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Granpappa

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Posts posted by Granpappa

    Sharing the fun.

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    I've had so much fun geocaching that I recommended it to my daughter-in-law. She took her kids (8 and 5) out today, along with a neighbor girl,  and they found their first cache. The girls were so excited that they sent me a Marco Polo video to tell me all about it. How nice to have a hobby that I can share with my grand kids!

    • Upvote 2
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    Distance cache from coordinates

    in How do I...?

    Posted

    I am still a beginner, but here is my experience so far: I have found about 40 caches. Although many were close to the posted coordinates, very few have been "Spot On". One was 40 feet from where my GPS said it should be, most were within about 10 feet, and a couple were in between those extremes. I went to one cache where the CO said in the description that he had rechecked the coordinates several times with different devices (the reason for adding that to the description will become apparent). My GPS placed the coordinates in the middle of the nearby street. I knew that couldn't be right, so I kept looking and eventually found it. From reading the logs of other cachers, I found that many of them had the same experience with that cache. I don't know enough about the factors that can effect GPS accuracy to understand why that happened. I have just learned to accept these discrepancies as part of the game.

    Normal GPS accuracy?

    in How do I...?

    Posted

    15 hours ago, Unit473L said:

    It can also cause frustration when the different devices on different days are off in different directions.

     

    So your gps could be 15 feet off to the left, the cache owner's gps could have been 15 feet off to the right when they placed the cache. So even if you are 100% certain you are at exactly the right coords, you could actually be 30 feet away from where the cache physically is. It's why some people talk about "geo-senses", which really just means past experience. Which can also be why it can be very frustrating when you come across a new way of hiding a cache that you haven't experienced before but others have. Lots of "so easy" and "obvious" logs, but you've spent the last two hours checking every nook and cranny in a larger and larger area...

     

     

    Yes, I found out what you meant today. I found a nano cache about 25 feet from where the GPS said it was. Must be the compound error that you were talking about.

    • Upvote 2

    Is it gone?

    in How do I...?

    Posted

    I recently returned to Geocaching after 5 years off (having only done a few at the time). There was a cache file on my GPS from 5 years ago that I tried to find the other day, but couldn't. It turns out that I can't find the listing on Geocaching.com either. Does that mean that it has been discontinued, canceled, deactivated, or whatever the proper term is?

    Normal GPS accuracy?

    in How do I...?

    Posted · Edited by Granpappa

    I started Geocaching about 5 years ago. I only found a few easy caches, then didn't pick it up again until recently. It seems like my GPS unit is only accurate to within 10-15 feet. Is this normal? I guess that''s why people talk about "Ground Zero", right?

    My first geocaching experience

    in How do I...?

    Posted · Edited by Granpappa

    I set a modest goal for my first time out. I had about an hour of free time last evening, so I downloaded coordinates for 2 "level 1" caches that were within 5 miles of my home (I live in a rural area). I found the first one easily. The large plastic bottle that contains the cache is weathered to the point that it cracked when I took the top off, and the log book was slightly damp. I signed the log book, and when I got home I went online and logged it as "Needs Maintenance". The second one was cleverly hidden in a spot that I wasn't expecting it to be, and I almost missed it. It took me a few minutes and a bit of head scratching to realize where it was. I signed the log sheet, and went online when I got home and logged it as "Found It". Thankfully, no blood was shed like the other guy mentioned, but I did get a little mud on my shoes!

     

    All in all it was a fun first experience. I can't wait to try it again! I can't quite decide, but I may try a couple of "level 2 or level 3" caches next time to increase the challenge.

     

    By the way, I think it's quite appropriate that I happen to live in "Cache Valley" in Northern Utah. Kind of poetic, don't you think? It was named that because of the mountain men who cached their furs here during the 1800's.

    New to caching and gps

    in How do I...?

    Posted · Edited by Granpappa

    Hey, I found my first two caches today! This is fun!

     

    anarcha77, You were right about the online maps: they help a lot. On the etrex 10, I found the compass screen to be more helpful than the map screen (using the Geocache setting that shows distance to the objective). Is it cheating to get in the car and drive until I'm within walking distance? The two that I found so far (level 1 caches) were within a few hundred feet of a road.

    New to caching and gps

    in How do I...?

    Posted · Edited by Granpappa

    Hey thanks for the welcome, and the tips, anarcha77! I'll spend some time getting familiar with the menu items and the various settings, and I will definitely take a look at the map before I go out.

     

    73 (Ham radio shorthand for "Best regards"), Granpappa

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