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What Does "use Waypoint" Mean


aintnorock

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In each one of the pages that lists a geocache, there is the text:

 

In Pennsylvania, United States [view map]

Hidden: 11/20/2003

Use waypoint: GCH8C6 (what's this?)

 

What does Use Waypoint mean? I know what a waypoint is, but I'm uncertain as to whether or not there is any meaning to GCH8C6? Or is it just a random label of the actual coordinates shown above in the clue?

 

Guess I've got a ways to go to understand this stuff.

 

thanks,

carl

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Or is it just a random label of the actual coordinates shown above in the clue?

 

no, the label is assigned in a specific order (dexsomethingsomething numbering). Also its not assigned to the coord, but to the cache as it's page is generated. Sometimes people us the waypoint number (GCXXXX) instead of the actual name (because names can be duplicates, and even edited, but the ID number can not).

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In each one of the pages that lists a geocache, there is the text:

 

In Pennsylvania, United States [view map]

Hidden: 11/20/2003

Use waypoint: GCH8C6 (what's this?)

 

What does Use Waypoint mean?  I know what a waypoint is, but I'm uncertain as to whether or not there is any meaning to GCH8C6?  Or is it just a random label of the actual coordinates shown above in the clue?

 

Guess I've got a ways to go to understand this stuff.

 

thanks,

carl

It's a unique ID assigned to the location of the cache. If you do a pocket query to find all the caches in your vicinity, and then upload the resulting file to your GPSr, the waypoint will be identified by this code--not the name of the cache.

Edited by reveritt
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Actually, it used to be hexadecimal until about April of 2003. Hex (0-9 plus A-F) only gives you about 65,000 unique numbers. When they got more than 65,000 caches they changed to alpha numeric (1-9 and A-Z) which would be base 36. But they omitted some letters that would be confusing, so it is really base 31 (I think). I think Fizzymagic has computed that we are good to go until mid 2007 or so with the new regime.

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