Help

[melodyman]

First time out using a Garmin. It directed me to the same several times, saying that I was within 10 feet. Then while I was looking for the cache the Garmin would change and say that I was 40 or 60 feet away. Is this normal? I quit looking for the cache having lost confidence in the gps. ANy help?

[+briansnat]

It's fairly normal. You'll see this most often around buildings, in ravines, canyons and on steep hillsides, but it can happen nearly anywhere.

 

It's the result of what is commonly called signal bounce. The technical term is multipathing errors.

[+dfx]

It can also be caused by atmospheric variations, or simple things like you leaning over the GPS and blocking its view to some of the sats. The tiniest influences on its reception can have a rather large effect. A GPS's view of its own position will always change slighly, even if it's sitting in the same spot. The reported coordinates will appear to wander all over the place. On some days it will do it more than on others. Every GPS behaves that way.

[+StarBrand]

The simple fact of the matter is that the normal accuracy of our handheld units is around 15 to 30 feet under most conditions. When you are well inside that radius - sometimes the reading look fairly wonky. Add the types of errors described above and it can be frustrating. The best advice I can give is to put the GPS away and search with your eyes when you get within 20 to 25 feet or so. Pull it out to reverify but you do the searching no the GPS unit.

[+kpanko]

It usually helps if you place the GPS on a stable surface and walk away and leave it for a minute or two. That way you are not blocking the signal with your body as you hold it. It might take a little time for it to receive signals and get a good lock.

 

While you are waiting, go ahead and look under logs and rocks around you. Peer into little hiding places. See if there are any sticks placed in a neat little pile. The GPS is not able to find the cache, you need to do that part. The GPS will just bring you somewhere near it.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Hang around the forums for a bit and you will notice that people talk of the "drunken bee dance". What happens is that when you are close to the coordinates, you'll notice the distance jump here, then there, then another direction. For people that forget they are looking for a geocache, they end up swirling around like a bee because they are looking at the GPSr. When you get to within 20 - 15 ft. of the coordinates, stop paying attention to the GPSr and start paying attention to finding the cache. Pretty much, it's as simple as that!

 

It is an easy mistake, that even more experienced (!?!) cachers have and still make. Some do it, even when they know better!