How do I mark my geocache with a GC code?

[+-CJ-]

According to the guidelines:

 

To avoid confusion and alarm when a cache is discovered accidentally, clearly label it as a "geocache" and include the GC code on the outside of the container.

 

It seems obvious to me that when I place a geocache I don't know its GC code. The code is assigned only when the cache listing is published.

 

Please explain me the meaning of this guideline.

[+TriciaG]

You get the GC code when you submit it, not when it's published. If you place it before making the cache listing, you can go back and label the cache after you make the listing.

Edited February 8, 2014 by TriciaG

[Keystone]

Set up your cache listing page as a "draft," filling in whatever information you know, such as approximate coordinates, cache name, etc. When you are done with the cache report form, your page will be assigned a GC Code. Use that GC Code to label your container and/or logbook. Leave the cache "disabled" so that it is not submitted for review. Your volunteer cache reviewer will not see the listing in their queue of pending review work, but it WILL show up as a work in progress if someone else submits a cache nearby to your coordinates, when the reviewer checks for cache saturation issues.

 

You can return to your page later to edit it with all the actual details and exact coordinates. Submit the page for review when ready.

[+-CJ-]

In the text titled "Hiding Your First Geocache" it's clearly said:

 

Step 3 - Placing Your Cache

Step 4 - Submitting Your Cache

 

Step by step. First place your cache. Then submit it. There's not a word saying that I should "half-submit" some raw listing before placing my container or visit the hiding place twice to follow the guidelines.

[Keystone]

Feel free to ignore my advice, and follow the "Hiding Your First Geocache" instructions step-by-step if it makes you happy. You can always add the GC Code on the cache container and/or log when you make your first maintenance visit.

[+Bear and Ragged]

In the text titled "Hiding Your First Geocache" it's clearly said:

 

Step 3 - Placing Your Cache

Step 4 - Submitting Your Cache

 

Step by step. First place your cache. Then submit it. There's not a word saying that I should "half-submit" some raw listing before placing my container or visit the hiding place twice to follow the guidelines.

 

Step 2 - Preparing Your Cache

Cache Containers

 

Whatever the container, make sure to clearly identify your cache as a geocache. Most geocachers mark the cache container with the words "Official Geocache," the name of the cache, and appropriate contact information. The more information you can provide, the better.

[+-CJ-]

So, Bear and Ragged, do you mean that the guideline "include the GC code on the outside of the container" is not a must but an option?

[+Bear and Ragged]

They are Guidelines.

 

And from the page you linked to it does further say

 

Other Placement Considerations

 

Select an appropriate location and container.

Label your geocache.

 

To avoid confusion and alarm when a cache is discovered accidentally, clearly label it as a "geocache" and include the GC code on the outside of the container. Transparent containers help to show that the contents are harmless. If the container has any military markings, we recommend permanently covering these or removing them. Include a printed "cache note" inside your cache to explain what it is and to provide a brief description of geocaching.

 

In the Guidelines... Doesn't say "You Must"

But I mark the GC number on mine anyway.

 

Do agree, it should say how you find out the caches GC number before submitting the cache for review. (Or even hiding it!)

[+hzoi]

I have only put the GC code on a few of our caches over the years. While it is probably helpful for people who find it by accident, it's not really needed for geocachers who are seeking it out.

[+Chief301]

In the text titled "Hiding Your First Geocache" it's clearly said:

 

Step 3 - Placing Your Cache

Step 4 - Submitting Your Cache

 

Step by step. First place your cache. Then submit it. There's not a word saying that I should "half-submit" some raw listing before placing my container or visit the hiding place twice to follow the guidelines.

 

Touchy, touchy.....you asked how to obtain a GC code to properly mark your container and several folks chimed in to tell you how. Don't shoot the messenger.

 

You're not "half submitting" a cache listing, you are just creating a cache page. You are not submitting it yet. Consider it a work in progress. Take a little time to write a good, interesting description and refine your coordinates.

 

And speaking of coordinates....you seem quite certain that hiding a cache only requires a single visit to the site to place the container and get coordinates, and seem averse to "visiting the site twice". In reality, you should plan on visiting the site two or three times before submitting your cache listing. Why? To ensure that you have the best, most accurate coordinates you can obtain. A single, momentary coordinate reading is liable to not be very accuarate. For best results you should obtain at least 2 or 3 readings, preferably on different days, and average this results. Set the device down on the spot and let it settle down at least a couple of minutes before you take your reading. Then come back another day and take another.

 

We're just trying to give you some helpful advice here. The best location, coolest container and most clever camouflage will fall flat if your coordinates are 50 feet off. And people WILL let you know about it.

[+-CJ-]

Thank you for your advices and opinions. I'm translating the guidelines from English into my language for the newbies around here. My interest in asking this question was to make all written guidelines as clear as possible before translation. My final goal is to translate them accurately so the result is easily understandable by a non-guru audience, no contradictions and/or vague wording. Since English is not my first language my task (one of them, actually) is to exclude all chances of misunderstanding before making any judgements. I thought there could be some article in a Help Center that I missed or I just gave some words in the guidelines some different meaning. Or, at last, there is always a chance that some guideline is obsolete. In this particular case - taking into account what have been seen there - I'm pretty much convinced that I made no mistakes in my translations by now. It's an issue with the source - the guidelines.

 

In the Guidelines... Doesn't say "You Must"

 

One of the reasons for me to ask this question was that there was a brief discussion among translators and it was suggested that the meaning of this very guideline was "you must".

 

I have only put the GC code on a few of our caches over the years.

 

I did that for none of my caches. I've seen very few caches with codes printed on their containers. It's typical and none seems to be bothered with the fact that guidelines aren't followed. Groundspeak itself sells nano containers that have no space to mark them as "official geocaches" and add a GC code as it is said in the guidelines. This is one of painful moments when the guidelines says "A" and the reality is "B" (and you may be asked by a newbie cacher why it is so).

[+TriciaG]

I think very few muggles are alarmed when they find a nano. They're going to be more alarmed when they find a regular, large, or even sometimes a small cache. On those it's possible to write "Official Geocache" on the outside.

 

That said, my 3 hides don't have this on the outside.

 

I read this guideline as more of a suggestion than a mandate.

[+RobDJr]

Thank you for your advices and opinions. I'm translating the guidelines from English into my language for the newbies around here. My interest in asking this question was to make all written guidelines as clear as possible before translation.

 

In the Guidelines... Doesn't say "You Must"

 

One of the reasons for me to ask this question was that there was a brief discussion among translators and it was suggested that the meaning of this very guideline was "you must".

 

 

In terms of translating from English, I would say that a "guideline" would be a "recommendation" or "suggestion".

 

If it were something that must be done, it should be called a rule or requirement or otherwise indicated as something that absolutely has to be complied with.

[+-CJ-]

RobDJr, I would agree if we translated a standalone word. However, geocaching guidelines include many mandatory conditions too so I would not call them "recommendations".