Goldenwattle
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Posts posted by Goldenwattle
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1 hour ago, barefootjeff said:
It's an Eclipse mint tin placed next to a large body of salt water.
My worse experience of that, was an Eclipse mint tin stuck under a bridge over salt water. The tin was completed rusted out. A classic
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2 hours ago, MNTA said:
The days of community maintenance and caches living forever are gone
It depends where the caches are. Here in Australia I have experienced local community maintenance for old caches. For one old cache I mentioned in a note (I will not do a NM for such an old cache) it needed a new cache, and a volunteer had a new cache there next day. For remote caches, where it might be hundreds of kms to the next and where it's very unlikely that it will ever be replaced, it's not uncommon for travelling geocachers to provide maintenance. If I go on such a trip I pack spare caches and logs to maintain any remote caches I find that need some assistance. If in a built up urban area I leave it to the CO; just do a NM. Unless I have an understanding with the CO. Year 2000 caches I have found tend to have volunteers to look after them if the CO is inactive. Some COs of 2000 caches are still active though. I found the CO of Europe's Oldest doing maintenance on it when I turned up at that one. Made finding it easy, as the CO was sitting there with the cache contents spread out on the ground for maintenance. I think I might have said something like, "Well this makes it easy to find"
as I walked up to it.
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On 1/17/2024 at 9:42 AM, Barnyard Dawg said:The 25th anniversary is intended to be a global event. It is therefore a fair assumption that everyone who wishes to do so should be able to log a Block Party with reasonable effort.
I agree with you. It is VERY obviously NOT a global event. It won't be a block party, but the best you could probably have is to hold a meet and greet and say let's celebrate 25 years.
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4 hours ago, 2lablovers said:
how to find adventure labs foreign country? Will they show if i have cell coverage? do i need anything else?
If you have international roaming, or a simcard for the country, it will look the same as it does at home. Just click on the AL. Might be in the local language though. I have found a few in other countries. Not my main priority when travelling though. Geocachers are.
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8 hours ago, TeamRabbitRun said:
Huh. I pictured you somewhat older.
Well, you really never know online!
Not blonde either, despite my name.
Now, if I had been in a tour group I doubt the child would have posed so naturally. And likely others on tour would have got in the way of the photograph. I was about to photograph the coloured paths, when the child walked out from the right and stood there. Lucky moment, as she improved the photograph. Her parents were close behind.
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This depends where the boat docks. On a river cruise I would mainly get off and go for a walk to cache rather than go on the tour. Many of the local caches gave information about the area, so like being on a tour, without making me feel I was a dog on a leash as organised tours made me feel. I would get such 'itchy' feet. When is this tour ending; when is this tour ending...? I want to do my thing...cache; take nice photographs, often of things not shown on tours. Graffiti, alley ways, etc. Such as attached photograph - NOT taken on a tour, but me exploring and caching.
There are many caches available. You should have no trouble finding at least one cache in every country. I found more than that. I list the number of caches I found in each country to give you an idea how easy it is to find caches.
Hungary 32 (start of cruise, so I arrived a couple of days earlier to look around and cache)
Austria 11
Germany 44 (some of these were found earlier, but still many found on the cruise)
Slovakia 8
Netherlands 26 (end of cruise, so found during and after the cruise)
I loaded my GPS with caches and mainly used that. I preloaded caches onto my laptop as a back up, but loaded a fresh load onto the GPS. The back up was only if I was unable to load the latest query. My river cruise boat included wi-fi, but I also bought a local European simcard, that worked in all the countries on my trip, except (for some strange reason) Austria, which wasn't included in the countries list. But I had my GPS.
(I was told how to make this smaller, but can't remember how.)
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I can't say I am keen on Mob caches. As I usually cache and travel alone, I can't do them. Looking at one I would like to do for instance, however the WPs are up to over 40kms apart, and four of them.
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6 minutes ago, JL_HSTRE said:
in someone's front yard
The example was on someone's front fence.
Mine is in my front yard, although it's accessed from the public street footpath. I have a TB hotel in the ceiling. I would also have been annoyed if someone placed a cache in mine without permission, before I could place mine there. So I understood why the LFL owner was upset. I just wished it wasn't me who was the one to come up against an annoyed owner telling me they had removed the cache.
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1 hour ago, Keystone said:
If you choose to hide a cache in a Little Free Library, please know that Geocaching HQ has asked the Community Volunteer Reviewers to confirm that the cache owner has received permission from the owner of the Little Free Library.
I went to find a cache in a LFL, only to meet an annoyed library owner. I was shocked to be told the hider of the cache hadn't got permission from the library owner, who had got rid of the cache. I really don't understand why someone wouldn't ask permission before hiding a cache in a LFL.
1 hour ago, Keystone said:Drawing people's attention" to a bookstore could be "promoting" the bookstore, depending on the words chosen.
I had to get rid of words saying you could take a break and get a coffee at the local shopping centre on a multi cache of mine. Walking about 3.5kms and which went past the shopping centre. I wasn't advertising any individual business, as there were several cafes there, and a supermarket. My caching friends and I consider taking a break to sit and have a coffee an absolute necessary part of the geocaching experience (and there is a food attribute) I thought others would like to know where to get one too. Now I consider my words more carefully. I felt disappointed though, to reduce the caching experience by omitting the reference to where they could take a break.
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I've known caches to have name changes. I know of several caches, for instance, near railway stations, which had their names changed, so they could join the SideTracked series.
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7 hours ago, kunarion said:
Once you get phones, you keep buying phones anyway, because last year's phone doesn't run anything.
I hope that was satire
. I keep my phone until it doesn't work. Enough e-waste without me adding more unnecessarily to it.
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1 hour ago, arisoft said:
My phone has none of these killer anti-features. It is immediately on the spot when I take it out from my pocket, because I have chosen this way to operate it. I think that you have chosen to have these anti features or you are using the default setup. Anyway, I am sure that the dedicated GPS receiver is the best for you (because you have one). I only criticize the difficult way you have chosen to operate the phone
There is still the battery problem. The GPS's battery lasts longer and spare batteries can be carried.
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7 minutes ago, arisoft said:
You record a find with a token by using a camera or a notepad with a pen.
That's exactly how I thought I would have to record it, unless I wanted to log immediately. Having to write the number down, or get the camera out; I might as well just sign the log. Likely the camera in my case, as I can sometimes be a bit dyslexic. I would rather just sign a log.
However, I can see how it might stop cheats. They would actually have to find the cache to get the number. Not just arrive, not find the cache, but hey, they were there, so they log. I have deleted a number of those.
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8 hours ago, arisoft said:
Disconnected tokens.
As long as there is a log as well, as I'm sure pens are cheaper than the reader. However, you still need to have a pen to write down the number, so as to log when you get home. Some of us want to write good logs, and the phone doesn't lend itself to good logs. Besides, I don't want to waste time in the field logging. That's for the evening.
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2 hours ago, lee737 said:
Canberra (maybe the heaviest cache density in this country)
As can be seen, I have found a few of them, but yet a 1,000 cache load cannot hold all those I haven't found. And that doesn't show the caches outside of the central area. Certainly could do with larger loads.
1 hour ago, lee737 said:C'mon HQ - we need 10,000 item PQ's!
YESSSSSSS.....
And be able to make fences, when caches outside an area aren't needed. That can be done with states, but that's too big an area, at least with Australian states.
1 hour ago, barefootjeff said:having to constantly keep the screen awake is bothersome
That's one of my biggest gripes with phones.
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On 1/16/2024 at 11:00 AM, fizzymagic said:
When I place a cache I always aim for 3 m or better accuracy.
As everyone should.
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3 hours ago, KRON family said:
First of all, I would like to repeat previous posts - this idea is not new. Jeremy wrote about this feature back in March 2002.
In fact, such an idea seems a little old-fashioned to me today. Yes, it's 2024 and the game could definitely use some innovation. However, I can imagine a truly modern, digital solution:
In the cache is a plastic cube with the game logo. I'm attaching my phone to it with the official app on.
- "*beep* - connection successful."
I stand up with my phone, the app has a logging interface ready.
- "Would you like to upload your log?"
- "Yes, please. Insert number of find, insert time, new line, found while walking with my son today, nice view, we exchanged toys. Thanks for the cache, end of log."
- "Log sent." At this moment, I can see my log in the app, I can upload photos. The log is marked with a green pipe, which confirms that the log was uploaded from the cube, thus clearly confirming I found the geocache.Two much work and no mobile coverage. A lot of places in Australia like that. Or someone is from another country and doesn't have local data. Even if there is mobile coverage, it's a nuisance to have to search and fish out the mobile phone from the bottom of a bag. And no, I don't usually use a phone to geocache, because it's not as user friendly as a small GPS which fits in my hand, doesn't keep blacking out when I move my finger a smidgin, is quicker to respond to find GZ and fits in the pocket of my female jeans. My phone won't fit. (And yes, I do try to get the biggest pockets that I can with female jeans. Still, nowhere as big as the pockets of male jeans.) A GPS is also more robust and less likely to smash when dropped on rocks as you are scrambling about. Battery lasts longer too on a GPS and can have spare batteries when there is no power to charge the phone. Yes, I have camped where there is no power. Those places also are unlikely to have mobile coverage.
The only advantage I can see with this, is that each cache would need one of these cubes, so likely to see less power trails, as these cubes would need to be bought. An expense. Then needing to be replaced each time someone steals one. Less micro caches too. The game would become more expensive. Hence stealing of these cubes would become a thing.
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4 minutes ago, niraD said:
Is a candid photo good enough? Maybe finders should have to present valid photo ID to the camera. A passport should be good enough, or in the US, a valid REAL ID™.
If people had to supply a photograph, it would be quicker to sign a log. But then the armchair loggers that this would breed, could have themselves photographed in their armchairs.
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21 minutes ago, TheLimeCat said:
We should put little cameras inside our caches that take a candid photo of the cacher when they open the container
LOL, I was thinking I would need a camera if logs were done away with and replaced with a code. If that happened I would probably instantly archive all my caches, except maybe one, which a camera set up on my house could watch. I don't own an AL for the similar problems they have.
I would also have less interest in finding caches then too, as why bother, being up against cheat.
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On 1/28/2024 at 4:22 AM, MNTA said:
Though my experience is that once it is mush and there are a lot of them they get abandoned and thrown away.
Make a NM, and if that fails a NA. that's the problem, too many people might complain about this, but very few make those logs. VERY few!
A lot, really. I occasionally come upon a missing log, but it's extremely rare. I can't remember the last time. NM follows, and then NA if that is ignored.
If you have lots of missing logs, it means that where you live most people are not making NM & NA logs.
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8 hours ago, MNTA said:
Cheating exists now, so instead of pointing out the negatives think about the positives. The game will evolve over time look at the popularity of AL
I think the idea of using geofencing on logging of urban caches would be fabulous, a mechanism to log offline needs to be worked out. Combine it with something like this idea to prove they found it might work. Think of it as two factor authentication, might reduce cheating.
Thanks for the thoughts @FDor love your enthusiasm for the game hope you are hopelessly addicted as a lot of us. There unfortunately are a lot of folks that don't wish to see any change or modernization.
Got to run checking for a cache or two to find today, taking my son who is at university out for lunch today and since it is a medium drive and out of my normal caching area several opportunities for caches exist,. Only downside pouring down rain forecasted so no long walks.
My GPS has always been more accurate, settles MUCH quicker, fits my hand size better, can fit in female sized jean pockets (I do try to get the bigger pockets, but even the biggest are much smaller than the pockets on male jeans), and doesn't with a slight movement of my finger black out, as do the phones I have used. I go for efficiency over the latest thing.
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13 minutes ago, niraD said:
And of course, not everyone uses a smartphone when they're geocaching.
Like me, or unless I get desperate. Yesterday I was struggling to get my GPS to settle (urban area), so finally in desperation got my phone out to give that a try. Neither would settle. Finally I spotted a possible hide (still quite a distance from the coordinates) and looked underneath and found the cache. I placed both on the ground to allow them to settle. Finally the GPS settled on 5m, but the phone never got below 10m. And I thought phones were better than GPSs in urban areas (CBD) with tall buildings. Not yesterday.
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11 hours ago, FDor said:
I often came across scraps of crumpled paper or wet paper or full paper in caches
That's sad, but where I live, although I sometimes come upon that, the majority of caches aren't like that. I check my caches if a problem is reported, and even if no problem is reported, I will still regularly (time varies depending on the cache) check the cache and replace the log, etc as needed. I also check all the signatures and if some are missing contact the people with the missing signatures for more proof of find. This is what COs are meant to do, but unfortunately some don't fulfil their obligations.
As for soggy logs etc, I do an Owner Attention Requested log. Then wait a minimum of a month before making a Reviewer Attention Requested log. On less found caches this is likely after the next finder's log which reminds me of the problem (which might be months later, or even longer). On very old caches, such as published in 2000, or remote caches I probably would take another approach. Maybe just write this in my log, or make a note instead. I would try to fix one of those myself. If I can't, make a note and ask the next finder if they can repair the cache, which I find many will do on those sorts of caches. It all depends...also, some old caches have volunteers looking after it, and not being the absent CO, they can't make an owner maintenance log to cancel out the Owner Attention Requested. Hence why I give the information in my log, or a note for those.
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9 hours ago, MartyBartfast said:
or geo-fenced logging in the field
The problem with that is that many caches are in places without mobile phone coverage.
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as I walked up to it.
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And be able to make fences, when caches outside an area aren't needed. That can be done with states, but that's too big an area, at least with Australian states.
Block Parties to celebrate 25th anniversary in 2025
in Geocaching HQ communications
Posted
Back to those numbers again, as with favourite points. Percentages tell a better story. For ease, in areas with lots of geocachers go with numbers, but in areas with few geocachers consideration should be given to allowing percentage when they manage to get a percentage over a certain number.