Help with coordinates

[+teza1]

Looking for help to learn how to do the coordinates thing so I can create my own hides. I have of coz read what is available online but I still cannot get it right so if there’s someone in my local area of Colchester Essex that could teach me it would be much appreciated ?

[+Max and 99]

40 minutes ago, teza1 said:

Looking for help to learn how to do the coordinates thing so I can create my own hides. I have of coz read what is available online but I still cannot get it right so if there’s someone in my local area of Colchester Essex that could teach me it would be much appreciated ?

What are you using to find geocaches?

[Darwin473]

There's already instructions available on the proper way to collect a good data set, I think you're asking about how to get the actual numbers.

 

If you go to Google Maps on a computer / laptop, pick a spot that's approximately where you want to place your cache you can right click and get an initial latitude and longitude. This will give you a rough starting point which will let you know if you're in the right ballpark. For Colchester, you should be around 51°53'N 0°54'E with the last few numbers on each being determined by where around Colchester you're looking to set up.

 

There are a number of different apps (such as Coordinates for iPhone or Lat Long Location on Android) which will show you the latitude and longitude of where your phone is. With most of these apps, the limit is the hardware in your phone and a good way to get a reliable number is to keep the phone stationary for a few minutes each time you want to record the number. Then walk away and come back from a different direction and do that again. You should record the numbers that you get, and return at various times during the day / night as atmospheric conditions can lead to slightly different numbers.

 

The ideal solution is to use a purpose built GPS unit, though if you don't have one, then I suggest asking two or three friends to bring their phones so that you can get numbers from several different devices (again, at various times). All the numbers you collect are then averaged out so that you can be reasonably certain that the number you provide on your cache page will allow many different people with many different devices to reliably arrive at the same location.

[+teza1]

11 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

What are you using to find geocaches?

I have tried google maps that put me 30 miles away from where I was, I also tried using the compass on my iPhone but it just gives 1 number, so I just don’t get it

[+teza1]

12 minutes ago, Unit473L said:

There's already instructions available on the proper way to collect a good data set, I think you're asking about how to get the actual numbers.

 

If you go to Google Maps on a computer / laptop, pick a spot that's approximately where you want to place your cache you can right click and get an initial latitude and longitude. This will give you a rough starting point which will let you know if you're in the right ballpark. For Colchester, you should be around 51°53'N 0°54'E with the last few numbers on each being determined by where around Colchester you're looking to set up.

 

There are a number of different apps (such as Coordinates for iPhone or Lat Long Location on Android) which will show you the latitude and longitude of where your phone is. With most of these apps, the limit is the hardware in your phone and a good way to get a reliable number is to keep the phone stationary for a few minutes each time you want to record the number. Then walk away and come back from a different direction and do that again. You should record the numbers that you get, and return at various times during the day / night as atmospheric conditions can lead to slightly different numbers.

 

The ideal solution is to use a purpose built GPS unit, though if you don't have one, then I suggest asking two or three friends to bring their phones so that you can get numbers from several different devices (again, at various times). All the numbers you collect are then averaged out so that you can be reasonably certain that the number you provide on your cache page will allow many different people with many different devices to reliably arrive at the same location.

Yes I read all that online and tried to do the phone thing but it only gives me 1 number which I don’t know what to do with, the google is a total disaster because it put me 30 miles away from where I was actually standing. What I really need is someone to show me how’s it’s done, asking a lot maybe but haven’t tried 3 times I know I’m doing something wrong but I don’t know what 

[Darwin473]

The app "Coordinates for iPhone" which I linked to in my first post will show you the lat/long on your iPhone.

 

As you have a Premium account, you can see your current lat/long in the Geocaching app.

 

Open the Geocaching app, click on any cache on the map, open up that cache to look at the details, near the bottom you should see an option marked "Waypoints". Clicking on that should give you a new screen, and a plus symbol. If you click on that plus symbol, you'll get a new screen which will let you add waypoints but at the bottom it'll also show you the lat/long of your current location.

 

If that location is way off from where you know you are, there may be an issue with your phones' GPS chip. Make sure you are outside with clear skies and no large structures nearby to give yourself the best chance of getting a good reading.

[+kunarion]

2 hours ago, teza1 said:

Looking for help to learn how to do the coordinates thing so I can create my own hides. I have of coz read what is available online but I still cannot get it right so if there’s someone in my local area of Colchester Essex that could teach me it would be much appreciated ?

 

Get the Official Geocaching App, and get familiar with finding caches using it.  On the Compass screen of The Official Geocaching App, you see a live update of your current coordinates.  Stand at your desired cache placement spot, and you see the coordinates for that spot.  Type exactly that into the web page when creating a cache.  You can even save that waypoint in The App, to return and check for precision (to test how close it gets you to the desired spot each time).

 

There's also an app for iPhone called "Commander Compass" that has a free version.  Select the Geocaching coordinate format in the app's settings, and you see your current location.  The paid version allows easily saving several waypoints, so you can check them at the spot to see which one is best.  It's handy for quickly reading coordinates without having to do it through The Official Geocaching App, but either App may be OK.

 

I have so much trouble with my iPhone 8's precision, I use a Garmin handheld instead for taking waypoint snapshots.  I save a bunch and select the waypoint that seems most consistently close.  There's also an averaging feature, but that opens a whole can of worms if you want to use it right (and if you don't want to use it right, the closest waypoint from a bunch of snapshots is probably good enough).

 

Can you go Geocaching with somebody, or go to a Geocaching Event?  Someone could show you a simple way to get a decent set of coords.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[+cerberus1]

I'd add to Unit473L and kunarion's helpful posts to say find a separate "waypoint averaging" app as well.   

And agree on Commander Compass. 

Many issues we see with new hiders with phones is they use only that one set of coordinates, thinking they're accurate.

Future finders showing 40+ foot difference shows they were only using the coordinates once n done.

We leave and return to that spot a few times, sometimes a day or two later, to be sure the coordinates are "accurate".

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by cerberus1

[+teza1]

2 hours ago, kunarion said:

 

Get the Official Geocaching App, and get familiar with finding caches using it.  On the Compass screen of The Official Geocaching App, you see a live update of your current coordinates.  Stand at your desired cache placement spot, and you see the coordinates for that spot.  Type exactly that into the web page when creating a cache.  You can even save that waypoint in The App, to return and check for precision (to test how close it gets you to the desired spot each time).

 

There's also an app for iPhone called "Commander Compass" that has a free version.  Select the Geocaching coordinate format in the app's settings, and you see your current location.  The paid version allows easily saving several waypoints, so you can check them at the spot to see which one is best.  It's handy for quickly reading coordinates without having to do it through The Official Geocaching App, but either App may be OK.

 

I have so much trouble with my iPhone 8's precision, I use a Garmin handheld instead for taking waypoint snapshots.  I save a bunch and select the waypoint that seems most consistently close.  There's also an averaging feature, but that opens a whole can of worms if you want to use it right (and if you don't want to use it right, the closest waypoint from a bunch of snapshots is probably good enough).

 

Can you go Geocaching with somebody, or go to a Geocaching Event?  Someone could show you a simple way to get a decent set of coords.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Thank you for the advice. Just been doing this a couple of weeks with my grandson so early days. I have the geocaching app so have followed earlier advice about using the waypoint on any cache and so have set new coordinates on our first hide fingers crossed

[+teza1]

4 hours ago, Unit473L said:

The app "Coordinates for iPhone" which I linked to in my first post will show you the lat/long on your iPhone.

 

As you have a Premium account, you can see your current lat/long in the Geocaching app.

 

Open the Geocaching app, click on any cache on the map, open up that cache to look at the details, near the bottom you should see an option marked "Waypoints". Clicking on that should give you a new screen, and a plus symbol. If you click on that plus symbol, you'll get a new screen which will let you add waypoints but at the bottom it'll also show you the lat/long of your current location.

 

If that location is way off from where you know you are, there may be an issue with your phones' GPS chip. Make sure you are outside with clear skies and no large structures nearby to give yourself the best chance of getting a good reading.

Thank you for the advice, have done what you said with the app so hopefully my first hide will get approved now, 4 time lucky ?

[+teza1]

Thank you to all who replied. I have finally done it and my first cache has been published so very happy about that. The best thing is to use the waypoint on the app but as a newbie I wasn’t aware you could do that, I expect there is lots of things I don’t know about the app. Anyway thanks again everyone.

[+ecanderson]

I would reiterate the reiteration of advice above ^^^

"I'd add to Unit473L and kunarion's helpful posts to say find a separate "waypoint averaging" app as well.   

And agree on Commander Compass. "

 

Marking a waypoint with your phone isn't a very accurate way of determining the location of your cache.  That 'snapshot' may be somewhere in the ballpark, but if you are looking for accuracy, you want a good averaging app and to use it more than once.  At a minimum, it would be good if you now went back to your cache a couple of times and checked to see how closely the waypoint numbers agree with what you have posted.

 

 

[+Max and 99]

5 hours ago, teza1 said:

I have the geocaching app so have followed earlier advice about using the waypoint on any cache and so have set new coordinates on our first hide fingers crossed

Congrats on your first hide and it being found!

[+SamLowrey]

5 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

Congrats on your first hide and it being found!

I didn't pay attention to the location but was reading the log on the FTF and knew right away it was somewhere in England.  :-) 

[+teza1]

7 hours ago, SamLowrey said:

I didn't pay attention to the location but was reading the log on the FTF and knew right away it was somewhere in England.  :-) 

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