archived caches

[+j6family]

Is it possible to create a pocket query of archived mystery caches? I completed 100 mystery Geoart this winter just to discover that the owner has archived the entire art. I have put in corrected coords and can make a pocket query for caches with corrected coords. The caches show up greyed out on the web page query but they don't show up on my Garmin etrex 20 or android app--not even the original posted coords.

[+thebruce0]

There's no way to include archived caches in a PQ, because that would include searching caches right to the beginning of the database, and who knows how packed the map would be with icons . In theory, they could search for archive logs by date, but I suspect it would be another extensive search parameter to complexify (yep) the PQ. And the PQ system is so old now that altering or improving it is pretty much out of the question. We have the advanced search function now.

 

Your other option (and which I now resort to as well) is to build PQs for downloading collectively all caches for any region, and store them in your own database (eg gsak). Then, since PQs only include non-archived caches, any caches that stop getting updated via PQs have essentially been archived. Select and manually update those and you'll still have a record of old caches (which you've previously downloaded)

 

But yeah, unfortunately it's not possible to do any form of query on the main DB for archived caches.

 

They exist referenced and listed in the owners' profiles' owned caches, and maybe via google searching or old internet content links. But that's just about it...

Edited July 13, 2017 by thebruce0

[+HHL]

j6family: you got mail.

 

Hans

[+Mineral2]

Well, yes, there is. You have to put the archived caches into a bookmark list and create a pocket query from that list. However, if the caches are archived, there's a good chance the containers have been picked up which means there will be no log to sign. So if you didn't get a chance to find the containers before they got archived, it's probably not worth your time to go look for them, and it certainly wouldn't be appropriate to log them. Of course there's always the small chance that the CO left the containers out in the field, in which case if you find them, you could still log them (and clean up the trash along the way).

 

If you have found them, and just want to view the geoart, you can run a "My Finds" pocket query, or search your finds in the search. These will return archived finds.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Mineral2

[+j6family]

Thanks Resistance,

I did find an old list I created and put that into a PQ. It worked. They show up on my Garmin Etrex 20 but not on my Android phone. I guess I should save any other Geo art as a list so it I can always find it. I talked to the CO and they have not collected the containers yet (3 months later) and they asked if I would collect them and possibly meet them to return them. If all goes well, I'll finish this this weekend. Thanks for your help. I just wish that Geo Art makers would give warning about archiving their caches--People up in my area (Maine) work on mysteries in the winter since there is too much snow to go find caches and then we find them in the spring. It would just be courteous to give some notice.

[+j6family]

Wow, I never knew GSAK could do all that. Thanks.

[+Mineral2]

I just wish that Geo Art makers would give warning about archiving their caches--People up in my area (Maine) work on mysteries in the winter since there is too much snow to go find caches and then we find them in the spring. It would just be courteous to give some notice.

 

How exactly would you like people to give notice? Aside from the forums or online groups (Facebook, etc.), which not all cachers use, there's no real announcement feature. You would have to check every cache or cache series ahead of time to see if the owners posted a note log. And even then, you might not catch the note before the cache gets archived.

[+thebruce0]

Well, yes, there is. You have to put the archived caches into a bookmark list and create a pocket query from that list.

Well yes. But you have to know they exist in order to do that. You can't query or search the database to locate archived caches.