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How to get those FTF's?


A.B.E.L.

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I am new to geocaching (6 finds and growing), My wife and I are absolutely loving it so far! Anyways, to the point... How do you find newly placed caches? No FTF's for us yet but it sure would be exciting to get one in the future. We currently are not a premium member, does being a premium member allow you to search for new caches?

 

cliffnotes: how do you find new caches and get your FTF's?

 

thanks in advance.

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The key, besides notifications, is to be ready to jump at a moments notice!

 

Premium Membership has several advantages, one of them being the Insta-Notify feature, where you can set an email or text message notification to be triggered every time a cache type of your selection is published within a selected range of your coordinates.

 

I see every cache that is published or activated within 50 miles of my home and, being retired and having no life, if I am in the mood can head out immediately!

 

Around here FTFs rarely last 2 hours before being found, even if they publish at midnight!

 

Keep an eye out for notifications and have your GPS in the car!

 

Most of us that chase FTFs in this area are either retired or work for ourselves in one way or another so that we have flexible schedules.

 

Still, even those with scheduled jobs hunt them at night and on weekends.

 

Reviewers have no schedule for listing caches, but if you watch your Reviewer's habits over time you might can get a feel for their 'normal' reviewing/publishing routine.

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Another option is to get out of the big city and do some of the rural area caches. On a trip home from my parents house recently, I found 5 FTF! Definitely not the norm, but you can do it. Most of us folks out in the 'sticks' don't have to face the FTF hounds that you big city slickers do.

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The FTF races around here are always great fun. I think we have 5-7 different hounds so its usually be there in under 1/2 hr or don't get your hopes up for FTF.

 

My trick (hope they arent reading this) is using Yahoo Email and Yahoo Messenger. It gives a audible alert instantly when I recieve new emails. Very handy for when Im not sitting at my desk. I can be pulling on my shoes while downloading coords and out the door in less than 3 minutes from the cache being published. The best part is getting the FTF and then kicking back out of sight watching the others show up trying to be first.

 

My last FTF had cple comments that made me chuckle - The Hut

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We just started caching last year and we've having a blast with it. When geocachers moved in next door from another state we've been in a FTF race. There is nothing quite like the thrill of being the first to get there and the first to sign that logbook. We don't have any special equipment and really don't think we need it. We do log onto the website a few times a day just to see what is new.

 

It's all about the thrill of the hunt.

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