+PPTB Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 I downloaded a gps coordinate app for cache placement and did the averaging trick... popped the resulting coord into Google maps and was off by probably 30 feet. Another coord from the same method was almost spot on. Wife showed me how to drop a pin on Google maps and pull the coord that way. Without a dedicated GPS, how do you get accurate coords for your cache hides??? Quote Link to comment
+Goldenwattle Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 I take several readings and sit the GPS at GZ to allow it to settle. I find that the coordinates on Google maps are quite good for where I live and they usually closely match my Garmin coordinates, but according to some others, they claim that's not the case everywhere. However, wherever you are it's still a good idea to put them in Goggle maps to check the coordinates are in the right area, and not (I have seen this more than one) say 150 metres out. Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, PPTB said: Without a dedicated GPS You didn't say what you aren't without. So if I detail the best iPhone App that I've tested, and then you say you are also without iPhone, it's tougher to divine an answer for you. Although IOS and Android have "GPS Averaging" Apps that are kind of close to what I could do with a dedicated GPS, I greatly prefer the ability of a Garmin GPS to take many waypoints and save them individually, and I select a candidate or two. Each time I return to the intended cache spot, I check my selected waypoint to see if it's still a good one. An average of many points is... SURPRISE!... an average. But the results are not terrible in GPS Averaging Apps if you're diligent enough to put the actual work into doing "waypoint averaging". "GPS Averaging" isn't the best thing for everyone, it's actually more like a whole new level of complicated. “GPS Averaging” gives me coordinates I least like, but I'm not actually returning in all seasons, times of day, in all weather... it's a lot of work to do it, if one's plan is to do “GPS Averaging”. A suitable plan may be to instead take a whole bunch of individual points, and select the one that is most consistently close. I absolutely never use Google Maps to find my cache coordinates, and anyway my caches tend to be among trees in a forest, so I can't just drop a pin. If your waypoints are over 30 feet off all the time, how are you even finding caches? Whatever you're doing that gets you finding the cache (really good hints?), that's how you set up your cache page. If you can't get close by using methods that cause suitable precision (letting the GPS reading settle, choosing a likely point and testing it, whatever), finders may provide help, such as mentioning how far off you are. Or they provide coordinate corrections. If you see that in your cache logs, see what you can do to improve the coordinates. Good luck! Edited September 15, 2019 by kunarion 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 If you don't trust your coordinates, then test them. Enter your coordinates into your device, and then approach the cache location from at least 100ft/30m away. The arrow should point right at the cache location as you approach. Repeat the process, approaching the cache location from various directions, from at least 100ft/30m away each time. No matter which direction you approach from, the arrow should point right at the cache location. If it doesn't, then adjust your coordinates until it does. Bonus points for repeating the test on another day when the GPS satellites are in a different configuration. Also, the Help Center article How to Get Accurate Coordinates should prove useful. 1 3 Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 (edited) 32 minutes ago, niraD said: Enter your coordinates into your device, and then approach the cache location from at least 100ft/30m away. The arrow should point right at the cache location as you approach. Repeat the process, approaching the cache location from various directions, from at least 100ft/30m away each time. No matter which direction you approach from, the arrow should point right at the cache location. That's pretty much all I ever do, unless I'm playing around with “GPS Averaging” just to see what it does. I allow my GPS to settle down, save a bunch of waypoints, pick one candidate, then approach the cache from a few directions to test it, and that's it. Done in a few minutes. When I re-visit my intended hiding spot, I again follow my chosen waypoint. I like to get it as close as I possibly can, but even that first try is almost always just fine for Geocaching purposes. Not every “Phone” is ideal for precise waypoints, even when particular phones are compared. Some are faster than others, or jumpier than others. My iPad doesn't even have a GPS sensor, so it can be miles off, using what “Location Services” it has. You may get a dud, but the average smartphone is OK. You simply need to find a bunch of caches (or even set some waypoints and find them), until you get a feel for what your phone is telling you. Edited September 15, 2019 by kunarion Quote Link to comment
+arisoft Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 5 hours ago, PPTB said: I downloaded a gps coordinate app for cache placement and did the averaging trick... popped the resulting coord into Google maps and was off by probably 30 feet. Another coord from the same method was almost spot on. Wife showed me how to drop a pin on Google maps and pull the coord that way. Without a dedicated GPS, how do you get accurate coords for your cache hides??? I am using Garmin GLO to get accurate coordinates into my phone. When using a GPS receiver don't forget to raise it over your head and point the integral antenna (front side) toward the sky. If you keep the device in front of you, your body prevents the best reception. Quote Link to comment
+TriciaG Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 Keep in mind that Google Maps can be off, too. So you can look at it for a general idea (to make sure your coordinates aren't pointing to the other side of the world), but don't use it to get coordinates for your cache listing. 1 3 Quote Link to comment
+cerberus1 Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 15 hours ago, PPTB said: I downloaded a gps coordinate app for cache placement and did the averaging trick... popped the resulting coord into Google maps and was off by probably 30 feet. Another coord from the same method was almost spot on. Wife showed me how to drop a pin on Google maps and pull the coord that way. Without a dedicated GPS, how do you get accurate coords for your cache hides??? There's very-little difference in "accuracy" between phones and "dedicated" GPSrs today. - And "accuracy" for civilian GPS is still around ten feet. We find caches around twenty feet the norm in this hobby. We mark a spot. Go back to parking (or a good distance away if real far...), have a smoke, grab a drink, and head back by those coordinates. If real different, we'll mark the spot again. If way-off, we might do that a coupla times. We have a lotta iron ore, and hikers do call our area rocksylvania, so sometimes we'll even come back another day before we're comfortable to present it for publish. 1 Quote Link to comment
+arisoft Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 1 hour ago, cerberus1 said: There's very-little difference in "accuracy" between phones and "dedicated" GPSrs today. Right, the same math works in both devices. Only relevant change is the quality of the input signal, not the CPU. The antenna of iPhone looks this (the tiny part in tweetzers) Garmin GLO antenna looks like this (The huge blue part on the board) Do you know why Garmin is using so large part instead of the tiny replacement used in iPhone? Let me guess... it makes this device work in woods. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 14 hours ago, arisoft said: When using a GPS receiver don't forget to raise it over your head and point the integral antenna (front side) toward the sky. If you keep the device in front of you, your body prevents the best reception. I do this often but then on reading the above the thought came to me that searchers don't approach a cache holding their device at arms length in the air. So that raises a question in my mind that should I just hold my GPS normally as if searching? BTW I use the waypoint averaging function of my Garmin (sometimes I'll use two at a time). I'll do several averaged readings then when I get home I manually write them all down and average the averages. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+cerberus1 Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 1 minute ago, colleda said: ... but then on reading the above the thought came to me that searchers don't approach a cache holding their device at arms length in the air. So that raises a question in my mind that should I just hold my GPS normally as if searching? Don't know if this will help, but we have noticed (with a few handheld GPSrs), that if I keep my phone in a pants pocket and the GPSr on a belt clip, it'd be off sometimes a few feet. Happens often enough that when hiking, I've clipped the GPSr to a pack strap to be a bit further away. Doesn't seem to happen when the GPSr is away from the phone, so we kinda ruled out the worn, old bod (even with rods n screws). - So ... when we're nearing GZ, it's remove it from the belt clip, and hold in my hand "normally", whether searching or marking a waypoint. - I'm definitely not gonna get caught walking around like I give up/should be arrested with my arms in the air. Quote Link to comment
+arisoft Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 9 hours ago, colleda said: I do this often but then on reading the above the thought came to me that searchers don't approach a cache holding their device at arms length in the air. So that raises a question in my mind that should I just hold my GPS normally as if searching? Only if you want some extra challenge I approach caches with my arm raised. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+The A-Team Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 On 9/15/2019 at 1:11 AM, arisoft said: When using a GPS receiver don't forget to raise it over your head and point the integral antenna (front side) toward the sky. If you keep the device in front of you, your body prevents the best reception. Keep in mind that the antenna isn't always in the same spot. For example, the Garmin Oregon 600 and 650 have the antenna on the back, so you'll get the best results if you hold it upside-down. I don't know what genius at Garmin thought that was a good idea... 1 Quote Link to comment
+arisoft Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, The A-Team said: Keep in mind that the antenna isn't always in the same spot. For example, the Garmin Oregon 600 and 650 have the antenna on the back, so you'll get the best results if you hold it upside-down. I don't know what genius at Garmin thought that was a good idea... It is easier to read when the display is towards the user when the device is above your head. But did they remember to add this important information in the owner's manual? Edited September 20, 2019 by arisoft 2 Quote Link to comment
+BethDaddyKaty Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Except modern smartphones use a combination of different tools to assess location, from GNSS to masts to WiFi networks. Smartphone also tend to sacrifice some location accuracy by turning the GPS chip on and off. You can use apps which disable that, and use the GPS chip constantly, to get a better location. FWIW, I now use the MyGPSLocation app on my Android phone which seems no more or less accurate than my very expensive Garmin. But the phone can save the co-ordinates. 1 Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, daddybeth said: Except modern smartphones use a combination of different tools to assess location, from GNSS to masts to WiFi networks. Smartphone also tend to sacrifice some location accuracy by turning the GPS chip on and off. You can use apps which disable that, and use the GPS chip constantly, to get a better location. FWIW, I now use the MyGPSLocation app on my Android phone which seems no more or less accurate than my very expensive Garmin. But the phone can save the co-ordinates. I had an iPad for a couple of days before I figured out it had no GPS sensor. I bought it on sale without realizing it had very different specs from more expensive versions. It seemed very inaccurate, and very slow to update. Yet it did get new coords as I drove. Very tricky! It was actually pretty hard to figure out that it wasn't using "GPS" for the location updates, when digging around in the device settings and Apps ("inaccurate and slow" doesn't tell me that it's not using GPS, it could well be that the thing is a dud). This one uses "Location Services", and it decides what it will use. So you'll never see me around here insisting that, collectively, "phones" work comparably to a handheld hiking GPS. Not until we know more about the phone, and its installed Apps, and its hardware accessories. Edited September 22, 2019 by kunarion 3 Quote Link to comment
+NYPaddleCacher Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 On 9/21/2019 at 8:39 PM, kunarion said: I had an iPad for a couple of days before I figured out it had no GPS sensor. I bought it on sale without realizing it had very different specs from more expensive versions. It seemed very inaccurate, and very slow to update. Yet it did get new coords as I drove. Very tricky! It was actually pretty hard to figure out that it wasn't using "GPS" for the location updates, when digging around in the device settings and Apps ("inaccurate and slow" doesn't tell me that it's not using GPS, it could well be that the thing is a dud). This one uses "Location Services", and it decides what it will use. ":Location Services" is just a wrapper. It provides applications which need location information an interface which can be called without specifically getting data from a GPS, cell tower triangulation, or whatever a device is capable of using to determine location. This sort of abstraction is common in software development. The fact that it's called Location Services doesn't mean that it's *not* using an embedded GPS chip on the device. On an Android device Location Services are somewhat configurable. The end user might be able to set the location service to "low accuracy", which would not use an internal GPS even if one was available. Apparently "wifi" only version of iPads (at least earlier versions) did not include a GPS chip but "Wifi + Cellular" version did. Both used Location Services to provide coordinates to applications which asked for them. 2 Quote Link to comment
AIR BOSS 1 Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 On 9/14/2019 at 10:14 PM, PPTB said: I downloaded a gps coordinate app for cache placement and did the averaging trick... popped the resulting coord into Google maps and was off by probably 30 feet. Another coord from the same method was almost spot on. Wife showed me how to drop a pin on Google maps and pull the coord that way. Without a dedicated GPS, how do you get accurate coords for your cache hides??? Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 On 9/14/2019 at 10:14 PM, PPTB said: I downloaded a gps coordinate app for cache placement and did the averaging trick... popped the resulting coord into Google maps and was off by probably 30 feet. Another coord from the same method was almost spot on. Wife showed me how to drop a pin on Google maps and pull the coord that way. Without a dedicated GPS, how do you get accurate coords for your cache hides??? I'm anal about getting exact coordinates. I usually do about 4 or 5 coord readings at the site, walk away and then slowly walk to the cache hide, wait a few minutes for the coords to register and then take a photo of them. At home on the computer I'll type in the coords on google map and see which ones point to the exact location. It's a bit time consuming but fun! I love logs that say the coords are perfect! 1 Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 1 hour ago, HunterandSamuel said: I'm anal about getting exact coordinates. I usually do about 4 or 5 coord readings at the site, walk away and then slowly walk to the cache hide, wait a few minutes for the coords to register and then take a photo of them. At home on the computer I'll type in the coords on google map and see which ones point to the exact location. It's a bit time consuming but fun! I love logs that say the coords are perfect! There are many techniques, but that’s a simple way to do it. I return to the cache spot a couple of times to finish setting it up, and test my selected coords again. Yeah, the icing on the cake is seeing logs from finders say the coords are great. Then I know it’s fine. 2 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 25 minutes ago, kunarion said: Yeah, the icing on the cake is seeing logs from finders say the coords are great. Then I know it’s fine. Yes! Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 2 hours ago, HunterandSamuel said: At home on the computer I'll type in the coords on google map and see which ones point to the exact location. That doesn't help much for most of my hides like this one: Also be aware that there are places where the accuracy of the satellite images and maps isn't all that great, with discrepencies of 10 metres or more. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 19 minutes ago, barefootjeff said: Also be aware that there are places where the accuracy of the satellite images and maps isn't all that great, with discrepencies of 10 metres or more. I've seen examples where the calibration of the satellite imagery was off by more than 30m/100ft. The satellite imagery is well calibrated in many places, but not everywhere. It should be used as a sanity check, not as a way to confirm the exact coordinates. 4 1 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 On 10/20/2020 at 4:34 PM, barefootjeff said: That doesn't help much for most of my hides like this one: Also be aware that there are places where the accuracy of the satellite images and maps isn't all that great, with discrepencies of 10 metres or more. It has been accurate for me. I highly recommend it. 3 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 On 10/20/2020 at 4:57 PM, niraD said: I've seen examples where the calibration of the satellite imagery was off by more than 30m/100ft. The satellite imagery is well calibrated in many places, but not everywhere. It should be used as a sanity check, not as a way to confirm the exact coordinates. I never had a problem. 2 Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Also good in our area. Seems VERY rare that there are significant (like the example above) offset issues now except in very sparsely populated areas where the demand for corrective action might come up. It's easy enough to check for yourself for any given general area to be sure there aren't major issues that would keep you from depending upon the satellite view if it helps. Quote Link to comment
+NYPaddleCacher Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 3 hours ago, HunterandSamuel said: It has been accurate for me. I highly recommend it. Unless it's accurate for any cache, I don't recommend it. There are some places where the satellite imagery is intentionally skewed but hundreds of feet. I found a few caches in that area, one of which appeared on the map to be in the middle of a lake (it was a good 100' from the shore). Although not the problem that it used to, there used to be a lot of places in the world (this isn't just a game played in urban/suburban America) where the resolution was so poor it was difficult to even identify features on the map as a building. There also was an issue of cloud cover completely obscuring what one would see on the ground. This is an old image be it shows an area in Costa Rica (in a rain forest) where a cache was placed. The coordinates were actually pretty accurate but were about 30 feet from a 200' steep drop into a river bed. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Obviously if the imagery isn't good to begin with in some area, it won't be very useful. Each CO should perform their own test in their own area to see if this particular tool is dependable enough for use. 1 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 On 10/22/2020 at 8:23 PM, NYPaddleCacher said: Unless it's accurate for any cache, I don't recommend it. There are some places where the satellite imagery is intentionally skewed but hundreds of feet. I highly recommend our method. We use it after taking the coords at the location. Never had a problem with this method. Sorry you do. 1 Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 From the Geocache hiding guidelines: Quote Get accurate GPS coordinates. GPS usage is an essential element of hiding and seeking caches. The cache owner must visit the geocache location to get accurate coordinates with a GPS-enabled device. 2 Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Yes, yes, Darin, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with using GE as a double check (particularly against fat fingering, which happens) when it is accurate in a CO's area. Especially true when in urban canyons where reception can be very sketchy to begin with. Please note that the OP said "I downloaded a gps coordinate app for cache placement and did the averaging trick..." Quote Link to comment
+NYPaddleCacher Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 3 hours ago, HunterandSamuel said: I highly recommend our method. We use it after taking the coords at the location. Never had a problem with this method. Sorry you do. So essentially you're saying that because it's not a problem for you, it's not a problem. There are a lot of caches hidden in densely wooded areas where satellite imagery would bot be sufficient to identify a location specific enough to derive an accurate set of coordinates. Not everyone geocaches the same way you do. You don't seem to get that. 3 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 2 hours ago, ecanderson said: Yes, yes, Darin, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with using GE as a double check (particularly against fat fingering, which happens) when it is accurate in a CO's area. Especially true when in urban canyons where reception can be very sketchy to begin with. That's fine if you're just using it to make sure you're in the right general area, but using it to fine-tune the last few digits isn't a good idea. Here's another example of the discrepencies I recently came across when setting a location for an AL. The lookout on the edge of the cliff has a 360 degree view of the sky and my GPSr reading was rock-steady while standing there, yet the high resolution satellite imagery on the NSW Government's SIX Maps site put my coordinates about ten metres out. The plaque on the lookout is where the yellow arrow is pointing and the red flag is where SIX Maps thinks my coordinates are: Google Earth's much lower resolution imagery seems more consistent with what I measured with my GPSr but it's a bit hard to tell on that just where the lookout is: In light of the discepency, I visited the location three times on three separate days, using both my GPSr and phone to make sure what I had was right and the error really was in the SIX Maps imagery. Curiously, the other locations in that AL appear to be within a couple of metres on SIX Maps so there's probably just an alignment error on one of their tiles but, with most of the area being either tree tops or ocean, it's a bit hard to spot. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Your complaint is with the NSW maps, then? And GE demonstrated that your placement was as you had hoped? Granted, you say GE gives some problems in your area (obvious when there are clear, visual tile alignment issues), but it clearly worked well enough in this case. I certainly never see any 10m errors anywhere around here, much less 30m errors, but they have clearly made some effort at tile alignment here, too. One thing that users of GE far too often don't think to check is the imagery DATE, and perhaps their use (or disuse) of the history slider when viewing their bit of territory. More recent imagery is far more likely to be quite accurate, not to mention at a better resolution. An image that hasn't been updated for a decade or more is another story, and is more likely to contain errors. Good alignment seems to happen anywhere that one finds more developed areas - possibly DUE to requests for better imagery products in those areas, they are also more frequently updated. Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 (edited) 40 minutes ago, ecanderson said: Your complaint is with the NSW maps, then? And GE demonstrated that your placement was as you had hoped? Granted, you say GE gives some problems in your area (obvious when there are clear, visual tile alignment issues), but it clearly worked well enough in this case. I certainly never see any 10m errors anywhere around here, much less 30m errors, but they have clearly made some effort at tile alignment here, too. One thing that users of GE far too often don't think to check is the imagery DATE, and perhaps their use (or disuse) of the history slider when viewing their bit of territory. More recent imagery is far more likely to be quite accurate, not to mention at a better resolution. An image that hasn't been updated for a decade or more is another story, and is more likely to contain errors. About two or three years ago, Google downgraded the resolution of their imagery in this area from something similar to what I get on SIXMaps to just a blur that's for the most part useless. To the north-east, there are still regions with higher resolution images but those are dated 2016, the latest (2020) ones are all low resolution. Even their historical images are now blurred so it's probably a marketing or "security" thing. Edited October 25, 2020 by barefootjeff Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Weird. Wonder why they did that? How do the GE images look in the more populated areas of NSW? They're at fantastic resolution here. You can identify very small features like a telephone pedestal (the little cans in yards) and individual overhead electrical wires, and very easily follow very small dirt paths around natural areas. It makes planning access to geocaches a heck of a lot easier, especially in the mountains where trail maps aren't always as complete as we'd like. You could just about give names to most of the rocks, and this shot is randomly chosen way out in the boonies of a national forest. Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 6 minutes ago, ecanderson said: Weird. Wonder why they did that? How do the GE images look in the more populated areas of NSW? It varies a lot. Here's the boundary north-east of here with the older high-resolution image on the right and the new improved version on the left: Sydney still has the higher resolution images, for example this is the ferry wharf at Watsons Bay on the harbour in which the name on the ferry is easily read and the shadows of the individual railings along the walkway are clearly visible. Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 On 10/24/2020 at 7:28 PM, NYPaddleCacher said: So essentially you're saying that because it's not a problem for you, it's not a problem. There are a lot of caches hidden in densely wooded areas where satellite imagery would bot be sufficient to identify a location specific enough to derive an accurate set of coordinates. Not everyone geocaches the same way you do. You don't seem to get that. Not at all. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone. It takes skill and a good eye. Perseverance. You don't seem to get that. 1 Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 10 minutes ago, HunterandSamuel said: On 10/25/2020 at 10:28 AM, NYPaddleCacher said: So essentially you're saying that because it's not a problem for you, it's not a problem. There are a lot of caches hidden in densely wooded areas where satellite imagery would bot be sufficient to identify a location specific enough to derive an accurate set of coordinates. Not everyone geocaches the same way you do. You don't seem to get that. Not at all. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone. It takes skill and a good eye. Perseverance. You don't seem to get that. Okay, with your skill and good eye you should be able to pinpoint where on this satellite image the cave is... I'll even give you a hint - it's somewhere near the middle. 2 2 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 9 minutes ago, barefootjeff said: Okay, with your skill and good eye you should be able to pinpoint where on this satellite image the cave is... Dear, that went over your head. My coords are perfect due to my method for my cache hides. The original CO of this post was asking for advice. I gave her my method. It works. So, where are your coords? . 2 Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 4 minutes ago, HunterandSamuel said: Dear, that went over your head. My coords are perfect due to my method for my cache hides. The original CO of this post was asking for advice. I gave her my method. It works. So, where are your coords? The coordinates I took with my GPSr for the cave are where I've indicated with the arrow. So am I close? 1 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 1 minute ago, barefootjeff said: The coordinates I took with my GPSr for the cave are where I've indicated with the arrow. So am I close? Oh, gee. Guess you need to use another method. 2 Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 1 minute ago, HunterandSamuel said: Oh, gee. Guess you need to use another method. That's what everyone's been trying to tell you. Your method might be fine in urban streetscapes, assuming the satellite images are correctly aligned (which is a big if in many parts of the world), but the satellite's of no use at all in forested areas where all you can see are the tree-tops. Most of my hides are in places just like that one. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 (edited) 4 minutes ago, barefootjeff said: That's what everyone's been trying to tell you. Your method might be fine in urban streetscapes, assuming the satellite images are correctly aligned (which is a big if in many parts of the world), but the satellite's of no use at all in forested areas where all you can see are the tree-tops. Most of my hides are in places just like that one. I don't care what "everyone" was trying to tell me. The CO asked how to get accurate coords and I told her my method. It works for me. I then post the coords with my cache hide. No one had a problem with finding the hides. Edited October 26, 2020 by HunterandSamuel 2 Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 Just now, HunterandSamuel said: Oh, gee. Guess you need to use another method. That's pretty much all of mine, obscured by tree cover. I have two models of handheld GPS, so that might help me be confident of my coords. But while setting up my new cache, if either GPS returns me to the same spot within 10 feet or so, it's probably right. The OP didn't mention how they are getting coordinates, but did mention "averaging", which is not something to play around with, on the assumption that a bunch of points that are by definition NOT where the cache is, will magically be accurate if averaged. They are the average of a lot of points, and the real way to perform "averaging" is an art and very technical. It's not a button click and done. And after a ton of work, you get a point that you could have gotten quickly as I (and others in this thread) already mentioned. But the OP had a point that may be 30 feet off, and another that seems closer. Depending on the cache, either one may be fine for Geocaching purposes. 1 Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 1 minute ago, HunterandSamuel said: I don't care what "everyone" was trying to tell me. The CO asked how to get accurate coords and I told her my method. It works for me. Fine, but you then went on to say "It shouldn't be a problem for anyone. It takes skill and a good eye. Perseverance. You don't seem to get that." You don't seem to get that it doesn't work for everyone. It won't work for you either if at some time in the future you go to place a cache in a forest or in an area where the satellite tiles aren't accurately aligned. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 1 minute ago, kunarion said: But the OP had a point that may be 30 feet off, and another that seems closer. Depending on the cache, either one may be fine for Geocaching purposes. True. But I'm anal about my coords. I personally would not want my cache to be 30 feet off. 1 Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 3 minutes ago, barefootjeff said: You don't seem to get that it doesn't work for everyone. It won't work for you either if at some time in the future you go to place a cache in a forest or in an area where the satellite tiles aren't accurately aligned. I think you are putting too much thought into my method. If someone tries it and it doesn't work for them, then so be it. Give it a rest. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, HunterandSamuel said: True. But I'm anal about my coords. I personally would not want my cache to be 30 feet off. My first cache was likely no more than 4 feet from the actual coordinates. I tried everything I could think of, plus I passed the spot every day as I walked in the park, and checked it frequently. Just for gee-whiz. Nobody cares if it's 30 feet off or "0" feet off, at least not when there are only so many likely spots upon arrival, plus a description and hint. Just ensure there's an extra distance cushion, so there's no saturation issue later. So it's possible that I'll find it anyway. But if it IS 30 feet off or more, I probably won't say in my log that the coords are great. Edited October 26, 2020 by kunarion Quote Link to comment
+HunterandSamuel Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 23 minutes ago, kunarion said: My first cache was likely no more than 4 feet from the actual coordinates. I tried everything I could think of, plus I passed the spot every day as I walked in the park, and checked it frequently. Just for gee-whiz. Nobody cares if it's 30 feet off or "0" feet off, at least not when there are only so many likely spots upon arrival, plus a description and hint. Just ensure there's an extra distance cushion, so there's no saturation issue later. So it's possible that I'll find it anyway. But if it IS 30 feet off or more, I probably won't say in my log that the coords are great. In my area, people care about accurate coords and if they are off, they say it in their log. It's equivalent to a NM. lol 1 Quote Link to comment
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