El Dorado Kid

Ok, I have spent the last half hour searching online for an answer. After years of successfully being able to find geocaches on Google Earth, suddenly, it is impossible to see any anymore. All I see is a 'red light' in the geocaching KML area on Google Earth. No idea why that is. I use two laptops. Neither one shows a 'green light' and neither one has allowed me to view cache locations in Google Earth! I've reinstalled the program. No change. Is this now only available to Premium members? Searching on this forum for at least a half hour hasn't resulted in any solutions. There's talk of a runaround. I agree because after wasting so much time looking, I have yet to get a solution. One post says the discussion was moved to the "Bugs" Section, and of course, no solution provided Where might I find that formum? Another post says it was moved to yet another forum. Why can't there be a simple answer? Is no one from geocaching.com even looking at these posts? Are they just laughing in their cubicles while those of us without premium memberships waste our time? Are basic members being forced to buy premium memberships even if we only look for caches every now and then? How about a straight answer to what's going on from those who write the code? Could it be that Geocaching.com is so incredibly greedy as to only allow Premium members to use the Google Earth Viewer? This geocacher has been geocaching since 2004. For a while I was really into it until geocaching.com made the downloads to GPS receivers and searches more complicated. It seems that now it is very difficult to play without paying for a premium membership! Seems geocaching isn't a whole lot of fun anymore if it is impossible to find caches on Google Earth. Am I mistaken? Is the goal to drive basic members out? Yes, I really do think this is a runaround. And, it seems that maybe GREED has invaded geocaching.com and made it no fun anymore. Why can't I get a straight answer? I really hope someone can provide a clear answer as to how I can once again view caches on Google Earth and have fun.

I'm really frustrated now. Thought I'd reach out and see if anyone can help. For over ten years, using Mapsource and an eTrex HCX, I was able to create pocket queries and sort them with Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (GSAK) and download the sorted files. I recently bought an eTrex 30 and discovered that Mapsouce is incompatible with the eTrex 30. Instead the only way to manage GPS data is through Basecamp, which is completely different. Garmin, in its infinite wisdom, has abandoned Mapsource and created Basecamp to manage waypoints and geocaches. For a while I was able to create geocache files for download to the eTrex 30 with GSAK and Basecamp. But, in the last month, Basecamp would no longer load all the cache details and instead just use the generic waypoint names from geocaching with no cache information at all except coordinates. I contacted Garmin and apparently there now seems to be a software incompatibility/corruption problem with GPX files created in GSAK and used by Basecamp. I asked Garmin how to create GPX files, they told me to immediately stop using GSAK and use geocaching.com or opencaching but could not answer my question about sorting the pocket queries (such as to filter out DNFs and other characteristics of my choosing). Garmin claims that it's GSAK's problem. GSAK claims that the problem is Garmin's Basecamp software and that Garmin won't fix the software issues they have. I don't know of any way to sort the pocket queries as I used to be able to do in GSAK. It seems that there is an impasse between Garmin and GSAK. Furthermore, Garmin told me to uninstall Basecamp, and delete any backups I might have of the data and reinstall Basecamp, thus losing ALL data that I created in the last year! I was shocked! So, now, I do not know how to sort a pocket query to eliminate caches that do not meet the sort criteria, like I used to be able to do with GSAK. Has anyone had this issue and solved it? I'm so fed up that this Garmin/GSAK impasse is taking the fun out of geocaching for me...

Really frustrated here.... I'm reposting this because apparently the forum I posted this on was only supposed to be for 'downloading caches' and a moderator commented that a similar comment was inappropriate while not offering a solution. I didn't see a forum to deal with the new website and loss of functionality that used to exist in logging caches. I've been geocaching for 11 years, as a premium member. I am also a Boy Scout merit badge counselor for Geocaching merit badge. It used to be super-easy to log a cache by searching for the cache by one of the words in the title. Then, for reasons unknown, those who have the 'infinite wisdom' to make such decisions, apparently decide that a person can only search for the first word or two and not any word in the title. OK, I didn't say anything about that change and just put up with this inconvenience from a few years ago. Now, after a trip to California, I try to log some caches (I live in Colorado) and was really surprised to discover the way to log caches has been totally changed and very inconvenient. Perhaps I misunderstood, but it seems that now the only way to log a cache is ONLY by using the GC code. Really???? Why so complicated??? I use a paper log book (yeah, I don't really care for all of electronic stuff and find it easier for me to track caches on paper) and don't keep track of GC codes. I track the date and the name of the cache. So, now it seems that the only way to log a cache is by GC code and the only way to log a cache is with the GC code. Do those who make these 'infinite wisdom' decisions not do any geoeaching themselves? Why remove the flexibility that used to exist? Why can't we use the name of the cache to log the cache? Why is this site becoming more complicated? To make geocaching truly fun, it would seem to me that it should be made EASIER and not more difficult!!!!

I echo this comment. I've been geocaching for 11 years, as a premium member. I am also a Boy Scout merit badge counselor for Geocaching merit badge. It used to be super-easy to log a cache by searching for the cache by one of the words in the title. Then, for reasons unknown, those who have the 'infinite wisdom' to make such decisions, apparently decide that a person can only search for the first word or two and not any word in the title. OK, I didn't say anything about that change and just put up with this inconvenience from a few years ago. Now, after a trip to California, I try to log some caches (I live in Colorado) and was really surprised to discover the way to log caches has been totally changed and very inconvenient. Perhaps I misunderstood, but it seems that now the only way to log a cache is ONLY by using the GC code. Really???? Why so complicated??? I use a paper log book (yeah, I don't really care for all of electronic stuff and find it easier for me to track caches on paper) and don't keep track of GC codes. I track the date and the name of the cache. So, now it seems that the only way to log a cache is by GC code and the only way to log a cache is with the GC code. Do those who make these 'infinite wisdom' decisions not do any geoeaching themselves? Why remove the flexibility that used to exist? Why can't we use the name of the cache to log the cache? Why is this site becoming more complicated? To make geocaching truly fun, it would seem to me that it should be made EASIER and not more difficult!!!!

I used to be able to run a 'My Finds' pocket query and get a list of the caches I've found. I can't seem to figure out how to do that now. Can anyone help me find this feature?

Looks like this is the first post on this subject in well over a year. Hope someone reads this. I tried to upgrade Google Earth to the new version to correct the problem (not having read these posts) and then tried to find the link on the geocaching.com website, but the link is GONE! I tried to email geocaching.com to ask the question, and hope to get a response. Meanwhile, does anyone know where to find the Geocaching Network KML link to add to Google Earth? Thanks, Phil (aka el dorado kid)

I managed to get a pre-existing route pq to generate by clicking the box for Tuesday, but my new route pq has yet to fire off. I've tried archiving it and recreating it- no dice. I've also tried clicking the box off and on (and leaving it alone for an hour) and nothing. I've only hit three of my limit for the day. We tried similar things including shortening the name and removing the .kml extesion from the name. No luck so far. Our non-route PQs are working fine today. I tried creating a copy of the non-generating route pq and no luck there either. I have tried to run a PQ for Caches along a Route for over a month now and have not had a single one get generated. I don't understand why. I have tried running old PQs along a route that worked in the past, and they don't even work. I've tried contacting geocaching.com and they haven't responded. I AM a premium member, so that shouldn't be an issue. Does anyone know why this is happening?

I have tried several times in the last few months to RUN a PQ for "Caches along a Route". All I get is an error message. It doesn't even get through! What's going on? I used to be able to run them with no problem and am doing them the same way. I have no idea why they don't work now. I can get just plain PQs fine, just no Caches along a route. Any ideas? Thanks, El Dorado Kid

For about 4 days now, I've been trying to create a cache along a route for a trip that I'm starting this Saturday. Every time I try to run the pocket query for caches along a route, I get an error message: Your request has resulted in an error. You may choose to retry your previous request. Or you may tell us what you were doing when this error occurred. I've responded and described the error, but haven't head a response from Groudspeak. Does anyone have any idea why this keeps happening? I've been able to run caches along a route for years and now all of a sudden, it doesn't work. And, yes, I'm a premium member, so that's not the problem... Thanks for any help you might have.

I have been using a fanny pack by Outdoor Products which works very well for me. It holds only geocaching stuff. It has a large compartment for the trade items and TBs, etc. I also like the small side compartment that works nicely for the small notebook that I use to keep track of my finds, and of course a spare pen. I strap it to my waist below a regular day pack. The daypack I use is an old Jansport with one large compartment and two smaller side compartments. I'm sure there's a real variety of what people prefer. This is what works for me...

I just picked up a Vista HCX receiver. Haven't looked at the book yet. I was wondering what size micro SD card the unit will accept. The salesperson at the store said not to put anything larger than 1 GB. So, my question is, can a larger card be used? If so, how large?

For several days I've been trying to create a 'cache along a route'. I've tried a route I've created as well as some that others have created. Each time, I get a message that basically says "Internet Explorer cannot open this page and list a bunch of gobbldygook for the page name. I then get automatically logged out of geocaching.com and have to start all over. Is there some problem with this feature? Why am I getting this error message? I've submitted a trouble ticket and have had no response. I even tried to call Groundspeak in Seattle and left a message. Any help would be appreciated. Please email response to: desertphil@gmail.com Thanks, Phil (aka El Dorado Kid)