need some direction

[+ruffnit]

I am new to this and have been out several times trying to find some of these cache's i get to the coordinates but cant seem to find anything. I really dont even know what i'm looking for. can i get some tips please.

[jholly]

I am new to this and have been out several times trying to find some of these cache's i get to the coordinates but cant seem to find anything. I really dont even know what i'm looking for. can i get some tips please.

 

You don't say where your looking or what caches stumped you, so here is all I can offer.

 

A. Don't look for micros (little square on the left of size chart)

B. Don't look for difficulty 2 or above.

C. Look for regular with a difficulty of 1 or 1.5. If you can't find a listing for a regular, settle for a large or small.

D. The cache probably won't be where your gps zeros out. Look around the area.

E. Look for a pile of sticks, leaves, or rock.

 

Jim

[+ruffnit]

good to know i will start with that.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Mary

[+LifeOnEdge!]

I am new to this and have been out several times trying to find some of these cache's i get to the coordinates but cant seem to find anything. I really dont even know what i'm looking for. can i get some tips please.

 

I went to my first Event Cache after finding 37 caches. I asked one of the top cachers of Texas about a cache that I wasn't able to find. She just smiled, asked me how many caches I had found so far, and then told me to find a few more and caches like that would becomes second nature.

 

Like the first response to your question told you (not in these words though), take it simple at first. Look for larger things in the beginning. Find a few, then a few more, and ride the learning curve.

 

You may very well be looking for a couple caches that would have most cachers looking two or three times before finding it. OR the coordinates could be a little off and you're not spending the time you need to spend at the actual cache location. It could be almost anything.

 

Realize that, between the error in your GPS and the error in the cache owner's GPS when the cache was hidden, you could easily be looking 20 - 30 feet away from that which you seek.

 

You might consider pairing up with another cacher in the area and play the game where after one of you locates the cache, they continue to "look" until they are well away from the area. They then sit down and flash you a smile that tells you they know where it is. OR it might be you that finds it and moves to the side to watch your buddy find the cache. Give each other a chance. Find 4 or 5 or 9 or 10 and get a few finds under your belt!

 

Good Luck!!!

[+K7CJS]

I've been at it about a month and when I first started and realized I was clueless, I emailed someone who had planted a bunch of caches in my area. She took me under her wing and took me for a morning of caching. It was GREAT!! I've been doing pretty well now on my own but we still go out together. Most will be glad to help you...you just have to ask em.

[+LifeOnEdge!]

ruffnit,

 

You hit on the big question: What am I looking for?

 

The best you can hope for is being told. Beyond that, you can hope you know the size. Right now, the larger it is, the easier it should be to find it.

 

The next question always is: Where is this thing?

 

That's what the coordinates are for, BUT there are inaccuracies on YOUR GPS unit, THEIR GPS unit, vertical offset (is it on a hill? is it up, down, or just where?)

 

Remember that they probably didn't hide a bright orange ammo can in the middle of an open field. It's probably camouflaged and hopefully painted to match its surroundings. It may be hidden behind something. URP - an unusual rock pile, UPS - an unusual pile of sticks, UTS - Up the Skirt (your typical lightpole/parking lot hide), or it could be hidden in amongst something. Rockpile caches will give you fits. Zipped inside a bush, caches can be tricky to find. Simply hung or suspended by a string in a tree can give you a visual challenge. Another common tactic is to hang a smaller cache inside a vertical pipe or pole. Look for an exposed hook (like the end of a paperclip) that keeps this cache from falling inside such an object. Urban caches might be hiding as something you expect to find on the street, BUT would never guess that a cache is inside. What looks like an outlet cover just could be attached by magnets and contain a small, folded sheet of paper. In garden areas or wooded areas, that rock just might be plastic, hollow, and hiding something you need to sign before you leave.

 

I gave you a laundry list of things you'll be finding in your first 200 finds, but I'll bet that you'll see all these things soon, so look for these.

 

There are also some devilish hides that makes the ones above look like a hike with your Cubscout Pack. Fake birdsnests, hollow bolts, and containers small enough to fit inside your disposable ballpoint pen may take you several tries to find. There are even fake nails out there with tiny, tiny, tiny logs!

 

You also will undoubtedly find bison tubes and nano containers. Bison tubes are similar in size to a fountain pen and 50 - 40% of the length. Nano containers look like the eraser on the pencil for a Kindergardener, but are magnetic, usually painted silver, black, or bright colors to match street signs, electrical boxes, and other painted, metal signs and containers.

 

Waterproof Match Containers are a thicker, longer version of a bison tube that might be painted and hidden several ways. I like to hide mine on the ground or suspended in trees.

 

Hide-A-Key Containers might be painted silver and hidden on a guardrail or painted dark colors and hidden in a fold of metal on a WWll tank or behind some sort of metal container. Electrical transformers and newspaper boxes are popular places for these.

 

One final suggestion is to re-read the cache page for not-so-obvious clues:

 

- Read the hints

- Read the name of the cache for a possible clue

- Read the previous Find Logs for key words that might be thrown in to help future cachers. "Branched out to find this one ..." might indicate that its away from the indicated coordinates and attached to a bush or a tree. "My kids found this one ..." might indicate this is hidden closer to the ground than you might have been looking.

 

Also, if you looked and haven't found it, step back and take inventory of where you've looked and where you haven't looked. You might discover that you've been looking on the ground and find the cache suspended from a tree branch that's slightly above your head. If you have to watch your step when entering the woods, your eyes move down towards your feet as you enter. That cache could be hidden right above your head!

 

Good Luck and enjoy your hunts. You're going to have a lot of fun looking for these things. - Pat

[kg4zlb]

ruffnit,

 

You hit on the big question: What am I looking for?

 

The best you can hope for is being told. Beyond that, you can hope you know the size. Right now, the larger it is, the easier it should be to find it.

 

The next question always is: Where is this thing?

 

That's what the coordinates are for, BUT there are inaccuracies on YOUR GPS unit, THEIR GPS unit, vertical offset (is it on a hill? is it up, down, or just where?)

 

Remember that they probably didn't hide a bright orange ammo can in the middle of an open field. It's probably camouflaged and hopefully painted to match its surroundings. It may be hidden behind something. URP - an unusual rock pile, UPS - an unusual pile of sticks, UTS - Up the Skirt (your typical lightpole/parking lot hide), or it could be hidden in amongst something. Rockpile caches will give you fits. Zipped inside a bush, caches can be tricky to find. Simply hung or suspended by a string in a tree can give you a visual challenge. Another common tactic is to hang a smaller cache inside a vertical pipe or pole. Look for an exposed hook (like the end of a paperclip) that keeps this cache from falling inside such an object. Urban caches might be hiding as something you expect to find on the street, BUT would never guess that a cache is inside. What looks like an outlet cover just could be attached by magnets and contain a small, folded sheet of paper. In garden areas or wooded areas, that rock just might be plastic, hollow, and hiding something you need to sign before you leave.

 

I gave you a laundry list of things you'll be finding in your first 200 finds, but I'll bet that you'll see all these things soon, so look for these.

 

There are also some devilish hides that makes the ones above look like a hike with your Cubscout Pack. Fake birdsnests, hollow bolts, and containers small enough to fit inside your disposable ballpoint pen may take you several tries to find. There are even fake nails out there with tiny, tiny, tiny logs!

 

You also will undoubtedly find bison tubes and nano containers. Bison tubes are similar in size to a fountain pen and 50 - 40% of the length. Nano containers look like the eraser on the pencil for a Kindergardener, but are magnetic, usually painted silver, black, or bright colors to match street signs, electrical boxes, and other painted, metal signs and containers.

 

Waterproof Match Containers are a thicker, longer version of a bison tube that might be painted and hidden several ways. I like to hide mine on the ground or suspended in trees.

 

Hide-A-Key Containers might be painted silver and hidden on a guardrail or painted dark colors and hidden in a fold of metal on a WWll tank or behind some sort of metal container. Electrical transformers and newspaper boxes are popular places for these.

 

One final suggestion is to re-read the cache page for not-so-obvious clues:

 

- Read the hints

- Read the name of the cache for a possible clue

- Read the previous Find Logs for key words that might be thrown in to help future cachers. "Branched out to find this one ..." might indicate that its away from the indicated coordinates and attached to a bush or a tree. "My kids found this one ..." might indicate this is hidden closer to the ground than you might have been looking.

 

Also, if you looked and haven't found it, step back and take inventory of where you've looked and where you haven't looked. You might discover that you've been looking on the ground and find the cache suspended from a tree branch that's slightly above your head. If you have to watch your step when entering the woods, your eyes move down towards your feet as you enter. That cache could be hidden right above your head!

 

Good Luck and enjoy your hunts. You're going to have a lot of fun looking for these things. - Pat

[kg4zlb]

I too am having a bit of trouble! This is the first time I have tried geocaching and I have travelled to two points this afternoon fully expecting the GPS co-ordinates given to be accurate but sadly not! I e-mailed one of the people who placed the cache about this and he said that 99% of the co-ordinates are wrong (deliberately) - so what's the point?

The second one I went to had a very obvious set of clues as to where it was but the GPS settings took me 5 miles away from it! Do these people own stock in oil companies!

How do you tell what cache(s) have an honest set of GPS co-ordinates ahead of time so as to avoid wasting time and gas?

Thanks in advance!

David

[+Bergie Bunch]

I am fairly new to this also, I have 142 finds in 35 days, and 17 hides. I have found in western PA that the coords are pretty dead on. I have found some real tough hides, and missed a few easy ones. I find 20-30 feet radius of ground zero works well. THINK outside THE BOX.

[+wkmccall]

I too am having a bit of trouble! This is the first time I have tried geocaching and I have travelled to two points this afternoon fully expecting the GPS co-ordinates given to be accurate but sadly not! I e-mailed one of the people who placed the cache about this and he said that 99% of the co-ordinates are wrong (deliberately) - so what's the point?

The second one I went to had a very obvious set of clues as to where it was but the GPS settings took me 5 miles away from it! Do these people own stock in oil companies!

How do you tell what cache(s) have an honest set of GPS co-ordinates ahead of time so as to avoid wasting time and gas?

Thanks in advance!

David

 

I must be the 1% then because I don't offset my coordinates and usually take several reading with two different GPSr's.

 

There is an inherent amount of error in the GPS readings anyway. Maybe that's what I was meaning...

[+WeightMan]

I too am having a bit of trouble! This is the first time I have tried geocaching and I have travelled to two points this afternoon fully expecting the GPS co-ordinates given to be accurate but sadly not! I e-mailed one of the people who placed the cache about this and he said that 99% of the co-ordinates are wrong (deliberately) - so what's the point?

The second one I went to had a very obvious set of clues as to where it was but the GPS settings took me 5 miles away from it! Do these people own stock in oil companies!

How do you tell what cache(s) have an honest set of GPS co-ordinates ahead of time so as to avoid wasting time and gas?

Thanks in advance!

David

The coordinates for 99% of the caches are not as accurate as the normal beginner expects, but I seriously doubt that is deliberate. As was mentioned earlier all units have some errors due to various reasons. Your unit is not 100% accurate and neither was the hider's. Most people who hide a cache want it to be found. They are not going to deliberately give you wrong coordinates.

 

Once you get within 40-50 feet of the listed coordinates start looking for places where you would hide something. Under a bush, in a rotted tree stump, behind that big tree over there, under that really strange looking pile of whatever. Things like that.

 

You second point could relate to a puzzle cache. Those state on the cache page that the cache is not at the listed coordinates. You have to solve a puzzle to get the real coordinates. Those will be close. Puzzle caches are supposed to have the listed coordinates within two miles of the actual cache, but that was not always done some years ago as it is a fairly new requirement.

[+Howlingmoon]

I too am having a bit of trouble! This is the first time I have tried geocaching and I have travelled to two points this afternoon fully expecting the GPS co-ordinates given to be accurate but sadly not! I e-mailed one of the people who placed the cache about this and he said that 99% of the co-ordinates are wrong (deliberately) - so what's the point?

The second one I went to had a very obvious set of clues as to where it was but the GPS settings took me 5 miles away from it! Do these people own stock in oil companies!

How do you tell what cache(s) have an honest set of GPS co-ordinates ahead of time so as to avoid wasting time and gas?

Thanks in advance!

David

Are the two you tried finding puzzle/mystery caches ? Leave those alone for now, and just go for "traditional" caches. With a puzzle or mystery cache, the posted coordinates ARE wrong, because you have to figure out the puzzle and do a bunch of "jumping through hoops" to figure out where the cache tis REALLY hidden. Often, the real hiding spot can be miles away from the posted coordinates, or the posted coordinates can be the first step in the puzzle.

 

Someone you new cachers may want to do if you're wanting ideas of what kind of containers to be looking for: check out ebay for geocaching and containers. You'll see some of the more evil containers that some hiders love using. It'll give you a visual idea of what to look for.

Edited August 11, 2008 by Howlingmoon

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I too am having a bit of trouble! This is the first time I have tried geocaching and I have travelled to two points this afternoon fully expecting the GPS co-ordinates given to be accurate but sadly not! I e-mailed one of the people who placed the cache about this and he said that 99% of the co-ordinates are wrong (deliberately) - so what's the point?

 

David

 

That's not true. It's considered bad form to deliberately publish incorrect coordinates for a traditional cache (puzzle caches are another story). Most will attempt to publish coordinates as accurate as possible within the constraints of their GPS units and the environment. Accuracy is typically 20' or so for most GPS units which means when you're going to a waypoint it could be 40-50' feet off from the actual coordinates of the location.

 

The solution is not to try and get to the exact location for the published coordinates, but as you get "near" (as far away as 100' or more) start looking for potential hiding spots. Many beginners try to follow where their GPS is telling them to go, which can be difficult if the satellite signals are poor, until the GPS reads as close to 0 ft. (or meters) from the waypoint. Meanwhile, there might be a large tree with a hole in it 30' away that, if they had noticed it as they approached the area, and searched it first, would have found the cache right away.

 

There are a couple of other things that can cause problems for beginners.

 

It seems that there are a lot of newcomers that have bought Tom Toms, Garmin Nuvi's or other model of GPS designed for in-vehicle navigation. They, as well as some handheld GPS units usually come preset to "follow the road". Thus, if you're looking for a cache a couple hundred feet from a road the GPS may try to route you to the road rather than to the location where the cache is hidden. Assuming it's an option make sure that the "follow road" feature is turned off.

 

The second problem many have is using an incorrect coordinate format. Make sure that your GPS is set to use WGS84 Datum (not NAD27) and is using "Degrees Minutes" (typically formatted as DDD MM.MMM) otherwise the coordinates that you may be using could be several hundred feet off.

[kg4zlb]

I have a Nuvi but that stays in the vehicle, I use a GPS60 for walking - I will try the settings and make sure they are correct, thanks for that suggestion!

I have since found out that my original posting related to a puzzle cache so that seems to explain the problem - thanks for everyone's help!

[kg4zlb]

Deleted a double posting!

Edited August 12, 2008 by kg4zlb

[+LGE RAW]

I use my Nuvi 200W for the hunt and the find. I went paperless about a month ago and love it. GSAK and the macro for loading POIs with logs is great!

 

I have a Nuvi but that stays in the vehicle, I use a GPS60 for walking - I will try the settings and make sure they are correct, thanks for that suggestion!

I have since found out that my original posting related to a puzzle cache so that seems to explain the problem - thanks for everyone's help!