How to tell where I can place a cache - solved and logged mystery caches don't have a circle?

[Semínko]

Where I'm from it's pretty crowded with caches. Finding a good spot is hard on its own but finding a good spot that is collision free is almost impossible.

Found three good spots for my cache in the last month, unfortunately all of them collide with other caches.

So I went ahead and started solving mystery caches around my area so I know where I stand, only to find out that when I actually log the mystery caches, the icon on the map changes from the solved locations I updated manually to the original listing's fake coords.

The frustrating bit is that the map with red circles that you get when updating your cache's coords doesn't reflect the mystery caches manually updated locations.

So I'm nowhere closer to knowing where there's a potential free spot for a cache.

 

Am I missing something? Is there a reasonable way that doesn't involve me exporting all the caches, their updated locations and plotting it with the 161m circles myself?

 

[+TriciaG]

Ask your reviewer to check coordinates: https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=22&pgid=199

(look towards the bottom of the page)

[Semínko]

12 minutes ago, TriciaG said:

Ask your reviewer to check coordinates: https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=22&pgid=199

(look towards the bottom of the page)

Yes, that's one of the ways, but one that makes my reviewers life more difficult. It makes even my life more difficult, because without knowing where the free spots are there is almost a guarantee that the spot I find is already taken by a mystery cache that, even though I already solved, updated its coords and even logged doesn't appear in the preview map.

 

And let's be honest, if you're serious about your cache, you will not put it just anywhere, right? We all want cool spots for our cache with a great hiding place. So finding a spot is the time drain. Hence if the preview map would in fact reflect the solved locations, that would solve the whole issue. Maybe it does and there's an issue on my pc, but so far I doubt it.

[+niraD]

30 minutes ago, Semínko said:

Yes, that's one of the ways, but one that makes my reviewers life more difficult.

FWIW, the volunteer reviewers actually encourage geocachers to use the coordinates check process described in the Help Center article that TriciaG linked to.

[+Max and 99]

1 hour ago, Semínko said:

Where I'm from it's pretty crowded with caches. Finding a good spot is hard on its own but finding a good spot that is collision free is almost impossible.

Found three good spots for my cache in the last month, unfortunately all of them collide with other caches.

So I went ahead and started solving mystery caches around my area so I know where I stand, only to find out that when I actually log the mystery caches, the icon on the map changes from the solved locations I updated manually to the original listing's fake coords.

The frustrating bit is that the map with red circles that you get when updating your cache's coords doesn't reflect the mystery caches manually updated locations.

So I'm nowhere closer to knowing where there's a potential free spot for a cache.

 

Am I missing something? Is there a reasonable way that doesn't involve me exporting all the caches, their updated locations and plotting it with the 161m circles myself?

 

I've been using the check coordinate feature more often lately. Not only do I have a confirmation of the location I want to use, but the reviewer will hold that spot for me for three months while I work on the puzzle or cache container or whatever needs to be done.

[Semínko]

I think I didn't get my point across well enough.

Sure I can have a location checked. But in my area, there are a LOT of caches, so 95 spots I come up with will already be taken and I will spend A LOT of time looking for those spots.

If the preview map worked well (meaning it would actually show the 161m red circles around mystery chaches I have updated the coords for [and logged?]), I could see which spots are free and look within those free spots and only then do a coordinate check to see whether it doesn't collide with a stray non-solved mystery.

Edited May 7, 2022 by Semínko

[+Max and 99]

2 minutes ago, Semínko said:

I think I didn't get my point across well enough.

Sure I can have a location checked. But in my area, there are a LOT of caches, so 95 spots I come up with will already be taken and I will spend A LOT of time looking for those spots.

If the preview map worked well, I could see which spots are free and look within those free spots and only then do a coordinate check to see whether it doesn't collide with a stray non-solved mystery.

 

We understand perfectly. We have the exact same problem when we want a new spot for a geocache. But you have to work with what you have, and the best option besides saving your own final solved locations on a map is a coordinate check.

My area has a ton of puzzle caches, many of which I can't solve or don't qualify for.

[Semínko]

1 minute ago, Max and 99 said:

My area has a ton of puzzle caches, many of which I can't solve or don't qualify for.

Sure, there will always be some right? But I can solve the vast majority of puzzle caches in my area so one would expect I should be able to benefit from that when placing a cache.

 

Oh well, just wanted to check whether there is native solution or not. Seems there is none, so will have to create one myself - I guess a macro for GSAK or a python script should do the trick.

[+Max and 99]

7 minutes ago, Semínko said:

Sure, there will always be some right? But I can solve the vast majority of puzzle caches in my area so one would expect I should be able to benefit from that when placing a cache.

 

Oh well, just wanted to check whether there is native solution or not. Seems there is none, so will have to create one myself - I guess a macro for GSAK or a python script should do the trick.

Not that this is desirable, but.... if you solve them but don't go find them yet, they will show as the final coordinates on the geocaching map. I certainly wouldn't want to do that. This is why so many have asked for over so many years, the option to show corrected coords on the map for solved caches! I agree, it sure would be helpful!

Edited May 7, 2022 by Max and 99

[Semínko]

I will look into it when I have some time to spare. Thanks guys

[+MNTA]

1 hour ago, Semínko said:

Where I'm from it's pretty crowded with caches. Finding a good spot is hard on its own but finding a good spot that is collision free is almost impossible.

Found three good spots for my cache in the last month, unfortunately all of them collide with other caches.

So I went ahead and started solving mystery caches around my area so I know where I stand, only to find out that when I actually log the mystery caches, the icon on the map changes from the solved locations I updated manually to the original listing's fake coords.

The frustrating bit is that the map with red circles that you get when updating your cache's coords doesn't reflect the mystery caches manually updated locations.

So I'm nowhere closer to knowing where there's a potential free spot for a cache.

 

Am I missing something? Is there a reasonable way that doesn't involve me exporting all the caches, their updated locations and plotting it with the 161m circles myself?

 

 

 

I'm in 100% agreement. There is no good way of doing this and for me I get annoyed and stop hiding for awhile, then I try again. 

 

The excuses to protect puzzles and such really turns me off on the hiding part of the game. If folks want to cheat let them there is nothing stopping them now as is. Most of the puzzles in my area are found by the same handful of folks and half of COs are no longer active. Not sure what they are trying to protect. 

 

I should be able to in the field through the app find an amazing spot. Get on my app (assuming I have service) push a button and say the location has no distance collisions. I'm fine with going through the review process from there. Make sure it meets the rest of the rules and requirements.

[Semínko]

I would be fine with just displaying the circles for puzzles which I have solved. But overall agree with you.

 

Anyways, the macro update was easier than I thought. I got it to work already in GSAK...

[+barefootjeff]

2 hours ago, MNTA said:

The excuses to protect puzzles and such really turns me off on the hiding part of the game. If folks want to cheat let them there is nothing stopping them now as is. Most of the puzzles in my area are found by the same handful of folks and half of COs are no longer active. Not sure what they are trying to protect. 

 

Many of my hides are multis with the physical challenge being to get to the waypoints, which are often at interesting spots like waterfalls inside national parks or other places where a physical cache would be problematic, whereas the final is often somewhere much easier to access like in the road corridor leading to the park. If those final locations were visible as circles on the planning map, or could be easily deduced by battleshipping a go - no go coordinate query tool, the whole point of those caches would be lost and they might just as well be roadside traditionals. Except they wouldn't be, as I have no interest in hiding roadside traditionals, so the end result would be just more empty space on the map where caches are already few and far between.

 

But I agree with the OP, there really needs to be some way of seeing the final locations of solved-and-found puzzles and multis, either on the planning map or the main map.

[+lee737]

5 hours ago, Semínko said:

Am I missing something? Is there a reasonable way that doesn't involve me exporting all the caches, their updated locations and plotting it with the 161m circles myself?

I'm not sure about other phone systems, but for iOS - Cachly does this - it will keep a track of all your updated coords for puzzles/multis, and plot the saturation borders around each - it does make squeezing caches in a tight area easy, something the website/official tools don't help with....

[+MartyBartfast]

19 hours ago, lee737 said:

I'm not sure about other phone systems, but for iOS - Cachly does thi

Locus maps with the Geocaching-4-Locus add on does this too.