The Could Not Zee's

Greetings We chose our team name because of what you are experiencing. We cache with an iPhone 3GS and until be purchased the Groundspeak application, we could not find anything. One of the caches we could not find using Google, we subsequently found using the Groundspeak application. It was about 150m away from where we searched previously. We have found 200 caches and placed 11, all using the iPhone 3GS. My advise, buy the app and work on your geosavvy (learn what to look for when in the area) Happy Hunting

Hi Blitsseun Welcome to the sport. I got into Geocaching via the Groundspeak free app on my iPhone. In the beginning we were not very successful as we used a combination of free applications and Google maps. Once we decided that we would continue geocaching, I bought the Groundspeak app for $10.00 and it has been a breeze since then. I do not own another GPS and we are heading for 200 finds and have placed 10 caches. I firmly believe that our recent find rate would not be any different even if we owned a “proper GPS”. I have done one spot check of my iPhone 3gs compared to another cacher’s Garmin and the phone was spot on. I am happy with the phone and will continue caching with it as is will bring you close enough to GZ to enable you to find the cache. It is also fair to warn you that it is not the best tool for Geocaching as we have experienced some serious issues with the Groundspeak app and battery life sucks. (Most of the issues have been sorted since) You need and extension battery (which I don’t have yet) and a car charger. It does seem that these problems also occur with other phones. I will not use this to hunt caches in isolated places because the battery will not last more than about 1 hour when fully charged. (This is since the latest firmware updates and only if you use the GPS in conjunction with the 3G for downloading maps while searching). In conclusion I do however believe that the iPhone is the best thing since sliced bread (or is that canned beer) and if I were to upgrade I will choose between 3 options; 1) iPhone 4… or 2) iPhone 4 …or 3) iPhone 4. If you do not want to encounter the problem mentioned, buy a GPS and use the phone for the paperless side of caching. Just my opinion. Happy hunting TCNZ’s

Great idea Doc. I would second the suggestion that it get pinned. Most of this information is available on the forum if you have weeks to read through everything. I cheated when I started by starting a new topic but this tought me an great deal. I think if this topic is pinned and is easy to find, newbies will enjoy the sport a lot more. I would list the items below as the most important: 1) Read the log carefully and ensure that you are equiped for what may be required. (Long walk, take water and ensure that enough daylight hours are left to complete the task before setting off. LOG) When your gps has taken you to Ground Zero, put it away, take your time and study the area. You will normally find something that draws your attention. This could be a nice hice hiding place (which you would have chosen) or something that does not belong. Chances are that this is where the cache is. Take the time to write a log. Take the time to enjoy the areas that Geocaching take you to. I have encountered amazing places through this sport and that is what drives me to continue. TCNZ's

Ok here goes. This was taken with my G789876 (imported) with a special 0.00 zoom lens (also known as the iPhone) The cache is What a view (I was going to claim that the pic was taken in the Karoo but decided against in the end)

I would have posted some of my pics but decided that it would be unfair on the rest of the caching community. I would win and other people would feel disheartened. So I decided not publish….. And besides, my wife dropped the memory stick in the washing machine……..e… the cat …….. ... Actually I am not good at telling lies so let me rather tell the truth. I saw the pics posted and all I can say is wow. I can hardly believe they were taken by (can I use the term?) average people (non professionals). I don’t have anything that I would even remotely consider posting on the same forum. Maybe this is why you are not flooded with pics? Are you guys sure that these pics were not taken by professionals and then doctored with photoshop or some such? I have been thinking of buying a GPS but maybe I should rather spend the money on a CAMERA, ….and maybe a photographer.

Hi Wazat, It is great to know that you would be willing to assist in cache maintenance in your area. We have done the Mooirivier area and were thinking of planting a cache near Escort but decided against it in the end. Next time we go in that direction I will definitely leave some for you to find. It must be very frustrating not to be able to go hunting without serious traveling although you still seem to be doing well in the numbers and the nabbing of FTF’s. Some FTF’s coming up for you in the near future. Tcnz’s

Hi Jors I think most people would agree with what you are saying. I don't think it is wise to just find a hole and stick a cache in but sometimes it is difficult to find a place with historical value or other great attributes. I guess I will just start placing caches and see what the feedback/reaction is. You are obviously lucky to have that many caches in close proximity, ready to be found. We are not quite in trouble yet but we only have puzzle caches left in our immediate area and have to go further afield for a day of caching. Having said this, we have only been at it for 3 months. In the beginning it was nice as you could have a quick look if you had 20 mins to spare and do one or two caches. Now it is becomming more difficult because you either need to sit down and unravel the puzzle or do a cache that takes a while. These are great and we will do them in time but they do not work as a spur of the moment cache. I am thinking of the guys that have been doing this for years. It must be really tough for them. I can only imagine how easy it would be for these cachers to loose interest over time if they have to plan a long trip in a certain direction to pick up one or two caches and then go in the opposite direction for the next one. You could end up doing a lot of km's for one isolated cache. If you look at the ranking page you notice how many cachers have not been active for months. I am sure there are a variety of reasons for this but it may be less likely to happen if they have an abundance of caches to choose from. I have looked at the amount of caches placed by Dakardrix and BruceTP for their event and think it will stimulate the sport and keep people interested. We will be hunting for spots and see if we can drop off a couple of caches. TCNZ's

Hi all Back again and a little wiser (I hope). I presume that we are now true Geocachers as we have found more than 100 caches, we have released some TB’s and have two caches of our own about to be reviewed. It has certainly been interesting and very rewarding so far. I would just like to raise what I presume will be a very personal issue and that is the placement of caches. We have been holding back on placing caches for various reasons but maybe it is not fair to find all the caches placed by others without giving back. I would like to hear what the general opinion is out there regarding this topic. It must be frustrating for the more senior cachers who have found most of the caches in their area. I presume some of them have to go quite a distance for one or two caches, or they have to wait for someone to place a new one, otherwise they are not in a position to find anything. Would you rather have the opportunity to find new caches even if not spectacular or would you rather do the odd great cache. I know it is not a numbers game and would love it if every cache I find takes me to an amazing place but on the flipside, I would hate it if there was nothing around for me to find. What is the general feeling out there? TCNZ's

Maybe another stat (if possible). How many finds per cache before it requires maintenance/is muggled TCNZ's

I came across this which I quite enjoyed. Not to mess up your thread too badly, but the first thing that came to mind when I read your post was Kubler-Ross stages of accepting a DNF: 1) Denial. "Must have been muggled! dadgum kids..." 2) Anger. "What kind of moron hides a nano in the middle of the woods?" 3) Bargaining. "Maybe my batteries are running low." 4) Depression. "This is the last stupid geocache I will ever look for!" 5) Acceptance. "Where is the next closest cache?"

I would like to add two more caches to my best of the best list. The thing I enjoy most about Geocaching is finding amazing places and if you have not done these two I would recommend that you do. I really enjoyed the views offered by these caches and maybe because I am normally stuck in the office, it does the soul some good to just be able to get out to nature and enjoy the views. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...b1-2bfba1164aa5 Kloof Falls Viewpoint http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...7e-3acad0584c25 Fort Pearson TCNZ's

Sounds like the real Mcoy. . I have also come accross the GARMAP60CSx which looks like a similar type of solution (more aimed at offroad than in car but can do both). Thanks for the feedback. I will see if I can find someone locally that can read and write and try and get more info as well as pricing etc. Could you maybe just run me through the upload of the caches in a bit more detail. I see that the GS website have the option to "send to GPS" straight from the Geocach seach page. Can this be used? I have not used POI's before. and do not have GSAK and all the other software mentioned. Thanks GC

Hi to all the good folks. Back again, a little wiser and more experienced in the game. As mentioned before, we use an iPhone and we are quite happy with it. It is so easy to get all the required information, you can save the info on the phone etc etc. I will happily continue to with only the iPhone but it has one major drawback. For some reason I cannot get an accurate reading to place a cache. It is usually accurate enough to get you to GZ and you can then use logic to find most caches. I have various applications which will allow me to identify my position but they all give me a different reading. This has stopped me from placing any caches to date. I do not want to post a cache if I am not sure that the posted coordinates are accurate. I also think that I owe it to fellow cachers to place some caches for them to find. This is my dilemma and I am not sure which is the best way forward. The obvious solution is to buy a “proper” GPS. Sounds logical but which one. I have done some investigation as it would be great to buy a GPS for in-car navigation which can double as a Geocaching device. The obvious choice is the Garmin Nuvi 500 but having read the reviews it seems to be another Jack of all trades and master of few. It seems that most of the weaknesses in this device are on the “off road” side which makes me worry that I might end up with another “iPhone”. So the next logical step is to look at two devices. One for the car and another purely for geocaching…… and of course the iPhone for the paperless side of things. I have also read the procedures of getting the necessary information into the NUVI 205 so well presented by members of this community to another newbie. Except if I compare this to my Geocaching experience to date with the iPhone, the Nuvi does not sound like fun. I am currently using one application from Groundspeak and that does everything I need. Add to this that I might end up with 3 devices with 20 pieces of software, 50 spare batteries and chargers etc, it starts sounding like a hobby you recommend to your enemies and not your friends. I would appreciate any comments and or suggestions from the more experienced people out there. I am not sure if anyone else uses a iPhone for caching and if they experience the same problems or not. The Could Not Zee’s

Sorry guys, my bad. I did not realize there was another web page dedicated to the race. . I just happened to read the last few posts on the forum after picking up the racing bug. I saw the previous winning photos and hence the question. Thanks for showing the photo. I was just curious as to which one it would be. TCNZ's

Could you show the photo of the month Thx

We have also registered but are not able to log in to watch an area. I have emailed the webmaster and this will hopefully be resolved soon. Once we are in we will gladly assist where we can. TCNZ's

Hi There Another creative log I came accross. September 16, 2009 by Henzz (670 found) Horus summoned all the Egyptian Gods to a council meeting... The goddess of Wind hastily rushed to his side yesterday with tidings of three travelers from a country far of to the South, that intends to crack the sacred hieroglyphs... This Trio of strangers crossed the mountains and the dessert in recent days with futuristic hand held devices that seems to lead them to all the Pharaoh's treasures... They realized that the foreigners already had the key to the secret halls of the hidden Pyramids... It would only be a matter of time before they would break through into King Pecky's chambers... The Sungod, Ra, proposed that some devious curses be placed in their way... This could discourage them, and hopefully turn them back... The decision was unanimous and the Ptah was ordered to implement this plan with cunningness and speed... The three strangers disembarked their camel at the gates of the secret Pyramids... The decrypted scrolls they carried was for the ancient dialect that was used by priests and kings... The evil spell that was cast here made the hieroglyphs appear different than what it really was... It was now written in the peasant script, which caused lots of confusion... Hapi and Thoth disguised themselves to appear as young happy kids playing around in the vicinity, as to keep an eye on the "enemy"... Pure determination saw the explorers bypass the first obstacle... From here on they were led down a side tunnel into an empty hall where a heavy door shut behind their backs... But Henzz discovered a mysterious key behind a small trapdoor.... This unlocked a side entrance that led back to the main doorway... A few more calculations saw them overcome the barriers placed in their way, and they made it down the right hallway this time... They stood in front of the heavy wooden doorway, knowing that the gold lies just behind it... Antron slowly pushed it aside and edged closer to see what treasure lies beyond the doorway... The last of the Egyptian god's ploys then played itself out... Amaunet, one of the minor moon gods took on the shape of an underworld beast... She was half crocodile, and half komodo-dragon... A loud hiss erupted as she attacked from the darkness of the treasure chamber... Antron has led many expeditions before, but has never experienced a creature as fierce as this before... He retreated so hastily that he nearly knocked his compatriots over... After he realized that he survived the attack, and that the missed heartbeat was just that, and the colour returned to his face, and the other two got their breaths back again, they all edged forward again... Amaunet growled and bared her teeth... Then came the biggest surprise to the expedition... All the treasure has been removed... The Egyptian Treasure Guardians removed it all before it could be found... It must be nearby, it can't be lost... Maybe they will replace it and will be kinder to the next group of treasure hunters...

Seems like a shame, but if that is how the game is played, when in Rome …………………… GC

Hi Dakardrix Thanks for your response. I agree, common sense should prevail at all times. I am asking the questions to find out what the procedures are, not because I want to do a song and dance. The reason why I am asking is because I have visited a cache where we did not find the TB. The previous log also stated that there was no TB. This was more than a month before we found it. Do I leave it at that: Surely someone should remove the TB from the inventory? Common sense? Regarding the maintenance request, we found a very nice cache that was exposed by the rain. We patched it up as best we could but in my opinion it detracts from a well prepared cache and I would hate for it to be muggled. I understand that the owner cannot go to the site five minutes after it is reported but I honestly do not know the procedure to follow. Maybe I should email the owner? GC

We have found a couple of caches over the last few weeks and have had the privileged to "own" other peoples TB's and GC's for a short while. I can see how some people say that you can get hooked on GC's. Some are quite amazing. This leads me to some more questions about protocols. 1: TB’s and GC’s: We have come across caches which have TB's missing but they are still listed as part of the cache. I have just logged that they are no longer in the cache. Is that good enough or should I do something else in this regard. I wonder how many are retrieved and never logged. It is obvious that the caches were not muggled so someone must have retrieved the GC and either neglected to log or not have the intention to. I am sure that the owners dread this and I have decided to make it a point to log the retrieve or placement of a GC or TB as soon as possible so that the owners are aware of the movement of their property. 2) Caches; What are the correct procedures and how are things handled when a request for maintenance is logged? GC

By the way, I am not affiliated to apple, iPhone, Vodacom, the housewives league, The National Party ................. The previous post is just me calling it the way I see it.

Hi The Pooks My 2 cents worth, only one option. Get yourself an Apple iPhone 3Gs. It is so different, so easy, so flexible. If you are not an apple user go to http://www.apple.com/iphone/ and have a look at the phone. There are literary 100 000 applications for the phone as well as the tools to develop applications should you wish to do so. These apps range from recipes to audio books to wifi locators to anything you could think off (Thousands of these applications are free while others range from 99 cents to a couple of $). I came across geocaching while searching for applications for my iPhone. I first downloaded a Geocaching tool ($0.00) tool which used google maps on th iPhone to guide you to the cache. This was not good for finding caches as it was not accurate at all. I have since downloaded the official Geocaching app (By Groundspeak). This allows you to search for nearby caches, read posts, look at photos, do posts etc, etc, etc. Most new phones have some new features which were first created by iPhone, why are all the manufacturers copying them? Other nice things about the phone include the nice big screen, you can use in portrait or landscape mode by turning the phone, you can magnify things by simply dragging with 2 fingers, etc, etc, I can honestly say that it has changed my outlook on phones, gave me a new hobby and I am hooked. I am not interested in any other phone. Let me also be the first to tell you that the phone is not perfect. The battery life sucks especially if you are using wifi, GPS etc. The other thing is that everything must be done via I-Tunes. This can be a bit off a pain in the behind at times but is not major issue in my life. The pro’s outweigh the cons by 1000 to 1. By the way, I forgot to mention that the iPhone is also an iPod, the original MP3 player which everyone is still trying to copy. I am happy with my phone and will not change it. There is a post on the main Geocaching forum for iPhone users which I would suggest you read. Some posts are positive and others negative. These are my impressions but I would urge you to at least investigate the iPhone thoroughly before deciding. Just a word of warning. People who own iPhones are not well liked by the rest of society. They were also voted as the worst people to date (I cannot remember where I saw this but I did see it on a poll somewhere) . The reason for this? Quite simple, they are forever busy with their iPhones and do not pay enough attention to the people around them. This should tell you how good the phone is.

Hi iNokia I will look at your recommendations on a map and chose a specific area for my first visit. With the limited amount of roads available it will obviously take a lot of traveling to bag all the caches in the Transkei. I have also updated software for my Iphone today to assist with finding caches as I have not been very successful in GC’ing and I have a feeling that the software is more concerned with roads and routes than actual GZ’s. I will see how the new software works out before heading off to the EC.I don’t think it will be nice to have a hit rate like I have after driving all that way. Mind you I would probably not be too upset as you still get the opportunity to experience the area and nature (I hear that the Transkei has some amazing scenery) But first I am off to NW for a blitz visit. Hope we will have time for 1 or 2 CG’s in the area. GC

Hi There This could be interpreted in many ways, because all places are different, and different types of terrain offer different things to different people, but the best place I have found as a direct result of Geocaching, is without doubt "Hole in the wall" posted by Noddy (GCVP8R). This find was so unexpected (we happened to be in the area and had a bit of time to kill so I just looked for caches in the area on the Iphone). We basically found the cache on the phone and followed the GPS to the location. What a pleasant surprise. I can definitely recommend this cache as a must see if you are in the area and have not been there before. Oh yes, by the way, we did not find the cache as the GPS wanted us to climb up a vertical wall. Due to time constraints, we did not have a sufficient time search the whole area with a fine toothcomb. Somehow this did not feel like a DNF though. GC

Hi Again Could anybody recommend some caches in the EC (Old Transkei) (in an area safe to take the family). This are is one of the top areas in my must do before I die list and I have just never done it. Maybe someone can come up with a good excuse for me to do so. Cheers