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Joe_L

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Everything posted by Joe_L

  1. I regularly take part in both geocaching and orienteering. As noted before, other than finding something in the woods, they are different activities. Some other considerations: If you are giving the cachers the same maps as the orienteers, then the cachers might as well be orienteering. (In your post, it sounds like the map is a USGS quad. Not as much detail as compared to a typical 1:10,000 or 1:15,000 orienteering map. ) Consider the planning that one must do for a 3-hour or 6-hour course. The time for entering the coordinates into the GPSr devices will cut into the cachers planning time. Not to mention the potential for error. The geocachers may not even have an appreciation for the planning that is needed for the event. In particular, the distance that they can cover in the allotted time. Climb can be overlooked by a novice, but maybe the terrain is so flat that it’s not an issue. The geocachers may not be able to read maps. Will they be given any instruction? Can you spare a volunteer to do that? You should require the cachers to carry an extra set of batteries and a compass. The only benefit I see is that you may get some cachers interested in orienteering. They will be learning it to some degree as they use the GPSr with the map. Joe
  2. Also see the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) website. Joe
  3. I had a similar problem a few years ago at a cache I was looking for. When I arrived at GZ, I saw this. And there are numerous small outcrops and rock piles in the area. I made a search, but the large rock in the center seemed too big to move as a hiding place, and the rock fall looked fresh. I didn't make the find, but sent this photo to the CO, asking for hint. His response was that the cache was buried under the rock fall. Joe
  4. I think the next reward should be an opportunity to view the Geocache Health Score algorithm.
  5. Even though the Health Score algorithm has not been published, there are a couple important sentences in the description in the Help Center article: “A low Health Score provides an indication that the cache may need attention from the owner.” “If the Health Score of a cache drops below a certain point, an automatic email is sent to the cache owner.” Both of these statements make it clear the score is only compared to a threshold. If a score is above that, nothing happens. It is the low scores below the threshold that matter. An A+ has the same significance as a D-. A miss is as good as a mile. Any effort to marginally improve the score will make little difference as long as the cache is in decent shape such that its score is above the threshold. A DNF here and there (around 10% seems typical, based on other posts on the subject) is not a going to be a problem, it’s a long consecutive string of them that suggest a problem. It’s a non-response to NA or NM that indicates a problem. The intent is to thin the herd.
  6. I think the text of the Mystery Cache Stages page in the Hide A Geocache “form” used to explicitly state that both the listed coordinates and cache coordinates had to have the approval of the land managers (or something along those lines.) I hid my first mystery cache in April, so I was carefully reading through the instructions. I had considered placing the listed coordinates on a sewage plant, and I didn’t expect to be able to get permission to do that so I selected another location. The new text on the Mystery Cache Stages is no longer explicit and only says “All geocache and stage locations will be reviewed before they are published.”
  7. If you do use a compass to aid in geocaching, just remember to account for declination. Joe
  8. I've come across a few caches that used 60-ml VOA glass vials. These are bottles made for liquid environmental samples, and they have a thick polymer seal inside the cap. This seal keeps water from leaking out and air from leaking in. Effective, but there are cheaper alternatives. And I think they are only available by the case. Joe
  9. Here's one example: GC4N4C5 She Said Yes And it had a happy ending. Good Luck Joe
  10. Joe_L

    Emoticons

    Find a cache page that has an emoticon in the description, then View the Source code. This Cache has an emoticon: GC59T4Y I looked at the code, and the CO added the emoticon as an gif. Check it out. Joe
  11. How about proposing to change the hours of operation to close at, say, 11:00 PM or midnight? I am assuming that the ordinance is a set of rules created by the Preserve Board. Even with a permit, the approach in the original post puts more burden on the local police. They have to have the knowledge of the existence and availability of the permit, which is a communication issue. Another consideration is the cacher's vehicle - what is a local police officer to make of a car parked on the grounds of the preserve when there are clearly signs that say "preserve closed at sunset"? Is their procedure to get out and inspect it, then call in a license plate check or even a tow? There is a potential for a lot of wasted time here. Joe
  12. How about the possibility of a throw-down? Could the container that you found and logged have been a throw-down of the ammo can? Did you check with the CO of the cache that you logged - it appears to be a regular size. Joe
  13. I suggest contacting your local reviewer. I have stumbled on two caches that were identified as Groundspeak caches. One had no signatures in the log and the other had one. I couldn't find either on the website. So I contacted the local reviewer and provided the coordinates to him. In both case, the caches were never activated because one was too close to another cache and the other did not meet the land management notification requirements. And in both cases, the CO took no action. (One sat unfound for nearly 4 years.) Joe
  14. Is pencil and paper still considered a tool? Count the quantity of each character group. If it's English, then the frequency order will probably be E-T-A-O-I-N-S-R. (Google letter frequency.) You should have a good idea of the degrees longitude and latitude, so look for those words; and a "Y" will follow a "T", as in "thirty", "forty", "fifty". "North" and "west" may be there. The coder may have spelled out the word "point" - twice. And the coordinates will most likely be at the end of the message, so concentrate there. Good luck. Joe
  15. Another event to include: the hammer throwdown.
  16. Another suggestion: If you want an excellent map, then consider map and compass navigation commonly called orienteering. The national organization in France is La Fédération Française de Course d’Orientation (FFCO). (I can't read French, but somewhere on their website should be a list of local clubs and links to their websites and schedules.) Joe
  17. The app should show your current latitude and longitude. If you’ve solved the puzzle correctly, you have the cache coordinates. To get into the general vicinity of the cache, calculate the difference in latitude and longitude. Convert that to seconds and use about 100 feet per second for latitude and 80 feet for longitude to convert to feet. Now, take out a scaled map of the area (you do have a map…) and using those distances you just calculated, spot the approximate cache location on the map (Does that location make sense?). Go there, and then check the app for your latitude and longitude and compare it to the cache coordinates. Should be pretty close. Try walking due north or south until the latitude matches, then due east or west until the longitude matches. Then, you’ll be at the GZ. Joe
  18. But going back to the original question: "What is the default standard for navigation, True North or Magnetic North?" There is no standard definition for “navigation”, so there is no default standard. In the context of geocaching which is tied into longitude and latitude inputs and outputs from a GPSr, then “north” is true north and navigation instructions, problems, puzzles, and references are to true north. (or at least they should be.) In the context of hiking and orienteering which is tied into map and compass, then magnetic north is the most relevant because one is navigating with a magnetic compass and one needs to know the declination for the area and how to account for that with their map. The use of true north or magnetic north depends on the situation, and you need to know your audience. It is very important that if someone needs to use the term “north” (or any bearing or cardinal direction for that matter) that they understand the different definitions and unambiguously convey their meaning. Joe
  19. Thanks for the information and replies. (I had an earlier post, now locked, about this on one of the other subforums.) Joe
  20. Did the Other Conversions button/link (that converts the coordinates to other formats)get deleted? Or just pushed to Premium? Or renamed somewhere else on the page? I was using it a couple days ago, but now it's gone. Thanks Joe
  21. My GPSr only shows latitude and longitude. I bring an orienteering compass with me if I'm in a park or woods. I'll follow a trail close to the cache and stop at either the latitude or longitude of the cache. Then, I'll adjust the compass housing for declination, turn myself to face true north, and then (depending on whether I've stopped on the latitude or longitude) I'll head due east/west or north/south to the cache. Joe
  22. Certainly, Bushnell is known for their optical devices. (Actually, I was misinformed – I thought someone said Bushmill, but I digress.) Their GPS line is hardly geocache-friendly. But the device suits me. It has a lat-long read out and I rarely go into the woods without a map anyway. Forces me to think about where I want to go. The read out at the cache is within the margin of error of the coordinates and usually dead-on. The biggest drawback – it’s not paperless. Joe
  23. Thank you all for the feedback. I usually geocache on weekends, so the unit is off for a week or two. I wish I had kept better records on when and where the problem occurred. On one hand, I do recall some of the longest times have been when I’ve been in a different state. (Though during a trip to Texas, I got a signal within a few minutes on the first day, but the second day took a good twenty minutes. The two locations were probably 20 to 30 miles apart.) Gitchee-Gummee touched on my second question. Since some makes/models acquire the signal faster, is it because of the chip/microprocessor? And is there any way to discern this from the product specifications? Joe
  24. Greetings I’ve been geocaching for about a year now. I use a simple device – a Bushnell Backtracker 5. A problem that I occasionally have is that there are times when it takes 10 to 20 minutes to get a signal. (That is, to get read out of the latitude and longitude.) But once the signal is obtained, I never lose it. The problem seems to be random; it’s happened in overcast weather, clear weather, out in the open, or deep in the woods. Most of the time, regardless of the conditions or the terrain/vegetation, I get a signal as soon as I turn the device on. Battery condition doesn’t seem to be the issue either, and the problem has surfaced with both fresh and old batteries. And there are usually no problems even with low battery charge. Is this delay is getting a signal common to all devices? If not, what aspect of the specification/design of the devices affects this? Thanks Joe
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