trash0O1 Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 we've been members here for a while, but only recently have been searching for Geocaches, the problem is we can be standing right on top of the co-ordinates, search an area for 30' around this spot, and still don't find the caches. Is there a way I can calibrate my GPS reciever, (the model I have is a Tom Tom,325 SE? Thanks for your help. Trash (total recall about strange happenings) Quote
+9Key Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 Try easy caches, 1 or 2 difficulty, just to get your feet wet. You might try looking for larger caches like ammo cans and avoid micros too. I'm not familiar with car GPS but I guess you can use them to find geocaches. You might consider a handheld GPS. This topic is helpful for getting started >> http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=238456 Quote
NordicMan Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 TomTom's are great car GPSr's, but they're main purpose in life is to find big things like cafes, not small things like caches. I'm not saying it won't work, but you'll have to work around the precision issues with the unit. Instead of looking at any "arrow" displays to know where to go, perhaps just look at the coordinate ##.#### screen and move around till the GPSr coordinates most closely matches the geocache coordinate. Good luck Quote
Motorcycle_Mama Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 Twenty to thirty feet is typically the range of accuracy for recreational grade GPS units. No calibration is needed nor is it possible. Use your GPS unit to get the the general area and then use your senses to search for the caches. Also, be sure that you are starting with 1.0 and 1.5 level difficulty, Regular or Large size, Traditional caches at first. Once you get to the general area. Start looking around. Look for hiding places, things that look out of place (pile of sticks or rocks), and think like a hider. Remember to have fun and not get discouraged. Quote
+StarBrand Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 Here are some general hints: Look for caches with a difficulty of 2 or less for your fist few caches. Stick with regular sized caches for your first few. Micros can be quite hard to find sometimes. Stick to areas you are familiar with. Look for anything out of place or unusual. Look for unusual piles of sticks, grass, leaves, rocks, sand, etc. Feel where you cannot look. Think vertical, not all caches are on the ground. Look up or at eye level. Look for traces of previous searches to zero in on the spot. Think like the hider - where would you put a container in this location? Look for things too new, too old, too perfect, not like the others, too many, too few. Change your perspective - a shift in lighting can sometimes reveal a cache. Keep in mind that many micros are magnetic or attached to something (via string, wire etc). Slowly expand your search area to about 40 feet from where your GPS says ground zero is. Bring garden gloves and a flashlight - they help! Be prepared to not find the cache more often then you think. Most of all - have fun!! Quote
oakenwood Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 It's not unusual for GPS receivers to be as many as 50 feet off. If your unit has WAAS, enable it-- it will improve the accuracy. Some caches, especially older ones, can be off as well. If the cache is off by 50 feet and you're off by 50 feet, it could be 100 feet away. Quote
+StarBrand Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 It's not unusual for GPS receivers to be as many as 50 feet off. If your unit has WAAS, enable it-- it will improve the accuracy. This doesn't do any good at all if the cache hider did not also use WAAS at the time coordinates were collected. Some caches, especially older ones, can be off as well. If the cache is off by 50 feet and you're off by 50 feet, it could be 100 feet away. This is not my experience at all. Older caches neither have better or worse coordinates than newer ones. While I have found 2 caches more than 80 feet away from where my unit said GZ should be, the vast majority were found within 20 feet. Quote
trash0O1 Posted December 28, 2009 Author Posted December 28, 2009 the caches we sought were at places we're familiar with, (2 closed gas stations), we weren't aware that caches were also listed by size, and maybe we didn't realize how small they might be, we were looking for something about the size of a Sucrets container. Are they in plane site or do we have to move things, in a scenario such as a closed gas station, will the caches be attached, or on the building, I don't want to be arrested. Quote
Motorcycle_Mama Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 Go back to the cache page and see if the size is listed. If it's a micro, then it will be fairly small and could be tucked into any crack or crevice. That's why it's advisable to start with larger caches because the hiding spot will likely be larger. And if you don't feel comfortable searching in any particular location, just move on to another one. Quote
+Cardinal Red Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 the caches we sought were at places we're familiar with, (2 closed gas stations), we weren't aware that caches were also listed by size, and maybe we didn't realize how small they might be, we were looking for something about the size of a Sucrets container. Are they in plane site or do we have to move things, in a scenario such as a closed gas station, will the caches be attached, or on the building, I don't want to be arrested. For a closed gas station, hiding in plain sight might work. Most times caches are hidden from casual view. It most certainly should not ever be ATTACHED to private property (closed or not). Loosely slipped in behind something is possible or under something lying there. Reading the cache page, previous found or DNF logs, and the hint if included could help. On every cache page (upper right hand corner) is a GC#### in bold text. Could you provide those two GC#'s so we can read the cache pages? Quote
trash0O1 Posted December 29, 2009 Author Posted December 29, 2009 these were both micro's, so I don't feel to bad about not finding them. The numbers are #GC148MH, & #GC12YMT, everyone else seemed to find them real easy. Quote
+Cardinal Red Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 these were both micro's, so I don't feel to bad about not finding them. The numbers are #GC148MH, & #GC12YMT, everyone else seemed to find them real easy. These are both supposed to be fairly easy finds that have managed to stump a few. It's A Gas (or was) hint = ground level. Now at least that is a usefull hint but it was last found August 30 with a September and November DNF. However both DNF's could to be questionable. There was a guy selling bonzai trees right on top of it..... and gps pointed me into the street - didn't go there. The cache has been reported as wet and in need of maintenance. Raising the difficulty from a 1 to a 2 based on the mugglage factor... Puzzle Micro - Coordinates are the actual cache. Probably only a Puzzle because "In order to claim your smiley, you must tell us how much you paid for gas the last time you filled up. Price per gallon." That requirement can not be enforced but should you find this it wouldn't hurt to volunteer the information. It's A Gas (Or Was) 2 hint = Too easy. I am not a huge fan of this type of non-hint. Difficulty is a 2 because of high muggle zone. Traditional Micro found as recently as December 27. Good indication it is likely to still be there. From one of the logs: "Found it with a little difficulty and was even tougher to replace." Not much to go on but could indicate it's in a confined space? Here is a nearby larger size cache you could try for to hone your Geo skills: Lost Nation Revisited Quote
trash0O1 Posted December 29, 2009 Author Posted December 29, 2009 Thanks for all the help, we are going to try larger caches, to hone our skills for now, in the future we would like someone local to help us find these two, just to accustom ourselves with what to look for. BTW our GPS, put us in the middle of the street also. Quote
+BrrrMo Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 Go to YouTube and do a search for GeoCaching. Lots of good info there. Welcome Quote
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