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Shooting fish in a barrel : Using a GPS to geocache

gururyan

By gururyan
in General geocaching topics

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gururyan

+gururyan

Posted
Posted

I'm kidding of course, but after finding my first 15 or so 'caches sans GPS, I have to say it's lost some of the thrill. Yesterday my first GPS arrived in the mail. The kids and I hopped in the car to go try it out before it got dark in about in hour. We found 4 caches quickly and effortlessly. Compare that to the days prior to the GPS, we were thrilled if we found 1 an hour. We would get a little disheartened and frustrated when we were still without GPS, but the reward for a find was huge. We celebrated and felt great having "beat the system" so to say. Now that we have the GPS, it's swung the other way. It went from being a little too hard to being a bit too easy. Now I know I'm still very new at this and surely there will be some challenging finds out there even with the best of GPSs, but still...the difference between geocaching with and without a GPS is quite astounding. I would recommend that you leave your GPS/cell at home sometime and try to find a few local caches. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how much more rewarding it feels.

 

Am I going to stop using my GPS? fat chance, but I will still do some occasional sans GPS 'caching. I wouldn't be surprised if some kind of movement happens and we find a new "sans GPS" section where 'cache coordinates are NOT given. Maybe on 'cache maps, with all the cache and ghost icons, you'll start seeing an icon with a GPS and a no circle (circle with a line through it, like no-smoking and ghostbusters) for a "sans GPS" cache.

 

Many of you may use your car's GPS or your GPS is only accurate to 100 ft. or you turn it off once you hit the area, etc., etc., etc., but if you have absolutely no GPS at all it really makes a different. A good example was a cache we had gone to three times and spent an hour each time with no luck. You can bet we went back yesterday with our GPS. We found it in 15 seconds. If you know the cache is in the corner of a small park, at least with a GPS of some kind you know which corner. We were having to look in every corner.

 

...just saying. It's a love/hate with the GPS right now. It's deadly accurate, too accurate...and it's an antiquated GPS at that!

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Knight2000

+Knight2000

Posted
Posted (edited)

My brother has a GPSr for work that is accurate to .005 of a foot. Imagine if we all used units like that!

 

Try higher difficulty caches. Last Sunday I spent 2 hours looking for a cache. It was rated 4 but after receiving clues from other cachers who have talked to the owner I think it's really a 3 star and I was being waaaaaay to thorough. It hasn't been found yet so my thoughts for the rating are just guesses.

 

Of course, if you do caches like that then your kids will soon hate caching. :sad:

Edited by Knight2000
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DarkZen

+DarkZen

Posted
Posted (edited)

My brother has a GPSr for work that is accurate to .005 of a foot. Imagine if we all used units like that!

That assumes the CO could place it with that degree of accuracy. I recently found a cache that was a couple of miles off.

Edited by DarkZen and Beautiful
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DragonsWest

+DragonsWest

Posted
Posted (edited)

My brother has a GPSr for work that is accurate to .005 of a foot. Imagine if we all used units like that!

That assumes the CO could place it with that degree of accuracy. I recently found a cache that was a couple of miles off.

 

How do you know you actually found the right one? :sad:

 

To OP:

 

There are caches where a GPS isn't necessary at all and Google Earth on a wireless device, or (horrors) a stack of paper will get you within a modest search radius, but I don't think I'd go off into the big parks and hinterlands without a GPSr, if for nothing else than to tell me where *I* am.

 

I was fascinated one cacher went looking for one of my caches in a wooded area using only Google Maps and posted a DNF. I don't know what people honestly think can be accomplished with a piece of paper which shows a lot of trees and a small chest icon in the middle of them. :)

 

Even with a GPSr I find some are very challenging to find.

Edited by DragonsWest
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Isonzo Karst

+Isonzo Karst

Posted
Posted (edited)

In this part of the world (central Florida) there are some Adventure Racers who geocache sans gps. They're using map and compass skills to hunt caches in the woods and swamps. Some amazing finds, and a fair number of dnfs. A bushwhacking cache in a swamp (or forest) does NOT lend itself to no-gps finds, believe me.

 

I too have a find on a cache published with coords over a mile out. It didn't have quite as many specific references as the cache DarkZen and Beautiful references, but enough that when we got to the coords, and they didn't match the "old mine pit" reference, I considered what subtracting a minute from the longitude would do. Went there, found cache....

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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team cyclepath

+team cyclepath

Posted
Posted

Try almost FORTY miles off on this cache published 4 days ago: :sad:

 

A Jenuine Cache

 

N 34° 00.104 W 084° 35.413

 

** Coordinates Changed From **

N 34° 34.104 W 084° 35.413

Distance From Old: 206727.3 feet or 63010.5 meters

 

It was a brand new cacher on their 1st hide. As you can read in the logs it finally got straightened out after a few futile "wild goose chases" by the poor local cachers. Three days later the cache fintally got it's FTF's, coincidently on April 1st. CO should have said it was all on purpose for an April Fools prank!

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edscott

+edscott

Posted
Posted

 

I was fascinated one cacher went looking for one of my caches in a wooded area using only Google Maps and posted a DNF. I don't know what people honestly think can be accomplished with a piece of paper which shows a lot of trees and a small chest icon in the middle of them. :sad:

 

Even with a GPSr I find some are very challenging to find.

 

If you use the map with the small chest icon then there is a problem. The chest covers the details you need to see. Go to the small map on the cache page, click on the small "i" in the corner, select satellite image, and zoom in to the highest magnification possible in your area. Only problem is that approaches from the north are tricky because of the red blob.

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edscott

+edscott

Posted
Posted (edited)

In this part of the world (central Florida) there are some Adventure Racers who geocache sans gps. They're using map and compass skills to hunt caches in the woods and swamps. Some amazing finds, and a fair number of dnfs. A bushwhacking cache in a swamp (or forest) does NOT lend itself to no-gps finds, believe me.

 

I too have a find on a cache published with coords over a mile out. It didn't have quite as many specific references as the cache DarkZen and Beautiful references, but enough that when we got to the coords, and they didn't match the "old mine pit" reference, I considered what subtracting a minute from the longitude would do. Went there, found cache....

 

Yes GPS-Less in Central Florida can be tough at first. Contours are sparse and being used to NE deciduous forests, I found the vegetation to be tough to identify from the satellite images. After a day or so I was fine except for the heat and the mosquitos. So all in all I'd pass on the GPS but never the bug spray. :sad:

 

BTW some of those "adventure runners" may actually be Orienteers from the Florida Orienteering Club. I found out about Geocaching from one of them who lives in the northern suburbs of Orlando.

Edited by edscott
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dorothy&scarecrow

+dorothy&scarecrow

Posted
Posted

i agree with the gururyan. my first 10 finds were without a gps. i just went to my local area and based on hints or others clues i would look for them. yes, it was frustrating at times but when i did find it, it was exhilarating! i use to spend at least 30 min, if not more, looking for the hides. but i am glad to have a gps to help.

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California66er

+California66er

Posted
Posted

On my very first cache, I didn't have a GPS. It was a huge metal bridge, and all I knew was that it was in a magnetic Hide-A-Key. I searched each and every inch of that bridge three or four different times before I finally found it, and it was such an awesome feeling.

 

After about 5 or 6 finds, I got a car GPS and started using Google Earth, and that would at the very least get me close and give me some idea where it was.

 

Now, I've got an eTrex Venture HC. Saturday will be my trial run with it. I've got 11 caches routed up and ready to go. We'll see if I think it's boring. Probably not; I'm still really bad at geocaching, which provides its own set of challenges.

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vagabond

vagabond

Posted
Posted

My brother has a GPSr for work that is accurate to .005 of a foot. Imagine if we all used units like that!

That assumes the CO could place it with that degree of accuracy. I recently found a cache that was a couple of miles off.

Miles?! Hmmm... I'm gonna have to call BS on this one.

:sad:

 

BS ok how about this one

about 5 miles off

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Team Cotati

+Team Cotati

Posted
Posted

I'm kidding of course, but after finding my first 15 or so 'caches sans GPS, I have to say it's lost some of the thrill. Yesterday my first GPS arrived in the mail. The kids and I hopped in the car to go try it out before it got dark in about in hour. We found 4 caches quickly and effortlessly. Compare that to the days prior to the GPS, we were thrilled if we found 1 an hour. We would get a little disheartened and frustrated when we were still without GPS, but the reward for a find was huge. We celebrated and felt great having "beat the system" so to say. Now that we have the GPS, it's swung the other way. It went from being a little too hard to being a bit too easy. Now I know I'm still very new at this and surely there will be some challenging finds out there even with the best of GPSs, but still...the difference between geocaching with and without a GPS is quite astounding. I would recommend that you leave your GPS/cell at home sometime and try to find a few local caches. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how much more rewarding it feels.

 

Am I going to stop using my GPS? fat chance, but I will still do some occasional sans GPS 'caching. I wouldn't be surprised if some kind of movement happens and we find a new "sans GPS" section where 'cache coordinates are NOT given. Maybe on 'cache maps, with all the cache and ghost icons, you'll start seeing an icon with a GPS and a no circle (circle with a line through it, like no-smoking and ghostbusters) for a "sans GPS" cache.

 

Many of you may use your car's GPS or your GPS is only accurate to 100 ft. or you turn it off once you hit the area, etc., etc., etc., but if you have absolutely no GPS at all it really makes a different. A good example was a cache we had gone to three times and spent an hour each time with no luck. You can bet we went back yesterday with our GPS. We found it in 15 seconds. If you know the cache is in the corner of a small park, at least with a GPS of some kind you know which corner. We were having to look in every corner.

 

...just saying. It's a love/hate with the GPS right now. It's deadly accurate, too accurate...and it's an antiquated GPS at that!

 

Curious, where'd you get that antiquated GPS? What particular model it is?

 

While antenna have become more sensitive in the past couple of years, the 'accuracy' of retail grade handhelds, even the less expensive ones, has been basically equal across the board of price ranges.

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hukilaulau

+hukilaulau

Posted
Posted

I would recommend that you leave your GPS/cell at home sometime and try to find a few local caches. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how much more rewarding it feels.

 

Actually, the ones that are that easy I usually just don't look for at all.

It is a most pleasant feeling to me to bypass the easy local caches and get out in the woods and find some "real" caches. The game as it was originally created was intended to have a gps as an integral part of the hunt. After 5 years and over 2200 finds the thrill still hasn't worn off for me.

I just introduced 2 young boys to geocaching. They found 9 caches in a nearby county park. A few of them were level 3 terrain and difficulty. They could not possibly have found them without a gps. If I had taken them only to ones that were easy I don't think they would want to keep doing it.

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joukkusisu

+joukkusisu

Posted
Posted

I work at the University of Minnesota and when I look for caches and benchmarks on campus, I generally do so without a GPSr. I like to think that I know the campus so well that I don't need an aid. You're right, it is kind of satisfying finding a cache with a GPSr. Just let the geosense guide you. But that's urban geocaching. I'd hate to go without a GPSr even in a moderate sized park or any area with heavy tree cover.

 

There's a cacher in these parts, Emmanogoldfish, who caches without GPSr, without notes, and without a car. Now that's dedication!

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edscott

+edscott

Posted
Posted

I would recommend that you leave your GPS/cell at home sometime and try to find a few local caches. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how much more rewarding it feels.

 

Actually, the ones that are that easy I usually just don't look for at all.

It is a most pleasant feeling to me to bypass the easy local caches and get out in the woods and find some "real" caches. The game as it was originally created was intended to have a gps as an integral part of the hunt. After 5 years and over 2200 finds the thrill still hasn't worn off for me.

I just introduced 2 young boys to geocaching. They found 9 caches in a nearby county park. A few of them were level 3 terrain and difficulty. They could not possibly have found them without a gps. If I had taken them only to ones that were easy I don't think they would want to keep doing it.

 

Yes they could have found them without a GPS. They would have to needed instruction on how to read a satellite image or a map, but they can learn that skill with proper instruction. To be able to use a GPS is great, but in real world situations a GPS is not always going to save your butt. Teach them navigation, not just how to use a GPS.

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Mosaic55

+Mosaic55

Posted
Posted
I wouldn't be surprised if some kind of movement happens and we find a new "sans GPS" section where 'cache coordinates are NOT given. Maybe on 'cache maps, with all the cache and ghost icons, you'll start seeing an icon with a GPS and a no circle (circle with a line through it, like no-smoking and ghostbusters) for a "sans GPS" cache.

 

 

The "no-gps stash hunt" game already exists. It's called letterboxing.

 

I found about 10 caches with just google maps before I got a GPS. I like using a GPS better. It's more about the journey than the challenge for me.

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Chrysalides

+Chrysalides

Posted
Posted (edited)

My brother has a GPSr for work that is accurate to .005 of a foot. Imagine if we all used units like that!

Pointless unless the cache you're seeking was hid with readings taken from THAT gps.

Isn't that the definition of "all"? :laughing: (bolding emphasis mine)

Edited by Chrysalides
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GeoGeeBee

+GeoGeeBee

Posted
Posted

My brother has a GPSr for work that is accurate to .005 of a foot. Imagine if we all used units like that!

Pointless unless the cache you're seeking was hid with readings taken from THAT gps.

 

Also pointless since the GPSr accurate to .005 feet probably doesn't exist. At least, I can't find specifications for such an animal online. The best I can come up with is a Magellan ProMark 500 system that lists for well over $10,000 and advertises an accuracy of +/- 10mm. (.005 feet is about 1.5 mm.)

 

Oh, and to achieve that level of accuracy... you have to place a base station (at a known location, with that accuracy level) for the ProMark to use as a reference.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Time_Kinematic

 

GPS on its own cannot achieve anything close to this accuracy, even theoretically.

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t4e

+t4e

Posted
Posted

"the chase is better than the catch"

 

pick caches that have high terrain rating, after a long and hard hike/climb, you'll be glad you have a gps to guide you to the cache and you'll feel satisfied with yourself for signing that log

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BCSasquatch

+BCSasquatch

Posted
Posted

To OP:

 

There are caches where a GPS isn't necessary at all and Google Earth on a wireless device, or (horrors) a stack of paper will get you within a modest search radius, but I don't think I'd go off into the big parks and hinterlands without a GPSr, if for nothing else than to tell me where *I* am.

 

I was fascinated one cacher went looking for one of my caches in a wooded area using only Google Maps and posted a DNF. I don't know what people honestly think can be accomplished with a piece of paper which shows a lot of trees and a small chest icon in the middle of them. :)

 

Even with a GPSr I find some are very challenging to find.

 

I have to agree with this assessment. I mostly cache in large parks and reserves under heavy forest, and there is slim chance of finding a geocache a mile into the bush using just an overhead image. The OP needs more challenge B)

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edscott

+edscott

Posted
Posted (edited)

How far it is into the bush is not really a factor. How far it is from the nearest recognizable feature is all that matters. I did a dozen today including two multis.. all but one was off trail.

 

Here's the last 10.. didn't do the puzzle and the easternmost multi was taking me through private property and across the expressway to the south.

 

7b2e5903-3874-4a0e-b2b3-3d1c631b22b6.jpg

Edited by edscott
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