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DNF; a record too far.


goldpot

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I guess a fair way to measure it is as a percentage of your total finds...

 

...then it's about 11%...is that good? :unsure:

 

 

If the caches are still there why aren't you persevering more.

 

If the caches are absent through poor maintenance then fry the owners.

 

Are you logging DNFs on any particular type of cache, or trying particularly hard ones?

 

I find I usually fail when I get tired or hungry usually midday.

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I guess a fair way to measure it is as a percentage of your total finds...

 

...then it's about 11%...is that good? :blink:

 

 

If the caches are still there why aren't you persevering more.

 

If the caches are absent through poor maintenance then fry the owners.

 

Are you logging DNFs on any particular type of cache, or trying particularly hard ones?

 

I find I usually fail when I get tired or hungry usually midday.

 

..most DNFs are because I'm the first to arrive at muggled cache site :huh: Never because I'm not looking in the right places :unsure:

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..most DNFs are because I'm the first to arrive at muggled cache site :blink: Never because I'm not looking in the right places :unsure:

 

Guess its all part of the exponential growth of caching. More caches, more cachers, more likely for cachers to be seen, more likely for muggles to be curious.

 

Never the less totally bad luck, and most disheartening.

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1421 finds, 81 DNFs (less than 6%) but many of those DNFs were later found, so I'm not sure if they should count? There are a lot of reasons to DNF a cache -the main one being is was well hidden- but there's no shame in logging a DNF. They remind you to go back and try again, and warn the owner there may be a problem. Mine usually come down to either the cache being missing or running out of time/patience to do it.

 

But then, if you found every cache you looked for, would there be any challenge? Where's the fun in a treasure hunt where there's no treasure ('cept McToys) and no hunt either? :unsure:

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My DNF is rate is about 8%. I'm with Simply Paul. Its a record of where you've failed and its something to let the cache owner that there may be an inkling of a problem. I mean, a run of 4 DNFs, and maybe a cache owner should be going out and taking a look if everything is okay.

 

I wouldn't get too hung up about it.

 

 

Edit cos'I missed out important words!

Edited by scottpa100
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I have a DNF rate of 2%, but of those caches, almost half were DNFed because they were not there (and were later replaced or archived). I think there is no shame in logging a DNF. It alerts the cache owner to a possible problem. I generally check my caches after a couple of DNFs. Also, reading certain hapless DNF logs is quite entertaining!

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If I can get to ground zero and can't find the cache before giving up then I ALWAYS log my DNF. Sometimes I can't find a trailhead or park access, in which case I won't log it.

 

Out of 237 finds I have 20 DNF: 7.8%

5 out of 20 have been CONQUORED!

15 DNFs REMAIN!

0 out of 15 have been ARCHIVED!

0 out of 15 are DISABLED!

6 out of 15 have another DNF adjacent to mine!

 

I'm working on writing a macro for GSAK that will copy all of your DNFs into one database and run some statistics. I plan on having a graph that will display accumulated DNFs (both resolved and unresolved) as well as outstanding DNFs (not found, not archived). Accumulated DNFs should increase over time, but your outstanding DNFs should keep low (I plan to resolve every DNF I have).

Edited by Uncopyrighted
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hmmm ... worse than I thought B)

 

10% DNF

...... but 50% of these were actually NWTs (never was there) B)

 

50% of my DNFs have actually been archived

...... makes me feel a little better B)

 

And I did go back to convert 50% of the DNFs into Finds so

...... my DNF score is really 5% B)

 

aren't statistics wonderful things ??? B)B)B)

 

(edited for spelling being not so wunderbar!)

Edited by kewfriend
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aren't statistics wonderful things ??? B)B)B)

 

(edited for spelling being not so wunderbar!)

 

More DNF stats;

 

55% had been muggled. Of which 48% did get replaced and 60% of those I have gone back and found. The others got archived.

 

45% I’m clueless to why B) Again, 60% of those I have gone back and found B)

 

1 I could not reach due to flooding B)

1 the bridge where it was hidden was shut B)

1 Currykev’s micro had washed away in a storm; well it was on the beach B)

1 I could not find anyone who would dive 1 fathom to retrieve a micro from a sunken car. :D

1 we got chased away by a group of angry baboons in South Africa! B)

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A trawl back through our statistics shows we have 15 DNF logs against our 372 DF logs = roughly 4%

 

BUT (of course, there has to be a "but" B) ) of those 15...

 

4 we found at a later attempt

6 of them weren't there to be found

5 remain as our true DNFs.

 

Looking at those 5 DNFs, I can create excuses for all of them e.g.

 

The Britsh Library cache - It was probably too high up for me B)

Wolverton's Wonderful Railway - It was raining, my calculations were wrong!

Percival: Quest for the Holy Grail - This was MrB hunting without me, so oviously he was lacking my expert guidance.

Yarm Viaduct - I found the viaduct OK, but, errrrrr, not the cache.

 

The DNF which annoys me most is keehotee's Bitter and twisted cache because I was searching for it with a pair of very experienced cachers (Pengy&Tigger, take a bow...) and we still didn't find it. Yes, it was there!

 

Don't you just hate it when that happens? B)

 

MrsB B)

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I'm in the around 10% club, just about up to 50 finds. They were all there, and it wasn't particularly because I still am NooB. I think they were all nano's or micros, and I just can't be @rsed spending an hour looking into a wisteria to find a green painted 35mm can. (Especially when I've just done a 3 hour, 10 point puzzle. Thanks mate. B) )

 

However, one recently placed cache has about 9 DNF's (inlcuding one from me.) and only one found. The owner is particularly @rsey about giving clues.

Edited by uk89camaro
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I've just clocked over 100 DNFs - 4 already this year. B)

 

What is the UK record? - Not that anyone would want to boast about it B)

 

It's something that's impossible to meaningfully compare because everyone does things differently. Some people always log them, some people never log them, and some people log them selectively. Some people don't get a DNF because they PAF. None of these are right or wrong, they are all just personal choices.

 

I've no idea what my ratio is because I don't keep track of them. I guess it's quite high because I virtually always log them, and only once have I PAF (for a particularly special reason). But then I'm not unduly bothered by not finding the cache - I've visited the new place and been for the walk/ride, and that's the reason I go geocaching in the first place B).

 

Rgds, Andy

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36 DNF's in 626 finds, so 5.7%

The two caches that both took 3 visits each both belong to Mrs. B. :unsure:

 

Most interesting excuses were...

1. The sign needed in a multi had been taken away to be refurbished

2. Batteries started running out in the middle of a 3/4 mile long tunnel

3. Published coords were 80yds out! Pre-PDA days. We still found a shell which had been left be a previous visitor <_< Never did get to the bottom of what happened there.

 

13 remain outstanding and 11 have been archived.

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Today, I was delighted to convert three DNFs into finds. The fist, we should have found, but didn't. The second was a real toughie, and I'm not surprised we didn't find it, and very pleased I did today. But the third, I cannot believe that we failed to find it; it was a really easy one!

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1 we got chased away by a group of angry baboons

 

Oh come on, not the old "I was chased away by Baboons" excuse. Tsk! That's just so lame! <_<

 

(Won't mention Safie Series No 8!) :unsure:

 

Our stats are:

632 finds, 40 DNF, so just over 6%

4 of the 40 weren’t there

3 caches accounted for 7 DNFs between them

13 of the 40 we eventually found

15 of the 40 were on trips so no opportunity to re-visit

6 of the DNFs were on Smiley caches!

Worst cache to find was Dora’s Field, 3 DNFs. Found on 4th visit but only after the cache had been moved and container changed!

2nd worst was Step To It – couldn’t even find the steps! A year later a Noob found it after leaving co-ords at home!

(Both of these are Smiley ones!)

1 of the DNFs was cos of lots of snow in Finland, the rest were just plain incompetence! :unsure::(

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It's something that's impossible to meaningfully compare because everyone does things differently. Some people always log them, some people never log them, and some people log them selectively. Some people don't get a DNF because they PAF. None of these are right or wrong, they are all just personal choices.

 

 

What's PAF stand for???? I can't work that one out!

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What's PAF stand for???? I can't work that one out!

I suspect it is what Chris Tarrant would say as one of the life-lines offered for contestants on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", in other words PAF is almost certainly "Phone A Friend" or in our cases maybe that should be PAG "Phone Another Geocacher" ;-)

 

Regards,

Martin

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Not sure of my stats at the mo - haven't got the details at work.

 

However, we have managed 4 DNFs on one cache, a simple trad, nothing fancy. On the 5th attempt, we turned up en masse and was found by the non-geocacher in the group in about 30 seconds! No idea what we were doing before...!

 

I've also DNF'd two of my own caches, one of them twice, and the first DNF on that one was the day after I placed it. Oh, and it hadn't moved! I logged these for a laugh!

 

Finally, I've DNF'd a fairly easy virtual in central London - Wedding Cake In'spire'ation (or whatever its actually called). This one is routinely found by everybody - i expect we are about the only DNFers ever for that one!

 

I generally log them unless i've not actually looked for it - wrong side river, too many muggles to try and look, etc. Probably forgotten abut a few though...

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I'm looking for my 100th DNF now - I'm on 99 (with 612 found)! I can't be bothered to work out the percentage, as for several caches I've DNF'd more than once, then found it. Many DNF's have been on supposedly easy caches: often the main problem is a misleading or useless hint allied to a lack of time (and caching alone is a significant handicap).

 

I don't always cache in the same style: sometimes I have time for a meticulous search, sometimes not. Sometimes I'll avoid dodgy-looking caches: sometimes I'll go out of my way for them. However, I always log a DNF except for the cases where I didn't begin searching for the cache.

 

Most memorable DNF: I think I'll start a new thread about this one (later), as it is more memorable than any find!

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What's PAF stand for???? I can't work that one out!

I suspect it is what Chris Tarrant would say as one of the life-lines offered for contestants on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", in other words PAF is almost certainly "Phone A Friend" or in our cases maybe that should be PAG "Phone Another Geocacher" ;-)

 

Regards,

Martin

 

Of course..... I didn't think of that.

 

And not much use to me either - most of my friends would roll their eyes, wondering why I find hunting plastic boxes in the woods so facinating..... philistines!

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Along with my mere 250 finds in over 5 years, I've had 19 DNFs, which is a ratio of 7.6%. :)

 

Of those 19 logs, 12 were on caches I've since found, 3 were on caches which turned out to be missing, 2 logs were second DNFs on two different caches, and 2 were on caches I've still to go back to.

 

But I post a DNF if I set out on foot and then fail to find the cache, even if I don't get near it for some reason, and I know many people don't do that, so perhaps my figure is artificially high. :)

 

2 of the 19 were urban micros which I didn't attempt because of too many muggles at the spot, 1 I failed to reach due to the weather conditions, with 1 of them I happened to find myself in the area but didn't have the co-ords just the hint, and with another I'd accidentally left my GPS with friends I'd been staying with, but thought I could find it from the map and the hint and failed...!

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1 we got chased away by a group of angry baboons

 

Oh come on, not the old "I was chased away by Baboons" excuse. Tsk! That's just so lame! :)

 

(Won't mention Safie Series No 8!) :)

 

Our stats are:

632 finds, 40 DNF, so just over 6%

4 of the 40 weren’t there

3 caches accounted for 7 DNFs between them

13 of the 40 we eventually found

15 of the 40 were on trips so no opportunity to re-visit

6 of the DNFs were on Smiley caches!

Worst cache to find was Dora’s Field, 3 DNFs. Found on 4th visit but only after the cache had been moved and container changed!

2nd worst was Step To It – couldn’t even find the steps! A year later a Noob found it after leaving co-ords at home!

(Both of these are Smiley ones!)

1 of the DNFs was cos of lots of snow in Finland, the rest were just plain incompetence! :):)

 

...talk about a pot calling the kettle black; so, 'chased away by Baboons in South Africa' is lame, then what is 'cos of lots of snow in Finland'? Feeble? :):)

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