Trying to list a cache - flummoxed

[dbern]

Today is the first day my 9 year old and I have tried to place a cache. We made one found a good hiding place in a local park and hid it. Since I do not have a GPS (my Garmin 205 does not give me coordinates that I can find) I used Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/latlong.adp) to find the latitude and longitude of the cache 45.453139 -73.778847 and have tried to create the cache in the Report/Edit a Cache section of my account. It refused the coordinates telling me that I have to enter the second coordinate as W - I have no idea what that means. This is the exact error message I get:

 

 

* Longitude must be W for the United States and Canada

* You need to read and agree to the terms of use agreement before the listing can go through.

* Invalid longitude degrees

 

Ok. I have read the terms of use several times but that does not seem to satisfy the website. GRRR.

 

Any help to this newbie would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Denis.

[nonaeroterraqueous]

W means "West." The United States and Canada are in the west, so it is assumed that since you're from there that must be the longitude. In your case, I think "W" replaces the negative value.

 

Incidentally, I would not recommend using mapquest to determine cache coordinates. You'll make a lot of finders unhappy, because it won't be very accurate.

Edited November 17, 2007 by nonaeroterraqueous

[dbern]

W means "West." The United States and Canada are in the west, so it is assumed that since you're from there that must be the longitude. In your case, I think "W" replaces the negative value.

 

Incidentally, I would not recommend using mapquest to determine cache coordinates. You'll make a lot of finders unhappy, because it won't be very accurate.

 

Thank you for the clarification. I will try it without the negative value.

 

I used MapQuest to verify the coordinates then I used Google Maps to double check. In both cases they ended up in the middle of the exact same park about 4 meters from the cache. Not having a real GPS I don't know how else I could do it.

 

Should I refrain from posting the cache?

[+Mopar]

You did of course actually read the guidelines for hiding a cache like you checked off you did, right?

[dbern]

You did of course actually read the guidelines for hiding a cache like you checked off you did, right?

 

Yes I did. I don't want to screw up. This is the first activity I have found where the kids are actually chomping at the bit to get out the door to go outside and do something. The last thing I want to do is create something that will screw up someone else's day by being done wrong. Thank you for your politely worded inference that my economy with the truth is more responsible for being flummoxed than simply misreading something. Pleasant community.

 

It seems obvious though that I should not post this until I go out and purchase a GPS unit and triple check the coordinates. Thank you for the heads up on the disposition of others involved in this activity. I will endeavor to keep my distance.

Edited November 17, 2007 by dbern

[+Mopar]

You did of course actually read the guidelines for hiding a cache like you checked off you did, right?

 

Yes I did. I don't want to screw up. This is the first activity I have found where the kids are actually chomping at the bit to get out the door to go outside and do something. The last thing I want to do is create something that will screw up someone else's day by being done wrong. Thank you for your politely worded inference that my economy with the truth is more responsible for being flummoxed than simply misreading something. Pleasant community.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx#guide

You as the owner of the cache must visit the site and obtain the coordinates with a GPS. GPS usage is an essential element of geocaching. Therefore, although it is possible to find a cache without a GPS, the option of using accurate GPS coordinates as an integral part of the cache hunt must be demonstrated for all physical cache submissions.

[+Stunod]

(my Garmin 205 does not give me coordinates that I can find)

 

Check out page 36 of the Owners Manual

[nonaeroterraqueous]

You did of course actually read the guidelines for hiding a cache like you checked off you did, right?

Thank you for your politely worded inference that my economy with the truth is more responsible for being flummoxed than simply misreading something. Pleasant community.

 

It seems obvious though that I should not post this until I go out and purchase a GPS unit and triple check the coordinates. Thank you for the heads up on the disposition of others involved in this activity. I will endeavor to keep my distance.

 

It was an honest question. Don't be too thin-skinned about it, because it's a common problem for people to not read the guidlines very closely. It happens all the time.

[dbern]

(my Garmin 205 does not give me coordinates that I can find)

 

Check out page 36 of the Owners Manual

 

: Now that I am fifteen shades of embarrassed - Thank you.

 

I will play with the Garmin some more but my screens and the screen captures in the manual and my Garmin 205 and my manual are at odds with the PDF you sent me. I cannot find the screens that are in the download version of the manual and they do not appear in my manual. Going out now to give it a test and see if I can get it work.

[dbern]

You did of course actually read the guidelines for hiding a cache like you checked off you did, right?

Thank you for your politely worded inference that my economy with the truth is more responsible for being flummoxed than simply misreading something. Pleasant community.

 

It seems obvious though that I should not post this until I go out and purchase a GPS unit and triple check the coordinates. Thank you for the heads up on the disposition of others involved in this activity. I will endeavor to keep my distance.

 

It was an honest question. Don't be too thin-skinned about it, because it's a common problem for people to not read the guidlines very closely. It happens all the time.

 

Mea culpa. When I get frustrated I get prickly. Thank you for your help.

[dbern]

(my Garmin 205 does not give me coordinates that I can find)

 

Check out page 36 of the Owners Manual

 

Thank you so much for the heads up. I ended up at the Garmin site running an update on my 205. Now it displays exactly the same information as that shown in the manual you sent my way. Bonus - I get to double check the coordinates and I don't have to purchase any new hardware.

 

Much appreciated.

[+Confucius' Cat]

 

* You need to read and agree to the terms of use agreement before the listing can go through.

 

this "error" is generated simply by failing to check the box at the bottom of the submission page. They don't know whether you really read the guidelines or not, you just have to check the box that says you did- that is all the computer knows about it. Check the box and that "hurdle" will go away. BTW it resets to unchecked each time the page is reloaded. (I think that is designed to frustrate cachers )

[+smcpeaknkids]

So what I want to know is now that you have rechecked coordinates with a GPS how accurate were your original computer based coordinates?

[+scorpio_dark]

So what I want to know is now that you have rechecked coordinates with a GPS how accurate were your original computer based coordinates?

 

Ditto.

 

I actually found google to be right on with many listings around here . . . (Colorado Springs)

[nonaeroterraqueous]

 

* You need to read and agree to the terms of use agreement before the listing can go through.

 

this "error" is generated simply by failing to check the box at the bottom of the submission page. They don't know whether you really read the guidelines or not, you just have to check the box that says you did- that is all the computer knows about it. Check the box and that "hurdle" will go away. BTW it resets to unchecked each time the page is reloaded. (I think that is designed to frustrate cachers )

 

Oh, that one gets me all the time, especially if I'm in a hurry to fix my mistakes before the cache gets published. Like...just a few minutes ago, when part of the "false" coordinates to my puzzle cache was actually correct. I'd hate to have to log an "Adjusted coordinates: 500 feet...um, no reason."

 

Hurry...hurry...submit changes...dang! Check the boxes and then submit changes....

[+NYPaddleCacher]

So what I want to know is now that you have rechecked coordinates with a GPS how accurate were your original computer based coordinates?

 

The first cache I ever placed is in a park just across the road from where I live. I know of several people that have found it without using a GPS. It's not a traditional "hole in a tree" or "lamp post" hide but there are very few hiding places at ground zero so it's a pretty easy find for beginners but still gets lots of compliments from seasoned cachers.

 

Now that I have been geocaching for a little while and have developed a bit of geosence I find that I can find a few caches once I get close to the posted coordinates without looking at my GPSr. Typically I'll start look for potential hiding spots when the "Distance to Destination" gets to 100' or so. A couple of weeks ago I knew just where to look for a nano cache when I was still about 200' away from it. It was placed about 100' from where my car was parked and I was able to grab it without even breaking stride then took it to my car to sign the log.