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Unknown Benchmark & ? picture not in Gallery


4JCSeek&Find

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Hello -

I am a newbie benchmark researcher/finder and recently I found a benchmark that is not NGS but US Dept. Interior BLM, Cadastral Survey located at (N38 46.687 W119 55.379). I tried based on my limited knowledge to research this marker but to no avail. I would like to log, most likely on Waymarking but not sure. Please let me know what to do next. And for future reference what are the steps if I find a non NGS benchmark.

 

Also, I have uploaded some pictures from logged NGS benchmarks on geocaching but the pictures do not show up in my profile page under gallery. Is this just the way it is? or have I done something wrong. I sure would like to view all my uploaded pictures.

 

Thanks to the 2oldfarts for their thread that told me how to add a picture to a thread.

 

99de0a07-55a2-4159-bd32-534937612515.jpg

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4JCSeek&Find -

 

Hi and welcome to benchmark hunting!

 

Most of the disks in the NGS database are not NGS disks. There are hundreds of agencies' disks included in the NGS database. (There are a few NGS disks in there too.)

 

Almost no cadastral disks are included in the NGS database, so if you find one, it is extremely unlikely that it is included there.

 

Searching in the geocaching benchmark search page as you have undoubtedly done is the way to see what disks are near the coordinates you saw a dsk at.

 

The geocaching gallery never includes benchmark finds. The benchmark area of geocaching has never had a gallery.

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I think BDT is referring to the Gallery tab that is accessible from you geocaching profile. Any image you upload to a geocache will appear in this gallery, but any picture uploaded to a benchmark will not appear there. Just the way it seems to be...

True, but any picture you upload to a benchmark log does get put in the benchmark gallery which I noted above (here). So are the two galleries structured differently? Are there search functions available on the "regular" gallery not available in the benchmark gallery? I suppose instead of asking I should just look at the geocaching gallery and see what the differences are.
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And back to Seek& Find's questions:

 

Yes, welcome from me as well! BDT has it all right, of course.

But I would just add that the Geocaching Benchmarks database is way out of date (also "just the way it is"). For future disks you may find, or want to find, the NGS Datasheets is up to the minute current. When you become more comfortable with the NGS system, you might consider logging "Recoveries" with them also, although it is more, shall we say, "professional" in nature than GC.com.

 

You have probably looked at our FAQ Section, cryptically called "Me First!" at the top of the forums. Lots of good info there. And, last but not least, the Benchmark Hunting Wiki has more information. Many resources available for begining BM hunters.

Edited by Klemmer & TeddyBearMama
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In general, I was wondering how many older benchmarks cannot be found in the NGS Database? I came across this mark while out geocaching over the weekend. I was surprised when nothing showed up in the database from my coordinate search, because the disk is in good condition, and I guess I just assumed the only disks that wouldn't be in the database would be recent marks, like post 1990?

 

USGS 34 WSM 1949

 

(Its a large file 2.3 megabytes, but I just uploaded it so I could reference it and attempt to find its data sheet from work)

 

I was surprised that the Geocaching and NGS Database seemed to show the closest mark to be 5 miles away. So far my efforts to locate information on this mark have proved fruitless. I tried searching the NGS Data Sheets using GPS Coords and the "34 WSM" designation, but didn't find any hits I thought were it.

 

Seemed like a slow day on the forum, so have at this one guys. If I couldn't find any more info on it I was planning on adding it to the Waymarking site. The disk is in the top of a concrete monument that is tilted at a 30 degree angle from the ground. I suspect it was hit by some farming equipment as I found the disk in Genesee county on some backroads that disect some large local farms.

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monkeykat,

 

The NGS database represents a very small fraction of the total number of disks that are out there. For example, the vast majority of disks put down by local, city and state agencies, or by private surveyors on their behalf, are not in the database.

 

The USGS has hundreds of thousands of disks that were used to create their topographical maps. These are not in the NGS database.

 

Another nationwide batch of non-database disks are the US C&GS and State Survey disks that were put down during the Great Depression. The majority of these (10s of thousands) are not in the NGS database.

 

I'd go with Waymarking for your disk.

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By the way, I am interested in knowing who UNK1 is.

Does anyone know?

 

That is a corner set in a cadastral survey (boundary survey) retracing section lines probably for the purpose of locating and marking national forest boundaries. From the marks it was set in 1983 and appears to be a standard BLM monument in use at that time frame, an aluminum post 2.5 ins. diam with an aluminum cap.

 

The marks indicate that it's designation is what is called a 1/16th 120 between sections 24 and 25 on an elongated set of sections in Township 11 North, Range 18 East of the Mount Diablo Meridian. This means that it is approximately 120 chains East of the 1/4 corner or a nominal 160 chains east of the SW corner of that section. Elongated sections like that are fairly rare, and ones elongated to that degree are very rare.

 

The monument would most probably have been set by BLM crews working out of their Carson City project office, which was administered from the California State Office BLM in Sacramento, which is the primary place you would go for the records of the survey in which the monument was set.

 

- jerry wahl

Edited by jwahl
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Papa-Bear-NYC -

just look at the geocaching gallery and see what the differences are
There are no differences. To see what the OP was referring to, click on my name on the header of this message and then click on Gallery to see my gallery. It will seem as if I never took a picture of a benchmark.

 

AZcachemeister - I assume you mean the AZ part of the NGS database. Interesting. I wonder what % of all the AZ cadastral marks are included in the NGS database in AZ.

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Thanks for all the great information.

 

So based on what I read, I will do a Waymarking.com for this benchmark. Should I also submit to NGS the benchmark? I just want to do everything correctly that should be done, besides continuing to learn. My husband thinks I am "a little off" getting so excited about metal markers in the middle of nowhere .... but hey I think it is fun.

 

Too bad the benchmark pictures don't upload to the geocaching gallery, sure would be nice.

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Thanks for all the great information.

 

So based on what I read, I will do a Waymarking.com for this benchmark. Should I also submit to NGS the benchmark? I just want to do everything correctly that should be done, besides continuing to learn. My husband thinks I am "a little off" getting so excited about metal markers in the middle of nowhere .... but hey I think it is fun.

 

Too bad the benchmark pictures don't upload to the geocaching gallery, sure would be nice.

Waymarking is the way to go! (Says me :laughing: )

 

The NGS has very strict submission standards about what gets in their database (I think Z15's scanned a few of the forms and reqs and put them up here at one point). Basically, however, the people who set the mark need to be the ones to submit it to the NGS database, as they are the ones who can attest to the quality and standards used.

 

And yeah, everyone thinks I'm a bit off. And most people don't know about my benchmarking hobby!

 

EDIT: BDT beat me to the punch! I'm way too wordy...

Edited by Shorelander
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Papa-Bear-NYC -

just look at the geocaching gallery and see what the differences are
There are no differences. To see what the OP was referring to, click on my name on the header of this message and then click on Gallery to see my gallery. It will seem as if I never took a picture of a benchmark.

 

AZcachemeister - I assume you mean the AZ part of the NGS database. Interesting. I wonder what % of all the AZ cadastral marks are included in the NGS database in AZ.

 

Yes, I meant the AZ portion of the NGS database.

That is a rough and conservative estimate.

I am uncertain how many marks I have removed from my AZ list due to their location in the middle of busy street intersections where you are more likely to get a nice photo of someone's front suspension than one of the disk.

 

Then again, I have seen 'professionals' out in those intersections with nothing more than safety vests, hardhats, and a red flag to wave! I suppose it makes all the difference having someone to watch the traffic while you remove the hand well cover...not to mention getting paid to be there in the first place.

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