hal-an-tow

Entirely true and helpful information so the OP may understand the situation. Again, true and helpful. The OP was made without any understanding of what underlies their problem, on4bam suggested reasons and remedies and tried to explain the true cause. And now as I type you have devolved any conversation to the level of the playground with that ...

Yep, I was aware (from caching in the NP ) that there must be pretty strict limitations imposed on hiders ... If you have permission for a drilled hole that's great, you have plenty of options for camo. just keep it above sheep scratching height ! Or, no camo at all ... a few years ago I came across a first stage of a multi stage (and excellent ) puzzle cache, where the solved at home on-page puzzle took you to a wooden sign post outside a very busy visitor centre for a popular country park : at first we thought we had made a mistake with the co-ords, as there was no metal anywhere nearby, and the hint told you it was magnetic, and the page obliquely mentioned being 'attractive' might somehow help to retrieve it ... turned out to be a mag nano snugly hidden deep inside the drilled hole in the wood, magnet end towards the opening ... That nano has lasted for 10 years without being muggled. The park rangers (who know all about it, and from whom the CO had full permission) are regularly entertained by looking out of their office window and seeing confused folk stood at GZ ...

I'd be surprised if the composition of the rock made any difference to the GPS signal : the density of the rock in cliffs or surrounding valleys/depressions, yes maybe , but not if it is ferrous or not. A magnetic compass though ... There's a nice GPS explanation , accuracy etc here , intended to help folk who want to help improve OSM do a good job (which is one of the very many many things I intend to do, butjust have not got round to yet ...)

Hmm, I had a look at the cache - N. York moors, rural, roadside, drive by, tourist muggle heavy location ! I'll assume that as you mention sheep any grass will be grazed down to the point where there's no 'hide it in the vegetation' scope for anything , otherwise I might suggest a screw eye or metal spring clip fixed low (probably more acceptable to the authority than drilling a hole for a container which they may well see as more damaging, and also setting a precedent for other cachers to go drilling holes in stuff) to anchor the container at the post base. But as there is no cover for that, how about a camo container . This GZ is by a disused railway line, I guess there may be plenty of smallish lumps of rock lying around, not just the natural local stuff but also possibly ballast brought there for the railway line ... could you find one with a cavity to glue a bison into , or even drill a hole for one ? (if it's limestone it will be a swine to drill, mind , and if millstone grit probably even worse !) You could always go for a fake rock ( loads on amazon etc, from £2 to £10 , google 'key rock' ) altho' they are so commonly used around here we can spot the thousands of identical clones of that poor grey lump a mile off : they got incredibly popular a few years back when they could be got from £ shops ! If you go down the fake key holder rock route, it needs a bison tube or similar inside the key compartment, otherwise there is little protection from water, but the resin the things are made from is reasonably weighty so it won't blow away ... If there are other small rocks around the post base , such a rock cache might be overlooked by muggles. Another thought : if you are allowed to screw something to the post , how about adding a screw on the very top and making some kind of easily unnoticed 'post cap' cache which can be held on to the screw head by a strong magnet ? If that's permissible and you can find or make something that blends in well, and there is no stile nearby to raise muggle eyesight in line with it, then average height cachers (with a nice clear hint to help them on the cache page) should be able to reach it if as you say the post is around 6' tall. Ought to be safe from the sheep too (unless one of them is Shaun ) If the direction pointing fingers have ferrous metal fixings there may be scope for a mag, nano. on there, but to my mind that's a bit of a let down for a rural container. If (reading between the lines, may be the case here) the authority are inflexible, and you are limited to a micro at the finger post, that really cuts down on the possibilities .

That's not a webpage, it's a link to facebook . The text may be the website address, but the link itself takes you via faceplant rather than directly. Not a good idea, those of us with a major faceplant aversion just gave you a bad mark ! If you follow the text address , the contact form says " Please make sure you include your real name, your geocaching name, and an email address we can contact you on. We'll get in touch to arrange payment, and thank you for your support. " So I'd expect there will be a secure method of payment , details of which will be sent, e.g. paypal or a bank account for the event (which they will have to set up to buy TBs hire the venue etc) so people can pay securely by online banking or post a cheque. We're not daft in the West Midlands ...

I'm ignorant as to how it works, so forgive me if this is a stupid idea, but as the false code logging is facilitated by those bulk discovery tools (on project GC and I seem to recall other sites too) couldn't Groundspeak stop this by having a recapcha (did I spell that right? Maybe ) or similar box associated with each TB discovery, and maybe each pick up too ( because you just know someone would automate a pick up and immediate drop tool to use the cheat lists automatically if only discovers needed a human looking at the screen) .Puzzle checkers have them, why not TB pages ? I know this would be annoying, personally I hate looking for the traffic lights or shop signs to click, or trying to see if that mangled digit in the little box is a 6 or a 5 , but wouldn't it be a way to frustrate the bulk logging ? Dropping a TB shouldn't be subject to any extra steps though, don't want to put people off placing them in caches . A further thought - do the bulk discovery tools use the api ? If so, Groundspeak has control over their availability and could set parameters to slow the process of logging.

First result on my search engine gives all the info you need (or possibly more)

I'd forgotten those Geocaching Challenges (not to be confused with.. er challenge caches, before someone chimes in ). They really deserved to die ... I'm seeing parallels to evolutionary biology in action here : will adventure labs evolve into an independent species , become extinct, or linger as a strange mutant geocaching sport ( see what I did there ) ? Or maybe they will come to dominate the GPS game ecosystem of the future if they turn out to be what the majority of the paying public want (which seems to be easy smileys)

Yep, I'll agree with that. We know that lab caches in general have been described as tests for new cache type ideas for years, but they seem to have taken an extra step away from 'normal' caching now they have an entirely separate app. I suspect that the adventure lab caches are Groundspeak's response to what makes normal caching (and cachers) inconvenient and time consuming (therefore expensive) for the business to deal with. Cacher disputes, unmaintained containers, throwdowns, complaints ... it would be so much easier to have no owners deleting logs, no damp gnawed containers etc etc. Impressed by ( and maybe a little envious of) the barcode game and the invisible beasties game, they want a nice clean cheap virtual product with a revenue stream that won't be reduced by the inconvenient human or real life container elements. Marketing it from zero to the general public would cost plenty, but hey, there's a pool of cachers out there who can be tempted into getting involved because ... smileys ! Many smileys ! Zero marketing cost ! Will adventure labs stay as an outgrowth of and within caching, will they become the more popular option, will they fade away and be consigned to the bin once the shine wears off, or will they evolve off into an entirely separate game which can stand alone ? I have no idea . I am sure though that if the frog goes entirely proprietary app / virtual , normal geocaching will continue using other listing services.

And back on topic: The amount of averaging you need to do to be confident of at least decent co-ords depends heavily on the location :If the satellite constellation is favourable and the area is nice and open, you will probably get a reasonably accurate waypoint very easily and quickly. However, in a dip or valley, next to a cliff or rock face (or the man made equivalent) or under a heavy tree canopy a bit more effort is needed. In good signal spots I'll generally just do as cerberus describes (but in my case , the wait will feature chocolate ), if the location seems a bit difficult for a good signal (especially if the GPS accuracy field falls below 3m) I'll use the waypoint averaging facility too, and whatever my assessment of the area, I always walk away at least 20m and then head back to the location from a different direction to the first approach, using the waypoint I made to check it. I always return to GZ at a later date, either to actually place the container or to check it before pressing the publish button, so routinely check the co-ords on another day as well. I like it when finders say my co-ords were spot on

You could always call it matryoshka I've come across field puzzle caches vandalized by those desperate for the smiley, it's a sad thing for both the C.O. who set the cache with thought, effort and expense , and the caching community who should be able to enjoy it in the way the C.O. intended. I reckon there are two parts to keeping the field puzzle cache from deliberate damage by cachers. First is the obvious one of ensuring the container is as vandal proof as possible , no exposed screw heads , gaps where a prying tool can be deployed, weak hinges etc. I'm not a great fan of field puzzles myself ( because I'm rubbish at them) but my favourite ever was a complex multi stage puzzle where stage 3 (after 3 small containers with diverse text based puzzles sending you to the next) featured a padlocked ammo can ... the lock code was given in one of the previous containers as yet another puzzle. We opened the ammo can, only to find inside a block of closed cell foam with an aperture cut to snugly hold .... a transparent 3D puzzle inside which was a micro container that took half an hour to persuade out , and held ... another puzzle. Diabolical ! But the very smart CO had ensured that there was no chance for anyone to add a log in that ammo can, by having the foam block filling it, and it also protected the quite delicate puzzle box. The padlock on the ammo can ensured no casual finder would get in and break that inner puzzle. When we got to the actual final ( another padlocked ammo can) we were no longer sure this would be the end of the expedition until we actually opened it That field puzzle has been out for 7 years and is still in perfect condition. Second line of defence: , make it an effort to access, not a park & grab, not a traditional icon. A multi or a puzzle, even a very simple one, gets less traffic from folk who want 50 caches in a day and don't have the time to 'waste' on a walk for just one cache. You could even consider making it an easy challenge cache. Anything which discourages people who are in a rush. Oh, and beware giving it an attractively rare D/T rating, which unfortunately makes a cache a prime target for folk who 'need' the find, however they 'achieve' it .... I've had this with puzzle caches, and now will not rate any as D 5 because it is a sure way of having the solution shared on FB groups and elsewhere to 'help' grid fillers.

Interesting question, you just know someone desperate for the smiley ( especially if it has a high D rating) will try to swerve the field puzzle . If the reviewer will think you specifying finders must sign the real logbook is an ALR only that reviewer can say, I'd suggest asking them. A bigger question to my mind : If the reviewer lets your wording through, and someone slides some paper in rather than signing the proper log, you find this out and delete their online log and they appeal the GS, will their appeal be upheld ? I'd try to avoid the situation (which can only result in bad feelings) by making the cache interior sealed, maybe finding a clip box or other container with a close fitting lid which fills the inside cavity snugly and will defeat any attempts to cheat the puzzle. I can't imagine a reviewer or GS appeals objecting to you saying on the cache page something like " the geocache container inside the lock box must be accessed to sign the log" That way you are defining the inner container as 'the geocache' which must be found, rather than the Arduino puzzle outer box, and any extra log sheet isn't going to find its way in there.

And this https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/354554-whats-with-these-bogus-discoveries-of-my-coins/#comments

I'm no expert on Garmin software (probably someone who is will be along with a better explanation than mine soon) but in practical terms I know that geocache-visits.txt is where I get the information to feed into GSAK when I want to publish logs using that tool. Afterwards I always clear the content of geocache-visits.txt and save it as an empty file again, ready for my next caching trip, so emptying that file of all it's content will do no harm, I'd be wary of deleting the file itself though. The xml file you mention I think is the one I emptied out on my first etrex before selling it on, as it would otherwise have shown the new owner an incorrect find total. My limited understanding is that those two files exist as a record of your actions visiting caches,, but the actual caches which show up on the device's map are the product of GPX files, so somewhere there is a GPX file you no longer want lurking around. Maybe on the SD card ?

Good suggestions have been given, especially contacting finders who liked the cache (and are local). I've seen a few caches where the owner has just posted a note on the cache page asking for potential adopters, which is unfortunately probably not going to be seen by the folk who have already found the cache ! I'll add a suggestion that you could post a note on any new cache which may be published in the area,. That will be seen by currently active cachers.

I don't know why, please explain ? This area of the forum , the one you chose to start the thread in clearly states in the menu: " Design Calling all designers! This forum will be a fun gathering place for those who love to design around geocaching. Share designs for geocoins, logos and avatars, banners and garments for events, amazing page listings, characters for WIG adventures, etc." So, either you chose the wrong place for the thread's topic, or the topic has veered off from your initial intention. It is not entirely clear in your initial post if you are talking about urban cache design or urban cache finding. Subsequent replies have assumed the latter, and you have not corrected them. Therefore the moderator is politely asking that either any more posts accord with the 'Design' theme, or has offered to move the thread to a more appropriate place if you chose the wrong one. I was wondering how the volunteer moderators of the geocaching discussion forums have the patience to deal politely with responses like yours. I don't know .

I'm sure some of those signs are placed by farmers to put walkers off, altho' as cattle tend to be moved from one pasture to another to graze it may be that there is sometimes a bull in that field ... It's absolutely legal for a farmer to have a bull of a placid breed in a field crossed by a R.O.W., as long as the bull has his harem with him ... it is a tad worrying though when some giant lump of beef stands up, and you see that what appeared to be a reclining cow obviously isn't .... I've walked through fields with such herds in them (very carefully, keeping an eye out for possible quick exit points and never coming between cows and their offspring , even if it means an inconvenient detour) and never had a problem. The most fearsome looking beasts , shaggy highland cattle with huge horns and other traditional longhorn breeds are the most placid and amenable in my experience . The bovine bane of cachers round here though, are the teenage hooligans : nosy curious bullocks and heifers. Those perishers will notice you, one brave one will start to walk over to have a closer look , the rest will do the herd animal thing and brainlessly follow on , so you find yourself with an accelerating stampede heading your way, especially if there is a bit of a slope down towards you. Scary. I'd rather walk through a field with a mixed herd including a bull any day !

Ditto, GDSAK & GC little helper II (and , of course tampermonkey and Firefox ) do a great job, when I do visit it's using the old dashboard, so my screen looks like on4bam's . The 'new' dashboard adds nothing of any use to me. I'd be very annoyed if the 'old' dashboard option vanished: that might well be the last straw ...

The UK law on rights of way is the usual weird accretion of odd legal additions wrapped around a network of ancient footpaths and cart tracks established by historical custom .Since our ancestors walked from village to village centuries ago their routes have been overlaid with tarmac roads , housing developments and big farms, but still , mostly hidden from view to most, there remains a web of old rights of way. The network of R.O.Ws is constantly changing, with (after due consultation with planning departments and in line with the law) paths diverted, closed and new ones opened, it is one of your local council's legal obligations to oversee this and keep an up to date definitive map of R.O.Ws, which should be what anyone consults before even thinking of removing signs, an action which could have the unintended consequence of other , innocent people having unpleasant confrontations with an angry landowner. The law says that the relevant authority must, where a R.O.W. leaves a tarmac road, place a sign indicating the direction the path takes : this is often a fingerpost with a pointer, a yellow topped wooden post, or a small plate with a yellow arrow (blue if it's a bridleway) on an existing structure. They may also place additional arrows at points where there is a path junction or turn . Signs wrongly claiming a R.O.W. is private are illegal and should be reported, as should any mysteriously removed official signs: I've reported plenty where someone has removed them , perhaps hoping that people will be deterred from using an unsigned path ... often there will be a spurious 'Beware of the Bull' sign to try to put you off too ... Most of the information you will get from a quick google on the subject of 'rights of way' will be legal information aimed at householders in disputes over parking, or driveways which cross someone else's land, or wondering about the status and repair costs of private roads on new developments.This is not relevant for footpaths and bridleways , addressing the wrong facet of the law. For actually walking in the British countryside, the best, clear, unambiguous information I've ever come across while researching the subject has been the rambler's site here. The Ramblers have an excellent online (and app, although I've never used the app myself) mechanism for easily reporting R.O.W problems here , they pass the information to the relevant authority for you, which makes it easy and quick to do the right thing and their report has the weight of a national organisation behind it , so may have more effect than an individual's email . I've reported several blocked R.O.Ws this way over the years some are shown on their map as solved issues.

A route in England & Wales ( Scottish law is different) can be a legally defined right of way as a FOOTPATH (where access is limited to just pedestians ) or a BRIDLEWAY (where access is limited to pedestrians horse riders and pedal powered bicycles , no motorbikes or other powered vehicles allowed) . However, it is very common to find a PRIVATE ROAD which is also a footpath or bridleway, I've walked down dozens such. The situation here is that there is a right of way for pedestrians or riders to pass along the way, BUT as a private road NO vehicular traffic is allowed. Those signs you stole were probably perfectly legally placed by the landowner, who is absolutely entitled to install gates to stop illegal vehicle access to his private road as long as there is a way through ( a gap, a kissing gate or a stile , or simply not having the gate locked) for the permitted on- foot or riding folk to get through.

Putting a 'FIRE EXIT' sign where there is actually no official fire exit seems a doubtful, or possibly even a dangerous thing to do. Make sure to get very specific permission for that exact 'container' from the building owner, and make it available to your reviewer when you submit it for publication.

If a cache is published and no one finds it, is it necessarily the fault of the setter ? Is the cache therefore not a cache ? A cache (of any kind) or an event is an opportunity, people may, or may not, choose to take that opportunity. If they choose not to take the opportunity, so what ? It existed for them. I can't help but wonder if some agenda is behind your question.

You are walking around the woods wearing a mail (no chain in the name) shirt and vambraces with a rifle ?! No wonder people are worried about being out caching ...

Is the forum being used to source official blog material I wonder ? The obvious answers are : don't pay for premium membership, don't buy TBs, don't spend on fuel to travel anywhere solely for caching.

Sounds entirely fair to me . As 'not nice' as the lying TB logs themselves. If lying discovery of TBs is no kind of problem, easily ignored, why not get your trackables put on the list ? I see you own over a hundred, almost as many as the discoveries you've logged in the last few days. What possible justification could you have for discovering trackables you've never been on the same continent as, whilst keeping your own codes secret ?