Some assistance please?

[+dontheo3]

Hey Cachers!

 

So there is a cache I'm searching for. It was too heavily muggled today to do any serious searching, but here's the deal.

 

The cache gives me the waypoints to a monument/memorial then you are supposed to navigate at 33 degrees for 276 feet. The direction of the 33 degrees is not specified.

 

How do I do this?

 

My guess is to check 276ft out at the 2:00, 10:00, 4:00 and 8:00 positions. Is that how you would do it?

 

DT3

[+SkellyCA]

consider that north is 0 degrees and they count clockwise and 90 degrees is east, 33 degrees would be almost half way between the two; or use a compas

[+briansnat]

if your unit does waypoint projection, use that feature and plug in those numbers and it will figure everything out for you.

Edited December 29, 2008 by briansnat

[+dakboy]

Buy yourself an orienteering compass. They're not terribly expensive. I use mine fairly often to locate "regular" caches, in conjunction with my GPS.

[XC_Tracker]

You should also be able to set the GPS to see your heading and trip odometer. Reset your trip odometer and set out on the 33 degree heading. Makes good practice for navigation.

[+dontheo3]

consider that north is 0 degrees and they count clockwise and 90 degrees is east, 33 degrees would be almost half way between the two; or use a compas

 

Thanks Skelly! Makes perfect sense now. Cheers.

 

Thanks to the rest of you as well. It's 11:00 pm here right now...grabbing the maglite...somebody go start up the GeoCaddie.

 

DT3

[+SkellyCA]

You're welcome! Good luck, take extra batteries!

[ao318]

if your unit does waypoint projection, use that feature and plug in those numbers and it will figure everything out for you.

 

I can do this on m Garmin 60CSX. This how I do it. Open the cache you want to project in your geocache folder, don't select goto yet, and hit the menu button. Once that is open it gives you a bunch of options and choose the "project waypoint" option. From here you enter the degrees and distance. It will then give you a new waypoint to walk to. This is where you should be looking.

 

Good luck.

Edited December 29, 2008 by ao318

[7rxc]

You should also be able to set the GPS to see your heading and trip odometer. Reset your trip odometer and set out on the 33 degree heading. Makes good practice for navigation.

 

While on the subject of navigation practice... Remember there are three Norths... True, Grid and Magnetic...

Make sure you know which is set on your GPS or Compass... My first instinct is to go with Magnetic First, since that is what most people think of first when measuring direction... with True North a strong Second choice... Grid North is the realm of people using UTM Grid maps, and is usually close to True North. so unless high precision is needed treat like the same thing in most areas, especially closer to the equator.

 

Most GPS I've seen including the old one I use can be set to the appropriate North... The real problem is

in knowing which the person setting the instruction used...

 

I wonder if there is a Geocaching.com standard for Compass North Settings...

 

As for built into the GPS... what next? Maps, Compass, Lists, I have a track plot, and display of direction made good and bearing to target... also distance... sure wish I had one of those new fangled ones.

 

Doug

[+BigFurryMonster]

A nice way to check if you're at the right location after you have navigated: Find the original waypoint and check if it is at (33 + 180 = 216) degrees from you, at the given distance.

[+palmetto]

What Big Furry Monster said = indeed, every cache I've ever done that said, "bring a compass" worked this way and no compass is needed.

 

Set the initial point as a Go To, it's probably the Go To you already have, then walk away from watching the gps for the reverse of the bearing given.

 

In this case 33 + 180 = 216.

 

When your GPS with the monument set as "go to" says you're 216 degrees and 276 feet away, you've arrived at the the designated point.

 

Ayup, it can matter whether the cache owner themselves was running a GPS (true north) or a compass, magnetic north. But most of them don't know that, and aren't going to tell you. At the distances generally involved in geocache offsets, it's not going to be terribly critical.

[7rxc]

 

Ayup, it can matter whether the cache owner themselves was running a GPS (true north) or a compass, magnetic north. But most of them don't know that, and aren't going to tell you. At the distances generally involved in geocache offsets, it's not going to be terribly critical.

 

I guess it depends a lot on where you are... like any navigation exercise... Around here declination is in the

area of 16 degrees E... not a big deal at 276 feet like you say, at least to experienced navigators who clearly understand what the corrections might be... I was at one training session where everyone was heading off 32 degrees right of the actual course given... a slight error on the course setters part was to blame... and that made a big difference... the correction was made W... thus the extra 16 degrees... the wrong way. Didn't take much to figure and recalculate, for me... I'm still waiting for the others...

Glad to see someone else uses backbearings (even with the GPS)... I have an older Garmin 45xl for cacheing... and use triangulation extensively when the sats are obscured... Only way to find some of the

caches in the woods (forests actually, surrounded by mountains)... On the other hand, I use the

Google Maps to work on some things like this... works ok if its in True North... Just not enough detail...

 

Anyone there know if the new GPS allow declination correction... my old one does, but doesn't really have a built in compass... but it is handy when using the Suunto which is corrected...

BTW... did you know that a handy way to check your declination setting is to 'shoot' the North Star and

see how your needle aligns... but don't do it near a magnet... Of course it helps if you can see the stars at

night.

 

I made a guess as to what cache this was...not sure I found the right one... OP, what was it anyway?

Since I can't cache til the deep snow clears... I might as well dream of Florida...

 

Doug

[+deb3day]

I bought a compass at a sporting goods store for only $10.99. I actually purchased it because of a cache that had been placed nearby that required use of a compass. I have found it useful for other caches so I'm glad I got it.