cache placement question and brief intro

[+luv2run12782]

Hey cachers!

 

Today was my first day of caching and I had a lot of fun finding 5/6 caches I set out to today.

I'm planning more tomorrow and wanted to get in on the fun of hiding a cache myself. I have a few questions.

I have taken time to read the guidelines on the site but wanted some additional input.

 

I would like to place a cache with enough size to it to see some cool stuff in there, maybe even some coins and such. Obviously, I want to place it somewhere where people will not accidentally find it, or where people searching for it may get in trouble.

 

Other than that, are there any rules of thumb you stick to not mentioned on the forum guidelines?

 

Thanks in advance!

[+BadAndy]

Some tips from my world...

 

Use a proven watertight container.

The more rural the setting the longer it should last.

Place it on open public property.

Include something special for the first to find.

Triple check your coords.

[+mrbort]

Another thing that I think makes a quality cache is place it somewhere you think people would be interested in visiting (something that makes the spot unique other than its set of coordinates)... place it somewhere you'd love to discover or visit. That could mean a neat bench that people drive by every day to work ... to a park that maybe isn't that well-known ... to the top of a mountain Include the significance (even if it's mostly personal) in the cache description and people will be richer for having visited it

 

If you're still hunting around for ideas for cache placements and hides, perhaps hunt a few more and better ideas will flow from those experiences. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your cache hiding and future finding

[+gof1]

All good advice. Only I don't worry about FTF prizes. It will be one of the same few people anyway. If I want to give them a gift I'll just hand it to them.

 

Take your time. Find a nice place with some interesting draw. Don't feel like you need to "give back" to the game. Hide a cache when you think you are ready and do it because you will enjoy it. The best advice is to figure out what you like to find and hide that kind of cache. Keeps it interesting for you and your finders.

 

Last but not least, welcome to our obsession.

[+luv2run12782]

Thanks, guys! Thanks for the great advice. What is the best way to triple check my coords? I'm using a Garmin Venture HC if that helps.

[+Allanon]

A lot of people don't agree with this advice but here goes anyway...

 

I know you are excited to jump right in and hide a cache, but please consider just finding about 95 more first...see what other types of hides are out there and how they are done.

 

It sounds like you are hooked, so 100 will come quickly...

 

Whatever you decide, welcome.

[+BadAndy]

Thanks, guys! Thanks for the great advice. What is the best way to triple check my coords? I'm using a Garmin Venture HC if that helps.

 

This is best done on a clear day. Once you hide your cache, set down your gps and let it average for a few minutes before marking the coords.

 

Walk a few hundred feet and set a goto to your coords and return, making sure you still zero at the cache (within a few feet is ok).

 

Return to the cache after a day or so and recheck.

 

Publish and wait for the finders.

[+beejay&esskay]

Thanks, guys! Thanks for the great advice. What is the best way to triple check my coords?

 

And to the above, I would add:

 

Put the coordinates in Google Earth (or equivalent) and make sure the location looks like the place you put the cache.

[+mrbort]

This is best done on a clear day. Once you hide your cache, set down your gps and let it average for a few minutes before marking the coords.

 

Walk a few hundred feet and set a goto to your coords and return, making sure you still zero at the cache (within a few feet is ok).

 

Return to the cache after a day or so and recheck.

 

Publish and wait for the finders.

Tropospheric effects will influence the signal to some extent but will probably do it in rather homogeneously meaning that your outputted location will probably not be affected much (but depending on the line of sight moisture content and satellite location could be significantly). More important are the middle two concerns IMO

 

Certainly let your GPSr take advantage of its onboard signal processing software to "settle down" -- there's a lot in these little buggers that takes advantage of theory rather than just outputting the raw signal.

 

It takes around 90 minutes for the satellites to change appreciably in their constellation (and consequently the result rendered by the unit). So the come back and measure it a few times before publishing idea is a good one.

 

As for the walk away and come back a few times, this (theoretically in pure GPS signal processing) would have no effect on the outputted location but the internal, proprietary software might take this movement into account and adjust accordingly. Scientifically I don't see how walking away will change the inputs for the hardware. However, manufacturers do put in a lot of onboard processing so I am not sure if this is utilizing part of it. It has certainly entered into the standard cache placement routine guidance though

 

This isn't at all to disparage anything BadAndy is saying -- it's all good advice and the WORST any of it could do would to not improve a waypoint but none of it would ever make it a worse reading. I'm not totally sure on the points of which I was skeptical because there is a lot of proprietary software in the units that are able to detect tropospheric delay signals and might be stimulated to recalculate based on movement so I'm just adding my 2c as one who went through a PhD program in GPS utilizing only scientific instruments and theory but as for my commercial handheld GPSr experience, it's all learned in the field (both with Habitat in Guatemala and here in the states geocaching) so it's anecdotal with a dose of theory

 

Good luck and welcome!!

 

mrbort

[+Trick or Treat]

Also remember that even if you are placing your cache on "public" property, you still need to get permission. I placed my first caches a few months ago and what took the most effort from me was figuring out who owned the public land (one group owned the land and another the easement) and getting their permission. Everyone was happy to have another use for the land and the prospect of more visitors using it; it was just getting I's dotted and T's crossed.

 

Not all public land allows geocaches and you can't assume if there is already a cache in a public area, that another could be placed without obtaining permission.

[+briansnat]

ther than that, are there any rules of thumb you stick to not mentioned on the forum guidelines?

 

Yes. When I go to place a cache I ask myself if it is a place that most people would enjoy visiting even if the cache wasn't there. If the answer is no, then I choose another place.

[+palmetto]

You've gotten some excellent advise about hiding that cache, here's a link to a Knowledgebase article about getting it published!

 

Nothing speeds up cache publication like a Reviewer Note with "permission for this cache granted by ...."

 

The one item missing item from that article is having home coords or zip code entered into your private profile, or posting a maintenance plan as a reviewer note to the cache.

 

Below is a note I used 8 times yesterday! That means 8 caches that might have been published within hours of being submitted that are still holding for the owner to respond (I see a lot of vacation caches so I'm cautious about maintenance):

 

Your cache location is fine, however, I cannot publish this cache, as I do not know if you live locally and can maintain a hide here.

 

Please enter your home coordinates in your private profile page.

Log onto Geocaching.com, then to to your account page.

On the right side of the page under SEARCH OPTIONS is a place to:

update home coordinates

 

http://www.geocaching.com/account/ManageLocations.aspx

 

If you don't feel comfortable entering your actual home coordinates enter some a mile or two away, or simply enter a zip code. We can't see the actual coordinates, just the distance from your cache submission.

By entering some coordinates near your home, it will not only speed up your future cache reviews, but lets you view nearby caches with a single click, shows the distance and direction of other caches from your location, and allows you to receive weekly notifications of new caches that are near you.