russellvt

Interesting perspective... I guess I've always just been one of those more "paranoid" folks, figuring that maybe someone's an unwilling participant in said cache... or, well... at least one of the other neighbors is kind of curious about why people are suspiciously snooping around someone else's property and then decides to involve the authorities. At the same time, I've often though about putting a cache very close to one of our residences, possibly on the property... and we have a couple of stumps just prime for the obvious hide. Though, as someone else had already mentioned... there's also the creepy "stalker-like folk" that have worried us, too. Certainly would be optimum for cache maintenance, though... *laugh*

I had seen a cache, at one point, that was basically a giant ammo can in someone's front yard... one of those where there was no mistaking what it was, and large enough that it could house bicycles, children, etc. Unfortunately I've not been able to locate it, since. I think that's pretty much a "defining" front yard cache... at least there's very little danger of someone wandering in to the wrong yard. *laugh* It was kind of in the same vain as this one: (keep in-mind the pole in the foreground is three or four feet high, itself)

Check the OP's recent finds. Too much work!! I like my drama with just a single mouse click. Yeah, but you missed the obligatory smiley, too... *laugh*

Eek... lost my previous reply here (and apologies for others for multiple replies, etc -- I've yet to quite figure out how to consolidate and/or delete things -- but I'm probably missing something simple). But, interesting point... though shouldn't conversion happen nearly "automagically?" I've yet to really switch a GPS out of native modes, but my Garmin's "stuck" in WGS84 since about the time I purchased it, while my older Magellan is in MGRS (if I recall correctly, at least). Still, both of them seem to "do the right thing" with respect to other common coordinate systems... and even so, would that effect accuracy? ...though, in a way, I guess it's all almost approaching "magic" to me, anyway. ;-)

Please leave the forum moderation to the moderators. If you have an issue with a post, please use the [REPORT] button. Thank you. Thanks Quiggle... nicely said... I'll (semi) retract my own post, though I think it's apropos.

I've only encountered one, myself... and once I realized the cache had to be in someone's front yard and there was no way for me to reach it from the crb, I declined to log it. Though in hindsight, I've probably logged a few that were, technically, on gas station property or similar... though that seems a little less foreboding to go onto "private" commercial property than in to someone's front yard, IMO.

As others have mentioned, maybe the GPS needs a good 10 or 15 minutes to recalibrate (they can after taking "long trips" like that... especially around the other side of the globe, which our's often don't see. Also, since this is a "war time" thing, perhaps they've re-introduced some of the variable timings in the non-military GPS systems (or even in online maps) on that side of the globe for "safety" (or in "the big six forbidden countries") ... though I doubt the technology's that granular, it's certainly a possibility from the manufacturer (though it used to vary by meters, not miles... at least that was here) May you son also return safely... God Bless.

I agree with what so many others have said here... if they want to hide for someone in-particular, it should be done privately (and I've actually seen other caches do this sort of thing). But once it hits the site in a published form, I think it's a FFA (Free-For-All); otherwise it's detracting a bit from the site/idea, IMO. As someone else pointed out, too... I'd much rather get a FTF the "honest" way (albeit sometimes at some ridiculous hour of the evening) than to basically have things "held" for me. For my step-father's birthday, for example... weather permitting (rather than blizzard conditions), his "gift" was going to be down in a private ammo box in some random leaf pile or something for him to "fetch." *laugh*

"Tag a fence"? Sorry, but I don't understand that. What do you mean? Buggy whips still in use? Sure. So are flintlock pistols. What is your point? My point is to stop whining about the tiny stuff... we've got more important things to think about than some little scribble in a phone book in a phone booth. If the thing is still THERE is already a miracle. I think the less-veiled point was basically, "just because it's someone else's property which you (general "you") do not value, it's ok. Were someone to instead use something more personal (such as your fence) and 'mark it up', then that would be different." And, BTW... ever want to see a lot of buggy whips... visit the mid-west and surrounding areas. Point being: I (along with the OP (?) and a few others) seem to feel that simply defacing or changing other folks' property or even the appearance of someone else's property for the sake of the game is crossing a boundary. As I think the scouts say, a bit paraphrased... "Leave no trace except footprints, take nothing but photographs" And, not to flame (not really the intention), if it's not important to you, why are you coming in here telling people to stop talking about it, then? (yeah, yeah, yeah... I've read enough of the forums to realize that's pretty much a rhetorical question though, thanks... *smirk*) Now on to bigger/better things... where's the link and when do we start flaming micros? (as others have said... *laugh*)

Well, the worst part about that type of cache (hopefully not to hijack this thread too off-topic or anything) is that it tends to teach certain types of cachers that those hides "are reasonable," and they're apt to now start checking or partially dismantling nearby birdhouses, nests, sprinklers, electrical boxes, etc in hopes of "chalking up another find." And, not to be redundant, but I've heard this objection largely waged against the famed "sprinkler cache." While I think that a good sprinkler cache should be rather obvious to someone who's a bit more observant (eg. a different style/brand of sprinklers than any in a given area), they also tend to be uprooted by the unsuspecting gardener who's wondering why one of the sprinklers isn't working during their periodic tests/adjustments. Likewise, I think the phonebook cache is a little over-the-top, personally... interesting idea, but prone to several issues that others have already pointed out. Luckily it sounds as though it might have already been disabled. Funny, as to now, I didn't really think much about previous "phone booth" caches (or light post caches) for that matter (eg. the private property issue(s)), but I'm sure I probably have a half dozen or more under my belt from here and there...

Well, you could always use a GPS to create the waypoints (which I assume you'd do, anyway), then import them directly in to a GSAK database... works with my Garmin, at least. Then you should only need to go and edit the points in GSAK, directly (right-click, edit, etc).

Well, appears as though your profile now has one cache find listed. Congrats! (and from the sounds of it, you intend to stay with it and find more! help that travel bug along on its mission!) Once again, welcome to the madness!

Well, strangely enough, that didn't work for me... nothing worked for all I could search, come at it from a different direction, etc... until I logged out and back in as the post indicated. And it still begs the point, "register" isn't listed anywhere on those pages... I understand, now, that "register" is actually geek-speak for "flag" or "push" the changes over (but I was thinking more of the whole "registration process" that forums generally need when you sign up). At least the page should say something more clear like "click on the forums link," in my opinion. It might also add the idea "you may need to log out and back in to the forums before you see your new avatar" to the page, just to be idiot proof.

Was also noticing that it somehow appears to overlook a playground... maybe he was dreaming about swings or a slide or something. *laugh* (sorry, just looking for xkcd references in the forums today, after the Geohashing strip, yesterday) Edit: parens should be uniform

Posted elsewhere, too (several times)... but had to come find all the "xkcd" references, here... The scary part is that they're actually turning it in to a "get together" for xkcd fans.

Hey there, and welcome to the madness! ;-) Ironically, I had just seen the same comic, and was looking to see what sort of attention it was getting back here. Glad to hear it may be "converting" folks, too! In any case, I've actually started friends in to the hobby using nothing more than Google Maps in a well-defined area... it's a good way to see if you enjoy caching before you go out and spend money on a dedicated GPS unit. You should just make sure, though, that your first few caches are rated with a low difficulty (1.0 to 1.5) -- if you're going after a 3.0 or higher for your first cache, you might get a bit frustrated, for example. And, the larger the container, the easier they tend to be to locate, as it tends to help limit the searching areas (since there tend to be fewer places to hide something the size of a book, for example, than places you might hide something more like the size of someone's ring). You might also check any friends that have a handheld GPS you might be able to borrow for a day or three... or, heck, bring them along and let them navigate!

I was actually coming back over here to see if anyone had posted this, yet... predictably, someone had... ;-) They even have a Wiki to answer questions about it. (Of course, searching these forums for xkcd is even more entertaining... seem to be a few fans here... and vice versa)

Irony at it's best. Fun, eh? *spew* Monitor cleanup, aisle three... In all seriousness, thanks to all the Moderators for dropping in and clarifying the process as-seen from your side! For me, it was/is very helpful to hear directly from you (along with a few lurkers, I'm sure).

That would be nice, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find anything to "re-register" anywhere... only pages telling me that I needed to do it (happen to have a direct link?). However, as that post indicated, logging out and back in was enough to immediately fix it. Hence, I think it needs to be cleared up... somehow... as it wasn't terribly obvious in any case.

Well... not to be a smart alec, but "normal" is probably a "reasonable" amount, and "more" and "most" often are probably a little faster. Likewise, "less" or "least" often is probably a lot further apart. Overall, it's "highly variable." Experimentation (ie. set it then start walking/driving) seems to say that "normal" would seem to be about 10-20 seconds, or 30-50 feet at a brisk walking speed (3-4mph), less often (sometimes minutes) when near-stopped, and fairly frequent at higher speeds (4-5 seconds, maybe every 200-1000 feet or so). It also looks like it might be "turn or speed sensitive" to a degree (eg. there's no reason to update that often when you're moving at a pretty constant speed in a nearly straight line, but when you're last two or three points are along an curve it probably makes more sense to update more often). If you're really that concerned about it, you can always change "auto" to "time" or "distance" and set it yourself... ;-)

On the "map," "compass" or "trip computer" page, hit Menu and select "Change Data Fields." There's a "Water Temperature" field. There's also a "water speed" field, though I assume that's a calculation based on "velocity made good," I'm not sure.

As per this thread, the Select an Avatar page should probably change the phrase "re-register the changes" to "log out and back in" or similar (ie. it's not completely clear as-written), or perhaps have a pointer to the aforementioned/pinned "test" thread in the Getting Started section.

Thanks... I tried that, but didn't come up with anything useful (hence the question) -- the #1 result didn't even seen to have the word "course" in the entirety of the thread, for example.

I was recently looking at the "Add/Edit Insta-Notification" page (Premium Members only) and noticed a type I hadn't noticed before... the "Geocache Course." It's not listed in the "Cache Type" page, either, nor have I been able to convince Google to give me any sort of useful info (not that it surprises me). Can anyone fill me in on this, by chance? Is it a legacy cache type, or something that's slipped out a little early (as I noticed someone had already suggested that some of the "challenge mystery caches" have their own types defined -- though obviously I have no idea if this is at-all related). Just figured it was something I missed, some place...

Actually, you had an even simpler reply within one hour of your original post: Actually, the only really "useful" piece of that reply, AFAIK (or can tell), are technically direct violations of the ToS (which I'd prefer to stay as clear of as possible, of course). Feel free to point me in a more specific direction, though, if my assessment is incorrect (sometimes folks can overlook the-most-obvious things (or be tunnel visioned away from there), as was kinda also proven in this case... *laugh*) Note: the idea of "rotting" things off your list really isn't any simpler IMO, since it's technically inaccurate (ie. it's a workaround rather than a real/complete solution, at best). Your issue is basically with GSAK, where this question is very definitely an FAQ. Although pretty well any situation where you accumulate data over time from a source suffers from the same issue, namely, having supplied you with any given data an arbitrary time ago, how does the system tell you to stop using it? This is actually a real-life academic computer science issue on which some very high-powered people have spent a lot of thought. (Ask anyone who sends out their software on CDs and would like people to stop using versions before March of this year because they have a bug in them.) In theory, to prevent anyone ever having any out-of-date data (in this case, cache archived and the database not updated), one of the following would have to be available: 1) A mechanism to let you know, for every cache that has ever been sent to you on any PQ which you have ever run, or that you have saved manually from the GPX file link, that that cache is now archived. After all, Groundspeak does not know what you chose to do with that data, so they would have to assume that it's part of your offline database. That in turn would require every cache to have an associated field, listing every site user who had ever received a GPX copy of it, the exact timestamp when that happened, and what its status was at the time (after all, you might have downloaded the cache when it was archived, not seen it in a PQ when it was reactivated for a while, and now it's been rearchived). I'll leave the math as an exercise for the reader, but the numbers will quickly become eye-watering when you multiply by over 800,000 cache listings - we're certainly talking many, many gigabytes. 2) The ability to receive a fresh copy of every cache which is currently in your offline database - at least its status, "archived or not" - as one PQ. It would take quite some programming to allow you to specify that with a graphical interface. The only way I can see to do it would be for the site to allow you to upload a GPX file (presumably with some limit on the number of caches... start the bidding...) and it would send you the updated version of the data for every cache in it. Given all that, I can see why Groundspeak doesn't want to be involved in helping people maintain their offline databases. It would be an endless and ultimately not very productive task. Well, IMHO, you're way over-thinking what I was asking, here... I'm not asking for a complete and comprehensive list, by any means. I am (or was) just looking for a simple mechanism to toggle any caches that are already listed "active" on my GPS over to a symbol that makes it clear they are no longer available (on a fairly case-limited basis). From there, it makes it easier to delete/ignore things I no longer care about or wish to see. As previously stated, I tend to keep my GPS waypoint memory fairly full with caches around my "frequently traveled areas" just-in-case I have an unplanned moment/occasion to go for a hunt. Like others, I just have no real desire to go searching for a cache that's no longer there, ya know? *laugh* Of course, since I pretty much have a weekly "full" (500) cache PQ(s) that define those area(s) and new caches are being placed often faster than I can "clear" them, simply letting the archived caches "rot" off the list doesn't really work for me (as now the outliers now appear to "rot" as new caches are placed -- though that kinda falls in to the "math issue" you point out, in a small way). It also involves the practice of bulk-deleting waypoints/caches from the GPS before I resend new waypoints to it, which I currently don't tend to do. Perhaps I need to think about how I do those updates, too, but currently I mostly just let waypoints get updated until I run out of memory, then I go looking for the "bulk delete by symbol" function. The simplest solution, by far, would be a PQ that defines those same areas that are already defined in other PQs to give me a list of caches that have been archived/disabled within N+1 days of my last PQ (ie. 8 days for the sake of overlap). There's no real complexity here... at least, I surely don't see any need for it. And the system already has a computed list of all the caches in the same area (eg. X miles from a defined center point) -- I'm just asking for a status to be added, that's it... they're already intentionally "ignoring" those same caches I'm asking to see (ie. remove the "and not status=disabled" or similar from the SQL). Largely, I think the real problem here eventually ends up becoming more of a "disabled cache saturation issue" as the list of disabled caches grow in an area rather than a "you shall not have a complete/perfect list of caches" issue... but again, I obviously can't speak for Groundspeak. The only use I have for maintaining any archived cache status, in the long run, are for those that I've either flagged as "interesting" or that I've found prior to their de-listing (and largely just the later)... that's it. But, again, as was pointed out quite clearly a few posts up... I can already get the same info that I had requested (archived/disabled caches) in a more iterative fashion, and without violation of the ToS. I had just been reading too much about "pocket queries" when I came up with the original question/post and, hence, was kind of focused on the same concept and didn't think about the-most-simple form of the problem/issue, myself. And yeah, maybe I need to slightly adjust the way in which I cache, too... but, well, that's a slow adjustment as I figure out what works best for me. *laugh* (suggestions for improvement are, of course, always welcome) Thanks again to everyone for their responses/input!