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HOW DO I FIND A FTF ?

V&A&THEDOG

By V&A&THEDOG
in United Kingdom and Ireland

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Yorkie30

+Yorkie30

Posted
Posted

hi is there a way to look fot ftf ? i see some are the ftf but how do you get to know about when a new one has been put out ? I WANT TO BE ONE OF THE FTF :D:anitongue:

 

Caching for longer then a week will help. It's takes a little bit of time but a few things may help.

 

1) Become a pemium member and set up an email alert for when a new cache is listed near your home.

2) Set up the email alert to your mobile if possible and have your GPS on you so you are ready to go hunting. If you snooze you will lose.

3) Encourage other locals to set caches so you can FTF.

 

Remember not all FTF hunts are positive. Sometimes the co ords are not right, the hints maybe miss leading or the actual container may not be there.

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Croesgadwr

+Croesgadwr

Posted
Posted

hi is there a way to look fot ftf ? i see some are the ftf but how do you get to know about when a new one has been put out ? I WANT TO BE ONE OF THE FTF :D:anitongue:

 

Hi, I'm fairly new to geocaching and so far have not managed an FTF. Therefore some people may think that I'm not the best person to be giving an opinion about your question...but no doubt you'll get more than enough advice from experienced FTF'ers. I would suggest that firstly you need to be able to monitor your email 24hrs a day, and on receiving email notification of a new cache you need to be able to drop everything & get out there (whatever the time of day or night!). I don't think theres much to add really??

Alternatively, you can play the game of enjoying the hobby by searching for 'oldie' caches & just wait for the FTF to find you in the fullness of time. My own method of caching is to do the estabished (oldie) caches of the type I particularly like...i.e. I'm not fussed on drive-by's - but I do 'em - I prefer caches way out in the countryside which involve a bit of a hike to get to....but thats me. If you really want to get an FTF, or two, then you'll have to react as soon as you know theres a new one out there!

Good luck & I hope you get one soon!

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V&A&THEDOG

V&A&THEDOG

Posted
  • Author
Posted

hi all i new to all this i have had my etrex H 2 weeks and i am excited about geocaching i have bought a geocoin and a travel bug that i am going to send on there way when they come i will set up my own geocach soon. i admit i do want to run before i can walk !! i do like this game i am wanting to know as much as i can as soon as i can .anyhelp please thanks to you all :D

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Yorkie30

+Yorkie30

Posted
Posted

hi all i new to all this i have had my etrex H 2 weeks and i am excited about geocaching i have bought a geocoin and a travel bug that i am going to send on there way when they come i will set up my own geocach soon. i admit i do want to run before i can walk !! i do like this game i am wanting to know as much as i can as soon as i can .anyhelp please thanks to you all :D

 

A good source of info on all matters to do with uk geocaching is on this website run by one of the uk reviewers.

 

http://www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk/resources/help.html

 

Very glad you are trying to run already, don't let us put you off.

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team tisri

team tisri

Posted
Posted

hi is there a way to look fot ftf ? i see some are the ftf but how do you get to know about when a new one has been put out ? I WANT TO BE ONE OF THE FTF :D:anitongue:

 

You don't have to be a premium member to get FTFs but it certainly helps. FTF is simply the first to find, so the way to get FTF is to find a cache before anybody else does. As you can probably imagine, getting an email notification that a cache was published is a good first step to finding it before anyone else does.

 

So when you get your email you get the coordinates put into your GPS and get out to find it as fast as you can. Along the way you hope that nobody else gets there first. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. One time I found a cache within about 25 minutes of getting the publication email (it was 5 miles away from home) and nobody else found it for four days. Another time I grabbed an FTF on a cache six miles from home and beat someone who lives barely 400 yards away, simply because I saw the mail before they did. Another time I got a publication email for a cache 6 miles away and by the time I got to the cache (a couple of hours later) four people had already beaten me to it. That's the way it goes.

 

If you don't have a premium membership then things are very much down to luck. The only FTFs I got before I took out my premium membership were down to luck. One time I just refreshed the list of nearest caches to home before going to bed and saw a new one, so I got in the car and grabbed it (FTF at 00:40 one morning), and another time I was due an extended lunch break at work and happened to notice a new cache had gone live.

 

Generally speaking, unless you're a premium member by the time you realise a new cache has gone live it will have been found half a dozen times or more.

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team tisri

team tisri

Posted
Posted

Oh yes, it's also probably a good idea to go out and find more caches before you worry too much about getting the FTF. If you are the first to hunt a cache you're also the first to deal with issues from it being muggled between placement and publication, bad coordinates, a fiendish hide with a low rating, and any other issues.

 

It would be a shame to get frustrated trying to find something that had issues because you were too keen to get out there and be first to find it.

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Graculus

+Graculus

Posted
Posted

You are up against stiff competition. Rain, snow, hurricanes or dark of night will not stop a determined FTF'er from getting that all important cache before anyone else.....

 

I recall publishing a cache at an event and all around me was heard the 'bing' of phones going off as email alerts came flooding in and several cachers immediately flooded out of the room :D

 

Can't understand the urge myself :anitongue:

 

Chris

Graculus

Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com

UK Geocaching Information & Resources website www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk

Geocaching.com Knowledge Books

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Delta68

+Delta68

Posted
Posted

There are some caches which have been out for a while and are still waiting for an FTF

 

Here's a few placed before 1st October and still not found, so the initial FTF interest has obviously wained

 

GC2FTPZ

GC2CWTK

GC2F0C0

GC2AMZG

GC24ANF

GC23DPY

GC2F1K6

GC2DE1E

GC251KR

GC1XYVM

GC2DFD8

GC2FN69

GC2CRH5

GC2AFC9

GC2FVKD

GC2DF5B

GC2EWWD

GC1P7WV

GC2DJYY

GC21WD7

GC29W03

GC13DY2

 

Go for it! :D

 

Mark

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pklong

+pklong

Posted
Posted

There are some caches which have been out for a while and are still waiting for an FTF

 

Here's a few placed before 1st October and still not found, so the initial FTF interest has obviously wained

 

Go for it! :(

 

Mark

 

If you want to find a tricky puzzle, a cache at the top of a mountain miles from anywhere in the scottish wilderness or a cache with a string of DNF's suggesting a problem with the listing :sad:

 

Philip

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redsox_mark

+redsox_mark

Posted
Posted

I agree with what has been said here. Now I'm not a FTF "hound" myself - only have 8 (in over 1000 finds), and I was caching for nearly a year before I got my first. But I agree; for a "standard" (i.e. not too difficult) cache, you really need to have the notifications setup, and a bit of luck. Here often minutes make a difference. For more difficult (especially difficult puzzle caches), it's a different sort of race which can take days or weeks.

 

I suggest to get Premium Membership and the notifications; and eventually you'll get one. But don't let the lack of FTF hurt your caching enjoyment.

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paulbarratt

+paulbarratt

Posted
Posted

I wouldn't worry about getting an FTF. It's just an extension of the game that isn't even recognised by Groundspeak.

 

I'll admit that if a cache is published close enough to home while I'm there I will rush out to get it and get the thrill of racing the real FTF hounds.

 

The first one I got was 300ft away so there was no excuse not to.

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reelcutter

reelcutter

Posted
Posted

hi is there a way to look fot ftf ? i see some are the ftf but how do you get to know about when a new one has been put out ? I WANT TO BE ONE OF THE FTF :sad:B)

 

Don't worry about getting a ftf just chill :) but if you want to hunt around like a headless chicken go for it. :(:lol: but in the end just play the game how you like it, if thats how you get your geo kicks no-one will judge you. :lol:.

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Bear and Ragged

+Bear and Ragged

Posted
Posted

It's getting harder, as more cachers join in...

Premium Membership helps.

 

I have a PQ.

Lists caches placed in the last week.

DON'T set 'Day to run'

Run it as ' Preview' whenever you're at the computer... (Sometimes the Groundspeak email system throws a wobbly, and delays or doesn't email notifications! :( )

Look for the ones not found (yet!)

 

Learn when the Reviewers 'Publish' caches in your area (Some of them are devious, and publish at all times of the day -and night! :) )

 

With the influx of new cachers, with non-GPS co-ords, you really need to know who the local cachers are -that are able to get good accurate co-ords for their caches, or be prepared for a long search, which may get you a FTNF First To Not Find log. :sad:

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The Bongtwashes

+The Bongtwashes

Posted
Posted

It's getting harder, as more cachers join in...

Premium Membership helps.

 

I have a PQ.

Lists caches placed in the last week.

DON'T set 'Day to run'

Run it as ' Preview' whenever you're at the computer... (Sometimes the Groundspeak email system throws a wobbly, and delays or doesn't email notifications! :( )

Look for the ones not found (yet!)

 

Learn when the Reviewers 'Publish' caches in your area (Some of them are devious, and publish at all times of the day -and night! :) )

 

With the influx of new cachers, with non-GPS co-ords, you really need to know who the local cachers are -that are able to get good accurate co-ords for their caches, or be prepared for a long search, which may get you a FTNF First To Not Find log. :sad:

I have a PQ where the only item checked is 'That...Have Not Been Found'. You can then do a preview for all unfound caches in the UK, download them all to your GPS, and dash out to find them all.

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Gushoneybun

+Gushoneybun

Posted
Posted

I have a PQ where the only item checked is 'That...Have Not Been Found'. You can then do a preview for all unfound caches in the UK, download them all to your GPS, and dash out to find them all.

 

 

I am not one for FTF's these days but like to get one a month, I never spotted this item before :sad: I just had a PQ for those in the last week, now updated it :(

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team tisri

team tisri

Posted
Posted

It's getting harder, as more cachers join in...

Premium Membership helps.

 

I have a PQ.

Lists caches placed in the last week.

DON'T set 'Day to run'

Run it as ' Preview' whenever you're at the computer... (Sometimes the Groundspeak email system throws a wobbly, and delays or doesn't email notifications! :( )

Look for the ones not found (yet!)

 

Learn when the Reviewers 'Publish' caches in your area (Some of them are devious, and publish at all times of the day -and night! :) )

 

With the influx of new cachers, with non-GPS co-ords, you really need to know who the local cachers are -that are able to get good accurate co-ords for their caches, or be prepared for a long search, which may get you a FTNF First To Not Find log. :sad:

I have a PQ where the only item checked is 'That...Have Not Been Found'. You can then do a preview for all unfound caches in the UK, download them all to your GPS, and dash out to find them all.

 

Wow. I've been known to jump on my bike and cycle a 15 mile round trip to grab an FTF or a specific trackable but that's more than I'd want to do. What kind of distance would you be willing to cover to grab an FTF?

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The Bongtwashes

+The Bongtwashes

Posted
Posted

 

And this is someone to cache with if you want a FTF... this man has nearly as many FTFs as he does caches!

 

:sad: Ha ha.

Sorry Stu, I'm still an amateur compared to some (just under 16% FTF/finds)

 

 

Wow. I've been known to jump on my bike and cycle a 15 mile round trip to grab an FTF or a specific trackable but that's more than I'd want to do. What kind of distance would you be willing to cover to grab an FTF?

 

I also have insta-notifications for 30 mile radius and in the past have been known to go that distance (when caches were spread more thinly) Nowadays I'll only go for more convenient ones especially as I don't want emails coming to my phone - I have enough of that with work.

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team tisri

team tisri

Posted
Posted

I also have insta-notifications for 30 mile radius and in the past have been known to go that distance (when caches were spread more thinly) Nowadays I'll only go for more convenient ones especially as I don't want emails coming to my phone - I have enough of that with work.

 

I get emails of things happening within 25 miles of home although living in the suburbs of London 25 miles in one direction means farmland and 25 miles the other direction means anything up to 2.5 hours of travelling.

 

Anything within 5-6 miles as the crow flies is fair game for an FTF, if I'm in that mood. If I got myself a motorbike that radius would increase, I just hate driving so if I can't get to it on my bike I leave it until next time I'm headed that way.

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Team S.B.F.P

Team S.B.F.P

Posted
Posted

:-) I found my first FTF today :-) and first Travel bug on sunday which I intend to take to Angelsey this week !

Only been doing it for a couple of mths and already have the kids,father-in-law and my mum coming along on days out caching :-) hence the team name

 

I found the new cache because I happen to work about 500 yards from it and checked my phone app when leaving work ! Tommo78 ( I think was his name ) came about 30 seconds after me so I guess I was just lucky .

 

Good to meet someone else as daft as me , it was raining and cold !

 

I was going to log the TB in and out so it gets more miles before Angelesey ...can I do that ?

 

Thanks for reading my rambling :-)

 

Mags

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geobrian-

+geobrian-

Posted
Posted
.... I get emails of things happening within 25 miles of home although living in the suburbs of London 25 miles in one direction means farmland and 25 miles the other direction means anything up to 2.5 hours of travelling......

Much the same here, though being 10m to the south of London with only public transport to hand means that stuff 20m south of me is often not accessible, yet 20m north and I'm missing out on caches that I could conceivably travel to. So what I've done is to set my notifications on a 20m radius of Charing Cross. This at least gives me a chance to get some of the more east/north/west caches without compromising too much on the accessible ones to the south.

 

Having said that, I've yet to claim an FTF outside my local caching area, but it's not something I'm particularly bothered about so I don't try that hard to get to them.

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The Bongtwashes

+The Bongtwashes

Posted
Posted

BTW, you're not limited to one centre for notifications. I actually get them for 30 miles radius from Hemel Hempstead (which includes as much of London as I'm likely to reach) and also about 20 miles radius of Wolverhampton to see which my sister and brother-in-law might go after. Previously I had them based on Hemel (where I live) and Watford (where I used to work) to generate an approximate elipse. I don't know what limit there is on number of notifications but you do need to set one up for eache cache type (trads, multis, puzzle etc.)

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team tisri

team tisri

Posted
Posted
.... I get emails of things happening within 25 miles of home although living in the suburbs of London 25 miles in one direction means farmland and 25 miles the other direction means anything up to 2.5 hours of travelling......

Much the same here, though being 10m to the south of London with only public transport to hand means that stuff 20m south of me is often not accessible, yet 20m north and I'm missing out on caches that I could conceivably travel to. So what I've done is to set my notifications on a 20m radius of Charing Cross. This at least gives me a chance to get some of the more east/north/west caches without compromising too much on the accessible ones to the south.

 

Having said that, I've yet to claim an FTF outside my local caching area, but it's not something I'm particularly bothered about so I don't try that hard to get to them.

 

Most if not all of my FTFs were within a fairly short strike of either home or work, wherever "work" was at the time.

 

I missed an international FTF by a couple of hours the other day, which was a shame - that would have been cool to grab! When I'm away from home but staying in one place for a time I set up an email notification based on where I'm staying, just in case something comes up that I can go and grab. So far this trip three new caches appeared, two were timed such that I couldn't get out for them, and one was timed so I couldn't get out for a few hours and so missed the FTF anyway. Never mind, it's not like I enjoyed the cache any less B)

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Go catch

+Go catch

Posted
Posted

You are up against stiff competition. Rain, snow, hurricanes or dark of night will not stop a determined FTF'er from getting that all important cache before anyone else.....

 

I recall publishing a cache at an event and all around me was heard the 'bing' of phones going off as email alerts came flooding in and several cachers immediately flooded out of the room :D

 

Sounds like the one at my event where the logbook was reported as full by the fist group that appeared back in the room looking disapointed they hadn't got the FTF honours. :mad: One up for the reviewers :laughing:

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