Cash-in on your geocaching skillz

If you're one of the lucky folks who live in or around the yellow area pictured on the map (it's a map of the upper 48 United States), grab the closest gadget with GPS, your EV-DO-sportin' laptop, and the keys to your pickup, 'cause money is literally falling out of the sky all around you 24-hours-a-day. Let us explain: Apparently some regions in the South and West aren't as wired as midtown Manhattan, so a company called Space Data found a way to make money by repeatedly launching weather balloons with cellular transmitters called SkySites, and charging what must be astronomical fees for getting your cell-on in the boonies. These eye-in-the-sky cell towers hover between 70,000 and 100,000-feet and provide coverage for a 200-mile radius on Earth- but the darn things only stay aloft for 24 to 48 hours before freefalling to the ground (or tree, or lake, or Grand Canyon). Once a balloon hits terra firma, or something close, it radios its location back to its successor in the sky, which then relays the data to the SkySite website. Since geocachers are known to be a particularly violent and rowdy bunch who would no doubt cause wanton destruction in a free-for-all pursuit of these $60 treasures, only a particular balloon's general location is posted, and the first certified 'cacher in the area who calls dibs gets the exact coordinates (plus or minus five decimal places) and an exclusive 48-hour window to retrieve the gear. If you think that there's only chump change to be made here, you couldn't be more wrong: SkySite reportedly paid out over $93,000 to its volunteer army last year, with the top earner "caching" in to the tune of $10,000.

[Via GPS Review, thanks Tim]

[David W. @ Jan 31st 2006 3:08AM]

I'm amazed Texas is listed, it makes sense for New Mexico, but Texas is almost entirely blanketed in the coverage.

http://onlinestorez.cingular.com/cell-phone-service/maps/pop_mapfinder.jsp

[b! @ Jan 31st 2006 4:42AM]

Illegal immigrants suing celluar carrier over falling transmitters! News at ten...

[PC @ Jan 31st 2006 5:31AM]

$10k per year chasing ballons, I can finally quit my paper route.

[Peter @ Jan 31st 2006 6:36AM]

Sorry, how much per collection?
A guy might have got $10,000 but he also might have done 1000 collections.

Peter

[Geocacher @ Jan 31st 2006 6:50AM]

Are the comments about "Geocacher's" sarcasm or not? I can't tell. You make us sound like money grubbing a*holes. Write it better so it appears to be sarcasm, or change the wording and offer an apology.
Also, this isn't new. It's been going on for several years.

[yet another Matt @ Jan 31st 2006 8:22AM]

Sounds like this is the beginning of the next sci-fi movie... well maybe if it was in the 80s

[Jared Dilg @ Jan 31st 2006 8:50AM]

Sounds fun!

Except that you waste $60 in gas driving around the desert just to break even.

[Jason Beaird @ Jan 31st 2006 8:51AM]

Since geocachers are known to be a particularly violent and rowdy bunch who would no doubt cause wanton destruction in a free-for-all pursuit of these $60 treasures...

Where did THAT come from? Many of your readers are geocachers and most geocaching has no rewards except the thrill of the pursuit. We encourage other geocachers to protect the sport by picking up trash and obeying local laws. I agree with the previous comment - If this is sarcasm, it doesn't come off as such.

[Rick @ Jan 31st 2006 8:56AM]

#5... cool ur jets, turbo. a hint of loving sarcasm is the easter egg of every engadget post. you dont really want to beat up a nerd, do you? thats just sad... oh so sad...

[no3rdw @ Jan 31st 2006 9:02AM]

Come on, have a sense of humor - it's obviously sarcasm. I thought it was pretty funny too, since its the complete opposite of the people I've geocached with and met while geocaching. "A particularly violent and rowdy bunch" :P

[Michael @ Jan 31st 2006 9:10AM]

I tend to agree with #5 & 8 here...
I know Engadet always puts a jab in their postings, but this one is a bit too over the top. And no, I'm not a geocacher.

[Geocacher @ Jan 31st 2006 9:19AM]

I like to think I do have a sense of humor. Most of the time I appreciate the little jabs that are added to posts, but as #11 said, it's a bit over the top.

[aaron @ Jan 31st 2006 9:45AM]

So a priest, a rabbi, and a geocacher walk into a bar...

[Tucker @ Jan 31st 2006 10:26AM]

Watch the geocachers come out of the woodwork to scream, yell and threaten people. ..All in the name of proving they're not a violent and rowdy bunch. Good work guys, ignore the sarcasm and start flaming.

[Geocacher @ Jan 31st 2006 11:09AM]

I don't see anyone screaming, yelling, or "threatening". I thought the sarcasm was ill-written (I'm still just assuming it's sarcasm) to an extent that I wasn't SURE it was sarcasm. I've had to deal with negative images of geocacher's before and defend the hobby to those that were mis-informed about it. The poorly stated sarcasm in this case can lead to more mis-information. A casual reader who knows little or nothing of geocachers might mis-interpret the statement as well and then have a negative image of geocachers.
These statements are far from flaming. I ask that it be re-written and/or an apology offered.

[Rick @ Jan 31st 2006 12:03PM]

Dear Evan Blass,
It is apparent to the geocache community that humor is not tolerated and it would be greatly appreciated if you would detract all statments of comical or humorous nature and apologize to the general public for depicting said persons as so. In the event that such measures are not compromised our lawyers will be in contact. er... can you give us your coordinates?

[Rex Haugen @ Jan 31st 2006 12:11PM]

#4 or Peter,

RTFA you Dumbass it says that it is 60 dollars per collection you idiot. Sorry for the bashing but people don't even read and they just post based on the title. Sorry.

Rex Haugen
The sarcastic one

[Kat @ Jan 31st 2006 12:35PM]

Wow, obviously some over-sensitive people here. I'm a geocacher (kat352234) and I thought that joke was pretty funny.
I've never heard of anyone having any kind of negative image of geocaching, most I've ever got from mentioning it to people was "huh?"
You guys seriously need to lighten up, I thought it was funny. Also, for those of you cacher's who take it a wee bit too far, other people are not called muggles, they're just called normal.
and yes, that was very much sarcasm. :)

[Jerry Gardner @ Jan 31st 2006 2:15PM]

Sounds like fun. I run all over Arkansas with my business. I get into this too. I sell Amsoil Synthetics to help folks get better fuel mileage and extended oil change intervals. One year or 25,000 miles.

Jerry

[Dr Rock @ Jan 31st 2006 3:41PM]

Sarcasm. Funny to everone, except those not smart enough to get it.

This geocacher got the humor. Sad that a few dolts make the rest of us look bad.

[Bob @ Jan 31st 2006 6:52PM]

Actually, they do say it's $60.00 per recovery. The problem is their contract says otherwise. $25.00 maximum payout if sent in the first week after you recieve the coordinates, $18.75 if they get it after one week but before two weeks, and $12.50 if they get it after two weeks. They are also clear that *YOU* pick up the shipping expenses, and all other expenses involved in finding one of these gadgets.

[CacheInMyPocket @ Jan 31st 2006 11:25PM]

Well I didn't care for the comment either, but over time the perception of geocachers seems to lend believablity and reactions such as we see here.
Just go to the groundspeak forums and you will see controversy such as here.
I grow weary of all the banter myself.

CacheInMyPocket

[Byron @ Feb 1st 2006 8:11PM]

There's a couple things that could be said. I've been a geocaching from close to the begining of caching. There's been some very negative things said about cachers that wasn't sacrasm. My first take without reading the responses was not very kind to the author. After reading the above, I'll lighten up a bit, but not completely. It appears that he has a bit of an understanding of geocachers, but not fully understanding where the buttons are, or why the buttons are there.

[Kat @ Feb 2nd 2006 12:10PM]

This may not be how it was intended, but just to clarify, this is how I perceived the joke.
I don't think it's about geocachers actually, I think it's about the company and their fairly strict and tight-lipped rules. To prove my point, I'll use this line that comes after the geocaching joke.
"only a particular balloon's general location is posted, and the first certified 'cacher in the area who calls dibs gets the exact coordinates (plus or minus five decimal places) and an exclusive 48-hour window to retrieve the gear."
If that were put in front of the geocaching joke, I think it would make more sense that it's more about their james-bondish secret agent style security measures than the actual people who do it.
That's what I thought, and if you put it in that context, I think it is very funny.

[Bob @ Feb 2nd 2006 4:10PM]

SS Recovery services just mailed me about the discrepancy between the contract and the website:

The contract is an older version that is being updated as soon as I finish negotiating the new contract with Space Data. Currently we pay $60 per SOG recovered and delivered(driven) to a Space Data launch site. Some SOGS actually pay more than $60 and that is based on difficulty in getting to the SOG. Before you accept a recovery assignment, terms are spelled out in the acceptance email.

Looks good to me. Attention geocachers: remeber what they say about arguing on the Internet!

[SFC. Cacher @ Feb 18th 2006 2:56PM]

There is a fine line between an insult and sarcasm when it is put in writing.

[Spinoza @ Feb 22nd 2006 2:44PM]

Outraged geocachers just burned down two embassies, to protest the mockery of their faith.