winter caching.

[+The Jester]

There's one advantage to cold weather caching vs. warm weather caching: You can always put on more clothes when it's cold, but you have an absolute limit of how much you can take off when it's hot...

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

A few from Rhode ISland:

 

 

 

[7rxc]

Yeah! But they will come around when they realize that WINTER exists in the Tropics as well, but lots warmer.

A fact well known by us northern cachers. Even those of us in the southern part of the far north.

 

Sorry, but I cannot follow. Which fact is well known by the northern cachers?

 

Cezanne

 

That would be the bolded part above... that winter exists at all latitudes, not just way up North... I like winter caching on our terms often... but would not object to a trip to Hawaii or the Yucatan or any number of other warm winter climes... but then I'll probably not get there in the foreseeable future... so snow it is.

 

Doug 7rxc

[7rxc]

 

Just wish there were some new caches that were winter friendly instead of micros under logs under feet of snow.

 

Doug 7rxc

 

Me too Doug, I'm trying to fill in my calendar grid! *hint, hint*

 

I'll beg some OT time...for just a second... Did you read your email lately... I've got a couple planned and there are lots I don't see your logs on yet.

 

OK thanks folks... just the old, 'cachers never/seldom respond to messages' thing again. Thanks.

 

Doug 7rxc

Edited November 29, 2013 by 7rxc

[+gebu]

Sometimes you have to dig a little

 

 

Sometimes the box is encased in a bit of ice

 

 

Terrible windchill

 

 

But it's worth it

 

[+ShaunEM]

We hardly ever cache in the summer!

Too many bugs, too many poisonous plants, too sweaty and humid. We have a pool we spend our spare time in in the summer.

Spring, Fall, and WINTER!

Also, one of the reasons we cache is for the for exercise. Better exercise when slogging around in heavy boots and snow!

If it's too stormy, we stay home, but there's nothing better, IMO, that a crisp sunny winter day in some woodlot!

Sure, the caches might be harder with snow, but many cachers around here hide their caches with snow in mind, and many times the hides are not on the ground.

Go for it. Make sure you have proper clothing, and then pick your days. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

I have to second this. I find I prefer it. I go on milder days rather than the cold COLD we can get.

 

My request would be, if you can't move it/open it.. DON'T FORCE IT!!!

 

Anything short of an ammo can becomes very brittle in the winter and it sucks to have to do cache maintainence in bad weather because someone kicked your locknlock apart trying to unfreeze it from it's hidey hole.

 

Most CO will give you a find if you take a picture or describe why it was found but not signed.

 

Shaun

[+worstcaster]

It can be nice to get out of the house on a winter day. I don't like it heat so winter is definitely preferable to mid summer. That being said has anyone else noticed you get more signal bounce when there is a lot of snow on the ground?

[+wmpastor]

It can be nice to get out of the house on a winter day. I don't like it heat so winter is definitely preferable to mid summer. That being said has anyone else noticed you get more signal bounce when there is a lot of snow on the ground?

Or snow in the trees? I don't know if it's accurate, but I've heard that wet (or snowy) trees are a major cause of bounce.

 

Any definitive scientific info out there?

[+MKFmly]

A GPS receiver receives both direct and reflected signals from the satellites. Receivers are designed to suppress these reflected signals (multi-path errors) through antenna design and "filters" in the GPS processing algorithms because signal timing is critical. Hence, increased "bounce" in multi path prone areas, urban high-rise, near metal buildings, ravines, extreme tree cover, snow etc.

 

Normally, these environments are where a dedicated GPSr will outperform a "smart phone".

 

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are using GPS to measure snow depth...

 

With GPS, snow depth can be measured using changes in multipath frequency, which changes based on the receiver’s height above the ground. The closer the ground surface is to the receiver, the lower the frequency of the reflected signal. Snow brings the surface closer to the receiver, so Larson can use the changing frequency of a reflected signal to observe snow depth.

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

Winter cached before winter caching was even "a thing" (January 2003):

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=d98e8b2c-9faa-4cdd-82b5-02c99ff2841d

 

AND IT WAS AT NIGHT!

 

[+colleda]

It can be nice to get out of the house on a winter day. I don't like it heat so winter is definitely preferable to mid summer. That being said has anyone else noticed you get more signal bounce when there is a lot of snow on the ground?

Or snow in the trees? I don't know if it's accurate, but I've heard that wet (or snowy) trees are a major cause of bounce.

 

Any definitive scientific info out there?

I'm not sure that trees cause 'bounce'. Solid buildings and structures, yes. From what I've read, please correct me if I've misunderstood, is that the moisture in trees absorbs satellite signals, even more so if snow covered.

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

It can be nice to get out of the house on a winter day. I don't like it heat so winter is definitely preferable to mid summer. That being said has anyone else noticed you get more signal bounce when there is a lot of snow on the ground?

Or snow in the trees? I don't know if it's accurate, but I've heard that wet (or snowy) trees are a major cause of bounce.

 

Any definitive scientific info out there?

I'm not sure that trees cause 'bounce'. Solid buildings and structures, yes. From what I've read, please correct me if I've misunderstood, is that the moisture in trees absorbs satellite signals, even more so if snow covered.

moisture is one thing than can attenuate an RF signal, as is anything. The degree of which is important. As a ham radio operator for a number of years, there definitely was a change in the signal the higher the frequency (UHF more so than VHF more so than HF) withe seasonal changes. However, those were earth born signals (UHF/VHF) where as the sats are more vertical. One thing in snow and rain covered forests is to get the GPS away from your body. Your body will do worse attenuation than snow/rain.

[+loverfishy]

I ended up DNF'ing the cache, but the location was awesome, and I think the cache is under several inches of ice (not the ice behind me in the pic).

 

Minnesotans aren't afraid of a little winter!

 

[+hzoi]

 

Earthcaches and virtuals are good all year round.

 

 

 

But sometimes you just gotta get out there and find a real cache.

 

 

And sometimes you get snowed on whether you like it or not -- most of this snow came down after I left the car and hit the trail for some caches.

[+JesandTodd]

That's a super cute jacket!

[+hzoi]

That's a super cute jacket!

Thanks! I think the contents are super cute as well. (Which is why I take the pictures and she poses for 'em.)

Edited December 15, 2013 by hzoi