Meeting notes: September 14, 2002

Greetings to all.

On September 14 the Georgia Geocachers Association held its 16th meeting at Sweetwater Creek State Park. Despite a rainy day there were 21 members in attendance, including five new members.

mtn-man led a discussion on "paperless" geocaching. A new premium service on Geocaching.com called Pocket Query allows Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) users to download the results of up to five searches. Users can select the criteria thus enabling focused searches listing only those caches the user wishes to view. Two third-party applications, MobiPocket eBook and AvantGo, allow users to view the caches on a PDA which can easily be carried along on the cache hunt. Another Geocaching.com service, EasyGPS, allows users to download cache coordinates directly to their GPSR. When combined, these two services create "paperless" geocaching!

mtn-man showed screen shots of a cataloging service formerly available at www.pathetique.com/geocaching which mimicked the Pocket Query service but organized the material differently. However, the pathetique service is presently discontinued owing to too much pressure on the Geocaching.com servers.

Allen Lacy has written a script that achieves a similar result as the Pocket Query and pathetique services but results in a much smaller file size. Allen downloads web pages directly from Geocaching.com and strips the page of graphics, leaving only the text. Allen runs this off his server. (Note: In a later message, Allen reports that the new cache page layout on Geocaching.com has broken his queries, so he will need to do a rewrite. Also, it is my understanding that Allen does this for his family's personal use.)

LoCache showed his Kyocera integrated cell phone/PDA which incorporates an internet browser. Although the connection speed is slow LoCache has used the system to check cache pages during the middle of a hunt and has even logged a cache from the cache site!

Johnny Lacy next spoke about a Geocaching 911 service he is organizing with the help of other members. Johnny has an 800 number (send email for the number) which is forwarded to his personal cell phone. Any geocacher who needs help while caching can contact Johnny and he'll serve as a go-between to a network of cachers covering northern Georgia. The service offers instant assistance to cachers in need of help either with hints or emergency aide. And, while the service is not designed to replace 911 for medical emergencies, even in that case he could help rescuers locate the cachers. Johnny still would like to have more volunteers so contact him if you'd like to help. Please note that Sparc77 suggested this great idea on the GGA EZBoard forums, and well deserves a round of thanks!

The Lacys are hosting a Cache Event Picnic on October 5 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend, and the event is B.Y.O.P (Bring Your Own Picnic). There will be 6 caches hidden and a hunt will be held from 1-4 p.m. with a drawing at 4 p.m. For more details see the event cache description on Geocaching.com at http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=32067

Erik van Dyck next gave an update of geocaching in Georgia State Parks. The GGA was formed, in part, as a result of the geocaching ban in State Parks. Over the last year the GGA has lobbied the State Parks to lift this ban. Partial success was gained this year when the parks decided to classify geocaching in the same category as Orienteering. Under the present policy geocaching events are allowed in parks under the same rules as orienteering events. Combination locked traditional caches only can be placed in the Park Ranger's office and cache placers create virtual caches within the park so that hunters can figure out the lock's combination. By cultivating a personal relationship with park staff, some members have received special permission to place traditional caches within the park boundaries. Erik closed by handing out a list of all Georgia State Parks including phone numbers and addresses for key personnel at each park.

The last program topic was the Adopt-a-Meeting proposal by the Steering Committee. The host will help the committee by selecting and reserving a meeting location and providing some or all of the day's programs. Examples of the Adopt-a-Meeting idea are the January meeting at Indian Springs State Park south of Atlanta and the March meeting at Warner Robins Air Force Base, hosted by DaRebel and ErnieB respectively. Anyone interested can contact the Steering Committee by clicking on the link on the bottom of the GGA web page at www.ggaonline.org and inquire about hosting a meeting.

The next meeting is October 12th, with a location to be determined.

Happy geocaching!

—Brad

(NOTE: Links have been removed from this public page.)