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Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Nov 27, 2018 10:31am
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I checked on a box & went to note the maintenance report. There was the option to check found or missing, so I checked found. This increased the boxes “f” count. Was I not supposed to do that? I looked at my atlas quest logbook & it doesn’t show up for my finds list. I also didn’t see a way to delete it.
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968815 by LadyRisa
Nov 27, 2018 10:39am
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I checked your listing on Tarot symbol: sun and it looks like you did it right. The maintenance check shows up on the F-Summary as a Find so that seekers can see it is still being found--if the last entry were an x many would suspect that it has gone missing and not give it a shot.
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968815 by LadyRisa
Nov 27, 2018 10:42am
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In the database, a "maintenance" visit is recorded as another find, but AQ knows that you aren't allowed to "find" your own boxes and automatically excludes it from the finds on your logbook and F-count. (It will, however, show up

But it IS included the find summary for the box because you did confirm that the box was there by visiting it, and others should know it. You want people to know that you "found" your box--you just don't want it counted for "official" purposes.

So it's all working as expected!

-- Ryan
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968817 by Green Tortuga
Nov 27, 2018 10:52am
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Ok good. I think I blew my own mind with that one. Glad to know I did it right!
Can the same stamp/image be both a postal and an LTC?
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Nov 27, 2018 11:37am
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Situation: I have some stamps that have started out as postals, and I would like to send out the images as Quisps/LTCs/oversized LTCs. I don’t want to retire them as postals because I might want to send them out again in the future.

Should I list them in the LTC category, or as “Other” so recipients can log them in? Or, not list them at all?

It doesn’t seem quite right to me if they log it in as finding a postal, since they didn’t receive a stamp, didn’t stamp into a logbook, or process a postal envelope.

Thoughts?
Re: Can the same stamp/image be both a postal and an LTC?
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968820 by JampersandJ
Nov 27, 2018 11:55am
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List as LTCs use the recycle symbol and explain in the clues section that it is a postal and what postal rings its been on, if any.

You might want to add postal box number too.

And then provide these details to the postal listing as well, but for the LTC box number, etc.
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968817 by Green Tortuga
Nov 28, 2018 5:40am
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WOW! That's really nifty!

(I would now like to suggest a "WOW! That's really nifty!" button for responses, although it might be seen as too long ;) )

Thanks for a really great website and very interesting information!
-PLP
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968850 by PeaceLovePiano and Mom
Nov 28, 2018 7:20am
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I want the smite button back. I'm having a very smiteful Wednesday. Teaching middle school will do that to a person.
Re: Can the same stamp/image be both a postal and an LTC?
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968821 by photopam
Nov 28, 2018 9:51am
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Thanks! With the “agrees” and no alternate suggestions, I will take your advice!
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968817 by Green Tortuga
Nov 28, 2018 3:13pm
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How about something to show you visited a box you found earlier? 2 years ago I lost a book with images, and when convenient I’ve been refinding and recapturing the stamp image. Something to show that, yes, this box I found 4 years ago is still there because I just went back and found it again, without losing the original find date, showing the date I went back, but not adding another find to my totals?
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968873 by cooledcoyote
Nov 28, 2018 3:35pm
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showing the date I went back, but not adding another find to my totals?

Choose "Record Find", instead of having the "found" box checked, choose N/A, type your message in public comment and hit send. It will show your message under the "box comments" on the details page but not add another find to your count. However, it will not show up in the "View Finds" box, your comment would be the only record that you went back and found it again.
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968873 by cooledcoyote
Nov 28, 2018 5:24pm
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I have an alias account that I use for mostly maintenance purposes. I checked on a friend’s box that was marked as “missing”. It was still there. The alias was useful to show a “find” after the attempt, without affecting my on-line logs.

You can make an alias account and use it to keep track of your replacement images.
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968873 by cooledcoyote
Nov 28, 2018 7:05pm
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How about something to show you visited a box you found earlier?

I'd just use an alias account for that purpose. You can call it the "cooledcoyote ghost" because you're being followed by a "ghostly" persona who isn't "real." =)

-- Ryan
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968878 by Green Tortuga
Nov 29, 2018 5:52pm
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I'd just use an alias account for that purpose. You can call it the "cooledcoyote ghost" because you're being followed by a "ghostly" persona who isn't "real." =)

I have an awesomely named "Box Found" alias for this purpose.
Re: Box maintenance
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968920 by Eidolon
Nov 29, 2018 7:31pm
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Ha ha, that is awesome!
Re: Changing the type of box
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #968677 by Moms_Play
Dec 3, 2018 7:03am
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The ones that we had to find in the hotel, from the clue packet should be listed as "traditional", for example, the ones on every floor that combined to form 1 stamp, and the ones that were outside.

There was also clue for all the boxes in the hotel lobby etc. so those as well.

But the ones in your room should be considered HIPS or "event boxes"

You put on a great event!! It was extremely creative! I hope you guys keep it up, and next time I can stay instead of only being there for a few hours.
Re: Changing the type of box
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969008 by Spartanfans
Dec 3, 2018 10:12am
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"But the ones in your room should be considered HIPS or "event boxes""

I thought HIPS and events boxes were different in some cases.

What I thought:

Event boxes are on a table at an event and you go walk up and get it, no searching or clues involved.

Hips are Hidden in Plain Sight, and have clues , altho clues make be vague, but still written clues. So shouldn't they be a traditional count? You had to make the effort to actually search for them.
Re: Changing the type of box
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969010 by airstream dreams
Dec 3, 2018 11:54am
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HIPS boxes don't have clues. They are a type of event box that is on the table but are "hidden in plain sight". For example, my Prehistoric Policeman? is glued to the bottom of a rock. You might miss it if you don't pick it up and look at it. Another example is a stamp hidden in a box of tissues. You might miss that because you might think it's just a box of tissues that someone brought because they had a cold.
Re: Changing the type of box
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969018 by Colorful Caterpillars
Dec 3, 2018 12:15pm
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I just attended an event Sunday and the HIPS were listed as traditional boxes because we had to solve puzzles in order to access (lock boxes) or find the location of the stamps. These boxes took alittle more effort and strategic thinking to get the image. The event host should have the final decision on how their boxes are listed. If attendees don't agree with that choice they don't need to stamp the image. There needs to be alittle more focus on the fun of attending events and stamping images rather than the "rules and regulations" of how boxes are listed and the "counts".
Re: Changing the type of box
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969019 by Una Marlee Sue
Dec 3, 2018 12:57pm
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I totally agree with you. It should be up to the planter and everyone have fun and be a Happy Camper.
Re: Changing the type of box
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969010 by airstream dreams
Dec 3, 2018 5:24pm
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Hips are Hidden in Plain Sight, and have clues , altho clues make be vague, but still written clues. So shouldn't they be a traditional count? You had to make the effort to actually search for them.

Notice that "HIPS" is an attribute only for event stamps? If it's a HIPS, it's an event box.

The vast majority of them I've seen, if they have clues at all, the clues weren't needed to find the box. And while I have "searched" for them, I wouldn't call it an "effort." It just means I was casually "looking around for suspicious-looking objects." I wasn't following clues, and my strategy for finding them is very much different than a real, traditional letterbox.

I know not everyone agrees with me, but there's another reason I prefer them being listed as event boxes--it makes them easier to find online. They can be attached directly to the event so I can pull up a list of event boxes at the event and, "Oh! There it is!" And record the find.

When it's a traditional, I have more trouble finding the listing because first I'm looking in the wrong place ("why isn't it in the list of event boxes?"), then because I have to do a traditional search and I'm not sure how it was listed. Do I search for the park where the event was held? Is it listed as a "mystery" box?

So all things considered, I'd highly recommend listing HIPS as event boxes. They're meant to be listed as event boxes and I've even gone so far as to not record finds on incorrectly-listed event boxes because I don't want them screwing up my F-counts. I've never heard of anyone refusing to record an event box listing because they think it's really a traditional box and they didn't want the find to mess up their event F-count. =)

I know people don't like rules and regulations, but it does help find listings when people are following from the same playbook.

-- Ryan
Re: Changing the type of box
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969040 by Green Tortuga
Dec 4, 2018 12:16am
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I've even gone so far as to not record finds on incorrectly-listed event boxes because I don't want them screwing up my F-counts.

I do that too. I have a spreadsheet with "real totals" (which is sorely out of date, I am working on catching that up) which ignore things which didn't involve me needing to figure out a clue of some sort.
attempts vs. finds question
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Dec 12, 2018 6:19am
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Hi everybody!
I am curious: if we attempted a box and did not find it (and logged it in as an attempt/not found) then later we went back and found it (and logged it in as a find)...why is there still an "attempt" listed on it?

(NOT Criticizing-just curious)

The very first box we attempted to find we could not and logged it as such (I never dreamed I would be crawling on the floor of a library looking up into the stacks like that! Although now that I am more seasoned, it totally doesn't surprise me!!! LOL :) ). Almost 2 years later we went and found it. So that has both an "attempt" and a "find".

Thanks so much!
-PLP
Re: attempts vs. finds question
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969298 by PeaceLovePiano and Mom
Dec 12, 2018 6:36am
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AtlasQuest is set up so that you can record up to one find and one attempt on each box. The fact that you logged a find on one date does not change the fact that you recorded an attempt on the same box on a previous date. If you don't like the attempt being there now that you've found the box, you may delete the attempt.
Re: attempts vs. finds question
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969298 by PeaceLovePiano and Mom
Dec 12, 2018 7:10am
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if we attempted a box and did not find it (and logged it in as an attempt/not found) then later we went back and found it (and logged it in as a find)...why is there still an "attempt" listed on it?

Having both the attempt and the find gives searchers an indication of the difficulty of finding the box--they'll know that if they don't find it immediately to keep on looking and thinking.
Re: attempts vs. finds question
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969300 by Wronghat
Dec 13, 2018 6:53am
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Having both the attempt and the find gives searchers an indication of the difficulty of finding the box

It's not always about difficulty.....our first attempt was a miss but we were literally brand new boxers. Went back a year later with some more experience under our belts, realized our mistakes and then found the box with no difficulty. I believe experience matters in this hobby.

JMHO
Re: attempts vs. finds question
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969338 by Public Hand
Dec 13, 2018 11:21am
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It's not always about difficulty.....our first attempt was a miss but we were literally brand new boxers. Went back a year later with some more experience under our belts, realized our mistakes and then found the box with no difficulty

This serves as good reminder to all, especially for those who are new, not to be too quick to record an attempt. It should only be done when you’re relatively certain that you solved, understood, and followed the clue correctly, and that you’ve searched the right spot thoroughly. If you’re in doubt about any of that, message the planter and see if they will give you a hint where you went wrong, instead of assuming it’s gone.
Finding box versus stamp?
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Dec 13, 2018 12:58pm
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So what really counts as a find? Is it finding the stamp, box or both? Typically you find the box and stamp which is easy to determine.

However what about the following scenarios:

Scenario A You find the empty box or with the dreaded GeoCache trinket.

Scenario B You find a box (can feel or see it and sure it is what you seek) but couldn't retrieve it from it's hiding place. Could be too far into a hole or has fallen farther into the tree opening etc... .

On both counts I definitely let the owner know but should it count as a find?
Re: Finding box versus stamp?
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969352 by IrishRef
Dec 13, 2018 1:06pm
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I like what dingus dufus has said about this question:
Pressing the image into your logbook and your trail stamp into the box logbook were originally meant to be conformation of a successful hunt.

https://www.atlasquest.com/boards/messages.php?startId=925472;authorId=4207;typeId=8
Re: Finding box versus stamp?
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #969354 by Wronghat
Dec 13, 2018 1:37pm
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I would count both of your scenarios as attempted. I agree with the above comment.. stamp in book is mission accomplished. My stamp doesn't necessarily have to be in the box's logbook, but the box stamp has to be in mine.