WadleClan

Yeah, my old Blackview was the same with all the extra long adapters. Fortunately, the newer versions fixed that and are normal length again. That was torture! Good idea about a cheap one. Time to start searching. Thanks!

Sorry, totally forgot to mention my phone. I have an Android model, a Blackview 5900. I will have to look for the dongle then. That may be the key. Thanks!

I've been reading through old posts about CHIRP caches. I may have missed one that helps with my problem, but most were dated quite a few years ago and I wondered if there was updated information. We have a few CHIRP caches in our area, I would love to find, if possible. There are alternative workarounds, but it would still be neat to use the technology. My cell phone is not ANT+ compatible. The hardware is not present. I double-checked on the phone's specs. We use that for our GPS unit, as it is a rugged phone and otherwise has all we need and can withstand my clumsiness when I accidentally launch it. So we do not have a dedicated Garmin GPS. Are there any standalone CHIRP units to purchase? If that is even a thing? If not, then I will either pass on these caches, or do the workarounds. Still, it would be neat if possible. My boys get a kick out of the gadgets. Thanks for any help!

My family is in the Amherst area and I have experienced many a Buffalo winter and studied off Lake Ontario, so another area equal. Yeah, winter has a VERY different meaning there than where I live now. Also even more different than winter in California. :-D

Understandable. I completely agree that it means not to search in the winter. Where I am confused, is what is the definition of winter in this case. In the cold? (My husband would then claim winter in late September when it drops below 16 C.) In the snow? (That would be very clear to understand.) From 21 Dec to 21 Mar? (That is also a clear parameter.) I'm not trying to get around the attribute, just trying to clarify it, so I know when I may search for the caches.

Thanks! I shall interpret this one as subjective. I guess it really just depends on a case-by-case basis.

A search has so far not helped me find this answer... What exactly are the parameters on "Not Available in Winter"? I ask because I cannot find a definition in the list of attributes. Also, I've seen different reactions to people who post this attribute or people who ignore this attribute. There is one series near me, where the CO states in the description, the caches are not available during a specific date range due to hibernating animals. Fair enough. I'm not so keen on the fact that they then post a shame page of those who ignore this, but I respect the limitations set. (No, I have never been listed on that page, as I read their description and followed their rules.) It is VERY clear in the cache description there are months the caches are not available and why. However, there are a number of other caches where I see this attribute crossed out, stating the cache is not available in winter. The cache description does not state any limitations though. I just looked at one cache to try and find and found this attribute. I also noticed someone just found the cache and logged it yesterday (27 Dec.). This is where the confusion comes in. If the cache owner does not state anything in the description, how do I define winter? Is it determined by it getting cold out and animals are potentially hibernating? (Then one must estimate if it is cold enough.) Is it determined by snow because it will be too difficult or unsafe to find the cache or reach it? (Then winters with no snow, the cache is available.) Is it determined by the official start of winter 21 December? (Then the cache must be available again starting 21 March regardless of weather based on date criteria.) Or is this completely subjective and as the searcher, it does not matter whether I find the cache or not when the attribute is in place, if the description does not explain it? In the case of the above mentioned cache, I wrote the CO and will await an answer. However, this is not always forthcoming. I am trying to keep to my daily cache goal, but I am getting more limited in the surrounding area and with so many caches now including this attribute, it's a little more difficult. I also don't want to go against any official rules. So just trying to get a clear answer (if there is one) to make sure all is friendly. Thanks!

Super! Thanks!!!

I cannot seem to find anything on the page, though maybe I did not look deeply enough. The search is giving me an error at the moment. How can I recommend someone for Geocache of the Week? There is a person in our local area who makes AMAZING caches. There are many steps and puzzles to the cache and after that, the workmanship put into the caches are phenomenal, with stone cutting, magnets, etc. EVEN A HELICOPTER!!! We just did a special Christmas one by this person and as usual, this hider did NOT disappoint. We laugh that this CO is doctor recommended. After our doctor learned we did caching (I unknowingly emailed him about a climbing course), he asked if we found any by this CO and said we REALLY had to check them out. Now all their caches are on our list to eventually find. They inspire us to make a special cache, if we can just figure out the electronics.

Thank you for the background. I was trying not to make it clear who the person was, but since you are also local, you figured it out. I can respect that his situation is harder at the moment. I was not trying to be mean, just surprised by his reaction every time I have had any interaction. I really did not have any ill feeling toward him. The first interaction was asking to understand why I could not get a geochecker to work. My husband is from here and I had him check my language, to make certain there was nothing lost in translation. He was surprised by the response too. But I figured it was just a bad day. I tried to write him about the Multi-stage, as I know there are many who get upset with a DNF posted and wanted to let him know about the recent deforestation in that spot. (Please understand as I type this, there is no angry voice, just a neutral tone. :-) ) Then after the log about the missing logbook, it was just a needs maintenance, again, to let him know. Nothing entitled. I now carry extra logbooks to help if this is a problem in other caches. Otherwise, the log I posted was about how this was a wonderful location and the deer were so beautiful. There was nothing nasty. If you know him, please let him know, there was NEVER any ill will toward him. I thought I was just following the rules and contacting when I was supposed to or needed help. Maybe there was a bit of language barrier when I translated something incorrectly. (I am working hard to get better in the language, but use Google translate to help write better logs.) In the meantime, I am avoiding his caches, because I fear I must have said or written something to anger him and don't want to anger him further. Maybe others have written and been nasty. Based on a past log I read, I got the feeling there have been issues. Fingers crossed, it all gets better in the end. Also, in the future, if he needs help maintaining a cache, we are always happy to help as well. We only have two active caches so far (with plans to make more, yours have inspired us) and I have the time to help if desired.

NEVER on one of your caches!!! We just did your Adventsfenster cache last night. AMAZING!!! As usual.

Thanks! Yes, I plan to give them a wide berth after this. They wrote me a nasty response, so that cinched it. Yes, there are other caches around, but we are pretty rural in Germany and near our home, he has over 300 caches, so it actually takes a bit of an effort to avoid him. I was more worried about him going further in the bullying and deleting past logs, which would put the last 109 days of daily caching as a waste in terms of my Stats. In the future, I will make certain to photograph every log and cache in case this happens with someone else. I may not be able to report him, but it is good to know one can contest a delete, if there is proof. I am almost tempted to drive back to the cache and photograph my log, but he's not worth it. Instead, my son and I found another by another owner. My son is content. ? Thanks again.

This is a little awkward for me to write, but I seem to be getting very negative vibes from one pretty active cache owner in our area. He currently has over 300 active caches in our region, so it is very common to come across his caches, though I plan to avoid them now. Here is our experience so far. One time, my husband and I were trying to solve of of this man's mystery caches. I was certain the answer was correct, but it would not work in the checker. After going back and forth, I finally wrote him and let him know our confusion. I got a nasty response back that it was only to check the first stage. Okay, no problem, I apologized and thanked him anyway. Another time, we were doing his nighttime Multi. We were great, until Stage 4. We looked for 30 minutes and found no sign of the reflector plate. A big issue, was that patch of woods had LOTS of very freshly cut trees. As in the sawdust was still on the ground (not exaggerating). So we wrote the owner and explained the problem. He responded that he did not even know where the stage was supposed to be anymore. With a smiley face, I told him my fingers were crossed he could find it again and we looked forward to when the cache was updated. The cache was never disabled while he looked (if he looked), there was no note, and there have been no changes. No one has found it since we looked. Today was the final straw. I found the cache and saw there was no logbook, just a little scrap of paper which many others had marked before me. So I added my stamp and logged the find. I also added a Needs Maintenance and explained how there was no logbook. Later in the day, I noticed my Stats were suddenly lower. I had no logged cache from today. I checked the last cache to see if it did not transfer from my phone. I found he disabled the cache and wrote a snippy note about how if there were no logbook, it could not be logged, it was not a virtual. I reposted my log and wrote him about how he was correct, but there was a slip of paper and I added my name to all the others on it. Normally I would blow this off and move on, but this seems to be a theme. There was also another post on a cache we found another day commenting on how it was great that this owner was playing again and how whatever made him quit last time, he must have cooled off. The wording was such, that the log came across as if the owner had a hair up his butt. I'm starting to think this is the case. I am about to head out and grab another cache, as I've been very diligent in trying to do a cache every day for my Stats this year. I have a feeling, this guy is going to delete my log again, so better safe than sorry. Is there any way to report him, or is this just a part of the game; there are grumpy owners/players who one just needs to avoid? I guess this really bothers me, as I have never been rude and just followed the rules, but while he still puts out new caches, he does not want people asking for help or being told his cache needs maintenance. It just seems like he is somehow a bully. I even think I met him at a local caching event when we were new to the area and if I am correct, he snorted when he saw our name (we had recently planted our first cache near home). Though I could be wrong about this incident.

I agree with your point about the fliers being seen as trash. I had thought about attaching little toy planes or propellers to the cards as a fun trade. As for placing by control line flying fields, unfortunately there are only a few around and we are too far from them to maintain. We had planted one by a big field in France in advance of the World Championships, but the grounds were overhauled and the box was destroyed. That said, my husband really likes the idea of a multi or mystery with that theme. Then maybe lead them to our property with a small box attached with more info after they found the cache. That could totally work! Thanks.

My husband often joins me geocaching and enjoys it. His real hobby is Control Line Flying (plane with engine attached to tethered lines, NOT remote control). He had the idea today, of making up a little info sheet of what Control Line Flying is and thought about leaving it in future caches we find, along with his contact information, if anyone is interested. This is a hobby and not a business. However, many in his hobby are growing old and they could always use new blood to keep it alive and fun. Would this be allowed, or does is violate some rule? Again, he is not selling anything, just trying to drum up interest in another hobby while engaging in caching. Thanks for any info.

I waymark and geocache with my family. Both are fun for their own reasons. Geocaching is tangible and we end up digging around in more odd areas. Waymarking just makes more sense in some regions of the world. I was just in Bangladesh and found the ONE geocache there. There is supposedly a second one, but it is inaccessible due to construction. The way Dhaka is, it's not very conducive to geocaching. However, there are a few waymarks I found and I even added a couple. Those suit the region better and I think, make people more aware of interesting places to see. Waymarking is also easier when traveling, as I only need my cell phone to locate and take photos. I'm not worried if I have a pen, our stamp, etc. When I am home, I love to hike in the local area. I end up posting a bunch of waymarks for anyone who ends up in my area. Like said before, it helps be better understand the history of my home. We are about to move into a house we bought, which means we have a whole new area for me to hike and post.

Thanks everyone. I was offline for a bit camping. Yes I don't have many T5s, but I am a little adventurous all around. I end up climbing our garden trees too, to pick fruit or remove dead branches. We don't have a big enough ladder. I'm already trained in advanced first aid. I will look for specialized courses for trees. I figured rock climbing was not the best, but it would keep him quiet while I research tree climbing on my own. If the foresters have programs, that will be brilliant. We're in the Black Forest, so there is bound to be something. Thanks again.

It seems I've been giving my husband a heart-attack every time I climb trees. Something about me being too old at nearly 40 and not wanting me to die. He's even stated he will climb instead of me, though I'm about 40 pounds lighter and easier on the trees. We FINALLY came to an agreement. He will only have a mild stroke when I climb, if I get certified. This autumn, the local Alpine club is holding a couple courses. One is Top Rope and the other is Lead climbing. Which is better for tree climbing? These are obviously geared toward Alpine mountain climbing (which I'll probably give him a stroke later with). However, he's happy if I just do something and I want to do the more useful one. Or is there another style I should be looking out for? Thanks.

Thanks. I will have to try that next round.

Thank you. I don't know how the heck I keep missing these categories. I swear I read down the whole list.

I recently ran into the problem of not being able to find the war our local memorial represents. We have a Franco-Prussian war memorial. I've noticed the majority of war memorial categories are for wars America was involved in. I'm sure many other countries around the world have world memorials with no connection to America. It would be nice to have a miscellaneous category to include those which don't have enough memorials to warrant a specialized category. Anyone interested?

Awesome! Yep, I am in BW and it is nearly impossible to find out the local denkmal without going to the bowels of some of the Kreis offices. I will try the same in a little bit then. Thanks for all the helpful information.

Here's a doozy... we have an execution site near us. We just found it on a long hike the other day. There was a dedicated spot where they did beheadings and the original stone foundation still stands. What on earth would that be categorized as? I looked at Tragic sites, but the subcategories don't fit.

Danke. Ich denke "Dated Buildings" ist die beste. Unsere Bierkeller ist special in dem Dorf und die "ONLY", aber nicht super special. :-) Danke alles für die Hilfe.

Unfortunately, I cannot post it. Even though the file shows it is less than 2MB, when I try to add it, the site says it's too large. I can place it under dated buildings then. It is dated and stands alone. It's a storage cellar and always was, not part of another building. It's the old-fashioned way of store food, or in this case beer, for the whole town. Thanks for the category. :-)