Found My First BM!

[RageWizards]

I located my first benchmark today! (JE0386) It had not been logged in the Geocaching site. Now having logged it, what else should I do? Should I also log it on the Waymarking site? Should I report it to NGS?

 

How descriptive should I be in logging a benchmark? I could be very descriptive in how to locate the BM, but would that be spoiling it for others, as in a geocache?

 

I have just recently begun to lurk around this forum, and read the benchmarking FAQ's. I know just enough to be a little dangerous I guess. I do plan to return and photograph the mark.

 

Any advice would be appreciated so that I make the most of this new pastime and do it right.

[+m&h]

Are you sure you have given us the correct PID? Our search for JE0386 led to a mark near Foster, Missouri that was found in March 2005 by StripeMark, who also logged it with NGS.

Edited August 11, 2006 by m&h

[RageWizards]

Bad, bad typing. It was JE0836, Johnson County, Kansas. Sorry.

[Bill93]

If it is in the geocaching list then it does not go in Waymarking. That is only for additional disks.

 

Benchmark hunting is a different game from geocaching. There is no such thing as a spoiler. The goal is to record all information that is useful.

 

If you are interested in reporting to NGS that is optional but a great. idea. There is a separate forum for more detailed discussions of NGS reporting.

 

I recommend you wait until you have logged a dozen or more benchmarks to geocaching before submitting your reports to NGS. That will give you enough experience in learing the style of the descriptions, what they watch out for, and the situations where you find benchmarks so that you can do a good job of reporting.

 

If you are going to report to NGS (and a good idea anyway) carry the current NGS data sheet with you when you hunt and check off each of the items in the to-reach description. Be sure the stamping matches what is called for. Look for all the reference marks and azimuth mark for triangulation stations.

 

There is a style to the NGS logs that is good to follow. You don't usually need a full description from scratch, but should note those things that have changed (renumvered roads, new road locations, landmarks not present) and if it would be helpful then add distances from new landmarks. For those distances you report, the style is usually to start with the largest distance and work down to the smallest.

 

If the station has ADJUSTED horizontal coordinates then there is no benefit in reporting yours because they won't be as accurate (unless it is one of the rare cases where there is a data sheet typo). Just make sure that the disk you found is actually within your handheld accuracy of the data sheet values. If the station has SCALED coordinates then I always include my handheld reading because it will help locate the disk in the future.

 

Condition of the mark for NGS purposes has little to do with cosmetics, but describes how well it can be used to find the original surveyed position. I will log a disk as "Good" and then comment "disk marred but readable" when I find one someone has hammered on and I can still make out enough to identify it. On the other hand a perfect specimen that is in a post that leans noticeably is "Poor".

 

If you have done a thorough search, are pretty confident it should be where you looked, and can't find the disk, then log an NGS Not Found, and give some indication of how hard you looked or what evidence you see, like "Reference Mark 2 found but station not located by search with probe and metal detector". Or "Not Found. Area regraded for road widening with cut at described location, presumed destroyed." It is really frustrating when you see a log that just says "not found" with no indication of how hard they looked or what they saw.

 

And watch out for those trains. I sometimes look along rail lines, but only if I have good visibility and a clear escape route. It helps if it is not a windy day so you can hear further. Sounds like the one you logged was pushing the envelope. I would not be comfortable between a rock wall and a double main rail line. Some railroads are more vigorous than others against trespassing. In any case do not walk along the road bed and do not dig in their ballast. Find another way to get to the culvert.

Edited August 11, 2006 by Bill93

[RageWizards]

If it is in the geocaching list then it does not go in Waymarking. That is only for additional disks.

 

Benchmark hunting is a different game from geocaching. There is no such thing as a spoiler. The goal is to record all information that is useful.

 

If you are interested in reporting to NGS that is optional but a great. idea. There is a separate forum for more detailed discussions of NGS reporting.

 

I recommend you wait until you have logged a dozen or more benchmarks to geocaching before submitting your reports to NGS. That will give you enough experience in learing the style of the descriptions, what they watch out for, and the situations where you find benchmarks so that you can do a good job of reporting.

 

If you are going to report to NGS (and a good idea anyway) carry the current NGS data sheet with you when you hunt and check off each of the items in the to-reach description. Be sure the stamping matches what is called for. Look for all the reference marks and azimuth mark for triangulation stations.

 

There is a style to the NGS logs that is good to follow. You don't usually need a full description from scratch, but should note those things that have changed (renumvered roads, new road locations, landmarks not present) and if it would be helpful then add distances from new landmarks. For those distances you report, the style is usually to start with the largest distance and work down to the smallest.

 

If the station has ADJUSTED horizontal coordinates then there is no benefit in reporting yours because they won't be as accurate (unless it is one of the rare cases where there is a data sheet typo). Just make sure that the disk you found is actually within your handheld accuracy of the data sheet values. If the station has SCALED coordinates then I always include my handheld reading because it will help locate the disk in the future.

 

Condition of the mark for NGS purposes has little to do with cosmetics, but describes how well it can be used to find the original surveyed position. I will log a disk as "Good" and then comment "disk marred but readable" when I find one someone has hammered on and I can still make out enough to identify it. On the other hand a perfect specimen that is in a post that leans noticeably is "Poor".

 

If you have done a thorough search, are pretty confident it should be where you looked, and can't find the disk, then log an NGS Not Found, and give some indication of how hard you looked or what evidence you see, like "Reference Mark 2 found but station not located by search with probe and metal detector". Or "Not Found. Area regraded for road widening with cut at described location, presumed destroyed." It is really frustrating when you see a log that just says "not found" with no indication of how hard they looked or what they saw.

 

And watch out for those trains. I sometimes look along rail lines, but only if I have good visibility and a clear escape route. It helps if it is not a windy day so you can hear further. Sounds like the one you logged was pushing the envelope. I would not be comfortable between a rock wall and a double main rail line. Some railroads are more vigorous than others against trespassing. In any case do not walk along the road bed and do not dig in their ballast. Find another way to get to the culvert.

[RageWizards]

Thanks so much for the advice and dirrection on handling the logging and reporting. There is a good deal more to learn than geocaching, but more rewarding.

[foxtrot_xray]

Thanks so much for the advice and dirrection on handling the logging and reporting. There is a good deal more to learn than geocaching, but more rewarding.

Benchmarking is Caching, grown up.

 

(That's a funny. Nothing against Cachers. )

Me.

[RageWizards]

That is exactly what it feels like! Some days you want to be a kid and other days you need to feel more grown up. It is good to be able to play both ways.

[foxtrot_xray]

That is exactly what it feels like! Some days you want to be a kid and other days you need to feel more grown up. It is good to be able to play both ways.

True!! I got turned off to Caching when doing a few poorly-placed, poorly-described ones in central Florida years and years back. The one thing I found, while looking for a cache, was a BM waypoint. So, I started looking for BMs. At least those don't move on their own. Usually.

 

Me.

[+Kewaneh & Shark]

Benchmarking is Caching, grown up...

Makes perfect sense to me.

Keep on Caching (and Benchmarking)! - Kewaneh