washboy
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Posts posted by washboy
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Your one cacher that in my book has earned himself a congrat, not just for your first ton , but for your children in need work and that fantastic site you have made available to us allHeartily seconded! Thank-you, Mark & well done!
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Very, very impressive.
A couple of cosmetic suggestions, if you don't mind:
1) Move the scale ("200 km") indicator to top-right of map (and make the bar less bold). It will be less obtrusive there.
2) The fly-over hints for the cache names are less than readable in black (and possibly in that font). Might it be helpful to use a different colour (perhaps G:UK green - or even white) plus a non-serif font?
Other than that, what can I say? You're a wizard!
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Does anyone else think that the little icon at the end of Dan's sig looks as if the badger's struggling, unsuccessfully, to pull its little head from a noose or trap?
I know Dan says the badger's actually doing the "Peace" sign but...
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This is an inappropriate site for a cache - and not simply because the cache container won't fit.
It is obviously a Neolithic monument. We can't be sure of its original use but we think it is part of some sort of cosmic calendar.
Already, the feet of hordes of visitors have trampled the surrounding vegetation flat, leaving the monument exposed and vulnerable.
Show respect and keep well clear of such sensitive and sacred sites.
[Tongue well in cheek & no offence intended]
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Did you notice that many TMAers were more vehemently opposed to Letterboxing than to Geocaching? I wonder why that would be.
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Here's a link to another copy of the imagehttp://homepage.ntlworld.com/keith-blackmore/beach%20hut.jpg
There's and awful lot of white-space around this image. Have you tried cropping it to include only the image itself? I've no idea if it'll make any difference but...
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looks like the Wharram Percy cache has gone.....A casualty of English Heritage and/or TMA prejudice perhaps?
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Originally by TheCat:It would be good to use something like the geocaching logo but I see a problem.
1, The fact that the geocaching.com Logo is copyright being the big issue and feel GC.com might get a little bit upset if we where to nick it.
I don't think the "G"-cross logo is copyright gc.com or grounspeak inc. I've seen it used in various ways by several cachers, including Buxleys, but I don't think it's anything at all to do with gc.com
However, I can appreciate you want something unique for G:UK. I just felt that G:UK might help to make the G-cross symbol synonymous with geocaching worldwide - hence the ":UK" suffix.
I wonder where it originated. Any ideas, Kouros?
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I can't draw it, otherwise I'd have submitted it already, but how about using what seems to have become the default logo for geocaching:
The circle around the cross, kinda like a "G" (see Kouros' pic in these forums). Just append a small ":UK" in green, at lower right and there you go.
Other than that, what's wrong with "G:UK"?
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Any captions you can come up with?I warned you not to install a water bed in your passion wagon!
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Its all about being in the dark and following that arrow....So, how can you be sure you don't end up wandering all over someone's back garden (so to speak) when it's pitch dark, you can't see to tell a public footpath from a fox's track and you don't have a map to give you a clue?
I can see that night caching is an adventure but you do risk winding up a few locals with your nocturnal rambles. I'm surprised you haven't had your collars felt before now
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This is a great idea. I'd love to have a "washboy" stamp to carry with me to stamp logbooks. I'm just not artistic enough to make the design.
Perhaps SimonG could extend his alternative website to cater for icons and cartoon logos as well as greetings cards.
Wacha think, SimonG?
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I then tried double clicking on the bar.... and hey, up popped a box to "select display datum".I've been wanting just that facility - and it was there all along! Thanks for finding it, Paul
So, does the display datum difference explain why your York waypoint was misplaced? I got the impression that your waypoint was actually misplaced on the map (determined my the map's calibrated datum), not just that co-ords as displayed were out (determined my the map's display datum).
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[This message was edited by washboy on December 14, 2002 at 03:30 AM.]
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OSGB to wgs84 is a more significant difference.No, really, it's like Teasel suggested. The transormation used by most folks to get from WGS84 to OSGB is a simple Helmert transformation. It will be totally accurate for all points in mainland Britain if there weren't subtle distortions inherent in OSGB. As a result, the transformation of some points could be out by as much as 5m.
The Ordnance Survey has developed far more accurate methods of transformation which take into account the distortions (using a lookup table for each square km of the country).
Bill D was comparing the results of the Helmert transformation against the results of the OS's "GridInQuest" utility, which uses the more precise techniques of transformation. Hence, the difference in the figures.
The Helmert transformation, used by GC.com, is totally adequate for geocaching purposes. After all, how accurate are the initial GPSr readings when the caches are placed?
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by Teasel:The simple "Helmert" transformation which is used in the OS spreadsheet (and geocaching.com) is accurate to only 5m or so.
So, I guess the question is "which transformation does my GPSr use - simple Helmert of rubber sheet"? The former, I suspect - which is fine. As long as it matches whatever geocaching.com uses.
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I'm not sure if you've helped Paul but you've sure as hell confused meEvery time I think about this stuff it makes my head hurt
I hope Paul understood what I was talking about. The terminology I used was specifically related to the terms used in OziExplorer and may not be the best way to think about the general subject of datum offsets.
So, if you don't use OziExplorer, apologies and please ignore this guff
But if you're interested and fancy a bit of brain-twisting, have a look at A Guide to coordinate systems in Great Britain
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[This message was edited by washboy on December 12, 2002 at 07:09 AM.]
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If you calibrated your map with:
Map Datum = Ord Srvy Grt Britn
Map Projection = (BNG) British National Grid
then the bar (you mean the one just below the toolbar?) should say "Ord Srvy Grt Britn" to the right of the figures. If it says "WGS 84", it suggests that the map was actually calibrated with the WGS84 datum instead of OSGB. The correct calibration for Ordnance Survey maps is as above.
However, even if you calibrated correctly, OE's Lat/Lon readout (on the "bar" and on "flyover hints") will be OSGB Lat/Lon.
So, if you create a waypoint with WGS84 Lat/Lon, OE will translate to OSGB and it will appear on the map in the correct place but the Lat/Lon on the bar will appear wrong - 'cos it's OSGB Lat/Lon NOT WGS84 Lat/Lon.
Nuisance, isn't it?
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Ah, ok... so you can enter waypoints in any format you like, but they get converted to the datum you define for the waypoint list...Yes, you can enter waypoints using any datum and they get displayed in the waypoint list translated to whichever datum you select for the list display. The important bit is that they are converted to the datum of the loaded map just before they are plotted on it. It's a little like numbers on a spreadsheet being helpd in a common format "behind the scenes" but displayed according to the number format defined for any given cell.
So (back to waypoints), when you enter a waypoint, you need to specify the datum of the co-ords you're supplying but the co-ords on the target display (be it in the waypoint list or on a map) are the result of an on-the-fly transformation to the datum of the display. Apologies for such an ugly explanation.
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So I guess if I keep my waypoints all as WGS84, and the map as OSGB I'll be fineCertainly you'll want to keep the maps you mention as OSGB but, as for your waypoints, it's up to you which datum you'd rather work with. Co-ords from GC.com will have to be entered as WGS84, of course, but if you create your own waypoints based on what you see on an OSGB map, then it's probably more convenient to enter them as OS Grid Refs than use a seperate convertor to get WGS84 co-ords.
If you haven't already cottoned to this, it'll help to notice that the "add waypoint" entry dialog is different depending whether you're displaying the waypoints in the list as degrees or BNG (the two icons just to the right of the "sort" icon). If you're displaying degrees then you have to supply the waypoint co-ords in Lat/Long (degrees) and if you're displaying BNG then you get to supply the old Eastings & Northings ("TQ12334 12345").
NB: It's essential that you select the correct datum in the "Position Datum" dropdown list on the entry form. However, it's irrelevent what you've selected from the "Datum" dropdown list on the waypoint list - that only affects which numbers display within the list and that's why the numbers change (sometimes subtly) depending upon the particular datum you've selected.
Apologies if grandmother & eggs applies here. It wasn't at all obvious to me, when I first used OE, so that's why I labour the point.
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sounds like I'm doing it all right then!Well, I'm still unclear whether or not you specified the appropriate "Position Datum" when you entered the waypoint but I'm sure you'll now be able to figure out if you did anything wrongly.
BTW, YHM
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Sincere thanks to Richard & Beth and welch for taking time to indicate the "history" behind this issue. Several hours reading later...
I should have known better than to post without first trawling the forum archives to check if the topic had already been done to death. After all, it's not very often that I have an original thought (and this wasn't one of them either!)
So, my apologies to all present. I'll try not to react so quickly in future. I'd delete my original post, if I believed in censorship.
I guess I'm simply getting frustrated at the continued lack of stats pages and the convenience they provided. They've been offline now for what seems like an age and it's all too easy to fear that "dialog with GC.com" is not progressing very well.
BTW, Mark/TheCat, you're as guilty as JeremyI re not responding to e-mails!
Anyway, I'll sidle off now to further digest what I've learned through all this. The archives made very disheartening reading
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Which is kinda weird because the new GPX pocket query is going to give all that information away anywayUntil now, I'd presumed that Jeremy/Grounded claim no ownership of the details of the caches and log reports on GC.com. My presumption was based on the fact that no membership or registration is required to access cache pages and there is no requirement to accept a license agreement in order to get access to or contribute to those pages.
Then I became a Charter Member (see, told you I would
) and could finally access the Pocket Queries facility. What is the first thing I saw there? Bang! - A license agreement stating, essentially, that Grounded, Inc. claims ownership of everything on the site, which means all the descriptive text, photographs, etc that we all routinely contribute.Technically speaking, we would all be in breach of copyright if we published details of our own caches and/or finds on, for example, a personal website. Several people already do that.
I have to say, I'm not particularly impressed that I've been encouraged to contibute data to an apparently license-free repository only to be informed later (when I've contributed funds to help support that repository) that I don't actually own my own data and that I need a license to use it!
Something's amiss here
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Excellent, isn't it (just difficult to find adequate maps)?
I'm not sure I properly understand your difficulty, Paul. Your waypoints will be correct to whichever datum you created them in (probably WGS84). This attribute is (crucially) part of the OE waypoint file data structure.
The chances are, your waypoint file will be set as WGS84 and, when the waypoints are loaded, OE "recalculates" to the datum of the loaded map. If you wish to, you can override that (in the waypoint list dialog) to set the waypoint datum to whatever you like. The point is that it's only the figures in the waypoint list display which are affected by this.
I suppose the real question is, how/where did you create the waypoint?
Caveat: I'm clearly not Des Newman (creator and author of OziExplorer) so my interpretation here is just that - an interpretation of what OE does
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But I thought the idea was not to encourage new people.That's certainly not the impression I intended to give!
I don't wish to discourage genuine interest in the sport. If someone finds their way to the GC.com site I want them to have an enjoyable visit and come away with a good impression. It's how they become aware of GC.com, in the first place, that I'm concerned about.
But let's not rehash that issue so soon
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It's a moot point now. I bought the postcode database. Consider it an investment to deflect the flack I get at ignoring non-US Geocachers.I may have questioned the necessity of a postcode search facility but I am grateful you have implemented it. I can now see the sense in making it as easy as possible for potential cachers and first visitors to GC.com to see how many caches are within thier reach. It is a good thing. Well done and thank-you.
So, please don't make the mistake of concluding there is animosity here about what you provide for UK cachers. It is all too easy for folk to overlook the essentially non-commercial nature of GC.com - perhaps encouraged by the professional look of the site
(much to your credit).I, for one, remain in awe of and immensely grateful for what you and the team and GC.com provide for the worldwide community of geocachers. Without you, the sport would probably not exist, nor would that community.
Thank-you again. My charter membership will be arranged today
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...but, especially since it is so costly to implement, do we urgently need a facility for postcode searches?
I mean, I have a GPSr so I know the co-ords of my own house. I can use lat/lon to search for caches nearest to my home. As for caches nearest to a place of uncertain location, I don't imagine I'll say, "Right! I'm going to be in Malvern tomorrow. I wonder if there are any nearby caches. Now, what's the postcode for Malvern?". I'd use Streetmap's (or whatever) gazeteer to establish the lat/long and then plug them into GC.
I'm sorry if I seem to be looking a gift horse in the mouth and I suspect I must be blind to the significance of postcodes here. So, can anyone enlighten me please?
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Where does all the money go?
in United Kingdom and Ireland
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Well, very similar but not identical to the one in the pic.
Found mine in "Keeping the sea on the right (Cornwall)" last summer. It had been left by Crazy Eddie.
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