Ben0w

Ein berühmter Fehler ist, die App mit einem Premium-Account zu verwechseln. Beide sind voneinander unabhängig. Für Groundspeak gilt: Du kannst mit jeder App (die die Groundspeak-Daten anzapft) cachen gehen, ob kostenlos oder bezahlt. Um aber mehr als drei vollständige Cachedaten pro Tag oder Premium Caches laden zu können oder in Suchergebnissen auch Nicht-Tradis angezeigt zu bekommen, brauchst Du einen Premium Account (das sind zur Zeit die Limits für externe Anwendungen, die per API auf die Datenbank zugreifen). Ggf. haben hier unterschiedliche Limits zugeschlagen (d.h. einer hat üner mehrere Tage schon Cachedetails gesammelt, während die anderen nur die drei des aktuellen Tages abgerufen haben)? Innerhalb der Groundspeak'schen Geocaching-App kann man sich übrigens verschiedene Membership-Dauern per In-App-Kauf dazubestellen. Vielleicht ist das auf einem der Telefone passiert? Oder aber das in Frage kommende Telephon nutzt eine nicht-offizielle App ohne API-Zugriff, die sich die Infos anderweitig z.B. von der Website holt und damit natürlich an keine derartigen Limits gebunden ist (dafür an andere, aber der Webzugriff ist auch für Basic Member ja ziemlich umfassend möglich). Hilfreich wäre eine genaue Beschreibung der Umstände, aber wie ausgeführt fallen mir schon mehrere Szenarien ein, wieso sich unterschiedliche Telefone unterschiedlich verhalten können.

Other apps let you log as well. There might be a bug in your version. Please report it to the apps author.

They then should upgrade from Zilog Z80 processor systems to some modern hardware like Motorola 68000 maybe with ~20 MB additional diskspace and get rid of their magnetic tapes (BTDT).

I think it is more likely just that a large percentage of people on this forum are from North America. I might be wrong, but I think BenOw lives in Germany. Yes, I do (at the moment, Bavaria still is a state within Germany). But from my experience with life and everything, I am fully convinced that stupidity is international.

One of my neighbours constantly acts like this on my parked car, on a public road just in front of MY house (and in opposite of her garage but with enough space, totally legal). She even threated me to drive into my car as her friend already had (and didn't notify me, but since it was witnessed she had to pay me, was filed a fine and got her driving license suspended). Well, it's not my driving license. There even was no caching involved. You simply can't fix stupid.

+1 It may be a hard way. I'm a friend of greek people and culture, so please don't take my statement in a negative conotation: it's not about the cost, since premium membership (30 EUR per year makes 2,50 EUR per month) is just a fraction of the whole caching trip which the thread opener calculated himself. The main problem is the revenue you get for paying that. As cezanne stated, that may be a lot of work to some enthusiasts to seed a critical mass of interesting caches. I think, that's the main point, too. On behalf of the 30 EUR vs. 30 US$: Groundspeak takes the whole risk of currency exchange rates at the moment. And there are other ways, both for paying and for getting more than 3 cache data per day. Plus there may be other geocaching databases with no restrictions. I'd suggest opencaching.gr or if that doesn't exist, setting up your own site (opencaching source code should be freely available from other opencaching sites other than opencaching.com/org).

In Bavaria the surveyor authority now puts one reliable public surveyor mark per county. It's more or less a marketing thing, but the points are exact to a fraction of a centimeter (or an inch for you imperial folks). BTW some contain caches nearby (at least one IN the monument). I tried my GPSr and my smartphone on two of those. Both showed the accurate readings. When testing with geocaches you should take in account the capability of the cache owner to get sufficient coordinates. With consumer devices and not applying a lot of effort the cache position may have inaccuracies as well. Additional disturbances are nearby structures or high landmarks, dense trees and rainy conditions. This applies tp both, GPSr and smartphone. In my experience the key factor is not the tool you use, but the knowledge of sufficiently using that tool and about it's limitations in a given setting.

First: congrats to those having spent a lot of thoughts and efforts in finding the original cache box. And to the marketing team of "Planet of Apes" who sufficiently were able to held the thing in discussion far longer than the movie deserves. For me, having not found any APE cache, it is totally unrelevant if it will be unarchived or not. I won't travel to Brazil or the US just for a cache or an icon anyway. So I won't vote for either option. However, the cache should only be reactivated at it's original location. All else, i.e. finding an APE cache in a museum at HQ, would be not the right thing. But considering things, I would let it be - I tend to not unarchieving it. Let the campaign follow it's natural path and end eventually. As far as I understand, there is a replacement cache at the location. So, the space is occupied anyway. The experience of traveling to that location and look for a cache still is possible. Plus there is a lot of muggling or at least one very ambitious person (or creature?) who does like to damage things. He/she/it will find ways to disturb the game again. As a cache owner I would gibve up such a location soon. To keep the APE container and it's history without a receivable icon in a display at HQ would be my preferred choice, if I wanted to have one. (if the choice wents the other way, it would not be the end of geocaching to me but just another marketing twist...)

German federal police has an internal newspaper (public available, but targeted to their own officers) which had an article about geocaching in it. The federal police here is (among other) responsible for railway and airport safety, so patrols locations that are full of geocaches and obviously felt the need to inform their LEOs about that game. Article was written well along the lines of "mostly harmless". I took some of those newspapers at a local event with me (event was organized by geocaching federal LEOs, was very interesting) and have one in my car. Next time police wants to know what I do, I can show them the "official" version, which may seem more reliable than my description standing there covered in mud holding an electronic device and a suspicious box. Link to the online version of this magazine (german language): http://www.bundespolizei.de/Web/DE/Service/Mediathek/Downloads/geocaching_file.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1

Was reported by a farmer who happened to have a (pretty lame) cache near his gated fishing place. Police showed up atmy house and my wife explained geocaching to them, since I wasn't at home. They asked me to call them which I did and promised to contact the cache owner to get his confiscated piece of junk ...er... cache container back. The cache was archived soon after (no loss to the game). Another encounter was more crazy: went for a FTF hunt in the middle of the night near a hot ground water energy plant. I made the first log and when back to my car (parked outside the perimeter) another car showed up. I approached the STF cacher - so I thought - and just realized starting to greet him that it was a security guard. Best thing: he took me for a plant employee trying to control him (if he checks things)! He gave me an almost military report about "Alarm was ticked by an open window, all OK!". I didn't hesitate to explain much and we both left a bit frightened about our mid night meeting.

Log löschen geht neben Spoilerei und offensichtlich gegen die Spielregeln verstoßenden Inhalt nur, wenn kein Eintrag im Logbuch ist. Sollte man also zuerst mal prüfen. Ansonsten hilft folgendes gegen blöde Logeinträge: • nicht ärgern • keine Caches in der Nähe von Powertrails legen • Cache etwas aufwendiger als eine D1/T1-Filmdose an uninspirierter Stelle gestalten (das ist ein Extrembeispiel, ich kenne die Caches des Threaderstellers nicht) • akzeptieren, dass manche Leute tatsächlich nicht schreiben können • grin and ignore it... • sich an den schönen Logs freuen! Nicht den Spaß verderben lassen.

Great story, great swag! Wonder, what I had traded for that nugget...

Some random thoughts: • if a cache can be found and is in a fairly good condition, the game still works. If the condition gets worse or the cache can't be found anymore, there are mechanisms like DNF, NM and NA • the last login date doesn't tell access by API (apps or programs other than direct web access). So a user can be pretty active even if having an old "last access" date. • beeing a cop is not a bad thing. Some of my friends are cops. Wouldn't take that as an insult... All in all I think users should be encouraged to take care. As cache owners and as cache searchers. I agree with the "community viewpoint" and would vote for minimal regulation by Groundspeak. It's primarly our game, not theirs. Using the power of DNF, NM and NA without hassle and without being shot for the message would be a good thing.

Is the developer closed to suggestions? I work offline in the field, but even online, many TBs and coins will not be OCR readable, and even are unreadable by me. I have to get a flashlight and look at the code at several angles, then probably make a few guesses. The App must at least include the ability to save the image (whether it was scanned into OCR or not). And I'd like to be able to include notes with each image. Developer is very responsive and open for discussion. From a process viewpoint I think there may be another way to implement the trackingcode validation, but apparently he knows his algorithms better than me. The app offers a photo ability from within the scanning view, just a click on the screen. The photo can be stored and used later for online OCR or own reading/typing just as the real trackable. So this is kind of offline ability, which works pretty fine. No notes possible as long as the code is not recognized (online!), though. But no notes with images, too (picture is stored in the standard image library), AFAIK. The App offers a button from within the scanning screen which activates the flashlight of the phone, so scanning/reading the code may be easier. Posting photos with the log isn't possible yet, I think. Would be a good suggestion. However, resorting to paper notes or another App isn't necessary for discovering even when you don't have online acccess in the field, as long as you don't need to note additional info. Logging works only when the code is recognized (online). It totally supports the whole process of discovering trackables within one App. So far a pretty smart thing. Plus the OCR capability, which makes getting most tracking numbers very easy, if you gain a bit experience. There is a free trial version available, so I'd suggest to simply try it. FAQ and other hints on the web site are useful, direct developer contact there as well. It's a Groundspeak partner app (official use of the API, no guideline violation). Disclaimer/Interest declaration: I'm not affilated to the developer, I'm not obliged to advertise the product, I'm just a happy customer (having paid the discount price which was available for a short period), however I'm surely interested in further development of the App.

I use it and already reported some bugs (meanwhile fixed, developer is very responsive). Key thing is - as with all tools - you have to practise. There are codes that are not scannable, but then you can type the code directly in the app and use the logging process further on. With a bit of training I'm now able to decide with most of the codes if it's quicker to scan or to type. Works fine. This said, I have to admit, I'm not even a "power discoverer". Normally I just discover trackables which are cute and/or somewhat remarkable. So the time saving is no argument for me, but the process organization is: before the app I noted the code on a piece of paper or made a photo. Then I had to type it into the computer. This may not sound complicated (and most others will still do it this way), but it's a media break. The TBScan app closes this gape. Sure, other apps do that as well, but my geocaching app handles trackables in a way that is too complicated for more than a few. TBScan has optimized the process even for me as a more or less facultative discoverer. And the OCR function makes it look cool. In my opinion there is just a major cutdown: the lack of offline ability. It won't take a code in it's memory list, when it can't approve it online. Which is bad when no internet connection is possible. I discussed this with the developer, he says it's a feature to instantly check the code and there is no other way. I oppose this, but at the moment don't succeed. There are some other minor handling issues I'm not satisfied with and already discussed with the developer. AFAIK the (just 15 year old!) programmer coded his own OCR routine, because the available ones didn't work good enough. He used a IOS only framework for that. Hence the restriction to IOS at the moment. All in all, for me it was worth the money (there recently was a special offer period, which I used).

No problem beeing bad. 😜

Technically: yes. It may work a while, but the point is: what when something has to be addressed with access to the listing? Checking maintenance flag, deleting bogus logs (spoilers, armchair logging), marking trackables as missing and so on? That is only possible for the cache owner, having owner access to the listing. No need to endlessly reviving a dying cache. There are enough caches! If the spot is worth a cache, then archiving the abandoned one and placing a new one is no loss to the game. A link to the archived listing always is possible to honor the efforts of some old time cache owner or whatever. Don't do throwdowns.

If and only if this happens with explicite consent of the cache owner. Then it's an authorised replacement, not a throwdown. Throwdowns are bad, replacements without the cache owner knowing are the same, implied authorization by "doing a friend a favour" is the same. Allowing throwdowns in the listing is lame as well, but by the cache owner. Only explicitely and specifically authorized replacements are not, this is the only real service for a friend, who may be not able to maintain the cache for some reason at that time (illness, vacation, real life, ...). So simple... I don't remember reading something stating otherwise here. Then you've missed a page and a half of off-topic griping about whether or not people who help friends with cache maintenance should log a find. No, didn't miss that. The case where someone logs a find accompanying the cache owner doing maintenance simply doesn't involve a throwdown. Those side discussions are - as you wrote - off-topic and not around a throwdown. Well, if the CO just throws another box, at least it's his decision (including all hassle with weird logs and so on) and not the finder's. Addendum on that off-topic discussion: Having help by the CO on-site is a totally personal choice, not affecting the gameplay of others in any way. So I'd consider it OK, though it would not be satisfying for me (been there, done that, so I know).

Which isn't an excuse to affect some other's property. It's not a game to them. Such hides may lead (and already have) to bans of geocaching in certain areas. Then, the game isn't possible there any more just because someone isn't creative enough to find a hiding spot respecting the rules (and respecting local laws as well as nature and land owners).

Beside finding nice or surprising interesting spots through geocaching, I use it more and more as a supporting information source in other parts of my life: • Deciding which optional holiday site or even hotel of multiple choices we choose: that with the most or best caches near. • Last vacation we made a day visit to Slovakia, where street names are a pain to spell. So I simply entered the coordinates of the cache at that castle and was lead to a hidden and very cheap parking spot as well. Perfect! Plus we've got the nice cache. • At a boat trip on a large lake we simply used the cache coordinates at a lighthouse to navigate back there. • I work in EMS and finding emergency sites in the woods around here became a lot easier since I know a lot of hidden trails through my geocaching trips. Once I even was "local consultant" at a search for a lost accident victim and used my detailed terrain knowledge from placing a cache in that area. I almost suspected that some of the mutual search crews where geocachers and might log a find on my cache but obviously they were professional enough to focus on the SAR mission. Or the mysterie was too hard. (BTW, we didn't find the man in the woods that night, instead police caught him with minor injuries later at home where he fled to - as we learned later, he had several arrest warrants outstanding, so he tried to get away but was identified by the other accident victim). • My offline map in my geocaching smartphone app provides house numbers, our navigation system in the ambulance doesn't (just navigates to them but doesn't show 'em on the map once there - which can be tricky, when entrance location isn't clear enough). Plus, far more details on side roads and little trails not only in the woods but in parks and backyards as well. So I used the app already to have a more detailed view of the area, helping me find the best way to the patient. • I'm obviously not the only one in that field: coincidentally, yesterday there was a report on TV where a geocaching firefighter could help substantially in searching for a geocacher with a medical emergency at a geocaching site: naturally, he knew the spot within the deep forest and the best way to it.

"PM geht nicht": Ausloggen und wieder Einloggen half da manchmal. "Nahtloser Wechsel von Monats- auf Jahresmitgliedschaft": Soweit ich weiß, läuft eine Mitgliedschaft erst ab dem Ende der letzten, die Jahresmitgliedschaft also erst, wenn die Dreimonatsmitgliedschaft aufgebraucht ist. Da herum zu kommen erfordert wohl tatsächlich je nach Kündigungsfrist eine Abmeldung als PM oder einen komplett neuen Account... Bitte ausprobieren und berichten,

Früher gings per App auch zeitgenau (Logeintrag gem. Zeitstempel der App), seit kurzem kochen die Server ihr eigenes Süppchen. Keine Ahnung, was das soll, aber es nervt, weil auch Bezüge auf andere Logs damit witzlos bzw. kaum nachvollziehbar werden. Ebenfalls Wartelisten für Events. Das mit dem STF-vor-FTF-Log braucht Dich aber echt nicht zu ärgern, FTF ist, wer nach Publish als erstes im Logbuch der Dose steht (so zumindest die weitläufig gelebte Praxis, es gibt auch örtlich andere Sichtweisen). Die Tatsache des FTF/STF/... kann man zusätzlich textuell im Log beschreiben oder für Auswertesoftware auch extra per Schlüsselwort kennzeichnen. Wichtig für das Hobby ist das aber alles nicht: Die Diskussion der Sinnhaftigkeit von FTF-Jagden brauchen wir bitte nicht schon wieder durchkauen (gleiches bitte für die Triggerworte "Event" und "Warteliste"). Danke.

Hm...Herzen! Die mag ich. Mit ein paar Fava-Bohnen, dazu einen ausgezeichneten Chianti... SCNR

If and only if this happens with explicite consent of the cache owner. Then it's an authorised replacement, not a throwdown. Throwdowns are bad, replacements without the cache owner knowing are the same, implied authorization by "doing a friend a favour" is the same. Allowing throwdowns in the listing is lame as well, but by the cache owner. Only explicitely and specifically authorized replacements are not, this is the only real service for a friend, who may be not able to maintain the cache for some reason at that time (illness, vacation, real life, ...). So simple... I don't remember reading something stating otherwise here.

We will get a souvenir for that, will we?