+macdaddymd Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 My cell phone can query (via TXT messaging) Google bots, AOL bots, etc., and get phone numbers, weather, directions, etc. Is there a way to bot a Geocache query in real time? Say I'm visiting another city, the meeting gets cancelled, and I have 4 hours to kill, but no computer. Wouldn't it be nice to text-message my location (zip, address, etc.) to a bot and it returns brief descriptions and difficulties on the 10 nearest caches I haven't found?! Does anything like that exist? In progress? I am a big fan of the Pocket Queries on geaocaching.com, and they are great if there's prep time. What I want is more instant instant gratification! Any info on that? Quote Link to comment
+Tallahassee Lassie Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Oooh, that woud be neat. And how about getting the details of a new cache on your cellphone. Maybe for premium members or something like that. Quote Link to comment
+Davispak Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 I think your FTF nuts would even pay extra for that! Quote Link to comment
+Tallahassee Lassie Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 yeah, then think how happy Jeremy would be! Quote Link to comment
bogleman Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 WAP, is this what you were looking for? Quote Link to comment
+FireRef Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 A lot of people in my area that are FTF nuts set the notification options in the Premium Member's control panel to email themselves when there is a new cache in the area. I have tried this, and it works pretty well. You can take this a step further by having your email service forward the email, when you get it, to your cell phone, or send a text message to your cell that you have an email. I like the WAP version of the website, but having a Treo 650 with the unlimited data plan, it works just fine to have the entire cache page load. The only problem I've run across with the WAP version is when I tried to use it to post log entries, it crashes. I tried several times for several caches, and the typing was all erased - waste of time. But for less advanced cell phones, the WAP interface was great! A bot would be cool, but I think we're getting into something that would be too costly to develop/maintain for a site like this. I could be wrong - that would be very nice to have. Quote Link to comment
+thedeadpirate Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 I haven't tried the WAP on a regular cell phone, but it does work great on the Treo 700. With EVDO speeds, it's almost like having your laptop in the field with you. Quote Link to comment
+macdaddymd Posted June 25, 2006 Author Share Posted June 25, 2006 The WAP site is okay, but some people do not have web access, but do have text messaging. I'm no bot techie, mind you, but if texting Google for the nearest Schlotsky's is possible, finding the nearest cache should be possible. Not easy maybe, but that's why I throw it out there... a challenge! I personally use a Treo 700p with unlimited web access, so I can do it no problem, but I'm looking out for the others who merely can text, or are on limited plans. Sometimes, I wonder how I can care so much! Quote Link to comment
+thedeadpirate Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Oh, I'm with you on this. It would even be easier on the Treo to txt a message to an address and have it spit back like 10 caches close to you. For a regular cellphone, it could be invaluable for those times when you find yourself with time to kill and a phone and gpsr in your pocket. Quote Link to comment
+Glenn Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 WAP, is this what you were looking for? No, it use WAP your phone needs to be able to browse the web. What the OP is talking about is sending a text message to a phone number and getting a text message in response. A geocacher would text a zipcode or coordinates to a special phone number and would get a text message response with a list of geocaches nearby. Then the geocacher could text the GC# of a cache and get a text message with very basic infomation about the cache. Quote Link to comment
+alexrudd Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 You're going to fit difficulty, terrain, container size, coordinates, cache type, the entire description, hints, and so on (x 10 caches) in a SHRT TXT MSG? Quote Link to comment
+macdaddymd Posted June 25, 2006 Author Share Posted June 25, 2006 (edited) You're going to fit difficulty, terrain, container size, coordinates, cache type, the entire description, hints, and so on (x 10 caches) in a SHRT TXT MSG? Heck no, man! I figure you got to sacrifice for the convenience! I'm thinking the cache code, difficulties, type, and EXCLUDE multis and virtuals for that reason. So your message might read: GCxxxx 1.5 2 NL N38 21.062 W082 37.843 16 that translates to: Cache number GCXXXX, difficulty 1.5, terrain 2, normal size, location N 3° 21.062 W 082° 37.843, last found 16 days ago, in 41 characters. The last date found info would keep you from running after a defunct but active cache. You'd run the risk of chasing caches where info was needed, etc., but, hey, this is an EMERGENCY! The Google bot sends its answers in multiple SMS messages if it exceeds the typical SMS limits, so multiple caches (the arbitrary 10 I picked) could be done. You'd still have to take time to load them into the GPSr and see if they are doable by distance, etc. The odds of someone doing this on a routine basis would seem low (but one never knows, does one?!). Say you're at the in-laws and you MUST escape. Text the request, get the response, assume the appropriate worried face, mumble about an emergency, jump in the car and enter the coords once you're a block away. Sneakier than asking for their computer and a USB cable! Edited June 25, 2006 by macdaddymd Quote Link to comment
+alexrudd Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 You'd run the risk of chasing caches where info was needed, etc., but, hey, this is an EMERGENCY!Forget it. There's no way Groundspeak is going to implement a service that encourages people to go after caches without full information, "emergency" or not.I fully agree with them: I don't want people going after my caches or any others without the description. Quote Link to comment
+FireRef Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 You'd run the risk of chasing caches where info was needed, etc., but, hey, this is an EMERGENCY!Forget it. There's no way Groundspeak is going to implement a service that encourages people to go after caches without full information, "emergency" or not.I fully agree with them: I don't want people going after my caches or any others without the description. I'm not sure if that makes sense... why would you do that? The WAP information is in pieces - you could just read the first page and miss something "important"... I think this is a good idea (although I don't think I'm ever so desparate that I would need a geocaching "fix" on short notice - haha) Quote Link to comment
+thedeadpirate Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 The more I think about this, the more I really like it. I generally carry a full listing of caches within 200 miles of home in Cachemate. However, there are times when I exceed that range and am not neccessarily in an EVDO area. It would be great to get just the basic info needed to go grab a cache on the fly. Quote Link to comment
+macdaddymd Posted June 26, 2006 Author Share Posted June 26, 2006 I have gone after many a cache without full information... sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the information I GET isn't good, either. Again, this would be only for those in geocache withdrawal, and I figure you realize you upped your challenge by incomplete info. Haven't you ever gotten to the cache and realized you left the papers/ info/ hints back at the car, miles down the trail? I have, and I did the best I could, sometimes it was a find, sometimes not. It's always best to have info... I personally include useful info on my caches. But iwould never abandon the attempt because I forgot it or didn't have it. I'd just improvise/ analyze/ divine/ guess. Whatever made the best sense at the time. And I DO sometimes need a cache fix. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I can quit anytime I want to. But all the kids are doing it. Quote Link to comment
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