[Team Deejay]

There are two other options. First, you can create a second database of “non-cache” waypoints that you just reload every time you clear your GPS and reload the new caches. That is probably the simplest approach.

Alternatively, you can use the Garmin POI Loader to load them as Custom POIs. Essentially, you create a GPX file of the “special” waypoints and then use the POI Loader to install them. These are not waypoints, but function like the other POI information in your GPS (highway exits, geographic landmarks, restaurants, etc. depending on your mapping package). These points are completely separate from your waypoints, so you can safely delete all your waypoints without touching your special locations. This is probably the best approach, but is a little more technical.

[Team Deejay]

The Beast is correct. Typically, we should be asking if the cache appears to be on an island and the terrain is not listed as a 5. Caches requiring wading or swimming can be rated as 4 or higher, but if you need a boat at any time of the year, it is a 5.

I’m sure this one just slipped through the review process, but, since no one has bothered to post the cache name, waypoint number, or even the name of the hider, there isn’t a lot I can do about it. If someone wants to email me the information, I will be glad to remedy the situation.

[Team Deejay]

Congrats! We knew you could do it!

If you think about the intended use, you will understand why your Roadmate seems less accurate than the Explorist. Car GPS’s generally need to be accurate to within 100 feet or so. If you are trying to find a gas station or hospital, getting within 100 feet is good enough. Your “outdoor” GPS (the Explorist) is designed to pinpoint your location in the woods. The best they can do (with the technology you are using) is around 15 feet, but that is much better than 100 feet.

[Team Deejay]

@zuma wrote:

@Team Deejay wrote:

@3 Hawks wrote:

Hey, can we somehow award points for official cache rescue missions???

This may be added in the near future. The development on the webpage has started, so I don’t want to change specs now.

Sounds like you are making good progress. Just wondering if we might want to use our ability to send an email to all WGA members to notify folks that dont frequent the forums of the start of the game.

z

Not a bad idea, but lets make sure its ready before we make some sort of mass announcement.

[Team Deejay]

@3 Hawks wrote:

Hey, can we somehow award points for official cache rescue missions???

This may be added in the near future. The development on the webpage has started, so I don’t want to change specs now.

[Team Deejay]

@Sloughfoot wrote:

Team Sloughfoot will play the game. I’m not sure I will ever be able to figure out my score. I’m not smart enough to be a duck hunter any more because of all the rules and this seems to be quite complicated with a lot of manual intervention required by the owner. But lets go for it and see how it works.

Don’t worry about the score! We are already planning a system to allow 3 Hawks to calculate his score, since it will likely exceed 21, his mathematical limit.

[Team Deejay]

The game starts Jan 1. If you know of any caches that haven’t been found since August 31, please email me at [email protected] and I will add them to the list. I added Here Fishy Fishy onto the list. It was disabled when I ran the pocket queries.

[Team Deejay]

They announced that they were allowing name changes again about 2 months ago “somewhere” in the forums. Jeremy, I’m thinking you should change your name to “The REAL Jeremy” or maybe “Jeremy with better hair”. Think that would fly?

[Team Deejay]

@LightningBugs Mum wrote:

@Team Deejay wrote:

Also, Jeremy and I have been discussing modifying this slightly to make it an ongoing contest, with monthly and annual winners, and updating the cache listing every 2 months or so to take off the found caches and add on the “newly lonely” caches. Any objections?

So to find the monthly winner, you would only use the points earned for that month – correct? And then have a cumulative score for the annual winner?

Correct!

[Team Deejay]

@lagrac wrote:

I’ve got myself a problem with GSAk too, but it has nothing to do with paperless caching. I’ve appealed to everyone I can think of (Justin, GC forums, and Iowa forums). I want to run the macro thing to make my stats in my GC profile look really fancy and detailed like Bandits…. but I can’t figure it out. I have zero patients, so if it doesn’t work the first time, I get really frustrated. Help??

p.s. I’ve already heard the ‘go to GSAK forums and do what they say’ thing. Isn’t there a ‘Macro’s for Dummies’ out there?

Lets do this the easy way. First, make sure the macro is in your Program Files/GSAK/Macros directory. If not, put it there. If you can’t find it, you can pick it up at
FindStatsGen

Next, make sure you have loaded your MyFinds pocket query in GSAK. If not, get it and load it. (Otherwise you will be missing your recent finds).

Next, on the GSAK Menu, select Macro|Run/Manage… Hit the Install Button. Open the little file browser button and navigate to FindStatGen3.gsk. Double Click it. Hit Install. Now double click the new line on the list of installed macros. The macro will run.

On mine, a small dialog box comes up. Choose Options. You will next get a dialog that looks like this:

Now, play with all the options and setting on this dialog box to determine what stats you want to show. Once you get done, you will get an HTML file that looks like

Notice at the top of the browser, there is an address called
file:///C:/Program%20Files/GSAK/html/stats1.html
This means your new HTML page is at c:/Program Files/GSAK/html/stat1.html.

To load this into your profile, navigate to that file (Open up “My Computer” and drill into the directories of your C: drive.) Once you find it, right click it, select open with Notepad. When it opens, on the top menu, choose Edit|select all. Then on the top menu, choose Edit| Copy.

End of macro, beginning of geocaching.com instruction.

Now, go to geocaching.com and edit your profile. Scroll down toward the bottom where you will find an open area called Your Profile Details. Erase whatever is in there, then right click in the open space and select Paste. You will see a whole bunch of HTML code in the box. Now scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and hit “Update Account”. Now you can be just like the Bandits.

[Team Deejay]

OK, for those waiting for a map with baited breath, here it is:

Lonely Cache Map

Note that this works just like Google Maps, in that you can zoom in, drag the map around, zoom out, etc. You can move the menus out of the way by clicking on the green bars above the menus/list. In addition to the normal Google map options, there are USGS Topo maps included in the upper right pulldown, if you want to use them. And again, remember that a few of these are going to drop off as people (cheeto) keep finding them.

Also, Jeremy and I have been discussing modifying this slightly to make it an ongoing contest, with monthly and annual winners, and updating the cache listing every 2 months or so to take off the found caches and add on the “newly lonely” caches. Any objections?

[Team Deejay]

Additionally, if you are NOT paperless, GSAK provides two different “printing” options: Grid, and Condensed HTML. Grid is exactly what it sounds like, so can print out whatever info you want on a spreadsheet like grid, but obviously you can’t include descriptions in the grid unless you have very wide paper. The other option, condensed HTML, prints all the info on the cache page (Name, code, description, coordinates, hints, and even logs) in a condensed, user controllable format, where the typical cache takes up about 1/8 of a page (or 8 caches to the page). Of course, if somebody writes a novel in their cache description, it will take up more space, but then again some of these caches with one sentence descriptions only take up about 1/20 of a page, so it balances out. I was using GSAK for the print control long before I went paperless.

Other things you can do:
– When downloading to the GPS, control how the waypoint name and description are sent. This allows you to include difficult, terrain, container, cache type, hints, etc in these fields in your GPS (subject to the GPS limitation).
– Show/printout a set of a caches on a single map without using other software
– Generate a spreadsheet file of caches for forum posts.
– Export your cache database to virtually any other mapping or navigational program
– Generate very complex filters of your database, such as “All the traditional regular size caches within 5 miles of highway 51 between Madison and Wausau that neither my caching buddy nor I have found and are active where the last log is not a DNF”
– Generate a “random walk” cache route (always going to the next closest cache) to make sure you aren’t running into unsolved puzzles, obviously missing caches, etc.
– When downloading to Cachemate on a Palm/Pocket PC, control exactly what data is sent
– One click mapping to show a cache on virtually any mapping website and zero click mapping for Google Maps (you can show the Google maps in a split screen)
– Create a POI file (for advanced Garmin GPSs) with custom icons
– Upload your Cachemate finds back to GSAK and log them on GC.com semiautomatically
– Lots of other stuff

Basically, if it has anything to do with a geocache database, GSAK will do it for you. The hot ticket is that you either have to read the provided documentation here or go to one of the many classes held on using GSAK. I’m sure there are some people who can just look at the program and figure it out, but not many. For most of us, taking a few minutes to read the documentation will work wonders.

[Team Deejay]

@Jeremy wrote:

@Team Deejay wrote:

On a related note, I have received a couple suggestions privately. First is a bonus for moving travel bugs (2 for moving, 1 for reporting missing). This seems like a good idea to me. Any objections?

Would this bonus only be for moving “lonely” travel bugs… i.e. ones that have not moved for over 3 months? Or just TBs that have been stuck in a lonely caches?

If points are awarded for any travel bug move I fear someone might take advantage of these bonus points to rack up a huge score. It would be pretty easy to “pinball” some travel bugs between a couple easy caches to obtain a huge score.

Good point. I was thinking bugs would HAVE to be there for 4 months, but that would not be true after the first find. So, only “Lonely TBs” count (plus you have to drop them for the points, no points for coin thieves!)

[Team Deejay]

One more thing: I promised a map. This is working a little hinky for me today, so to use this you need to use a “special” procedure. On the link below, right click it and then select Save Target as (Save Link as for Firefox) and save the file on your desktop. Then open the file you saved on your computer (Double click it). This should work on all Windows browsers, but it is net intensive, so not recommended for those with a dial up connection. Note there is a few extra caches on the map, due to people finding the caches on the list in the last few days. Here is the link:

Lonely Cache Map

If you can’t get this to work, well, I should have a real link working in a day or so. This Google Maps API is a little tricky to get working properly.

[Team Deejay]

Let me explain it differently. If you log a find on the cache, you get the points, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if someone finds it before you. Everyone can get credit for finds.

If you have already found the cache, but someone else went out before you and confirmed it was in good condition, you will not get points for also going out and confirming it is in good condition. The same goes for indicating a cache is missing, although if multiple people log DNF/NM/SBA before the cache is disabled or replaced, they will all get the credit.

Hopefully we won’t need to replace containers, logs, etc. multiple times during the contest period, but if so, you get credit.

Obviously only one team can get credit for adopting a cache.

There are no possibilities for a FTF in this set of caches, but if we do this a second time, there is a cache near Little Chute that might be eligible then. In that case, everyone who is there for the FTF gets the credit.

Is that a little clearer? I’ll try and clear up this in the rules before we start.

[Author]

Posts