Seeking Tips For High-tech Cache

[bettymoses]

How do I classify this cache? It’s a plastic tag measuring about 5.5x2.5" and it has an RFID transponder embedded in it. It’s hidden in Kentucky’s Bernheim Forest, but before you go looking for it, you need an iPAQ pocket PC equipped with an RFID receiver. (Bernheim’s Visitor Center lends these out for free.) Once you find the tag, scan it with the receiver and the PC screen will display certain texts (a congratulatory note for geocachers, among other messages) and images. So the cache is not so much the physical tag, but the information it unlocks on the PC. How do I classify this cache? It’s not a traditional cache. It is kind of virtual, but not virtual in the traditional sense. If you need more info about what this cache does and looks like, please see this:

http://www.restlesstribes.com/wires.html

 

Any tips on how much info to include for this cache would also be appreciated. Also, does anyone know if anything like this has been done before?

 

Thanks,

s.

[+cache_test_dummies]

Does it have a physical log associated with it? If not, I'm not sure it can be classified as a cache at all.

[+ZackJones]

How about requiring the finder to visit the different tags and then using information from those tags somehow get the information needed to open the cache which you could maintain in the visitor's center.

 

In some of the Georgia state parks they keep the cache container in the visitor's office and you have to explore various parts of the park to get the clues needed to unlock the cache. To me your idea is very similar, except it uses different technology. I think it's a cool idea and I'd hunt it if I were in the area.

[+Gummi]

That would be kinda cool, but......

 

1) Just the mention of RFID is still controversial to some.

2) You'll need to do a multi to direct cachers to at least a micro with a log.

3) An RFID reader will need to be provided for cachers.

 

I would guess the ratio of Palm OS to PPC is around 3 to 1 possibly 4 to 1. Just cause the palm can be had so cheaply when compared to PPC. The cheapest RFID reader I've seen for the palm is almost $500 and requires palm 4.2 or higher. One in Compact Flash format for windows is just over $200 for the cheapest and overall average price was close to $600.

 

Unless you can loan an RFID reader for free or even small rental fee, I doubt it will be approved, though it doesn't hurt to try.

 

Also incase you haven't read the guidelines yet for placing a cache: http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx

[bettymoses]

ZJ: Cool idea - but I'm a long ways from KY now. Not easy for me to reprogram the project like that from NM. But I'll pass the idea along to the Bernheim people. Maybe they can work with it.

 

c_d_t: so I guess what you're saying is the point of a cache is not what you find, but the opportunity to leave your mark? Ideally, I would've encouraged cachers to log the find on the PC, but the programming does not yet allow for that.

[bettymoses]

Um... gummi? Did you see the part of the post that reads:

Bernheim’s Visitor Center lends these out for FREE?

 

Also, what is controversial about RFID?

[+cache_test_dummies]

c_d_t: so I guess what you're saying is the point of a cache is not what you find, but the opportunity to leave your mark? Ideally, I would've encouraged cachers to log the find on the PC, but the programming does not yet allow for that.

What I was trying to say (and didn't do a very good job of it) is that according to the site guidelines, your cache must include (at a bare minimum) a container and a logbook.

 

Just finding an object in the woods, regardless of how cool it is, wouldn't meet the criteria for being listed on this site.

 

But, as others have suggested, you could still incorporate your idea into a great cache. Just use the information coded into the tag to guide users to a final physical container which contains a log book, and you should be all set. Doing it this way would mean you should list the cache as a multi.

[+wandererrob]

Um... gummi? Did you see the part of the post that reads:

Bernheim’s Visitor Center lends these out for FREE?

 

Also, what is controversial about RFID?

cus big brother is using RFID tags to watch you and track your movements so they can swoop down on you in the middle of the night in thier black helicopters

 

 

 

Yes, some people are paranoid

[+Gummi]

Um... gummi? Did you see the part of the post that reads:

Bernheim’s Visitor Center lends these out for FREE?

 

.....ahhhh........... guess I should have looked at the link.....

 

Also, what is controversial about RFID?

Like wandererrob said, some people automatically think big brother (there are a couple of groups boycotting walmart, benetton and others because of rfid (funny reading ..hehe)). Of course you also have people getting injected with an rfid chip in case they get lost (only helps physically though).

[Soultrance]

I'm personally one of the people that doesn't like the entire idea and usage of the RFID chips, however, in this case, I think it is a very cool idea and a great usage for it. If, upon scanning the chip with the provided iPaq, a message is displayed on the screen, is it possible for people to add on to that message using the iPaq, or would that require a different device to program the RFID. If it's possible for people using the iPaq to add to the display, you have your log right there.

 

All in all, a very cool idea. I would classify it as a traditional if it has log access, if not, it's more like a virtual, or you'd have to turn it into a multi as described above.

[bettymoses]

Yes, RFID technology does have potentially nefarious applications, so if you’re currently battling the Matrix, steer clear of this one. In fact, with all the spook activity coming out of nearby Fort Knox, you’ll want to stay far away from Bernheim Forest. Also, I sincerely applaud your boycott of those fascists at Walmart.

 

Now to recap – this cache has everything but the means for cachers to leave a note behind. Seems like a minor technicality, but it may be several months before I can return to Kentucky to reprogram this project to meet the specifications set forth in the site guidelines. In the meantime, does anyone strongly object to my posting it as a traditional cache?

[+Kathi & the Grouch]

this cache has everything but the means for cachers to leave a note behind

I believe that in order to meet the requirements for ANY type of cache, it needs to have some kind of a physical logbook for people to physically sign when they find it. The logbook can be as simple as a strip of paper (common for micros) but it MUST be there, otherwise your cache will not be approved by the reviewer.

 

At least, that's my understanding of the current 'rules'.

 

Zack and Gummi's suggestions for making it a Multi sound like the most plausible to me. You'll need to have a physical container & log, and even though the tag doesn't have that capability, it can still serve as the first stage of a multi.

 

I'm not quite sure how the difficulty rating would work, though.

 

A high-tech hunt sounds like a fun idea to me, and I think the local cachers would have a go at it.

[+webscouter.]

I think it is a great idea but you need to be closer to the cache to maintain it. You have to be able to fix the cache and log book in a reasonable amount of time. That is why they don't allow vacation caches.

 

Also I would like to recommend that you find a few caches before you hide any. Make sure you like the game first so a cache isn't abandoned. You will also get to see what holds up that way so your cache last a long time.