Dave_W6DPS

That is not a normal travel bug. It sounds like you have a geocoin. I don't recognize it from the description or "TC" prefix, so you might post whatever is printed on it. You also have better luck posting the description in the geocoin forum. Dave_W6DPS

I don't know if there were compalints to prompt this action, or if other caches will face the same fate. I didn't see any difference between these and any other LPC-in-a-parking-lot caches. Makes me wonder if there is more to the story.... Dave_W6DPS

There is confusion about what the "Discovered" log is for. One of my bugs, TBQ4TW, was "Discovered" in Michigan by a geocacher who actually picked it up and placed it in a cache in Washington. The next person "Grabbed" it and moved it normally, but the cache they grabbed it from doesn't show up, and the mileage is off. There also seem to be folks who visit caches with bugs in them solely for the purpose of "Discovering" them without moving them. I don't get the point of this practice. I thought that the discovered log was for coins, so people could get icons on their profile for coins they never moved. I think the best solution for regular travel bugs would be to remove the "Discovered" option. Short of that, rewording to make it more clear would probably reduce the situations like I cited above... Dave_W6DPS

I wrote some tutorials on adding basic html to cache pages. You might find them helpful... Dave_W6DPS

Do you mean something like this? Dave_W6DPS

Is the coin event the day before expected to be a MEGA, also? Dave_W6DPS

So, if you violate the "rules" in a park and violate the guidelines of this site it is okay to log the same cache multiple times? I doubt the park in question prohibits listing the cache on geocaching.com--the ban is more likely on placing a cache in the park. An unfortunate rule, but one that should be followed. Especially when an organized event is put together to willfully violate such rules, it looks bad on all of us. I don't care if you log every event cache as many times as you want! I don"t care if you log your own hides as many times as you want! I don't care if you count coup on every lamppost, fence post, and guardrail you see! I really don't care what your number is, and I don't care how much you pad it. I do care if a bunch of irresponsible individuals do whatever they want, including deliberately hiding temporary caches where they are not wanted or welcome. This kind of irresponsible behavior gives property managers the wrong idea about geocaching (or maybe an accurate one) and makes it harder to keep spaces open to properly placed caches. How can you consider this in any way "in a manner consistent with the guidelines of the times" if it obviously violate the guidelines on this site and the park? Here is an idea--if a park doesn't allow geocaches, don't put any there! Then you won't have to cheat on your logging to get "credit" for finding caches that aren't listed, and you don't risk your behavior reflecting badly on the rest of us! Dave_W6DPS

If you look at the logs for the three USA coins he has registered, it is easy to make a case that he is simply clueless... Dave_W6DPS

I've been asked a couple of times if I was checking for radiation. Of course, I work at the local nuclear power plant, and was wearing my site badge each time..... Dave_W6DPS

It is easy to do in pocket query. There are a group of check boxes for various search criteria: That (and) I haven't found I have found I don't own I own Are for members only Are not on my ignore list Are on my watch list Found in the last 7 days Have not been found Have Travel Bugs Updated in the last 7 days Is Not Active Is Active Just find this section and check the box for "Have Travel Bugs". Note that this is an "AND" function, so the PQ would return a lost of caches that matches all the criteria you select, including "Have Travel Bugs". Pocket queries can be a very powerful search tool! Dave_W6DPS

Well, same bug, same cache, now up to 5 "discovered" logs without movement. I just don't see the attraction of being able to log a travel bug that you have nothing to do with... I also don't get the concept of not wanting to "hoard travel bugs". Better to want them to sit forever without moving? I don't think you need to "discover" a bug to let the owner know where it is--that was done for a long time with a simple mention in your log. If the owner is wondering about a bug they are probably reading logs on the cache where it is supposed to be. I think some of us simply don't grasp the concept of travel bugs. While I recognize that I may among those--let me point out that the name is TRAVEL bug, not SIT-AROUND-WAITING-TO-BE-DISCOVERED bug. The discovered log may make it more confusing for noobies picking up travel bugs. Another of my bugs, TBQ4TW, was "discovered" by a geocacher in Michigan, who then posted a note saying he dropped it off in Washington. This screws up mileage and which caches show up in the bug's history. In summation, I don't like "discovered" logs, and I don't like them being used for travel bugs. I don't care if they are used to inflate meaningless stats, but I think they reduce movement of travel bugs since you can get a bean to count without doing anything for it. By the way, the goal for this bug that people seem to find so difficult to help with: "Just to travel around, frequently... " My 2-cents, your mileage may vary... Dave_W6DPS

My TB, TBPZN4, has had four straight "Discovered" logs while sitting in a Travel Bug Hotel, GCWXX5. I have seen this on a few other bugs. I was hoping it would stop, but it may be getting more common. It even seems that some people specifically just want to "Discover" travel bugs. I thought that these "Discovered" logs were just so people could add icons to their profile for coins that they saw. I never saw much point in that, and see no point in adding to the number of travel bugs you saw but didn't move. Am I the only one who thinks this is a miss-use of this type of log? Dave_W6DPS

How could do anything but agree completely with a moderator who's hobby is trolling! Dave_W6DPS

Right, the emphasis in my mind was on "just discussing". Dave_W6DPS

A large part of the difference in perspective is the cache density, and quality within the density figures. There is no "one-size-fits-all" in geocaching. In areas of high density, like southern California, you can get to 200 finds in a single weekend, and never venture more than 10 or 15 miles from your starting point or 30 feet from your car... The issue that troubles me about this is the proliferation of "cookie-cutter" caches. Micros hidden in lamp posts, fencepost caps, and guard rails are all basically the same. So when someone starts out and visits the caches near their home they get accustomed to these types of hides. So, naturally, they assume this is the way caches are hidden. They hide what they know. Of course, anything in this forum is only going to reach a small minority of geocachers, especially new ones. The same is true of local events, and local associations. So what can we do to improve things? Well, we can hide better quality caches, so that among the many micros a new cacher has a chance to find some caches that are more interesting. We can support our local geocaching clubs, associations, and similar groups--by being in touch with them and adding links to their web pages on cache listings. We can attend events and volunteer to mentor new folks (usually informally is best). We can make sure our events have a "how to" demo or presentation. My Webpage has a couple of canned presentations that might help--on the "geocaching" page, with some content shamelessly stolen from posts in these forums. We can point fellow geocachers to information sources like the Podcacher podcast. You need a source for information on how to do things better before you can improve. We can provide encouragement and suggestions to new cachers who start hiding geocaches, rather than criticize caches that don't meet our expectations. They (any they--TPTB, "those geocachers", etc.) will probably not solve this problem, so we have to get to work on it. By keeping things positive, we might be able to keep things on an improving trend. One thing that I haven't seen positive results from is just discussing it in these forums... Dave_W6DPS

A quick and definitive way to tell if it is the original Legend is to simply lift the weather resistant cover on the interface, at the top of the back side of the unit. An original Legend will have four round contacts visible for the serial connection. A Legend C or CX will have tiny connector for the "mini" USB. Dave_W6DPS

Rather than a note, you should have posted a "Did Not Find". I pay more attention to those than notes, especially if I have other stuff going on. Also, I normally don't respond to a DNF. Depending on the cache, I usually try to check it out promptly if there are 2 or 3 from different people. Since caches tend to migrate around, the "validation" of someone who found it previously is not always valid. So, how long should you wait for a reply? I guess it depends on why you think the cache owner owes you a reply. For a note or DNF on a cache, I wouldn't expect an immediate or personal reply. For an email to the cache owner about the cache, I'd expect a "thanks, I'll check it out when I can" email in reply. For a "Should Be Archived" based only on the fact that your didn't find it--I expect a direct email saying "I'll check it out when I can" email, and a prompt deletion of the SBA. I guess I missed the rule about cache owners being responsible for a prompt response to every note. Apparently the owner of the cache you are referring to missed it also. Dave_W6DPS

For my puzzle caches I don't like when anyone else provides the answer to anyone else. The point of a puzzle cache is the mental exercise, not just a find. I will provide a hint or a bit of direction to anyone who has not found the path to solving one of mine. Some times the "physics problem" will really be a simpler question with all the answers on the cache listing--if you know where to look. On one of mine you just have to look at the background image. If someone emails and explains what they have tried and how far they have gotten, I don't mind giving them the final piece to a puzzle. The mental exercise is supposed to be the fun part--not a source of frustration. I expect that if you email the owner and explain your situation, they will be happy to help you learn how to solve their puzzles. Dave_W6DPS

Our Walmart doesn't have a big enough parking lot, but we have an outlet mall in town that has three. Around southenr Cal there is a consistent pattern of spreading dozens of "quick" micros around the site of any events, usually published within 24 before. Dave_W6DPS

It looks like they travel between their cities by flying in formation with human's aircraft--maybe so their radar signature blends in.... (Click on satellite view.) Dave_W6DPS

First you log the cache, and then review the log. It should have a link in the upper right that says "upload image". You can go back to logs later and upload images also. After logging they should show up on your "My Account" page for a month. Click the "Visit Log" link and you should get the log, with a link to upload images... Dave_W6DPS

Geek or nerd, I know some of us are asking....where can we get one of these This kind of water cannon? This one is better for most geeks and/or nerds... Dave_W6DPS

I tend to worry about the military appearance. I can just hear someone guessing about why an ammo can is there: "It's a bomb!" or "Someone is stockpiling ammo!" I prefer innocuous looking containers, and really prefer to camo the container so it is less likely to attract the wrong sorts of attention. Dave_W6DPS

Boring a hole into a bolt can be tricky and time consuming. Instead of hollowing out the bolt, I use barrel nuts--looks like a regular nut except the 3/8-16 ones I use are almost 3" long. Available at your better hardware stores. I use a 2-1/2" bolt through one hole on the post, a normal nut with lockwasher to hold the bolt in place, and then the barrel nut on finger tight. Put a 1/2" long bolt in the other end, also finger tight, so you can spin it out and push the log out with a pen. It leaves about a 2" section in the nut for the logsheet. You might be able to go smaller than 3/8" diameter, but then getting the logsheet in and out is difficult. Also the holes in most of the sign posts I have seen are drilled for 3/8" bolt. I have also painted and textured a small altoids container to look like the wood on some stacked water barrels. When placed in the gap between the barrels it was very inconspicuous--even though in plain sight. Dave_W6DPS

I monitor FRS channel 2, and several ham frequencies, while geocaching. (A ham radio with a scan function and extended receive makes it easy!) Unfortunately, there are two issues regarding emergencies and FRS radios: 1. They have incredibly short range if you are "in the bush". Two miles or so line of sight--but that means no hills, rocks, buildings, etc. in the way. 2. Unless there are geocachers in the area it is unlikely anyone is listening on a "geocaching frequency". There have been various other suggestions: cell phones, ham radio (which already has a "wilderness protocol" for such emergencies), etc. The best safety communications plan is the good old fashioned boy scout buddy system--have someone around to know if you have fallen and can't get up so they can call for help. The best alternative is to have a plan on where you are going and when you will be back, and leave this information with someone who will call for a rescue if you are overdue. FRS channel 2 is often used by geocachers, but how much are you going to count on there being one around when you need them? Dave_W6DPS