Where should I mount laser pointers?

[hoyshnin]

I was thinking of incorporating laser pointers inside waterproof cases into a multi-cache. The coordinates would lead to the first laser pointer, which would be mounted somewhere. The laser would point to another location, which would point to the cache…or something like this at least. My question is, how and where should I mount them out in the wild? I was think maybe epoxying them to large boulders under a bush or something. Another suggestion I got from someone was to maybe put eyeloop screws into a tree and attach a laser pointer to that. I'd like to do it somewhere out in the wild so there would be less muggles around.

 

Will something like epoxy on rocks or screws in a tree be bad for the environment, though? Any other ideas on how I can mount them in the wild where they'll be

1) hidden well,

2) mounted sturdy enough so that they always point at the same spot, and

3) not do too much harm to the environment?

 

Thanks!

Edited October 30, 2009 by hoyshnin

[+Snoogans]

I was thinking of incorporating laser pointers inside waterproof cases into a multi-cache. The coordinates would lead to the first laser pointer, which would be mounted somewhere. The laser would point to another location, which would point to the cache…or something like this at least. My question is, how and where should I mount them out in the wild? I was think maybe epoxying them to large boulders under a bush or something. Another suggestion I got from someone was to maybe put eyeloop screws into a tree and attach a laser pointer to that.

 

Will something like epoxy on rocks or screws in a tree be bad for the environment, though? Any other ideas on how I can mount them in the wild where they'll be

1) hidden well,

2) mounted sturdy enough so that they always point at the same spot, and

3) not do too much harm to the environment?

 

Thanks!

 

Cool and very original idea from my POV.

 

A potential maintenance nightmare though.

 

Why not make it a 5 star difficulty (tool required) and mount notches to rest the laser pointers on to find the next waypoint....?

 

Any cacher can pick up a laser pointer cheaply at a dollar store.

Edited October 30, 2009 by Snoogans

[hoyshnin]

I was thinking of incorporating laser pointers inside waterproof cases into a multi-cache. The coordinates would lead to the first laser pointer, which would be mounted somewhere. The laser would point to another location, which would point to the cache…or something like this at least. My question is, how and where should I mount them out in the wild? I was think maybe epoxying them to large boulders under a bush or something. Another suggestion I got from someone was to maybe put eyeloop screws into a tree and attach a laser pointer to that.

 

Will something like epoxy on rocks or screws in a tree be bad for the environment, though? Any other ideas on how I can mount them in the wild where they'll be

1) hidden well,

2) mounted sturdy enough so that they always point at the same spot, and

3) not do too much harm to the environment?

 

Thanks!

 

Cool and very original idea from my POV.

 

A potential maintenance nightmare though.

 

Why not make it a 5 star difficulty (tool required) and mount notches to rest the laser pointers on to find the next waypoint....?

 

Hm, maybe I'd do one of each. I do want one where people can just walk up to it and do it without any extra "tools." As for the maintenance concern, I don't know if it will be that bad. I'll have them waterproofed, and the batteries are going to last forever with people only using the lasers for a couple seconds a week. And the cost is VERY minimal because I'll be using laser pointers from the dollar store (which I've used for months now and work great) and I'll also get the batteries from the dollar store.

[hoyshnin]

 

Why not make it a 5 star difficulty (tool required) and mount notches to rest the laser pointers on to find the next waypoint....?

 

Any cacher can pick up a laser pointer cheaply at a dollar store.

 

Also, I don't know if all laser pointers would point exactly in the same place (some might be a little skewed, especially ones from the dollar store)

 

Oh, and what do you mean by "notches"?

[+Snoogans]

 

Why not make it a 5 star difficulty (tool required) and mount notches to rest the laser pointers on to find the next waypoint....?

 

Any cacher can pick up a laser pointer cheaply at a dollar store.

 

Also, I don't know if all laser pointers would point exactly in the same place (some might be a little skewed, especially ones from the dollar store)

 

Oh, and what do you mean by "notches"?

 

A depression to rest the pointer in so it points as true as possible.

[+tekkguy]

 

Why not make it a 5 star difficulty (tool required) and mount notches to rest the laser pointers on to find the next waypoint....?

 

Any cacher can pick up a laser pointer cheaply at a dollar store.

 

Also, I don't know if all laser pointers would point exactly in the same place (some might be a little skewed, especially ones from the dollar store)

 

Oh, and what do you mean by "notches"?

 

A depression to rest the pointer in so it points as true as possible.

 

Or better yet ... a piece of wood or rock with a very small hole drilled ... the hole points to the correct location, and you shine your laser through the hole - eliminating any worry that the laser pointer itself might not be pointing straight.

[hoyshnin]

Or better yet ... a piece of wood or rock with a very small hole drilled ... the hole points to the correct location, and you shine your laser through the hole - eliminating any worry that the laser pointer itself might not be pointing straight.

 

Ooo, I like that. I'll have to make two of these kinds of caches, one BYOL (bring your own laser), and another one with my lasers already out there.

 

I suppose someone could always just look through the hole too, though, hm.

Edited October 30, 2009 by hoyshnin

[+Chrysalides]

What, nobody else thought "on the head of sharks, of course" ??

 

I don't think a laser mounted firmly would last long in the elements. One alternative I thought of is magnets on both the attachment point as well as on the laser. 2 magnets on the attachment point, another 2 on the pointer, oriented such that the pointer can only fit in one direction.

 

For attachment, I like kneadable epoxy putty.

[+flask]

the trick (and i've given this a lot of thought for a cache i hoped to place) is to make your grooved mount or your hole stable enough so that it won't shift.

[+dakboy]

Will these be mounted in such a way that someone could easily get their eye in the path of the beam? That would be bad.

[hoyshnin]

Will these be mounted in such a way that someone could easily get their eye in the path of the beam? That would be bad.

 

They will be mounted in an area far away from muggles, so only geocachers will be at risk if they're dumb enough to shine it into their eyes. And the lasers I am using are not very powerful, so no one's going to get hurt.

[knowschad]

Will these be mounted in such a way that someone could easily get their eye in the path of the beam? That would be bad.

They will be mounted in an area far away from muggles, so only geocachers will be at risk if they're dumb enough to shine it into their eyes. And the lasers I am using are not very powerful, so no one's going to get hurt.

So, you're not going to be cutting down trees or burning holes in rocks with those lasers, then? Whew! Glad to hear it.

 

I still think that you are going to find this to be a maintenance nightmare for you, but I do think it sounds like a fun idea if you can find a way to make it work! Keep in touch about it.

[+Roland_oso]

The main thing to consider is by placing it this time of year, what will the foliage be like in the lush of Springtime?

 

What would be a clear line of sight from point to point might not be so later.

 

This is something I have learned from setting up night caches.

[glorkar]

These would obviously be night caches, I'm just wondering how hard it would be to find a laser pointer (tiny) in the middle of the woods (dark) at night. Hmm....cool concept, don't know if I'd attempt it though.

[+Too Tall John]

So, I have no real idea if this would work, but how about a piece of fiber optic line that carries the beam when a cacher points the laser they brought with them at it.

 

Several good points to this (if it'd work...):

• No need to waterproof a pointer & leave it in the woods
  
• No batteries to change
  
• If you put a bend in the line, it'd be harder to brute force the cache by using the slot/hole/rings/whatever to simply sight down them & see the location.
  

[+tekkguy]

Or better yet ... a piece of wood or rock with a very small hole drilled ... the hole points to the correct location, and you shine your laser through the hole - eliminating any worry that the laser pointer itself might not be pointing straight.

 

Ooo, I like that. I'll have to make two of these kinds of caches, one BYOL (bring your own laser), and another one with my lasers already out there.

 

I suppose someone could always just look through the hole too, though, hm.

 

Well ... I don't know about seeing through it. You could make the hole pretty tiny for a laser ... if you made it large enough to really see through, you'd lose the accuracy of the laser.

 

The real problem with my idea would be keeping gunk out of the hole.

 

So, I have no real idea if this would work, but how about a piece of fiber optic line that carries the beam when a cacher points the laser they brought with them at it.

 

This is a brilliant idea ... and it just might work. With the right setup and a bright enough flashlight, you could possibly even forget about a laser pointer and just use a flashlight.

[+bittsen]

So you want to alter the environment (drilling holes in trees, epoxying rocks) to place a geocache? Isn't that against the guidelines?

 

If not, it should be.

 

 

Edited to add. This comment is ON topic.

Edited October 30, 2009 by bittsen

[+griswell]

I left a "waterproof" pointer in the rain once. It wasn't. I like the idea for setting up "sites" for cachers to pu their own on as they go from clue to clue. Maybe one day I'll be gutsy enough to try something of that calibur.

[+tekkguy]

So you want to alter the environment (drilling holes in trees, epoxying rocks) to place a geocache? Isn't that against the guidelines?

 

If not, it should be.

 

I said 'piece of wood' ... not trees.

 

And as for the rocks ... people BRING rocks to accomplish a hide, create rocks, etc ... bringing in a rock, or a small block of wood alters the environment arguably less so than sticking firetacks in trees, no?

[+bittsen]

So you want to alter the environment (drilling holes in trees, epoxying rocks) to place a geocache? Isn't that against the guidelines?

 

If not, it should be.

 

I said 'piece of wood' ... not trees.

 

And as for the rocks ... people BRING rocks to accomplish a hide, create rocks, etc ... bringing in a rock, or a small block of wood alters the environment arguably less so than sticking firetacks in trees, no?

 

Is that your way of saying "Other people do it so it is OK"?

 

 

Edited to add, this comment is ON topic.

Edited October 30, 2009 by bittsen

[+tekkguy]

So you want to alter the environment (drilling holes in trees, epoxying rocks) to place a geocache? Isn't that against the guidelines?

 

If not, it should be.

 

I said 'piece of wood' ... not trees.

 

And as for the rocks ... people BRING rocks to accomplish a hide, create rocks, etc ... bringing in a rock, or a small block of wood alters the environment arguably less so than sticking firetacks in trees, no?

 

Is that your way of saying "Other people do it so it is OK"?

 

No ... that's my way of saying if leaving an Ammo Can at GZ is an acceptable alteration of the environment, why would leaving a rock with a hole in it at Stage 1 be any different?

 

Just because I'm new here doesn't mean I eat babies and stomp on saplings, you know.

[+CTYankee9]

So, I have no real idea if this would work, but how about a piece of fiber optic line that carries the beam when a cacher points the laser they brought with them at it.

 

This is a brilliant idea ... and it just might work. With the right setup and a bright enough flashlight, you could possibly even forget about a laser pointer and just use a flashlight.

 

Wow this is a great idea, would the piece of fiber optic line still be able to transmit the cheap laser's beam far enough? I would think that if the last 3-4" of the line that is pointing to the target is somehow held steady in a channel or a hole in an object {rock/wood} and then that object is not going to move no matter what and the fiber optic line is able to transmit the beam, it should work. The tail end of the optic line could be loose and it wouldn't matter how the laser is pointed into it, as long as it goes in?

 

Maybe just do a single off-set type hide to try it out for a time and see how it goes. I mean the laser doesn't have to be dead-on, just within the normal innaccuracy of a GPS and if it is somewhat remote, even just pointing to the next object {tree, large rock, whatever}.

 

Very cool idea, very cool indeed!

[+bflentje]

So you want to alter the environment (drilling holes in trees, epoxying rocks) to place a geocache? Isn't that against the guidelines?

 

If not, it should be.

 

I am pleasantly surprised that this went 17 posts before a knucklehead statement like this came out of the woodwork. Quite frankly, I was expecting post #3 to be "it". Thank you for holding off on the first 16.

 

This idea has been done in our area a few years back by fellow cacher Paklid. I think I was FTF or STF or maybe even TTF so it was a treat to find. The cache is long gone now.. I would guess our Minnesota winters made it impossible to leave up year around. Done correctly, foliage shouldn't be an issue.

[+bflentje]

So you want to alter the environment (drilling holes in trees, epoxying rocks) to place a geocache? Isn't that against the guidelines?

 

If not, it should be.

 

I said 'piece of wood' ... not trees.

 

And as for the rocks ... people BRING rocks to accomplish a hide, create rocks, etc ... bringing in a rock, or a small block of wood alters the environment arguably less so than sticking firetacks in trees, no?

 

Is that your way of saying "Other people do it so it is OK"?

 

Another thread hijacked by Bittsen. How nice.

[CoyoteRed]

I was thinking of incorporating laser pointers inside waterproof cases into a multi-cache. The coordinates would lead to the first laser pointer, which would be mounted somewhere. The laser would point to another location, which would point to the cache…or something like this at least. My question is, how and where should I mount them out in the wild? I was think maybe epoxying them to large boulders under a bush or something. Another suggestion I got from someone was to maybe put eyeloop screws into a tree and attach a laser pointer to that. I'd like to do it somewhere out in the wild so there would be less muggles around.

 

Will something like epoxy on rocks or screws in a tree be bad for the environment, though? Any other ideas on how I can mount them in the wild where they'll be

1) hidden well,

2) mounted sturdy enough so that they always point at the same spot, and

3) not do too much harm to the environment?

 

Thanks!

Unless you actually own the property or are very good friends with the owner, I'd stay away from anything that does permanent damage.

 

There are ways around putting holes in objects, though. Cable strap your mount to a post or pole. Hang your mirror from a limb. Stuff like that.

 

Here's how I'd hand a mirror from a limb: get another piece of wood that looks natural. Attach the mirror in a way that's adjustable. Attach two mounting points. Hang with two points of attachments. Try to hang with the mirror facing the same axis as the two mounting points. By doing this you're not hard mounting anything. The device will not spin so the azimuth should always be pointing in the same direction. It will swing, but if you mount the mirror angled on the same axis as the two mounting points, the change is elevation should be much less than at 90­­° to the two mounting points.

 

Now the higher you mount the device the less likely seekers can guess the angle and the more accurate the beam. You'll have to devise a precise way to locate the laser to point to the device to give a good heading. It will probably take a friend and some time to get it right. I'd experiment in my back yard first. Also, you'll probably have to re-adjust ever so often just because of the growth of the tree or even the weight of the leaves during different seasons.

 

For something on a rock: I'd probably try to find a particularly unique feature on the rock so I could make a "puzzle piece" to fit. Take some saran wrap and cover the rock being careful to match the contour of the rock face. Use some sort of fast acting epoxy to get a form. Then you should have a removable mount for your mirror or laser. Which ever way you go, you now have a device that you direct seekers to find and then take (I'd not go too far as you want them to return it) to the mounting spot and activate the device.

 

Make sure it only goes on the rock one way and there is very little wiggle.

 

Also, realize that your mount may not be as rock solid as you think. Allow for some fudge factor at the destination.

 

Hope this gets your creative juices flowing.

[Clan Riffster]

Just because I'm new here doesn't mean I eat babies and stomp on saplings, you know.

Sir! I find your comment offensive, and a direct slight against CEBASS!

(Cachers for Eating Babies And Stomping Saplings)

 

Back on topic: One thing I've learned as a cat lover and outdoorsy person, is there is simply no way to effectively weatherproof a Dollar Store laser pointer, and still have it functional. I like to torture my cats by enticing them into chasing the red dot all across my front yard, and on several occasions, I've left my cheap pointer sitting outside somewhere. To date, none have survived. Mine didn't have any user added weatherproofing, but I can't see that it'd have that much of an impact on long term, outdoor survival. They are just too cheaply made.

 

However, all is not lost, if you consider merging some of these ideas:

 

You could create several, rock solid resting points, and supply a single laser pointer in the first stage. Folks would take it out of the container, place it in the notches, and be guided through where you wanted them to go. If you put the final fairly close to the start, you'd have a better chance of folks returning the laser to stage one when they were done. You could include some sort of sign in stage one to indicate that the laser is in play, as opposed to being missing. Maybe something the player removes from the first stage, clipping it to the outside? Just thinking out loud.

[knowschad]

Just because I'm new here doesn't mean I eat babies and stomp on saplings, you know.

 

I am so relieved to hear about the saplings!

[hoyshnin]

The main thing to consider is by placing it this time of year, what will the foliage be like in the lush of Springtime?

 

What would be a clear line of sight from point to point might not be so later.

 

This is something I have learned from setting up night caches.

 

I'm in Southern California where we really don't have seasons, so don't think this would be a problem.

 

Just because I'm new here doesn't mean I eat babies and stomp on saplings, you know.

Sir! I find your comment offensive, and a direct slight against CEBASS!

(Cachers for Eating Babies And Stomping Saplings)

 

Back on topic: One thing I've learned as a cat lover and outdoorsy person, is there is simply no way to effectively weatherproof a Dollar Store laser pointer, and still have it functional. I like to torture my cats by enticing them into chasing the red dot all across my front yard, and on several occasions, I've left my cheap pointer sitting outside somewhere. To date, none have survived. Mine didn't have any user added weatherproofing, but I can't see that it'd have that much of an impact on long term, outdoor survival. They are just too cheaply made.

 

However, all is not lost, if you consider merging some of these ideas:

 

You could create several, rock solid resting points, and supply a single laser pointer in the first stage. Folks would take it out of the container, place it in the notches, and be guided through where you wanted them to go. If you put the final fairly close to the start, you'd have a better chance of folks returning the laser to stage one when they were done. You could include some sort of sign in stage one to indicate that the laser is in play, as opposed to being missing. Maybe something the player removes from the first stage, clipping it to the outside? Just thinking out loud.

 

Yeah I was thinking of having the laser sitting in the first stage to be used by cachers but I was afraid it would be walked off with over and over again. Maybe what I'll do is waterproof one of these laser pointers and do a couple tests - 1) run water over the outside of it for an hour or so, and 2) let it sit outside for a couple weeks and see what happens to it (again, because I'm in southern california, even if I leave it outside for a couple weeks it probably won't get rained on, hence the first test)

[+Curioddity]

I'm in Southern California where we really don't have seasons, so don't think this would be a problem.

I beg your pardon? We have 4 seasons here in Southern California too! They might be known as Riot, Drought, Fire, and Mud Slide in this neck of the asphalt jungle, but that's beside the point.

 

Pete

[+Vater_Araignee]

I like the combination of Snoogans and Too Tall Johns ideas.

Now I have to find that old Delta Star Destroyer model I never put together because the drill bit for the fiber optics wasn't in the box.

I wonder if a cheap $ laser will be turned into a red flashlight?

Half of them already are flashlights at 50 yards.

Crap! We forgot a flashlight!

No worries, I'll go to that tree across the field and point my laser over here.

FOUND IT!