Chalky723

I wouldn't get too bothered about it Dan, peoples egos tend to expand in direct proportion to the number of posts they've made on the forums, leading them to think their opinions are more relevant than others!! Just look at your GPS and find caches, it's the easiest way to do it, only come on here if you're very, very bored!! C

I'd never heard of those, but do like the look of Munzees & have signed up for it - there are a few round here & in London, and I may even hide a couple! It looks hard & fast, no logs for people to complain about, points system for the number lovers, easy to hide & clear rules.... I do think that Geocaching is in real danger of stagnating, it's becoming mundane, a comfortable "maiden aunt" - go somewhere, have a quick look at the GPS, log another micro. Go for a walk, open the tupperware, sign the book. I still enjoy it, but only if it takes me somewhere interesting, if I'm going there anyway I probably won't bother with the cache. I ignored a cache that was 300m away on my holiday just gone, we'd climbed up the large hill, were walking across the moorland - I could see the shooting cabin it was based in, but there was absolutely no point in going over there just to sign the log as it added nothing to the walking experience. A few years ago I'd have been haring across the heather to get there! Even if I had bothered with this one, someone would probably have taken exception to one of my abbreviations. I will still do it if I'm right next to one, but I think the time is coming soon to say "Thanks, but time to evolve". C

But do you not find the fact that people have taken the time and effort to visit your cache based on your description and choice of location reward enough? If you're in this for effusive thanks and undying gratitude then no wonder you're disappointed! I'm not being ungrateful as I'm sure it takes up a fair chunk of time maintaining them etc. but have a look at any other hobby where some members contribute and others reap the benefits - a local camera club for example - competitions are organised, speakers arranged etc, but at the end of the night there isn't a huge queue of people to say thanks to the organiser, they'll be saying it to the judge or the speaker, or how many times do the parents of the junior football team thank the manager for arranging matches? I think it's the same in this hobby, you're hiding boxes in the woods because you want to, or you think we should visit - we do, and we all appreciate it - but in our own way.... Chalky

I tend to say TFTC when I'm saying "Thanks for the Cache", it in no way implies that the cache is sub-standard, although it seems that a lot of users on this forum take it that way. It's no different to me using "&" or "+" instead of "and". I'm a good typist and can't be bothered to type the full phrase so I'm sure those that "peck" at the keyboard can't either. I will always leave a comment, but the GS requirements are "Find It", "Sign the Book", "Log your find" - the barebones of it is, leaving a "Found It" log fills that requirement and will let the CO know the cache is still there. Anything else is a bonus, requiring anything else is an ALR.... Surely life's too short to stress over it? As mentioned before, a lot of these are by new users who have an app on their phone. They don't come on these forums and never will, so it'll be hard to get the message across to them. Just adjust to the new order & have another drink..... Chalky

You want to go there, I will. "geby" has made every post they have ever made in this one thread hocking this product, they've never contributed to another geocaching discussion in any aspect of the site. The product may be free but I see it as nothing more than an advertisement. As others have said there are clear donation links on the site, so free product of not, there is money involved. Also, don't presume you know whether or not I have looked at the product, my comment was concise to my point of view, something I am as equally allowed to represent as you are. Respect is a two-way street. Why migrate, if someone is satisfied with GSAK? Geoget is just another alternative. Having a choice is good for people. Everyone can choose what suits them best. BTW: Geoget is not a new software. It starts at year 2006. It have at least same popularity as GSAK in our national community now. Exists GSAK macro for transfer user data from the GSAK to Geoget, because people want it. But nobody want tool for switch back! So, some people probably leave GSAK and using Geoget instead. However still is true what I wrote on the begin: Choose software what you want and what is best for you. Everyone has different needs and different requirements. It is hard to say by me. Geoget and GSAK doing lot of things differently. I start with Geoget just because GSAK not satisfy me. Most major differencies are (But I probably forgot some important...): - Geoget can be fully localized to any language. Localization can be made by anyone without my interraction. You need to have standard GetText tools only. - Geoget can be easily used for manage of any geographic points. Not just for geocaches or waymarks. - Geoget have more modern GUI then GSAK. - GSAK is widely used, Geoget not yet. Of course. As can be seen the creator of GeoGet dislikes GSAK, the reasons are not clear and honestly I don't care. They are welcome to try their own thing all day long, I take offense to their blatant advertisement in these forums. That's all I have to say on the topic. Good day. Are you for real? "I am an Etrex Legend" - I take offence at that blatant advertisement!! He's not asking for money to use it, you can use it forever for nothing!! If he doesn't tell people about it, how will it move forwards & develop? He obviously knows enough about the hobby to create something useful and he hasn't come on here with an overbearingly patronising and snide attitude whilst contributing nothing.... I'll give this a go & see what I think, now that you've quietly put your head back up there, we may see some constructive criticism from open minded people..... Chalky

Well Said, It seems to be the norm here, someone suggests something "non-traditional" and the snide comments come out of the woodwork. Well Done & Good Luck, I shall certainly look into this, GSAK has never really impressed me when I've tried it in the past, but that may be because I'm a casual cacher & have no great need to filter and compile as much as hardcore cachers... This looks a lot more 21st century in appearance, I shall have a play & feedback!! Chalky

Aaaah, this old chestnut! Doesn't take long to rear its ugly head does it... I could understand the logic if the numbers involved were significant. The average cache isn't going to attract huge crowds of people though, any pub landlord depending on Geocachers putting his kids through Uni would be gutted!! Its the same idiocy as the Film Title farce. Hopefully other caching sites are taking note - come the revolution we'll all be able to go and play elsewhere!! Chalky

Great!! Many Thanks both for your answers. Chalky

Hi All, I'm trying to help a friend out - he is going mountain climbing in Europe, all the maps he has are in EUREF89, his GPS doesn't support this format. He may have to give quick references "in extremis" so would like to know if there is a way his receiver can convert these i.e. a similar datum... Some initial web browsing has suggested that there isn't a huge amount of difference between EUREF89 and WGS84 but I'd like that confirmed by someone before I risk his life Thanks in advance, Chalky

One thing to remember is that not everyone will have access to the logs/info when they're at the cache site so may not have access to specific instructions etc. Until I got my Android I would have had to print the cache details off, OK if you're only doing a few, but when I went on holiday for a couple of weeks and had 500 nearest on the GPS there was no way I was going to have all the info with me. For me it meant there were a few I just couldn't find, none that I couldn't open. Puzzle caches were right out! Don't forget - some people are walking round out there with just an Etrex and a pen!! Chalky

There's a cache near me that has "The container is located fairly high up in one of the trees. Climbing is not necessary" in the cache description. After 20 minutes looking I decided to use the hint - "Above Flood Level" - it didn't help, and given that the information is already in the description isn't what I'd call a hint anyway!! To me, a hint should be fairly specific and with the aim of giving an extra helping hand - narrow it down to a specific tree or post, or point you to within a foot or so... Cryptic doesn't appeal hugely to me - not being a member of Mensa I don't tend to get them if they're too off the wall. Chalky

A couple of caches within driving distance, if I'm ever over that way. Quite interested in the potential to rectify some (what I consider) wasted opportunities though. For example, there is a small (6 acre) Nature Reserve/Dog Walking/General nice area near me that has a cache in it. Its a blooming film cannister, covered in a couple of dead twigs at the bottom of the largest man-made object in the park - what a waste of a cracking location. The potential to hid a cache by one of the many paths through one of the many copses is there but has been forsaken out of what I can only consider is laziness! I've already contacted the chair of the reserve and they're quite happy for me to put a "proper" cache in there. Once I've finished my prototype testing I shall be putting a "cunning cache" on Opencaching. Hopefully all will be happy, those that like film cannisters and those that like to find something a bit more meaty. Will see how it goes, but if a few more people do it things may move along... C

I use my 60Csx, its powered from the bike supply which means the screen is lit all the time, which makes it easier to see. Only really look at it (or any satnav) for the last mile, remembering main routes isn't a problem - its the fiddly last bit that can be. Its marginally better than the old "tape a sheet of paper to the tank" method I used to use, but I couldn't justify spending the ridiculous amount of money they charge for a bike GPS when I've got a perfectly servicable, waterproof GPS to hand and don't often go anywhere that I can't find using my memory and signs..... Chalky

To be brutally honest, yes!! I don't have any particular loyalty to GS, but thats probably because I already had a GPS and didn't buy one specifically for the hobby, so don't "owe" GS anything. At the moment it is the easiest way to do this hobby. A bit of competition won't hurt - it often breeds innovation! Look at all the enthusiasm in this very forum for the Chirp, who knows what else in on the cards?? Chalky

There are ways round it, if you have a PM friend etc... C

I don't use GSAK (have never needed it yet) - is there a way to change the icon for all caches, without having to do each one individually? Really have no desire to install GSAK just for this purpose, so any hints would be appreciated!! Cheers, Chalky

Does this really happen enough to greatly increase the traffic to your site? Wouldn't have thought so - surely as long as the paper log has been signed they can log the cache - or will you sprint down to the cache and remove their entry there too? You can't escape the fact that they found your cache!! Yes, indeed it does make a difference, of course it does, think about it, if not so many people can see the co-ordinates, not so many people will attempt the cache, therefore not so many people at the geocache site. Simples! Secondly, I don't do sprinting. Yes, I do check log books, especially on one or two of my caches that have in the past shown some phantom logs, and yes, have deleted online logs where the person has not signed the log book. Yeh, sure, one complained and went to Groundspeak, and my position was upheld after investigation. Oh puhleeeeeease! Elitism? Next you'll be telling us is is discrimination! BTW, you may change your mind when you set your own caches, and have to maintain them Seriously? It makes that much difference to the traffic? OK. I totally agree that if they haven't signed, they shouldn't log online - what I was saying is "do you remove/delete their physical log in the cache?" - the point being, they've still found your cache, why delete their online log? Elitism - yes, you're saying that only a certain group (PMs) can log your caches, whereas Groundspeak says only a certain group (PMs) can view your caches online via their website, but anyone can log them, in fact that statement isn't totally accurate, because GS have left a back door open so that they can see the details online!! Can't see your point at all I'm afraid, can't see the point of deleting someones legitimate online log, that fulfils all the GS requirements - smacks of something beginning with "E"....... Chalky

can someone please translate this post from <inappropriate language removed> to something i can read? Geo Politics is nearly as bad as Geo Arrogance - what does this post (and the other one in similar vein) contribute to the discussion apart from to highlight that some people are so anal that they'll post a reply just to belittle someone. I can understand what is written and get the gist of it.... Get a life!!! Chalky Edit: typo (before someone picks it up!!)

Does this really happen enough to greatly increase the traffic to your site? Wouldn't have thought so - surely as long as the paper log has been signed they can log the cache - or will you sprint down to the cache and remove their entry there too? You can't escape the fact that they found your cache!! Also, as mentioned above, Premium Membership is fluid - if I know I'm going to be busy for 6 months why bother renewing for that period - I'd be mightily narked if when I logged in again someone had deleted half my logs because my profile had showed I wasn't a premium member!! And are you prepared to re-instate all those logs when I restart my subscription? You're making the game overly complicated, and adding an element of elitism that was never meant to be there - I'm sure people look for reasons to make waves sometimes Chalky

More of an attempt to rebuff a perceived move "onto their turf" by the mobile phone manufacturers. Why buy that Oregon when you can do the same with your old etrex and your phone - more possibly given that the phone is online all the time and the GPS on them is getting better with every update.... There is no earthly reason for me to ever change from my 60csx now. More & more its getting used as a backup to the phone when caching or only brought out for its "proper" role as a backup to my maps whilst out & about trekking. I can't see that I'll ever buy a dedicated GPS unit again quite frankly... C

How will the Chirp scanning affect battery life of the GPS units? (One of the things I love about my 60csx is the 14 hour battery life) - is it going to be practical to keep the scanning on all the time, or would you only turn it on when you're near a Chirp cache? I'm thinking of this in the context of using wi-fi or bluetooth, or anything else that actively scans on my phone - they're battery drainers, surely it'll be the same for a chirp enabled GPS? Admittedly, only a problem if you're out in the sticks for the whole day, but still....... C

My sentiments entirely! I think it starts to get interesting when other manufacturers start to bring their own ones out & none of them are compatible with other machines. You're pretty much limiting your caches to owners of a specific model of a specific manufacturers machine. Not a huge snag as at least they've given them a category so they can be ignored. Will be interested to see if this actually takes off, or if it dies a death (as I suspect it will). C

3! UK (England + Scotland), Spain & India.... Hoping to get one in Germany soon...... Chalky

I just email the person and ask politely if they would either write a proper log or delete the log. I point out that it does not have to be a long log... just something. It usually works. If not then bye-bye log. But then I'd report you to GS for enforcing "Additional Logging Requirements" - which are against the rules - and I would keep putting my log back on. If it carried on then I'd start lobbying GS to stop approving your caches as you obviously weren't playing the GAME by their rules.... Extreme case, as mentioned before I alway write a few words, but I think you're taking it too far. Also don't forget that the vast majority of cachers don't read or use these forums and are oblivious to your "pain" so is it fair to penalise them because they don't know that 20 geocachers happen to think that TFTC means "Crap Cache", whereas the rest of us know it means "Thanks For The Cache" Cache ratings will ease, or increase, your pain - will you delete a log if someone writes some polite blurb but indicates that they thought it wasn't a particularly nice location/cache etc? Need to chill out people - mean't to be doing this for fun, I'd hate to play you at Ludo!! Chalky It helps to read the text you are quoting before you get in a twist. As you say, it is supposed to be fun. I read it, you quite clearly say that if the log doesn't reach your requirements then its "bye bye" - I just said that I'd challenge it & keep replacing the log....... C

the logging feature you're talking about is the online version of the log that's included in the cache. it's a visitor's log. it's there for the cache owner and all the future finders, so they can see who was there and when, and what they had to say if anything. the fact that you can get stats out of the online logs for yourself is merely an added bonus. The reason I don't just cache off of a spreadsheet is because its useful to be able to filter my finds out of a PQ, there's no option to log a cache as found without putting a comment. On the other side - if everyone decided to keep their own records & not log online surely that'd be worse for the CO as, unless they trog out & check the log every week they wouldn't even know if the cache is still there? It is a visitors log - to say that the visitor visited!! Same as the visitors log in a museum - some people just sign their name, others will write a paragraph. There isn't a security guard stood next to them who rips the page out if they haven't written enough!! I generally write a sentence or 2, but I can understand people who don't too. [sarcasm] Perhaps it should depend on the size of the physical log? If you've put a dog name cannister out, with a tightly rolled piece of paper in it, why do you expect more than a couple of words? If you've put an ammo tin out with a notebook in it, it stands to reason that people (on average) will write a bigger entry, and thus transfer that online too.... [/sarcasm] I really don't see that it matters, you want people to find your cache, they find it, you know they've found it - end of....