sir dumil

I've placed a few 3D-printed caches out over the last year or so. They've all been made with PLA filament. The only issue I've had, so far, is a bear printed with black PLA. The head has broken off a couple of times. I might try a PET-G version, or maybe an ASA version next time it needs replacement. I have generated and placed the same model with brown and with natural (pigment-free) PLA, and haven't had issues with those ones yet. I figure that this is how you truly learn about what works or doesn't. At some point, you really have to go beyond speculations to actually learn something. There's lots of experimentation to be done, with so filament brands, formulas, materials, and pigments on the market, not to mention a vast variety of hiding spots and techniques. There's quite a bit to play with when considering slicer settings and 3D model design as well, like wall thickness, infill levels and structure, layer height, printing speed, and temperature settings.

I usually read descriptions as part of the experience offered by the geocache. I know of some caches I've placed in areas where there's only one road or trail that will take you all the way to the geocache reliably, where the description is the only way to explain how to get there or to warn of impedances that block other routes. On some of these, the cache has logs that include something like, "if I'd read the description, I would have been able to get there first try!" After all, some of the best places to place and find a geocache are special and a bit tricky to get to.

Is there any way to increase the data density of the new dashboard? I can see how the design of the new dashboard would be more friendly for fat fingers to navigate on tiny touchscreens, but it seems awfully ham-fisted for a larger display with a fine-scale pointing device. Would it be possible to keep the old dashboard around as an option for those of us who prefer lots of information on a large display, while offering the new dashboard for mobiles? I find the old dashboard to be extremely useful for navigating around, checking and correcting my recent activities and entries. I can see the direction the new dashboard is taking and it looks fine for that arena. I would dearly miss the old dashboard, though.

I quite like the idea of geocache health scoring. It could be a welcome tool to CO's if it were exposed in the "Geocache (Yours)" listing.

MISTs kinda bug me. That there is any controversy over what as MIST is a bit odd. "Hey look! I found a MIST in this pokey tree thing!" "Is it a pine tree, a spruce tree, or a fir tree?" "I dunno. It hurt like hell! I guess it's a Pain Tree!"

I dunno. I thought the DNF thing would boil down to something extremely simple. If you embarked on a search for a cache and didn't sign the physical log, that's a DNF. For example, if you attempted to drive to a cache in the country and the road was washed out, this is a DNF even though you didn't get close to the log. Another: If you go to a tree and see the cache up there and are unable or unwilling to risk life and limb to get to it, this is also a DNF. If the C.O. complains, I don't care what happens to my online log. I posted it, adding to the cache history. If it goes away, I don't worry about it. It's yesterday's news. I play for fun. Worrying about such things isn't fun. I don't worry about them.

I've been using my eTrex Touch 35 for almost a year now. Its firmware is up-to-date at version 3.4, but it has some pretty annoying bugs. At least some of them have some workarounds. Please share about some of the bugs you've noticed with your eTrex Touch 25 or 35 and if you've found a way to cope with them. Here are some bugs that I've found: - In windy conditions, the touch screen will become quite insensitive or completely unresponsive. - At times, the GPSr seems to be pre-occupied with something and responds very slowly to screen presses. - Fairly frequently, the GPSr gets into a state where it automatically flips away from the map display, regardless of whether you swipe the map display back or not. This last bug I have been able to work around by swiping the map display back, immediately touching the little compass rose icon at the middle left of the display, then touching one or two points on the map. At this point, I can touch the icon at the lower left and the map-flipping behaviour should stop. What oddities have you found?

This all seems rather silly to me. So, hiders are not following the guidelines, so the suggestion is that the guidelines should be changed to match what is being done by people ignoring the guidelines? I don't understand how this is supposed to help. It doesn't make any sense to me at all. The current guidelines make sense to me. They are simple and straightforward already, easy to follow by those who care to do so. Those who don't, don't, for whatever reason. Changing the guidelines will not change that. It really doesn't impact enjoyment of the game, for most.

Pokemon-Go is a more structured game with particular goals, requiring more specific equipment (a smartphone) and more specific software. It is a singular application with no safety oversight. Its structure is rigid. It requires no real imagination. Participation is one-dimensional (find and catch the pocket monsters). Geocaching is a less structure game with goals that are determined by each individual player. Required equipment is a GPS-equipped device such as a handheld GPS, automotive GPS, smartphone, or tablet. Application software is general: a web-browser, perhaps some enhancements as provided by various vendors, like GSAK, Wherigo, various geocaching apps. Its structure is flexible, requiring many volunteers and quite a bit of imagination for implementing and hiding caches and for seeking them out. Participation is multi-dimensional and is tailored to each individual player. The great thing about geocaching is that you can make of it what you will. There are some rules. There is some oversight. However, the goals and ratings are up to each individual player to decide for themselves. Therefore, some players may apply structure to direct the game in some manner (such as the use of Project-GC), but the structure is merely an overlay that can be changed at will by the player. Could a Pokemon-GO-style overlay be created and made available? Sure. I'm sure enterprising developers could manage that if they saw profit potential. The nice thing about an overlay is that its adoption is entirely voluntary. If you don't want it, you don't use it. Does Groundspeak need to do anything to bring this about? Probably not. The flexibility of the game platform is already there. The supporting infrastructure is also already there with the effort of many volunteers.

I suggest contacting Garmin customer support. They know Basecamp and the eTrex Touch 35, so they'll know what might have happened and how to fix it. I have an eTrex Touch 35 as well. When I connect it via USB to my computer (running Windows 10), and use Windows Explorer to view its file contents (NOT a browser), I've found that the preloaded caches reside in a GPX file in the /Garmin/GPX directory. I haven't my GPSr with me at the moment, but I thought the filename was something like garmin.gpx I suspect that Basecamp probably deleted the file prior to transferring its own GPX file containing geocache data. I suggest that after you re-establish your preloaded .gpx file, you copy it to your computer so that you have a backup. That way you can re-establish it any time something else overwrites it. As far as the sending of caches to your GPS, I suggest checking out this forum thread: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=339912 This concerns a Garmin eTrex 30, but the procedure and problems are basically the same.

I just download a .gpx file of a cache or a pocket query, then copy it to the /Garmin/GPX directory of the GPSr. When you eject and disconnect your GPSr, the GPSr will power down. When you next power it up, the eTrex will process the new GPX file(s) and your are good to go. No matter what method you use, do not exceed 5000 geocache waypoints, else some will be ignored. You can delete GPX files in a similar manner. Connect up, delete gpx files in the /Garmin/GPX directory, eject, disconnect, power-up, and the eTrex will discard the waypoints contained in the gpx files that were deleted.

This weekend, the local geocaching association is hold their annual 24-hour geocaching marathon event. This is the event that introduced me to night-time geocaching. A headlamp and a flashlight make night-time geocaching very do-able. It's quite an experience. I managed to see quite a few natural phenomena that I would not have guessed about. Night-time mist can make some really bizarre, floaty patterns when lit up for example. Oddly enough, I've never attempted a night-specific cache during this event.

Thanks goodness I'm not alone regarding the eTrex Touch software bugs. I also have the geocaching screen issue with my eTrex Touch 35. Also, the only way I can selected a geocache without crashing the unit is via the map screen. If I select any geocache from a geocache list screen, the unit goes to clear screen and goes unresponsive. I have to power-cycle to get it working again.

I love hydrocaches! Since high school, I've often dreamed of owning a boat of some sort. I took up geocaching a about a year and a half ago. I was intrigued by water-accessible geocaches and I think that was the final prompt that encouraged me to take up the sport of kayaking. Now I'm experiencing the joys of two great, exciting, challenging, enriching pasttimes! Just recently, I've taken notice of caching accessible off of groomed cross-country ski trails. That's another activity that I've dreamed of for decades and that I've finally started taking on. I love where geocaches encourage me to go and what geocaching encourages me to do!

Dang, I guess I've been doing this backwards. I should leave the can at home and just hide ammo! That would be far less likely to be mistaken for terrorist activity. I wouldn't be placing unfashionably green items all over the place, either.

This might just come down to incentives. When I log a find, various good statistical things happen. My total find count increases as does the find count for that day/week/month/year and for that particular cache type in that particular geographical region. When I log a DNF... there really aren't many incentives. There doesn't seem to be anything out there that counts DNFs, and there don't seem to be many constructive positive results. Now that Groundspeak cache maps don't indicate where your DNFs are, DNFs don't even help you keep track of what caches you've visited unsuccessfully so that, perhaps with a little more experience, you might go back and try them again. One incentive might be to establish contact with the CO prior to asking for help or hints, I suppose. When I was starting out last year, I felt reluctant to post DNFs because I was simply learning about the game and I was accumulating experience and I didn't feel that my input would have provided any positive or meaningful benefits. Also, I did not know how to diplomatically log a negative caching experience without insulting or discouraging the CO. As I gained experience with the game, I gained confidence so that I will usually post my DNFs. Also, I've learned how to use my GPSr with GSAK so that my DNFs don't go unrecorded. Still, although I see that DNFs can have positive benefits, they're still kinda lacking in incentives.

If you publish through GSAK using your GPSr find logs, find dates and times will automatically be preserved in the posted logs. I've only recently begun using this setup. Pretty cool!

Bend twixt berms When I walk or ride a bike to work, I pass by here every day. I thought this would be great for maintainability. I thought it was a cool, dog-friendly, winter-friendly, secluded yet wide-open hiding spot.

True, some folks are bound to try. The areas are not off-limits, just hard to get to. The terrain at the shore varies quite a bit. It's mostly fairly dense shrubbery and undergrowth with a sharp earthen drop-off by a foot or three. Entangled in that are often some pretty nasty wild rose branches and bushes. It'll be interesting to find out what folks will try

Ah, I see. Well, that was much easier than I had been speculating. Thanks most kindly for your replies. Now I'll just figure out difficulty levels.

I am setting up a series of paddle caches and I'm having some difficulty deciding what Terrain level to assign. The caches are placed along the shore of a lake. They are hanging from low branches over the surface of the lake. They are accessible by shallow-draft paddle-craft but are not accessible from land or by most motor-craft (due to the shore being shallow and rocky). According to the Groundspeak guidelines, this would make the caches terrain level 5. However, this seems to me to be rather high due to there being no current to battle, no real obstacles for paddle-craft, and no bushwhacking at all. Any insight regarding terrain level for such a setup?

Hmmm... 31 day streak? I've never done that. I'll give it a shot!

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You really want ideas to be copies of ideas?? Sure, to start with. Eliminate the copies, end proliferation, idea stagnates and dies. Allow the copies, allow proliferation, idea grows into something new.

You really want ideas to be copies of ideas??