Placing a Cache

[+Degai]

If this has already been done, please feel free to point me in the right direction and close this thread, BUT, I was wondering if someone could tell me about getting the correct waypoints when you are hiding a cache. I am getting ready to place my FIRST cache and I want to be sure the coordinates are correct. (I have a Magellan Sportrex). I read somewhere that you are supposed to average, if your GPS has it. I am not sure what that is, or if my Magellan has it (although, I do remember seeing averaging at one point on the screen, but I don't know where it came from or how to get it back). I have taken a waypoint (at least I think I have) at the site, walked back to my vehicle, entered the point and returned to the area. I did this 4 times, and got 4 different readings, each off by a couple of seconds and none seem to be exactly on the spot. Is there anyone out there that can help me? I would really appreciate it, as I am sure the cachers attempting the find would, too.

 

Degai

[+El Diablo]

Well you did the right thing. Enter the waypoint and go back to the spot. Give the unit a minute to settle and write down the coordinates you get. Do this several times and the average all the coordinates for a final. If you can find on your unit where it will auto average, just place in on the cache and let it do the work.

 

El Diablo

[+BornAdventures]

It sounds like you did it all correctly. My unit doesn't have averaging on either, but there is a way to do it with just a basic GPS. Put your GPS on the cache location and let it record the tracklogs for a few minutes. Upload these tracklogs into a computer and add a waypoint in the centre. Hope that helps.

[+StarBrand]

That is exactly the method I used on my first 20 cache hides - until I got a unit that did averaging The units that do averaging - you just set down and let them sit for like 15 minutes and they average all the readings over that time period (and supposedly weight them by estimated accuracy somehow).

 

Others around here only wait for the unit to settle down and then take a single reading. I have never failed to find a cache hidden via that method. In any event you should go home and try the coordinates in some mapping software to see if it leads to the smae spot.

[MtnHermit]

My unit doesn't have averaging on either,

But your new Venture Cx will, bit funky though, especially if you read the manual.

 

Hermit

[+BornAdventures]

My unit doesn't have averaging on either,

But your new Venture Cx will, bit funky though, especially if you read the manual.

 

Hermit

 

I've already downloaded the manual and have read through it, doesn't make any sense though. My GPS might come tomorrow, I've already booked my whole afternoon for caching

[+briansnat]

If your unit has averaging, no harm in using it. But if not, I find taking manual averages to be a total waste of time. When I first started hiding caches I obsessed over the coordinates, often taking 20 or more readings at the cache site by walking away, returning and marking a new waypoint, then averaging the results. I did this for my first 10 or so cache placements.

 

Then I started using one reading, making sure I had a good sat lock. I let the GPS settle at the cache site for a minute or two, marked a waypoint and that was it. I found my coordinates were just as good as they were when I was doing all that averaging work and in fact I often receive compliments in the logs for my good coordinates.

 

On the rare ocassions where my coords aren't great, they are still good enough for the searchers to find the cache. And the funny thing is that out of the 3 caches of mine where the coords generated consistent complaints, one of those was a cache that I did extensive averaging. So 1 of 10 caches where I did averaging had bad coords, yet only 2 of 175 caches where I didn't average had bad coords.

 

The key is reception and sat alignment. If you have lousy reception and/or a bad sat alignment, you will just be averaging bad data.

 

Of course averaging will generally improve your coordinates, but to gain any significant improvement you would have to take your readings over a period of several days. And after all that work you'll gain maybe a few feet of additonal accuracy. Not worth it.

 

So make sure you have a good signal and sat alignment, let your unit settle, take your reading and go with it. If the coords turn out to be bad, you can always go back, but I suspect that you will rarely find that to be necessary.

[MtnHermit]

I've already downloaded the manual and have read through it, doesn't make any sense though.

I started a thread on averaging, read Red90's answer for the solution [save > Toggle > OK]. I sent an email to Garmin, re: the solution in the manual . . . no reply.

 

My GPS might come tomorrow, I've already booked my whole afternoon for caching

That's what I call, Setting your Priorities!!!

 

Hermit

[+JohnTee]

If this has already been done, please feel free to point me in the right direction and close this thread, BUT, I was wondering if someone could tell me about getting the correct waypoints when you are hiding a cache. snip, snip

Degai

 

Hi Degai,

 

Just to add to what's been said . . . my little eTrex Legend does not have the averaging capability. I'll get multiple sets of coordinates and average them. I'll do a first one when I walk up to the site I'm going to hide at (watching the satellite page and coord's jumping around until they settle down a bit). Then I do four sets walking off about 100' to the cardinal points of the compas (N,S,E,W), doing one coordinate each time. Then, I'll come back later in the day or on another day and do the same. After you're done, average them all out.

 

One site, I just did not have the time to come back later in the day or the next day, so I walked around the site 3 or 4 times, doing a coordinate on each of four sides. Gave me a total of 16 sets of coordinates to average.

 

Averaging

You can't just add 'em up and divide by the number of coordinates. Use the Geocaching Combo Utility by Thot for averaging coordinates. It takes into account YOUR lattitude and correctly averages your sets of coordinates. Nice thing about it, if all of your coordinates are something like N37 24.xxx, with only the last three decimal places changing, you can enter ONLY the last three decimal places and get your average (vs. entering the entire 37 24.xxx in for EACH coordinate).

 

To date, I've had very good success with my coordinates and accuracy.

 

Here's a great page with more information

 

Cache On!

 

JohnTee

Edited February 9, 2007 by JohnTee

[+Kealia]

The Magellan Sportrack does average when you stop moving. While you are hiding the cache, set the unit down for 5 minutes and let it average. Then mark the waypoint and you're set.

 

It's really that simple. I use this method, and have for 3 years, under heavy redwood cover and have never received a complaint on coords. Let the technology work for you - it doesn't have to be hard.