DNF logging question.

[+blueberryice]

I looked for the answer to this and didn't find it that quickly so I thought i would ask. I have a few caches i have attempted to find but I am stil learning the tricks the tricks and we didn't find them. The two I didn't find today were micros.

 

So should I log every cache I attempt to find and don't as a DNF? If I find it another day do I edit the log of the old DNF or do I post a new log? Will people laugh at me if I have a bunch of DNF

[+Renegade Knight]

Logs your DNF. It may tell the owner that they need to check on the cache if they know it should have been easy but isn't. Or they may need to tweak their difficulty rating if they thought it would be easy but is prvoing to be a hard find.

 

When you do find it. Just log a find and let your DNF log stand. That was another day.

[+blueberryice]

Ok I will do . I want to keep an accurate log. It will make it more sweet when i find it.

[+Arrow42]

Ok I will do . I want to keep an accurate log. It will make it more sweet when i find it.

Good.

 

I think reviewers use DNFs to help decide if a cache has gone missing and needs to be disabled/archived. So, that's another reason.

[+Buggheart]

And FYI.... no one will laugh at you

[+StarBrand]

DNF is one event

Find is another.

 

Both are part of your caching history and the history of the cache. A DNF tells others cachers they might have to look a little harder, tells owners - they may need to check on the cache, tells admins if the cache is being taken care of, tells you that you are human!!

[+tozainamboku]

Ok I will do . I want to keep an accurate log. It will make it more sweet when i find it.

Good.

 

I think reviewers use DNFs to help decide if a cache has gone missing and needs to be disabled/archived. So, that's another reason.

I doubt that reviewers do this. If they are notified of a problem because of an Needs Archive log, or happen to be searching for caches that need maintenance which hasn't been performed, a cache that used to be found regularly and but recently has only DNF's may be a signal the cache is misssing. But it isn't, by itself, a reason for a reviewer to get involved. Logging DNF's does tell the cache owner that they may have to check their cache.

And FYI.... no one will laugh at you

Sure they will. And if the cache is really there an you go back to find it later, you may laugh at yourself as well.

[+Arrow42]

I doubt that reviewers do this. If they are notified of a problem because of an Needs Archive log, or happen to be searching for caches that need maintenance which hasn't been performed, a cache that used to be found regularly and but recently has only DNF's may be a signal the cache is misssing. But it isn't, by itself, a reason for a reviewer to get involved....

 

That is what I was talking about. 6DNFs and then a N/A log will give the reviewer useful information.

[+weathernowcast]

I looked for the answer to this and didn't find it that quickly so I thought i would ask. I have a few caches i have attempted to find but I am stil learning the tricks the tricks and we didn't find them. The two I didn't find today were micros.

 

So should I log every cache I attempt to find and don't as a DNF? If I find it another day do I edit the log of the old DNF or do I post a new log? Will people laugh at me if I have a bunch of DNF

 

I have even logged DNFs on the same day if I search and find a cache and THEN return and find it. I think DNF are a critical part of the cache history. Imagine if you only counted hits in a baseball game?

[+Harry Dolphin]

And FYI.... no one will laugh at you

 

Yes, I will!

I got a DNF on a small Lock and Lock container. They looked under all the lamp posts and benches. When I finished laughing, I sent an e-mail explaining the size, and that it wouldn't fit where they were looking, and explained the hint a bit better.

Edited July 14, 2009 by Harry Dolphin

[+QuesterMark]

I looked for the answer to this and didn't find it that quickly so I thought i would ask. I have a few caches i have attempted to find but I am stil learning the tricks the tricks and we didn't find them. The two I didn't find today were micros.

 

So should I log every cache I attempt to find and don't as a DNF? If I find it another day do I edit the log of the old DNF or do I post a new log? Will people laugh at me if I have a bunch of DNF

 

As you play this game, you'll have good days and bad days.

 

Log your DNF's, all of them, but never -assume- the cache is actually missing. Just say you didn't find it. If there was a reason, like muggle activity or construction at the site, then you might mention that.

 

Similarly, when you log a find, it's nice if you state the condition of the container and log--that way the owner knows if the log is nearly full or the container is cracked or whatever.

[+jhauser42]

I looked for the answer to this and didn't find it that quickly so I thought i would ask. I have a few caches i have attempted to find but I am stil learning the tricks the tricks and we didn't find them. The two I didn't find today were micros.

 

So should I log every cache I attempt to find and don't as a DNF? If I find it another day do I edit the log of the old DNF or do I post a new log? Will people laugh at me if I have a bunch of DNF

 

 

I logged a DNF this afternoon simply because when I went to look for it, it was a longer trail walk than I realized. Got out to the general vicinity and realized my lunch hour was ending and I had no time to look for it. I'll go back and look for it again later.

Edited July 14, 2009 by jhauser42

[Knight-Errant]

I looked for the answer to this and didn't find it that quickly so I thought i would ask. I have a few caches i have attempted to find but I am stil learning the tricks the tricks and we didn't find them. The two I didn't find today were micros.

 

So should I log every cache I attempt to find and don't as a DNF? If I find it another day do I edit the log of the old DNF or do I post a new log? Will people laugh at me if I have a bunch of DNF

 

 

I logged a DNF this afternoon simply because when I went to look for it, it was a longer trail walk than I realized. Got out to the general vicinity and realized my lunch hour was ending and I had no time to look for it. I'll go back and look for it again later.

In that instance we would recommend having logged just a note about your lack of success rather than a Didn't Find It. Reason being is that if several cachers did the same, many others would not even try for the cache based upon the multiple DNF's.

Most often, we log a Didn't Find It if we were able to give a reasonble effort to find the cache--with reasonable effort being based upon the nature of the cache (a 2 minute search for a 5.0 difficulty would obviously NOT be considered reasonable).

[+briansnat]

I looked for the answer to this and didn't find it that quickly so I thought i would ask. I have a few caches i have attempted to find but I am stil learning the tricks the tricks and we didn't find them. The two I didn't find today were micros.

 

So should I log every cache I attempt to find and don't as a DNF? If I find it another day do I edit the log of the old DNF or do I post a new log? Will people laugh at me if I have a bunch of DNF

 

 

I logged a DNF this afternoon simply because when I went to look for it, it was a longer trail walk than I realized. Got out to the general vicinity and realized my lunch hour was ending and I had no time to look for it. I'll go back and look for it again later.

 

I would have done the same. When I key in the coordinates and hit GO TO on the GPS I have started the hunt.

If my hunt is unsuccessful then I log a DNF.

[+blueberryice]

 

I would have done the same. When I key in the coordinates and hit GO TO on the GPS I have started the hunt.

If my hunt is unsuccessful then I log a DNF.

 

So say today. we started to look for a cache. realized the terrain was not idea (it was very mushy and we didn't have a lot of time) and decided to return in the fall. DNF? I got about 100m away.

[+Chrysalides]

So say today. we started to look for a cache. realized the terrain was not idea (it was very mushy and we didn't have a lot of time) and decided to return in the fall. DNF? I got about 100m away.

Entirely up to you.

 

Some don't bother, some (like me) log a note, some log a DNF. As long as you did not log a find it is highly unlikely anyone would get too bothered by it.

Edited July 15, 2009 by Chrysalides

[+ngrrfan]

So say today. we started to look for a cache. realized the terrain was not idea (it was very mushy and we didn't have a lot of time) and decided to return in the fall. DNF? I got about 100m away.

Very similar to a situation I'm in. We have a DNF for one cache about 50 miles away, and right now (during the summer) it is too hot to go back and finish it. Once it cools off this fall we will head back to that area and figure it out and grab some others that are in the area.

[knowschad]

Ok I will do . I want to keep an accurate log. It will make it more sweet when i find it.

Good.

 

I think reviewers use DNFs to help decide if a cache has gone missing and needs to be disabled/archived. So, that's another reason.

 

I doubt there are many reviewers with the time to do that, but cachers and responsible cache owners certainly do.

[knowschad]

And FYI.... no one will laugh at you

 

They are too busy laughing at me!!!

 

Seriously... PLEASE log ALL of your DNFs. I've been seeing an increase in logs along the line of "Finally found it after four tries!". You search the logs and if you're lucky, may see one DNF for them. In my area, this has become almost commonplace.

[4x4van]

Everyone plays the way they are comfortable, but this is how I do it, and why:

 

If I get to ground zero and don't find it, I log a DNF, whether I search for a long time, run out of time, or whatever other reason that I can't find it where I think it's supposed to be. If, however, I don't even get anywhere near ground zero, then I typically don't log a DNF. I may log a note if the reason actually has something to do with the cache or terrain or weather or something, but otherwise, no.

 

After all, IMHO, I didn't really "look" for it. Some people feel that once they hit "goto", the search has begun, but there may be any number of reasons that the "journey" is called off that have nothing to do with the cache and is of no value to the cache owner or future seekers. What value to anyone is a DNF log that states "Left the house this morning, but ran out of gas 30 miles before we got to the cache area. Had AAA bring me some gas, but by that time we had to head home to get ready for a BBQ with friends."

[Knight-Errant]

Ok I will do . I want to keep an accurate log. It will make it more sweet when i find it.

Good.

I think reviewers use DNFs to help decide if a cache has gone missing and needs to be disabled/archived. So, that's another reason.

I doubt there are many reviewers with the time to do that, but cachers and responsible cache owners certainly do.

While reviewers don't specifically search too much for multiple DNF logs on caches, the DO use them in considering an involuntary disabling, and possibile subsequent archiving, of caches.

Obviously, the difficulty is taken into consideration and well as the logging history. (For example, has the cache had finds logged at least every few days for several years, but suddenly all DNF logs for several months?)

[+Team MacKenzie]

So say today. we started to look for a cache. realized the terrain was not idea (it was very mushy and we didn't have a lot of time) and decided to return in the fall. DNF? I got about 100m away.

Very similar to a situation I'm in. We have a DNF for one cache about 50 miles away, and right now (during the summer) it is too hot to go back and finish it. Once it cools off this fall we will head back to that area and figure it out and grab some others that are in the area.

 

Somedays I wish we had a DNA - Did Not Attempt

 

There's been more than a few times I've gotten to the parking for a cache and realized for a variety of reasons - terrain, rain slicked rocks, 12 foot high snow bank...stuff like that, that there is no possibility of me finding that cache TODAY. I'd really like to be able to log a DNA so that when I pull up the cache again, I don't have to scratch my head wondering why I hadn't gotten the cache. Well, actually I do have a system in place now. I'm not running paperless yet so I make a note on the cache info sheet I have so when I look at it, lights come on but it's not on the official log for others to note.

 

Also, if two or more individual cachers are out caching together and we can't find a cache, we log one DNF under one account and just note that there were xx number of people looking. I don't personally feel that two or even three DNF's for the bunch of us is a good way to go. I see lots of logs where each and every party to the caching trip logs their own DNF. It makes GSAK and the logs look like there's been multiple DNF's when in fact there weren't.