Newbie question

[+Parknet]

Got started yesterday and found an easy one but missed 2 others. I'm totally hooked! Here's the silly question. How close are caches generally to the GPS coordinates? I know the answer is "it depends" but for example, the GPS lead me to a spot next on the sidewalk next to a park. The cache is listed as the park itself which is pretty large. Should I be looking around the whole park or somewhere near the gps point?

 

I have read many log entries and the caches seem to just around the area somewhere. That is fine but I'm just trying to get a feel for how close the gps points are in helping find the actual cache or if they just get you to the general address.

 

Thanks! Me and my (almost) 9 year old kid are having a great time so far!

[+BlueDeuce]

Under the best conditions I assume the gps will bring me within 30 feet.

 

When the owner took a reading the accuracy may have been different when I try with my gps. Some days it matches up, other days it doesn't. Throw in heavy tree coverage or cliffs walls the accuracy may be off even more.

[+DiamondDaveG]

Under the best conditions I assume the gps will bring me within 30 feet.

 

When the owner took a reading the accuracy may have been different when I try with my gps. Some days it matches up, other days it doesn't. Throw in heavy tree coverage or cliffs walls the accuracy may be off even more.

 

Yeah, what he said.

 

About the best I have ever had is 16'. Usually I am showing a 30' accuracy too. What I do is find that point, put the GPS away and start looking in a 30' radius of where that point is. In your example, you may be standing on the sidewalk but the tree that is 15' away inside the park may be where the cache is. Rarely, if ever, will your reading match the posted coordinates exactly.

[+JackQuest]

Got started yesterday and found an easy one but missed 2 others. I'm totally hooked! Here's the silly question. How close are caches generally to the GPS coordinates? I know the answer is "it depends" but for example, the GPS lead me to a spot next on the sidewalk next to a park.

 

I set up my gps so that I can see "distance to point" and "accuracy" while searching. This way I can tell how where I am and how accurate that position is. The rest is geosense!

[+Parknet]

That answers my question nicely. Thank you! As soon as it stops raining, we are going back out.

 

happy hunting.

[+BlueDeuce]

Fewer muggles if you search while it's raining.

[+Jeep4two]

I've had caches be virtually perfect to the coordinates, and some off by as much as 60 feet or so. As the others said conditions are variable for all cachers including the hider.

 

As you get more accustomed to finding caches you'll start to learn to look like a hider would look for a place to hide. Once your GPSr puts you at what it thinks is Ground Zero - look down. If it's not there gradually expand your search area looking for logical hiding spots as if you were looking for a good place to hide a cache.

 

Being familiar with the cache size and description from the cache page (or having a copy with your or on your GPSr if it supports paperless) is by far the easiest way to improve your success.

 

Enjoy being hooked!

[+Night Stalker]

The first cache that I ever found my GPS took me within 1 foot. I thought that this hobby would really be to easy. I have since had my misconceptions corrected. The furthest my GPS has been off on a cache that I actually found was 1/2 mile. The only reason that I found that cache was because a previous hunter had actually found that cache and left corrected coordinates. I still wonder how he found the cache since back then there was no such thing as call a friend, and even if there had been, we were way back in the woods where there was no cell service.

[+blueberryice]

Many cache owners are nice enough to post a hint in the description too (its hidden for those die hards LOL) sometimes its just hard going around in circles.. I was about 4 to 6 yards accurate the last time I was out and then it also depends on how accurate the CO gps was when they got the location.

 

the trick is I guess is to learn how CO think when they hide it LOL

[+briansnat]

I've found over 700 caches. I'd say maybe dozen were right at, or within a foot or two of where my GPS said they were. Probably another couple of dozen were 60, or 70+ feet off.

 

I'd say about 80 percent of the time the cache will be within 15-30 feet of where your GPS says it is.

[+E = Mc2]

Once your GPSr puts you at what it thinks is Ground Zero - look down.

 

And don't forget the other directions, too.

 

I usually consider 30 feet to be acceptable, depending on the surroundings. If the hider took the time to take multiple readings and get 'good' coordinates, (the norm in this area), then it isn't too uncommon to be within 10-15 feet. I did find one that was 300 feet from the posted coordinates by using brute force. To wit: I searched every tree in the fairgrounds...

 

But I got the FTF.