Disabled Caches

[+Berta Nick Zoey]

If a cache is in a fairly easy to get to location I think the owner should only have a certain amount of time to repair/replace the cache before GC should archive it.

[Keystone]

Please describe how you would automate the process for defining "fairly easy to get to location" so that only those caches are automatically archived after the prescribed time limit has expired.

[+Berta Nick Zoey]

If archiving disabled caches isnt something that GS could or would want to do, then perhaps if disabled caches didnt show up on maps that are accessed from cache pages. Im aware that queries can be used to eliminate disabled caches. However, when looking at the maps and seeing shaded caches for over 6 months, Im guessing that the cache isnt going to get fixed any time soon.

[+dakboy]

If archiving disabled caches isnt something that GS could or would want to do, then perhaps if disabled caches didnt show up on maps that are accessed from cache pages. Im aware that queries can be used to eliminate disabled caches. However, when looking at the maps and seeing shaded caches for over 6 months, Im guessing that the cache isnt going to get fixed any time soon.

So log a Needs Archived on the cache & let the local reviewer & cache owner work it out.

[+Berta Nick Zoey]

Im quite sure that in our area, the reviewers arent plentiful enough to have time to deal with this. Im guessing that if theres caches that have been disabled for 6 months or more, in most cases, the owner has either lost interest, forgotten, or doesnt care.

[+Lil Devil]

Im quite sure that in our area, the reviewers arent plentiful enough to have time to deal with this.

They may not have time to proactively go looking for disabled caches to attend to, but if you post a "Needs Archived" log it will get emailed to your reviewer and he/she can then deal with it. It really doesn't take much extra time once it's brought to their attention.

[AZcachemeister]

If a cache is in a fairly easy to get to location I think the owner should only have a certain amount of time to repair/replace the cache before GC should archive it.

 

Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances.

 

In our area, caches are actively being scanned for 'Needs Maintenance' logs that have gone unanswered for 'a time' (in some cases less than a month) and are being disabled by a reviewer.

 

If the owner fails to react in some way...at least a note explaining their intent to do something...in four weeks the cache is archived.

 

In a few cases, even though there was some valid reason for the cache to remain disabled for an extended period due to circumstances beyond the owner's control (read construction in the area, not safe to visit here), caches are getting archived. Naturally they can be un-archived if the owner is still interested in the location once the construction is finished 'if they still meet the guidelines etc...'.

[AZcachemeister]

Just after I wrote the above, I happened to visit the page for a cache in Texas that has needed maintenance since 2007.

I guess you could say there are regional differences.

[jholly]

Im quite sure that in our area, the reviewers arent plentiful enough to have time to deal with this.

They may not have time to proactively go looking for disabled caches to attend to, but if you post a "Needs Archived" log it will get emailed to your reviewer and he/she can then deal with it. It really doesn't take much extra time once it's brought to their attention.

 

but some reviewers don't.

 

Jim

[+Knight2000]

Im quite sure that in our area, the reviewers arent plentiful enough to have time to deal with this.

They may not have time to proactively go looking for disabled caches to attend to, but if you post a "Needs Archived" log it will get emailed to your reviewer and he/she can then deal with it. It really doesn't take much extra time once it's brought to their attention.

 

but some reviewers don't.

 

Jim

I have noticed that.

[+fizzymagic]

If archiving disabled caches isnt something that GS could or would want to do, then perhaps if disabled caches didnt show up on maps that are accessed from cache pages.

You know that disabled caches are a different color on the map pages, right? They are gray inside instead of white. So it's easy to tell them apart from the active ones.

[+Berta Nick Zoey]

Yes, I am aware that the disabled caches are grey and that there is a line through them in the list. However, when planning a route for a days caching its frustrating to move the curser around trying to avoid the disabled caches. Plus, if the list didnt have the lined out caches, then scrolling though said list would be easier.

 

What really brought this to my attention was 2 days ago, I wanted to go and cache in a certain area 10 miles from home. out of 20-25 caches on the map, 4-5 were disabled. So, I took a look to see how long they had been this way. If a cache is disabled and the notes show that the CO is aware and is working on it is one thing. But, I saw one cache that had been disable since December of 2008.

 

Something tells me that this CO either doesnt care, got out of the hobby, or maybe the CO is physically not able to remedy the situation.

 

I guess I will take a more proactive part in 'letting' the reviewers in my area know about these caches that are 4+ months on the DL.

[+dakboy]

I guess I will take a more proactive part in 'letting' the reviewers in my area know about these caches that are 4+ months on the DL.

Some reviewers have a very large area to cover (there are only 2 dedicated reviewers, AFAIK, for all of New York) & if they were to actively check up on every disabled cache on a regular basis, they'd probably spend many, many hours every day on it. A friendly nudge would probably be appreciated.

 

Usually if I see something sitting Disabled for a long time, I'll drop my reviewer a note to say "can you check up on this cache?" If it was the reviewer who disabled the cache, I'll say "did you ever hear back from the CO on this one?"

 

In cases where a cache has been in dire need of maintenance for a long time, I've been to the cache location & confirmed what others have said about the cache (or lack of a cache), and the CO has shown no sign of activity since before the NM was logged, I'll jump straight to logging a Needs Archived.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Since you're a premium member, what I do is to use GSAK to eliminate all disabled caches from my POI. Then I don't have that problem.

[+ZeroHecksGiven]

I thought I had replied to this once, but I guess not.

 

Anyways, last time I looked on my map(not a prem member) and saw the disabled ones. I wrote notes on about 6 of them close to me and said something along the lines of, "this is a great location, any chance of getting this cache back up and running? If you're not interested or don't have time, I'd be willing to adopt "

 

I got a reply back to one cache and it's already back up, the others are still disabled and I never heard back. I'll probably check back in a couple of weeks and file needs archived logs or whatever I need to do and then place new caches out in the couple I really dig. Lot of ground work, but since they're all within 10 miles or so, not a big deal and I can always get them later if they are re-enabled.

 

edit: by the way, thanks for the ammo cans, waiting on some goods from eBay before I place any of them(met you at wendys)

Edited September 3, 2009 by NWCREW