Frustrated Newbie

[trillium13]

Hi everyone!

 

My husband and I are new to the whole geocaching thing, and getting pretty frustrated by it. We really enjoy finding the caches we do find, but we seem to strike out a LOT. It's really frustrating to read the cache logs and everyone but you says "easy find" or "quick p&g" and you spend 30 minutes searching and can't find anything. I do have to wonder how many other people don't find the caches, and simply don't log their dnf's. I always log mine, I'm hoping someone will take pity on me and help me out.

 

Anyway, we don't have a fancy GPS, we're using a TomTom one with most recent maps, and TT7 on a pda. I realize those probably aren't ideal? But it's what we've got. Any suggestions appreciated here.

 

We can be standing right on top of the correct coordinates according to our GPS, and find nothing. I don't know if I'm missing the point of this whole geocaching thing sometimes. I feel like coordinates sometimes put me right into a patch of trees and thorns and snakes, with no hint, other than it's in that area somewhere. For me personally, having to look up and down every tree and bush within a 30 foot radius isn't fun. If that's what I'm supposed to be doing, I might not be a good geocacher.

 

Any help here is appreciated, like I said, we really enjoy the ones we find! Thank you!

[+hndlbr]

I post my dnf's but not all cachers do this which is frustrating. We all have dnf's, I even fooled the #1 cacher once. Try to have fun and go to events, you can get a lot of good advice.

[+vwaldoguy]

If you don't find it fun and exciting when you are geocaching, then don't do it. It's not for everyone. If it's not fun to be standing in a patch of trees while trying to find the cache, then don't bother. I do have to say though, the right equipment makes a huge difference. You don't play a football game with a tennis racket. The automotive GPS units really aren't ideal for hunting geocaches. Sorry I'm such a wet noodle, but if you're trying to force it or fake it, it will never be fun.

[Kar98k]

You're wet noodle.

 

She already said she DOES like to do this and it's fun, and she asked for hints re/equipment and software.

So thank you very much for your condescending reply we could have very well done without.

[trillium13]

If you don't find it fun and exciting when you are geocaching, then don't do it. It's not for everyone. If it's not fun to be standing in a patch of trees while trying to find the cache, then don't bother

 

Well, I wouldn't be here asking the question if I didn't find it fun and exciting to FIND caches. My point is, I don't enjoy it when I can't find them because every tree looks the same, or a cache is deep inside a patch of thorns, or "at the bottom of a tree" in a stand of 100 trees. Here where I live there are snakes, and other dangerous things. I guess what I'm wondering is if I'm just doing it wrong, or, is that the part that people enjoy?

 

I read the logs and everyone says "easy find". Well, if I'm faced with a huge briar patch, and the coordinates say it's supposed to be in there, then that's not an easy find at all. At least for me.

[+TrailGators]

If you don't find it fun and exciting when you are geocaching, then don't do it. It's not for everyone. If it's not fun to be standing in a patch of trees while trying to find the cache, then don't bother

 

Well, I wouldn't be here asking the question if I didn't find it fun and exciting to FIND caches. My point is, I don't enjoy it when I can't find them because every tree looks the same, or a cache is deep inside a patch of thorns, or "at the bottom of a tree" in a stand of 100 trees. Here where I live there are snakes, and other dangerous things. I guess what I'm wondering is if I'm just doing it wrong, or, is that the part that people enjoy?

 

I read the logs and everyone says "easy find". Well, if I'm faced with a huge briar patch, and the coordinates say it's supposed to be in there, then that's not an easy find at all. At least for me.

Stick with low difficulty caches with regular sized containers and you shouldn't strike out as much but it happens to all of us on occasion.

[+vwaldoguy]

But, you have to be able to take the good with the bad. It's fun finding caches, but you still have to find the fun when you can't find the cache because it's hard. They all can't be park-n-grabs and take 30 seconds to find. Can't have cake and eat it too.

 

But, the nice thing about geocaching is that you can make whatever you want of it. If you don't like looking for caches that might involve encounters with snakes or in a patch of thorns (the hard ones), skip those particular caches. You don't have to find every cache, just stick to hunting for those that you would enjoy. As a corrolary, I collect coins, but I don't collect every coin out there, I only collect those that I enjoy.

 

As far as equipment, I would suggest buying a decent mid range handheld GPS like a Garmin Legend or Vista HCx. But, thath would involve a little bit of investment of a couple hundred dollars. It would help IMO to enhance your experience of finding caches. You also probably just need to work on your cache finding skills. Put your yourself in the hider's shoes, and think of every nook and cranny where the cache could be hidden. Also realize that you could be 20 to 50 feet away from the cache too, and at that point you just have to stop relying on the technology. Also browse through the forums to read a lot of past topics, and you'll get a lot of hints too.

 

I can't help but wonder though if your TomTom is not giving you accurate enough coordinates, taking you to a grove of 100 trees, and it could be under any one of them. Your GPS should take you to withing 3 to 15 meters (10 to 45 feet) of the exact location. Also, look at the difficulty and terrain rating of the cache. If the difficulty rating is a 1, and your GPS is directing you to go into the middle of a thicket of thorns, I'd have serious doubts about the GPS and where it was sending you.

Edited February 2, 2009 by vwaldoguy

[trillium13]

But, you have to be able to take the good with the bad. It's fun finding caches, but you still have to find the fun when you can't find the cache because it's hard. They all can't be park-n-grabs and take 30 seconds to find. Can't have cake and eat it too.

 

But, the nice thing about geocaching is that you can make whatever you want of it. If you don't like looking for caches that might involve encounters with snakes or in a patch of thorns (the hard ones), skip those particular caches. You don't have to find every cache, just stick to hunting for those that you would enjoy. As a corrolary, I collect coins, but I don't collect every coin out there, I only collect those that I enjoy.

 

I think that one of the things I'm finding most frustrating right now is that when I read the logs on caches that I thought were really hard, everyone else posts about how easy they were to find! It just makes me wonder, am I stupid? Or maybe it's just easy for those who have already found 5000 or more. Do you think that people just don't post when they don't find? I always seem to be the only one posting a DNF in the logs.

 

I've been browsing through the posts here, and I don't think I'm the only one. Makes me feel a little better.

[+ras_oscar]

We've all been there. To date I know of nobody that was born with 1000 finds. It gets easier, as you begin to realize that

 

1. the hide should be difficult to find if you're not looking for it

2. the hide should be reasonably protected from the elements, wind, rain, wild animals.

 

3. there are "typical" places to hide a cache. The first time we went to find a light pole cache, it took us 30 minutes to find the "usual" location. Once we had that, we understood that location and that becomes easy.

 

I usually print out the simple description, decode the hints and go looking. If I don't find on the first trip, I go back and read the logs. Having an image in my mind of the location, the logs often provide additional clues.

 

And there's always the possibility that it isn't there anymore.

[+vwaldoguy]

As an example of how different the GPS units can be, I was trying to introduce my brother to geocaching a couple of months ago. He has a TomTom XL (which I think is the widescreen version of yours). My handheld Garmin 60CSx took us directly to the cache, but his unit wanted to take us 300 feet out into the ditch near the road. I don't know much about TomToms, but automotive units in general really throw fits when you get off the roads. There occasionally is a setting buried deep in the config somewhere to allow for off-road navigation, or to turn the road-lock off, etc. Some units don't allow for off-road navigation at all.

Edited February 2, 2009 by vwaldoguy

[jholly]

 

I think that one of the things I'm finding most frustrating right now is that when I read the logs on caches that I thought were really hard, everyone else posts about how easy they were to find! It just makes me wonder, am I stupid? Or maybe it's just easy for those who have already found 5000 or more. Do you think that people just don't post when they don't find? I always seem to be the only one posting a DNF in the logs.

 

I've been browsing through the posts here, and I don't think I'm the only one. Makes me feel a little better.

 

They get a bit easier sometimes with experience. But after 1000+ finds I still miss the ones others say are park and grabs or quick easy finds. It looks like your been looking for regulars and smalls, this is good. Perhaps add a few more 1.5's. You say you strike out a log, like how much? Miss half? miss 30%? miss 10%? The first 50-100 were hard for me, I had a good strike out rate, but each one I found I tried to learn what to look for. And another thing, for all the posts of success do you wonder how many don't log their DNF's? How about you? So just because all you see are smileys don't think that everyone that walks up to a cache finds. Hang in there, it will get better.

 

Jim

[+vwaldoguy]

One more thread from frustrated newbies that echoes a lot of sentiments shared in this thread...

 

Link

Edited February 2, 2009 by vwaldoguy

[+undertree]

About logging DNF.

 

When I get home the first thing I log is found it. Then if I still have time before work that means I didn't cache long enough that day. OK, just kidding.

 

I try to log my DNFs but sometimes I don't. They are obviously the last thing I want to log. So I log them last. I do log many if not most of my DNFs.

[+Headhardhat]

What newer geocachers need to know is that Geocaching is a learning experience. There are almost countless ways of hiding a geocache and it takes time and experience to learn the tricks of the trade. Give yourself time because you are not going to find them all. It will come to you.

 

The first thing that caught my eye when reading the initial post is that the user is geocaching with a TomTom. If this is a car based GPS we are talking about then that would explain why they may be having difficulties finding caches. Any roads based GPS is for just that, following roads. I first started geocaching using a Garmin Nuvi and yes I was able to find caches it was difficult and I was constantly fighting the GPS. The second I bought and used my first handheld GPS (Garmin Etrex Vista) the whole game changed for me. My suggestion is for the OP to look into just that.

 

DNFs are not a bad thing and as an owner of around 100 geocaches thank you for posting them. They are a direct indicator of the health of a geocache. Multiple DNFs means that it usually needs repair or replacing. As a finder I log DNFs as well and yes it may sometimes take 3, 4, 5 or more attempts to find a geocache but when you DO actually find it can be quite satisfying.

 

Hope you stick with it and have fun going out and searching those trails...

 

-HHH

[+Coyote's Girl]

I think that one of the things I'm finding most frustrating right now is that when I read the logs on caches that I thought were really hard, everyone else posts about how easy they were to find! It just makes me wonder, am I stupid? Or maybe it's just easy for those who have already found 5000 or more. Do you think that people just don't post when they don't find? I always seem to be the only one posting a DNF in the logs.

 

I've been browsing through the posts here, and I don't think I'm the only one. Makes me feel a little better.

 

Smile! I'm using an out-dated handheld military-style unit. It's got no maps, just a pointy arrow. It's ugly as sin and I got it for cheap. But it's sufficient for caching. I've been at caches that people posted things like "I saw it from the street!" but it took me three trys. I've heard from people who'll DNF on the first try and people who won't DNF ever if they can help it. I've heard from people who'll DNF, then edit the log each time they try. Mind you, I've only been at this 4 months. Good luck, and don't give up!

Edited February 2, 2009 by Butterfly Fox

[LashleyZooCrew]

I am also a newbie when it comes to geocaching. I've only got ten finds so far. But when I first started I was borrowing a friends Magellin GPS unit. It wasn't bad, but it definitely didn't have the accuracy of my current Garmin unit, a Garmin Etrex Legend. So a suggestion from one newbie to another, invest in a good handheld GPS unit. I paid $175 for mine from ebay. It will make finding those caches a lot easier.

[+briansnat]

Anyway, we don't have a fancy GPS, we're using a TomTom one with most recent maps, and TT7 on a pda. I realize those probably aren't ideal? But it's what we've got.

 

They are far from ideal and can make geocaching somewhat frustrating. An inexpensive handheld will serve you much better.

 

We can be standing right on top of the correct coordinates according to our GPS, and find nothing.

 

That seems to be your chief problem and the problem that many novices have. They expect the GPS to take them right to the cache. Fact of the matter is that you will rarely find the cache right on top of the correct coordinates. Your GPS has a margin of error that ranges from about 10-30 feet. So did the GPS of the hider.

 

So the cache can be 30, 40, 50 or more feet from where your GPS tells you it is. Once you get to the general area you should pay more attention to your surroundings than the GPS. Look around you and consider where you would hide a cache of that size. If you come up empty, expand your search radius.

Edited February 2, 2009 by briansnat

[+crockett3663]

I'll go along with those who've suggested that your current equipment might not be the best available for caching. I don't know what your financial situation is, or if you even have enough interest in this hobby to want to purchase a more caching-friendly model, but if you do, the previously mentioned Garmin Etrex Legend will do just fine for caching. They're relatively affordable too. If I remember correctly, they were selling for $100 to 150 US dollars at the Cabela's store here in Wisconsin last summer. When I bought my new Garmin there last summer, the Legend was the model that the salesmen first suggested when I told him that I was mainly buying one for caching purposes. I was a little more picky...I wanted a color screen and I wanted a unit that was adaptable to both driving and caching use, so I opted for the very popular Garmin 60CSx, which (by comparison) retails for about $350 US dollars.

 

Whatever you decide, I urge you to not give up on this hobby so soon. If you are unable to purchase any of the units I listed above, keep working with your TomTom and just keep in mind that you may have to be a little more liberal with your coordinates and how close they get you to the actual cache location. Also, being that you're still relatively new to caching, look on www.geocaching.com for any "Geocaching 101" type events which should help you learn more about what to look for when you do venture out on your next hunt. Also, if you know any more experienced cachers, ask if you can tag along with them. There's nothing better than learning from someone with more experience.

 

Keep trying and Good Luck!!

[+Mudfrog]

A handheld gpsr that is more suited for geocaching and not primarily made for navigating on the street will make a difference. But the main thing you need to realize is that finding caches is simply, or at least seems, tougher when you don't have alot of experience. You'll never be totally free from dnfs, but i can guarantee you that the more you find, the easier it gets.

 

My advice now, first thing is to know that gpsrs aren't perfect. There is some error (introduced on purpose), so "ground zero" can and will vary somewhat most of the time. Use the unit to get you close but once there, use your eyes to scan for hiding places. In otherwords, don't concentrate all your efforts on trying to make the gpsr zero out. If you know you're looking for a larger container, then look in places that can support that container. The micros can be harder of course with lots more places for them to be hidden, so be prepared for a tougher hunt if the cache is a micro.

 

Don't let this get you down,, you'll get the hang of it!

[+timwould]

awwww Don't give up!

We got the Garmen Xtrex..and LOVE it..its just the right size for your hand..and leads you pretty much right to your find..

This is so fun! Im so happy the hubby discovered this 'adventure' for us.. we are able to get out and explore ..have fun in our jeep..and its GREAT exercise!!!

 

[+lunamoth47]

As a fellow n00b, one thing that has helped me is to click on the map section on the cache page. Then I use the satellite view and zoom in as close as it will let me. I was able to find a few caches just using that before I got my GPSr. The overhead view really helps!

[+djds clan]

I can totally feel your pain, trillium13. I really hate DNFs. And it really does rub salt in the wound when we've searched for 20 minutes, then decide to decode the hint only to have it say "already pretty easy", I wouldn't be decoding the hint if it was easy!!! And it seems like the hardest ones for us are the ones people say are really easy.

 

We don't use a handheld, we use a Magellan 4250 (I think those numbers are right). We got it for Christmas from my parents (who didn't understand I wanted a handheld). But I have come to love it because it gives us driving directions to the cache *and* a map with a dot that is the cache. It seems to be pretty darn accurate, too! It chimes when we are at 30 feet and dings when we are at 9 feet. We call her Christine (after Stephen King's Christine) and she gets real insistent when we don't find it. Ding, Ding, DING. I will say that sometimes she's delayed and doesn't ding until we are standing with cache in hand. We do want to buy a handheld as well, but don't have the money at the moment.

 

You bring up a point I wanted to ask about. When do people log DNFs? I thought if you went looking for a cache and didn't find it, you enter a "didn't find it." But we tried for a particularly evil one this last weekend and couldn't find it. Went home, logged a DNF and read through the logs. One person put a note on the log saying they had looked for it multiple times but didn't log a DNF yet. What?!? Is there some unwritten rule that you can look for it a certain number of times, but don't have to admit you didn't find it? Seems dishonest to me. We hid a cache near my husband's work last week. Only one person has logged it found, no one else has claimed a DNF, but he's seen people looking forever, then leaving. So I would love to hear from others, do you log a DNF after you've looked once?

[+Winstonsdad]

Being new to this sport as well, I completely understand your frustrations. Many times I have been on top of the cache, according to my GPS, but could not find it. I back up, look at the clues and start again. So far, so good! The ones that I don't find, I don't log as DNF until I have completely given up. I don't know the ettique, but I have gone back to a cache three times before finding it and only logged that I found it.

 

I will note an observation or two, for what they are worth. Large caches require some form of cover. Where I am, cover equates to bushes, leaves and briars, but not always. This may not be the case everywhere or for every cache, but I have gone in after several ammo boxes and have come out scratched. I suggest looking for medium or smaller caches where the terrain is more friendly. I found two caches today on my lunch break which required no crawling, no scratches. One was a meduim size cache (peanut butter jar with cammo tape) which was cleverly hidden. The other was a mini cache which required nothing more that imagination on where it might be hidden.

 

The people who hide these caches are very clever and you have to think about where they might have hidden the cache within 10 to 30 feet of the coordinates. Is it down a pipe, under a log, in a tree? That is the fun of the hunt, in my opinion. The GPS gets you close, but after that, you have to look and use your imagination. Where would I hide a cache if it were me?

 

Hang in there. Its fun once you get going.

[+Packanack]

simply don't log their dnf's--A lot more than you would ever imagine. I know of one cache that had 13 people looking for it recently and not a single DNF was logged.

 

Remember the gps is going to take you to a searchable area, not directly to the cache. So when you get a reading within reason of 25 feet or so, stop and observe the area, the cover, the likely places and then focus on things that look un-natural like a pile of twigs , rocks that have scratches on their surface, disturbed ground. Last weekend on a snowy trail I followed a set of foot prints ,out of 5 or 6 different sets, because I just assumed that they belong to a local prolific cacher. I figured he could not do all those caches without some traction device. He lead me to the cache after a mile and half of hiking, I never lost his track in all the others that were there, even though he tried to hide his tracks at ground zero.

 

Practice observation first, look over the area. Stand back and take it all in.

Edited February 2, 2009 by Packanack

[Neos2]

I think that one of the things I'm finding most frustrating right now is that when I read the logs on caches that I thought were really hard, everyone else posts about how easy they were to find! It just makes me wonder, am I stupid? Or maybe it's just easy for those who have already found 5000 or more. Do you think that people just don't post when they don't find? I always seem to be the only one posting a DNF in the logs.

 

I've been browsing through the posts here, and I don't think I'm the only one. Makes me feel a little better.

Well, yeah, they are "easy" once you have the hang of finding things in the woods with a gps...until then, they are downright challenging.

 

The first twenty are ginormously harder than the next twenty...by about 50 finds you will think yu might maybe know what to look for most of the time...by the time you have found a few hundred you may even get cocky enough to think that if you can't find it in a few minutes it must be missing (but sometimes you'll be wrong ).

 

Some folks are just naturally good (or lucky) at finding caches right out of the box. Others have to develop the kinds of skills that it takes to find small things that are hidden for the view of the ordinary passer-by.

 

I suspect our background skills have a lot to do with it--probably someone who works all day doing quality control or making observations about the results of a test etc has a real advantage over someone who spends their day at something that doesn't use those kinds of skills.

 

Likewise, the equipment you use makes a difference. Any gps will get you to the cache--eventually. Some do it much faster than others and with less guesswork and workarounds on your part. A halfway decent handheld will beat out a car unit any day of the week. The car unit is meant for finding your way on the road. No gps will take you right on top the cache every time, but a decent one will cut down the area you need to search by at least half.

 

And I post a DNF every time I have new info to post. Obviously if I go fourteen times to the same spot under the same conditions and go through exactly the same maneuvers, fourteen DNFs wouldn't help anyone * "Oh yeah, went there, lifted the small gray rock next to the post, didn't see anything, left" would not be very helpful at all if I posted it fourteen times, for instance.

 

*on the other hand, if I didn't find it once because the weather was bad, once because there were people there, once because there was a car parked where I thought it was, once where it was too dark to see anything, and once because it was under three feet of snow, that *might* be helpful to someone else.

 

It might help the owner, who is sitting at home laughing at me because it is IN the knothole of the tree (not the bottom of the post) and not worrying that it is missing just because I can't find it. It might help the other people who want to find it, because they can see that it might be harder to find in the dark. Or if seventeen people go there and post a DNF, it might show the owner they need to go check on the cache to make sure it's still there.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Your kit isn't exactly "the best" for caching, but it works!

 

A lot of caching is "Cachers Eye" and experience. It comes with time/finds.

 

Yep. I've spent time looking for caches others say "Easy find" I've also found immediately caches that others have struggled to find!

Some you do, some you don't! That's the game

 

(I think some people say "Easy find" to cover the fact they found it hard to find, gotta keep up that image of a rugged cacher! )

 

Keep going!

[+Mredria]

As another fellow newb, I can say that I too found that geocaching is a learning thing. Now that I've found a few, I'm starting to figure out what to look for. Caches that would have been super hard before are not as terrifying.

Don't pay too much attention to logs that are like "WOW TOTALLY EASY!" They're all easy once you've found them!

I see you're in Texas like me. I personally don't cross fences no matter what the cache says, even if they're like "omigosh the owner's ttly ok w/ it" because I'm a girl all on my own and when I was a kid my mom always said, "It's better safe than shot!"

Good luck!

[+ladyleo191]

OP, what do you do for a living? Ya think maybe something you do 5 times a day at work might be easy for you and maybe terribly difficult for me, a complete novice? Same thing applies with caching.

 

The first time I saw a pill bottle covered with camo tape, it was "Wow! I can't believe this!" It was hard to spot. Now, since I've seen a few, I can almost walk rihght up to one and pick it out of the woodwork. It all depends on how many of a certain type you've found.

 

Knowing your hider helps, too. Most folks tend to use the same hide techniques over and over. I have 2 hides. Both are in non-muggle areas, so I didn't have to camo them much. They are kid-friendly and I wanted them easy to find.

 

If you have ever found a Folger's coffee can, you'll spot my hides right away, and your Find log will say, "Easy find. Just walked right up to it." Next year, this time, when you've found everything from drilled out bolts to fake animal dung, they will all be easy too.

 

I do know that 'needle in the haystack' feeling, but soon, you'll figure out what type of hides you like to hunt and just pass by those that don't look like fun. There aren't any rules tha tsay you must find all the caches in your area. That statement made caching lots more fun for me, 'cause it took the pressure off. When it's not fun anymore, it's time to stop hunting that particular cache.

[+BrrrMo]

I have never understood why peoples egos keep them from logging DNF'S. I am rather new to this game/sport which the way I play it it is "Full Contact" rock marks on my rear, sticks in my eye, well you get the idea.

 

A couple of hints on what I have found that helped me: Look at the cache location in Google Earth. You can configure it to show the cache location.

 

Go to YouTube and look at the many videos on GeoCaching.

 

Go to some of the Geocaching stores online and familiarize yourself with all the different type hide containers there are.

 

Read all the logs for on a given cache.

[+Inmountains]

I didn't read all the posts, so if someone already posted this, I apologize for the repeat. I have been doing this for quite a while but not really obsessed. Some days, I can't miss and some days, I couldn't find a cow sitting in an outhouse. Here are some more common type hides that may help:

1. Light Pole skirt, the little metal box that covers the bolts holding the pole to the concrete. Most of them lift straight up and are very common for hiding caches.

2. Fake electrical covers. I have a couple that look like a metal cover for an electrical outlet. It just has a couple of magnets holding it to a metal object.

3. Fake reflectors. People will drill a hole in a wooden pole, put a micro container on the back of a reflector (or other fake item) and slide the micro into the hole, with the reflector showing. My mother found one with a fake snail on it.

4. Camoflauge! Geocachers are probably the most creative folks I have seen. Everything from a container with some surrounding dirt/rocks glued to it, to a bird house, to a fake chain link, to a fake sprinkler head, to a fake light fixture and so much more.

 

Try coming into Ground Zero from more than one direction. If I can't find it coming to it from the east, I will go 100 feet north and come into it again. If still can't find it, try from the west.

 

Think 3 dimensional. Could it be up? Could it be down? Could it be eye level?

 

The DNFs can be just as much fun as a find, with the right attitude. I actually get more satisfaction on one that takes a little time than a "cache and dash". My record is 4 times going back to a cache, and it ended up being a fake bolt in a large pile of very old telephone poles with hundreds of bolts in them. The proverbial needle in a haystack, except this was a straw stick in a hay stack.

 

I have found caches that folks with >10,000 finds couldn't find and I couldn't find one that had a post, "my 2 year old found this before I got out of the car"! It's just the nature of geocaching.

[+NC Box Turtles]

I think it is important to remember start out with easy finds and work your way up to harder caches. IIf all else fails, stop, look around you and enjoy your environment and take that as your cache. Sometimes it is not about the "treasure" but rather the time you spend with your family doing something active.

[+Shelle518]

We too started out with a Tomtom. You can make finds with it but it is difficult. We later got a handheld and that made the finds much easier. But as they say practice and patience counts for alot.

[+aronnie]

I feel your pain, sometimes to me it seems that the only person the cache makes any sense to is the one that hid it.

I get so frustrated with these that it makes me want to go somewhere, take a GPS reading, post it and let people look for nothing, just so I can make people think they are looking for a EVIL hide and I can make people think I'm real smart.

I thought that was why you go out and buy a GPSr for, to FIND a cache, you stand a better chance of finding them by tripping over them,I think cache owners think someone is going to look at the google map and go out and find it.

Edited February 5, 2009 by aronnie

[+rtreit]

From the screenshot I saw it's displaying the coordinates in decimal degrees. Hopefully there is an option to display them in Degrees Decimal Minutes (i.e DDD MM.MMM rather than DD.DDDDD)

 

Yeah, there's a setting for that. It's now displaying the coords in N 32º 12.3456' W 94º 78.9810' format.

 

Storage is not an issue (4 GB flash memory), neither is battery life.

 

What's wrong with using decimal?

[+flaffle]

As one newbie to another I'm going to take this opportunity to vent. I have also noticed people not logging there DNFs. There was one I have been out for twice now and not able to find. I logged it as a DNF and noticed that I'm 1 of 7 people watching this cache. For the area it's in that's quite a few people. I also noticed some footprints in the snow on my last visit indicating that a person was just as off as me but did not see any recent DNFs on the log.

 

The other frustration I'm having is that coords can sometimes be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off. The GPS you are using may only exacerbate the problem. I'm using a Delorme PN-40 which is spoiling me because most of the time it's dead on (within a foot, you could almost do it blind with good coords). But sometimes the coords provided are just flat out wrong and I didn't bother to read the logs with every person saying it's 50 feet in the other direction. I really wish the owners would update their hide after every finder has said the coords are wrong.

 

Finally, take some solace in that the few that I have not been able to find have all been 1 and 1.5 level caches. The first ones I ever found were 2 to 3s. The rating system, while I can see the point, seems to have no real bearing on whether or not you will actually find it... especially in the 1 to 3 range. I actually found the higher level ones much easier - better coords and better hints.

 

The best thing I've found so far is to know what kind of container I'm looking for and to literally turn off my GPS and just use my eyes when I'm having trouble. And maybe the best is that if it looks like a nasty place to go into there's a pretty good chance it's not there. Good luck!

[+JBnW]

To the OP, here's something that really opened my eyes about where things can be hidden; hopefully it will help. I learned this when trying to place my first caches. Next time you're out in the trees or thorns or bushes, or whatnot; take something with you about the size of an ammo can or lock-n-lock, or whatever size of cache you've been searching. Look around and think where you would hide it. Try putting it into a tree, or squeezing it between rocks. All of a sudden, you'll realize many of those nooks and crannies are simply too small to hold a container of that size, too muggler-prone, likely to get washed away in a rain, dug up by some animal...too easy, or so impossible even an "expert" couldn't find it. Then your search pattern will get limited to the fewer places the cache could actually be. With practice, the haystack gets smaller and smaller, until only the needle is left.

 

Good luck, and happy caching!