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How to be a FTF

dacrow

By dacrow
in General geocaching topics

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Dgwphotos

+Dgwphotos

Posted
Posted

And have that notification sent to your cell phone. Of course you need to be willing to throw on your clothing and head out the door at 3 am when the cell phone goes off. The clothing part is very important.

 

I wouldn't recommend going without the clothing! :D:):ph34r::)

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atmospherium

+atmospherium

Posted
Posted

Some local FTF hounds live in their car with the engine running at all times.

 

At least, I'm assuming they do. I can't imagine how they can be FTF on nearly every single new cache published within 20 miles otherwise.

 

I managed a rare FTF early this morning. It helps that I'm currently the only active geocacher in the neighborhood. No competition gives me just the edge I need.

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fizzymagic

+fizzymagic

Posted
Posted
I have a lot of spare time to jump out and try my luck at being a FTF. How can I increase my chances?

1. Find a puzzle nobody else can solve.

2. Solve it.

3. Get the FTF.

 

or

 

1. Find a hard-to-reach cache nobody has found yet.

2. Find it.

3. Get the FTF.

 

As a plus, in both cases you have actually done something to earn your FTF.

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geodarts

+geodarts

Posted
Posted

While there are certain things that can increase your chances (a willingness to alienate family, friends, or your boss; a bright wearable head lamp; a belief that traffic laws do not apply to you and that the whole world is your parking place; interest in hiking; the latest phone technology), ultimately it is a matter of time, geography, and personal circumstance. Nothing about any of those things are particularly remarkable so when you get your first first remember that there is no need to brag.

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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted
I have a lot of spare time to jump out and try my luck at being a FTF. How can I increase my chances?

1. Find a puzzle nobody else can solve.

2. Solve it.

3. Get the FTF.

 

or

 

1. Find a hard-to-reach cache nobody has found yet.

2. Find it.

3. Get the FTF.

 

As a plus, in both cases you have actually done something to earn your FTF.

 

I got a surprise FTF 4+ months after the cache was placed. At first I thought the owner must have just swapped in a new log book. Then I noticed a FTF prize. Goes to show you that they are out there. Never mind that it was a 2 day paddle or a 12 mile hike to this particular cache.

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bunkerdave

+bunkerdave

Posted
Posted

Wow...THIRTY unfound caches? Where is that? I feel a roadtrip coming on.

 

Most of my FTFs have been due to having alerts sent to my cell phone. If you have a lot of FTF hounds (whores?) in your area like I do, you won't have a chance if they have a head start on you.

 

Know how far you can really go and still have a realistic shot at FTF. For me, if it's more than about 3 miles as the crow flies from my home, I'm probably not going to get it.

 

Learn to use the textmarks. You can get all the information you need about a cache by using text messaging on your cell phone. Coordinates, hints, etc. You can log the find, too, and spare others the misery of chasing an FTF that has alreay been claimed...then again, I sometimes like to lurk around after an FTF to see others come along later.

 

If you are in the market, or havent' done so, consider a smartphone, or one that can run one of the geocaching apps. I use the iPhone, and this makes a HUGE difference in caching in general, but particularly with FTFs. I can actually see the cache site on many caches with Google maps before I even get there. Finding the cache is practically a formality at that point.

 

I can't emphasize enough the importance of a good headlamp. Black Diamond makes one with a 3 watt main beam. It's pricey, but unbeatable for night caching (which is when most FTFs are claimed). You'll go blind in a hurry looking for caches with anything less.

 

Back into your driveway. (like cops and firemen do)

 

Leave boots and jacket in your car, so you don't have to waste precious seconds getting them on. I usually just wear sandals on sudden runs anyway..I like Keens best for caching.

 

Bring a co-pilot (if you are lucky enough to have one who will come with you) They can look things up and start searching while you park the car, or better yet, they can drive and park while YOU start looking. Plus, it's just more fun with a friend.

 

The thing that makes the biggest difference to me is being able to load the coordinates into my GPS while I am en route. Best to have a co-pilot for this, but who hasn't entered a waypoint while driving? The text alert you get will have a general bearing and distance to the cache, so you can head that direction, and get the coordinates from the text messages. With a smartphone, you just click the link in the text/email and it shows you the cache page, and with the iphone, you can just look it up on the Geocaching Application and you don't even have to put it in your GPS, since the iPhone is a GPS itself. I usually put it in my GPS anyway, but that's just me.

 

Anyway, there's a few pointers. Have fun. To each their own, but getting the "bat signal" and taking off at odd hours to get a quick FTF is some of the most fun I've had caching...even those STFs and TTFs are fun too...just not quite as satisfying.

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power69

+power69

Posted
Posted

And have that notification sent to your cell phone. Of course you need to be willing to throw on your clothing and head out the door at 3 am when the cell phone goes off. The clothing part is very important.

unless its a clothing optional hide.

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oakenwood

oakenwood

Posted
Posted

Check frequently for recently-published caches in your state or area.

 

Sign up for the Groundspeak weekly newsletter. I've noticed that these sometimes have caches that don't appear elsewhere; they may not appear in alerts.

 

Develop your caching skills; the more you find, the better you'll get.

 

Choose difficult caches if you think you're more likely to find them than others.

 

As others said, be ready to drop everything to hunt that FTF.

 

Be persistent; I missed my first FTF because I gave up too soon.

 

Ask the CO for hints. Is it cheating? Your call, but it works sometimes.

 

You may join or be joined by other cachers while you search. Offer to share FTF credit.

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blindleader

+blindleader

Posted
Posted

And have that notification sent to your cell phone. Of course you need to be willing to throw on your clothing and head out the door at 3 am when the cell phone goes off. The clothing part is very important.

Back in the day, when I was trying for every FTF within five miles (before cell phones got smart enough), clothing was irrelevant to many of my FTFs, except as protection from dense foliage, and occasionally, exposure. In the middle of the night, most any wooded park in the Seattle area could be considered a "fine and private place". :unsure:

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ceetfalter360

+ceetfalter360

Posted
Posted

And have that notification sent to your cell phone. Of course you need to be willing to throw on your clothing and head out the door at 3 am when the cell phone goes off. The clothing part is very important.

I am trying to figure out how to send my notifications to my cell phone Am thouroughly confused dont know what I am doing any help would be greatly appreciated :unsure:

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CanDMan47

+CanDMan47

Posted
Posted (edited)

You can follow any or all of these suggestions, or you could do what I did today.

 

There is a new cache that came up 2 or 3 days ago. I figured there would have been several finders by now. Looked at the online logs and there were 3 DNFs, but no finds. Its a 1/1 so it was probably gone, but we were driving right by it anyways, so why not. Just as we pulled in to the driveway, the CO's were walking away, replacing a muggled (or maybe not yet placed?) cache. My daughter and I got our first FTF. None of that fancy planning and preparation here. :unsure:

 

edited for typo.

Edited by CanDMan47
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Motorcycle_Mama

Motorcycle_Mama

Posted
Posted

And have that notification sent to your cell phone. Of course you need to be willing to throw on your clothing and head out the door at 3 am when the cell phone goes off. The clothing part is very important.

I am trying to figure out how to send my notifications to my cell phone Am thouroughly confused dont know what I am doing any help would be greatly appreciated :unsure:

 

All Notifications are sent out as Email not as SMS. You must use the SMS Gateway for your carrier in order to send the notifications to your cell phone.

 

If you list what phone carrier you are with, people can tell you what the SMS Gateway is. Alternately, just send an SMS from your phone to an email address that you use, and you will see what address to use for the notifications.

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ceetfalter360

+ceetfalter360

Posted
Posted

And have that notification sent to your cell phone. Of course you need to be willing to throw on your clothing and head out the door at 3 am when the cell phone goes off. The clothing part is very important.

I am trying to figure out how to send my notifications to my cell phone Am thouroughly confused dont know what I am doing any help would be greatly appreciated :P

 

All Notifications are sent out as Email not as SMS. You must use the SMS Gateway for your carrier in order to send the notifications to your cell phone.

 

If you list what phone carrier you are with, people can tell you what the SMS Gateway is. Alternately, just send an SMS from your phone to an email address that you use, and you will see what address to use for the notifications.

 

Well I am currently with US cellular

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Motorcycle_Mama

Motorcycle_Mama

Posted
Posted

You can use the following depending upon what kind of messaging you have on your account.

 

number@email.uscc.net (SMS)

 

number@mms.uscc.net (MMS)

 

For the "number" portion, you use your ten digit phone number without any spaces or dashes.

 

So if your phone number is 555-222-1234, you would use 5552221234@email.uscc.net for SMS (plain text typically of limited length on CMDA carriers) or 5552221234@mms.uscc.net for MMS (limited to 1000 characters including the email header).

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wimseyguy

+wimseyguy

Posted
Posted (edited)

Two options-make it the number one priority in your life. Or get lucky.

 

I got one at a gas station on I-40 on the way home from Christmas at the in-laws that had been published two days earlier. I just happened to look at caches along the route before we left that morning and saw it was in my path, but didn't realize that I had a FTF until I unrolled that log. I don't care much about that part of the game, but if you do, then have FUN with it.

 

You might be able to learn about your reviewer's publishing habits too. Some keep to a regular schedule, others, like the reviewer around here will hit the publish button at all times of the day. You just never know with him.

Edited by wimseyguy
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Andronicus

Andronicus

Posted
Posted

And have that notification sent to your cell phone. Of course you need to be willing to throw on your clothing and head out the door at 3 am when the cell phone goes off. The clothing part is very important.

Back in the day, when I was trying for every FTF within five miles (before cell phones got smart enough), clothing was irrelevant to many of my FTFs, except as protection from dense foliage, and occasionally, exposure. In the middle of the night, most any wooded park in the Seattle area could be considered a "fine and private place". :P

Phones were smart enough before 2000 (when Dave invented geocaching). Even with an old crapy phone, you can have emails set to an address that will show up on the phone as a txt message. Something like xxx-xxx-xxxx@txt.bell.ca google it for your provider, and you will find it.

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GeoGeeBee

+GeoGeeBee

Posted
Posted

You might be able to learn about your reviewer's publishing habits too. Some keep to a regular schedule, others, like the reviewer around here will hit the publish button at all times of the day. You just never know with him.

 

Yeah, I've never been able to figure out the NC Reviewer's schedule. He seems to publish on a whim.

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