Caches to Exclude from Statistics and Souvenirs

[Moun10Bike]

I've just finished compiling a list of all caches that I know of that should be excluded from statistics (the distance- and state- or country-based ones) and souvenirs. These have been compiled from existing bookmark lists, my own experiences, and emails and other direct messages from cachers. The list lives here:

 

• Caches Excluded from Statistics and Souvenirs

I've also just finished adding all of these to our master list in the database. This means that if your statistics have incorrectly indicated a state you've never been to or showed a traveling cache as your most distant find when you actually found it just down the street, your stats should now be correct. Souvenirs are unfortunately not calculated dynamically, so those that have already been released will not be affected by this change. You are welcome to email contact@geocaching.com asking to have any souvenirs removed that you have not been correctly awarded.

 

Do you know of any other caches that should be included in this list? Keep in mind that locationless caches are already excluded as a class from souvenirs and statistics, so they will not be added. We will also not be adding any caches with what I call "alternative" logging practices (e.g. long-distance paired multicaches that encourage the finder of a cache in city A to log the matching cache in city B without ever visiting city B, etc.).

 

Thanks!

[+addisonbr]

I don't have anything to add right now, but thanks for being proactive on this Moun10Bike. A shared bookmark list is a great idea.

[+Avernar]

GC7572 Brogan's Caching Karma Stick is not on the list.

[Moun10Bike]

GC7572 Brogan's Caching Karma Stick is not on the list.

 

Added - thanks!

[GOF and Bacall]

GC7572 Brogan's Caching Karma Stick is not on the list.

 

Nope, it's in my back hall right now.

[+JPatton]

Can you add this one to the list? http://coord.info/GCG76G A drug stash was found in the area, the owner archived it and changed the coordinates to all zero's. It really messing up my stats.

 

Thanks.

[Moun10Bike]

Can you add this one to the list? http://coord.info/GCG76G A drug stash was found in the area, the owner archived it and changed the coordinates to all zero's. It really messing up my stats.

 

Thanks.

 

Thanks - I've corrected the coordinates to what they appear to have been originally.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Would suggest Pennsylvania NGS Benchmark Recovery Cache . Wouldn't affect states, but might affect distance, and counties.

 

I thank you kind sir! My stats look much better with furthest cache in Florida, nad furthest west in Kentucky!

Edited January 20, 2011 by Harry Dolphin

[+Corfman Clan]

Perhaps Photograph Arizona should be on the list too.

[Moun10Bike]

Would suggest Pennsylvania NGS Benchmark Recovery Cache . Wouldn't affect states, but might affect distance, and counties.

 

I thank you kind sir! My stats look much better with furthest cache in Florida, nad furthest west in Kentucky!

 

Added, and my pleasure!

[Moun10Bike]

Perhaps Photograph Arizona should be on the list too.

 

Added - thanks!

[+TerraViators]

What a great list! Pardom me if this is off-topic, but how does a geocacher know where to find a traveling cache? Or is just by luck and knowing what you've found?

[+JL_HSTRE]

1) Great list - thanks for compiling this! I wonder if this should be stickied because I'm sure a month from now this thread will die off then someone will ask again...

 

2) Is there any reason why the 'pretty much a locationless' caches aren't just changed to actual Locationaless Caches?

 

3) I wish Moving Caches had their own icon.

 

how does a geocacher know where to find a traveling cache? Or is just by luck and knowing what you've found?

 

Get lucky when one of them shows up at an Event near you. I didn't realize they still existed until one showed up near me because TeamSnook is bring it to Cacheapalooza 5.

[+addisonbr]

What a great list! Pardom me if this is off-topic, but how does a geocacher know where to find a traveling cache? Or is just by luck and knowing what you've found?

Some of the "true" traveling caches (i.e., the ones that aren't just lugged around to events for everyone to sign) I keep on my watchlist so that if they turn up nearby I have a shot at running out and grabbing them.

[+msrubble]

8th Anniversary of CITO in MN (available ANY day). Name changes periodically.

 

It's a grandfathered "log it anywhere in Minnesota" CITO event cache. So it is in Minnesota, but could give misleading ideas on distance.

 

[edited to add:] Huh, it's already there. Why couldn't I find it when I searched for the GC code?

Edited January 20, 2011 by msrubble

[Moun10Bike]

8th Anniversary of CITO in MN (available ANY day). Name changes periodically.

 

It's a grandfathered "log it anywhere in Minnesota" CITO event cache. So it is in Minnesota, but could give misleading ideas on distance.

 

Added - thanks!

[Moun10Bike]

2) Is there any reason why the 'pretty much a locationless' caches aren't just changed to actual Locationaless Caches?

 

I thought it would be a good idea to do that for accuracy's sake, but when I tried it with "Four Windows" a couple of weeks ago, the outrage from the community was pretty resounding.

 

3) I wish Moving Caches had their own icon.

 

Won't happen unless Jeremy changes his mind.

[+NOSNOW]

How about GC1965 - One Flew over the Cuckoo´s Nest

[Moun10Bike]

How about GC1965 - One Flew over the Cuckoo´s Nest

 

Already in the list!

[+Caped Crusader]

Here's another one for the list. GCDB76 JAC0B's MOVING Cache #3. Sorry I can't post the link from my phone and thanks for all of your work.

 

CC

[+Isonzo Karst]

GC36F3 Meet with your Government Agents

 

Listed as an Event, operated as a Locationless, type changed to Virt somewhere along the way.

[+Isonzo Karst]

GCF2A3 Langenstein

 

Like 4 Windows, this is a couch potato virtual, email the owner with "what's at the coords" to log.

[Moun10Bike]

Here's another one for the list. GCDB76 JAC0B's MOVING Cache #3. Sorry I can't post the link from my phone and thanks for all of your work.

 

CC

 

Thanks, but that one's already in the list!

[Moun10Bike]

GC36F3 Meet with your Government Agents

 

Listed as an Event, operated as a Locationless, type changed to Virt somewhere along the way.

 

Thanks - added!

[Moun10Bike]

GCF2A3 Langenstein

 

Like 4 Windows, this is a couch potato virtual, email the owner with "what's at the coords" to log.

 

Added!

[+niraD]

2) Is there any reason why the 'pretty much a locationless' caches aren't just changed to actual Locationaless Caches?

I thought it would be a good idea to do that for accuracy's sake, but when I tried it with "Four Windows" a couple of weeks ago, the outrage from the community was pretty resounding.

The problem with couch potato caches is that they aren't really locationless caches. They aren't really virtual caches either, but Groundspeak doesn't have a "couch potato" cache type, so there isn't a way to identify them correctly.

 

Given that they can't be identified correctly, the choice is based on side effects. The side effect of listing them as virtual caches is that they seem to have a location, which screws with statistics until Groundspeak flags them so they're ignored for statistical purposes. The side effect of listing them as locationless is that some newcomers get the locationless icon long after locationless caches were archived and locked, and the statistics of others who logged couch potato virtual caches are changed. That's what brought the complaints.

[+addisonbr]

The side effect of listing them as locationless is that some newcomers get the locationless icon long after locationless caches were archived and locked

That was classic dog in a manger.

[+The Seanachai]

GCGPA6 - Postpigeon Race #9 (Yellow) Old moving cache.

[Moun10Bike]

GCGPA6 - Postpigeon Race #9 (Yellow) Old moving cache.

 

Added - thanks!

[+JPatton]

Another moving cache: http://coord.info/GCD4AE

[Moun10Bike]

Another moving cache: http://coord.info/GCD4AE

 

Thanks - I've added that cache along with the other formerly traveling caches in that series.

[+BoMS]

GC19GK9 Digging a very deep hole is already on your list, but is listed as a traveling cache. It's not traveling - it's a mystery with great distance between listed and actual coordinates.

[+edscott]

Although "Four Windows" GCF55A is on the master list and no longer affects my latitude stats, it still gives me Germany on my visited countries map. Was this statistic supposed to have been eliminated by the original fix?

[Moun10Bike]

GC19GK9 Digging a very deep hole is already on your list, but is listed as a traveling cache. It's not traveling - it's a mystery with great distance between listed and actual coordinates.

 

Thanks, I've corrected that.

[Moun10Bike]

Although "Four Windows" GCF55A is on the master list and no longer affects my latitude stats, it still gives me Germany on my visited countries map. Was this statistic supposed to have been eliminated by the original fix?

 

The map to which you refer is not being generated by us; it is coming from MyGeocachingProfile.com which is simply reading what is present in the GPX file you uploaded there. When we roll out our own maps at the next release, Four Windows will be ignored and you will not see Germany on your map.

[+Avernar]

Looks like something went wrong with the exclusion list. I just got the British Columbia souvenir for Bernie's Travelling Geocache.

[+Harry Dolphin]

They seem to be excluded from distance, but not from veneers. Oh, well. At least my distances are correct. So, I have strange decorative artwork? Oh, well.

[+Corp Of Discovery]

Here are a few I've found that aren't on your list:

 

www.wherespo.com

KLINGON BIRD of PREY Micro-Traveler

Now You See It, Now You Don't(moves within a limited area)

 

Hmmm, in addition to those three I've also found 5 others already on the list:

 

The Corps of Discovery, Moving Target, Photographer's Cache: Chicago Style, The Photographer's Cache III & Geocaching Nut Traveling Cache.

 

Think I'll try and track down a couple of more and make it an even 10.

[+TwoCat]

Penndel Cache (archived) has tudes out in the ocean, causing Find Farthest East to show as Pennsylvania.

[Moun10Bike]

Here are a few I've found that aren't on your list:

 

www.wherespo.com

KLINGON BIRD of PREY Micro-Traveler

Now You See It, Now You Don't(moves within a limited area)

 

Hmmm, in addition to those three I've also found 5 others already on the list:

 

The Corps of Discovery, Moving Target, Photographer's Cache: Chicago Style, The Photographer's Cache III & Geocaching Nut Traveling Cache.

 

Think I'll try and track down a couple of more and make it an even 10.

 

Thanks! I've added the first two to the list; I'm leaving off the last one (for now) since it looks like it was always in the same general area (i.e. is unlikely to give in unwarranted souvenir or invalid most distant cache).

[Moun10Bike]

Penndel Cache (archived) has tudes out in the ocean, causing Find Farthest East to show as Pennsylvania.

 

Rather than add that one to the list, I've just corrected the coordinates to what they used to be.

[+Mr. 0]

How about GC350A Geographic Center - Bull's Eye in North Dakota? When I click on it, it comes back with an error page now, but it's essentially the same as GC3507. Both were formerly locationless caches.

[Moun10Bike]

How about GC350A Geographic Center - Bull's Eye in North Dakota? When I click on it, it comes back with an error page now, but it's essentially the same as GC3507. Both were formerly locationless caches.

 

Thanks! I've added that one to the list.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

We're a little confused. If Traveling Caches are against the guidelines, why do they continue to be published?

[+Isonzo Karst]

We're a little confused. If Traveling Caches are against the guidelines, why do they continue to be published?

 

You are confused - traveling cache aren't being published, haven't been for 8 years.

 

The purpose of this thread is to identify caches to exclude from statistics and souvenirs, usually because the posted coordinates on the cache page aren't close to where/what a cacher logged them.

 

Most of the caches on that list are from 2003 or earlier.

[+The Weasel]

I've just finished compiling a list of all caches that I know of that should be excluded from statistics (the distance- and state- or country-based ones) and souvenirs. These have been compiled from existing bookmark lists, my own experiences, and emails and other direct messages from cachers. The list lives here:

 

• Caches Excluded from Statistics and Souvenirs

I've also just finished adding all of these to our master list in the database. This means that if your statistics have incorrectly indicated a state you've never been to or showed a traveling cache as your most distant find when you actually found it just down the street, your stats should now be correct. Souvenirs are unfortunately not calculated dynamically, so those that have already been released will not be affected by this change. You are welcome to email contact@geocaching.com asking to have any souvenirs removed that you have not been correctly awarded.

 

Do you know of any other caches that should be included in this list? Keep in mind that locationless caches are already excluded as a class from souvenirs and statistics, so they will not be added. We will also not be adding any caches with what I call "alternative" logging practices (e.g. long-distance paired multicaches that encourage the finder of a cache in city A to log the matching cache in city B without ever visiting city B, etc.).

 

Thanks!

 

Anyway to change your mind about not allowing the locationless? A smiley is a smiley afterall

[+niraD]

Anyway to change your mind about not allowing the locationless? A smiley is a smiley afterall

I think you misunderstand. Old finds on locationless caches still count as a find, and still give you a smiley. But given the nature of locationless caches, it doesn't make sense to report statistics (or to award souvenirs) based on their locations.

[+The Weasel]

Anyway to change your mind about not allowing the locationless? A smiley is a smiley afterall

I think you misunderstand. Old finds on locationless caches still count as a find, and still give you a smiley. But given the nature of locationless caches, it doesn't make sense to report statistics (or to award souvenirs) based on their locations.

 

No I totally understand, what I am getting at is if you get a smiley for the cache type (even locationless), then you should get all the rewards that go with it. I look at it this way, did I meet all the qualifications when I logged the locationless caches...yes. I feel that since you claimed the cache the right way, it should count towards the new stats/maps/ and souvineers.

[+dfx]

No I totally understand, what I am getting at is if you get a smiley for the cache type (even locationless), then you should get all the rewards that go with it. I look at it this way, did I meet all the qualifications when I logged the locationless caches...yes. I feel that since you claimed the cache the right way, it should count towards the new stats/maps/ and souvineers.

 

But you can "find" locationless "caches" using locations anywhere on the globe. If you've "found" a locationless "cache" that's listed in Arizona using a location that's in Iowa, it doesn't make sense to give you the Arizona souvenir or show a found cache in Arizona for you, as you've never been there. The country/state/region designation of locationless "caches" is purely arbitrary. It would make more sense if it counted as a find in Iowa, but unfortunately the coordinate/region mapping is non-trivial.

Edited February 7, 2011 by dfx

[+edscott]

Here's a Locationless Cache that must not be on the list. It is giving me a Washington Souvenir that I do not really have.

GC9253