Ed_S
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Posts posted by Ed_S
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Thanks for the replies. My wife has a business conference in Warsaw, Poland, and I'm tagging along. Some of the caches there have English translations on the page, but many do not. I was curious if there was a way to see cache pages in the language of my choice without having to go to a translator app or program. Now I know. Many thanks!
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Is there a way to translate cache pages into another language? I have the opportunity to visit a country where English is not spoken, and being a typical American, I don't speak any other languages.
With all the clever computer people out there, I'm surprised there's not an "auto-translate" function somewhere.
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I'm with you. At one time all you needed to do was turn on your GPS and 90 percent of the time it would take you to some place special.
I have hidden most of my caches with that in mind, to bring cachers to special places. To find most of my caches a round trip hike of a mile or more, sometimes 4-5 miles is required. The logs are pretty rare these days, but the few people who enjoy those sorts of caches still seem to really enjoy them.
Ten years ago I couldn't keep up with the logs on these caches. Now I may get a handful of logs a month on those caches together, even though I still own over 200 active caches.
I'm not interested in getting 100 finds on a 7-Eleven dumpster cache in a month. Now I'm lucky if I receive 100 logs a year spread out among my 200+ caches, but I keep them there for those who enjoy that sort of cache. There are some cachers who are still into that and it is that segment that I cater to.
I'm not alone, they are out there. Lots of them, but it takes a lot of winnowing through the chaff to find them.
You're as old as I am, geocaching-wise. I'll bet you remember sitting there writing a paragraph or two in the cache log, too. Now, you're lucky if you get anything more than "TNLN" if you even get that. Caching has changed a lot over the years. I'm not so convinced it's all changed for the better.
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.... As long as caches are continued to be placed for numbers, you will never see the creative caches in great locations which I took for granted. I have an ammo can in my garage just waiting for the snow to melt to be hidden in a great off the beaten track location I have in mind. I hope someone looks for it.
So you miss the ammo cans and the creative hides, and dislike micros. Well an ammo can is no more creative than a bison tube. Everything else being equal, there is absolutely no difference other than size. It the container, how you bought it, just dropped where it fits. Maybe that place is the top of a mountain, maybe it's near a historic building, but the hide itself is the same.
You say bigger is better, others say smaller is better. I just payed $20 for an ammo can, and I'm not sure it's going to be ammo cache. I can get 6 or 7 bison tube for the price of one ammo can that will more than likely go missing. What can I do with the can? Put it down. Maybe put it in a hollow log. What can I do with a micro? Put it inside a hockey puck near the arena. Put it in a toy dinosaur near a place they found a fossil. Put it in a bat, hang it from a tree for a night cache. Are you saying those aren't as creative as an ammo can at the base of a tree?
Yes, I think caches should be more creative or in cool locations, but size doesn't equal a cool cache, or a cool location.
Bison tubes are great! (my post said ammo cans or similar)
I'm just done with the abundance of micros. Why use a micro in the middle of a forest when you can use something bigger and more creative. One of my favorite forest cache containers was a fake branch on the ground. Most micros (not all) are just a quick inexpensive way to place a cache. I'm assuming this is not unique in my area.That's my experience as well. There are some notable exceptions - one local cacher hid 50 micros along the trails of a nearby park. They were hidden as a previous poster described - in toys or other objects. The name of the cache gave you a hint as to the object you were looking for. But I don't define those as micros, because the container you're looking for is the size of a small, at least.
You want to impress your fellow cachers? Hide an ammo can or other regular sized container so nobody, or only a few, can find it. Anybody can hide a thimble in a forest. That doesn't take any thought or skill.
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While I do agree with some of this (and personally I hate seeing nanos/micros posted in the woods)- you also have to take in account the way people find listings for caches. By putting in a zip code you're given the caches in a certain town. Unless you know the specific coordinates or live out far from a major town, its sometimes difficult to find the "far out/isolated" caches.
Personally I'd love to go to a place where I have to walk long distances to get to the prize- but where exactly do I start looking? Even on the forum the location sections do not go by state so people can even ask for interesting ones.
This may have already been said (I'm just starting to wade through this thread) but I go to the map page when I'm deciding where I want to go caching. I can see how close together they are, not only urban/rural but with one click I can see the terrain. With another click I see a satellite view. And I go back, as does the OP and some others here, to a time when the approvers would ask you why you wanted to put a micro where a full-sized cache would fit. I think that should have remained the policy. But I know others disagree. As long as I can play the game my way, and they can play it their way, we should all get along, right?
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There is one point brought up in this thread that some folks could benefit from. That is, a lone person, especially a lone adult male, lurking in the bushes around a playground full of kiddies, is the sort of thing that panicky mommies will call the cops on in a heartbeat. BUT - give that same man in the same circumstances a dog, and nobody looks twice.
If you feel self-conscious looking for caches, do something to make yourself blend in.
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in How do I...?
I have c:geo in my (Android) phone, and I've had it and my Garmin Venture HC side by side. By and large, the Garmin is more accurate, but not always. It depends on which device is having a better day, satellite-viewing-wise. And, some geo-programs require calibrating the GPS in the phone. I've found if I rotate my phone through all three axes (axisses?) that allows it to better figure out where it is.
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Hey, I just was fussing with Dropbox and Geosphere, and out of curiousity I clicked on the Download Now link in the email of my PQ. To my surprise, this generated what I needed to allow Geosphere to open my PQ!!
Thank you!
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We're getting off the subject, here. I was asked what changed with th is new system, and in what way was loading my PQ into wherever I want it to go more cumbersome now than it used to be. I told how.
And, YOU GUYS might be able to download, import, and all that. I said somewhere above, I am NOT a computer savant, by any means. I don't intuit what steps need to be done, and if it's not in plain English with commonly-used terms, I don't have a clue what it's talking about.
I have a way that works for me. I don't like this new way as well as the old way, but I can make it work. I'm now dropping back into obscurity, generating small PQs and going caching as time permits - maybe I'll grab 50 in a day, or maybe I'll only load 10 or 20 caches into my various devices and only find 3/4 of them. (Frankly, I can't begin to fathom who needs a thousand caches, automatically generated and sent, several times a week. To me, if bandwidth is the issue, THAT's what I'd change/cut.)
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No. I don't have that zip file any more. The email contains a link which, when clicked, opens a list of the caches in my PQ. Not at all helpful. It's the same thing as on my PC.
There are two links. One says "View Result". The other says "Download Now".
Yes, I did notice that.
"View Results" gives me a list of the caches in my PQ.
"Download Now" I can have "Open With" my GSAK. But my iPod wouldn't send it to Geosphere. Hence Dropbox.
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... Geosphere using the mail tool ...
It seems like it would be a simple matter for the author of Geosphere to update his software to handle the new way of doing things. Maybe he's already working on it. Has anyone posted in the Geosphere forums to ask?
Perhaps this caught him unawares, too.
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If I wanted that gpx file in my Geosphere app in my iPod Touch, I used its wi-fi to access my email, and I opened that same zip file in Geosphere.
You can't click on the link in your email to open it in a browser on the iPod Touch? I don't have an iPod Touch, someone may be able to answer this better.
No. I don't have that zip file any more. The email contains a link which, when clicked, opens a list of the caches in my PQ. Not at all helpful. It's the same thing as on my PC.
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Think carefully, are you opposed to the change because it has reduced functionality (which I suspect it hasn't for most people), or just because things have changed?
...but since you bring it up, who ever said change simply for the sake of change was a good or worthy thing?
He didn't say that. He asked if you're opposed to change because it is a change. Totally different topic.
I thought my reply was close enough, but you seem to be asking one of those "when did you stop beating your wife?" questions. I'm not resistant to change when there's a good reason for the change. I am opposed to change when it's of the "hey, look what I just learned how to do!" variety. If it was needed, why keep that fact secret?
I asked earlier, I think, don't recall seeing a response. How is this breaking the way you do things, and is there a way to solve this without bringing back PQs in emails? We can try to find a work-around, or you can complain about it and see if Groundspeak will restore the old functionality.I know I may not do things like millions of other cachers do, but there are a significant number who do something similar to what I do (did): My PQ resulted in an email that contained a zipped gpx file. If I clicked on that, it opened in GSAK. Just like that. I could use GSAK to load my GPS, or to export the caches to Mapsource, and I could generate a route to drive from cache to cache. If I wanted that gpx file in my Geosphere app in my iPod Touch, I used its wi-fi to access my email, and I opened that same zip file in Geosphere. No muss, no fuss. Literally one-click. That's how this is "breaking the way I do things." I'm still able to get the gpx file to GSAK, but Geosphere worked via that emailed zip file.
In this case, as far as anyone not in the inner sanctum knew, things were going well. No major bugs or glitches. No need for the sudden removal of what worked just fine and the replacement of it with something that requires figuring out a whole new set of workarounds. In my personal case, I got a dropbox account, so I have what used to be one step loading now taking about a half dozen, but at least I can get my measly little PQs into my iPod Touch and Geosphere. That doesn't mean I'm happy about having to figure a new way of doing things, and having it simply dumped in my lap.
What's so bad about PQs as zip files in emails? And why could nobody give the millions of paying customers the simple courtesy of letting us know this was in the works? If it's a wasted bandwidth issue, why take it out on the small users? Why not leave PQs in emails available for (picking an arbitrary number) 50 caches or less per PQ?
I found my own work-around. I learned how to use drop-box. Understand, I don't live in front of a computer keyboard. I don't intuit how things work when they're explained in techno-jargon gibberish. I just want to go find a few caches - I don't want to have to keep figuring out how to reinvent the wheel.
The OP edited his post a day after he wrote it, so it says "the heck with it - I'll go back to printing cache pages on paper, and manually entering coordinates in my GPS." I wonder how many of the huge majority of cachers who don't participate on Groundspeak will feel the same?
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I'm confused by all the complaints about the PQ emails. How is the new system any less easy? With the old way, you'd have to either single-click or double-click (depending on the email client) to open the attachment. With the new system, you single-click on a link. It's different, but is it really any more difficult?
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Yes. I cache occasionally, as do most geocachers. I pick a location and create a PQ for it. I have no need to load a thousand caches, because I won't get to a tenth of them, and probably not a twentieth of them. Again, like most cachers, I use a hand held GPS and another device for the "paperless" aspect. Zip files loaded right into the Geosphere program I use on my iPod Touch. This new way refuses to connect with Geosphere. So yes, it is more difficult.
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Think carefully, are you opposed to the change because it has reduced functionality (which I suspect it hasn't for most people), or just because things have changed?
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It's because the functionality has been greatly reduced, but since you bring it up, who ever said change simply for the sake of change was a good or worthy thing?
And as has been mentioned by others, what's wrong with asking us paying members before you arbitrarily change things?
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I'm sure the main reason behind this change is bandwidth. Sending thousands of several-MB emails every day would be a big hit on performance and bandwidth-usage. I'll admit that I often had scheduled-weekly-PQs emailed to me that I didn't really need, which meant wasted bandwidth for Groundspeak. The new system is on-demand, so only those people actually wanting to use a PQ will use bandwidth.
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Then if wasted bandwidth is the problem, eliminate the scheduled auto-send feature and let those who don't request a thousand caches so they can go hunt for 20 or 40 alone.
Ed _S. (began caching in 2001)
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SaidCache, I found my first cache in October 2001. I remember when the approvers wouldn't let you put a micro in the woods - they'd ask why you weren't putting a real cache in that spot, or if there wasn't a spot nearby that could hide a regular cache. And what really frosts me is when the hider of the micro in the woods has to gloat and brag about what a tough hide it is. Hello! You hid a thimble in a place where a bus might be overlooked, and you're proud of making it "tough"?? That doesn't take any skill or talent or ability at all. Why not step up your game and hide a real cache?
A couple other things:
I remember when you weren't allowed to put caches under any vehicle bridges.
I remember when you weren't allowed to create a power trail.
I do not think allowing these things has improved geocaching.
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I second the nomination for vodka as the spirit of geocaching but if the whiskey lobby wins, lets at least make it a good whiskey... like Beam black... or Makers mark... no JD crap.
Heathens!!! Proper whisky doesn't have an E before the Y !!!!
I'll drink to that!!
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Title says it all...
Now, we did not save it from the cold to have it destroyed, and if the shelter can not keep it, then we will have a bunny for Christmas... not sure how I feel about that one but better than the alternative. Just wanted to share our crazy story about a bunny.
Good for you! I've found kittens, but never a bunny. The last time I found kittens, it was one of those days where the high was about 10 below zero. Late afternoon, getting colder, my daughter, my dog, and I are out finishing up a day of caching. We pulled in a parking lot of a remote public hunting area, and the truck wasn't even shut off before these two little kittens came trotting out of the woods, right for us. I didn't think they were even weaned, they were so small! Their survival instinct was stronger than their fear of dogs (and we also have cats at home, so the dog didn't bother the kittens, other than to sniff them) because they hung right with us as we found the cache. Of course, pretty soon my daughter had picked them up, so there was nothing for it other than to take them home. I really believe if they'd have spent the night outside that night they'd have died from the cold. The shelter didn't want them, and another local pet adoption agency wanted us to jump through hoops before they'd even look at the kittens (they didn't really want them, either). We had the kittens about a month before we found a good home for them. They both went to the same home, too, so they stayed together. Hang in there - you'll find a place for your bunny!
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Some of these pictures, if posted on their respective cache page, would be a real spoiler. That's probably why more aren't put in "found" logs.
But here's a few, from our local caching group's photo selection on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.ph...mp;id=627511462
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.ph...mp;id=627511462
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.ph...p;id=1371938522
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If you want to add music, make sure to also add LOTS (seriously...LOTS!!!) of flash animation...preferably in a pop-up window.
Phew! I just had to check and make sure you're not anywhere near my caching area!
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he older Etrex' and the current entry-level Etrex use a proprietary connection with a serial connection. Since most of today's computers no longer support serial connections, you'll need a serial-USB adapter.
Not long ago someone on Ebay was selling an Etrex cable with built in USB adapter. It was only $15 bucks. I can't vouch for how well it works, but the seller said there was a money back guarantee. If it works it can save a lot of money because the eTrex cable is $30 from Garmin and I paid about the same for my USB/Serial adapter at Staples.
Mine works very well - no issues at all.
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I use the etrex, downloading the way point is much easier then entering manually. Its just a standard usb cable, the same ones most digital cameras and mp3 players use. You can probably get one from the dollar store.
You just have to install a quick plugin, theres a link posted to it right from this sight when you click "send to gps"
One thing to keep in mind is that, while doing some multicaches, you'll need to know how to manually enter, or at least manually change, the coordinates.
I about fell over when I saw what Garmin wants for one of their cables. eBay was much more reasonable. And you can find USB to eTrex cables on eBay, too. I moved my Geocaching programs to my laptop, which doesn't have a serial port. eBay to the rescue!
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I take my dog caching with me, and she has her own account, too.
http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=99...eb-4138c853a742
I write her logs when I write mine. I find it fun to do, and I'm always amused when we meet another cacher somewhere who's heard of MollyPup. She has, on occasion, found caches before I did, but most of the time she would rather wander around sniffing and investigating. Once we're away from the street and into the woods, I let her off the leash. She listens pretty well, and stays near me. Plus, a dog on a leash going through the underbrush becomes an exercise in frustration very quickly. If I could offer advice to anyone considering bringing their dog on a caching trip, it would be to train the dog to obey your voice commands, especially "Stop" and "Come" so you can safely let the dog run in the woods.
If you're doing urban or suburban caches, having a second person along is a wise idea. One person is the dog-handler, and the other is the cacher. You can both look for the cache, but realize the dog is going to get bored with staying in the same spot for a long time, when there's so many interesting things to sniff and see and check out all around.
Dogs can be great 'cover' too - One man, alone, in a park full of little kids, attracts attention from paranoid mommies, and all it takes is one to panic and call the police about "the suspicious man lurking in the woods near all the children" to ruin a large portion of your day. But a man walking his dog in that same park? Nobody even sees you.
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My pooch - MollyPup, is a geocacher herself - she has her own account:
http://www.geocaching.com/profile/Default....eb-4138c853a742
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Got my CHL in large part so I could carry while caching. I carry a .38 Special - where depends on what gear I happen to have along. But it's accessible, no matter where I have it stowed. If you can't get to it when you need it, what good is it?
Armchair Geocacher?
in General geocaching topics
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Does this, in any way, affect you and how you geocache? No? Then why do you care?
The geocaching community knows who cheats, who does nothing but lamppost skirt caches, who's in it for the numbers and who's in it for another reason (the challenge, the hike/scenery, the socialization, etc.) Worry about your own reputation - don't get caught up in someone else playing the game in a way you don't like. Now if someone's damaging or stealing caches, that's another matter.