Please note - August 2024 with the South East Mega event on, this webcam may be a popular cache however as this is a working business access to the location for cachers will be restricted to the evening of 3rd August 2024 - to that end the CO will be managing a group based session for 2 hours between 6pm and 8pm on that day to enable the many cachers to claim this cache without causing problems for the business. Please do not turn up in big groups during the day, instead pop along between these times.
Please look out for announcements on the SE Mega pages and CO logs on this cache
To claim this cache :
1. Stand in the middle of the forecourt with your arms in the air (not by the sign, please) facing south (The camera is high on the other building around 1 o'clock when facing south)
(Note: the staff in Freeway know all about this cache and are happy to help if necessary)
2. Get a screenshot which ever way you can **Landscape is best** (your own mobile, or PAF)
3. Log the cache adding the image at that time ( do not log 'found' until you can add your image)
4. Ensure to try and get the time stamp (there is one bottom middle of screen) in the photo you upload with your log - if you turn your phone sideways before you get the screenshot and get the image in landscape, this will appear IN the photo, but do not scroll in - the time stamp disappears when you do
PUT YOU ARMS IN THE AIR (note :- this is a requirement of this cache - it is not an ALR, this is a permissable requirement as per the guidelines - it is put in, in order to distinguish a cacher from any other member of the public who happens to be standing on the forecourt
(please note - standing next to the sign makes it hard to see you in the picture - so please stand in the middle of the forecourt)
*** Doing this cache has permission from Freeway, they are happy for people to stand on the forecourt. They know who the cachers are (Arms Up) and are known to be very helpful if there are any problems ***
*** Also, this is an active business location, and is private land - DO NOT PARK ON THE FORECOURT - there are parking co-ords on the cache page given as a waypoint, please go there and walk to this ***
The webcam is now a live feed, so image capture should be fairly instant - However make sure you have YOUR ARMS IN THE AIR, if it is not clear that the person in the image is a cacher the log may be deleted (it is very easy to sit at a computer and catch someone walking past and say it is you - hence the reason for the specific task of 'ARMS IN THE AIR'
Note - This is best done in daylight - night time images are better than before but it is better to stand forward of the sign (nearer the camera) if the image is not clear the CO may decide it is not good enough and may delete - best not to risk it
***If the webcam is down, sorry, but it happens, pop into the shop if open and advise them, they may be able to rectify it.
Please put a NM on to notify the CO, the company have usually been very quick to get faults rectified, but if the CO doesn't know he will not be in a position to contact them to rectify ***
No Selfies - the only image acceptable is that of the webcam feed showing the cacher in the webcam image. Anything else is not acceptable - if you can't get a screenshot of you on the webcam then do not claim a find as you will be disappointed when your log is deleted.
In order to take the picture then follow these instructions:
*** CLICK HERE TO VIEW WEBCAM ***
1) Click on the link - it will take you to the webcam live feed
2) Stand in the middle of the forecourt and put your ARMS IN THE AIR.
3) Take a screen shot with you in the image (it is possible to have arms up to do this )
4) Log the find
5) Once you’ve logged your find, then go to your visit report and click “upload an image for this log”
6) Follow the instructions to upload the picture
*** The original instructions above were given when this webcam was first placed in 2005, and included phoning a friend who would then capture your image on their home computer - since then with laptops, tablets, mobile phones, smart phones etc. etc. it is possible to do this by yourself - however if you do, remember you must still put an arm in the air as this identifies you as a cacher and not a passer-by (both arms in the air can easily be done but with the live feed this is a little harder if you are on your own, so one arm is acceptable)
examples of acceptable and not acceptable
** Please note - be sure to check that the image is coming up and is current before you try this - on the odd occasion there have been problems with the webcam - particularly at weekends (though Freeway are very good at getting it sorted once they have been made aware) - so to save disappointment, check it first **
Any groups or multiple claims must be accompanied by photos with identifying markers indicating who is who (arrows with names pointing to the cacher is usually the option used)
Group images to look like this
The CO will use discretion with these and will approve/reject the claims
In addition :- 1) if you have found this cache already you can not make a second claim (this has been done in the past to enable icon challenges to be completed)
2) previous finders are known and it will be evident if you have changed a previous find to a note or deleted completely
3) Any breaches of the above the cacher will be asked to delete the new claim and reinstate the old one. The rationale behind this is that if it is allowed for this cache to be altered in this manner then potentially any caches of different icons can be altered in the same manner thus making light of what is quite a hard challenge (the multiple icon challenge). Further more, this as a cache may have been used to claim previous challenges and if that 'find' is deleted' it makes that challenge null and void too.
I have had to add this as this has been tried now several times
For a fuller explanation of the rationale behind the requirements - please read the following
Oh! and one last thing (shameful plug moment !) - these types of caches are getting rarer - if you liked it, please consider a fav point
After all - it is a cache that is now 18 years old (dated 2023)
Thanks - ddm