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BillP3rd

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Everything posted by BillP3rd

  1. It's almost here! The WSGA Puget Sound Chapter Summer Family Picnic will be held in Gene Coulon park in Renton, Saturday, July 19. Gene Coulon park is a first class park with a guarded swimming area, sand beach, brand new play area, Kidd Valley and Ivar's. http://www.ci.renton.wa.us/commserv/parks/coulon.htm We've reserved the south picnic shelter (N 47° 30.251 W 122° 12.226) right next to the beach and play area for the entire day (8:00 AM to sunset). It includes three barbecue grills and nine picnic tables. WSGA will be providing hamburgers and hot dogs for all. There will be a caching event consisting of four multi-caches and including eight physical caches. There will be prizes for those completing all four multi-caches. There will also be door prizes to be given by random draw. The prizes include two sets of GMRS handheld radios, software from Microsoft, WSGA online store gift certificates, and other caching goodies! Please RSVP to bparrott@jayhawk.net by Thursday, 7/17, and include number attending so we'll have plenty of food. All geocachers are welcome, not just WSGA members. We'd also like each family/attendee to bring a side dish to share. We'll need soft drinks, salads, chips, deserts, plates & utensils, etc. In your RSVP please indicate what you'd like to bring. This is going to be a great time for all! Don't miss it! Remember to RSVP as soon as possible! See you there! - Bill & the WSGA PS Chapter Crew
  2. I've been meaning to write this for sometime. When I saw this thread I decided to go ahead and do it. It's lightly commented. It's written in VBScript and tested in WSH. It is case blind and encodes and decodes numeric cache ids to/from "GCxxxx" strings. The only bug which I didn't other to fix is that if you feed it a string like "GC100G" it will cheerfully "convert" it. It does check "GC" strings for valid characters so it won't accept something like "GCG4TL" because "L" is not a valid character. It also includes code at the beginning to check the conversion both ways for all valid cache ids. FYI: With the new system the maximum cache number will be 512400, or "GCZZZZ". Option Explicit' place multipliersConst Place4 = 1Const Place3 = 31Const Place2 = 961Const Place1 = 29791Const Base31 = "0123456789ABCDEFGHJKMNPQRTVWXYZ"Const ERR_LENGTH = -1Const ERR_NOTGC = -2Const ERR_NOTGCCHAR = -3Dim iPlaces( 4 )' ==== This code to verify proper operation ====MainSub Main Dim iCache, strGC, iId, iErrors iErrors = 0 For iCache = 1 to 512400 If (iCache Mod 10000) = 0 then WScript.Echo iCache & " " & IDToGC( iCache ) strGC = IDToGC( iCache ) iId = GCToID( strGC ) If ( iCache <> iId ) Then WScript.Echo iCache & " " & strGC & " " & iId iErrors = iErrors + 1 End If Next WScript.Echo "Errors: " & iErrorsEnd Sub' ==== End of Test code ========================''' Convert numeric cache Id to a "GCxxxx" string'' Usage: strGC = IDToGC( cacheid )Function IDToGC( ByVal iId ) Dim strGC Dim chrDig1, chrDig2, chrDig3, chrDig4 If iId <= 65535 Then ' simple case is old system strGC = Hex( iId ) While ( Len( strGC ) < 4 ) strGC = "0" & strGC Wend strGC = "GC" & strGC Else ' new system iPlaces(1) = Place1 ' Make sure it's base 31 iPlaces(2) = Place2 iPlaces(3) = Place3 iPlaces(4) = Place4 iId = iId - 65536 ' remove the base-16 bias from '10000' iId = iId + 476656 ' add a base-31 bias to 'G000' chrDig1 = Int( iId / Place1 ) iId = iId - ( ChrDig1 * Place1 ) chrDig2 = Int( iId / Place2 ) iId = iId - ( ChrDig2 * Place2 ) chrDig3 = Int( iId / Place3 ) iId = iId - ( ChrDig3 * Place3 ) chrDig4 = Int( iId / Place4 ) iId = iId - ( ChrDig4 * Place4 ) strGC = "GC" & Mid( Base31, chrDig1 + 1, 1 ) & Mid( Base31, chrDig2 + 1, 1 ) & Mid( Base31, chrDig3 + 1, 1 ) & Mid( Base31, chrDig4 + 1, 1 ) End If IDToGC = strGCEnd Function''' Convert "GCxxxx" cache string to numeric cache Id'' Usage: cacheid = GCToID( "GCxxxx" )Function GCToID( ByVal strGC ) Dim iPos Dim iId Dim iResult Dim iChrVal Dim iBase ' check for a valid geocache iResult = IsGC( strGC ) If ( iResult <> 1 ) Then GCToID = iResult Exit Function End If If ( Len( strGC ) = 6 ) Then strGC = Mid( strGC, 3, 4 ) End If strGC = UCase( strGC ) ' old or new system? If ( Left( strGC, 1 ) < "G" ) Then iPlaces(1) = 4096 ' Base 16 iPlaces(2) = 256 iPlaces(3) = 16 iPlaces(4) = 1 Else iPlaces(1) = Place1 ' Base 31 iPlaces(2) = Place2 iPlaces(3) = Place3 iPlaces(4) = Place4 End If iId = 0 For iPos = 1 to 4 iChrVal = CInt( Instr( 1, Base31, Mid( strGC, iPos, 1 ) ) - 1 ) iId = iId + ( iPlaces(iPos) * iChrVal ) Next If iPlaces(1) = Place1 Then iId = iId - 476656 ' remove the base-31 bias from 'G000' iId = iId + 65536 ' add a base-16 bias to '10000' End If GCToId = iIdEnd Function''' Checks a "GCxxxx" string for validity'' Usage: result = IsGC( "GCxxxx" )Function IsGC( ByVal strGC ) Dim iLen, iPos iLen = Len( strGC ) If ( iLen <> 4 ) and ( iLen <> 6 ) Then IsGC = ERR_LENGTH Exit Function End If strGC = UCase( strGC ) If ( iLen = 6 ) Then If ( Left( strGC, 2 ) <> "GC" ) Then IsGC = ERR_NOTGC Exit Function End If strGC = Mid( strGC, 3, 4 ) iLen = 4 End If For iPos = 1 to iLen If ( Instr( 1, Base31, Mid( strGC, iPos, 1 ) ) = 0 ) Then IsGC = ERR_NOTGCCHAR Exit Function End If Next IsGC = 1End Function
  3. Maybe I'll regret by chiming in but here are my observations after reading the entire thread: I understand and agree with the premise that Event Caches are/should be about Geocaching and directed towards Geocachers. It's never occurred to me to make a search of the forums before posting a cache. I look at the Cache Types page and Cache Listing Requirements/Guidelines. The current Cache Listing Requirements/Guidelines makes NO MENTION of Event Caches. The Cache Types page says about Event Caches: "There have been many cases where geocachers want to meet up at a location to share experiences and make new friends. Event geocaches are locations to meet, and after the meeting these caches are archived." Relating to the FD events, I ask "Is the poster of the event a geocacher?" Yup. "Is he seeking to meet up" with other Geocachers "at a location to share experiences and make new friends?" Sounds like. Given these only two "official guidelines" it seems to me that the two FD caches in question should be allowed. Absent any rules or guidelines (specific or general) relating to Event Caches, the only reasonable guideline one would have to determine appropriateness would be "What's been done and approved before?". Without written rules (law) the only reasonable arbiter should be history (case law). Until the written rules are amended to clarify the "event caches are about geocaching and for geocachers" I feel that anyone conforming to "case law" should also be grandfathered. Don't change the rules and not tell anyone. All you're going to do is make people unhappy and hurt the sport of Geocaching. I recognize that Jeremy and the Groundspeak folks are busy so from post above I'd like to propose the following text be added to the Cache Listing Requirements/Guidelines: Event Caches should include significant geocaching activities, such as placing some caches to hunt (not just a logbook on a table or a temporary cache), hunting geocaches, GPS-games, an "Intro to Geocaching" class, and so forth. There should be enough geocaching content that if a geocacher shows up there would be enough geocaching to keep them busy for the duration of the event and make the event worthwhile. The geocaching portion should be able to stand on its own, without the some other event content. Groundspeak can never make everyone happy but they should at least try to be consistent. Where there are misunderstandings they should make a reasonable to address them and, when appropriate, amend the Cache Listing Requirements/Guidelines to reflect/clarify the new policy. Don't change the rules and then not tell anyone. If this had been done in March when this apparently first came up we wouldn't be having this conversation now. (Perhaps a changelog at the end of Cache Listing Requirements/Guidelines would help with future "misunderstandings" and provide support for a Groundspeak position/policy?) Groundspeak should NOT rely on the forums to disseminate rules changes. The official arbiter should be Cache Listing Requirements/Guidelines.
  4. I'm sure it's come up before but I just wanted to toss in that when a benchmark is found, the individual can officialy record the find with the National Geodetic Survey at NGS Mark Recovery. Might it be worth adding this to the Geocaching benchmarks page?
  5. Coords are: N 47 30.574 W 122 12.044 See http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=35455 for more information. [This message was edited by BillP3rd on September 06, 2002 at 04:02 PM.]
  6. I voted for Kirkland on Sunday but any time or place is ok with me.
  7. The distance between degrees of latitude can only be calculated in a strictly north-south line. Lines of latitude are equaly spaced apart their entire length. This is NOT true for lines of longitude, however. Lines of longitude get closer together as you approach the poles. Some useful numbers for your calculations: 1 minute of latitude = 1 nautical mile 1 nautical mile = 6076.11549 feet (appx.) Hence: 1 second = 101.2684 feet (101' 3.2") 1 thousandth of a minute = 6.0761 feet (6' 0.9") To your original question, without the longitude you can't know the distance between the points. You could walk about 109 feet straight south and you'd be at the desired latitude (41 17.340).
  8. My Meridian GPS came with a CD containing the documentation. The info in my message was copied directly from the CD (as Jamie Z correctly surmised).
  9. The information is in the documentation on the CD (but well hidden.) Here's what you need: Bearing: This is the direction to your destination from your present position, in degrees, from North. Distance: This is distance (measured in the Nav Units selected in Setup) to your destination. Speed: This is the rate that you are travelling. The unit of measure is selected in Setup - Nav Units. Heading: This is the direction you are moving (measured in degrees). When the heading and bearing are the same, you are travelling on a direct line to your destination. VMG: (Velocity Made Good). This is the speed that you are getting closer to your destination. If the heading and bearing are the same, then VMG will be the same as Speed since all of the speed that you are travelling is being applied to arriving to your destination. However, if you are off course, your VMG will be less than the speed that you are travelling. CTS: (Course To Steer). This is the angle that you need to turn to put you back on course. ETA: (Estimated Time of Arrival). This the local time that you will arrive at your destination based on the rate of speed that you are moving to your destination. (See VMG.) ETE: (Estimated Time Enroute). This is how long, in time, that it will take you to arrive at your destination based upon your present speed to the destination. XTE: (Cross Track Error). XTE is the perpendicular distance from your present position to the course line you should be on to go to your destination. Turn: This is the direction you need to turn to put you on the shortest distance to your destination from your present position. Elevation: This is the distance above sea level that you are presently at. Time: Local time. Date: Current date. [This message was edited by BillP3rd on August 07, 2002 at 07:05 PM.]
  10. I'm new also but I chose the Meridian GPS. The only difference between it and Gold was add'l internal memory. I was looking for a "low-end" WAAS capable device. The SportTrak Pro won't take SD cards but has 32M internal RAM. It also includes NA Highways v. US-only in the Meridians. The SporTrak was also about $80 more. My results with the Meridian have been excellent.
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