Stupid mystery caches

[+Coyote's Girl]

So I placed my cache. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, got it stocked and hidden and submitted for review. YAY! I just got an e-mail stating that it's a couple hundred feet from the end stage of a mystery. If I knew where the mystery was, I'd fix the problem easily. But as the end stage of mysteries won't show up on a the map I can't do it. Just venting.

[Keystone]

The posted false coordinates for puzzle caches are generally going to be less than two miles from the actual puzzle location. So, if you are thinking about hiding a cache in Park X, pick a spot in the center of the park and do a nearest caches search on those coordinates, going out about 2.5 miles. If there are any mystery/unknown caches in that radius which you haven't found, then you are rolling the dice by hiding a cache without first finding the nearby puzzle.

 

For multicaches, a fair percentage of them will start and end in the same general area, so a 2.5 mile radius search should work for them too, in the vast majority of cases.

 

If there are tons of puzzles in the area and you can't solve them, write in advance to your reviewer with your proposed coordinates and ask for a preclearance on waypoint conflicts from him, her or it (many reviewers are dogs).

 

You can also ask for help from the owner of a nearby puzzle or multicache. "Hi, I found a perfect spot for an ammo box in Memorial Park, and I wanted to make sure it didn't conflict with any stages of your multicache. Here are coords for the general area on the east side of the park near the pond...."

[+sbell111]

Can you move the cache 2/10ths of a mile in any direction?

[+Walkworthy & Wife]

Just venting.

Hey, don't give up. Follow Keystone's advice and you will be published before you know it!

[+TotemLake]

So I placed my cache. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, got it stocked and hidden and submitted for review. YAY! I just got an e-mail stating that it's a couple hundred feet from the end stage of a mystery. If I knew where the mystery was, I'd fix the problem easily. But as the end stage of mysteries won't show up on a the map I can't do it. Just venting.

There appears to be a software glitch between the chair and the keyboard.

[+Team GeoBlast]

So I placed my cache. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, got it stocked and hidden and submitted for review. YAY! I just got an e-mail stating that it's a couple hundred feet from the end stage of a mystery. If I knew where the mystery was, I'd fix the problem easily. But as the end stage of mysteries won't show up on a the map I can't do it. Just venting.

 

Keystone, as always, is spot on with this advice. I would just add that if you are going to be putting a great amount of effort into your cache hide, I'd go directly to his last suggestion and try that first. Just check your final coords with your reviewer. You might want to go pick a few places with 1/2 mile just in case. Remember if you are 200 ft away, you only need to move it a little more than 300 ft.

[+Coyote's Girl]

It's the end stage the mystery cache. The reason I was going to put the cache in this park is that no caches show up on the map. None. The closest mystery cahce has been made avaliable to premium members only, and the search put it .8 miles from where I was placing mine. It is, in fact the only mystery cache for 5 miles that has not been archived. I just had bad luck. I went back to the park and grabbed my conainer. I'm gonna go at it again when the weather's not truning for the worst. If i did move the cache, there's always a chance I'd wind up putting it closer to the end stage of this particular puzzle, especially since I cannot see the end stage of the puzzle. I'll try a different park We've got quite a few.

P.S. Yeah, I know I should become a premium member. But we really are strapped. That and my husband is paranoid about doing anything with money online.

Edited January 23, 2009 by Butterfly Fox

[+sbell111]

If i did move the cache, there's always a chance I'd wind up putting it closer to the end stage of this particular puzzle, especially since I cannot see the end stage of the puzzle.

If you moved your cache at least 2/10ths of a mile. You couldn't still be too close to the final location of that mystery cache.

[+JohnnyVegas]

So I placed my cache. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, got it stocked and hidden and submitted for review. YAY! I just got an e-mail stating that it's a couple hundred feet from the end stage of a mystery. If I knew where the mystery was, I'd fix the problem easily. But as the end stage of mysteries won't show up on a the map I can't do it. Just venting.

you are just going to have to move your cache or do the mystery cache. Myself, I am very bad a doing mystery caches so I try not to place caches in area were there are mystery caches.

[+gpsfun]

That and my husband is paranoid about doing anything with money online.

Slightly off topic; sorry.

 

Many folks who are concerned about spending money on line think nothing of handing their credit card to a server in a restaurant, thereby allowing it out of their control for several minutes.

[+bobbarley]

I had the same problem. In discussions with the reviewer, they gave me a ballpark area to hide that would avoid proximity with the other cache.

Good communication with your volunteer reviewer can go along way to making the road smooth to hiding.

[Skippermark]

P.S. Yeah, I know I should become a premium member. But we really are strapped. That and my husband is paranoid about doing anything with money online.

I understand the strapped part. If you're concerned about using a credit card online, you can always get one for online purchases only. Keep the balance low, $500 or so.

 

The maximum that you are liable for under Federal law is $50 if your card is stolen, and even then, some card companies hold you liable for nothing.

 

Also, once you report your card stolen/missing, you're liable for nothing after that point.

Edited January 23, 2009 by Skippermark

[+trainlove]

P.S. Yeah, I know I should become a premium member. But we really are strapped. That and my husband is paranoid about doing anything with money online.

And you could probably buy a $10 American Express one time use card and use that one time online and not have to worry about anyone stealing your info.

[+Renegade Knight]

So I placed my cache. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, got it stocked and hidden and submitted for review. YAY! I just got an e-mail stating that it's a couple hundred feet from the end stage of a mystery. If I knew where the mystery was, I'd fix the problem easily. But as the end stage of mysteries won't show up on a the map I can't do it. Just venting.

 

If that spot is "the spot" and not just another LPC that can be moved to another LPC and have the same experience, then list it on another site. If it's an LPC or in a bush like all the other bushes, odds are you can move it and list it here all while giving the exact same cache experience you were after.

[+Keruso]

you can also mail a check to Groundspeak for the premium membership. thats what i did

[tinwhistle]

I came here to the forum looking for help with this same issue, but I guess I'll just co-miserate on the subject. I contacted a reviewer some time ago about a cache placement in a park, across a pond from a very unimaginative micro. I was told that because the pond provided a physical barrier, an exception to the proximity rule could be granted. I spent weeks putting together a puzzle cache, including building some things required to make it work. I got it stocked up, put together the cache page, and submitted it. Denied due to the final of another puzzle cache (premium member) located just outside the park, across the street. I was not told about this when I first contacted the reviewer about my plans. Aaaargh!

[+briansnat]

It's the end stage the mystery cache. The reason I was going to put the cache in this park is that no caches show up on the map. None. The closest mystery cahce has been made avaliable to premium members only, and the search put it .8 miles from where I was placing mine. It is, in fact the only mystery cache for 5 miles that has not been archived. I just had bad luck. I went back to the park and grabbed my conainer. I'm gonna go at it again when the weather's not truning for the worst. If i did move the cache, there's always a chance I'd wind up putting it closer to the end stage of this particular puzzle, especially since I cannot see the end stage of the puzzle. I'll try a different park We've got quite a few.

P.S. Yeah, I know I should become a premium member. But we really are strapped. That and my husband is paranoid about doing anything with money online.

 

As far being a PM, you can send a check to Groundspeak. I do get a kick out of people who fear online transactions, but will hand their credit card to a gas station attendant. One near me was arrested not long ago because he was using a pocket scanner to steal numbers. Got hundreds supposedly. Online transactions are often safer because there usually is no human involved.

 

Anyway, to get back on the topic at hand, just discuss it with your reviewer. He won't give away the actual coordinates of the mystery cache, but he can suggest which direction to move it to make sure there is no conflict.

 

I came here to the forum looking for help with this same issue, but I guess I'll just co-miserate on the subject. I contacted a reviewer some time ago about a cache placement in a park, across a pond from a very unimaginative micro. I was told that because the pond provided a physical barrier, an exception to the proximity rule could be granted. I spent weeks putting together a puzzle cache, including building some things required to make it work. I got it stocked up, put together the cache page, and submitted it. Denied due to the final of another puzzle cache (premium member) located just outside the park, across the street. I was not told about this when I first contacted the reviewer about my plans. Aaaargh!

 

Unless you give the exact coordinates for your planned cache to the reviewer, there is no way he can know if there is a possible conflict. As I suggested above, work with him and he can suggest what direction to move your cache to make sure it's no longer in conflict with the mystery's final.

Edited February 1, 2009 by briansnat