how to stop nanos from being pushed too high up a sign post?

[+gginnj]

ok just curious, I put out a cache recently, and I've had to "retrieve" it now a few times because it was pushed too far up and not able to be later pulled out by cachers.

 

Funny, of all the nanos I found on signs, I've never had that problem - but for some reason this one does. Is this a common issue with sign nanos?

 

GG

[+Max and 99]

3 minutes ago, gginnj said:

ok just curious, I put out a cache recently, and I've had to "retrieve" it now a few times because it was pushed too far up and not able to be later pulled out by cachers.

 

Funny, of all the nanos I found on signs, I've never had that problem - but for some reason this one does. Is this a common issue with sign nanos?

 

GG

I don't recall seeing that problem before.

[+kunarion]

24 minutes ago, gginnj said:

Is this a common issue with sign nanos?

 

I've encountered that only once or twice, with a particular kind of U-shaped post, where the sign is bolted so there's a channel for a magnetic "blinkie" Nano.  I've even accidentally pushed the Nano further up and over the bolt, making it even less accessible, while trying to hook my fat fingers around the Nano.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 16, 2019 by kunarion

[+niraD]

2 minutes ago, kunarion said:

I've encountered that only once or twice, with a particular kind of U-shaped post, where the sign is bolted so there's a channel for a magnetic "blinkie" Nano.  I've even accidentally pushed the Nano further up and over the bolt, making it even less accessible, while trying to hook my fat fingers around the Nano.

 

 

 

There's a TOTT for that...

 

[+Max and 99]

Most of the hides I see on posts are hanging bisons or matchstick containers, hanging by a wire that hooks over the top. 

[+MNTA]

Don't forget the maligned DNA tube. 

[+colleda]

2 hours ago, gginnj said:

 Is this a common issue with sign nanos?

 

 

I've only come across this once where a nano was poked to far into a gate made of 2" pipe. I could just feel it with the tips of my fingers but had no suitable tool to get at it as it very close to the ground. I logged a DNF and NM.  The CO fixed it within a week and I was back in the area a month or so later and made the find.

I have a micro bison tube in a hole in a tree with a 4" piece of nylon fishing line attached to make the retrieval easier.

[+dprovan]

Yeah, it happens. I've never had one so high I couldn't jury rig something to get it, though. Well, except the ones where the CO originally hid it "too high" and gave it a corresponding terrain rating.

 

One thing that might help is to somehow mark where the cache should be placed, like maybe a little tape around the pole just above where it should go. The people pushing it up aren't being malicious, they're just judging incorrectly how high it was when they found it.

[+DerDiedler]

I guess we are talking about a magnetic nano.

How about making it not magnetic and use a velcro so the cache will only stick where ever you´ve choosen to place it.

[+frostengel]

5 hours ago, gginnj said:

ok just curious, I put out a cache recently, and I've had to "retrieve" it now a few times because it was pushed too far up and not able to be later pulled out by cachers.

 

Going up, going down, only centimetres everytime.... If you don't know the exact height this will always happen and it may add up. (This is what just happens....)

You need a fixed point (that one screw it is!) to be able to put it exactly how it was. Perheps you make a little cross near the screw to even more indicate the position where to put it back?

 

Of course there are some cachers who grab it from a height of 1,50 metres and think that this one was easily muggled there. Perhaps it is better hidden above there? Some cachers (the big ones) even think that it is to easy for others and put it higher (that's totally nonsens, of course, but some think so).

 

What might help here is to give the height in the additional hint (everyone reads it) and ask the cachers to leave in (approximately as no one will measure it exactly) in this height and to put it back if they find it much higher (or lower).

For example: If you marked the screw in 1,50 metre height and one finder decided (for whatever reason) to put it up to 2 metres the next finder can put it back - repaired.

 

 

5 hours ago, gginnj said:

Funny, of all the nanos I found on signs, I've never had that problem

 

Are you sure? Usually you find other caches once while you care for the height of your own one more than once. I think that is why you do not notice the other caches (not only nano caches) move the same way as your own one...

[+gginnj]

6 hours ago, niraD said:

 

6 hours ago, kunarion said:

 

I've encountered that only once or twice, with a particular kind of U-shaped post, where the sign is bolted so there's a channel for a magnetic "blinkie" Nano.  I've even accidentally pushed the Nano further up and over the bolt, making it even less accessible, while trying to hook my fat fingers around the Nano.

 

 

 

 

yup, thats what the post looks like......

 

6 hours ago, niraD said:

 

There's a TOTT for that...

 

problem is the gap between the tube and the bolt makes it difficult to get anything up there. the nano barely fits. I have a magnetic stick that is thin enough to make it past, and the magnet is stronger than the nano so it grabs the nano. while I agree there's a tott, although I couldn't find any sticks that would work, Ive never had to use it on any other sign caches for that reason. its annoying = and yes, I have pushed it up myself trying to retrieve it when checking on it. and the sticks I used kept pushing it further. although  The hanging bison wont work well - the sign post isn't that tall and most people over 5'3" can see the top and it most likely would get muggled.

[+Jayeffel]

There was a cache in our area that had that exact problem, The nano was originally placed on the upright post behind the sign. It kept being replaced higher until it could not be reached. It became wedged in and even if you knew where it was  it was very difficult to get it dislodged. It was finally archived by the CO. It may have been what I see happening in a nearby town where "I found the cache and hid it better".

[+gginnj]

what I think is the issue is the bottom bolt on the sign is very close to the bottom of the sign, if you put the nano under the bolt - it shows under the sign. putting it to the side of the bolt (either side) to stick to the sign or the channel, doesn't give much room to get your finger in and hook it out because of the bolt - and it usually gets pushed up higher each attempt until the only way to get it is the magnetic stick.

[+cerberus1]

3 hours ago, gginnj said:

what I think is the issue is the bottom bolt on the sign is very close to the bottom of the sign, if you put the nano under the bolt - it shows under the sign. putting it to the side of the bolt (either side) to stick to the sign or the channel, doesn't give much room to get your finger in and hook it out because of the bolt - and it usually gets pushed up higher each attempt until the only way to get it is the magnetic stick.

 

There's another thread about people of different height, and this kinda sounds like it could be a simple replacement thing maybe too.   

I gave up on that cache type because my fingers don't come close to squeezing behind there, and permission (asked what I was doing once by a PO...).

We've seen more fall down  square sign posts though,  folks not realizing that magnet doesn't mean it's gonna hold at the top forever.

Fishing 'em up is a pain-in-the-can.   

We have our last micro at the top of a square post, and finally resorted to hex cap screws crossing and non-magnetic (matchstick case) to keep it there. 

 

 

[+BethDaddyKaty]

7 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

 

There's another thread about people of different height, and this kinda sounds like it could be a simple replacement thing maybe too.   

I gave up on that cache type because my fingers don't come close to squeezing behind there, and permission (asked what I was doing once by a PO...).

We've seen more fall down  square sign posts though,  folks not realizing that magnet doesn't mean it's gonna hold at the top forever.

Fishing 'em up is a pain-in-the-can.   

We have our last micro at the top of a square post, and finally resorted to hex cap screws crossing and non-magnetic (matchstick case) to keep it there. 

 

 

Surprised more COs don't take physical steps to prevent a cache disappearing too far. Did one today where the CO has put meticulous steps about replacing it but it was only just retrievable. 

[+kunarion]

30 minutes ago, daddybeth said:

Surprised more COs don't take physical steps to prevent a cache disappearing too far. Did one today where the CO has put meticulous steps about replacing it but it was only just retrievable. 

 

In the case of the described Nano, I might first try poking some thick packing foam up there so the Nano can only be shoved so far. 

 

In fact... When I get a chance to test something at an actual sign, maybe I’ll post pictures with an idea I just now got.

 

...I tend to over-engineer my caches... 

[+VAVAPAM]

10 hours ago, kunarion said:

In the case of the described Nano, I might first try poking some thick packing foam up there so the Nano can only be shoved so far. ....

Expanding on this idea a bit,  you might try "Great Stuff", which is an insulating spray foam (often used in construction).  A word of caution, though, it expands like crazy, so just a dab will do ya!  They do make one expressly for Doors and Windows, which doesn't expand quite so much.  The original and Doors & Windows products are sort of ivory colored, but they now have a black one, too. 

10 hours ago, kunarion said:

...I tend to over-engineer my caches... 

Same here. 

Edited September 17, 2019 by VAVAPAM
photo

[+NYPaddleCacher]

On 9/16/2019 at 12:05 AM, kunarion said:

 

I've encountered that only once or twice, with a particular kind of U-shaped post, where the sign is bolted so there's a channel for a magnetic "blinkie" Nano.  I've even accidentally pushed the Nano further up and over the bolt, making it even less accessible, while trying to hook my fat fingers around the Nano.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't recall every having that problem with nano caches but I found a hide-a-key stuck behind a sign that took me a good five minutes to be able to grasp it so that I could extract it from the sign, only to discover that the container was for a letterbox, and the cache was about 12 inches away, hidden on the other side of the sign.  That one only took a minute or two to remove.  I have no idea how that cache stayed active.  It was 20 feet away from the windows of a Starbucks.  

 

There is also the possibility that I haven't had a problem with nano caches being hard to remove from a sign  because they were pushed so far into the sign that I failed to find them.   Most of the nano caches that I have found on signs I find by "feel", rarely by "sight".   If the container is pushed to a spot where one can't feel it, that could easily cause a DNF.

[+VAVAPAM]

Could you adhere a nut to the top or bottom of the nano and simply stick the body of the nano through a hole in the post?

Or would it fall out of the hole?

Edited September 17, 2019 by VAVAPAM
on second thought

[+DerDiedler]

3 hours ago, VAVAPAM said:

you might try "Great Stuff"

better try two component putty. Thats not so messy as expansion foam and will last longer.

[+kunarion]

There's a sign in my neighborhood that I used to set up this example using my own sign.  Note that this one has the real sign attached the wrong side of the post, and if that's the case, the Nano can't become pushed out of reach.

 

I used my own sign, but it's just an example.  I won't cover every possible issue.  You have to try it at the actual cache spot where there will be other challenges.

 

My main goal is that if the cache gets archived, it needs to be easily removed leaving no evidence. So I would never use any glue, epoxy or foam sealer on someone else's property. 

 

I have some stiff plastic packing foam.  It's tougher than foam rubber.  It's easy to cut and shape (I use an old bread knife).  I've used this stuff for a lot of cache hide purposes, it's pretty cool.  But I don't find it very often.

 

 

 

The first picture illustrates the conundrum. The Nano is below an attachment bolt.  Someone (cacher or not) pokes at it, and soon it's jammed, or pushed past the bolt.

 

 

 

 

Here's a picture of the plastic foam, pushed into the trough of the sign post below the bolt.  This would be tucked behind the sign, where for this example, the sign has been removed.  Now you can stick a Nano to the post where the Nano can be pushed only up to this foam plug.

 

 

 

 

Here I carved a Nano-sized notch in the foam, so cachers can see where it should go.  A bonus is they can tell when it's missing.  AND once it's archived, while every other Cache Owner is scraping epoxy off the post while the property owner watches, you pulled the foam plug out, and left no trace.

 

 

 

I also thought it might be cool and slightly more evil to drill a Nano-sized hole in the foam that can't be seen from below, so that Finders must pull the foam out to find the cache.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Edited September 17, 2019 by kunarion

[+ODragon]

I'd vote not putting them on signs...  this will keep them from getting pushed too far up!

[+kunarion]

1 hour ago, ODragon said:

I'd vote not putting them on signs...  this will keep them from getting pushed too far up!

 

Yeah, but the Topic is about how to put them on signs.  If you want to post about how to not put them on signs, start another Topic.

 

I skip that kind of cache. They're of course pushed too far up, not designed with Finders in mind, they get archived quickly, they're gone or messed up or the cap is missing or there are wasps or bird poop.  And the usual soaking wet spitwad to "sign".  So I don't inflict that on cachers when setting up my hides.  But if you did, I posted an idea of how it might work.

 

I also think that my idea helps to prevent finders from poking a finger into a wasp nest.

 

 

But when I place a cache, I decide what the biggest container is that the site supports. I usually go with that. I don't “hate Nanos”, I just hate inflicting the spitwad log on Finders. I design caches that I may want to find, and I never want to find a spitwad, and I hate going to fix my cache after every find (and many days in between), and a Nano requires such constant maintenance, unless it's gonna be a spitwad cache. Anyway, I always think of a design where a bigger container will do.

 

So for a sign, I have placed a 50ml vial (roomier than a match tube), magnetically held to the outside of the post. The sign at the actual cache is attached behind the post.

 

 

But it can't go just anywhere, and not on just any sign. The actual cache is at a fun spot, and a unique sign, at a special area where it's not seen nor muggled. It's a rare place. Yet it's only steps away from a parking spot. Plus the sign post itself has a bend in it that helps conceal the container. I like it!  It's what I like to find as a Geocache.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2019 by kunarion

[+The Jester]

My first thought when I read the forum title was "put it at the top and can't be pushed any higher!"  Not really helpful but it brought a smile to me.

[+kunarion]

1 hour ago, The Jester said:

put it at the top and can't be pushed any higher!

 

Yes!  That will be perfect with my long fingers!

 

 

[+gginnj]

On 9/17/2019 at 10:40 AM, kunarion said:

 

 

I also thought it might be cool and slightly more evil to drill a Nano-sized hole in the foam that can't be seen from below, so that Finders must pull the foam out to find the cache.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

Foam might work - not the great stuff however - I archived the cache and moved it to another location (better in the long run) - but will think about the foam for a future. I was thinking of some kind of attachment that would attach to the bolt - where it would act like a see saw - if you push up on it from the oppisite side of the bolt it would push the nano down and out .

[+humboldt flier]

Rather speaks to "hide it as good or better than found".

 

 Also speaks to those who are obnoxious twits orrrrrrrrrrrr amateur proctologists