Royal Institute of Navigation writing a feature on caching

[MDFalco]

Hi folks,

My name's Tony Fyler and I'm a total newbie here. I'm the editor at the Royal Institute of Navigation in London, and some of my pals on both sides of the Atlantic are cachers. I'm writing a feature piece in our magazine for members, which goes under the stunningly gorgeous title of Navigation News, on caching. Long story short, I tried to get in here last week, but got held up. My deadline for the piece is this week, and I'm looking for cachers to include in the article. Bill Daly, Chairman of GAGB, told me this was probably the best place to get rapid reponses to some of my questions, so I hope you guys don't mind a cache-curious Muggle popping in to ask a thing or two?

 

I'm just looking for stuff that shows what caching means to people, the fun to be had while doing it, the sense of community and the adventures people have had.

 

Need answers to questions like:

1. How long have you been caching?

2. How far have you travelled in search of caches (either in miles, or by list of places you've been caching)

3. Best and worst caching experiences and/or finds (feel free to go into detail here if you like)

4. What is the attraction of caching for you?

5. Which do you prefer? Clues or co-ordinates?

6. How accurate do you find your GPS data?

7. Do you know about the upcoming Galileo satellites, which will run in tandem with GPS in future receivers? (not crucial, this one, just curious).

8. Has caching changed since you started it? Are people still willing to let you cache on their property, or has there been a shift in attitudes?

 

Everyone whose stories I use will be credited in the piece, and any kind cachers who would be willing to share images with me for use in the magazine would also get photo credits if the images are used. PDF and/or hard copies of the magazine will also be sent to all contributors.

 

Sadly, as I said, my deadline is now approaching scarily fast, so anyone that can help me in a hurry would be hugely appreciated. If you could help me, you can post replies here, or I can provide an email address - I'm not sure whether that's the done thing in this forum, so if someone can advise me of that too, I'll be able to respond accordingly.

 

Thanks everyone,

 

Cheers

 

Tony

[+mgbmusic]

Need answers to questions like:

1. How long have you been caching?

2. How far have you travelled in search of caches (either in miles, or by list of places you've been caching)

3. Best and worst caching experiences and/or finds (feel free to go into detail here if you like)

4. What is the attraction of caching for you?

5. Which do you prefer? Clues or co-ordinates?

6. How accurate do you find your GPS data?

7. Do you know about the upcoming Galileo satellites, which will run in tandem with GPS in future receivers? (not crucial, this one, just curious).

8. Has caching changed since you started it? Are people still willing to let you cache on their property, or has there been a shift in attitudes?

 

Sure...happy to help...A quick search of the forums here wil lprobably answer a lot of your questions, but for what it's worth, here's mine:

 

1. 7 months. first cache found 6-11 I believe.

2. As of yet not too far. I have found a cache in minnesota, approx. 338.5mi from my home, but I was on vacation there, so I don't think that counts...Side note - interesting you chose miles instead of km, but anyway...

3. Best - Prolly the other day. See my log here - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...76-c2f8268deb6a

3b. worst - I don't know that I've had a necessarily a bad experience, but for my first hunt I mananged to cross a river twice and still be on the wrong side.. Caching is fun, so there really hasn't been a a bad experience. Others here will be able to give you more relevant experiences in this area I'm sure (held at gunpoint by LEOs, etc)

4. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...=149417&hl= easiest way to answer that one...

5. Coordinates! Hands down...and no stamps either! I know that's a thing across the pond, but no....

6. Generally, within 20-35 ft. ballpark.

7. No clue

8. I didn't start geocaching...Some guy in oregon did...Sorry that's the type of smart-alec answer you'll get here, and welcome to the forums BTW. j/k anywho - from what I've seen, It's 50/50 - depends on the person. Some wil lsome won't. I haven't noticed a radical shift in attitudes over the past 7 months...

 

Hope that helps. That's MGB spelled with one M, one G, and one...well...B...nevemind...

 

--MGb

[+Backwards Charlie from Austin]

I have been geocaching a little over three (3) years now. Most of my caching is done in conjunction with my travels. When I am planning a trip somewhere I also check to see what caches are along the routes to my destination and what caches are near my destination. What got me into geocaching and what keeps me doing it is the fun of going to some places that I would never bother with otherwise. I've been to a lot of old buildings, cemeteries, historical plaques, parks, etc. that I probably would never take the time to stop and see otherwise. But I am glad that I did. I always hope my GPSr can get me within 20-30 feet (6-10 meters) of the cache from which I use the clues and my experience to find the cache. But I am aware that there are many situations in which my GPSr can only get me within 50-60 feet (16-20 meters). Has geocaching changed over the years? Yes. In some respects it has gotten better, while in some other respects it has gotten worse. All you have to do is read these forums to get various opinions on how it has gotten better and worse over time.

 

You have my permission to use any of the above in your article.

Edited January 15, 2007 by Backwards Charlie from Austin

[nobby.nobbs]

i've emailed you direct and have posted a link to this thread in the uk section so hopefully you'll ge tsome replies quickly.

[Nediam]

....

Need answers to questions like:

1. How long have you been caching?

2. How far have you travelled in search of caches (either in miles, or by list of places you've been caching)

3. Best and worst caching experiences and/or finds (feel free to go into detail here if you like)

4. What is the attraction of caching for you?

5. Which do you prefer? Clues or co-ordinates?

6. How accurate do you find your GPS data?

7. Do you know about the upcoming Galileo satellites, which will run in tandem with GPS in future receivers? (not crucial, this one, just curious).

8. Has caching changed since you started it? Are people still willing to let you cache on their property, or has there been a shift in attitudes?

.....

 

Hi Tony, here's a few answers

 

1. I've been caching since August 2004 - 2 years & 5 months.

 

2. In all I'd guess at over 15,000miles (longest single trip was around 600miles)

 

3. Worst - Not finding the cache is always a bit disapointing, getting soaked and muddy can be a bit unpleasant but you can usually always prepare for that. I have fell off a stile (on a cold, dark and damp night) and landed on my ribs! And wandered into a nest of hornets in the dark (luckily I didn't get stung)

Best - Cachers places caches in places they know local to them. This means that you get to find some great locations that very few people know about.

 

4. I think the main attraction is getting to go to loads of different areas that I would never have heard of let alone go to if it hadn't been for Geocaching.

 

5. Good co-ords are great and give you a chance to have a good search in the right area for a cache. Bad co-ords can leave you searching for ages in the completely wrong place! - I'd prefer good co-ords everytime but GPSr are not all that accurate (especially under trees).

 

6. Sometimes I've had the display reading less than 1 foot when I'm next to the cache, quite often it's usually between 15 - 25 feet occassionally though it might be 75 feet or more!

 

7. Sorry not a lot of knowledge on that one. I'll wait till all the details are finalised and tthe satellites are up and running.

 

8. Caching has changed in someways. For a start there are now a lot more caches and cachers about. Still haven't met that many whilst I'm out, but you quite often get 2 or 3 people visiting the same cache in one day.

 

If you want to, you are welcome to use the images in my gallery on Geocaching. Here's a link to my profile page - just click the gallery tab. If you want some higher resolution pics then drop me an e-mail.

 

Good luck with the article

[+Tiger-Eyes]

1. How long have you been caching?

2. How far have you travelled in search of caches (either in miles, or by list of places you've been caching)

3. Best and worst caching experiences and/or finds (feel free to go into detail here if you like)

4. What is the attraction of caching for you?

5. Which do you prefer? Clues or co-ordinates?

6. How accurate do you find your GPS data?

7. Do you know about the upcoming Galileo satellites, which will run in tandem with GPS in future receivers? (not crucial, this one, just curious).

8. Has caching changed since you started it? Are people still willing to let you cache on their property, or has there been a shift in attitudes?

 

1, 8 months

2 I usually cache within 25 miles of where I live, If I am away I try and grab a few close ones though whilst I was on holiday in Somerset I travel to Devon to purley help a Tb complete it's mission (I'm glad I did the views for that cache were fantastic)cache page

3 My best caching experience, finding my first cache and finaly finding a difficult one took 3 attempts at this one and finding river cottage The worst are DNF's I am I have 1 cache an hours drive away, 1st attemp the co-ords were wrong, 2nd attempt the buggy got a punture half way round, 3rd attempt DNF though i will be back

4 getting into the countryside, finding new places

5 I love multi caches (as long as they are not too hard) where i have to solve clues or answer questions to find the final co-ords) I don't like them if they involve more than 1 visit,

6 my old GPS always lost it's signal under trees which was very frustrating so I have just purchased a better one, but without loosing it's signal i would start looking from about 30ft away.

7 didn't know

8 not cached long enough but I thing people are more willing as they become aware of it ( the denies i have had have been from people that hav'nt heard of it)

 

I have also sent you a seperate email sent before i saw these questions

 

Fi aka The Nutters

[+ZoomLens]

 

Need answers to questions like:

1. How long have you been caching? For about seven months

2. How far have you travelled in search of caches (either in miles, or by list of places you've been caching) I've travelled hundreds of miles by car and foot, but have also been caching in New York (so that's an over 7,000 return trip)

3. Best and worst caching experiences and/or finds (feel free to go into detail here if you like) The best caching experience was struglging up a mountain in Wales to find a cache. I got there just as the cloud lifted, which gave me a great view of the surrounding mountains as I signed the log. It doesn't get much better. Worst experience was being muggled (caught by a non-cacher). "Oi - what are you doing?!?" is about the worst thing you can here when knee deep in mud with your backside sticking out of a hedge.

4. What is the attraction of caching for you? It gets me out of the house on days when I would otherwise be inside watching television. It has also taken me to so many places that I wouldn't otherwise have visited - even in my own city. It's like having someone else to research for you to find nice places for you to visit.

5. Which do you prefer? Clues or co-ordinates?I like clues. After a while the bog standard cache gets a little stale. My favourite cache didn't have any coordinates at all, and was based on an organised treasure hunt that had taken place. The clue was a pictorial riddle, and you had to use your brain and a map to find the right place.

6. How accurate do you find your GPS data? it depends enormously on whether the person setting the cache has entered the correct coordinates, and on the weather. I have found myself in the wrong place by some distance in the past, but you get used to spotting likely hiding places, which makes the whole thing a lot easier. Bad weather can sometimes put your coordinates off, but technology is getting better. WAAS enabled GPSrs are much better at coping with it.

7. Do you know about the upcoming Galileo satellites, which will run in tandem with GPS in future receivers? (not crucial, this one, just curious).Yes I do, and I think it will be great, although the extra accuracy might take the fun out a little bit - it's quite nice to use your caching sense to see where a cache is hidden.

8. Has caching changed since you started it? Are people still willing to let you cache on their property, or has there been a shift in attitudes?I don't think it's changed much, as I have only been doing it for seven months, although I have found that landowners are very reluctant to allow a cache on their land. I think that people who enjoy being outdoors have suffered generally since the right to roam legislation a couple of years ago. Obviously we have more access to land, but there is a lot of bad feeling around too.

 

Everyone whose stories I use will be credited in the piece, and any kind cachers who would be willing to share images with me for use in the magazine would also get photo credits if the images are used. PDF and/or hard copies of the magazine will also be sent to all contributors.

 

Sadly, as I said, my deadline is now approaching scarily fast, so anyone that can help me in a hurry would be hugely appreciated. If you could help me, you can post replies here, or I can provide an email address - I'm not sure whether that's the done thing in this forum, so if someone can advise me of that too, I'll be able to respond accordingly.

 

Thanks everyone,

 

Cheers

 

Tony

[+Quiggle]

MDFalco,

 

I'm sorry, but unless you've obtained prior permission from Groundspeak, use of the forums for surveys is not permitted. If you did obtain approval, you would've been instructed to say this in your opening post so that the moderators would not lock your thread.

 

If you have obtained prior permission from Groundspeak, please send me a PM and I can re-open your thread.

 

Thanks.