My Name is Earl Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 78633 does not show up in the system. This is a "new" zip code. It's been active since July 2007. Link to comment
+raslas Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 I went to the geocaching.com home page and entered 78633 as a zip code to search by and it worked fine. Link to comment
My Name is Earl Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) I went to the geocaching.com home page and entered 78633 as a zip code to search by and it worked fine. You are correct. Putting 78633 in the search box on the home page DOES give a list of nearest caches. The problem is that the caches it throws up are NE of Houston, 150 miles away from the real 78633 which is Georgetown, Texas (35 miles north of Austin). Go to "Hide and Seek a Cache" and the box for search by Area Code only allows three digits to be entered. Not much use for 5 digit zip codes. - whoops Go to Advanced Search, enter 78633 and you get "Postal code cannot be found in the system. Please try another search option." There are three two distinct problems here. 1) 78633 on home or Hide & Seek page gives results 150 miles off. 2) only three digits in the search by Area Code on Hide & Seek page 3) 78633 doesn't show up at all on advanced search. Edited February 14, 2009 by My Name is Earl Link to comment
+DukeOfURL01 Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Where I live, a new zip code broke away from the existing zip code, and it was a year and a half before Google Maps, or anything involving geocoding would recognize the new zip code. When it first occurred, and I tried to update my zip code with various agencies, I would get that it was not a valid zip code frequently. Finally, most places updated automatically without me intervening, but not before the postal service sent me a form letter asking me to update my zip code with all the places sending me mail to the old zip code. Link to comment
+Lil Devil Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 2) only three digits in the search by Area Code on Hide & Seek page Area codes are for phone numbers so of course it will only take 3 digits. Link to comment
My Name is Earl Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 2) only three digits in the search by Area Code on Hide & Seek page Area codes are for phone numbers so of course it will only take 3 digits. You are of course correct. I wasn't looking in the right place for that. I have amended my OP. Link to comment
My Name is Earl Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 Is there a chance that this might get fixed? Or is it a case of GC buying in a Zip code database from a 3rd party, faults and all?? Link to comment
+Allanon Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Is there a chance that this might get fixed? Or is it a case of GC buying in a Zip code database from a 3rd party, faults and all?? I guess I'm confused. I can understand a complete newbie wanting to search by their zip code if they didn't know anything about geocaching and how to find caches in their area, but you've been doing this for awhile. There are other ways to search. Why is it so important to you to use the zip? Link to comment
My Name is Earl Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 Is there a chance that this might get fixed? Or is it a case of GC buying in a Zip code database from a 3rd party, faults and all?? I guess I'm confused. I can understand a complete newbie wanting to search by their zip code if they didn't know anything about geocaching and how to find caches in their area, but you've been doing this for awhile. There are other ways to search. Why is it so important to you to use the zip? I want people to find MY caches. Just because I don't need to use it, doesn't mean it doesn't need to be fixed. I thought reporting things that don't work properly was the whole point of this part of the GC forums. It's broke, it needs fixing. If searching by Zip code is so useless as you indicate, maybe they should just delete that part of the search functionality. I suppose throwing up results that are 150 miles off is worse that not having a search at all. so yes, TPTB, please delete Seach by Zip Code. Link to comment
+Allanon Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Is there a chance that this might get fixed? Or is it a case of GC buying in a Zip code database from a 3rd party, faults and all?? I guess I'm confused. I can understand a complete newbie wanting to search by their zip code if they didn't know anything about geocaching and how to find caches in their area, but you've been doing this for awhile. There are other ways to search. Why is it so important to you to use the zip? I want people to find MY caches. Just because I don't need to use it, doesn't mean it doesn't need to be fixed. I thought reporting things that don't work properly was the whole point of this part of the GC forums. It's broke, it needs fixing. If searching by Zip code is so useless as you indicate, maybe they should just delete that part of the search functionality. I suppose throwing up results that are 150 miles off is worse that not having a search at all. so yes, TPTB, please delete Seach by Zip Code. Nowhere in my post did I say or hint that the feature was 'useless'. I asked why it was so important to you. You say it's for people to find your caches. Personally, I don't use zip searches and I certainly wouldn't use it to find caches you placed. If I were coming to your area, I'd look up a cache you placed (or found) on your profile then do a pocket query or basic search on that GC#. To each their own. Link to comment
My Name is Earl Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 You say it's for people to find your caches. Personally, I don't use zip searches and I certainly wouldn't use it to find caches you placed. If I were coming to your area, I'd look up a cache you placed (or found) on your profile then do a pocket query or basic search on that GC#. To each their own. Well OK, not just mine. All caches in 78633. Lets just say for instance you are visiting from out of town. You book a hotel on the internet, its in 78633. What's the easiest way to find out if there are any caches in the vicinity? Zip Code search. Except instead of getting caches located 35 miles of Austin, you will get a list of caches 35 miles north of Houston. Not very helpful. Whether or not you find the function useful or have no intention using it, other site users do. Its broke, it needs fixing Link to comment
My Name is Earl Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Anyone from TPTB going to make any comment on this. Or am I just SOL for having the misfortune to live, cache and hide in this Zip Code?? Link to comment
+Prime Suspect Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Anyone from TPTB going to make any comment on this. Or am I just SOL for having the misfortune to live, cache and hide in this Zip Code?? Visitors may be inconvenienced, but I don't understand why you are. Are you being continually fooled by this, day after day? If I were you, I'd just bookmark my home coordinates, and be done with it. ZIP Code lists are purchased from outside firms. Like maps, they are always out of date, in some respect, just by the nature of the information. Link to comment
+Allanon Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Anyone from TPTB going to make any comment on this. Or am I just SOL for having the misfortune to live, cache and hide in this Zip Code?? Visitors may be inconvenienced, but I don't understand why you are. Are you being continually fooled by this, day after day? If I were you, I'd just bookmark my home coordinates, and be done with it. ZIP Code lists are purchased from outside firms. Like maps, they are always out of date, in some respect, just by the nature of the information. Hope you get a better answer and attitude than I did...but I somehow doubt you will. Link to comment
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