     

    Step 3.

    Found it? Log it! Once you reach the Travel Bug listing, you will need to write a log to let the owner know that you found it. By logging the find you are also 'grabbing' the Travel Bug and putting it in your account's online inventory. [...]"

     

    Groundspeak is aware of this, but refuses correction.

     

    EDIT:

    The correct log type is "retrieve". If you can't retrieve the trackable because it hasn't been logged yet to the cache you've found it in, be patient. Not everybody owns a smartphone and can log on the spot. If you haven't heard anything for a few days, in holiday season a week, contact the owner (or previous holder when "in hands of"), tell what the situation is and what you are planning to do. Do not forget to log the trackable to the cache you took it from when finally deciding to grab it.

  9. Wondering why TB hotels were referred to as "prisons" in this thread?

    Because many of them demand a minimum number of trackables always present and/or "you may take only as many as you put back in".

    Result: Often trackables stay in the box for ages and do not travel, unless a cacher is brave enough to ignore the requirement.

     

    Regarding topic at hand, a group of ten coins (plus the two "parents") were sent out recently. Am curious how they will do. This time no holes with tags - which is a very good strategy.

    Green "Log me" (as example) One of them already proved that reading skills are not everybody's cup of tea.

    Red "Don't log me" (as example)

     

    Edit:

    Instead of laminated tags I resorted to something else: The local hardware shop sells these big versions of Kevron tags. They can take a lot more wear and tear than the laminated tags.

    I replace the paper with Rite-in-the-rain and either use these plastic p-touch strips or a ballpoint.

    Less space for text, but after having heard complaints of cachers like "too much to read on the tag", less seems to be more.

    The whole thing is held together with a wire, clamps and heat shrink tube. Five of them are already out and survive quite well.

    Australian Wildlife (picture was made when in production)

  10. Hi,

     

    maybe ask here if there might be somebody who can help out with translations.

    Could assist with English to/from Dutch, German or French. Can arrange Polish and Spanish within a reasonable time frame.

    Prepared a standard text in E, NL, F and D here: forum.geocaching.nl/index.php?showtopic=17821 (for those who are member there... ain't anymore).

     

    Cheers,

     

    harraps

     

    Edit: Link

  11. If I were intending to keep the Geocoin and remove it from circulation,

     

    Please read the explanation above carefully and act accordingly.

     

    Please be aware that you will only find on very, very rare occasions a trackable which has no owner. Please always assume that a coin or a TB has already an owner, who sometimes spend a considerable amount of money and will be very :mad: if you keep it and don't let it travel.

    An action as described by you is in general seen as very rude and falls under the category "not done".

    Please also read this (and not the "How-to"page, which is mixing up "grab" and "retrieve").

  12. GC doesn't monitor the forums so i suggest you start a topic in the FEEDBACK section

    Actually already did so over the past year: Started a feedback thread of it's own as well as having added this information to several other threads, dealing with trackables / logging of trackables / ... .

    Some of them have been deleted by Groundspeak ("not interesting").

    So I added the info (again) today, e.g.:

     

    Could you please correct the trackables how to

    Are you sure you want to grab this tb

    Improve trackable logging

    New cacher must pass an online "Groundspeak" course to be approved to hide their first geocache.

     

    Exchanging one word for another cannot be so extremely difficult, can it?

  13. Hi from Europe.

     

    As this concerns both coins as well TB = trackables in general, but a double post in both main topics wouldn't make much sense, just here.

     

    No idea if it is the same for all of you, but I experience more and more geocachers, especially those who discovered this game fairly recently, use a "grab"-log instead of a "retrieve"-log when taking a trackable out of a cache and with them.

     

    The reason for this might be the confusing advice on "How-to":

     

    Picking up a Travel Bug

    A Travel Bug is usually a dog tag that is attached to a "hitchhiker," or an item that travels from place to place. If you found a Travel Bug the first thing you need to do is "grab" it online so you can add your own story to its journey.

     

    Step 1. Get the Tracking Number

    In order to log your find and "grab" the Travel Bug, you first need to locate the Bug's tracking number.

     

    Step 3. Found it? Log it!

    Once you reach the Travel Bug listing, you will need to write a log to let the owner know that you found it. By logging the find you are also 'grabbing' the Travel Bug and putting it in your account's online inventory.

     

    Conclusion: So if I find a trackable, the first thing I have to do is "grab" it = write a "grab"-log instead of a "retrieve"-log? <_<:o:blink::mad:

     

    REALLY???

  14. Ok, so first of all to start props for including maps in the latest update for statistics, as that was one thing severely lacking for those of us who are fans of them. :)

     

    My problem is though so far as I can tell for the continent-pertinent ones whoever was in charge of this project was lazy and just enlarged parts of the map with the continent in question. Normally ok, I would survive, but the Europe/Asia map is pretty terrible in this regard because of the Europe/Asia map in particular. For those who haven't seen it yet, they basically threw the two continents together and this is pretty terrible because

     

    a. European countries are numerous and tiny so they're impossible to differentiate on the map- basically the continent is the same size essentially as on the world map, so what's the point of that?

     

    b. The southernmost parts of Asia are cut off altogether! I for one would be very annoyed right now to be a cacher based in Malaysia or Sri Lanka because their countries are missing altogether- ok there can't be many, but still doesn't seem good.

     

    Just wondering if anyone else has noticed/ has observations about the new statistics features in general, or if I'm the only one quirky enough to notice/care.

     

    I second that and wonder if during the last two months any progress has been made in this matter?

     

    Does Groundspeak realize anyway that stuffing Europe and Asia together in one map is equal to as it would have been doing the same thing with North and South America?

    In fact, the latter one wouldn't be far as annoying as the Eurasia map - American countries tend to be of bigger size than most of the European and Asian ones.

  15. Thank you for your explanations.

    Questions might sound stupid, but I really did not get anywhere after testing and trying and reading a lot of stuff during the past months.

    Some of the functions/buttons explained above I just did not find and were not that obvious for me.

    Will go on trying.

    At the moment every single cache in my GPSr has the same name (the one of the PQ), not the correct one.

     

    Maybe I am just too stupid...

  16. Hi, also having problems with Pocket Queries and GSAK.

     

    Stumbled upon this thread by coincidence, so thought ask the question here. "GSAK" is too short a term to qualify as search term. Don't know which other word to add.

     

    I manage to

    - create PQs

    - receive them via email

    - unzip them

    - include the result of the PQ in GSAK, so that they vanish among all the other ones from different countries and continents.

    - create a filter in GSAK

     

    But how on earth do I get those being interesting for me (= the filtered ones) on my GPS?

    Do I have to delete all caches in GSAK on regular basis and only have those included which I intend to do the next day or week?

    How do the stats created with GSAK work then?

    Do I have to send ALL in GSAK to my GPS every time? I assume if no name is chosen in the "send WP to GPS" menu, all are send. (Where can one create a name and link caches to them?) When being in Sydney I do not need the ones in Europe, so I would prefer to NOT load them.

    Or do I have to send them one by one to the GPS? Why then use GSAK as additional step?

     

    Why is there no simple button "send result of PQ to GPS"?

    Or at least in GSAK a simple button "send result of current filter to GPS"?

     

    I am trying now since several weeks and am about to just delete every single cache in GSAK and my device after every cache weekend and upload the interesting ones one by one from geocaching.com.

    This takes ages, so obviously I am too stupid to grasp the advantages of PQs and GSAK...

     

    I am using the GPSMap 78s, and the "send Waypoint to GPS" menu offers next to none options to chosse what exactly one wants to send.

    The help-function GSAK explains only the things I can see, but skips those I am struggling with, see above. Might be a hint that they are common knowledge.

     

    Thankful for every hint and tip.

  17. How do I upload pictures to a Travelbug's site?

    Have taken pictures as the owners asked for it, but miss the "Upload image" button from the cache logs.

    There is also no possibility to edit the bug's log afterwards.

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