The Snowdog

I posted this in "General Waymarking Topics" but it really belongs here. I was trying to track down an old forum post about ISS Sightings. A search for ISS came up empty even though there was a post with ISS in the title on the very first page. So I am proposing that searching the forums is broken. I have no idea how to delete the duplicate image, I keep trying...sorry...

Thanks to Bon Echo who messaged me about ISS passes last night and tonight. I had lost track of this thread until just now. We did indeed get back to back ISS sightings. Last night's WMs are posted (from both of us) and I've submitted tonights. I am always good for any ISS pass that goes over central Oklahoma so please message me if you want to team up on one.

Only good things, I hope. Did two in a row, last night and tonight, with Bon Echo. I am in Oklahoma City and he is in Ontario. Please post a link to that thread

I was trying to track down an old post of mine about the ISS Sightings category. A search for ISS returned no results even though there was a post with ISS in the title on the very first page. So I will propose that search doesn't actually do anything here.

When you look on your geocaching.com "Dashboard" at the trackables that you own, you get the list but there does not appear to be any way to tell from a particular TB entry what kind of TB it is (Mary Hyde, Halo Top, whatever). The only way I could view this information was to go to my public profile, trackables tab, look at the trackables owned list there, and find the appropriate icon and click on it. Surely there is an easier way...

I did not know what the collection meant. Thanks.

I like it that whenever I log a cache (on the web site) I get a list of TBs currently in my inventory, so I can easily dip them or drop them or whatever. However, as I accumulate trackable items of my own that stay with me there are some that I would rather not show in that list (my name badge, and the TB associated with my kayak, and such). Is there a way to do this? As it is now I can click "visit all" or whatever, but then must manually reset my own trackables to "no action." How do you manage your own TBs in such a way that you don't accidentally drop your kayak off at an event?

Well now it's been nearly a month... I didn't receive one but now have two in my inventory, destined to be dropped at Geo Woodstock.

I hope a lackey will chime in on this one. I am well aware that the guidelines forbid events that are just to get a group together for caching. However, I've seen many event pages that include text like "for those interested, we'll go caching afterwards..." or something like that. I recently submitted an event (duration 90 minutes, at a restaurant) with such wording and the reviewer shot it down - he would not let me mention geocaching at all on the event page. Is this an over-reaction on the part of the reviewer, or is this how most reviewers interpret the "Cannot be set up for the sole purpose of finding geocaches" guideline?

I don't think we want the map to be any more cluttered than it is, and for things like this there are other apps (Cachly, as you mentioned, and project-gc) that will handle those tasks for you if you want them.

And that is very much the down side to quick field logging. I wonder if I should just do notes instead, then delete them and log the first "Found It" once at the PC at home.

This is entirely normal. I cannot conceive of any other viewpoint. Well, they don't call it OCD (Obsessive Caching Disorder) for nothing. I log everything from the field, in order, from the same app (usually just a "more later" log) and then go through them using the web browser, again in order, to write proper logs. That seems to keep things ordered for me.

Inspired by the scardycatfilms.com viewer, I would like to try to write my own benchmark viewer. For that, I need data. I've looked around the NGS site but am not sure just what I can download from them. Can some one steer me to the appropriate files (with names, coordinates, et cetera) ? Thanks.

Like many of you I have done the little survey that's been popping up on the map page, and today I got the email invite to do the $25 paid research. But it looks a little sketchy. For example, the "To:" line contains hundreds of email addresses. Why not use BCC to send out an email to a list? Also, who are "Kristen" and "Nate?" Is this legit? What do you think?

And that has really changed logging habits in my area. A lot of us now only post DNFs if we are certain that the cache is actually gone, and post notes if we can't find it but are pretty sure it's still there. That helps keep the "please check your cache..." robot at bay.

I believe that's the problem with my aforementioned $200 smartphone. My GPS will be all over the place, while my caching friend's cheap Walmart burner phone GPS is solid. I'm sure they have the same basic GPS chip. I do like the convenience of that smartphone (I use c:geo, for what it's worth) but I keep the Garmin handy just in case.

I'm curious as to why there is still no + - control for map zoom. The current system requires two hands (one to hold the phone, and two fingers on the other one to pinch for zoom in and out. With other apps I can hold the phone in one hand and pan and zoom in and out with just my thumb, which leaves the other hand free.

Absolutely. The interfaces on my 'droid caching apps are fine and they are convenient to use, but the GPS in a $200 phone is, let us say, not necessarily the best. My $400 Garmin GPS is rock solid even in overcast skies and even in the rain but the interface looks like it was written in the 1990s and it is just about unusable, other than as a straight up show-me-the-current-coordinates GPS.

So, regarding GCGY2Z: I've read the (machine translated) web page and it almost looks like you pick your own location and log this virtual. But that is clearly crazy. Might some one explain that one to me?

I am becoming a bit more aware of "Health Score" and naturally I want my caches to be healthy. So say one of my caches has a DNF and I go check on it, and it's fine. I have three options: do nothing, post a note, or post a "Owner Maintenance" log. I have tended towards the third in the hopes that it erases the negative effect of the DNF but I have no idea how health score is computed, or the effect that a "OM" log has, or if there is really any difference in health score between these three possiblities. Anyone have any ideas?

Does anyone every actually click on these, on purpose? I don't think I've ever seen a FB post generated by them. Given the negative news revolving around these and other "social networking" sites today, I would suggest that GS makes these buttons go away forever.

I make extensive use of "corrected coordinates" (so I can filter on them) and have always wondered just what that icon was. And now I know!

That makes me another lucky user with a space in the username. Of course that was ten-plus years ago... but my friend Mouse Jockey is a relatively new player and got her space in late 2015. When did spaces become dis-allowed? Just curious.

I would be glad to jump in, just let me know when

I have tried to connect with people for the ISS waymark so many times...good luck, hope it works out for you. This one doesn't get anywhere near central OK so I'll be no help.