accuracy issue

[TheCrackers4]

I was wondering if anyone who has a GeoMate Jr. has experienced the GeoMate Jr. being off as much as 30+ feet.

 

My wife bought this for me for Christmas, got it through Cache Advance when it arrived to it out to test. I went to a cache where, I knew the location of to "test it" and the first time it was off by 39 feet.

 

Then Thursday night my family and I went to test it out at a new location. Found the cache but it was still 13 + feet off the mark. Is there an easy fix. Or would the cable that was optional fix this issue?

 

Any advice or insight would be greatly appericated

[+webscouter.]

All GPS units are going to have an error. Although the stated accuracy is 9 feet you will find that 30 feet really isn't that big of a deal.

 

There are several factors in this.

 

1. Multipath errors,-the signal bounces off nearby items and adds to the length of the signal path.

2. Poor satellite alignment when you are finding or when the cache was hidden.

3. Haste in placing the cache and not allowing the hiders GPS to settle.

4. Tree/building/body covering the signal path.

 

The best advice has always been to get within about 20 feet and then put the GPS away and look for a spot that you think you would hide the cache.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

webscouter is correct.

 

Get within 20 ft., turn the GPSr off and put it away. This is afterall, a hunting game. No GPSr, other than one that costs in excess of five figures (to the left of the decimal) will not put you atop a cache.

 

Given certain conditions, you may get within 6-9 ft., but those instances are uncommon, at best.

[ThomasFamily102]

We routinely get within ten feet with our antique garmin 12cx,but I think a lot of it is pure luck.

[+keehotee]

webscouter is correct.

 

Get within 20 ft., turn the GPSr off and put it away. This is afterall, a hunting game. No GPSr, other than one that costs in excess of five figures (to the left of the decimal) will not put you atop a cache.

 

You'd need two of them - one to find the cache - and one for the hider to use to give you accurate enough co-ords to have any advantage

[oakenwood]

You may find it helpful to mark the place your GPSr tells you is GZ. You can put your backpack there or even put your GPSr down, if you're sure you won't lose it. Marking the location helps keep you from drifting.

 

I've seen some cachers include alternate coordinates in the cache logs if they think the CO's coordinates are off. 13 feet isn't worth quibbling over, but 75 feet might be worth mentioning.