Skip to Content
Register · Login
About Theme

A Letterboxing Community

Atlas Quest

Help: Recording Finds

  1. How do I add finds for unlisted boxes?
  2. Can I record a find on my own boxes?
  3. How do I record when maintenance on a box is needed?
  4. How do I record a find or an attempted find?
  5. How do I record geo travelers?
  6. Why does everyone show up as an "undisclosed" finder on mystery boxes except for me?
  7. Why can't I record my finds?
  8. How do I add my finds to my profile?
  9. What counts as a find? What counts as an attempt?
  10. How do I send a comment to a letterboxer about a letterbox of theirs I found?
  11. My friend and I use different trail names on AQ—should we record our finds under both names as two finds, or should only one of us record the find?
  12. How can I put in the date I found a letterbox instead of the current date?
  13. How can I unrecord a find?
  14. How do I update an F-Summary?
  15. How do I log hitchiker or personal travelers?
  16. How do I delete a comment I submitted on a find?
  17. Why is there red X next to my comment after my found box?

How do I add finds for unlisted boxes?

Unless you are a premium member, you can’t. Being able to list all finds, regardless of whether the letterboxes you’ve found are listed on Atlas Quest or not, is a premium member perk.

If you are a premium member, or happen to get in on a free listing day, use the Record Find option from the Letterboxes menubar option. Type in the name of the box you want to add and set the type of letterbox you’ve found. If you already know the letterbox is not listed on Atlas Quest, do not worry about the author. Finds of unlisted boxes do not track the author of a box, so it won’t do any good.

Atlas Quest will first return a list of letterboxes that match your search that are listed on Atlas Quest, but skip below that section for a list of matching letterboxes that people have found that are not listed on Atlas Quest.

If you are the first person to record finding an unlisted letterbox, you’ll have to use the “create a new entry yourself” option next to the Unlisted Letterboxes section.

Fill in the rest of the blanks and save your find.

Can I record a find on my own boxes?

Absolutely. That's how you let people know your letterbox has recently been visited. On the box details page, there will be the option to Update Status—that's just a glorified term for finding your own box among other options. Use it to let people know that your box has been checked on recently, either by you or someone else, and it is still in place.

Finds on your own boxes will not count towards your F-count, nor will they show up in the Finds section of your online logbook. They will, however, show up in the Maintenance section of your online logbook.

How do I record when maintenance on a box is needed?

You can only record when maintenance is needed for your own letterboxes. If you found a letterbox that needs maintenance but cannot do it yourself, notify the owner of the letterbox letting them know about the problem. They'll have the opportunity to maintain the box themselves (or ask a nearby friend to do so for them), or he or she can list an official first aid request on their box. You, however, cannot record first aid request directly on another person's letterbox.

How do I record a find or an attempted find?

Use the Record Find link under the Letterboxes menubar option and fill out the form provided. Yes, we know, it says "Record Find", but that's a small space for a link and most people just use it to record finds, but you can also record attempts from it as well.

If you are not a premium member, you will only be able to record the finds and attempts of boxes that are listed on Atlas Quest. If the box is not listed on Atlas Quest, you must be a premium member in order to record the find or attempted find.

Another way to record a find, if the box is listed on Atlas Quest, is to pull up the box details page and click the Record Find button among the panel of buttons along the right side of the page and fill out the following form.

One thing to note: The Record Finds page has a column for "found" boxes and another one for "missing" boxes. Anything you list as missing will show up as an attempt. The reason this column is labeled missing is because an attempt is only an attempt if you looked for the letterbox and believe it to be missing. When people see one or more attempts listed on a box, they might suspect that letterbox is missing, so it's not doing anyone any favors to hike halfway out to the box, but then it starts raining so you turn around. You did not attempt the letterbox—you merely went for a short hike. Just because you looked at an encrypted clue but could not decrypt it does not mean you attempted the letterbox.

Unfortunately, this happened quite often, and even after such people were warned that an attempt means you looked for the letterbox and could not find it because they believe it to be missing, they would reply that that's not their meaning for the word attempt. So the language on that record find page was hardened to say 'missing' to reinforce the fact that the person who is filling out that forms believes the letterbox is missing. At the same time, anyone who sees such a listing should keep in mind that the person listing the "missing" status can never be entirely certain that the letterbox really is missing—perhaps they misinterpreted the clue, or another letterboxer found the box and is stamping into somewhere nearby at the time you looked for it. So elsewhere, the gentler word attempt is used to describe your missing report.

How do I record geo travelers?

This is a letterboxing website and does not support geo travelers, geocaches, or any other imports from geocaching and other similar stashing games. You have come to the wrong website if those are the types of things you want to record finding.

Why does everyone show up as an "undisclosed" finder on mystery boxes except for me?

Not to worry, you will also show up as undisclosed to other people viewing the list. You're allowed to see your own finds, though, which is why your name is not hidden from you. Everyone else will only see their own finds, assuming they have any, and will not be able to see your name.

Atlas Quest hides the identities of finders for mystery boxes to help preserve their mysteriousness. You won't be able to look up where else people found boxes the same day they got the mystery box, and neither will anyone else trying to find the clue.

Why can't I record my finds?

You can record a find on any box listed on Atlas Quest either through the Record Find page (found under the Letterboxes menubar option) or by finding the listing on Atlas Quest and clicking the Record Find button on the details page of that box.

If the box is not listed on Atlas Quest or is restricted so you don't see the listing on Atlas Quest, you can only record a find on an unlisted box. In this case, only premium members can record the find, and only through the Record Find link under the Letterboxes menubar option.

How do I add my finds to my profile?

Your profile is automatically updated with the correct number of plants and finds as you record the find. To record a find or an attempt, use the Record Find link found under the Letterboxes menubar option. If you want your profile to link to your list of plants and finds, be sure to check your Privacy Preferences are public. Links to your plant and find lists are only generated for public pages, not private ones.

What counts as a find? What counts as an attempt?

The official AQ definition of a find requires finding the stamp of the box you were looking for. No stamp, not a find, and it should not be recorded as such on Atlas Quest. If you wish to count such finds in your own private logbook, that's your business, but such boxes should not be counted as finds on Atlas Quest.

An attempt means that you believe the box is missing. You found the location where you are absolutely certain the box should be, and the box was physically missing from its location. If you fail to find a box because it started raining and you turned back early, that is not an attempt. If you fail to find the box because a swarm of bees is near it and you are unable to retrieve it, that is not an attempt. If you cannot solve the coded clue, that does not count as an attempt. An attempt means that you looked for the box and believe it to be missing.

We realize that on both counts, there is some disagreement among members about what should count or not count as a find and an attempt. You're welcome to your own opinion on the matter and may keep track of your own PFX counts in any manner you wish, but to allow apple-to-apple comparisons of official PFX counts on Atlas Quest, we like to standardize counts as much as possible and these are the official definitions selected by Green Tortuga. If you are caught recording finds and attempts that don't fit the official definition, they can be deleted with little or no notice. This is especially true for attempts since strikeouts were implemented. If a lot of false attempts are logged on a box, it may stop showing up in most default searches, so it's critically important that only valid attempts are logged. While the situation isn't nearly as critical regarding finds, recording an invalid find may encourage people to search for the box (it's been "found" recently, after all) and end up disappointing future searchers when they learn the stamp is actually missing. So please don't record finds unless you found the stamp and don't record attempts unless you believe the box is missing.

How do I send a comment to a letterboxer about a letterbox of theirs I found?

Use the Record Find option. As the name suggests, it's primary purpose is to record finds, but at the same time, it also allows you to record attempts, vote on the box, and add a public or private comment to the owners, planters, and carvers of the box or series.

If you do not want to officially record a find or an attempt, you can still use this option. Just make sure the "N/A" option is selected rather than the "Found" or "Attempted" options. You'll still be able to contact the interested parties with a private or public comment and nothing about a find or attempt will be recorded.

My friend and I use different trail names on AQ—should we record our finds under both names as two finds, or should only one of us record the find?

That's up to you. If you're both sharing the same trail name, it's not really clear why you wouldn't share the same account on Atlas Quest. If you each want your own separate identity, it might be better to have two distinctly different trail names and record finds separately. Or if you two always letterbox as a team, it might make more sense to have a single, shared account and record the find once. You'll find both types of setups on Atlas Quest, and it's a personal preference.

How can I put in the date I found a letterbox instead of the current date?

Select Letterboxes from the toolbar. Select Record Find. Type in the name of the letterbox and then select search. In the bottom, left-hand corner is the current date. Select the down symbol for the year and then select the correct year. Do the same for month and day. When all is copasetic, save.

How can I unrecord a find?

You can view a list of all of your finds in your logbook at https://www.atlasquest.com/people/logbook.html?action=finds. Change the 'type' to the type of box that you inadvertently recorded a find on, so if you wanted to remove a find on a traditional box, make sure you're viewing the page for traditional finds. Then click the "Remove Find" link on the find you'd like to remove.

How do I update an F-Summary?

F-Summary is created automatically when finders record finding (or failing to find) a letterbox.

How do I log hitchiker or personal travelers?

From the Letterboxes column on the toolbar at the top of the AtlasQuest page, select Record Find. Type in the name of the letterbox and change the type to HH/cootie/flea (for hitchhikers) or traveler (for personal travelers). Search, type in the pertinent information and then hit the record find button at the bottom of the page.

It is also possible to record a find directly from the box details page of the box you found. Run a regular search like you normally would from the Simple Search page or Advanced Search page. Once you've found the listing for the box you found, use the "Record Find" button on that box's page.

How do I delete a comment I submitted on a find?

Go to the box where the comment was listed and click the "delete" icon (Delete) next to your comment.

Why is there red X next to my comment after my found box?

You can click the red X to delete your comment, if you so choose to.