skraeling

So I guess you and I have differing opinions on the subject. No fuzz off my peach, but I'd bet you would change your tune if it was YOUR puzzle being group-solved online. Nope - I wouldnt change my tune. I would consider it an honor - of sorts - if one of my puzzles (not that I have many) stumped someone to the point that it was being "group-solved online".

Is it just me or does more of this kind of thing seem to be happening recently... to both new and old cache?

While this was done before, the old maps limited how far out you could go before hitting the 500 cache limit... worth doing again with the new maps. Here is east valley area of Phoenix.

In Arizona, we have spiders easily large enough to carry a nano-cache on their back. But, that would be a moving cache and not approvable. Sometimes, said spiders move the cache anyway. Yes, they are quite large out here.

And you know these are all cell phone users how? And you know no accurate coords are from cell phone users how? here is the answer you are seeking: I've actually met some of the hiders and when I ask what kind of GPS they are using, the answer is "my phone"... and more often than not, the coords are off.

Those that insist on using cell phones to get coords should learn how to use google maps/earth (or other online maps) to verify those coords. We have had a lot of new caches out here done by people with cell phones - coords are always off by 50+ feet (sometimes well into the + ). When you get the coords, plug them in to google maps - you will get something like this. Note the green arrow. If that isnt where the cache is supposed to be, add/subtract from the coords as needed until that arrow is where the cache is.

disguising your cache as a pipe bomb (at least according to the arcticle) is not the way to do it. Some quick searching - it appears to have been this cache.

Not too worry - everything at (not so) best buy is way overpriced. I'd be surprised if they sold more than just a few things.

Not all that far-fetched at all. It has happened in this area several times. Someone hid a cache at a benchmark (one of those hinged lid deals). A benchmark seeker came by for the benchmark and found the cache - a few days before it published... it was a legitimate (and lucky) find.

Unfortunately ignoring it does not, and has not made it go away. I wish I had a solution. Maybe talking about it will help us find one. Putting up motion detection cameras around caches in the area of this guy and catch him at it? Talk to local police and ask them for ideas and assistance if we catch the guy? What else? In many instances ignoring the thief does make it go away. Most of them do it for attention. If they receive none they stop. This person has been doing this since September of 2010 and shows no signs of stopping. We have lost a large # of caches to this person. And we are otherwise ignoring him and not saying anything - just quietly replacing caches... and caches keep getting stolen and replaced with that "geotrash" sticker. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. Giving it the right kind of attention, however, will. Which is what? Be keeping a close watch on the caches you pass on a regular basis. This person has been known to make return trips. When the person is caught we can then have another Paul whats-his-name story to tell about him being arrested.

Unfortunately ignoring it does not, and has not made it go away. I wish I had a solution. Maybe talking about it will help us find one. Putting up motion detection cameras around caches in the area of this guy and catch him at it? Talk to local police and ask them for ideas and assistance if we catch the guy? What else? In many instances ignoring the thief does make it go away. Most of them do it for attention. If they receive none they stop. This person has been doing this since September of 2010 and shows no signs of stopping. We have lost a large # of caches to this person. And we are otherwise ignoring him and not saying anything - just quietly replacing caches... and caches keep getting stolen and replaced with that "geotrash" sticker. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. Giving it the right kind of attention, however, will.

The reviewers better get busy archiving caches then - there are tons of that type out here in the wild wild west.

You need to move - there is just not enough caches in your area. I just looked at the map, zoomed about to the 5 mile point and I only see 110 caches. on topic - if I couldnt find any (whatever the reason), I would hide some and/or have a public event: educate people on what geocaching is and see if I could get more people to participate.

Hmm... its been almost a year since it was published. That should tell you all you need to know. Personally, if this were in my neck of the woods (and its pretty close being in the same state) I would probably put it on my ignore list. A quick poke and I was at "the 2nd level", but I lost interest at that point. If you want to put out a hard cache, it should be hard because of where/how its hid, not because it will take someone a year to figure out and decipher the puzzle.

And along those lines - I hate working on a puzzle, especially a difficult puzzle, only to find that its a multi puzzle (but not described as such). IE - when you think you have solved it, you actually have found another puzzle - just as hard as the first - at the solved coords... now you have to start all over again... and this repeats for 4 or 5 stages.

I don't care for PTs. But I will always, ALWAYS be on the side of living and letting live. You don't like them? Go elsewhere. But don't try to push your will on others by trying to create more unnecessary rules. If anybody is doing the pushing it's the numbers hounds who have been creating these things lately, regardless of the potential consequences to the sport and the inconvenience that they present to other cachers. Heaven forbid if you voice your concerns in this forum, you are called a "puritan" and told "if you don't like them don't hunt them" (translated: "get lost"). These things weren't allowed until recently and we geocachers got along quite well without them. Stoking the thirst for numbers is the only thing they bring to our sport. Hmm.... all this talk about how "bad" power trails are; how they "inconvenience" other cachers... Lets replace "power trail cache" with "mystery cache". All the same type of arguments can be made about mystery caches... They are "bad" because not everyone can figure them out. They "inconvenience" cachers because now they have "unfound" caches on the map that they cant clear. Whats that? Not every cache is for every cacher? Put it on your ignore list? Replace power trail/mystery with any other cache type/size/location and you have all the same arguments as to why they shouldnt be allowed. Here's an idea: stop whining in the forums. Go out and find caches... The kind you like (urban/nano/small/large/series (really just a mini power trail... but these seem to be ok!?!)/hiking/...) You get the idea. Keep them all coming - I like and will do them all...

I havent been to this one myself... yet, but I have heard good things about it: "Open," Says Me!

Can only zoom out to 1mi before I exceed the 500 cache limit.

Interesting. We have a few puzzle caches out here that use java applets. There is one where you have to put together the jigsaw puzzle. Once completed, you can then read what the coords are. Seems inconsistent that some get approved and others declined.

See my DNF for "Breathless" I found a perfectly good/ripe watermelon on a rocky butte in the middle of nowhere: Breathless (2nd picture).

Placed with permission and full knowledge of/by the scuba diving shop.

Among the things already mentioned, I have several databases in my GSAK setup. - db for caches I want to find - db for cached I have found - db for puzzle and multi finals that I have figured out but dont want overwritten when I (re)load the main db. - db for red light and speed cameras that I load on to the car nuvi. the there are various macros for doing all kinds of things with the GSAK data. Take a trip on over to the GSAK forums and have a look.

Hmmm.... There are people who dont like multis. Lets ban/restrict those. There are people who dont like micros. Lets ban/restrict those. There are people who dont like urban cacheses. Lets ban/restrict those. There are people who dont like challenge/mystery caches. Lets ban/restrict those. .... There are people who dont like geocaching. Lets ban/restrict the whole lot. And this all got started because some got their tighty whities a bit too tight over power trails. Do you think this is a bit over the top? Think it cant happen? Think again. I see nothing wrong with power trails. If you like them, do them. Nor do I see anything wrong with any other types of caches. If you dont like them, ignore them. We have some "challenge" caches here that force you to do waymarks or benchmarks in order to get the smiley. I have no interest in either. Am I going to try to get them banned/restricted? Nope, I just clicked the handy ignore link on the cache page.

Rain happens infrequently here in Aridzona. So, even if it is raining, we still go out. The only thing that really keeps us in is the dust storms and lightning.... oh, and the extreme summer heat.

Thanks! Your pocket query has been saved and currently results in 848 caches. I am in the Phoenix, AZ area. I should also point out that I included caches I already found - just to see how many their were. If I exclude caches I found, there are 0 withing 10 miles of my home location.