+woman-tracker Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have just been introduced to the sport of geocaching but am not having any luck finding anything. Is it because of the age of my GPS? It also may be the fact that we have lots of snow in our area too. I am wondering if when the GPS beeps, does it mean I am on top of the cache or am I just close? It reads that I am approaching the coordinates. One more thing: How do I get the coordinates to display? I have entered them and a circle shows on the map but I don't know how close I am to the actual spot. Thanks Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I have just been introduced to the sport of geocaching but am not having any luck finding anything. Is it because of the age of my GPS? It also may be the fact that we have lots of snow in our area too. I am wondering if when the GPS beeps, does it mean I am on top of the cache or am I just close? It reads that I am approaching the coordinates. One more thing: How do I get the coordinates to display? I have entered them and a circle shows on the map but I don't know how close I am to the actual spot. Thanks The GPS product we use are not as accurate as many people beleive them to be. Most consumer grad products may only be accurate to within 10 or 20 feet. If the person who hid the cache was only getting accuracy within 10 feet, and if you are getting 10 feet, that is a 20 foot error.. A basic rule of thumb is to start looking when you are within 20 feet. Quote Link to comment
+cwhlam Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Even though it is a bit dated, the Explorist 400 is still a fine gps for someone just starting geocaching. The GPS can beep for many reasons; one of which is the proximity alarm. I usually use the Compass Screen. When you have an active GOTO, the compass points you to the direction you should be going. There are two customizable data fields on the top of the Compass screen. I usually use "Distance to End" and "Accuracy". The first tell you the GPS's estimate of how far you are from the cache and the second tells you have trustworthy the distance estimate is. When you get within a few meters of the cache, it is time to put the gps down and start thinking where are the likely hiding locations for the cache. You can continue using the Explorist 400 until you decide you have to have some of the more advanced features, such as paperless caching. Have Fun. I have just been introduced to the sport of geocaching but am not having any luck finding anything. Is it because of the age of my GPS? It also may be the fact that we have lots of snow in our area too. I am wondering if when the GPS beeps, does it mean I am on top of the cache or am I just close? It reads that I am approaching the coordinates. One more thing: How do I get the coordinates to display? I have entered them and a circle shows on the map but I don't know how close I am to the actual spot. Thanks Quote Link to comment
tttedzeins Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 There is nothing wrong with your unit. I still use a Magellan Meridian. Sure it is old but it works great, it has taken some serious knocks, dropped off the roof of the car (over 2 metres), sailed the Whitsundays and loads of other adventures. I wouldn't mind another one but can't really see the point when this unit still works flawlessly. Quote Link to comment
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