Newbie with loads'a questions

[telbert]

Hello all. I've started to become interested in geocaching in the last few months and i've been lurking on some forums for a while.Now i think i wanna get involved. First off, the equipment. I've got a Samsung Galaxy ace2 phone,is this good enough to use or will i need a dedicated device? Also what other gear will i need to take out with me?(i've read of people taking seperate camera's, mirrors,voice recorders an all sorts)

Secondly i need an idiots guide to getting started.I dont actually know anyone thats involved with geocaching so all of my knowledge(or lack of) has come from looking on t'interweb.

Well that'll do for starters.All advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Tel.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Welcome!

 

A 'phone will do.

Don't expect it to get you to the 'exact' spot the cache is placed.

It is possible to find a cache on the hint alone, once you are in the area.

(And knowing how and where caches are hidden is a big help!)

 

You could try attending an Event. Cachers are always happy to talk about their equipment!

 

Where are you from (the forums are worldwide!) There may be a local group, who may be able to help.

[+niraD]

I am not familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 phone, but I do most of my geocaching with my HTC Nexus One. As far as other gear, a lot depends on where you're going. There are some ideas here:

http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Things_to_bring_in_the_woods

 

As far as an idiots guide, have you seen the "Geocaching 101" and "Geocaching in 2 Minutes" pages that are available from the "Learn" menu on the geocaching.com site? And here is some general advice that I've posted before:

 

A common recommendation for beginners is to stick with small size, regular size, and large size caches. Until you're more experienced, avoid micro size caches, some of which are smaller than most beginners can imagine (sometimes called "nanos"). Save those for later, after you have some experience.

 

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.

[telbert]

Welcome!

 

A 'phone will do.

Don't expect it to get you to the 'exact' spot the cache is placed.

It is possible to find a cache on the hint alone, once you are in the area.

(And knowing how and where caches are hidden is a big help!)

 

You could try attending an Event. Cachers are always happy to talk about their equipment!

 

Where are you from (the forums are worldwide!) There may be a local group, who may be able to help.

Hello B.A.R. I've been looking at some G.Z.'s (?) close to my home and i think i stand a fair chance of finding them with the hints & i now realise that there may be a fair bit of "crawling about in the undergrowth" (done in my best David Bellamy voice). It appears that i may need to download an APP for my phone,could you reccomend one(cheaper the better).I'm based in Dagenham ,Essex.

I'm really itching to get out tomorrow and have a go.

Please stand by for more questions.

I fear i may be hooked already.

Mother please send more money

[telbert]

I am not familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 phone, but I do most of my geocaching with my HTC Nexus One. As far as other gear, a lot depends on where you're going. There are some ideas here:

http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Things_to_bring_in_the_woods

 

As far as an idiots guide, have you seen the "Geocaching 101" and "Geocaching in 2 Minutes" pages that are available from the "Learn" menu on the geocaching.com site? And here is some general advice that I've posted before:

 

A common recommendation for beginners is to stick with small size, regular size, and large size caches. Until you're more experienced, avoid micro size caches, some of which are smaller than most beginners can imagine (sometimes called "nanos"). Save those for later, after you have some experience.

 

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.

 

 

Thanks for all the info niraD.

[+Bear and Ragged]

I've been looking at some G.Z.'s (?) close to my home and i think i stand a fair chance of finding them with the hints & i now realise that there may be a fair bit of "crawling about in the undergrowth" (done in my best David Bellamy voice). It appears that i may need to download an APP for my phone,could you recommend one(cheaper the better).I'm based in Dagenham ,Essex.

I'm really itching to get out tomorrow and have a go.

Please stand by for more questions.

I fear i may be hooked already.

Mother please send more money

 

Most of the apps do a free trial version. Worth trying them.

I use the Groundspeak app on my HTC phone, all a matter of personal preference.

 

There is a UK and Ireland side to these forums here > linky feel free to come over and join us, any questions welcomed over there, especially if UK related!

[telbert]

I've been looking at some G.Z.'s (?) close to my home and i think i stand a fair chance of finding them with the hints & i now realise that there may be a fair bit of "crawling about in the undergrowth" (done in my best David Bellamy voice). It appears that i may need to download an APP for my phone,could you recommend one(cheaper the better).I'm based in Dagenham ,Essex.

I'm really itching to get out tomorrow and have a go.

Please stand by for more questions.

I fear i may be hooked already.

Mother please send more money

 

Most of the apps do a free trial version. Worth trying them.

I use the Groundspeak app on my HTC phone, all a matter of personal preference.

 

There is a UK and Ireland side to these forums here > linky feel free to come over and join us, any questions welcomed over there, especially if UK related!

 

 

 

Thanks to all

[telbert]

Well i downloaded C:GEO onto my phone (samsung ace)and i've been out for a few hours today.Couldnt find my first cache despite"knowing" i was in the right place and spending 15 minutes searching for it.Getting frustrated so had a sit down for about 3 minutes,went through all the information on my phone again before noticing that the cache had been reported missing a month ago.Next 2 i found easily enough but the 4th one was a nightmare. Spent 20 minutes going over and over the same spot with no luck even though it had been found yesterday.

As to the phone i had it seems to work very well.Good pinpointing and directions and after 3 hours i'd only used about 1/3 of the battery life.

Need to take some gloves with me next time as i've got a few scratches on my hands and the remains of a dead snail up my fingernails

All in all an excellent few hours.I'm definately hooked.

Thanks again for all the advice.

[+Deputy Big D]

Well i downloaded C:GEO onto my phone (samsung ace)and i've been out for a few hours today.Couldnt find my first cache despite"knowing" i was in the right place and spending 15 minutes searching for it.Getting frustrated so had a sit down for about 3 minutes,went through all the information on my phone again before noticing that the cache had been reported missing a month ago.Next 2 i found easily enough but the 4th one was a nightmare. Spent 20 minutes going over and over the same spot with no luck even though it had been found yesterday.

As to the phone i had it seems to work very well.Good pinpointing and directions and after 3 hours i'd only used about 1/3 of the battery life.

Need to take some gloves with me next time as i've got a few scratches on my hands and the remains of a dead snail up my fingernails

All in all an excellent few hours.I'm definately hooked.

Thanks again for all the advice.

[+Mini-Tap]

Well i downloaded C:GEO onto my phone (samsung ace)and i've been out for a few hours today.Couldnt find my first cache despite"knowing" i was in the right place and spending 15 minutes searching for it.Getting frustrated so had a sit down for about 3 minutes,went through all the information on my phone again before noticing that the cache had been reported missing a month ago.Next 2 i found easily enough but the 4th one was a nightmare. Spent 20 minutes going over and over the same spot with no luck even though it had been found yesterday.

As to the phone i had it seems to work very well.Good pinpointing and directions and after 3 hours i'd only used about 1/3 of the battery life.

Need to take some gloves with me next time as i've got a few scratches on my hands and the remains of a dead snail up my fingernails

All in all an excellent few hours.I'm definately hooked.

Thanks again for all the advice.

with cGeo. don't trust the arrow, trust the "distance to". phones are ok, but go on amazon and buy a dedicated gps device, they are not that expensive.

[+LD9791]

Be sure when useing c:geo, also download "gps status" this allows a more accurate compass within c:geo. I use my phone with booth of these installed. BUT if doing a run of 5 or more i recommend getting at least a basic gps device for faster more accurate finds, plus saves cell juice.

Happy hunting.