Newbie Looking for help from getting frustrated

[+jmobr]

Hi,

 

I have done 30 + finds, but I can prob triple that number of DNF's due to heavy cover of trees and what appears to be a lack of hints on caches?

 

I am in Atlanta, but find it increasingly discouraging when using a GPSr or my gps / compass on my phone, and the signal bounces all over the place. I go back and read the description and the logs, but more often than not, there really isnt a useful hint for newbies? Example, today, I went to a cache in a park, under heavy coverage, just published yesterday, and the only thing it gave as an example was bugs and termites, I am trying to start off with mostly small to med caches rather than micros. I am sure you all probably have heard this before, but its frustrating for newbies to be walking around and round and round, and to have like 5 or more DNF's due to no clue as to what I should be looking for?

[+matt_tee]

Hi,

 

I have done 30 + finds, but I can prob triple that number of DNF's due to heavy cover of trees and what appears to be a lack of hints on caches?

 

I am in Atlanta, but find it increasingly discouraging when using a GPSr or my gps / compass on my phone, and the signal bounces all over the place. I go back and read the description and the logs, but more often than not, there really isnt a useful hint for newbies? Example, today, I went to a cache in a park, under heavy coverage, just published yesterday, and the only thing it gave as an example was bugs and termites, I am trying to start off with mostly small to med caches rather than micros. I am sure you all probably have heard this before, but its frustrating for newbies to be walking around and round and round, and to have like 5 or more DNF's due to no clue as to what I should be looking for?

 

So you're enjoying it then! LoL!

 

P.S I am a Newbie too, and yes, it is frustrating; But, I suppose it's up to the stasher what clues he/she leaves, unfortunately, we have to try a bit harder, and tune our Spidey senses a bit more!

 

All the best in your Cache Adventures!

 

Matt.

Edited September 18, 2011 by matt_tee

[+mpilchfamily]

Clues are optional and don't have to be of any help if they are there. If your expecting your unit/phone to put you on top of the cache, then your wrong. When you reach about 20 feet from GZ then its time to start looking for possible hiding places. As you find more you'll get more use to what your looking for. Pay attention to the Difficulty and terrain rating of the cache. If the difficulty is over 2.5 then you likely won't get a hint and it will be fairly difficult to find.

 

I went out yesterday and only found 2 of the 5 i was after. So i logged 3 DNFs. Now those caches may have been hidden better then i thought or may be missing. A couple of them where rated as 3 to 3.5 in difficulty. But i won't know if they where missing or not unless i log the DNF and see that someone finds it later or the owner confirms or denies the missing cache.

 

Don't blame your DNFs on lack of hints. There is nothing wrong with a DNF. For all you know the cache is missing. But the idea here is to figure out what clever hide the owner made. Pay attention to the difficulty lvl. Stick with 2 or less for now till you feel you can tackle more difficult ones.

[+kunarion]

its frustrating for newbies to be walking around and round and round, and to have like 5 or more DNF's due to no clue as to what I should be looking for?

It's important to log the DNFs anyway, since some hides are harder than the Cache Owner thought. They can & should reconsider their difficulty rating, if people have a tough time finding it (if it's rated rather easy).

 

But check the cache description before you go. If there's no specific location mentioned and no hint, and it's in the woods (all of which you can find out in advance), it may be a real challenge.

 

Once it's been found, try to contact the CO, and get a hint. I have photos and info ready for people who can't find my caches.

[+JeepFreak81]

I agree, as a newbie myself it can be discourage to not find something....About to log my 1st DNF from today. But now i'm determined to go back and find it!!! I look at it as a challenge. Also, it could be missing if nobody has found it recently...logging the DNF will let the owner know that you didn't find it and they can check on it if need be.

[+PFF]

Read the logs before you invest too much time looking for a specific cache. Also check the dynamic map (satellite view). You may find things like this:*

 

GC33NPK. Coordinates have been revised or alternate coordinates have been suggested. (Original position was off by 350 feet.)

 

GC31Q6P. Coordinates which SHOULD be revised. (Look at the dynamic map's satellite view. We don't hide caches here.)

 

GC11JFN. Not found by experienced searchers during the past year. (You probably won't find it, either.)

 

These examples also show the value of a DNF log--especially if you made a sincere effort to find the cache. Your log may be the first indication that something is wrong.

 

 

*I don't wish to imply that these are "bad" C.O.'s. In the case of the first two, coordinate error can happen to anyone because of signal reflection, reading the tiny GPS screen wrong, or making a typo. For the last one, it could be a case of someone suddenly busy with work or family, or illness, or a hundred other things which can prevent checking on caches.

[+HotDiggityDogs]

Do you know anyone who caches? We found it super helpful to cache with an experienced cacher at first, who could show us what to look for. The more we find, the better we get. We still get DNFs... in fact, I was 3 for 3 on DNFs yesterday. I still suck at urban micro caching.

[+GrateBear]

We were all noobs at one time, and worked through the noob issues. You can learn a lot in these forums that will help make geocaching a fun experience. But, if you are truly frustrated and not at all happy, perhaps this isn't the hobby for you. Having said that, I do hope you persevere and enjoy caching.

[+t4e]

I am sure you all probably have heard this before, but its frustrating for newbies to be walking around and round and round, and to have like 5 or more DNF's due to no clue as to what I should be looking for?

 

but that's part of the fun to find it on your own without a clue

 

i can see how it can be frustrating at first but once you get the hang of it you will understand what i am talking about

Edited September 19, 2011 by t4e

[+germanybert]

It takea while for you to develop cacher instincts. Don't get discouraged and give up. Some day in the future, when you are not even looking for a cache, you will see something that looks like a great place to hide a cache and low and behold it will be one. It happened to me once!

[+jmobr]

Hmmm... you know how one shouldn't always hit send on the first draft, but re-read and edit... Thanks for the good solid tips and advice. Hadn't considered a lot of those factors. TODAY IS another OPPORTUNITY... rock on!

[+Woodduckdawg]

I got frustrated too when my phone GPS has me walking in circles. I found myself finding more "urban" caches until I learned to look for certain things that seemed out of place when looking for the caches. Good luck.

[+supersonicf111]

I'm not new to using a GPS, or spending time in the woods. I used to hunt and backpack in my younger days, but I am new to cache hunting. My almost 10 year old son is hooked as well.

 

I currently am using my Android phone and get +-3 feet accuracy here in the relative flatlands of Eastern Kansas, but as soon as I get close to some trees, then it's +-33 feet. The slow updating of position can drive you crazy as well. I use the free app, and use the compass until I get close, then switch to the live map. The compass seems to bounce around a lot and confuses the situation, where the live map seems to make things less confusing. Zoom in as close as it will allow on the map.

 

I've been lucky in my hunts so far. I had one DNF due to it being close to dark and the container was in the woods. Came back the next day and found in in a few minutes.

 

Look for spots where you might hide something, and if you get even the slightest feeling that something looks odd, or out of place. Check it.

 

One of the micro's I found on Saturday was a metal blank outlet cover. The person had glued screws in the holes and painted it to match the paint of the picnic table it was attached to by magnets. I remember looking at it and think, what in the world is that access plate for, then my son touched it and it moved.

 

I also found one of the bolt ones they sell in the store. Fit in so well that I nearly missed it. Finding those kind of caches really puts a charge into you. Your eyes and brain are the tools that find the cache, the GPS just gets you in the right area.

[+niraD]

You've already figured out that it helps to search for larger caches for now. That's good. Also, stick with caches that have a difficulty rating of no more than 2 stars . Save the more difficult ones for later. You may also want to choose caches with easy terrain ratings. (The difficulty rating tells you how hard it is to find the cache once you get there. The terrain rating tells you how hard it is to get there.) And it is often best to start with traditional caches, which will be at the published coordinates. Multi-caches or mystery/puzzle caches or other cache types can require more work just to figure out where the container is located.

 

Under ideal conditions, a consumer GPSr will be accurate to about 3m (10'). That applies both to your device, and to the cache owner’s device, so you may find the container 15-20' from ground zero under ideal conditions. Under less than ideal conditions, both GPSr readings can be much less accurate. Once you get within that distance of ground zero, put your device away and look around for places where a container could be hidden.

 

Go ahead and read the cache's additional hints (if provided), and read the past logs and look at any photos in the cache's image gallery. They may help you understand what you're looking for, and how/where it may be hidden. It may also help to look at some of the cache containers available online. For example, check out the cache containers sold by Groundspeak. Also, take a look at the Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's) thread in the forums.

[+Markwell]

One thing that isn't really being said - but probably should be said: I have anecdotally seen that even the best smart phone positioning is not nearly as accurate as the worst dedicated GPS units. I've noticed it with cache placements on those that place using iPhones, and I've noticed that using my iPhone will get me to within maybe 50 feet, while my Garmin 76Cx will get me within 10-20 feet.

 

Anyone have access to this article?

[+GrateBear]

One thing that isn't really being said - but probably should be said: I have anecdotally seen that even the best smart phone positioning is not nearly as accurate as the worst dedicated GPS units. I've noticed it with cache placements on those that place using iPhones, and I've noticed that using my iPhone will get me to within maybe 50 feet, while my Garmin 76Cx will get me within 10-20 feet.

 

Anyone have access to this article?

Good point. Yesterday as I was walking the puppy, decided to look for a cache along the way that has long eluded me. Only had my phone with C:GEO. It pointed me over 100' away from where both of my GPSr units have sent me in the past. I'm going to delete that app.

[+jmobr]

Thanks everyone...And Gratebear, wow...that is me for sure re: 100 ft off it seems

[+T13]

It takes time to get used to using a GPSr, and there are some techniques you can use.

 

Sight from a distance! Consider if you're sitting directly on Ground Zero...normal variation of plus/minus 20 feet will have your

arrow jumping all over, with every direction being AWAY from the cache. Instead, as you approach, and the unit says 50' away....sight

a bearing, mark some mental landmark, a likely tree or something, and then walk away and do it again from another direction. Two lines

90 degrees apart would theoretically mark the location precisely, additional ones may help account for location jumping.

 

This is similar to not using on direct approach anyway, but switching to 'think like a co' mode...where would you hide it? Often your sight

lines will be something obvious or distinct that may turn out to be the hide anyway, at least in a good hide, not a needle-in-a-haystack type.