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But on the Member Features page http://www.geocaching.com/my/subscription.aspx It reads ... "Instant Log Notification Feature You can subscribe to a location and whenever certain logs are entered by geocachers in that area, you receive an email. The new "publish" log type will allow you to be the first one in your area to get notified of a new listing. As the new feature is improved, other log types like found notes will be added. And on the Notification set up page http://www.geocaching.com/notify/, it reads ... "The Geocaching Instanotify service is a Groundspeak Premium Member feature. As new logs are posted to Geocaching.com you can get an instant email sent to you with the contents of that log entry." There's nowhere that I have seen that it states that you will get an SMS. It states that you will get a notification sent to you. And that's what is occurring. And especially it never states that you will get coordinates regardless of whether the notification is an email or an SMS. Groundspeak WANTS you to visit the cache page. The notification is to notify you that that a new cache has been published so that you can go to the website and visit the cache. The notification is NOT so that you can immediate go to the coordinates without visiting the cache page. It seems that you may have misunderstood the service. You might want to contact Groundspeak. contact @ geocaching.com

I have recently had an issue with my notifications. I have not been receiving new pubs. until 2-3 hours AFTER it was published. I also have NOT been getting some publishings or logs on my own caches at all. Even my watchlist caches have been getting logs posted 2-4 hours later. I even had once occurance of someone logging all 4 of their families accounts and only got 2 logs, as well the 2 logs I got were separated by a couple of hours. Up until 4 weeks I had no issues with any of these. I finally resorted to using my SMS for publications which is kind of inconvenient. I have asked around locally and a couple others have experienced the same thing. I am not sure if it's and ISP thing or not as I have used 2 different Email accounts to try and fix this issue. (Gmail [preferred] and Comcast are my email accounts)

Text messages are limited to 160 characters. That's not a phone or carrier limitation but rather a limitation of the SMS technology (Short Message Service). Like others, I'd recommend getting the notification emailed to you if possible. Depending on your email carrier you can set that up to do an auto-forward to your SMS email address if you prefer that notification type... you can then check your email address to get the full text.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread: but does anyone in the UK know if Orange actually still offer this (email-to-SMS) service? I have set things up on Groundspeak.com using the instructions as given here, but didn't receive the verification email. A search through the Orange website didn't come up with anything; there's an area to set up an @orange.net email address but when I tried this (thinking I may need to set something up at the Orange end too) it told me that "the alias is not correct". I dread speaking to their callcentre! I do have and use (and cache with) a smartphone which has email capability, but for reasons of battery conservation, 3G data usage when away from wireless and speed, I have it set to only pick up emails when I ask it to. So I rather like the idea of getting a notification by text which I can then follow through.

I just tried it out, nice additions! Over the past 3 days, I found 9 caches using only Cachemate on my Droid, didn't even touch my GPS. Although next time I go in the woods, I think I'll use the GPS over the Droid... my hands get too dirty and too many chances to drop it. I finally signed up on Twitter, and now quickly click the links in my tweets to go back and add all my caches. I even found the way (that seems fastest) to get routing from a cache. Once I select the cache I want, I go to edit record, copy the coords (do a long press on the field), then go to navigator and paste them in. Thanks for the continued fine work! I have found this discussion thread to be Very helpful with my new EVO although I have one issue - I log via Twitdroyd but cannot find my logs on Geocaching.com. Can anyone help me? I gave up on logging into field notes or directly into a cache log through Twidroid - but NOW i really need help on how to add field notes - the choice to send is only email NOT SMS and I did setup the SMS account successfully through TM. HELP - PLEASE

I've been doing exactly what you want for 6-7 years and have never had a problem. Pretty much everybody I know does the same thing without a problem. What email addresses show up here: http://www.geocaching.com/account/ManageEmailAddresses.aspx Make sure that ONLY your regular email address is listed. For your notifies, look at each instanotify listed here: http://www.geocaching.com/notify/default.aspx and make sure that only your phone's SMS/MMS email address is listed. Is it possible that you have some sort of forwarding set up on your email server to send emails from Groundspeak to your phone? This really sounds like it's a set up issue with you; I've never heard of people having problems setting this up properly.

I would like to create type of mystery cache, but the administrators do not think it is a good idea. I would like to know what other Geocachers think of the idea. The cache would work like this: The cache description would give an instruction to start the cache, e.g. text START GCAAAAAA to +642102394232 and provide starting co-ordinates. An automated system linked to the cell phone number would respond back with some co-ordinates (could be the same as the published cache, or should at least be close) and a question that can be answered at the position indicated. For example the the question may be "What is the colour of the postbox?" The Geocacher then texts the answer back to the same number and receives via another text another set of co-ordinates and another clue. If at any time the geocacher feels they need more help, texting 'CLUE' or 'HINT' to the same number gives assistance, just as on the web site. The final co-ordinates are to a physical cache with a logbook, pencil, goodies etc. I have created everything necessary and tested the system and technology. The administrators feel that this is the same as sending an email and having the co-ordinates returned to you. However having an email sent back to you is dependent on someone watching their computer and then sending the email. In my proposed system the response is completely automated, once you send your text the response comes back in around 10 secs. This is the same as a website like the geocaching web site, and infact is built on web technologies. For those interested I have a pre-pay cell phone connected to my server via a serial cable. Open source software called Kannel (http://www.kannel.org) provides the SMS gateway and the rest is an Apache wbserver (http://www.apache.org) running python scripts (http://www.python.org) and a PostgresQL database (http://www.postgresql.org) storing all the co-ordinates and clues etc. All free software. Would you please let me know if you think this is a great idea and that the administrators should change their mind, or also let me know if you agree with the administrators and think this is an inappropriate type of cache.

I suspect the reason why it took longer to get to you was because it had to be converted from an email to a text, then sent to you. That conversion process would be done by your cell provider's email-to-SMS function, and likely introduces a delay. I've been with other cachers when a new cache comes out, and we all got email notifications within a few seconds of each other. I believe the emails are sent out at virtually the same time, and any difference in when cachers receive it is due to the email provider they're using. Another reason why that cacher might have gotten there faster could be that they were on the road in the area when it came out. I've had this happen before. I was over 30 km from home, much farther than I would normally be able to get a FTF. A cache just happened to be published 800m away. I got there within a couple of minutes. I know some cachers that have been parked meters away from a cache when it got published.

If your phone also supports MMS as well as SMS, you could send a message from your phone to your regular email address. Do this using your messaging app, not the email app. When you receive the message at your regular email, you can look at the From address to get your phone's email address.

I was using TMobile up until about a month ago... I would set up notifications to email me when new caches are published and I utilized a nice (albeit, not highly publicized) feature TMobile offers... SMS email. It comes with every SMS plan and does not cost extra. You can use your phone number as the email address, with tmomail.com as the domain (e.g. 1234567890@tmomail.com). Now I use an iPhone with AT&T and get my GMail on my phone... but hopefully you will still find this useful. If you are not on TMobile, maybe your carrier has something similar.

You can use the SMS gateway for your carrier. http://www.mutube.com/projects/open-email-...s/gateway-list/ Be aware that you may get more than one SMS per notification as the notifications are sent as email and may get split into multiple messages by your carrier.

You can set up notifications for newly published caches here. http://www.geocaching.com/notify/ Select "Publish" and the type. You probably want to set up "Retracted" as well. Also, note that all the notifications are sent as emails and not as SMS. If you don't have email on your phone, you can get the SMS gateway for your carrier. http://www.mutube.com/projects/open-email-...s/gateway-list/

Hallo, Ik ben een beginnend cacher en zie af en toe bij een log staan dat ze ( bij problemen tijdens het cachen) contact hebben gehad met de cache legger. Ze kregen dan ook een sms terug. Hoe doe je dat? Ik heb al eens een email via de website naar een CO gestuurd, maar daar heb ik nooit antwoord op gekregen. Alvast bedankt! Koa

Yes, there are no actual SMS notifications. All notifications are sent as email. You can input the SMS Gateway for your cell phone carrier in order to get the messages sent to your cell phone. Here's a fairly complete list I found recently. http://www.mutube.com/projects/open-email-...s/gateway-list/

they have shut down. Teleflip’s final Flipmail? Image representing TeleFlip as depicted in Cru...Image via CrunchBase, source unknown SMS email provider Teleflip is shutting down their Flipmail service on Friday. When they premiered at DEMO in 2007, the premise was that everyone could have email on their mobile phone, without having to buy a smart phone. The company burst onto the scene with a coast-to-coast PR blitz resulting in breathless headlines with the message that any cellphone could act like a BlackBerry. Now that smartphones have reached the tipping point, driven by red hot products from Apple and RIM, it’s easy to see how Teleflip would have come under increasing pressure. And so, in a manner befitting Teleflip’s business, just a few minutes ago I received the final Flipmail from the team. Delivered by SMS in three pieces it reads: Subj: Important Note From Teleflip Dear Teleflip Beta User: Thanks for being part of the beta testing group using our Flipmail service, however, we are now ending this service. We’ve gone as far as we can with our financial sources, and the piggy bank is empty. Effective Friday August 15, 2008 at 9:00AM Pacific Daylight Time, Ex-employees I spoke with spoke of budgetary cuts, and that most employees, excepting the C-Suite, had been laid off in January to reduce burn in an effort to conserve cash while raising additional capital. None could confirm that the company was indeed winding up, however, and suggested I reach out to CEO Tony Davis. We’ll see what he has to say. Judging by the fact that their website security certificate expired 4 days ago, I would say that things don’t look promising.

Use the MMS email address (not sms) from your phone to get the whole message. Alltel = xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com Amp'd Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vtext.com AT&T = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.att.net Boost Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@myboostmobile.com Centennial Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@myblue.com (added by kcirrab-this is accurate for i have centennial) Cingular (AT&T) = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.mycingular.com Einstein PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@einsteinmms.com Nextel = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.nextel.com Sprint = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com or xxxxxxxxxx@pm.sprint.com T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net US Cellular = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.uscc.net Verizon Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@vzwpix.com Virgin Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.com Where do you find your MMS? I listed them all for you. If your phone can receive pix (sometimes even not) you can get these just like text msgs. Just replace the XXXXXXX with your phone number. The sms does not allow enough characters. For that you will need to use one of the services that break up the message, a real pain. I tested this on my phone... for Sprint, the first address you listed (@messaging.sprintpcs.com) truncates the message at 140 characters. The second one (@pm.sprint.com) sends the full message.

Use the MMS email address (not sms) from your phone to get the whole message. Alltel = xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com Amp'd Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vtext.com AT&T = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.att.net Boost Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@myboostmobile.com Centennial Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@myblue.com (added by kcirrab-this is accurate for i have centennial) Cingular (AT&T) = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.mycingular.com Einstein PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@einsteinmms.com Nextel = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.nextel.com Sprint = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com or xxxxxxxxxx@pm.sprint.com T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net US Cellular = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.uscc.net Verizon Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@vzwpix.com Virgin Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.com Where do you find your MMS? I listed them all for you. If your phone can receive pix (sometimes even not) you can get these just like text msgs. Just replace the XXXXXXX with your phone number. The sms does not allow enough characters. For that you will need to use one of the services that break up the message, a real pain.

... Be Instantly Notified of Geocaches Be the first to find a geocache when you receive Instant Notifications about newly published geocaches on your cell phone or other mobile device. ... How can I activate this service? I paid for my premium membership due to this feature. Now I can't find, how to activate the Instant Notifacion to my mobile phone. I can only activate the notification via email to my provider's email-sms-gate. But this does not work on my phone, since the SMS contains many unknown characters in the beginning and I don't receive coordinates of new geocaches.

Huh? I don't think so. An email address is an email address. Most people with phones have notifies sent to their phone's sms/mms email address so it comes out as an instant message. People with a "normal" email address may have their client set up to pull mail in only ever 5 or 10 minutes. But the emails all go out at the same time. Ssshhhhhhhh. I like being a have. Are you a platinum member? (Palladium)

Huh? I don't think so. An email address is an email address. Most people with phones have notifies sent to their phone's sms/mms email address so it comes out as an instant message. People with a "normal" email address may have their client set up to pull mail in only ever 5 or 10 minutes. But the emails all go out at the same time. Ssshhhhhhhh. I like being a have. Are you a platinum member?

Huh? I don't think so. An email address is an email address. Most people with phones have notifies sent to their phone's sms/mms email address so it comes out as an instant message. People with a "normal" email address may have their client set up to pull mail in only ever 5 or 10 minutes. But the emails all go out at the same time. Ssshhhhhhhh. I like being a have.

Huh? I don't think so. An email address is an email address. Most people with phones have notifies sent to their phone's sms/mms email address so it comes out as an instant message. People with a "normal" email address may have their client set up to pull mail in only ever 5 or 10 minutes. But the emails all go out at the same time.

Unless you own and control the email server - I wouldn't be so quick to state that.... Since there is no spam filtering on my text message, i am confident that this issue is not related to testy email services. I do not need to own or control the server to make this deduction. I missed mine via email, and via text(MMS) SMS is generated via email ....and I assure you that some form of filtering is used. I know that, is why i made that comment af_juicy doesn't seem to realize it though 3 caches (that I am aware of) did not generate notifications last night - Alley Cat - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ee-efcf84a884f8 The Three Pines - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...66-e9cf1c8b4782 Chicago's Biggest Hill - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...d0-74589b3ca507 Reading the logs will verify that the notifications were not rteceived by at least 5 users- myself bugleann DinaWorks Cobra67 Wheels00 Fishnic is referring to the cache called "Alley cat, so add his name to the list. This thread - http://www.gonil.org/SMF/index.php/topic,5.../topicseen.html - adds Panther in the Den to the list. That's 7 users, not including the OP of this thread and others that had posted since. Notifications DID go out this evening, and I suspect that notifications we're up an running most of the day although I cannot confirm - no new caches were published before 6:00 that I am aware of. I did receive a watchlist email as early as 12:00PM today, but I don't know if that's the same system. I suspect that this was probably jsut a temporary outage or hiccup. Perhaps a housekeeper unplugged a server to plug in the vacuum (old joke). Perhaps the information above will help you track down the time frame (caches) and the email providers (users) that were affected. Perhaps it will never happen again. Hope this info helps. --MGb

Rather than use Send to GPS for each cache, you could have used a Pocket Query. With PDA or smartphone, you can use software that reads the cache descriptions in the PQs, so you don't need to print the cache descriptions. My caching is usually paperless. With my current tools, I forward the PQ email to boulter's Geocaching Basecamp (which corrects the coordinates for solved puzzles), and then download the GPX from there to GeoBeagle on Android. I record finds with SMS messages that update my field notes, and I later use my field notes to log my finds online. If the cache is in rough terrain where I don't feel comfortable holding the phone in my hand as I hike, then I enter the coordinates in my old yellow eTrex by hand. Your GPSr can download info, so you can just download the PQ data to it and skip entering the coordinates by hand. When I'm searching an area that my PQs don't cover, then I use GeoBeagle to open the browser to the Geocaching.com search page with my current coordinates, and I pick nearby caches. From the cache page, I open Google Maps, which sends the cache info to GeoBeagle, and I can record the find with SMS messages as above. I've also used a Palm PDA. I've heard good things about CacheMate (which can download PQ data), but I just copy-pasted information into the PalmOS Memo pad.

As an aside, I have the notifications come into gmail, which are then filtered and forward to my_mobile_number@x-onsms.com so that wherever I am I receive the notification. The SMS email forwarding is free, but limited to just 3 SMS per day. Should be more than enough though! Matt