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I've read through the posts on the US forums. Interesting idea about registering your GS handle so that it can't be used by someone else on the new site.

 

If OC does get support in SA, what would worry me would be the proximity issues that would crop up if GS and OC caches were placed so close to each other that people started finding the wrong one. The suggestion is to cross post your GS caches to OC so that the area around your existing GS cache gets "reserved".

 

I'm interested to see how GS responds to this!

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in a nut shell i think garmin are just using open cCHING to boost their sales of handheld gpsr. I mean for goodness sake their mascot is called opie, everything they have said in their statment kind of seems to be a copy cat from garmin

 

Obviously they intenet to sell more units!!!! The interface is quie slick and not moderation!!!!! I have just added Cape Towns first 4 caches and see there are a number arround the country.

 

Adding your caches is simple and if you use GSAK you can just export a gpx file of your hides and import them. This puts them in to a draft state and you simple edit each one and activate. Instantly available.

 

OC recommends a proximity limit of .1 mile = 160m but does not enforce this - this could be a problem

 

It has a nice tagging system which does not limit you to a set of predefine tags - just make up your own for the cache - I guess a uniform set will arise out of common usage.

 

Pros

Great interface

Nice rating system - nice visual system

Tags are cool

Instant publication - no moderation

Nice map system to pic caches

Import your existing GC hides

Import your existing GC finds

 

Cons

No moderation - instant publication

Less users

Finder may only log on OC and not GC skewing your caches found stats

 

Thats just off the top of my head

 

I like it and it could be a nice extra tool - perhaps for that cache that is too close to a GC that GC will not publish - that cache you just have to place because the one there is lame!

 

We all say it is about the caching - well this is about the caching - we cache cause we love it - now there night be opportunity for more caching

 

When creating a cache you have the option to say it exists on another website and you could enter the GC code there - not sure ho wit handled imported caches - assume it flagged them as existing on an alternative website and took the GC code - which does not see to show up on the listings.

 

The result of my importing some finds was a bit wonky! Understandable;y it ignored caches that were not listed on OC and the one cache I hd found that I listed was correctly credited to me but the date found was wrong and so was the note . I just did a simple export from gsak - so you should obviously use only your own finds database populated just by the my finds PQ which only included your note (I think)

 

Just some notes as I was playing with the site that some of you may find useful

 

Trev

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For now I will also stay with GS.

 

I am a bit concerned the "Open"caching is run by Garmin. That does not sound very "open" to me.

 

I do hope though that this will force GS to open up their API to more 3rd party applications, as OC is allowing.

 

I see GSAK is already supporting the OC API in a some basic format.

 

Interesting times ahead!

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Question:

How would you feel / react if your caches were taken over to OC by someone else other then yourself?

 

This question is indeed just about the only reason I've signed up. That, and to reserve my username.

 

But I ran into problems uploading all my caches as a GPX file. OC tells me its done but I can't see them. Have emailed OC about the problem. Have yet to get a reply.

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Just added one. Just out of frustration really. Hidden a cache deep in a steep gorge, felt like it was miles from anywhere, only to find out it is 50m as the crow flies from a cache at the top of the gorge. Dont think I will ever get it published on GC.com.....so why not put it on OC?

Its Called Dark George

A FTF is out there.........

 

@CapeDoc - I pm'd you how to get this one published.

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Just added one. Just out of frustration really. Hidden a cache deep in a steep gorge, felt like it was miles from anywhere, only to find out it is 50m as the crow flies from a cache at the top of the gorge. Dont think I will ever get it published on GC.com.....so why not put it on OC?

Its Called Dark George

A FTF is out there.........

 

I'm in the same boat. Just spent a week in research for a new cache featuring an almost lost piece of Cape Town history, only to find on submission that it breaches the proximity guideline for the final of a multi that starts 3.8km away! How was I supposed to know that?

 

This is the second time in as many caches that I've had proximity problems. Has anyone any guidance for me, as I think I must be missing something about picking cache sites?

 

So despite the fact that I don't like intentionally flouting the rules, I equally don't want to see the effort I put into the research for this cache going to waste. And it's such a good bit of history too.

 

So I might just be tempted....

Edited by Gr8Scot
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I'm in the same boat. Just spent a week in research for a new cache featuring an almost lost piece of Cape Town history, only to find on submission that it breaches the proximity guideline for the final of a multi that starts 3.8km away! How was I supposed to know that ....

 

It is unfortunate, and the exception rather than the rule that the end of multi so far away would catch you out like that. Generally speaking though, if you have not already done the nearby cache, especially multies and puzzles, in an are you want to hide, then I've found a little research can go a long way. Contact the reviewer with your proposed final coordinates and ask if there are any collisions. He can say yes or no without giving anything away about other caches. You can also try contacting the owner of a nearby cache that you suspect might have a final or physical waypoint that will clash with your cache. Give them an approximate area and see if they will give you some idea of whether it will be a potential issue or not.

 

That said, this proposed cache sounds interesting and of some historic value. Is there no way you can move the final a little so it does not collide with another cache and then say something like "100m down the road you will find xyz". Or maybe have the final stage as a virtual waypoint at these coordinates, and point out that this is where you wanted the cache to be.

 

Just my 2c worth. Hope to see the cache soon.

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Agreed. A "Question to answer" part of a multi-stage does not have proximity issues, so take finders to your historical point of interest and let them collect an answer that takes you to the final. Not ideal, but a workaround of sorts.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. With some more effort I could probably do as suggested, although it's not ideal and feels a bit like cheating the system. Trouble is, I think I'm really going to battle to find anywhere nearby to put the final that won't clash. That's why I was so happy when I found the site originally. Oh well, just proves that the old "If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't" saying.

 

BTW, I just checked from my unpublished cache page, and the final in question belongs to a cache listed 4 PAGES away on the "show nearby caches" option! Not surprising I didn't expect that one to clash. It's a venerable highly rated cache on GCVote too, so in this case I'll gladly step back and try to find another solution.

 

This just illustrates the point of this thread though. The possibility of just giving up and publishing on Opencaching without a review process has, in my mind, serious implications should Garmin and GS not come to some sort of agreement. That's assuming that Opencaching takes hold of course. What concerns me is that Opencaching, by allowing upload of anyone's found list from a gpx file, could very quickly end up with masses of caches listed that they put no effort at all into helping create. Feels like theft to me.

 

Any thoughts on exactly what our legal rights to caches we place are? In the GS terms & conditions I've no doubt that we give GS the right to do what they will with the information we provide. But surely another company can't just take that information for themselves without the CO's permission? Any bets at to when the first US based CO sues Garmin for theft?

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But I ran into problems uploading all my caches as a GPX file. OC tells me its done but I can't see them. Have emailed OC about the problem. Have yet to get a reply.

If you log out and log back in again you will see your draft caches waiting for editing.

 

The trick here is to upload a GPX 1.0 file as they do not currently support GPX 1.1. Then logout and log back in as suggested.

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Any thoughts on exactly what our legal rights to caches we place are? In the GS terms & conditions I've no doubt that we give GS the right to do what they will with the information we provide. But surely another company can't just take that information for themselves without the CO's permission? Any bets at to when the first US based CO sues Garmin for theft?

 

Without going and reading through the entire TOC/TOU as I undertand it, the cacher retains intellectual copyright of the cache but grants GC unrestricted use of the details, but as far as I'm aware it does not say "exclusive" use. So you can use the information to submit the cache to other caching sites.

 

I don't know that you'll see any CO suing Garmin. Garmin will simply say its a different site and therefore, first come first serve. I suspect though, that once the novelty wares off, there may be a small nucleus of people using OC (as with other cache sites) but for the vast majority of us, we'll simply forget about it and continue on with GC.

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So, Dark George cache WAS turned down (understandably) due to proximity issues despite hectic motivation. So it looks like it will stay an OC cache. FTF still up for grabs.

 

Ah that seems a bit unfair

As far as I can guess, the proximity rule is to avoid a 2nd cache stealing anothers thunder, and 2 prevent 2 copy caches.

But GC shoud take elevation into account when applying the proximity rule. After all 2 caches 10m apart might actually take over an hour to get from one cache to the other and are thus 2 completly different caches.

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Ah that seems a bit unfair

As far as I can guess, the proximity rule is to avoid a 2nd cache stealing anothers thunder, and 2 prevent 2 copy caches.

But GC shoud take elevation into account when applying the proximity rule. After all 2 caches 10m apart might actually take over an hour to get from one cache to the other and are thus 2 completly different caches.

 

100% agree with this statement. As far as I understood, geographical terrain had to be taken into account, but recent experience also proved otherwise. Maybe the proximity guideline needs to be changed from 160m as the crow flies (currently) to 160m via the shortest possible walking route? Imagine two caches on either side of a harbour entrance less than 160m wide (e.g. Kalk Bay Harbour), so it's not only elevation that needs to be considered.

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I had a cache published in Joburg a few years back. Not sure if the guidelines or Reviewer tolerance was different then. The cache is now archived due to safety and muggle activity.

 

But it was closer than 160m from a previous cache that is still active - however it was in an adjacent nature reserve with no direct access from one to the other. The walking/driving distance from one cache to the other was a few km. Initially the reviewer (US based) refused the cache to be published.

 

when I explained the situation - he published it on the understanding that it was not accessible directly and was technically OK within the guidelines.

 

as I say - that was back in 2007 - so quite possibly not acceptable now.

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Pros

Great interface

Nice rating system - nice visual system

Tags are cool

Instant publication - no moderation

Nice map system to pic caches

Import your existing GC hides

Import your existing GC finds

 

Cons

No moderation - instant publication

Less users

Finder may only log on OC and not GS skewing your caches found stats

 

 

Maybe I missed something but realised that the OC do NOT support travellers (Coins or TBs).

 

What will happen when a cache is listed on both GS and OC and someone left a coin using GS in that cache and a person using OC only visits that cache and remove the coin (trading for a toy) and now keeps it because he cant log it into another cache that is only a OC cache?????

 

With some caches listed on both now this will be a major problem for our travellers!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited by RedGlobe
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Pros

Great interface

Nice rating system - nice visual system

Tags are cool

Instant publication - no moderation

Nice map system to pic caches

Import your existing GC hides

Import your existing GC finds

 

Cons

No moderation - instant publication

Less users

Finder may only log on OC and not GS skewing your caches found stats

 

 

Maybe I missed something but realised that the OC do NOT support travellers (Coins or TB’s).

 

What will happen when a cache is listed on both GS and OC and someone left a coin using GS in that cache and a person using OC only visits that cache and remove the coin (trading for a toy) and now keeps it because he can’t log it into another cache that is only a OC cache?????

 

With some caches listed on both now this will be a major problem for our travellers!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made mention of this before, but I will only hide micros as open caches, and only a few. I will refrain from hiding large containers on Opencaching for this very reason. Also I list the same cache on Geocaching.com so it can be linked for dipping. My concern is that some travellers will end up in an open cache and then there is a problem that it gets lost. But in the case of TB's there is clear marking that it can be tracked on Geocaching.com, which on the flip side may have many people who never knew of Geocaching.com flip over and realise that there is a bigger more organised site with thousands more geocaches out there.... I think that this will grow the number of geocachers substantially, and we may see a whole lot of new caches pop up all over... it can be a good thing coming... we just have to wait and see....

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