Naming Caches

January 22, 2009

When naming caches which are a part of a series, please try to put some unique identifier in the first few letters of the name if it is a long name. Here is why:

Some hardware and/or software only recognizes the first 15 or so characters of the name. As a result, the name may be truncated, making it hard to distinguish one cache from another. Here is an example that happened to me twice in the past week. (The names have been changed so no one in particular is offended.)

There were a series of 11 caches, named "My Most Wonderful Cache Hide Ever#1", "My Most Wonderful Cache Hide Ever #2" etc. They were all truncated to "My Most Wonderful Cache" and they all looked the same on my GPS. While I was able to differentiate these by looking at the cache identification number ("GCxxxx"), it was awkward to do so.

Therefore, please consider naming caches something like "#1 My Most Wonderful Cache Hide Ever". Or so they are grouped together in a list: "My Most (#1) Wonderful Cache Hide Ever."

Thanks

January 22, 2009

So you didn't actually look at your GPS before you left to figure this out? Why does the name matter if you have the GC number? I could care less if all my caches showed up with the same name as long as I have the 3 "Ds" (distance, direction, discription).

3.6k · January 22, 2009

So you didn't actually look at your GPS before you left to figure this out? Why does the name matter if you have the GC number? I could care less if all my caches showed up with the same name as long as I have the 3 "Ds" (distance, direction, discription).

What if you don't send the GC number to your GPS? For the cache name, we use the smart name and in the description we use Owner, last 4 find status, container size and the difficulty/terrain.

What do you do when the name in your GPS doesn't match the name in your Palm and you're trying to mark 9 of them found and 2 not found? How do you know which is which easily?

There's a guy around here who places bike cache series that will have 20-30 caches in them along mountain bike trails, and he used to name this big names like, "Case Mountain Bike Trail Series Pine #1".

He's since changed the name on all his series to something like "CMBTS Pine 1" and so on. That fits in most GPS units without trouble.

3.5k · January 22, 2009

Maybe cachers could come up with unqiue names for their caches insetad of numbering them. That would solve your problem altogether.

7.3k · January 22, 2009

What 9key said, with the added caveat, that I'm generally okay with seeing those caches: JKHL bp#1, JKHL bp#2 etc. Rather like having Wally World in the title, they're really easy to filter out GSAK.

3.6k · January 22, 2009

Maybe cachers could come up with unqiue names for their caches insetad of numbering them. That would solve your problem altogether.

In the case of the mountain bike caches, it helps having part of the name being similar with a number. The owner will hide 25 of them over a 15 mile mountain bike trail system. Some of the caches have info in them to solve for a couple bonus caches, so having a similar name helps so you don't skip a cache that's part of the series and may have needed info. The number in the caches is the order in which you need to do them so you're not riding all over the mountain in the wrong direction.

I'm good with something like "CMS Mud Pit 1" "CMS Big Pine 2" and so on. That way you know it's part of the Case Mountain series, the name is unique to the area and the number is the order in which to do them.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Skippermark

January 22, 2009

I have a simple GPS where I prefer to put in coords by hand. Then I choose the name. I have a simple notebook where I write down important information from the cache page and how I named it in my GPS.

I'll never have 200 in a day, nor will I ever write "#185 out of 302 today! TNLNSLTFTC" on a cache page. My opinion will always be discounted by people who think my find number is low by inexperience only.

I'll also never have this problem.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Redneck Parrotheads

January 22, 2009

Thanks for posting this topic. I think a lot of people are oblivious to what happen when people put out a series of caches with a long series name. Most keen cachers that I know download caches to their GPSrs using the cache name (rather than GC number) but most GPSrs only allow a fairly limited number of characters.

By abbreviating the series name (as suggested by a couple of posts in this thread) or switching the sequence of the naming, this problem can be avoided.

eg:

instead of :

Smalltown Parks Series #1: Lake Park

Smalltown Parks Series #2: Pine Park

they could use:

Lake Park: Smalltown Parks Series #1

Pine Park: Smalltown Parks Series #2

even this would be preferable:

#1 Smalltown Parks Series: Lake Park

#2 Smalltown Parks Series: Pine Park

Lots of people would have a much easier time if this was done.

I use pocket queries with my nearest 700 caches pre-loaded. I'm not going to manually change the names ever time I reload the pocket queries (as suggested by a previous poster) and using the GC number helps with this problem but makes it more difficult to identify every other cache in my GPSr

3.3k · January 23, 2009

I guess I am a freak because I only use the GC ID when I load into my GPS. For the name I either have that on my cheap old PDA or I have the printout.

10.2k · January 23, 2009

When naming caches which are a part of a series, please try to put some unique identifier in the first few letters of the name if it is a long name. Here is why:

Some hardware and/or software only recognizes the first 15 or so characters of the name. As a result, the name may be truncated, making it hard to distinguish one cache from another. Here is an example that happened to me twice in the past week. (The names have been changed so no one in particular is offended.)

There were a series of 11 caches, named "My Most Wonderful Cache Hide Ever#1", "My Most Wonderful Cache Hide Ever #2" etc. They were all truncated to "My Most Wonderful Cache" and they all looked the same on my GPS. While I was able to differentiate these by looking at the cache identification number ("GCxxxx"), it was awkward to do so.

Therefore, please consider naming caches something like "#1 My Most Wonderful Cache Hide Ever". Or so they are grouped together in a list: "My Most (#1) Wonderful Cache Hide Ever."

Thanks

How'd you like to have this series loaded in your GPS? That's really the only time I ever had a problem with it, but I can see where you're coming from.

January 23, 2009

How'd you like to have this series loaded in your GPS? That's really the only time I ever had a problem with it, but I can see where you're coming from.

I got a headache just looking at those names.

1.6k · January 23, 2009

Don't complain too loudly. A local guy made basically the same complaint at an event and the result was:

Because TheBisch Hates Numbered Micros #1

(and 2, and 3, and so on and so forth)

1.8k · January 23, 2009

I'll never have 200 in a day, nor will I ever write "#185 out of 302 today! TNLNSLTFTC" on a cache page. My opinion will always be discounted by people who think my find number is low by inexperience only.

I'll also never have this problem.

Heck...I HAVE had 200 in a day, and I STILL will never have this problem. There are plenty of other ways to sort out waypoints.

I've never named a series Blah Blah Blah #1, #2, #3, etc., and certainly don't have any plans to do so...But one thing I would never worry about is "Gee, how will this show up in someone's GPS?"

38.2k · January 23, 2009

Maybe cachers could come up with unqiue names for their caches insetad of numbering them. That would solve your problem altogether.

What would be a good idea would be a unique identifier for each cache so you don't have to worry about keying off names.

38.2k · January 23, 2009

What if you don't send the GC number to your GPS?

Then send the GC number to your GPS. Problem solved. Many geocachers key off the GC number rather than the cache name for this very reason.

January 23, 2009

Tahnk You!

3.6k · January 23, 2009

What if you don't send the GC number to your GPS?

Then send the GC number to your GPS. Problem solved. Many geocachers key off the GC number rather than the cache name for this very reason.

Most cachers that I know use smart names and not the GC number. If you're doing a series of 25 caches along a trail, it's a lot easier to know which one to do next if the caches are named something like "Cache Name #1", "Cache Name #2" rather than GC1HTT4, GC1HTXQ.

In the description I drop the GC and just have the code, 1HTT4, 1HTXQ, but a lot of people don't do that.

18.9k · January 23, 2009

GC numbers are unique to each and every cache.

Cache names are not unique.

Therefore if you require some amount of uniquness to distinguish between caches you should use......??

Problem solved.

January 23, 2009

The OP's suggestion makes a lot of sense to me and I support it. It requires very little alteration to incorporate some uniqueness in the first 15 characters or so. I find it much more convenient to have cache names displayed on my GPSr - cache names are human friendly, GC codes are computer friendly (I am a human).

I agree that the situation mentioned is not that common, and therefore not a big issue, but maybe this thread will make some future hiders aware of the practicalities, and they will rearrange their naming accordingly.

4.2k · January 23, 2009

I think the problem that the OP is referring to is one that I've encountered recently. My older model Magellan only recognizes the first 15 (I think) characters of a cache name. If I send the result of my PQ from the PC straight to the GPS and then fire up the GPS this is what happens:

Caches named like so:

Really Cool Cache Series#1
Really Cool Cache Series#2
Really Cool Cache Series#3
Really Cool Cache Series#4
Really Cool Cache Series#5

Become this:

Really Cool Cac

Only the first cache shows up at all. The other four caches don't exists on the GPS. You're out in the field thinking "I can't wait to find this really cool series" and then they just aren't there to find.

My solution was to start using GSAK and sending them to the GPS using smart names.

This situation is as common as there are users with the previous generation of GPS units that are geocaching. It's a pain in the neck, but I've learned how to deal with it.

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

3.6k · January 23, 2009

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

I only send caches to my GPS through GSAK and don't know how a non GSAK user's caches appear. I would have guessed that it named the cache as the GC number. Is that not the case?

I'll have to load a PQ into Mapsource to see how it looks. I'm curious now.

4.2k · January 23, 2009

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

I only send caches to my GPS through GSAK and don't know how a non GSAK user's caches appear. I would have guessed that it named the cache as the GC number. Is that not the case?

I'll have to load a PQ into Mapsource to see how it looks. I'm curious now.

On my explorist 210 it displays them as the name the owner gave them. If there's an easy way to have them appear as the GC number I'd be grateful to know what that is. I don't like having to take the extra steps and using 3rd party software (nice and functional though it may be).

January 23, 2009

I use the name sort with my iPodnotes macro through GSAK.

2.2k · January 23, 2009

I think the problem that the OP is referring to is one that I've encountered recently. My older model Magellan only recognizes the first 15 (I think) characters of a cache name. If I send the result of my PQ from the PC straight to the GPS and then fire up the GPS this is what happens:

Caches named like so:

Really Cool Cache Series#1
Really Cool Cache Series#2
Really Cool Cache Series#3
Really Cool Cache Series#4
Really Cool Cache Series#5
Become this:

Really Cool Cac
Only the first cache shows up at all. The other four caches don't exists on the GPS. You're out in the field thinking "I can't wait to find this really cool series" and then they just aren't there to find.

My solution was to start using GSAK and sending them to the GPS using smart names.

This situation is as common as there are users with the previous generation of GPS units that are geocaching. It's a pain in the neck, but I've learned how to deal with it.

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

I have an ExPlorist 500 and the first time I loaded a series that was exactly what happened. Now, before I upload the PQ I open the list in geocache manager and just alter the cache names myself. Usually just by putting a number or a word at the front, like:

1-Really Cool

2-Really Cool

Takes only a minute and works just fine!

4.2k · January 23, 2009

I think the problem that the OP is referring to is one that I've encountered recently. My older model Magellan only recognizes the first 15 (I think) characters of a cache name. If I send the result of my PQ from the PC straight to the GPS and then fire up the GPS this is what happens:

Caches named like so:

Really Cool Cache Series#1
Really Cool Cache Series#2
Really Cool Cache Series#3
Really Cool Cache Series#4
Really Cool Cache Series#5
Become this:

Really Cool Cac
Only the first cache shows up at all. The other four caches don't exists on the GPS. You're out in the field thinking "I can't wait to find this really cool series" and then they just aren't there to find.

My solution was to start using GSAK and sending them to the GPS using smart names.

This situation is as common as there are users with the previous generation of GPS units that are geocaching. It's a pain in the neck, but I've learned how to deal with it.

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

I have an ExPlorist 500 and the first time I loaded a series that was exactly what happened. Now, before I upload the PQ I open the list in geocache manager and just alter the cache names myself. Usually just by putting a number or a word at the front, like:

1-Really Cool

2-Really Cool

Takes only a minute and works just fine!

Dude. GSAK will do that for you and save you the trouble of filtering through a 200 cache PQ. I tried that method a couple of times and then started looking for a quicker "press button" solution.

1.2k · January 23, 2009

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

I'll have to load a PQ into Mapsource to see how it looks. I'm curious now.

I use only MapSource to load PQs directly to my Map 76CSx and they come up as GCxxxx.

18.9k · January 23, 2009

Easy GPS loads them in and they display non my units as Gc numbers - very easy to make GSAK do that as well.

The GC codes are reference numbers - not names or computer codes. But they are unique!

4.2k · January 23, 2009

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

I'll have to load a PQ into Mapsource to see how it looks. I'm curious now.

I use only MapSource to load PQs directly to my Map 76CSx and they come up as GCxxxx.

Ah, here's the problem. MapSource = Garmin. MapSend = Magellan. It may be that Garmin users don't have this problem. Those of us using the other product would. I suspect the OP is a Magellan user.

4.2k · January 23, 2009

Easy GPS loads them in and they display non my units as Gc numbers - very easy to make GSAK do that as well.

The GC codes are reference numbers - not names or computer codes. But they are unique!

Agreed. Assuming the OP has never heard of these two products the suggestion to "just use the GC number" could be frustrating.

24.7k · January 23, 2009

Easy GPS loads them in and they display non my units as Gc numbers - very easy to make GSAK do that as well.

The GC codes are reference numbers - not names or computer codes. But they are unique!

Agreed. Assuming the OP has never heard of these two products the suggestion to "just use the GC number" could be frustrating.

Frustrating but it's the unique identifyer that all caches have. There is no way to pull data off this site without having that number as part of the data file. It actually takes extra work to strip it out and end up with the problem the OP mentions.

Now if we all named our caches the GC number then we would solve the problem for the OP and everone else.

3.6k · January 23, 2009

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

I'll have to load a PQ into Mapsource to see how it looks. I'm curious now.

I use only MapSource to load PQs directly to my Map 76CSx and they come up as GCxxxx.

Thanks. That what I would have thought. It's strange that on a Magellan they get named the cache name and on the Garmins the GC number.

14k · January 23, 2009

Maybe cachers could come up with unqiue names for their caches insetad of numbering them. That would solve your problem altogether.

Perhaps the problem is that the caches are not unique, thus don't have a unique name.

There is a series of caches near me that consists of 18 caches along a section of the Finger Lakes Trail. The "series" is based on a 18 hole golf course. I've found the first 5 holes (along a seasonal road) but haven't completed the 3.8 mile trail (one way) and found that although most of the containers were similar each cache has a unique name which relates to the area where it was hidden.

Although I display caches by smartname I use GSAK to create the comment field with the GC number, difficulty, terrain, and container size. I also have the complete listings on my Blackberry so can easily identify similarly named caches. I usually keep a running log of find/dnfs in a small notebook the I refer to when logging caches at home and usually write down the GC number in the log book.

4.2k · January 23, 2009

Easy GPS loads them in and they display non my units as Gc numbers - very easy to make GSAK do that as well.

The GC codes are reference numbers - not names or computer codes. But they are unique!

Agreed. Assuming the OP has never heard of these two products the suggestion to "just use the GC number" could be frustrating.

Frustrating but it's the unique identifier that all caches have. There is no way to pull data off this site without having that number as part of the data file. It actually takes extra work to strip it out and end up with the problem the OP mentions.

Now if we all named our caches the GC number then we would solve the problem for the OP and everyone else.

(Assuming the OP is using a Magellan unit similar to mine.)

Sorry, but from experience you are incorrect. It does not take any extra work to create the problem the OP is having. Again, if I were to open a PQ in the Magellan MapSend software and then save it to the Magellan GPS- without any extra steps- then I would have this same problem. In fact I have had this same problem. There was no "stripping out" just a load file and save file.

I understand that the GC number is part of the file and I understand the usefulness of using this data field as the primary reference due to its unique nature. But out of the box, I can't do this with my Magellan. I have to use GSAK to correct the limitations of the GPS software/hardware.

My reference to the frustration is when the answers the OP was given were incomplete- in this situation. Just telling the OP to "use the GC number" does not lead them down a path of success and does not cure the problem they have without the all important "these two programs will allow you to make use of the GC number on your particular unit" qualifier.

1.7k · January 23, 2009

I would have never thought of truncating a name because I use a soft modded Mio with BeeLine GPS on it.

As an example I have a cache on it, it's original name is There ought to be a park! (In Salem Township) thats 46 characters, but after I do my import the name becomes Regular There ought to be a park! (In Salem Township) that's 54.

I guess it is a good thing I made the purchase of a mod-able vehicular navigation unit.

January 23, 2009

I'm the OP.

I note that most people agree with my observations.

FWIW: I am using a Map76 for my GPS. I had been using a Palm for paperless. Now I use an iPhone 3G. Additionally, I compute with a Mac.

For software, I use two programs for getting data from a PQ to my GPS. One is called "Link2GPS" and the other is "GPSWrite." "Link2GPS" is basically the driver to interface the Mac to the GPS. "GPSWrite" imports a "loc" file. It has fields for the waypoint type, waypoint number, lat, long, altitude, and a comment. The comment is the cache name. (A "gpx" file does not get the cache name right...at least not in GPSWrite.)

My GPS sorts waypoints by the waypoint number. In contrast both my Palm and iPhone sort by cache name. At any given moment, my GPS will tell me where the nearest cache is. I use this to then get information about it either from my Palm or iPhone. However, to do so, I need the cache name. (Remember that the Palm and iPhone" sort by cache name.) I can look at the cache name on my GPS, but it truncates the name. (Remember, that is the whole point of this thread.)

When there are several caches with the same truncated name, I have to look at multiple possibilities on the Palm or iPhone to see which is the right description for the cache to which the GPS is referring. It is far from impossible. But it is also far from convenient.

24.7k · January 24, 2009

I'm the OP.

I note that most people agree with my observations.

FWIW: I am using a Map76 for my GPS. I had been using a Palm for paperless. Now I use an iPhone 3G. Additionally, I compute with a Mac.

For software, I use two programs for getting data from a PQ to my GPS. One is called "Link2GPS" and the other is "GPSWrite." "Link2GPS" is basically the driver to interface the Mac to the GPS. "GPSWrite" imports a "loc" file. It has fields for the waypoint type, waypoint number, lat, long, altitude, and a comment. The comment is the cache name. (A "gpx" file does not get the cache name right...at least not in GPSWrite.)

My GPS sorts waypoints by the waypoint number. In contrast both my Palm and iPhone sort by cache name. At any given moment, my GPS will tell me where the nearest cache is. I use this to then get information about it either from my Palm or iPhone. However, to do so, I need the cache name. (Remember that the Palm and iPhone" sort by cache name.) I can look at the cache name on my GPS, but it truncates the name. (Remember, that is the whole point of this thread.)

When there are several caches with the same truncated name, I have to look at multiple possibilities on the Palm or iPhone to see which is the right description for the cache to which the GPS is referring. It is far from impossible. But it is also far from convenient.

You have a software problem. The LOC, GPX files ect are fine. The data in the files gives you the ability to manipulate the data by waypoint name (GC number) or cache name etc.

Some people like sorting by name, others by waypoint number. It's all preference. Both yours, and the person who took time to write the software. Find the right software and your problem is solved. (Software can truncate and name things so you can tell them apart as well). If you really prefer to sort by name though, you are stuck wiht the problme that truncating the name can create. Most times this isn't much of a problem but every now and then, it's the price you pay for the way you have chosen to enjoy your caching. Cache owners could rename all their caches to your specficiation, but why? so on the rare occasion your cache names are truncated in a way that's annoying, you can enjoy a higher quality of life?

Edited January 24, 2009 by Renegade Knight

24.7k · January 24, 2009

[...Sorry, but from experience you are incorrect. It does not take any extra work to create the problem the OP is having. Again, if I were to open a PQ in the Magellan MapSend software and then save it to the Magellan GPS- without any extra steps- then I would have this same problem. In fact I have had this same problem. There was no "stripping out" just a load file and save file....

You are right that you as a user need not do any extra work. The files from this site though have the GC number as the waypoint name. The software is doing the extra work to replace the waypoint name by taking the GC number and swapping in the cache name which of course can be truncated. I was joking when I said if everone named their cache the same as the caches GC number the problem would be solved. It should actually work though.

2.5k · January 24, 2009

I'm the OP.

I note that most people agree with my observations.

{...} In contrast both my Palm and iPhone sort by cache name. At any given moment, my GPS will tell me where the nearest cache is. I use this to then get information about it either from my Palm or iPhone.

Wanted to jump in to say that I am one that would not agree.

I use the cache ID code, because it is unique. All the folks I cache with do the same. We don't have to worry about what to "call" the cache, we don't have to concern ourselves with whether someone three towns over named their cache the same thing as the local cache, we use the one guaranteed unique identifier.

My PDA (also a Palm product) has the GC ID, my husband has an iPod touch that also gets the info using the GC ID --surely it is possible for the iPhone to do the same?

As for the problem of needing to know what the next cache in a series might be--that is where the PDA comes in handy. With a simple touch of the button, the list switches back and forth between cache name and cache ID. Look it up under "name" to find the next cache in the "Uncle Bob's series" and look at the ID on the info page in the PDA. Then voila, look for that cache OD in the gps "nearest" or "by name" list as needed.

That last bit also solves the problems for those folks who say they "can't remember which caches they wanted to do" for the day unless they see the names.

38.2k · January 24, 2009

What if you don't send the GC number to your GPS?

Then send the GC number to your GPS. Problem solved. Many geocachers key off the GC number rather than the cache name for this very reason.

Most cachers that I know use smart names and not the GC number. If you're doing a series of 25 caches along a trail, it's a lot easier to know which one to do next if the caches are named something like "Cache Name #1", "Cache Name #2" rather than GC1HTT4, GC1HTXQ.

In the description I drop the GC and just have the code, 1HTT4, 1HTXQ, but a lot of people don't do that.

I don't know about your unit, but mine has the actual cache name in the notes field, so if I'm confused I just call up the waypoint and take a look.

January 24, 2009

Does it really matter? I mean really, think about it. If my GPS shows a trail of caches called "TheBestCachingSer" and nothing else, I still know WHERE the cache is located. Thats the whole point of caching, the location, not the name. And if you are following a hiking/biking/driving trail loaded with a series of caches, you still progress from one end to the other. How hard is it to go back and see which end had #1?

This seems like a lot debate over a non-issue.

January 24, 2009

I totally have to agree with the person who put this topic out here. So some of us are not technologically advanced or have the time to sit and rename them in our GPS. and by going by GC#'s that's even more confusing when the wife is navigating and saying up here on the left GC#### is coming up, where as the name..we are coming up on IHOP Valley Mall, that tell me as the driver to start heading towards IHOP and when owners name them with long frontend titles the a number or letter you are right they all come up with the same name so finding those on our cache pages SUCKS and wastes time. Thanks for bringing this up and please everyone help up more underfinanced cachers out a bit

2.5k · January 25, 2009

For those suggesting that the OP should "use the GC ID number" please tell me how I can do this without the use of GSAK and how they think the OP should do this as well?

Well, I use GSAK, but there is easyGPS.

It's free, it's easy. I used it when we first started caching and didn't have a lot of time, technical knowledge, or cash to put into all the fancy stuff.

Since everything in the system is geared to the GC ID, it just seemed easier to me. The gps and the PDA both had the same way of identifying the cache--and it was impossible to confuse the cache with another one. As a bonus, it was easier and quicker when we got back home to know which caches to look up to log.

Edited January 25, 2009 by Neos2

Naming Caches

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