Google Earth Caches WAY off course

[+The Friendly Ghosts]

We are very new to geocaching... 3 finds so far. I just downloaded the cache finder for google earth and wanted to check out some caches- ones we found and ones that eluded us. I looked and the "pushpins" are WAY off course. In fact, as I sit and look around the area- it moves once and a while. It was more than 50 feet off in some places. How is this all that helpful? Is there something wrong with my download or is this how it always "works"?

[+Dragonfire870]

If you're zoomed out a bit they can be off a lot, but if you're zoomed in a littler closer they're relatively exact. But this is how it works, it's used to give you a general idea of where they are.

[+Miragee]

That is how it works. It is deliberately off so people cannot pinpoint the location.

 

However, if you Export a .gpx file from GSAK, based on Pocket Query data in that database, and open the .gpx file in Google Earth, those caches will be in their exact location.

[+joeluke]

i have noticed the same thing i types the coords in by hand at first and then after i figured out how to upload them all i noticed that the ones i typed were aroun 20-50 ft from where the upload put them but i will tell you this i dont use google earth to actually find the cache just use it to get me there, find the right road to get there the trail ect. i have 13 hidden and on one of mine there is a trail right next to a boat dock that is paved and the cache is about 1/4 mile down the trail i thought easy right? wrong all the locals knew about the dock and how to get there but then some ppl from out of town logged a find and said they didnt see a trail and said that it was a long walk thru the woods so i emailed them and questioned it they put the coords in their coords in the car gps got as close as they could and then just walked to find out what they were talking about and did the same. come to find out the "road" down to the dock is not recogonized in the car gps and instead went down a road to a car repair shop and dead ends about1 1/2 miles west of the cache (the dock is 1/4 east of the cache) they did the same thing to one of the others also they could've saved a lot of woods walking if they would have looked at google earth before going out and would have seen the easier way in. That i think is the usefulness of google earth not trying to find its exact spot like which tree is it in but how is the easiest way to get close to the cache-- Hope this helps

[+The Friendly Ghosts]

Thanks for the replies. I was just wondering if there was something WRONG with it... obviously not. Definitely it will be helpful for finding the smaller roads etc... I was just confused when looking at the caches I had already found and I KNEW they weren't in that spot... then the ones we couldn't find- they were WAY off from where we were looking- I was starting to get concerned maybe my GPS was wrong! Glad to know it's not just me!

[+Airhead-kb]

It is designed that way.

However, if you highlight and copy the coordinates from the cache page and then paste them in the "fly to" box, you'll have much better results.

 

I found several caches this way while I was in between GPS's

[Motorcycle_Mama]

It's designed to be off.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/about/google.aspx

 

Please note that the coordinates used in Google Earth are only an approximation and can be up to 100 ft from the actual location. Do not use the coordinates in Google Earth for cache hunting. It is merely a viewing tool for getting a general idea of the cache location.

[+Castle Mischief]

I find that zooming in and out will often affect the accuracy. If I disable the caches in GE, set the zoom level where I want it and then re-enable the caches it seems to be more accurate.

 

This could be because I'm using dial-up and there's a delay and your milage may vary.

[Motorcycle_Mama]

Premium Members can also open their GPX Pocket Query files directly in Google Earth to avoid this built in inaccuracy in the GE KML file.

Edited March 12, 2008 by Motorcycle_Mama

[+Fuchsiamagic]

Why don't you just use Google Maps as supplied on the cache pages? They are very accurate and the detail is as good as in Google Earth.

[Dinoprophet]

Why don't you just use Google Maps as supplied on the cache pages? They are very accurate and the detail is as good as in Google Earth.

Earth is a better tool for "browsing", scanning around and seeing what's where. Also, GE lets you overlay graphics, which means you can add park maps and topos to get a better idea of where you're headed.