'other coordinate formats' link...

4.6k · October 23, 2015

Am I imagining things or below the coordinates on every cache page wasn't there a hyperlink to a page which would show those coordinates in other formats?

Today I don't see that link.

11.9k · October 23, 2015

wasn't there a hyperlink to a page which would show those coordinates in other formats?

It was titled "Other Conversions". I have that link saved and it goes to a "404 Not Found" page. So I guess this is being worked on. I last used the link just fine on 10/19/15.

14k · October 23, 2015

wasn't there a hyperlink to a page which would show those coordinates in other formats?

It was titled "Other Conversions". I have that link saved and it goes to a "404 Not Found" page. So I guess this is being worked on. I last used the link just fine on 10/19/15.

I saw this mentioned in another forum. I've used it quite a lot to help solve some puzzles which use different coordinates or to convert coordinates captured using Google Maps (right click on any spot on the map and click, "what's here", and it'll give you the coordinates in decimal degrees format).

Although there are external sites that will do coordinates conversion, this is someone that has been on the site for a long time I can't think of any reason why I would have been intentionally removed.

11.9k · October 23, 2015

I can't think of any reason why I would have been intentionally removed.

I can. Suppose there's some kind of change happening today behind the scenes, so the site function that converts coordinates is broken at this time. Maybe there's a software glitch, or even a server went down. The link was removed because it goes to that broken function. I'm guessing the repair is taking longer than anticipated.

I don't know why there was not a leetle news post, for example at the moment that the link was removed, that "the coordinate converter will be down for a short time". But I don't know why a lot of things are done the way they are.

Edited October 23, 2015 by kunarion

7.5k · October 23, 2015

It looks like we failed on communication of this change and for that we apologize. The plug-in that did that conversion was built on 32-bit code and we are trying to get the site up to full 64-bit code for security and performance reasons. We looked at the analytics for the conversion page and saw that it was only getting used around 100 times per day (which is quite small given our active user base), so we felt that it was safe to pull it. Obviously, we underestimated the impact this would have.

We are now in discussions on how to proceed. In the meantime, I would suggest that people try out some of the third-party conversion tools out there. My personal favorite is fizzymagic's FizzyCalc. For an online tool, I have used Earth Point.

4.6k · October 23, 2015

It looks like we failed on communication of this change and for that we apologize. The plug-in that did that conversion was built on 32-bit code and we are trying to get the site up to full 64-bit code for security and performance reasons. We looked at the analytics for the conversion page and saw that it was only getting used around 100 times per day (which is quite small given our active user base), so we felt that it was safe to pull it. Obviously, we underestimated the impact this would have.

We are now in discussions on how to proceed. In the meantime, I would suggest that people try out some of the third-party conversion tools out there. My personal favorite is fizzymagic's FizzyCalc. For an online tool, I have used Earth Point.

Thanks for the update

I personally found that feature rather handy - as much for converting coordinates from OUTSIDE geocaching.com into WGS84 degrees and decimal minutes format as anything.

I'd also be a bit worried that there's a bunch of puzzles which relied on that feature. Granted there are external sites that probably do the same thing but I reckon that would up the D rating on those puzzles by a point or so, and even render them unsolvable for less tech-savvy cachers.

11.9k · October 23, 2015

We looked at the analytics for the conversion page and saw that it was only getting used around 100 times per day

That was probably me, on a cache puzzle last week. :anicute:

For an online tool, I have used Earth Point.

That one is good! It's one of the few that doesn't require you to type parts of the coordinates into individual little boxes. Geocaching.com requires that in a bunch of places (and boy is that terrible for someone in the field on a tablet). That's the serious advantage of a link to click, where the coords are just converted for you without even copy/paste. But I can live with the other online tools. That link has several more conversions than the cache link had.

Edited October 23, 2015 by kunarion

October 24, 2015

It may be used only about 100 times a day, but that doesn't mean there are only 100 people using it. It's a versatile tool, even more so because it's so convenient to the cache page.

Earlier this year I published a geocaching lesson that explained some of the ways the conversion tool can be so helpful to someone solving puzzle caches: How Do I Solve These #@&% Puzzles?!! Coord Formats

I'll be very disappointed if the link disappears for good. Why can't it be kept?

15.5k · October 24, 2015

I'll be very disappointed if the link disappears for good. Why can't it be kept?

Here's what was said earlier:

The plug-in that did that conversion was built on 32-bit code and we are trying to get the site up to full 64-bit code for security and performance reasons.

October 24, 2015

They must still have some working function because if you go to submit cache or update coordinates log you can put in google acquired decimal degrees and it automaticaly converts to degrees and decimal minutes like it always has

4.6k · October 24, 2015

They must still have some working function because if you go to submit cache or update coordinates log you can put in google acquired decimal degrees and it automaticaly converts to degrees and decimal minutes like it always has

So the underlying conversion code is still there - and it's just that the link has been removed from the cache page?

We looked at the analytics for the conversion page and saw that it was only getting used around 100 times per day (which is quite small given our active user base), so we felt that it was safe to pull it.

Only 100 times a day? Good job it was just a coordinate conversion tool and not a bathroom :huh:

How many times a day would it need to be used for you just to have left it right there where it was as a service for those that do use it?

Or do you have something superior to squeeze into that tiny piece of screen real-estate?

Any chance we could have a list of the things that are likely to be just quietly pulled in the future?

October 24, 2015

I was dismayed to see there is suddenly no coordinate conversion link on the description pages! The navigation in our vehicle requires a conversion because it will not accept coordinates that Geocaching.com uses on the description pages. I am begging you to return the conversion link.

1.7k · October 25, 2015

I used this a lot. Several times a month. For many reasons besides solving puzzles. I wanted to use it tonight to figure out coordinates to a possible cache location to see if it was 0.1 mile away, before going out to the site to set it up and taking coordinates via the gps unit. I miss that link. Please bring it back.

22.2k · October 25, 2015

Here is another online coordinate conversion and mapping tool, which includes a bookmarklet feature.

11.9k · October 25, 2015

Here is another online coordinate conversion and mapping tool, which includes a bookmarklet feature.

Cool, that's a page I use for solving (and making) cache puzzles! But I never use that on my Android or iPad. That's more of a PC thing. :anicute:

In IE11, I was able to "bookmarklet" the link, but that it only brings up the web page, the form is not filled with the "selected coordinates". Right-click doesn't work, maybe I need to do this in another browser.

But how would the OP do any of that with a phone? I tried it on Android in the built-in browser and in Chrome, and don't see any way to make a "bookmarklet" that works. Chrome told me the link is too long or something.

For now, in an emergency in the field with my Droid only, I can select and copy a cache page's coords, then go to boulter.com, paste and convert, then view the converted coords (for manual entry into a finicky GPSr, for example). If I can instead tap & drag, that saves a couple of steps. But how?

Edited October 25, 2015 by kunarion

5.2k · October 25, 2015

This one is very handy as well:

http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/calculators

Hans

14k · October 26, 2015

They must still have some working function because if you go to submit cache or update coordinates log you can put in google acquired decimal degrees and it automaticaly converts to degrees and decimal minutes like it always has

So the underlying conversion code is still there - and it's just that the link has been removed from the cache page?

We looked at the analytics for the conversion page and saw that it was only getting used around 100 times per day (which is quite small given our active user base), so we felt that it was safe to pull it.

Only 100 times a day? Good job it was just a coordinate conversion tool and not a bathroom

How many times a day would it need to be used for you just to have left it right there where it was as a service for those that do use it?

Or do you have something superior to squeeze into that tiny piece of screen real-estate?

u

Any chance we could have a list of the things that are likely to be just quietly pulled in the future?

Moun10bike described it as a "plug-in" that was built using a 32 bit compiler. How hard would it be just to re-compile the source code with a 64 compiler...assuming that they still have the source code?

October 26, 2015

Other Conversions is a very useful tool, especially for puzzle caches. If the CO has used this tool, and I use a different tool, which gives one place different in the last digit, then I can never get the correct answer.

Please re-instate asap.

October 27, 2015

Please reconsider. I used that feature all the time. It is much more convenient than going to another site. I also have a puzzle that suggests that solvers look for "other" means to get the final coor. The clue makes absolutely no sense now that Other Conversions has been removed. It was an easy way to check right away to see if maybe the CO was putting his final coor. in a different format.

Edited October 27, 2015 by eyekwilt2

October 27, 2015

I used this feature all the time. I am able to get the coordinates converted to the format that I can input into my navigation system in my Jeep. This helps me plan my geocaching trips and get them so I don't have to keep looking at phone or handheld GPS. Please put this feature back.

October 27, 2015

I too use this feature on a regular basis. Certainly not everyday, but then again I don't look at the Forums everyday. While there are other tools out there, this one was very convenient! Please reinstate.

3.6k · October 28, 2015

I use this feature for puzzles. Sad to see this go away. Little by little, the features I use are going away.

2.4k · October 28, 2015

wasn't there a hyperlink to a page which would show those coordinates in other formats?

It was titled "Other Conversions". I have that link saved and it goes to a "404 Not Found" page. So I guess this is being worked on. I last used the link just fine on 10/19/15.

I saw this mentioned in another forum. I've used it quite a lot to help solve some puzzles which use different coordinates or to convert coordinates captured using Google Maps (right click on any spot on the map and click, "what's here", and it'll give you the coordinates in decimal degrees format).

Although there are external sites that will do coordinates conversion, this is someone that has been on the site for a long time I can't think of any reason why I would have been intentionally removed.

No worries. You have not been intentionally removed.

We love you and would not remove you. intentionally or otherwise.

As far as this feature being removed,

So what are we getting in return?

We're losing this, what new is going to replace it?

15.5k · October 28, 2015

As far as this feature being removed,

So what are we getting in return?

We're losing this, what new is going to replace it?

To quote Moun10Bike:

The plug-in that did that conversion was built on 32-bit code and we are trying to get the site up to full 64-bit code for security and performance reasons.

So the answer is, in exchange for losing this feature, we get security and performance, thanks to being able to get rid of the old 32-bit code and run only 64-bit code.

2.7k · October 28, 2015

It's really too bad that G$ didn't have a 64-bit replacement in hand and just silently swap it for the 32-bit offender. That would have been a better way to handle this, IMO.

October 29, 2015

I don't think the intention was ever to replace it. Just remove it and hope no one noticed. Rather like the "newest in state" link disappearing a while back.

4.6k · October 29, 2015

I don't think the intention was ever to replace it. Just remove it and hope no one noticed. Rather like the "newest in state" link disappearing a while back.

I really hope that isn't the case and that instead we'll see a new 64 bit version of this very useful feature slotted in there soon

I like the idea that geocaching.com is a feature-rich toolbox that meets my core geocaching needs. I really don't want it to be watered down and find myself having to go to different sites for different things

12k · October 29, 2015

I just went to use this feature and realized it's gone. Please, Groundspeak, bring it back!!!! I use it often.

October 30, 2015

I like the idea that geocaching.com is a feature-rich toolbox that meets my core geocaching needs. I really don't want it to be watered down and find myself having to go to different sites for different things

Yes!

November 1, 2015

I just can't believe that the "other conversions" feature was only being used 100 times per day - I use it with every single cache I drive to, because dd.dddd is the only easy way to enter co-ordinates in my car satnav. Other cachers I kow use the conversion too, so 100 times per day worldwide just seems impossibly wrong! Please re-instate this feature, after all it's part of what we pay for.

4.6k · November 1, 2015

Suggestion: rather than look for 64-bit server code, why not add a little bit of on-hover JavaScript? Hover over a "More Formats" text label to see a few of the most popular alternate formats, eg D.DDD, D M S, and whatever else seems popular.

November 2, 2015

Thanks for the information and replies. (I had an earlier post, now locked, about this on one of the other subforums.)

Joe

November 2, 2015

I'll be very disappointed if the link disappears for good. Why can't it be kept?
Here's what was said earlier:
The plug-in that did that conversion was built on 32-bit code and we are trying to get the site up to full 64-bit code for security and performance reasons.

Thank you. That explains why it was removed, but I'd still like to know why it can't be kept in 64-bit code.

15.5k · November 2, 2015

That explains why it was removed, but I'd still like to know why it can't be kept in 64-bit code.

Presumably because there isn't a 64-bit version of the 32-bit plug-in they're using.

Sure, there are probably 64-bit plug-ins that do the same thing, only differently. But migrating to one of these other plug-ins is probably more involved than they thought it was worth for a feature with "quite small" usage.

November 4, 2015

Please consider returning this tool. As a puzzle CO who frequently has to teach new cachers that there even are other way to write coordinates it was a very handy tool.

Add me to the cachers who'd like it returned!

November 4, 2015

I miss this conversion tool which I've used a few times. Yes there are other options but this was convenient and right there on the page when we needed it. Only 100 uses a day still means 365,000 uses a year so hardly unused. Please bring it back.

November 6, 2015

Only 100 uses a day still means 365,000 uses a year so hardly unused. Please bring it back.

What planet are you on that has 3650-day years, and how many geocaches are there on it? :laughing:

November 9, 2015

Only 100 uses a day still means 365,000 uses a year so hardly unused. Please bring it back.

What planet are you on that has 3650-day years, and how many geocaches are there on it?

Or see it the other way around: used 100 times per day means you're currently creating 100 frustrated users per day. That's not something I would want to do for a longer time.

//Carsti

November 11, 2015

Dear Groundspeak,

Website marketing 101 says that every time you give visitors a reason to leave your site you are potentially losing customers. Removing the convert coordinates tool forces users to leave your site and use another website for that purpose. Maybe we’ll find that we don’t need to visit geocaching.com as much and you will lose page visits and advertising.

Or maybe you should rethink this and give us as many reasons as possible to stay. Please develop a 64-bit version of the convert coordinates tool and bring it back.

November 12, 2015

We looked at the analytics for the conversion page and saw that it was only getting used around 100 times per day

Are you sure the analytics part of the site isn't broken?

I thought I was going barmy when I couldn't find the relevant link this time last week, but I see now that I wasn't, well at least not for that reason.

I'll add my voice to those who are requesting a return of this facility. I didn't use it often, but when I did, it was terrific.

November 16, 2015

I also used the conversion tool regularly, and now need to find a convenient way to convert, until they bring it back - they will, I'm sure, now they hear how much it's missed, it just takes time!

Gandal491

November 16, 2015

The 'other conversions' tool was especially useful in the UK for converting to grid coordinates. These are used on all OS maps, the primary source of maps here. I look forward to the reincarnation of this tool.

November 22, 2015

dadgum... I also just discovered that this useful feature seemed to have gone missing (yes, while attempting to solve some puzzle caches) and did a Google search which led me here. I used this conversion feature with some regularity and I will miss it.

December 9, 2015

I also am unhappy that the conversion tool is missing. Why do you keep taking away useful tools. As mentioned above you are forcing people to leave your website to find this tool. There are several items you have changed that I don't think are for the better.

December 17, 2015

Please add me as the next Groundspeak customer missing this helpful feature!

To see cache co-ordinates in other conversions by just one click was very helpful to solve some puzzles of unknown caches - in some cases it was the only way.

I will never understand why Groundspeak will not implement frequently requests from their customers but deletes well known and beloved functions. I still miss the search for a PART instead of the (stone aged and mostly senseless) BEGINNING of a cache name, but that's another story...

5.2k · December 17, 2015

[...] I still miss the search for a PART instead of the (stone aged and mostly senseless) BEGINNING of a cache name, but that's another story...

Really? You will found the search on a part of a name in the New Search. :blink:

Hans

December 18, 2015

So! Bottom line. Is this facility being reinstated or not?? Surely common courtesy would be a straightforward answer. It was a great tool and so useful. Are there any other conversion tools for UK users? Everything seems geared to the US

5.2k · December 18, 2015

[...] Are there any other conversion tools for UK users? Everything seems geared to the US

British Grid Coords are part of the cache page. And lat lon conversions are working globally.

Hans

December 18, 2015

You will found the search on a part of a name in the New Search.

Oops... on every try, I entered one or more words into the main search field (the ¨...¨ at the end forces this mistake). AFTER getting senseless results without any relation to my input I tried the ¨Filter¨ - I never recognized that the search is then ¨located¨ to senseless areas (senseless for my search).

Herzlichen Dank an Hans (HHL) für den Hinweis!

One problem solved, let's get back to the missing ¨other conversions¨

Cachy

January 6, 2016

I too found the conversion link very useful and would be very disapointed if it were to be lost for good.

Please reinstate it.

'other coordinate formats' link...

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