Cant put that there.

[+glbrtw]

Just tried to hide my first cache and got told I was to close to a mystery caches location. So I checked on nearby caches and it comes up way down on the list and I still click on it and it says that the cache is about a 1/2 mile away but it isnt at this location. What up with that? How are you supposed to know you are to close then?

[+Oxford Stone]

That's one of the pitfalls, sadly. By definition, a mystery's initial icon will not be where the actual cache container is. Any luck solving the mystery? Has your reviewer helped you out by saying "try going NE a bit" or some such?

[Clan Riffster]

Yeah, it's a bummer. As Oxford Stone mentioned, often you can get your Reviewer to give you a nudge in the right direction, without giving away the final. If the Reviewer won't do that, and you can't solve the puzzle, you might try contacting the puzzle's owner, telling them where your coords are, and ask them which direction would put your cache far enough away from their final.

[+wimseyguy]

There are hidden waypoints for puzzles and multis out there, and sadly there isn't any way to know off the bat.

But you can do you due diligence and solve all the puzzles within a 2 mile radius of your chosen spot to eliminate those. Just be sure to save the actual location waypoints.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Hiding your first, and even second can be an exercise in futility. Either you find the "offending" cache, or you communicate with your reviewer. He/she probably won't tell you where you can place your cache, but they often provide a "nudge" to you.

 

The problem isn't the mystery cache listed coordinates, it is the location of a physical stage of the cache. Without having found those stages, you haven't a clue as to where they are located. Simple as that.

[+CanadianRockies]

How are you supposed to know you are to close then?

One method is to request a "proximity check" from your Volunteer Reviewer. I sometimes do this, especially if I'm going to spend a lot of time customizing the cache camouflage to a specific location or creating a coordinates-specific puzzle.

 

Our reviewer prefers that we create a skeleton cache listing page that includes the proposed coordinates. Not much other information is needed; certainly not a full description. In the Reviewer Note, we then request the proximity check and explain that the cache is not hidden yet. Enable the listing page, and submit it for review.

 

The reviewer will indicate if our proposed location is acceptably far from other caches (including puzzles, multi-caches, and Wherigos). Then they will disable our listing page to remove it from their review queue.

 

Other reviewers prefer that proximity checks be done via emails that specify the proposed coordinates. Check with your local reviewer to see what they suggest.

[Keystone]

The reviewer has already given a big hint by identifying *which* puzzle cache is causing the conflict. So, the OP knows which one to solve.

 

Other reviewers do not identify the existing cache, but give a hint on the approximate distance (I always round up by a fair amount).

 

The Knowledge Book articles linked in your Reviewer's initial note give helpful advice.

[+Mn-treker]

This happened to me also. It was a puzzle multy. I used my mapping software that came with GPS.

I had arial photo overlay of area, and drew 529 feet lines out from my rejected spot.

Then looked at features in the are that would make a good spot for that size in the multy.

I then loaded up three posibles and went to look. Bingo got it on number three.

Which was only about 50 feet from the spot I wanted. Multy stage one solved, brute forceed.

Now to find the rest, state wide total 9 stages. So try guesstamation based on size you might get lucky.

[+The_Incredibles_]

If you're going to hide a cache, you will need to do the nearby multis and puzzles first so you know where they are. Otherwise, it's just a guessing game.

 

The reviewer has already given a big hint by identifying *which* puzzle cache is causing the conflict. So, the OP knows which one to solve.

 

This is a big help. Knowing the approximate area where the puzzle final is, you might even be able to find it without solving the puzzle, if the hint is good enough. Or you can just search the area for geo-trails and likely hiding spots.