Pioneer Poodle

Well, the problem is gone, and like so many oddities in the world of computers, I have no idea why. But I have a theory. The problem appeared to be something in Firefox, so several days ago I renewed Firefox, meaning rename the Firefox program folder (C:\Program Files\ Firefox) to OldFirefox, then download and install a new copy of the same version (45.0.1) on my computer. And after a bit of fussing, the map problem disappeared from my computer. But at the same time, it showed up on my husband's computer, even though no changes to his machine had been made. Hmm. I'm thinking that one of those automatic Windows updates that seem to happen every day was installed on my machine one day, and on his the next day. And it did something - who knows what - to the way Firefox interacts with the OS. So he renewed Firefox on his machine, too. And though there are a few anomalies, it also works as expected. I generally don't consider a problem really solved until I can reproduce the problem at will, and then correct it at will. And I can't do that here. I have no idea what the problem actually was, but I thank all of you for the help you have offered, and especially for narrowing it down.

No I don't have noscript on my computer. My husband doesn't have ajax.googleapis either and he has no problems with the maps. Thanks for the ideas though.

Just a bit more. The answers to both of your URL questions are exactly the same on my husband's computer as on mine. In our experience, an annoying bugaboo in the world of browsers is Shockwave Flash. I don't know if GC.com has any Flash calls, but both of our computers have exactly the same version of the Flash plug-in, 21.0 r0, with the same option setup. Obviously the problem is something going on in Firefox. Thanks for leading us to that. We will dig in deeper, but would also welcome suggestions on what to check out. Thanks again.

Answers to your very good questions: If hover mouse over, it says: www.geocaching.com/map/default.aspx?lat=33.61348&lng=-111.73238 actual URL on unexpected page is: https://www.geocachi...-111.73238&z=14 No to scripts Amazingly, and best question, when I do all this in Internet Explorer 11, I get the actual map that I want and expect! Thanks so much for help so far! Amanda

We have been premium members for years. My husband and I have identical computers (Dell Optiplex 745 both running Win7-64 bit and Firefox 45.0.1). Until 5 days ago, both computers handled geocaching.com identically. Sometime during those 5 days, my computer (but not his) developed a problem with geocaching.com maps. To give a specific example: I use Firefox to go www.geocaching.com. I log in, click my geocaching name, and it brings up a list of caches. I click on any one of the cache names, and it takes me to the page for that specific cache. I scroll down the page to "FOR ONLINE MAPS ..." and click GEOCACHING.COM MAP. At this point I expect it to bring up a Google map with the selected cache at the center, with other caches in the map area shown on the map. My husband's computer does this, but mine brings up our profile picture and 7 short lines of text, reading Pioneer Poodle 4,136 Finds Settings 5 Messages Sign Out [*] 5 Messages [*] Search Pocket Queries I am unable to cause it bring up the expected map. Nothing that I do in the Preferences, Map Preferences, Account, or Profile has any effect. Note 1: If I go to maps.google.com, maps are correctly shown, so this is not a general mapping problem. It is tied to geocaching.com somehow. Note 2: Instead of clicking GEOCACHING.COM above, I can click GOOGLE MAPS and it brings up a properly-located Google Map, but with no caches shown. Note 3: If I click VIEW LARGER MAP, I get the Profile Picture and seven lines of text listed above. Note 4: The only change to my computer in the last 5 days is a Skype update. Note 5: I have tried to do a System Restore to a time more than 5 days in the past. System Restore fails. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Amanda (Mrs. Pioneer Poodle)

Shirley~ - Thank you. The procedure seems a bit - umm - indirect, but it works. The picture is here. Pioneer Poodle

We were recently in Hawaii, and during a visit to Volcanos National Park, we stumbled across this USGS disk. We photographed it, thinking we would look it up in a database when we got home - but we can't find it! We are almost certain it was near the Jagger Museum, and the HVO mark (Hawaii Volcano Observatory) would seem to support this. But where is it, and why isn't it in any database? And why is there a hole in the disc? Thanks for any info. By the way, how do I attach a picture (from my computer, not from a URL) to this post? [EDIT] Aha! Thanks, Shirley. The picture can now be seen here. http://img.geocaching.com/cache/large/0c5a81a4-f37a-4b43-937b-ae6006b9204a.jpg Pioneer Poodle

I'm not quite sure what point you are making. I bought GSAK yesterday, so I guess that means I paid $30 a day for GSAK. But I'm not complaining about the price of GSAK - I paid it willingly, to get the functionality and the super support that I have already experienced as an unregistered user. What I am complaining about is that gc.com removed some functions for which I had already paid, thereby forcing me to pay AGAIN for 3rd party software (which turned out to be GSAK). While I appreciate Moun10bike's attempts to explain why these things were done, I think there were some bad design decisions that should be revisited. The bottom line from gc.com seems to be "Just use a Pocket Query (for which you have to pay in order to make them useful) and some inconvenient workarounds, and don't bother us. We're going down this path whether folks like it or not." And it apparent all across the forum that folks DON'T like it. Bill

Yesterday I bought GSAK. As cx1 showed in post #12, it does what is needed. You can't imagine how annoyed I am to pay $30 for a Premium Membership on geocaching.com, and then have to pay another $30 for third-party software to do something that was previously easy on gc.com, but was removed for reasons unrelated to its utility or popularity. I sometimes wonder how much time the gc.com designers actually spend geocaching. For 30 years, I was a member, and then the leader, of a team that designed extremely complex electronic systems for aerospace. "Complex" as in Apollo-moon-lander kind of complex. Everything we did was brand new, so occasionally we made a design decision that looked good initially, but didn't pan out. We learned that when this happens, it is better to back up and start again, rather than drop down into low gear and insist on grinding ahead. The whole issue of the new maps may be an example of that kind of thing. Bill

Moun10bike - Many thanks for your response to my question. I understand that you are busy creating the new stuff on the site, and your time is limited. Nonetheless, too often it seems that questions to the design team are not reviewed or considered, but simply dropped into a black hole. So thank you again. If I understand you correctly, a decision was made to remove the limit of 500 caches displayed on the map at a time. Without that limitation, a huge number of caches could appear on the map, and the data base query could become unmanageable. And I understand that - a query for a million caches could certainly get out of hand. (Though it would seem that in order to put all those caches on the map in the first place, the query has already been done.) So, going back to your description, perhaps this discussion should refocus on why the 500-cache limit was removed. Has anyone ever complained that 500 caches, displayed on a map simultaneously, was not enough? I can't imagine it. Even with 100 caches, the map is so cluttered that I find very little meaningful information. The 500 cache limit always seemed a reasonable compromise, not overly restrictive to the user, but not burdensome to the software. So I guess I'm still hoping that the list will come back. It seems unreasonable to require gc members, particularly Premium members, to rely on third party software like GSAK, to accomplish what used to be automatic on the gc.com site itself.

Tomorrow, my wife and I are going to take out a dozen cacher-maybe-wannabe's, to introduce them to caching. We will give them a little talk about what geocaching is, and describe a series of 6 or 7 real fun caches that we will be seeking. Rather than trooping all dozen people to each cache in succession, we will take them to the middle of the group of caches, divide them into teams of two, give each team a GPSr and an annotated map showing the caches by name, and turn them loose. OOPS! Can't do that mappy thing any more - GC.COM has decided it isn't important. Sure would be nice to have it back. It was a real useful tool for introducing new cachers to the sport. My original question still stands. Why is it gone? What was accomplished by removing it?

The cache names were on the map two days ago, right up until the map change. As I noted, they were never on the Beta map - but there was always the ability to close the Beta Map and go back to the old-style map with the list. That ability, of course, is gone now. Pioneer Poodle

OK, I can live with the new maps (I understand the cost issue). And I can live with downloads that are a bit slower (emphasis on "a bit"). I can live without a satellite view (though I really would like one). I can live without a distance scale (though I'd rather have one). I can live with flaky filters (I assume they are being fixed). And I can live with an auto-logout that seems to trigger every minute or so, so the map "forgets" which caches I have found or placed. What I am having trouble living without is the list of cache names that used to appear beside the map. To me, this was one of the most useful things about the old-style maps. Every cache symbol on the map had a corresponding entry in the list of caches over on the right. And if I moused over a particular symbol on the map, the entry in the list lit up, so I could see the name of the cache in question, along with a link to the listing for that cache. I can't think of a reason why this list was removed - is there one? In addition, if I moused over a particular cache symbol on the map, a menu popped up that enabled me to "Send to GPS" (among other things). What was gained by removing that feature? A Pocket Query IS NOT an adequate substitute for the ability to load an individual cache, or a few caches, right now, on the spot, before I head out. As noted in another thread, being able to print the map with the list was also tremendously useful. It is true that the Beta Maps did not show the list of caches, either. But after all, those maps were still in Beta, and I just figured that the feature hadn't been put back in yet. But suddenly here is the final product, and it still isn't there. I don't get it. I can't believe that eliminating the list saved money in any way. I sure wish someone would explain to me why these changes were made. Why is this method "better"? Pioneer Poodle

[moved to a more appropriate spot]

Has something changed? Yesterday I created a cache listing, and a photo is part of the description. The photo has some important detail and needs to be displayed at more-or-less page width. Before uploading, I manually resized my photo to 600x450 pixels, 72 dpi, less than 100 KB file size. After uploading, I manually reviewed the new cache listing, and found that the site had downsized it by a factor of 2 - it is now 300x225, only 20KB file size, and displays at about 4 inches wide. Not really enough for my purposes. I've tried several different ways to resize, but when I submit, this is always the result. I've inserted bigger pictures in the past, with much results such as seen in GC2JNBX. (The new cache is GC3AM4D and is not yet published as I write this, so you might not be able to see it). Will this problem go away when the cache is published? I see that when I EDIT LISTING for the cache, the full-size picture is available with a CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE text. Have I forgotten some detail? Thanks for any help you can offer.

I asked about this a year ago, and got no response from geocaching.com. When I am searching for a geocache, it would be helpful to be able to Search with more than one parameter or attribute at the same time. The technical term for this is a Boolean search, and it is commonly available on most search engines. For example, one of my caching buddies mentioned a new cache just up the street, named "Field of Dreams". When I did a Search on [Cache Name = Field of Dreams], I got 252 hits - that's 13 pages! What a pain! If I had been able to search on [Cache Name = Field of Dreams] AND [Cache Location = Arizona], I would have had two hits, and been able to pick out the desired one instantly. At times in the past, doing similar searches, I have gotten over 1000 hits, a result which is useless. An alternative would be a button labelled "Search Within These Results". In other words, I can search with one parameter (in this case, Cache Name), get the list of hits, and then search just those those hits with a second parameter (in this case, Location). What say you? Bill

Many thanks for the reply. I played around a bit, and uncovered the following.1. If the .gpx file type is associated with EasyGPS, then the file info goes directly into EasyGPS. Unfortunately, each saved cache file opens a new instance of EasyGPS, so things get out of hand if I am building a list of, say, 20 caches. I can't find a way to drop all the gpx files, one at a time, into one instance of EasyGPS. 2. If the .gpx file type is NOT associated with anything, then the gpx file is saved to the Desktop. Then, when I have all 20 gpx files on the desktop, I can open EasyGPS and drag-and-drop all 20 files into it. Each one creates a new tab within EasyGPS, but I can use the FILE MERGE command to combine them. I think I need to go back and review Pocket Queries. I seem to recall that combining multiple caches into one file was easier. That would eliminate a step. Again, thank you for your reply and your patience. Bill

I'm feeling really dumb today - please forgive me. I have a GPSMap60Cx that I haven't used in a while, because my wife got a Colorado 400i. For various reasons, I want to bring the old GPSMap60 into play again, but I'm having trouble. What I want to do is find a one-click way to upload a cache from Geocaching.com to the GPSr, and have it appear in the geocache list under the cache name (not GC code). So here is what I am doing. When I view a cache on Geocaching.com, there are upload buttons labelled "GPX File" and "Send to my GPS". The first button apparently sends a .gpx file to my computer's desktop, where it does me no good at all. The second button opens up a Find Device window, finds the GPSr, and then sends the cache info over the USB connection. The cache info then appears in the list, but listed by GC code. I find that to be reasonably useless when I am in the field. I would really like to have it indexed by name. But I seem to recall that there is no way to get the GPSr to do that - it has to be done as part of the uploaded data format. Right? My memory tells me that one of those upload buttons used to send the cache info to EasyGPS, where I could build a list, and do some manipulation before sending it to the GPSr. But now I can't even remember how to get the cache info to go from geocaching.com directly to EasyGPS. Any kind soul out there want to point my head in the right direction? Many thanks. Bill (Mr. Pioneer Poodle)

Thanks

Potato and Devil, both good ideas. Let me check them out - tomorrow. We've had the cell phone account for a LONG time - it is possible that I chose a friendly name long ago. But I can't find anything in my profile - or in the HELP files.

Cache O'Plenty, thanks for your response. It appears that I was trying too hard with my original approach. After rummaging through these threads, other info on this site, and a ton of nearly useless T-Mobile info, it would seem that all I should have to do is send a text message to <10digitphonenumber>@tmomail.net or <10digitphonenumber>@voicestream.net. But it still doesn't work, nothing comes through, and the foreign "tech reps" at Voice Stream are useless. Yes, my phone (Samsung t339) supports text messaging, and it works since my kids send me text messages, so I'm pretty sure I don't have to activate anything. So I am still Instanotify-free. Nuts!

OK, I've been searching through the threads on this topic, and I'm still not sure how to do this. I thought I was, but it isn't working. I am a premium member. I would like to have the Instanotify function send Newly Published notifications to my profile's email, along with all other communciations from Geocaching. I set this up months ago, and it works fine. I would also like to have Instanotify send the same Newly Published notifications to my cell phone, and this is where I'm having trouble. I set up a second email account specifically for this purpose. Then I set up a second Instanotify with that email account's address. And I set up my cell phone account to check that email address, and let me know if anything comes in. In the past several days, a number of Instanotify messages have gone to my profile's email, but none have gone to the new email, and so none have been copied to my cell phone. What am I doing wrong? I'm probably making it too complicated, but ... HELP. On the Instanotify page, I don't see anything about sending it to my phone as a text message - which of course would be the best solution. Where is that hiding? One thing seems ambiguous to me. On the Instanotify page, it says at the email address box Leave blank if you want to use your account e-mail. Only one email address is allowed. Does this mean only one email address per Instanotify, or only one email address for my entire geocaching membership account? Thanks for any help Pioneer Poodle

I know how to download a track file from my Garmin GPSMap60. It comes down in .gdb format. A year ago I became aware of an online site that would convert this file format into a Google Earth file (kml?), and do it free, and virtually instantly. The user simply uploads the gdb file, waits a few moments, and the site pops up a link to the converted file which can then be downloaded. I used the site several times, loved it, corresponded with the owner - and lost the link. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Thanks Bill Jeffrey

The big home centers (Lowes, Home Depot, etc) have cans of dippable liquid rubber. I think it is found in the electrical department, and intended to insulate the handles of tools. You dip the handles of your tools (pliers, etc) into it, and it puts on a rubber covering. Or maybe it is found in the glue and sealant section, I dunno. Anyway, it sounds similar to the GOOP that was suggested earlier (and boy is that an annoying web site!) The stuff is not expensive, comes in colors, and is easy to use. To keep it from getting into the antenna itself, perhaps you should pour a bit of hot wax into the center of the gash, and then wiggle the remaining rubber around so the wax penetrates under the remains of the original rubber. Then roughen (nibble, score) the edges of the remaining rubber to give it some "tooth". Then pour or spoon in enough of the liquid rubber to fill the gap, and let it dry. Bill