lifechooser

Does anyone know what I've done wrong. I click on the new "Bing OS Maps" button, but it brings up the standard Bing map.

I wonder how I should log this cache which has just been published; Name: "Its not about the numbers" Description: "Just a mag nano (BYOP) on a new estate. In a residential area so no night caching and please respect the neigbours Logging Etiquette: Geocache hiders sometimes go through a great deal of planning to place their caches. As a result, they'd like to hear your feedback on whether you liked or disliked any aspect of the hide, the journey or location, or if you feel that some cache maintenance is required. Single word, acronym, or "copy and paste" logs may be easier when you have a lot of caches to log, but it doesn't tell the hider or other finders anything about your adventure (or lack thereof) in finding the cache. Please keep this in mind when entering your log." I'm not planning on doing this cache, but if I did I would certainly log it as "TFTC". I always find that the effort which goes into logs matches the effort which goes into the cache. I own a sidetracked cache which invariably gets "TFTC" and one at an unknown historical place which gets far longer logs along the lines of "Thanks for bringing me to this lovely place which I wouldn't have known about". I watch some other caches which are evil, and they get epic reports without having to ask for them. Just my 2 cents.

Like other cachers, I've got PQ's set up to cover an area near my home - about 10 miles worth. This takes 4 PQ's as I'm in such a dense area. I keep having to adjust them so that I have no gaps between them and it's a hassle. When I send these 4000 caches to my GPS, I discover I only have 3000, the rest are overlap. Could we have a special PQ that allows more caches, say up to 2,500 or even 5,000, but can only be centred on your home loaction with a maximum distance of say 20 or 25 miles? I'm sure that overall it would save a few spins of the hamster wheel.

I need to add my 2 cents. I desperately want a flashlight option for the app. My phone will not allow the flashlight app to run in the background so I can't run it at the same time as the app. This means I have the following options: 1) Use a real flashlight. But then I don't have a free hand to search with, press buttons, get a pen out, etc... 2) Switch to the geocaching app, take a reading, switch back to the flashlight app, walk a little way, switch back to the geocaching app etc... I want to be able to walk to GZ, reading the recent logs / description whilst the ground is lit up so I don't fall over a root. Too much to ask?

I have a number of queries set up as daily or alternating daily tasks, so that if I ever want to update my GPS with local caches, I know that the query I download will only be at most 48 hours old. What would be more efficient for me is to lose the scheduler, and instead have a button marked 'Generate now'. The only time I ever want to generate a PQ is when I'm either sat in front of my PC on the PQ page so that I can download it, or when I'm on the app on my phone. The phone method could always force a new PQ to be generated each time. Either way, it's no extra hassle for me when I want to download a query, except for perhaps a couple of seconds wasted whilst the hamsters generate it The advantage to me is that I'll always have a fresh PQ when I download. I won't get random emails telling me my queries are ready. The advantage to Groundspeak is that they will only have to generate about 3 PQ's for me a week instead of 15. Also these requests will be more random than all appearing at 00:01 PST. The only disadvantage that I can see is for people who generate a lot of PQ's to cover a single day, but rely on them being generated over a couple of days so they don't hit the 5 a day limit. To counteract this, the limit could be increased, or changed to 10/48hrs. Thoughts?

I still think that my suggestion would work - you have to spend favorite points which your physical caches have earned. Each virtual which you want to create costs you say 25 earned favorite points. If your review is rejected, they are not refunded.

Yes... but only if a difficulty / terrain rating is greater than 4.

I just got back from Shanghai, there are very few caches in China, however most of them appear to be 'tourist' caches set in either touristy areas or near foreign businesses. The whole country, the most populous in the world and 4th largest by area has just 443 caches, which is very few. Withing 100 miles of my hotel there were only 83 caches which makes finding one unlikely given that I had no car, however within 5 miles there were 30. On one I even managed a mystery, virtual and trad on one 2 mile walk. All of them were in English, some with German as a second language. Is there a chance that you are visiting a part of Algeria frequented by foreigners who may have set up some caches?

But *would* you do that? Surely as the sort of person who has created so many quality caches you would not want to create that many, it sounds as though you wouldn't make many at all.

Everyone knows the background to this. Some of the best caches are virtuals, but Groundspeak stopped allowing them because everyone started creating them and the reviewers were swamped with very poor quality submissions. Well I've got a plan! For every 10 favourite points a users caches earn, they can create a virtual. This will seriously limit the number of submissions whilst ensuring that the lazy and unimaginative don't get the chance to abuse the system. Meanwhilst the most prolific placers of quality caches get the opportunity to do things that others can't. How can this possibly fail?

Thanks for the tips, I'm planning on doing this challenge the day after the mega in Cartmel. As a result, I'll probably have to head to Preston or Blackburn to get enough cache density. This would be easier where I live, however it's all about when I have a day to dedicate to caching without worrying about holding the baby etc. I think I will find as many cache and dashes as I can, particularly en-route, and then break it up with a couple of short circuits.

The most caches I've ever found in a day is 24, mainly because I only get a couple of hours at a time free to geocache. In the summer I'm hoping to do 100 in a day. I've found a likely looking area with lots of cache'n'dashes, but I'm wondering what is the best way to attack them? Normally I would create a bookmark list linked to a pocket query. Then I have a piece of paper containing each cache in order. This also includes the cache name, clue, and sometimes a small pencil map if landmarks such as road junctions are nearby. I will also use this to write some log notes for later. When finding caches, I check the last 5 logs of each cache to ensure that it isn't missing or too hard. Is this the best way, or do other people have a better method? Does it scale for 100 caches, and how many caches should I have on my list to allow for DNFs?

Am I missing something, I can't find out how to switch between map types anymore. Beta maps used to load up with a selection of checkboxes including open street map. This was the button I used to click on first. Now all I can see are the terrible leaflet maps, and no option to view as OSM. Everyone is bemoaning the loss of google maps, I seem to be alone bemoaning the loss of OSM. Is there a button somewhere that I just can't see?

I've had permission to reactivate the cache, as long as I sent a photo of the equipment.

I have emailed the reviewer politely, but as it may take them a day or more to reply as they are no doubt busy, I thought I'd ask here too.

Magnetically. Firestars: Why? I genuinely can't think of a problem, unless someone was using the equipment whilst you wanted to seek the cache, but the same applies to every bench cache I've ever found too.

At the start of the year I hid a cache called "New Years Resolution". It's in a public park and consists of a hidden panel under some outdoor gym equipment, which includes a sit up bench, chin up bars, and various weight activities including a bench press. The cache was published, and the reviewer checked google earth, which uses a photo older than the equipment, and approved it. Today I received an email stating that the reviewer had it brought to their attention that the cache was on the gym, and I must move or archive the cache. I've searched, but I can't find any guidelines on the issue. I'm aware of avoiding children's play areas for obvious reasons, but I can't think of a reason for avoiding this adult equipment on the other side of the park. Please can someone point me in the right direction before I archive this. It sounds as though I am in the wrong as not only has the reviewer asked me to archive it, but someone has obviously complained to the reviewer too. I just want to be certain before I nuke a cache that I'm the proud creator of.

There should perhaps be a standard spiel for each cache explaining what it is about, and if it is a powertrail, adding some rules such as - no replacing caches.

I see that Sven has now had his account locked. I'm amazed. I've watched most of his videos and they showcase the best of what geocaches have to offer. There are 100,000 caches in the UK, and Sven has been highlighting just a few of the best. This leaves 999,922 unspoilt caches. Nothing has been spoilt for me as I've no idea what caches he's featured, but I've got some great ideas and want to up my game and plant some really inventive caches myself. On youtube there are hundreds of videos which really spoil caches, they have the cache code and show caches in a way which simply gives the game away, without showing how a viewer could do something similar themselves. The difference is that they don't have a username containing the word "spoilers". Sven may have spoilt a few caches for a tiny number of people who happen to watch his videos *and* find one of the caches he's featured - a 1,000 to 1 shot in the uk. But in return he's upped people's game, set some amazing caches himself, and inspired loads of people to get out there looking for, and creating amazing caches. For this, he got banned. Really?

I thought I'd update the forum on a couple of bugs I have. The first was a disposable camera which I sent out earlier in the year. The rules stated that it couldn't be taken out of the local area. When 9 frames were remaining, I managed to grab it back and developed the film - after taking it on a 5/5 mission. I've relaunched the bug with a new camera, about 100 miles from home, so hopefully it will get back to my area fairly quickly. The results are here: http://www.geocaching.com/track/gallery.aspx?ID=3283995 and I'm really pleased with them Another bug I had, went missing 10 months ago on it's first hop. I've decided that the time is right to resurrect the bug, so I've come up with NANOBUG. It's a standard black nano container, but with a tb code and instructions inside. The description suggests that it can live outside of a cache, as long as it's touching it. After all, if there's room for a nano, there is normally room for two nanos. I want it to travel where no other tb's can go. What do you think? http://coord.info/TB3MHKP

GC15J1D?

The other day, I was crawling around on prickly leaves under a holly bush muttering various things under my breath, such as "1.5/1.5? my arse!"* and "What kind of masochist places caches in such inaccessible locations anyway?". Once I'd signed, returned and rehidden the ammocan, I extracted myself from the bush, removed a few embedded holly leaves from my hands and brushed myself down. I re-read the cache page, and two things stood out: Hidden : 03/08/2003 Clue: Hidden in a moss covered upturned tree stump surrounded by holly saplings. I calmed down a little after that, but it's amazing how locations can change so much over time. I wondered if anyone else has tales of scenery changing, but the cache remaining the same. *My arse - a british equivalent of "yeah right!"

I thought I recognised your voice, I've watched a few of your videos about greenlaning. The one with the woman telling you that you are on a bridleway stands out. After she stormed off into her house, you were left discussing things with her husband who admitted that it was a green lane, and she does know, but doesn't like it.

Bing maps has an OS mode which is very useful, especially when you enter cache co-ordinates onto it. I'm starting to use open street maps a lot recently too.

I didn't get one for my DNF