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Greetings from the WISA Woodsat HQ! After the announcement of WISA Woodsat satellite trackable (TB9GB8G) mid August, we have over 6200 people on the watch list! That also means that I have received a fair amount of messages regarding the satellite itself, the procedure of logging it, launch schedule and many others. Unfortunately I am not able to answer them one by one, so, let's talk satellites in this discussion thread. The most common question is, how you can log the satellite trackable. I have added the instructions to the trackable page https://coord.info/TB9GB8G. The thing to note is that you can only do that AFTER the satellite has been launched. The trackable code is only visibile in the photos taken by the satellite itself with its selfie-camera. You can follow WISA Woodsat project progress on https://wisawoodsat.space. We have blogs and videos showing how the satellite materials are made, how they are machined, and tested. You can also find WISA Woodsat on Instagram and Twitter with the handles @wisawoodsat and #wisawoodsat. Anything else you would like to know about the satellite?

Unfortunately the Help Centre page on cache ratings is a bit ambiguous on this: At the top it says "Physical effort needed to arrive at coordinates and sign the logbook" but the individual desciprions up to and including terrain 3.5 talk exclusively about the hike.

Well I managed to get the Finder souvenir with half a day to spare, but talk about doing it the hard way! With no unfound caches close by, I spent last night poring over the map and decided on a couple of fairly easy traditionals in central Sydney I hadn't done yet. I set off by train this morning, not realising that trackwork this weekend meant they weren't running all the way to the city, so I ended up on a crowded metro for the last part of the journey, then an even more crowded light rail to get me close to the caches. After battling through yet more crowds on foot, I reached one of the caches only to find a couple of muggle families sitting virtually on top of it eating lunch. Not wanting to wait, I set off for the other cache a few hundred metres away and fortunately in a much more muggle-free spot. Phew! For the Hider souvenir, I'm starting to put together a multi I've been mulling over for some time. There's a scenic headland that's been opened up by a recently archived 2010 cache so I went exploring a week or so back but ran out of daylight, then it rained almost non-stop for a week. I got back out there yesterday afternoon, confirming my two waypoint locations and a couple of options for the final. I'd intended using a 1.3 litre Duratech instrument case as the container, but my preferred hiding place really requires something bigger so tomorrow I'll be going out hunting for ammo cans. Once I've settled on the hiding place, I can then start putting together the two waypoint objects that will reveal the final's latitude and longitude respectively. With another period of extended wet weather forecast to move in from Thursday, I'm not sure if I'll have everything ready by then as some of the preparation will involve waiting for paint to dry, but maybe there's still a chance it could be published before the souvenir runs out at the end of the month.

It will be in ROW of county road with a fair amount of traffic right now due to construction. 1. My idea is to have a piece of hardware attached to a tree holding one object needed to get the cache out of its hiding place. Another object needed will be hanging in the tree in plain sight until the tree puts on more leaves. And finally, a false limb needs to be pulled off to get to the cache. It’s pretty obvious right now too. Is this too complicated for just a bison hide? The description will have clues as well as the title. Of course if most people bring a box of tools, they can bypass the two objects and go straight to the false limb if they see the cut mark. 2. Before your first hide that was more than a simple drop, did you have anyone try it out to see if it worked as planned? I don’t know any local geocachers, so would have to talk a friend into it and give them a crash course. 3. Do you put your log in a zip lock inside a bison? It’s supposed to be waterproof but I haven’t tested it. I can put in a bigger log if I leave out the ziplock. Thanks!

You didn't say what your offer is. Your project creates a comparatively huge device. An advantage of Chirp is that it's ultra-compact and easy to hide. The idea is that cachers would never find the device itself, because a Chirp's range is pretty much the radius of a cache placement, and Geocachers are good at finding things. If people are finding it, there's no way it lasts "10 years". Assuming you've addressed the issue of making your big transmitter muggle-proof, you might as well abandon Chirp. Chirp doesn't talk to iPhone, while "Air Tags" (for example) are an exclusively iPhone thing. Many Garmin GPSrs do not support Chirp. Phone Apps allow anyone to edit or erase all of a Chirp's data. My Chirp caches routinely got “edited”, which not only prevented Garmins from accessing the Chirp, I had no control over what people posted. And it's a pain to reset and re-program the Chirp, when I had the expectation of not handling it for at least 6 months at a time. Maybe try “Tile”. Or see the "BLE" devices and beacons mentioned in this thread. Or find a super tiny generic “Bluetooth” device that allows you to customize its identification, where at least anyone with a smartphone could view some short text without pairing. Better yet, hunt around Ali Express for a micro Wifi router, maybe one with “beacon” or “kiosk” capabilities. Then you'll need to consider solar panel size and batteries. Or look at NFC tags/cards. I have a pack of cards that are programmable. They work at short range, but can be set to "Read Only" and/or password protected, need no batteries, and many current phones can read them. I have ideas for diabolical ways to hide these as cache stages.

Indeed. To hear some talk, you'd think that there weren't any filtering mechanisms available for developing a caching run that better suits someone's style v.s. "all of the above".

i know that there are furries all over the world. i am also aware that a few of us geo cache. so i thought this could be a place we could meet and talk on line. so who else is out there * waves*

I was not planning on listing these on the website I was gonna find the spots the week before then hide them and then once everyone leaves I would take the containers and probably reuse them for future geocaches. The multicache was not gonna be the focal point rather an activity during or after a bonfire or a potluck. The reason it probably seems like the focal point is cause that is the only part of the event that I needed help with (which is why that part of the event is all I talk about.) I have realized since posting this that its is flawed and needs some work.

I dont think the rule work like that, its suposed to make events for finding caches, this is cache next to event not even connected to it. Not gona talk about this rule is being ignored on nearly every mega event as owners publish new caches with FTF friendly, especialy here in czech to give attenders FTFs... So then the mega is made to find caches which is against rules..

I don't know... That 'covid' scare still has some folks worried about people, we're still seeing people with masks (that did nothing...), when some of us were playing outside with no crowds. '24 was a really crappy year for weather. and this is March where we're seeing 75-degree weather today, when it should be 50. Go figure... I talk to quite a few who got into health issues the last coupla years. So that might have a couple missing too. The hobby is 25 years older, and we aged with it. I'm gonna be cleared to play some in a couple weeks. A lot lighter now, so it'll be interesting to see how I fare. Over the years it's always been kinda up n down in interest here. From May into Summer should give you a good idea on interest.

I don't think geocaching is dying, most people i talk too know what it is. in fact i started last year and am a new geocacher my self

Sad I missed @bootron last night on the Geocaching Talk Network's livestream about everything Waymarking. Just watched the recorded video and it was interesting seeing the history of the site and how it has grown over the years. Thanks bootron for everything you do to keep both Geocaching and Waymarking possible! Hopefully more people will start Waymarking For those wanting to watch the recorded live stream, here's the video link:

Hello! I'm working on creating a new Category for Wind Phones. What are Wind Phones? Wind Phones are telephones set up for the public to visit and talk to relatives who have passed away as a form of grieving. The original wind phone booth was set up in Japan by Itaru Sasaki in 2010 and became a well known grieving spot after the 2011 Tsunami disaster. Since then there are over 350 wind phones have been created according to https://www.mywindphone.com/, with locations in the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The movement seems to be growing in popularity with a Google News search showing a new story about them every couple weeks. Although mywindphone.com has a comprehensive list, there are other websites such as thetelephoneofthewind.com that exist. Let me know if you would like to be an officer or any other input. Category Group: https://www.Waymarking.com/groups/details.aspx?f=1&guid=8876c565-5cb5-4199-8f5d-83f7c048ed9d&gid=6 I created an uncategorized waymark based on my own Wind Phone visit here: https://www.Waymarking.com/waymarks/wm1BG0C_Riverside_Park_Wind_Phone_Detroit_MI

I had no idea what you were talking about until I looked at your profile. The GeoAchievement Badges on your profile were created by MyGeocachingProfile.com so you need to talk to them if you want them to add a new one.

If you're looking for Challenge ideas there is a wealth of inspiration on the game board. https://project-gc.com/forum/list?11 is the challenge checker forum thread for completed checkers - these will be the ones that are approved within the guidelines, built, and either live or about to be published. You can also check out the Challenge talk podcast and browse the fun stuff they talk about there. They highlight a list of challenges every month toward the end of each episode. If you want to build something new and not using inspiration from existing ones, you could check out some tools from that show: "the challenge builder 200". It's a list of different things you can combine together for challenge requirements. You can get real nerdy with it and use "The gridbuster 4000" that charts out different combinations and try to link examples of ones that have already been published. The video of that podcast episode explains it a bit but the accent is hard to understand. https://www.youtube.com/live/ddQI4qJLV9U?t=1011s

I came in here to talk about this, and found a thread already set to go. The funny part is as I was reading this thread I got logged out of the forums for no reason AND i'M ON MY COMPUTER. lol Anyway, I have an apple phone and I keep getting logged out of my account on the web when I switch to that. I've been running the checkers to see if I qualify for challenges. I run the checker. It says I have to authenticate, so I do, and then it puts me into the main menu on Project GC, rather than going back to the checker after I authenticate. I guess this is different from above, but similar. So then I'll go back to the cache page and try it again and once again it says to authenticate, and when I do it puts me into project GC again, but not on the challenge checker page. I keep going back and forth and after about the 5th try it finally gives me the challenge checker, but each time I have to RE-SIGN INTO MY ACCOUNT. It didn't used to do this. drives me nuts. Does this make sense?

This is a place where EVERYBODY can talk about the Hoosier state. Feel free to talk about TBs, Geocaches, GeoArts, etc., but keep it within Indiana. Thanks!

Oh! Don't leave! How did you get started? Did anyone walk you through it? Did you talk to any other players, or did you just come across the app and start on your own? Have you been through the HELP section of the website? Are there local EVENTS in your area where you could meet cachers and learn how to approach caches, and what to do if you don't find them?? If you break through that first one and learn how to THINK like a cacher, it can be tremendously rewarding. So, don't give up and don't go it alone! After all, you've ALREADY got a cool caching moniker! Shame to see it go to waste. Anybody else wanna jump in here?

I have one where I needed permission from town council and the local Rotary Club who built & maintain the nice boardwalk to GZ. It wasn't particularly difficult to get permission and also didn't take too long, but the Rotary Club asked me to come to a meeting to give an informational talk. It wasn't a condition of permission, but I felt compelled to agree.

Hello, I was invited a few weeks ago to this site by a friend and veteran geocacher here, because my son and I were really interested in jumping into the game. We both knew what it was about, and I've played a similar game before via other sites. Long story short, I've been trying to submit a cache for 3 weeks, but the local reviewer in Japan ("ShinyOrbital") will not approve our cache, has even brought my nationality up as a negative issue. He is retired, so I am guessing he's got little better to do than power trip on here. He has been extremely condescending and rude. The issue: He says we need to find 20 caches before we can hide one. I mentioned the official guidelines merely encourage this, and do not require it, and the official customer support here even told me the same. Still, "ShinyOrbital" refuses to approve our cache. My son was very excited, and I am feeling very disappointed in the lack of professionality. Who does this kind of crap to families just trying to play the game??? We have been out looking for caches together, and took two weekends to make sure our hide met the guideline criteria. I work full-time, so this time is precious. This reviewer, ShinyOrbital, mentioned that "we Japanese" don't want inexperienced (i.e. foreign cachers) just jumping in and playing. I mentioned my family is Japanese and that I was invited by a veteran cacher in the area. Emily at customer support said the same reviewer will be informed that 20 finds are not required. Shiny Orbital doubled down. He's stringing us along, and even mocked me sarcastically, and then asked "What is your problem?" All I ask is that if 20 finds are required, the guidelines be updated to reflect that. Even in the Japanese language the guide says 20 finds are only encouraged, and not required. I refuse to talk to this xenophobic troll anymore known as "ShinyOrbital," and if there's nothing that can be done by Geocaching.com to rein in losers like this, making people who just wanna play the game wait and wait and wait just for some sick fun, I'm going to go to some other site. I don't want to. I like this one. But sheesh. Exasperating. Anyone dealt with a reviewer like this before? -ZGBob

When I first read the blog post, my initial thoughts were that this sounds redundant with souvenirs and with the summer promotions. Seemed silly to have another digital token. But after listening to Bryan on the HQ Podcast and on Challenge Talk, it's clear that Treasures have the potential to be much more. It sounds like they will mostly be permanent, not too easy, and will have more flexibility. Souvenirs have completely lost all meaning for me as they've become so common and the summer promotions don't excite me either, but I am looking forward to Treasures. Of course how much I actually care for them will come down to how much HQ develops the feature and builds on them, but I'm definitely excited for what they can be. Will they motivate me to go out and find caches more than I already am from Challenge Caches and of their intrinsic pleasure? I wouldn't expect by much, but maybe at the margins.

Not exactly a hoop, but an eager request... I once asked permission to place two EarthCaches in a state park. I was developing them with 80 Earth &Space students (high school freshmen and sophomores, mostly). The park ranger I was talking with to plan the trip asked if he could be involved. My Co-teacher and I gladly accepted his offer/request. It ended up going very well. It was a cold day. We had rented the shelter and lit fires in the fireplaces. The ranger gave a nice (short) talk about the geology of the park and then we broke up in groups to gather the information we needed. He guided the students to answers they couldn't find, explained things they didn't know, and made suggestions to improve their working ideas. We walked a couple of trails and generally had a great day. My co-teacher and I brought supplies to make Smores and hotdogs for all the kids to eat after they finished their explorations. We did publish two EarthCaches. Cache by Mrs A, Mrs V & the kids: Big Clifty & Little Clifty Falls EarthCache GCZBWG Fossils, Tunnel Falls, & Bough's Folly EarthCache GC10EBW

Thank you, that's very kind! FYI the person who wrote that (thebruce0) is a vlogger with a channel called Cache the Line (with a much bigger following than mine), he knows who I am and we've collaborated a bit. I agree with his points about daily geocaching vlogging, it's hard to create a daily vlog and make it high quality unless that's what you're doing full time, which we aren't. I consider myself a geocaching filmmaker since my main love is creating GIFF entries, though one time I challenged myself to create two weeks of daily vlogs to learn about vlogging and I burned out after around 9 days. It's a lot of work. The people who make good geocaching vlogs have good outgoing personalities where I'm an engineer who would rather talk about geocaching analytically. Geocaching videos are a niche subject and a lot of people who participate in geocaching would rather be outside geocaching than watching geocaching videos. So for us who create geocaching content, it's really a labor of love for something we enjoy doing.

Where: Astoria Brewing CO Address: 144 11th St, Astoria, Or, 97103 When: Janurary 4, 5:00pm to 7:00 pm Why: To talk about geocaching in the Astoria Area. Cache page: https://coord.info/GCAZNY2 More info to come.

This puzzle cache was a 5 difficulty and went unfound for a couple of years. It was eventually found, and has since been archived. I have what I believe are the right coords. Any one know what the GC number was, and anyone know anyone who found it, who I can bounce my coords off of, and talk about how they solved it? I have picture of the puzzle, it was a short story, with the coords buried in it.