Response to NA?

[+Sunmill]

I have a geocache that has eluded several people, someone came along and filed a NA with the explanation that they felt it was trespassing.

I have ensured that the cache does not involve trespassing and I have verified that the cache is still in place and the coordinates are correct.

 

Myself and another cacher who did find it awhile back have replied that the cache is okay, is there anything else I need to to in response to the NA request?

[+narcissa]

Write an "owner maintenance" log that states you've checked the permission and it's okay, and that the cache is still there. You might want to contact the reviewer who published it, privately, to clarify how you have permission for the hide.

[+briansnat]

Judging from all of the DNFs and the fact you state it that it is so well hidden, perhaps the 2 star difficulty should be upped. The definition of 2 stars is "The average cache hunter would be able to find this in less than 30 minutes of hunting.". All of those DNFs tell me it's more difficult than that, probably 2.5 or maybe even 3 stars for difficulty.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Judging from all of the DNFs and the fact you state it that it is so well hidden, perhaps the 2 star difficulty should be upped. The definition of 2 stars is "The average cache hunter would be able to find this in less than 30 minutes of hunting.". All of those DNFs tell me it's more difficult than that, probably 2.5 or maybe even 3 stars for difficulty.

 

There also seems to be a question as to the accuracy of the coordinates. The cache might not be hidden on private property but the coordinates may be pointing to a place that is on private property. That's what appears to have happened to the person that posted the NA. If the location is such that you can't publish coordinates that ensures someone won't think the cache is on private property, then perhaps it *should* be archived.

 

 

[fendmar]

What does that yellow diamond sign say, and why would Google blur the information in street view?

 

I have a thing for signs now.

[+narcissa]

Cedar trees obscure GPS signals, so no matter how much you try to get a good GPS reading, the people finding it are going to have issues zeroing in on it. I agree with briansnat that the difficulty should be a little higher.

 

The "owner maintenance" log is a different type of log than the "note" log and you should use that whenever you're reporting maintenance on your cache.

[+Sunmill]

There USED to be a yellow "Use At Your Own Risk" sign but it has disappeared since I placed the cache. Hence the name

 

I keep checking the coordinates and have triple checked that they are accurate, you can see in satellite view that it is at the edge of the trees and not on private property. I will reconsider the difficulty rating, as a relatively new cacher I do not see it being more than a 2, especially with the hint provided. But with the DNFs I will bump it up a bit.

I appreciate the feedback as the NA really threw me off!

[+Bear and Ragged]

I keep checking the coordinates and have triple checked that they are accurate,

you can see in satellite view

that it is at the edge of the trees and not on private property.

 

DON'T trust 'satellite view' for your coordinates...

Edited June 9, 2014 by Bear and Ragged

[+dprovan]

An NA is input, so take it as a friendly comment and respond in kind, and definitely with an owner maintenance log.

 

If there's some clear demarcation that divides this hypothetical private property from where the cache is, make sure to describe it so even if people don't get a decent signal -- or if it turns out that your coordinates aren't as good as you think they are -- everyone knows that the cache isn't in that off limits place.

 

A hard find should never be hard because it's hard to locate GZ, so help people out by getting them searching the right area even if the signal isn't too good there.

[team tisri]

If the cache isn't in the private property you could always put something on the cache page to say something like "please do not enter the private property, you don't need to trespass to find the cache". Then post Owner Maintenance to say you've checked the coordinates, the cache is present and correct and not on the private land, and you've updated the cache page.

[+Sagefox]

I keep checking the coordinates and have triple checked that they are accurate...

 

What are you checking the accuracy with? If you are using only a cell phone it would be good to get one or two people with gpsr units to confirm. It is not uncommon for cell phone coordinates to be off by a substantial bit.

[+redsox_mark]

I could consider adding a hint and/or some additional waypoints. If there is a route which avoids the private property the waypoints could help.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I'd zap the NA log and move on.

I don't think the reviewer will have a problem with it....I see its a 2 1/2, that may be fine, lots have found it and some said co-ords were fine. DNF's have a way of perpetuating by poisoning the mind of future seakers.

[+edscott]

I keep checking the coordinates and have triple checked that they are accurate,

you can see in satellite view

that it is at the edge of the trees and not on private property.

 

DON'T trust 'satellite view' for your coordinates...

 

But if the GPS and the Satellite agree they tend to verify each other. The satellite image says it is less than 2 meters off the edge of the road.

Edited June 11, 2014 by edscott

[+eightwednesday]

I would suggest going to the cache location with another cache (or meet another cacher there) and watch them try to find it. It might give you some insight into the number of DNFs. You could also see how far from your posted coordinates their device says the cache is. I've noticed that once you get about 5 DNFs in a row, people start pretty aggressively posting NA logs. Like a DNF, an NA is feedback. Just confirm the cache is in play and think about adjusting your D/T rating and the description or hints.

[+The A-Team]

I would suggest going to the cache location with another cache (or meet another cacher there) and watch them try to find it. It might give you some insight into the number of DNFs. You could also see how far from your posted coordinates their device says the cache is.

This has helped me in the past. After I've hidden a new cache, I'll later go back so my caching partner can find it. That gives me a great opportunity to see how the coordinates stack up, whether I've made something misleading or confusing in the description or hint (or omitted some critical piece of information), and how cachers might approach the hide in general. Several times I've taken new coordinates or otherwise modified the listing to improve it after such a visit. It can give great insight into the mindset of the cachers coming to look for your cache.

[+SwineFlew]

If any of my caches take most people into private property even the cache isn't on private property, I would archived it. BTW, if the owner of the property go straight to GS, it will get archived in a hurry.

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

Why is it so hard for people to understand this private/public property things. Maybe I've been lucky and had quality cachers find my cache and fellow cacher's trail that are right on the edge of private property and have had ZERO issue. I also have never had any issue finding caches on the edge of private property. Bottomline, if it mentioned and clearly marked, shouldn't be an issue.

 

Don't forget, you can also DELETE logs. I had to do this once with some people that tried to associate an area falsely with gang activity (they are were just paranoid and uninformed).

[+Sagefox]

I have a geocache that has eluded several people...

 

Reading all the logs on this cache page tells me there is a problem with satellite reception or with the posted coordinates, or both. There was trouble originally and no one has found it since you updated the location. You also said that you didn't know why it was so hard to get good coordinates.

 

You say the coordinates are accurate but have you tested it with a mix of gps units and smartphones?

 

GPS accuracy is variable and changes by the hour and as the weather changes and smartphones can compound the problem. When reception is inconsistent and not reliable then it is usually better to place a bit larger cache that is more intuitive to find or add a more specific hint.

 

I don't believe that you intended this cache to be so hard to find because the cache page says it should be a quick park and grab. But I have to say that it is confusing that this park and grab has a difficulty rating of 2.5.

 

I have ensured that the cache does not involve trespassing...

 

Your cache description does not say this. It would be very helpful to clearly state on your page that the cache is not beyond the no trespassing signs or that searchers do not need to trespass. The reviewers will want to feel confident that this cache is not encouraging folks to trespass.

 

Myself and another cacher who did find it awhile back have replied that the cache is okay,...

 

It is best not to expect that people will search through the logs for this information. Geocachers with gps units and PDAs often only have the last five logs to look at.

 

is there anything else I need to do in response to the NA request?

 

I would suggest posting a Note that you are reviewing the site conditions for gps accuracy and to see if a more specific hint or more obvious hide might be appropriate.

 

The reviewers mainly want to know that you are doing something about it and they will give you time to make adjustments.

 

Good luck!