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Well, I'm not really seeing that. I admit, it's hard to read the OP's combative responses, but I think he's making valid points about the few examples being raised being less than convincing because of other possible scenarios which would look identical to the seeker without involving any incorrect logs. As I read these examples, they tend to clump in 2 classes. The first is fake finds that are clearly an anomalies, so anyone seeing it would discount it. The other class is fake finds followed by a missing cache, and I don't really don't understand how the person reporting the "impact" determined the fake find was fake. The other example we've seen is a throwdown where the real problem that impacted people was the throwdown, not the fake find. It doesn't help that many of the examples are imagining impacts, including a few that show successful searches that involved no fake logs, but "it could have happened! I claim that's one reason the discussion has slipped over from imaginary impacts to imaginary solutions involving COs deleting logs when the OP wants to talk about whether the incorrect logs are a problem to begin with, not how the problem can be solved. Admittedly, the OP tends to reject examples instead of discussing the degree the fake log really did impact the poster in light of other events we all accept as part of geocaching which could easily lead to exactly the same experience. That makes it hard to follow the discussion, but it's more of a rhetorical failure than a logical fallacy.

It does feel like you redefining what "fake log" you want to talk about: A - fake find when dropping a throwdown? B - fake find after series of DNFs? C - fake find amongst real find logs? D - all of the above?

People drop throwdowns all the time. Can you, just this once, forget about the cache owner and approach this from the standpoint of my OP, which I've repeated endlessly to figurative deaf ears, evidently? If you want to talk about what the cache owner should do (in your opinion) then start your own thread.

"We just unveiled a new catalogue system that allows to you search for all sorts of unique media at our library, as well as all of our partnered libraries across the country!" "Great! How can I use it?" "Sorry, it's for staff only. You'll have to go talk to a librarian at the front desk to perform a search." "What...?!" "You're more than welcome to go flick through the index card cabinet, though!" --- (somewhat true story) This is a ridiculous leap backwards by HQ. Luckily it looks like https://gcutils.de/lab2gpx/ still works?

If they're your buddies, then talk to them about it. If they aren't your buddies, make them your buddies and then talk to them about it. I certainly appreciate you wanting to use that area for your own caches, and I do wish you'd had your chance, but, at the same time, a lot of people will enjoy those caches, so it's not immediately obvious leaving the trail blank so you could hide one or two great caches would have added up to better caching overall. The best way to strike a good balance is to interact with the other COs to share the area. Some people here would ban such a series legally in the same way they banned you by getting there first. I'm not convinced one is better than the other.

@ cghove: You quoted me right, but It seemed I was not to be able to explain in the quoted section what my problem (and it is not really a problem) is. Yes, I know we talk about two parties (or do i have to say single companies). Yes, I know this are different sources. But, what I wanted to show with my comment is following (as written in the sentence that followed, which too can be read in your quote of my post:" It is running, I'm logged in and it does what it should do, but it says it does not, funny!" ) meaning. So again, I try to eplain what happens here. I'm logged-in in geocaching.com with my account data. I click on the 'Not logged in' you pictured above. And in the opening page I authenticate project-gc to work together with geocaching.com to change data and so on. I go back to the geocaching.com page and the script works and does what it should do. Providing me with everything I have choosen in the menu of the script! The gc.com page is redesigned as the script should do, with all the extra content by project-gc. In the other still open slider/tab I have full access to project-gc with all the tools and statistics and so on. And now the BUT: I still get the picture You show above. Even if i open a further geocaching.com slider/tab it stills says: 'Not logged in'... That interesting anecdote is all I wanted to quote, as a funnyfact. We talk about a script by an developer/project that provides us with the tools and lots more we need to show we fulfilled certain challenges just for gc.com features (I support this with my paid membership on both pages, honouring this outstanding often voluntary work for all of us, those who can't do this). I know it's just a sign/button, nothing more/ nothing less. It's not relevant for the functionality what I can read there, so it seems. The script works therefore on just that homepage, a homepage that relies in some way on the provider of the script by using the checkerconcept by the same provider. If the sign of the script says the opposite of what it is doing, can I assume that there might be a communications problem between script and homepage? And if it is just that it can't get the message through, that it works... And isn't the fact, that there is this minimal communications problem between the two sources in some way funny? Because at the same time i as an owner of a cache have to rely on the results of checkers (provided by many volunteers by the one) using data (provided by the other) to check if a cacher has fulfilled my challenge. Without the checker I'm not allowed to post this challenge. And what if, in this communication between the same two, one of the sources can't get another message through? This was in my mind as I wrote the quote and I found this funny. I hope, I could clarify what I meant, regarding my problems with the foreign language I use in the moment. And at the end, why did I wanted to clarify it. It just should show, when already here could be problems, what other problems could accur, if the appearence of the homepage is changed in short times and somebody has to struggle to get his script or app functionality working again. And that with earning little or nothing for doing so... To get it together. The title of this thread is 'Exit GDAK' and if it became clear or not, i just wanted to post something that shows my hope, that the programmer of the app GDAK would still work further on this app, trying to ignore throwbacks in his work, earning perhaps little to nothing for his doings. Just for the support of the community. And as it seems, he will do! Thank You for that, Wout!

This. Specifically, ngs.infocenter@... will be the people you need to talk to.

My problem with this is that the situation would be exactly the same if the cache was really there, but you just can't find it. Your argument would make it seem reasonable to say a legitimate find log also wastes your time and money. But this has a simple solution that I'd use for reasons not related to fake logs: if I DNFed a cache that was a significant effort to get to, and then someone else found it, before I spent the time and money to go back, I'd talk to the person that found it. I'd be assuming they really did find it and be asking to gather information about how I could have missed it, but if it turned out to be a fake find, that would surely come out in the conversation.

I guess I am in a minority here on the forums then (though from my limited time here, I don't think so). Granted, my caching has slowed this year compared to last, but that's been due to circumstances that forced geocaching to the back burner for a while. But I still use the forums to glean useful information, bounce ideas around, and hopefully add some input that others find useful, if not entertaining. I don't necessarily like to hear myself talk - and I definitely don't think my opinions are gospel. And, frankly, I don't get that vibe (hot air, like to hear themselves talk, think their opinion is gospel, etc) from most of the participants here either. I enjoy participating, interacting with other geocachers. Yes, I'm new to geocaching and new to the forums (relatively speaking). What's with reviving all these old threads??

There is a lot of seemingly well-intended chit-chat here, but 90% of this thread is off topic. Please try to offer something helpful to the OP and not just chastise them. That generation of GPS required a driver provided by Garmin to work. I think it's this guy: https://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=591 This driver is required for any software, whether Basecamp, EasyGPS, or GPSBabel to work with that hardware on Windows. Please confirm it's installed. The suggestion to try GPSBabel has merit because I think every error condition it (that isn't a crash...of which we have none reported for years) has an error message associated with it. That said, we either get packets or we don't and we can either talk to the driver above or we can't so we can really only recommend kind of hand-wavy things like rotating USB ports, different cables, cleaning the gunk out of the USB connector etc. Good luck

I prefer the real small gatherings. Little chance of the natural shifting to only folks you know. - New people think it's a "clique" thing, and for the most part it is, simply people you're familiar. I like to stir things up a bit. 3-4 people, I'd have a couple unactivated signature geocoins to pass out, and probably have a few trackables to exchange (depending on their goals). We don't discuss find totals, but will mention caches we've enjoyed the most with others. Sometimes we don't even talk about this hobby. Hang out with an ice cream, coffee, whatever ... and make small talk.

No not Leeds but we've all been beginners at some point. I wasn't going to be able to complete the summer challenge some years ago as there were no nearby events on a free night. We were going away for the weekend so I looked at caches in the area and there was an event at the pub just down the road. We had to eat out anyway so we got a meal, a drink, a natter, a cache in the pub grounds and a souvenir all in one outing. Since then I have been to various events. The format differs slightly but there's usually a log book being signed and the clink of dog tag TBs gets ears twitching. Somebody will talk to you. You might even find somebody else looking "new" and talk to them. The next event will be easier as you recognise names in log books as you cache. Go and enjoy!

There's probably a good reason why not, but I would like it to look like this: There's been some talk in these forums about issues with the notification emails. Perhaps having it look like this would help:

[OT] Have you actually read the First Amendment? (Hint: Groundspeak is not a government agency.)[/OT] It doesn't have to be a govt agency. There are plenty of cases where the gov has stepped in and ruled that people have the right to say what they want when being censored by private parties. This forum might be owned by Groundspeak, and they can do what they want with it, but they can't control my right to TALK about something. I think that's the point we're missing here. I'm not violating their terms. I am merely TALKING about something. On an mlb forum, for example, I am allowed to TALK about steroids, even though it is illegal and a clear violation of both the law and of the mlb terms. However, I am not DOING anything, and therefore not violating them. If they ever censored me, I could take them to court on the basis of First Amendment rights and I'd win, and they know that. Think about it...if that weren't the case, how could Sportswriters talk about it freely? It's just TALK. It doesn't violate anything. I think you guys might need to go back to law school ;-)

Wow! Lots of new caches. Yet you and your friends are complaining? That seems odd, particularly since there's every reason to think the established COs that are on the ball enough to put out caches when the trail is available are odds on favorites to have better caches and do better maintenance than your friends who only just recently got the bug and could well lose it as easily as they got it. Anyway, teach your friends that they can reach out to the owners and talk about them making some room on the trail. Just emphasize that if the CO makes room for them, that it would be really embarrassing to you, as their mentors, if the cache they hide on the trail don't compare favorably to the caches the CO pulled for them.

Not quite true. Groundspeak actively pushes the FTF prize on a very regular basis as one of the benefits of buying premium membership. They talk about it in mailings, sure. But they never talk about rules. They just say it's when you find "that clean, unsigned logbook...". And that's just external affairs/outreach talk--show me where Groundspeak outlines anything specific about a FTF "prize" (especially in the guidelines, or with an official mention or validity with, say, a statistic on your profile) beyond mention in some emails. Back to my popcorn. Of course they never talk about rules - why would they? Their sole purpose in pushing FTF hard in their, what was it again? external affairs? outreach talk? Is purely to dangle the carrot in a bid to tempt more individuals to hand over cold, hard cash in return for a shot at the prize of that clean, unsigned logbook... Groundspeak actively pushes the FTF prize on a very regular basis as one of the benefits of buying premium membership. Enjoy your popcorn. Well, yeah... It's a business afterall... There are no rules, we can all admit that. Groundspeak mentions it on the blog or in weekly mailers, yes. That's the outreach/external affairs side of things. Then there's the internal affairs of programming, financial, daily operations, the store... Someone with a job to promote the game on Geocaching.com is doing just that: promoting geocaching on Geocaching.com, which includes the option to get some cool features if you sign up for a premium membership! They may not be too worried about a few angsty people battling out over dictionary definitions and chicken-and-egg scenarios in the forums, and therefore only trouble themselves with the simple, general aspects of the FTF side-game. Groundspeak is aware that the "FTF" is a well-established side game, and that it is practiced all over the world. Being FTF can be fun, and the race to get there first can be a hoot. It can also cause a ton of anxiety, as I can see oozing from your posts. Sheesh...settle down! Who brought the butter? I seem to need more for my popcorn. Oh, wait...

Not quite true. Groundspeak actively pushes the FTF prize on a very regular basis as one of the benefits of buying premium membership. They talk about it in mailings, sure. But they never talk about rules. They just say it's when you find "that clean, unsigned logbook...". And that's just external affairs/outreach talk--show me where Groundspeak outlines anything specific about a FTF "prize" (especially in the guidelines, or with an official mention or validity with, say, a statistic on your profile) beyond mention in some emails. Back to my popcorn. Of course they never talk about rules - why would they? Their sole purpose in pushing FTF hard in their, what was it again? external affairs? outreach talk? Is purely to dangle the carrot in a bid to tempt more individuals to hand over cold, hard cash in return for a shot at the prize of that clean, unsigned logbook... Groundspeak actively pushes the FTF prize on a very regular basis as one of the benefits of buying premium membership. Enjoy your popcorn.

of course I don't want to risk my expensive device, as I told before geocaching is specific activity, that could really benefit from watch app since in normal circumstances I wouldn't walk on rocky cliff with smartphone in my hand, but when geocaching I don't really have a choice.. You shouldn't drive and talk with your phone at a same time, but if you have to, if your work is to drive and talk to clients at a same time, you have a safer option of buying hands free set, but with geocaching there is no safer alternative.. and its not all about risk of braking device.. do I really have to give an example of every possible scenario? ok, lets say you're geocaching on that rocky cliff with smartphone in your hand and you slip, you're falling.. you'll probably by reflex going to try to safe not only your self, but your device to and by doing that your injuries may be bigger, but if you would have an extra free hand to grab on something, you may end up with lighter injury.. ok, ten-thousands.. how much do you think it costs? millions? billions of dollars? its just an app, not a space rocket, it shouldn't be unaffordable for descent company so far I've heard only one decent reason not to make watch app, its technical reason of apple watch not having magnetic compass, although it still would be nice to at least have watch app for reading hints, descriptions, logs... all other reasons is basically stating that Groundspeak is barely making a living and just can't afford such big luxury like creating simple app.. that makes me feel like I'm getting into lost cost, like windows phone users did..

For me, there are a few bad cacher types, on various degrees of bad. They have one thing in common: No regard for others. - Cache saboteurs. In the worst case, they damage the cache, intentionally or not. They break locks, pry boxes open, disassemble what should not be taken apart. Others leave it in a bad state that ruins the experience for others, not putting things back properly. - Throwdowns. Didn't solve the puzzle? Just put in a fake log! Didn't find the cache? Or couldn't reach it? Hang a petling at face hight and pretend it is the cache. - Copy-pasters. Looong boring logs about nothing (just to fake that author badge) and not a single word about the cache, on a special, unique cache with much work in it. Yes it is legal. Legal to be impolite. I don't mind a TFTC much, but getting piles and piles of these boring copy-paste logs on something I have worked hard on... it makes me considering quitting the hobby. Really. - People who can't communicate. People who misunderstand everything, takes offense when you try to help them, or don't respond. Can be both COs and finders. But now I'd better think about the good cachers. Cachers who have fun and let me know it. Cachers that are careful. Cachers that you can talk to.

So, suppose I tell you that your proposed location is 110m northwest of the final coordinates for "Cacher Conundrum," a five-star puzzle cache that only four people have ever solved and logged in the past three years. Armed with that intelligence, you track down the container and sign the log at the same time when you move your cache to a spot that's 162m away. What do I get for being helpful? A flaming email from the CO of "Cacher Conundrum," who also posts to three Facebook groups, and files a complaint with Geocaching HQ that I gave away secret information and ruined the puzzle cache. Having had that happen to us enough times, reviewers nowadays are constrained to be less forthcoming with details. Depending on your reviewer, you may get a hint, like "you are less than 161m from "Cacher Conundrum," GCABCDE, or you may get a hint that you should strongly consider moving to the southeast, or you may not get any guidance at all. So, that's how come. In a world where people hack lab caches and share the final coordinates of puzzle caches in Facebook groups, the inevitable outcome of such a feature would be to spoil every puzzle cache, multicache and Wherigo cache, plus a fair percentage of letterbox hybrid caches. There are people who like placing and finding these cache types. Geocaching.com has chosen not to alienate them by ruining the ability to keep the actual locations a secret. "But all I need is a distance and direction," you might say. So, the cheater simply enters enough coordinates into the planner tool to permit them to hone in on the actual location through triangulation. Think that can't happen? Talk to the travel bug stalkers who watch for drops of trackables in unpublished caches so they can figure out the locations and log a pre-publication "FTF." Talk to the group of cachers who hid traditionals in every conceivable spot within two miles of a 5-star puzzle, knowing they'd eventually "battleship" their way to a hit, and then they could do a scorched earth hunt within that area. I foiled them by publishing their cache even though it was 200 feet away from the puzzle final. Reviewers are smart humans*, you see, and that is better than an automated system. *Many reviewers are dogs.

Thank you, GeoGern, for the information. Here's your answer to the random question, Wumpus: Suppose you want to make a random number. Here's how to do it: Define a variable in the builder and call it whatever you want. I will call it "Random" for this example. Next, define whatever event you want that will be dependent upon the random number. For purposes of this example, I will keep it simple. This step will show you how to create a character who will give you a random number every time you talk to him/her. The character will then tell you if the number is low (<50) or high (>=50 to keep it simple). To create the character outlined above, to the following: Select "Characters", click "Add", and give the character a name. Next, look at the bottom right-hand corner under "Commands". Create one called "Talk". After that, click the "Events" tab and you will see "When talk occurs". Select it and click "New". -- I originally typed this post to display two message boxes, one to show the random number and one to tell if it is a higher or lower number. However, showing two message boxes one after another does not work well. It'll show the boxes, but the first will give way to the next without requiring user input. Instead, we'll create one message box to display and it will say the number AND if it is a higher or lower number. -- Let's first begin with defining PART of the message where the character tells you the number: -- Add an if-then-else block. In step one, select "Compare an Object" yadda-yadda-yadda. For each of the three arguments, in this order, specify the following: the Random variable, "Greater than or equal to", and the value 50. The line should now read "If Random Greater Than or Equal To 50". Click "OK". --We're back to the programming block screen. Highlight your if statement and click "Add an action". This is what happens if Random is greater than or equal to 50. Select "Show a message to the player" and make the message say " is a higher number" (space included). Now, create another message to the user that will say " is a lower number". Don't forget to highlight "else" before you click "Add an Action". Now, we're going to edit the code directly. Hacking time! Click "OK" until you're back to the main screen. Save your cartridge. You don't have to close it. Open your .lua cartridge file in Notepad. First, type the following line at the top of the file: requires "math" WARNING: You will have to insert the above statement manually after EVERY TIME you save your cartridge. It keeps losing that statement, which was the cause of my confusion. Odd, but it happens. Now, do a search for the string " is a higher number"--what you typed for the character to say to you. You will see the following: Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=[[ is a higher number.]],} Remember that variable you defined to hold the random number? Change the statement likewise to mimic the following: Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=Random .. [[ is a higher number.]],} In Lua, apparently, ".." is the equivalent to "&" in VB and "+" in C#. String concatenation. Do the same thing for the lower number. Look at your "if" statement and be sure it reads like mine. I didn't have an operator in mine and had to edit it: if Random >= 50 then And, now, the last step. Include the following code above "if" statement. This is what assigns the random number. The first digit is the lower bound and the second the upper bound of your random number. Both numbers are inclusive: it will return a 0 or 100 within the random number set. Feel free to use other variables if you'd like. Random = math.random(0,100) Save the file and reload it into the Wherigo Builder application, compile it to your machine, and run it in the emulator. Here's my test code. There are other things in it, but pay attention to the code under the function "function zcharacterRandomGuy:OnTalk()". Copy this to a new text file and name it "test3.lua". Using my file, which has a lot of other test junk in it, move the player's position to the closest zone, right off the road. You'll see a character listed called "Random Guy". Talk to the character multiple times to see different random numbers. From this example, you should now understand how to insert a random number into the code. If you have any other questions, it seems the Groundspeak crew are very eager to answer them. Compliments to them for treating us, the innovator market group, well. I'll be hanging out around here and will perhaps come out with a test open source cartridge for people to learn from it. Seems like I have another programming project other than the Statbar Modifier to work on. ================================================= ================================================= require "Wherigo" require "math" ZonePoint = Wherigo.ZonePoint Distance = Wherigo.Distance Player = Wherigo.Player -- #Author Directives Go Here# -- -- #End Author Directives# -- cartTest3 = Wherigo.ZCartridge() -- MessageBox Callback Functions Table used by the Builder -- cartTest3.MsgBoxCBFuncs = {} -- Cartridge Info -- cartTest3.Id="c183a2f5-6ec4-45c0-b164-6af81985f473" cartTest3.Name="Test 3" cartTest3.Description=[[A time trial along the trail]] cartTest3.Visible=true cartTest3.Activity="Puzzle" cartTest3.StartingLocationDescription=[[]] cartTest3.StartingLocation = ZonePoint(36.1423999945323,-79.8561833063761,0) cartTest3.Version=".01" cartTest3.Company="Ranger Fox Adventures, Ltd." cartTest3.Author="Ranger Fox" cartTest3.BuilderVersion="2.0.4704.3539" cartTest3.CreateDate="1/4/2008 3:43:54 PM" cartTest3.PublishDate="1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM" cartTest3.UpdateDate="1/4/2008 4:53:37 PM" cartTest3.LastPlayedDate="1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM" cartTest3.TargetDevice="PocketPC" cartTest3.TargetDeviceVersion="0" cartTest3.StateId="1" cartTest3.CountryId="2" cartTest3.Complete=false cartTest3.UseLogging=false -- Zones -- zoneParkingarea = Wherigo.Zone(cartTest3) zoneParkingarea.Id="52fa9078-04ca-4e40-8607-2c6d88cd3fba" zoneParkingarea.Name="Parking area" zoneParkingarea.Description=[[Park here]] zoneParkingarea.Visible=true zoneParkingarea.DistanceRange = Distance(-1, "feet") zoneParkingarea.ShowObjects="OnEnter" zoneParkingarea.ProximityRange = Distance(100, "feet") zoneParkingarea.AllowSetPositionTo=false zoneParkingarea.Active=true zoneParkingarea.Points = { ZonePoint(36.14225,-79.85592,0), ZonePoint(36.14243,-79.8558,0), ZonePoint(36.14272,-79.85629,0), ZonePoint(36.14259,-79.85649,0) } zoneParkingarea.OriginalPoint = ZonePoint(36.1422499974569,-79.8559166590373,0) zoneParkingarea.DistanceRangeUOM = "Feet" zoneParkingarea.ProximityRangeUOM = "Feet" zoneParkingarea.OutOfRangeName = "" zoneParkingarea.InRangeName = "" zonePlankbridge = Wherigo.Zone(cartTest3) zonePlankbridge.Id="2373f3e4-0eb3-4849-9450-db9c5f317962" zonePlankbridge.Name="Plank bridge" zonePlankbridge.Description=[[]] zonePlankbridge.Visible=false zonePlankbridge.DistanceRange = Distance(-1, "feet") zonePlankbridge.ShowObjects="OnEnter" zonePlankbridge.ProximityRange = Distance(10, "feet") zonePlankbridge.AllowSetPositionTo=false zonePlankbridge.Active=false zonePlankbridge.Points = { ZonePoint(36.14279,-79.8563,0), ZonePoint(36.14307,-79.85607,0), ZonePoint(36.14323,-79.85622,0), ZonePoint(36.14298,-79.85649,0) } zonePlankbridge.OriginalPoint = ZonePoint(36.1427833398183,-79.8562999725342,0) zonePlankbridge.DistanceRangeUOM = "Feet" zonePlankbridge.ProximityRangeUOM = "Feet" zonePlankbridge.OutOfRangeName = "" zonePlankbridge.InRangeName = "" zoneRailroadSign = Wherigo.Zone(cartTest3) zoneRailroadSign.Id="7cbfc5d9-094b-4cd6-a4ef-17a1bcbdf798" zoneRailroadSign.Name="Railroad Sign" zoneRailroadSign.Description=[[]] zoneRailroadSign.Visible=false zoneRailroadSign.DistanceRange = Distance(-1, "feet") zoneRailroadSign.ShowObjects="OnEnter" zoneRailroadSign.ProximityRange = Distance(10, "feet") zoneRailroadSign.AllowSetPositionTo=false zoneRailroadSign.Active=false zoneRailroadSign.Points = { ZonePoint(36.15314,-79.855,0), ZonePoint(36.15305,-79.85531,0), ZonePoint(36.1533,-79.8555,0), ZonePoint(36.15349,-79.85524,0) } zoneRailroadSign.OriginalPoint = ZonePoint(36.1531333287557,-79.8549999872843,0) zoneRailroadSign.DistanceRangeUOM = "Feet" zoneRailroadSign.ProximityRangeUOM = "Feet" zoneRailroadSign.OutOfRangeName = "" zoneRailroadSign.InRangeName = "" zoneAquifinaArea = Wherigo.Zone(cartTest3) zoneAquifinaArea.Id="94701d65-d574-44ff-a8a4-d45dd5e48944" zoneAquifinaArea.Name="Aquifina Area" zoneAquifinaArea.Description=[[]] zoneAquifinaArea.Visible=false zoneAquifinaArea.DistanceRange = Distance(-1, "feet") zoneAquifinaArea.ShowObjects="OnEnter" zoneAquifinaArea.ProximityRange = Distance(10, "feet") zoneAquifinaArea.AllowSetPositionTo=false zoneAquifinaArea.Active=false zoneAquifinaArea.Points = { ZonePoint(36.15193,-79.85451,0), ZonePoint(36.15215,-79.85462,0), ZonePoint(36.15208,-79.85485,0), ZonePoint(36.1518,-79.85459,0) } zoneAquifinaArea.OriginalPoint = ZonePoint(36.1519333362579,-79.8545166651408,0) zoneAquifinaArea.DistanceRangeUOM = "Feet" zoneAquifinaArea.ProximityRangeUOM = "Feet" zoneAquifinaArea.OutOfRangeName = "" zoneAquifinaArea.InRangeName = "" -- Characters -- zcharacterRandomGuy = Wherigo.ZCharacter{Cartridge=cartTest3, Container=zoneParkingarea} zcharacterRandomGuy.Id="525cc893-ac19-4e1c-9bba-e87031422b94" zcharacterRandomGuy.Name="Random Guy" zcharacterRandomGuy.Description=[[]] zcharacterRandomGuy.Visible=true zcharacterRandomGuy.Gender="Male" zcharacterRandomGuy.Type="NPC" zcharacterRandomGuy.ObjectLocation = ZonePoint(36.1424918494855,-79.8561522764714,360) zcharacterRandomGuy.Commands = { Talk = Wherigo.ZCommand{Text="Talk", CmdWith=false, Enabled=true, EmptyTargetListText="Nothing available"}, } zcharacterRandomGuy.Commands.Talk.Custom = true zcharacterRandomGuy.Commands.Talk.Id="03330ea2-27d2-4242-92b2-33122efaee47" zcharacterRandomGuy.Commands.Talk.WorksWithAll = true -- Items -- zitemRandom = Wherigo.ZItem(cartTest3) zitemRandom.Id="5ac3fd70-474b-497d-b8d1-aa84678f6ba5" zitemRandom.Name="Random" zitemRandom.Description=[[]] zitemRandom.Visible=false zitemRandom.ObjectLocation = Wherigo.INVALID_ZONEPOINT zitemRandom.Locked = false zitemRandom.Opened = false zitemRandom.Commands = { GetRandom = Wherigo.ZCommand{Text="GetRandom", CmdWith=false, Enabled=true, EmptyTargetListText="Nothing available"}, } zitemRandom.Commands.GetRandom.Custom = true zitemRandom.Commands.GetRandom.Id="9d38f63f-760f-4fad-baeb-2a3e19ef9857" zitemRandom.Commands.GetRandom.WorksWithAll = true -- Tasks -- ztaskFindtheparkingarea = Wherigo.ZTask(cartTest3) ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Id="4259783b-c0c6-492b-9690-96456bd8bec9" ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Name="Find the parking area" ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Description=[[]] ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Visible=true ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Active=true ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Complete=false ztaskFindtheparkingarea.CorrectState = "None" ztaskFindrailroad = Wherigo.ZTask(cartTest3) ztaskFindrailroad.Id="a12be009-b3fe-40f4-9459-980b244dec34" ztaskFindrailroad.Name="Find railroad" ztaskFindrailroad.Description=[[]] ztaskFindrailroad.Visible=false ztaskFindrailroad.Active=false ztaskFindrailroad.Complete=false ztaskFindrailroad.CorrectState = "None" ztaskFindAquifinaarea = Wherigo.ZTask(cartTest3) ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Id="58653b15-4628-4d77-a6ae-f3a95420f32c" ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Name="Find Aquifina area" ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Description=[[]] ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Visible=false ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Active=false ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Complete=false ztaskFindAquifinaarea.CorrectState = "None" ztaskGettotheplankbridge = Wherigo.ZTask(cartTest3) ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Id="59095708-f9e8-466e-8ef5-0cb5f689ac34" ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Name="Get to the plank bridge" ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Description=[[]] ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Visible=false ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Active=false ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Complete=false ztaskGettotheplankbridge.CorrectState = "None" -- Cartridge Variables -- Random = 0 TimerExpired = false cartTest3.ZVariables = {Random = 0, TimerExpired = false} -- Builder Variables (to be read by the builder only) -- buildervar = {} buildervar.Random = {} buildervar.Random.Id ="763ea73a-b54f-4ac2-bf1c-a5d230b4f292" buildervar.Random.Name = "Random" buildervar.Random.Type = "Number" buildervar.Random.Data=[[0]] buildervar.Random.Description=[[]] buildervar.TimerExpired = {} buildervar.TimerExpired.Id ="0dfd5fe7-7c9d-4d09-b9b4-9a6fd9e61da3" buildervar.TimerExpired.Name = "Timer Expired" buildervar.TimerExpired.Type = "Flag" buildervar.TimerExpired.Data=[[False]] buildervar.TimerExpired.Description=[[]] -- ZTimers -- ztimerStopwatch = Wherigo.ZTimer(cartTest3) ztimerStopwatch.Id="2d6873df-7ed9-4608-88d7-4768c6b35ac4" ztimerStopwatch.Name="Stopwatch" ztimerStopwatch.Description=[[]] ztimerStopwatch.Visible=true ztimerStopwatch.Duration=600 ztimerStopwatch.Type="Countdown" -- Inputs -- -- -- Events/Conditions/Actions -- -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------Builder Generated functions, Do not Edit, this will be overwritten------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- function zoneParkingarea:OnEnter() -- #GroupDescription=Enter the parking area -- -- #Comment=Enter the parking area Comment -- ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Complete = true Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=[[You found the parking area. Now, go to the railroad sign.]],} zoneRailroadSign.Active = true ztaskFindrailroad.Active = true zoneRailroadSign.Visible = true ztaskFindrailroad.Visible = true zoneRailroadSign.Visible = true Random = math.random(0,100) end function zoneRailroadSign:OnEnter() -- #GroupDescription=Player enters the railroad zone -- -- #Comment=Player enters the railroad zone Comment -- Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=[[Good. You found the railroad sign. Now, find the Aquifina rest stop.]],} ztaskFindrailroad.Complete = true ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Active = true zoneAquifinaArea.Active = true zoneAquifinaArea.Visible = true ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Visible = true end function zoneAquifinaArea:OnEnter() -- #GroupDescription=Enter the Aquifina area -- -- #Comment=Enter the Aquifina area Comment -- ztaskFindAquifinaarea.Complete = true zonePlankbridge.Active = true zonePlankbridge.Visible = true ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Visible = true ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Active = true Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=[[Great! Now, it's a time attack to the plank bridge. You have ten minutes.]],} end function zoneAquifinaArea:OnExit() -- #GroupDescription=Exit the Aquifina zone -- -- #Comment=Exit the Aquifina zone Comment -- ztimerStopwatch:Start() zoneAquifinaArea.Active = false zoneAquifinaArea.Visible = false end function ztimerStopwatch:OnTick() -- #GroupDescription=Timer expires -- -- #Comment=Timer expires Comment -- TimerExpired = true Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=[[Too late!]],} ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Complete = false end function zonePlankbridge:OnEnter() -- #GroupDescription=Enter the plank bridge -- -- #Comment=Enter the plank bridge Comment -- if ztimerStopwatch.Duration > 0 then Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=[[Great! Good job.]],} ztaskGettotheplankbridge.Complete = true end end function cartTest3:OnStart() -- #GroupDescription=Start cartridge -- -- #Comment=Start cartridge Comment -- zoneParkingarea.Active = true zoneParkingarea.Visible = true ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Active = true ztaskFindtheparkingarea.Visible = true end function zoneRailroadSign:OnExit() -- #GroupDescription=Exit railroad sign - hide the railroad stuff -- -- #Comment=Exit railroad sign - hide the railroad stuff Comment -- zoneRailroadSign.Visible = false zoneRailroadSign.Active = false end function zitemRandom:OnGetRandom() -- #GroupDescription=Get random number -- -- #Comment=Get random number Comment -- Random = math.random(0,100) end function zcharacterRandomGuy:OnTalk() -- #GroupDescription=Talk to random guy -- -- #Comment=Talk to random guy Comment -- Random = math.random(0,100) if Random >= 50 then Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=Random .. [[ is a higher number.]],} else Wherigo.MessageBox{Text=Random .. [[ is a lower number.]],} end end ------End Builder Generated functions, Do not Edit, this will be overwritten------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------Builder Generated callbacks, Do not Edit, this will be overwritten------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --#LASTCALLBACKKEY=0#-- ------End Builder Generated callbacks, Do not Edit, this will be overwritten------ -- #Author Functions Go Here# -- -- #End Author Functions# -- -- Nothing after this line -- return cartTest3

I'm a Boy Scout GC Merit Badge Counselor as well. It was alluded to above, but one of the biggest headaches with teaching kids about caching EVEN if they all get it (watch out for the uninterested kid in the back) and buy into all the etiquette, respect for the CO's effort, time and money and the collegiate nature of the hobby (NOT "US (cachers) vs. THEM (hiders)", but rather a collaboration) is that they now know about something REALLY KOOL and they HAVE TO tell everyone about it! So, they talk about it and "C'mon; I'll show you!" And, it's gone; a nifty ammo can left at the mercy of uninterested, uninitiated kids with no perspective on the game. MAYBE, your Scout is left standing there shouting, "Hey, wait! You can't take that with you!" What a spot to put them in. What I've done, especially with younger Scouts is start with and keep pushing the concept that GeoCaching is like a club; a club that's an honor to be a part of, and you're being trusted with secrets that CANNOT be shared. As sacred as the Cub Scout Oath! Would you tell any of your friends where your family keeps the secret Hide-a-Key outside your house? This is the SAME THING! Play it up for all it's worth; you'll be exposing the time, money and effort of a lot of local people to the whims of little kids. ALSO, if you take them hunting, consider reaching out to a few local CO's and asking them if they mind if you take Cub Scouts to their hides. If the local Cub Pack went after mine, I might not be all that enthused.

Really good point. I will make sure to emphasize this when we talk with the scouts.

When I have taught kids that age geocaching, I've spent about half an hour explaining the basics of geocaching to them, with lots of hands on props. For example, I pass around containers of various sizes, I pass around examples of trackables, and I pass around examples of trade items. Then I take them out to practice geocaching. For a one-hour class, I will have set up a couple dozen hides in a small outdoor area near my classroom, and then I have the kids stay behind a line and raise their hands when they've spotted a hidden container. If I have more time for an actual geocaching hike, then I take them to a park or open space some distance away from home so we can find actual caches there. (The half-hour talk can happen at the trailhead right before the hike, or it can happen beforehand with a brief reminder of the rules before the hike.) I specifically DO NOT take them to find urban/suburban caches in the neighborhood. Even if I trust all my kids completely, I don't necessarily trust their friends and classmates who hear about hidden treasure in the neighborhood.

Yes, I used the basic stuff to glue the paper down and do the initial seal over the top, then sealed it with spray-on acrylic outdoor furniture sealer. I think I ended up with two coats of Mod Podge and three coats of sealer. The sealer I used is Dulux Duramax which is supposed to be pretty good for wooden outdoor stuff. Assuming it doesn't get scratched on a sharp edge somewhere, breaking the seal and letting the water in. I've heard people suggesting nail varnish as being relatively robust, or mixing up some epoxy resin / UV resin but I don't have either available.. Totally agree. My preference is to make TB proxies in etched aluminium though my current method isn't working as well as I'd like (correction - the results are pretty good, it's the hours of prep and lead up work that I'm trying to streamline). I also tried simple letter and number steel punch on aluminium which is great for making a quick and easy proxy (about six minutes for this one) but I need to slow down and use some guides or something to help keep the lettering even. I'd also really like to make things by melting and recycling HDPE plastic but that's better for swag than TB's (mass produce the same thing over and over again once the mold is made). Due to my wife having lung issues I'm reluctant to do anything that will generate a lot of chemical fumes. Which also takes resin casting off the table. I'd prefer to, as you suggest, use water resistant / proof labels, but my main consideration is keeping costs down. If I can buy a standard TB for AUD$9 (average price to get one shipped here in northern Australia) and it's going to cost me $10 or more to make the proxy, then I may as well just send out the original TB. I have scrap aluminium and the punch set, so that method is almost free for me. I had some leftover sheet wood, sealer and paint from another project, so I wanted to use those up on something - hence this idea. The most expensive part of these was the mod podge, which I can use on other projects as well. On my math, these cost me just shy of $2 each to produce (plus the cost of the TB's, but I keep those at home and only send proxies out). It would have been less, but I had the first couple of attempts that didn't work out. Unless I factor in my time, then they would be horribly expensive and it would be cheaper to just go to a laser engraving place and get them to make some professional ones with their industrial laser. That would be pretty cool! But with this method, I still have a lot of material left over, so if I wanted to make another dozen it would almost be free (other than time and buying TB codes) and the cost of printing the designs onto paper. Plus I also take pleasure in making things and trying out new methods. Agreed, which is why I started my first post with an apology. It's my old sales training rearing it's ugly head - make the headline attention-grabbing, anger-inducing or have an error and people will talk about it. Very rude of me. Also agreed, but the average life expectancy of a TB around here is 3 - three months or three caches - then they disappear. If these are travelling long enough to start deteriorating from age or the elements then I'll be delightfully surprised. At which point I can either create a new one to re-release or post a replacement out to whoever has the old one. Overall I'm mostly happy with how these turned out and I'll be releasing them soon. I did make a deliberate mistake in that they don't have a hole to add a hitch hiker, because I figured if I left a hole through the wood with a ball chain, it would rub and cut open the seal - leading to water, swelling and destruction. I don't think I'll be making any more in this style anytime soon (maybe next year?) but I am looking for other options on how to make low-cost, durable proxies that can travel around. I got hold of some nice scrap 3mm (1/8in) aluminium which could make some nice GeoCoins, but I don't have the tooling to work with this size material yet.