Crid

I bought some ammo cans a while back on eBay. I'm getting ready to use the first one for a cache but I'm not sure how to go about repainting it. Firstly, there is text on the can, which it's probably a good idea to remove. I tried emery(sp?) paper and it does come off slowly, but I was also getting down to base metal. Is there an easier way to remove it? Secondly, what's best for painting it? I'm guessing spray paint of some description (green or brown, obviously). Would car paint be a bad idea? (It's glossy, for one thing). If a different kind of paint is more appropriate, what kind of store should I be looking in? (I'm in the UK, btw).

Thanks for the replies. Places that are owned by Forestry Commission, local council, etc are presumably relatively easy to deal with (they are at least centralised). But what about rural caches along byways, bridleways, etc? How do landowners like farmers react to requests? I know from my dad's rambling days that some farmers seem to resent people walking across their fields, even though there's a right of way there. What about "open access land"? Just how "open" is that from a geocaching perspective? Is there still a private landowner, or is under the control of the council? (I'm guessing that even if it's open in a "you can do recreational stuff here without knocking on the landowner's door" sense, that doesn't necessarily mean you can hide caches there without asking). Sorry for all the questions and the vagueness of the original posting. I'm trying to get general guidance because I have several different ideas for cache sites.

Having geocached for about nine months, I would like to place some caches myself. However, the bit that always puts me off is seeking permission to place the cache. I understand the reasons for it, but I'm unsure how to go about doing it. Does anybody have any UK-specific advice about how to choose a good location (from a permission perspective), how to find out who the owner is, etc? Are there different situations depending on the location (for instance, beside a country lane but not in a field, open access land, etc)? I've found advice about seeking permission for caches on Forestry Commission land (and there's a FC forest not far from me that doesn't have any caches in it), but I haven't had so much luck finding UK-specific information for placing caches elsewhere. I'm in Kent, if that makes any difference (given that different councils can have different rules).

I dropped TB1D1FW in a cache on September 3rd last year and it hasn't yet moved. Mainly because it's on the Scilly Isles and I was there near the end of last year's holiday season. I was the last one to find the cache and it probably won't move until late March or early April (when the season starts). The more TBs you have out there, the more often something will move. The downside is that the more you have out there, the more chance you have of one going missing. But that's a chance I'm willing to take (and I intend to buy some more TBs soon).

I came to geocaching through the technology. A few years ago I saw an item on geocaching. I really can't remember if it was in a magazine or TV or on the net, but at the time I thought it sounded like a neat outdoor activity. But I didn't have a GPS so I didn't investigate it any further. Last year I started getting interested in wi-fi and wardriving. I bought a cheap USB GPS to plug into my laptop and did a bit of wardriving in my local area. It quicky became apparent that there was SO MUCH wi-fi out there that it wasn't going to be as interesting an activity as I'd first thought. But by then I'd got interested in the GPS side of it. Obviously I wouldn't be able to take my laptop and USB GPS out walking, so I borrowed my dad's old Garmin Legend. It wasn't terribly good and really disliked tree cover (in fact, my own USB GPS had a much better chipset). I tried a bit of geocaching and only managed to find one local cache. A couple of weeks later I went on holiday in Canada and tried geocaching with the Legend there. I didn't manage to find a single cache. I also failed to find a store that sold the GPS units I wanted to buy (60CSx or 76CSx - both much cheaper over there than here in the UK). When I got home I bought a 76CSx online and had another go at geocaching with it. I did a couple of long multis with a friend and we both enjoyed it. My girlfriend thought it was a really geeky hobby, but eventually agreed to come on a short multi with me. She still thinks it's geeky but that doesn't stop her coming with me. When we go somewhere new she often suggests seeing what geocaches are nearby.

Micros. Odd as it may sound, I actually enjoy LEAVING geoswag. Especially when the person that picks it up mentions it in their log. I've done precisely TWO micros (excluding ones that are part of multis), and that was only because I was on a two-week holiday on a very small island that only had eight caches on the entire island. I had to get my caching fix somehow.

When I bought my GPS (July I think), the 76CSx was cheaper than the 60CSx. Since they are both basically the same unit as far as performance and interface is concerned, that's how I decided to get the 76CSx. I'm very happy with it. If I were buying now, I'd probably look at the new HCX range too as they are smaller and appear to have good performance.

Back in August I did GC153FY (Cache in a Cornfield) about 2 weeks after it was published. The snails had already started to take a liking to the container. Last month another cacher posted this pic showing how the scale of the snail problem had increased since then... Luckily snails don't seem to provoke as much of a phobia reaction as spiders in most people.

Thanks for the comments so far. Some good points raised. I don't plan to do a micro (I'm not a fan of micros anyway). But having said that, I did a cache a little while ago where there was a micro near the car park that gave you the coordinates of the final cache elsewhere in the wood. The micro wasn't all that hard to find, and it did mean that people didn't try to drive along tracks to get to the cache. I thought it was quite a nice idea. I'm figuring that I probably want to look for a lesser-used path or track in the wood (less chance of being surprised by muggles) and good GPS coverage (hopefully) means less disturbance to the cache area if cachers don't have to walk over much in order to find the cache. Mud is another consideration (and this is probably a pretty good time to gauge that problem). The woods get used quite a bit by horse riders (I was up there during my lunchtime today and encountered three horses in about 20 minutes). Not only do they churn the mud up more, they also leave other presents for unwary walkers.

I'm looking for place my first cache, hopefully on Forestry Commission land. I figured I should find some decent candidate spots first before approaching them. I remember reading somewhere (I can't remember if it was in a cache log or in a forum) that somebody was complaining about woodland caches because GPS doesn't work so well under tree canopy. When I first started geocaching I borrowed an old Garmin Legend which completely lost the satellites the first time I got under tree cover (a disused railway line that is now a footpath), so I realise that a woodland cache may exclude people with older GPS kit. I've found a few woodland caches myself. Some have been in the wood itself, some have been on bits of ground where there is a lot of floor cover and only a few trees. Obviously the GPS was less accurate under tree cover (in one instance my GPS told me the cache was about 30 metres from the coordinates). In the clear areas the tree itself can be a landmark. I've started walking the wood in question fairly regularly, finding where the various paths go and looking for good spots to hide a cache. But I'd appreciate opinions of what constitutes "a good spot" in a woodland cache, especially since I haven't hidden a cache before. Anybody care to offer their views?

If you really don't want your TB put into member-only caches, perhaps you should make it part of your TB's goal. Of course, the problem with goals is that cachers often don't see the goal until AFTER they have picked up the TB. If they're doing multiple caches in a single day, they may pick up and drop a TB in a single outing without seeing the goal. Adding something like a keyring with the goal printed on it can help prevent that kind of thing. Having said that, I think if your TB had a label asking to not be placed in member-only caches, it would probably get moved even less than a "go anywhere" bug. I certainly don't look to see if a cache is member-only or not when out caching. In fact, I've never looked since becoming a member. Given the price of a GPS unit, the price of membership is pretty tiny by comparison. I've spent way more on fuel getting to cache locations. TB movement is pretty much out of your control once you release the bug. That's part of the fun of it - you never know where it's going to pop up next.

I don't normally crosspost, but since you posted the same question in two forums... If you don't need the maps to be routeable, the Open Street Map (www.openstreetmap.org) project might be of use to you. There's a utility to create (non-routeable) Garmin IMG files from OSM data. A page containing some IMG files that other people have already built can be found here: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/OS...Garmin/Download I regularly use OSM maps on my 76CSx when geocaching and I also contribute to OSM by tracking and adding roads, paths, etc that aren't currently on their map.

If you don't need the maps to be routeable, the Open Street Map (www.openstreetmap.org) project might be of use to you. There's a utility to create (non-routeable) Garmin IMG files from OSM data. A page containing some IMG files that other people have already built can be found here: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/OS...Garmin/Download I regularly use OSM maps on my 76CSx when geocaching and I also contribute to OSM by tracking and adding roads, paths, etc that aren't currently on their map.

"Cache-ier number FOUR please" (Sorry)

I'd also suggest that caches with a parking waypoint are a clue that a walk may be involved. Once you've got the waypoints in your GPS (provided your software also includes child waypoints) you can see fairly easily if the parking is right next to the cache or a distance from it.

It's also on the front page, a little way down the right hand side of the page it says: View a Cache Listing By waypoint name: With a box with GCXXXX in it.

I bought a 76CSx because it was cheaper than the 60CSx. I like the form factor and find the buttons above the screen work really well when I'm holding it in my hand. Perfectly positioned for operating with my thumb. I haven't tried a 60CSx but I imagine the antenna stub would catch on things. I don't know about the new HCX units - I bought my 76CSx a few months ago, just before the HCX units were launched (isn't it typical?) But to be honest, I really don't regret buying a 76CSx. Lovely unit and a lot better than the old Legend (probably 4+ years old) that I borrowed from my dad. That lost the satellites when I got under tree canopy, my 76CSx can get see satellites from my living room (although obviously it can see them better with a clear view of the sky).

I recently did a woodland cache which was under tree canopy AND in a dip. The GPS was bouncing about quite a lot but when I found the cache my GPS was telling me I was a good 30 metres from the coordinates. Somebody else has just done the same cache with two GPS units and they reported that one said they were spot-on and the other one said they were 30 metres off. Perhaps different GPS units give different results when the "accuracy" drops? Having a second set of coordinates under those conditions would actually be quite useful. I also recently did another woodland cache where several people had posted their coordinates and then somebody worked out the average of them all and posted that. I found the cache straight away using the averaged coordinates.

I'm a "senior systems developer" (in other words, a programmer). Since I don't have anybody under me, I'm assuming that "senior" means "old". That's worrying considering I'm not even 40 yet. My bosses try to assure me it's because of my experience (I've been programming for about 28 years). I'm not sure that "veteran" would make me any happier.

Thanks for the guidance. I'm currently reaquainting myself with the wood I want to place my cache in, so next time I'm up there I'll see if I can find a board with contact details. There's only one car park so it should be fairly straightforward hopefully.

OK, now I'm even more confused. I read geocache.co.uk and there is a link to the appropriate form. The blurb says "Permission has been granted to place caches in woods managed by Forest Enterprise in the South East of England" and then says that includes Kent (where I am). "When placing a cache the cache owner must complete an agreement form... Complete and sign it either with name and e-mail or with an image of actual signature then forward it to the appropriate reviewer. The reviewer will then check it out, append a map of the area showing the cache location then forward it to the Forestry Commission on the cacher's behalf." I had interpreted this as meaning that the reviewer acts as the liaison between the cache placer and the Forestry Commission (since it says that permission is already granted). But you seem to be saying that I have to get permission from the Forestry Commission myself (presumably attaching the maps myself) and then forward the completed paperwork to the reviewer, rather than the reviewer doing that part.

I'm in South East England and I'm looking to place my first cache on Forestry Commission land. I see there's a form I'm supposed to fill in with coordinates and forward to "the appropriate reviewer". I'm not quite sure what that means, or what order I'm supposed to do things in. Do I place the cache, submit it on the website and forward the form once I know who the reviewer is? Or do I submit the coordinates and not actually place the cache until (if) the cache is approved both by Forestry Commission and the geocaching reviewer? I'm wanting to do a multi (a micro near the recommended parking which will contain the coordinates of the main cache). Do I submit both sets of coordinates on a single Forestry Commission form, or do I have to do two forms?

If you can configure the display on your GPS, I'd suggest getting it to display the accuracy (really more of a "margin of error"). I normally cache using the map screen and I've set the top left display to show accuracy and the top right to show distance to the cache. Sometimes tree canopy seems to affect the accuracy a lot and other times it seems not to affect it very much at all. Knowing how inaccurate it thinks it is will give you an idea of how much you have to widen your search radius. (But as others have said, you don't want to trust the GPS totally once you get close to the cache). Take somebody caching with you. Even if they're not an experienced geocacher, two pairs of eyes are better than one. If they find the cache, get them to show you how it was hidden so you start learning the tricks that people use. (That's how I started doing it, after a long string of DNFs at the start). Don't be afraid to revisit caches you've previously failed to find. Once you've got a few finds under your belt, you may find that you'll quickly find a cache that you've previously struggled with. Not only that, as winter approaches plants will die back and some caches may actually be easier to find. Read the logs of the cache before visiting. Sometimes they can give you clues of what you're looking for (even if they don't say exactly where that thing is). Also, pay attention to the difficulty ratings of caches. You may already be doing this, but when you're starting out, stick to the easier ones since they are likely to be, well, easier to find. As others have said - don't give up. The initial run of DNFs can be offputting but the satisfaction of a find more than makes up for it.

I've got some additional motivation to go for a walk, whereas previously it was all too easy to put it off. I've also got an incentive to go walking in new places. Before, I tended to stick to my favourite familiar areas. My girlfriend and I both bet more exercise and lungfulls of fresh air. I get to use a cool gadget while out walking and it's integral to the activity, rather than just being a gimmick. My girlfriend gets to pick something fun from the cache when she comes caching with me. Even though we enjoy caching for different reasons, we've found an activity that we enjoy going out and doing together. I've visited places I probably would never have visited otherwise. There's a certain thrill of knowing about something secret that most people walk past without even knowing it's there. Strangely, I even get some enjoyment out of finding and buying swag to put into caches. That feeling when you see something and think "THAT would be good to put in a cache".

If you're looking at the 60CSx, you might also want to check out the 76CSx. Pretty much the same spec as the 60CSx but cheaper. I bought one a few months ago and love it.