Noob smorgasbord of questions

[+Rabid_Dingo]

I have several questions if I may pile them up int one thread...(I'll underline them for the TL:DR crowd)

 

I just re-started this season and began to clear out the closest caches to me. There are a couple of dominant Cache owners that

have a multitude of caches around me. One cache I found was in need of maintenance and I offered to cover it for him. (Since the

enthusiasm of an FNG is still alive and well.) but after finding a couple that needed maintenance, I wonder what the perceptions

would be if I keep reporting every "Needs Maintenance" So, what is the etiquette on maintenance? Do I offer to cover it each

time? or do I call the owner out and say do a maintenance run on your caches?

 

I thought I read "Don't use gel pens." Is that the recommendation and why? Of the handful of logs I have encountered, if any

were damp or moist, stamps bled and some ink bled but a lot was still readable.

 

Log replacement etiquette, when is it Ok to replace or does one just amend? Or do the limitations of space determine the

need? If one replaces the log, what is to be done with the full log? Or tying back to the maintenance question, if the log is

damp/wet/unusable do you amend/replace the log then?

 

Sorry if it is a barrage of questions , thanks for reading and responding.

[+The_Incredibles_]

1) Post Needs Maintenance on individual caches as needed. I would keep it short, simple and stick to the facts. Some cache owners certainly deserve a "why don't you get off your bum and go fix up your &*)&*P_*(& caches", but I don't think you'd get a positive response.

 

2) No clue. I use Rite in the Rain pens myself.

 

3) If there's space for new and old logs, then keep both. If not, then take the old log with you and make a note letting the cache owner know you have it if they want it. I've replaced tons of logs for people and nobody has ever wanted them back, but I still think it's polite to offer to return it. If the log is damp due to a crappy container, there's no point in replacing the log. If however it's damp due to morons opening the cache in the rain, then, by all means, do a public service and replace it. I personally carry a selection of replacement logs, 2 micro sizes on Rite in the Rain paper and small notebooks for larger caches.

Edited April 14, 2013 by The_Incredibles_

[+stijnhommes]

1) I would offer log replacement on great caches or caches that are far from civilization. In the first case you keep a good cache alive, in the second you can spare the CO a long trip to do the replacement themselves.

I would NOT replace every log I come across that needs it as it doesn't keep the owner accountable. You have to let some caches die if the owner doesn't perform maintenance to open the location up for people who will do maintenance.

 

2) I could be wrong, but I think gel pens bleed more than others. I haven't seen such recommendation before.

 

3) Only take the old log if you have an intention to return it to the owner. The log is theirs after all.

[+L0ne.R]

What's nice to do is let a cache owner know a logbook (or sheet) is almost full. Give them a heads up that in a week or 2 the log will need replacing.

 

If it's a micro/nano, it's unlikely that the CO cares about the log. Personally I would never bother replacing one unless the cache were creative and the CO is generally conscientious about maintenance. I agree with only taking the log if you are prepared to return it either physically or electronically (by scanning the scroll).

 

Swag size caches with real logbooks (not logsheets - I doubt COs that use sheets care about the log) - I say, leave the logbook and add a sheet of paper, enough to tide the cache over for a couple of weeks. Mention the full log in your Found It log. If there are already multiple mentions of a full log but nobody has posted an NM, post the NM.

 

As a CO, I keep all of my full logbooks. I currently have 3 shoeboxes full. If someone took a logbook I'd ask them to return it to the container. If they won't, I'd ask for an electronic copy. I put a little yellow sticky note in the logbook on the 2nd last sheet asking people to let me know the log is almost full.

[+L0ne.R]

I hadn't heard that gel pens are a problem. I usually use a fine-point sharpie marker because they will write on damp paper. But I sometimes feel guilty about using those because they bleed through the paper.

[GPS-Hermit]

I usually try and ask the CO if he knows there is a problem with the caches and offer to help out. If no response then just do whatever make sense to you. Abandoned caches are becoming more of a problem in my area. If I like them I just fix them up and keep them going. If need be the approvers are always there to shut an abandon cache down making the space available for an active cache owner. Always give it plenty of time before assuming it is abandoned - some are away for extended periods of time but have great caches.

Edited April 14, 2013 by GPS-Hermit

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

Always give it plenty of time before assuming it is abandoned - some are away for extended periods of time but have great caches.

 

Things have been slow here so I will ask. Is there a double standard on maintenance turn-around-time on great caches? I know I'm guilty.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Always give it plenty of time before assuming it is abandoned - some are away for extended periods of time but have great caches.

 

Things have been slow here so I will ask. Is there a double standard on maintenance turn-around-time on great caches? I know I'm guilty.

 

Those away 'serving their country' may not be able to respond to a Needs Maintenance log within 'a week or two' so may need a little leeway.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Bear and Ragged

[+Rabid_Dingo]

Thanks for the responses. I am just concerned that since I am surrounded I will

predominantly log my nearest caches. I live in rural Colorado and they are mostly

FC's, the busted ones are sun dried. Some wrapped in tape of sorts.

 

Like I said, so far, it is two but I hazard a guess that more could be in the same

condition. I don't mean to throw anyone under the bus, I am just looking ahead for

myself. I want to make sure that if I go on a daily streak and find a pile of them

that it doesn't look like I am looking for busted caches to whine about.

 

At the same time I am looking for different CO's to mix it up a bit.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

Thanks for the responses. I am just concerned that since I am surrounded I will

predominantly log my nearest caches. I live in rural Colorado and they are mostly

FC's, the busted ones are sun dried. Some wrapped in tape of sorts.

 

Like I said, so far, it is two but I hazard a guess that more could be in the same

condition. I don't mean to throw anyone under the bus, I am just looking ahead for

myself. I want to make sure that if I go on a daily streak and find a pile of them

that it doesn't look like I am looking for busted caches to whine about.

 

At the same time I am looking for different CO's to mix it up a bit.

 

Understandable. Keep in mind that folks preferences differ. We would like to hide more (only have 2), but having busted caches out there would freak us out (a little OCD). We couldn't imagine having 50 caches out there that we couldn't keep in great shape. Infact we just got back from a maintenance run tonight even though no one has visited since our last maintenance. Added swag to a cache that already had more than 99% of the caches we find. However, if everyone was like us, there would only be like 200,000 caches world wide instead of 2 million. It takes all kinds to keep this game interesting.

[+Cardinal Red]

I hadn't heard that gel pens are a problem. I usually use a fine-point sharpie marker because they will write on damp paper. But I sometimes feel guilty about using those because they bleed through the paper.

 

Gel pens DO bleed quite a bit, but they also do a great job of leaving your mark on soaked logs. That is not a problem for me. I use a RED one quite often. The problem is that thoroughly wet logs are becoming more the norm than the exception. And the huge number of cache placers (they don't deserve to be called owners) that ignore them. If they don't care enough to maintain their logs, they are not going to do anything about my fuzzy red "signatures".

[AZcachemeister]

So, what is the etiquette on maintenance? Do I offer to cover it each

time? or do I call the owner out and say do a maintenance run on your caches?

 

"Don't use gel pens." Is that the recommendation and why?

 

Log replacement etiquette, when is it Ok to replace or does one just amend? Or do the limitations of space determine the

need? If one replaces the log, what is to be done with the full log? Or tying back to the maintenance question, if the log is

damp/wet/unusable do you amend/replace the log then?

 

Sorry if it is a barrage of questions , thanks for reading and responding.

[/font]

 

1) If you can help with maintenance, by all means please do.

If the cache needs maintenance you are not ready to do, say so in your log.

If others have mentioned the issue, but nothing has been done in a reasonable amount of time, post a 'Needs Maintenance' log.

If someone else has posted a 'Needs Maintenance' log, but nothing has been done in a reasonable amount of time, post a 'Needs Archived' log.

 

2) The owner wants to dictate what type of pen I should use?

If so, they should provide their pen of preference in the cache for me to use.

If the problem is bleeding/running ink due to leakage and a damp/wet log, the CO should use a better container.

 

3) If there is room for another log (in a small baggie for it's protection), I will leave one.

If there is no room for a new log, I attempt to find a bit of room to sign anyway.

I may resort to signing over another illegible signature if necessary.

If the log is a soggy mass of pulp I say so and post a 'Needs Maintenance' in addition to my 'Found It' log.

I agree with (and appreciate it when others do) that one should mention the log has X number of remaining spaces as L0ne R suggests.

OTOH, I have been seriously annoyed to get a log mentioning 'the log is full', and arrived to find the other side of the logsheet is completely blank.

[+Rabid_Dingo]

2) The owner wants to dictate what type of pen I should use?

 

No, I just thought I had read that somewhere. Not in a specific location.

[+The_Incredibles_]

OTOH, I have been seriously annoyed to get a log mentioning 'the log is full', and arrived to find the other side of the logsheet is completely blank.

 

I had this maddening experience also. I rushed out to my fake-bolt cache to replace the tiny log and there was still tons of blank space. Some people don't know what 'log full' means.

[+Don_J]

I hadn't heard that gel pens are a problem. I usually use a fine-point sharpie marker because they will write on damp paper. But I sometimes feel guilty about using those because they bleed through the paper.

 

Gel pens DO bleed quite a bit, but they also do a great job of leaving your mark on soaked logs. That is not a problem for me. I use a RED one quite often. The problem is that thoroughly wet logs are becoming more the norm than the exception. And the huge number of cache placers (they don't deserve to be called owners) that ignore them. If they don't care enough to maintain their logs, they are not going to do anything about my fuzzy red "signatures".

 

Which leads to another problem. Cachers become accustomed to wet logs as the norm. I happened to be driving by and checked on one of my caches the other day. Somehow, the log got wet, (it shouldn't), and it was in bad condition. Not one report from the last few finders. I guess people are so used to wet logs and the fact that most owners ignore it that they don't even bother to mention it any longer.