Joe_L

The app should show your current latitude and longitude. If you’ve solved the puzzle correctly, you have the cache coordinates. To get into the general vicinity of the cache, calculate the difference in latitude and longitude. Convert that to seconds and use about 100 feet per second for latitude and 80 feet for longitude to convert to feet. Now, take out a scaled map of the area (you do have a map…) and using those distances you just calculated, spot the approximate cache location on the map (Does that location make sense?). Go there, and then check the app for your latitude and longitude and compare it to the cache coordinates. Should be pretty close. Try walking due north or south until the latitude matches, then due east or west until the longitude matches. Then, you’ll be at the GZ. Joe

But going back to the original question: "What is the default standard for navigation, True North or Magnetic North?" There is no standard definition for “navigation”, so there is no default standard. In the context of geocaching which is tied into longitude and latitude inputs and outputs from a GPSr, then “north” is true north and navigation instructions, problems, puzzles, and references are to true north. (or at least they should be.) In the context of hiking and orienteering which is tied into map and compass, then magnetic north is the most relevant because one is navigating with a magnetic compass and one needs to know the declination for the area and how to account for that with their map. The use of true north or magnetic north depends on the situation, and you need to know your audience. It is very important that if someone needs to use the term “north” (or any bearing or cardinal direction for that matter) that they understand the different definitions and unambiguously convey their meaning. Joe

Thanks for the information and replies. (I had an earlier post, now locked, about this on one of the other subforums.) Joe

Did the Other Conversions button/link (that converts the coordinates to other formats)get deleted? Or just pushed to Premium? Or renamed somewhere else on the page? I was using it a couple days ago, but now it's gone. Thanks Joe

My GPSr only shows latitude and longitude. I bring an orienteering compass with me if I'm in a park or woods. I'll follow a trail close to the cache and stop at either the latitude or longitude of the cache. Then, I'll adjust the compass housing for declination, turn myself to face true north, and then (depending on whether I've stopped on the latitude or longitude) I'll head due east/west or north/south to the cache. Joe

Certainly, Bushnell is known for their optical devices. (Actually, I was misinformed – I thought someone said Bushmill, but I digress.) Their GPS line is hardly geocache-friendly. But the device suits me. It has a lat-long read out and I rarely go into the woods without a map anyway. Forces me to think about where I want to go. The read out at the cache is within the margin of error of the coordinates and usually dead-on. The biggest drawback – it’s not paperless. Joe

Thank you all for the feedback. I usually geocache on weekends, so the unit is off for a week or two. I wish I had kept better records on when and where the problem occurred. On one hand, I do recall some of the longest times have been when I’ve been in a different state. (Though during a trip to Texas, I got a signal within a few minutes on the first day, but the second day took a good twenty minutes. The two locations were probably 20 to 30 miles apart.) Gitchee-Gummee touched on my second question. Since some makes/models acquire the signal faster, is it because of the chip/microprocessor? And is there any way to discern this from the product specifications? Joe

Greetings I’ve been geocaching for about a year now. I use a simple device – a Bushnell Backtracker 5. A problem that I occasionally have is that there are times when it takes 10 to 20 minutes to get a signal. (That is, to get read out of the latitude and longitude.) But once the signal is obtained, I never lose it. The problem seems to be random; it’s happened in overcast weather, clear weather, out in the open, or deep in the woods. Most of the time, regardless of the conditions or the terrain/vegetation, I get a signal as soon as I turn the device on. Battery condition doesn’t seem to be the issue either, and the problem has surfaced with both fresh and old batteries. And there are usually no problems even with low battery charge. Is this delay is getting a signal common to all devices? If not, what aspect of the specification/design of the devices affects this? Thanks Joe