› Forums › Geocaching in Wisconsin › Announcements › Poll question for you re: Chippewa Valley Event
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kent1915.
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03/23/2007 at 1:49 am #1724508
After considering comments from last years Chippewa Valley Geocaching Event, and looking to make this one better, I was thinking about the passbooks, etc. One comment heard a bit was a way to go paperless. While validation and the lottery law governs this thing and going totally paperless is not an option, I had an idea.
After tinkering around, I have figured out how to build a GSAK file that will allow you to get the coords, rating, descriptions, hints, etc. in GPX format (I think, and assuming it goes to the webpage without being converted incorrectly like last year…). One option would be to just have a page or two for you to carry to allow you to punch it/stamp it with no descriptions; so just download the GPX file and download the validation sheet rather than a whole big book. In essence, a grid with the cache names at the top of a grid, a place for your name on each page and that’s it.
Before I go through the hours to do this, I am looking to guage the interest in it. How many would use it? Can you give me some indication here?
03/23/2007 at 2:19 am #1871991I, for one, would be more likely to attend if a GPX of the caches were available. That said, since most (if not all) of the caches will be listed on gc.com, so generating a PQ of 500 caches, centered on Eau Claire, is going to bring in nearly all the caches we would need. I just checked (we have not finds in that area) and it will bring in everything in a 45 mile radius. Considering that you are putting 100 MORE caches in the area, querying for nearest 400 caches will get it down to a 30 mile radius. Is this going to be close enough?
03/23/2007 at 3:33 am #1871992Hi! Nope. There are going to be a good number outside the 30 mile radius by a few miles. In otherwords, if you filtered by 40 you should do it, but that won’t include the 25 that are not listed on GC.Com.
K
03/23/2007 at 6:31 am #1871993No problem. That means that we would need to run two pocket queries to get them all (except the 25), maybe traditional caches for one and everything else for the other.
03/23/2007 at 10:14 pm #1871994Although it looks like I will only be up for the event at the end, so I probably won’t be doing many ~ I voted for all of the above. I would use the paperless stuff and hand in the single sheet, but I would also keep the book as a “keepsake”. Last year, I punched two books and handed only one in.
03/24/2007 at 7:49 am #1871995I would think that you could a create Bookmark list of the caches for the event and then just post the link to the bookmark. Then the cacher can just run a PQ of the Bookmark list and load it into GSAK themselves or whatever program/s they use.
I have done for this 50 permanent caches near an upcoming Geoscouting event and it didn’t take that long to create the Bookmark list. It is kind of tedious work but the list I created took under 30 mins.Here is an example.
03/24/2007 at 1:48 pm #1871996Thanks for the tip. It still leaves the 25 unlisted caches to contend with. BUT, cut and paste works slick!!!
03/25/2007 at 1:44 pm #1871997The problem with the bookmark strategy is that only “premium members” will be able to get the list. If your goal is to reach the general public, this might not be acceptable. Now I don’t know how many non-premium members would be interested in a GPX file, but you have to decide this set of people is an important customer group.
03/25/2007 at 11:19 pm #1871998Another good point. While I like the bookmark idea, will stick with the GPX etc. files. It hasn’t taken as long as I was afraid…
K
03/27/2007 at 3:31 pm #1871999I would definitely use use the GPX file and the validation sheet while searching out the caches. But I think I would like to have the whole book also as a souvenir, but I would not drag it along with me to all the caches.
Thanks for all the work you and the others are putting into this Kent. I am looking forward to getting back out there again this spring!
Keith
03/28/2007 at 5:29 pm #1872000Since Jen and I are firmly entrenched in the Stone Age, we probably wouldn’t use the GSAK file, but as long as we can go somewhere to view the descriptions and print them off ourselves somewhere, then it’s all good. I like the idea of having both the file and book available. I would think that for the sake of making it as user friendly for the general public who are new to geocaching, the whole book would make Alot of sense, and for those who are used to going paperless, the GSAK option would be pretty cool!
03/28/2007 at 5:51 pm #1872001@jenhen1 wrote:
….I would think that for the sake of making it as user friendly for the general public who are new to geocaching…. the whole book would make Alot of sense, and for those who are used to going paperless, the GSAK option would be pretty cool!
Count me among those who are clueless about GSAK. Dumb it down as much as possible so that even people like me can figure it out.
03/28/2007 at 7:50 pm #1872002Okay, so game plan is this. Entire passbook available. Simple coordinate file to download available. Nearly paperless passbook and cachemate (.pdb) file and the Pocket PC version too. I have seen the mockup for the nearly paperless version and it looks great!!! Of course, I’m biased…
K
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