Jeep_Dog

On a new regular-sized cache, I put in multiple good swag items that could constitute a "FTF prize." In that case, several early finders are pleased they came when they did. Now, on the 15 or so FTFs I've logged...let me think... Yup, as I recall, the only "prize" I have received for being FTF is a virgin log. If one of them had an "FTF prize," then I missed it, since the virginally clean log was "prize" enough for me...

That depends on your region. I've got 200 as of a couple of days ago, and some folks in this area still consider me a "virgin newbie."

Sure, I know. No, they are not blocked or offset currently. The signals seemed to be "offset" in the first few weeks during the first Iraq rotation, but after the first month or so civilian units worked fine. Give me a couple of months, and I'll give you current ground truth (again).

I used a Garmin Legend over there that I bought from folks leaving, and it had the Iraq maps loaded in it. In fact, it even had waddis and some other really nifty terrain features loaded in. Unfortunately, I gave the unit to someone when I rotated out to help them in their endeavors.... I'm hoping to run into that battle-worn GPSr when I'm headed back for a second year (yippee). At any rate, give me a few days to ask around and see if anyone knows where those maps came from. I've got a friend who has a Legend with those maps loaded into memory, but he won't be back from a trip until the end of the month. I'll bookmark this thread so that I can send you a private message if I find the maps. You may also want to ask Garmin on their website. Knowing that company, they may very well provide the maps for free once they understand why you want the maps.

PastorChip, the Getting Started Guide here has a lot of good advice for new cachers. Specifically, the gc.com guide advises: - When you get close to the Geocache (within 300 feet, which is the length of a football field), make sure to check your GPS unit signal. Sometimes the signal will have an error between 25-200 feet. Don’t concentrate as much on the arrow as the distance decreasing, as you get closer to the site. - For the last 30 feet, use a compass or direct your buddy in the direction of the cache. In some cases we’ve had good luck circling the site with the GPS unit to get a good area to search. - The final 30-100 feet is the hardest. It helps to think like the person who hid the cache. If there are stumps around, investigate around the base. Check for a pile of rocks. Some stashes, especially in people-trafficked areas, are pretty ingeniously hidden, so it helps to know the container they used. This advise was pretty much covered by those posting above me. I just wanted to interject the "official" advice. Additionally, if you are getting very frustrated, spending a couple of hours caching with a more veteran cacher can pay huge dividends in learning techniques and observing "geosenses" applied to caching learned from hard lessons in the field. I've had friends and family that I introduced to geocaching go along with me to learn general techniques, and by the 5th cache they were applying my advice and finding a really difficult cache using common sense of "where whould *I* hide the cache in this area, whilst I was fumbling around and cursing the GPSr. Er, do as I teach, not as I do...

The Northeast Regional Forum here will greatly help you find someone in your neck of the caching woods. Good luck!

1) A bug, as pointed out by Cornix. 2) The owner gave the URL to the non-approved cache to a friend to give it a "dress rehearsal" before going to stage for the audience. 3) Cache stalkers wait for new cache placements and knock out a physical log prior to the cache being approved. 4) Conspiracy! Take your pick. A. Premium members get notification prior to non-premium members. (Sort of like Disney hotel patrons get into the parks an hour early, just because they are forking over more money to Disney) B. Members who bought the reviewer at least three rounds of brew at the last event get tipped earlier about new caches by the reviewers. C. FTF hounds hack the GC website, know the cache is placed, find it and log it before the official approval.

The true answer to the question, given to me by the ultimate sock puppet mnt_Caleen_PrimeKey_Hyderemy is: 42

Yikes! It is small wonder why the PQ server gets a little busy at times. Let us assume one has the afternoon to blow on getting a "coveted" FTF. Would it not be better to set up a PQ, then preview it at regular intervals? This is much quicker, plus you would not have to fret that your massive number of PQ requests did not get put wayyyyyy down in the que? If one is sitting around staring at computer awaiting a "congratulations, geocacher, you GOT MAIL!" announcement, one might as well stay active and preview at the same set interval as one would set for an email notification. Even better, find likely and very inviting cache hiding spots in your area. Know the patterns (days and times) that local cachers are likely to place a new cache. Stalk the likely spot until an unwary cacher places a new cach, then bum rush and log it even BEFORE they get a chance to get it approved!

I pondered the potential harm of posting photos of family on this site, especially my sidekick two year old caching daughter. However, I came to the conclusion that posting photos of the family caching is no greater risk than anything else in life. Here are some of the points I considered: 1) Evildoers cannot obtain a specific point of where we live. Sure, from the logs, they could narrow it down to a 20 mile radius, but that is nothing more specific than a compulsive stalker could not get through many other various means. 2) The photo is no more revealing than the fact that we have physically gone to these locations, plus we participate in geocaching, and an astute evildoer/stalker would already know this. Additionally, linking a name to the face can be accomplished through many other means such as school photos/classbooks, participation in other social events in the community, and even photos in the newspaper. 3) My children are NEVER left unattended for more than a few steps away. The only time they do not have physical eyes-on their location by close family or friends (or at church preschool), is when they are in bed. For those occassions, they are kept track of via monitors and a home security system. If you do not present the opportunity for a kidnapping, hopefully that lessens the chances of the event occurring. 4) The public record is much more of a threat than GC. It is far easier to note a liscense plate number from activities out and about (anything from shopping, school, kids' groups and activities, and even geocaching), obtain school, medical clinic, and other sources in the "public" domain, to discern the abode than to use GC.com to attempt to triangulate a start point. Now, as far as using actual names... hmmm. Even if we used geocaching monikers, that is even a problem. My daughter generally views geocachers as a pretty safe groups of folks (even though she's taught any generalization is dangerous and potentially misleading), so she would likely respond the same if someone used a GC name as opposed to her actual name. With this in mind, I came to the conclusion posting photos was no more dangerous than anything else we do in day-to-day life. I believe the important part to remember is to teach children about the dangers in life, to be socially and environmentally conscious and savvy, and to always assess what is going on around them. Until those skills are fully developed, they should be watched at all times. That is just my opinion. However, I am certain there is some group (social, governmental, or otherwise) out there that would vehemently declare I am a terrible parent and endeavor to take the children out of loving and nurturing home so that they could impart the values they believe in...

CR, I understand your point, and know that you are being sarcastic in pointing out that the guidelines should not be argued. I am just using your post a a stepstone to my point. I think that overall as a community, and more specifically, a cache that merits an exception to the guideline is intelligently discussed and considered. Last March I took issue with a cache that was not approved (link to that discussion here). The cache was discussed by the community, and more importantly, looked at again by the reviewer(s), and eventually approved. However, a cache owner giving their opinion of the reviewer really does not help much in an intelligent discussion and consideration. This point was made several times in this topic, and I think it is an important point. For example, if I feel my area approver has been "rude," "curt," or any other negative adjective or adverb, I take a couple of steady breaths, then give the benefit of the doubt to the reviewers, especially in light of the fact that the only perception I have to go by is a short reviewer's note (and only the great Geocaching gods know how many those poor saps have to write in a week!). Just as with everything in life, if we stick to the facts and avoid opinions/perceptions, providing solutions to problems is so much easier, eh?

Log my own caches? Uh, no. Sure as heck felt like doing that on one a month or so back when I did a regular maintenance check. In one month the darn thing migrated so far it took me 42 minutes to find it. On other folks' caches I logged that day, the longest I spent to log a find was 6 minutes. Yup, that sure felt like a "find." Didn't log it, despite the temptation...

LOL! You know, I heard that exact same thing. I'll admit, I've got one in my hands right now, but only until I find a good way to complete one of its missions for June. What about that Jeep of yours? M-T-P Sheesh, figure it out before the end of the fracking month and get it in the cache so someone else can worry about the mission before the end of June, will ya? It is one of the few in this area, so keep it circulating!

Well, let's see. I hunted down a Jeep Dog and shot 'im. Then I mounted 'im, and now he is my avatar.

" Seems People will argue about anything " Uh, no they will not argue about anything. This very thread is evidence! Notice nobody has countered (or argued, if you so choose) the premises of your thread which is that people will argue about anything. I take great offense that you think we will argue about anything! People can be very calm and UNARGUMENTATIVE! GOT IT?!?!? (oops, something seems out of place here....)

Gracious. So that is what the Signal freak of nature on a cartoon body is supposed to represent. That avatar kind of freaked me out. Well, not "freaked" per se, but it did make pause on more than one occasion in wonder of what it was supposed to be.... Back on topic... Nope, I am not an abuser. Part of that is I am too new (then again, some folks have changed their avatar half a dozen times since I have been on board). In my more newbie newb period (still a newb, in the grand scope of things), and not knowing much, I took the Jeep symbol PrairieJeepin' used, and modified it a bit, and used that one. Then I got a courteous email from said fellow stating it is not very nice to "steal" an avatar, and folks expect more out of someone in the service... well, I just did not know, and went avatar-less in consideration of those that . Then I floundered around for a while, until I remembered the original "Jeep!" was a dog-like critter, and part of the background on my user name, so I adopted him as an avatar. Recently modified him into the "G" symbol, and have no plans for change unless I dress up Jeep! for holidays.

There's no problem using hints. That's why cache owners put them there, eh? Now, I don't personally use hints. In fact, I don't use any form of cache pages any more. I just load the points in my GPSr and go. I have even stopped using road maps. I know, I am a total freak. It started with me converting to paperless caching using a PDA. My PDA kept dumping programs and information since I was really bad about recharging it. So, I tossed aside the PDA and stayed paperless. Once in a while using only a GPSr bites me in the arse, but I have been having a blast using nothing but coordinates and a foggy memory of briefly reading the cache descriptions online. If someone is in it for the number of finds, my ridiculous method of caching would probably be hugely irritating, since if I don't find a cache I will look the cache up again, and perhaps even take a peek at the hint, and go for the missed cache(s) on another day. Honestly, though, it has been a total hoot searching out caches where I cannot remember even the size of cache for which I am looking. My method at times turns 1/1s into 3/1s, but I like it for the challenge.

Location, cache and terrain difficulty, AGE of the cache, ease of getting somewhat near the cache (road infrastructure, for example), region, seasons... All of these factors, and many others no doubt, influence the number of finds on an area's caches. For example, one of my caches that involves a whopping 1/2 mile round-trip hike (but on rough terrain) has received 12 visits in 7 months. Another cache only two months old, 100' from parking, has received 20 visits. Even comparing two caches in the same region is comparing two different entities.

I find that very laughable. Wait a minute, you mean there may actually by PRIDE in geocaching?

Ok, ok, I am willing to donate considerable time and expense in organizing the GWIV. I volunteer. Now, for the location. Hmmm. I shall be in Iraq (again) next year. Do you think that would be a good place? There is plenty of room for event caches. I promise the event to be quite, errr... explosive.

Well, at least be glad you got your paws on a Jeep TB. I have been watching very carefully, and there has not been a WJTB hit any of the caches in my area within a 200 mile radius. So, rejoice in the fact you have a WJTB, and the confusion will work itself out?

As an avid outdoors-type for years, I have been impressed with some of the more "natural" types of repellents. According to WebMD, they list a promising natural product. It is made from the oils of soybeans, geraniums, and coconuts, and has been used successfully in Europe for many years. It is marketed in the United States and is manufactured in Bend, Ore. This product has been shown to prevent mosquito bites just as well, and for just as long, as DEET. For chiggers and ticks, I rub this product containing sulfur at common entry points such as ankles, wrists, and neck. While the product does not attest to preventing ticks, I have found ticks choose to avoid the combination of these two products. Plus, this product serves as itch relief in case you should be bitten. That is my two cents on insect repellents. Then again, if you use these two products you may smell like a rotten egg in an herb garden.

Welcome to Geocaching. I, too, cache with my kids. I hope your family finds it as rewarding and full of "quality time" as mine does. Next time you swing by the park, take out your GPSr and mark the coordinates near the park. Go to advanced search, and search by coordinates, and geocaches nearest those coordinates will be listed in order of how close they are. With any luck, somewhere in the top 10 or so will be a cache or two in said park.

Oh, you mean like in this discussion on what is Premium Membership like? There is no such thing. Posts like that are very dry humor. No, premium members are subject to the exact same approval times as anyone else in their area. Hopefully an admin will weigh in, but I could see how someone who has placed quite a number of caches that have had no issues and followed the guidelines closely (and many of those tend to be premium member types), I can see how a reviewer may approve those types in a long que since the legwork may be quite a bit less....

Nope. I know of a cacher that does not even get online to get the coordinates! He has never had a computer, probably never will have one, but he loves geocaching. The chap gets friends to print up cache pages for him. 1. Sign Log 2. Take something 3. Leave something Hmmm. It does not seem as if he is doing anything contrary to the rules... to each their own.