Maps & Grid references

[lucindasymmonds]

Hi All, I'm in the final phase of placing my first cache, but I am struggling with getting the map reference I need to go in the app.  I can't figure out how to get this from the Android app, any pointers?  I tagged the spot I want on google maps, but my husband advised the Geocache app wouldn't recognise it when I asked him to try it.  

 

I already have permission to place a nano (due to the site anything larger can't be used), and have the container ready.  I just need the final grid reference!

[+peter-tvm]

With map reference I suppose that it's the coordinates of the spot where the container will be placed you need to get?

 

There is nothing in the geoching app that can do this. Adding an waypoint to an existing cache and using these coordinates is the only way in the app.

 

It's therefore much better to download an app that can take an average measurements of the coordinates, like GPS point. 

Let the app measure the coordinates for 2 minutes save the result and come back 1 or 2 days later and to it again and see if there is difference. And maybe do an new measurement an other day if the result differs a lot.

 

 

 

[+TeamRabbitRun]

4 hours ago, peter-tvm said:

With map reference I suppose that it's the coordinates of the spot where the container will be placed you need to get?

 

There is nothing in the geoching app that can do this. Adding an waypoint to an existing cache and using these coordinates is the only way in the app.

 

It's therefore much better to download an app that can take an average measurements of the coordinates, like GPS point. 

Let the app measure the coordinates for 2 minutes save the result and come back 1 or 2 days later and to it again and see if there is difference. And maybe do an new measurement an other day if the result differs a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, this is exactly how it's done. There's no separate, dedicated function built into the app to discourage people from careless cache creation, but it can be done.

 

Stand at your spot for a long time, to allow your phone to settle down.

 

Then, open ANOTHER cache (ANY other cache), and open the WAYPOINTS section. Hit the PLUS SIGN to add a "MyWaypoint"; you'll see your current coordinates listed, in the correct format. You don't have to finish the "ADD" process, but if you do, it'll be a private waypoint on that cache only for you to see, so who cares?

 

You could, I suppose, add it, then refer to it when you get home to work on your new cache, then delete it.

 

Of course, the usual advice applies, regardless of how you get your coords. Let you phone settle down for a few minutes, and take multiple readings, approaching from different directions over a few days to get different satellite constellations and "average" the readings. Finally, test your coordinates by approaching from different directions and see if you end up at the same spot.

[+Max and 99]

4 hours ago, peter-tvm said:

There is nothing in the geoching app that can do this. Adding an waypoint to an existing cache and using these coordinates is the only way in the app.

 

The compass feature on the app shows you your current location. 

[+Shawna426]

And if your hiding spot is at all recognizable on a zoomed-in satellite view (certain corner of a building, near a cluster of three trees, at a curve in a path, etc.), enter your coordinates into Google Maps and use satellite view to review where it places the pin.  If it's off by a little bit, strongly consider adjusting your coords to match to the landmarks on the satellite map, as that's how it'll show in the app to finders.  Of course, if it's more than a few feet off from the coords you got by taking readings at the spot, you'll want to look into the discrepancy.  Maybe the google map is old and trees have grown or been cut, or maybe the satellites just weren't in your favor when you were measuring.

[+barefootjeff]

53 minutes ago, Shawna426 said:

And if your hiding spot is at all recognizable on a zoomed-in satellite view (certain corner of a building, near a cluster of three trees, at a curve in a path, etc.), enter your coordinates into Google Maps and use satellite view to review where it places the pin.  If it's off by a little bit, strongly consider adjusting your coords to match to the landmarks on the satellite map, as that's how it'll show in the app to finders.  Of course, if it's more than a few feet off from the coords you got by taking readings at the spot, you'll want to look into the discrepancy.  Maybe the google map is old and trees have grown or been cut, or maybe the satellites just weren't in your favor when you were measuring.

 

Google's imagery (along with others) has to be taken with a grain of salt, at least in this part of the world. When I was setting up my first Adventure Lab in 2020, I took coordinates on my Garmin Oregon 700 and then checked them against the NSW Government's SIX Maps high resolution satellite imagery. The red arrow shows where the actual sign on the lookout containing the location's answer is and the red flag marks where my coordinates are:

 

 

I was so concerned by this discrepency of at least 10 metres that I shifted the SIX Maps pointer to where the sign is, loaded the new coordinates onto the Oregon and went back out to do another check. The GPSr put the new location some 10 metres off the edge of the cliff, so I went back to my original coordinates which subsequently checked out well when I ran the AL in test mode and walked the route with my phone.

 

It's interesting to compare Google Earth's images of this same spot. The current (2019) image is so blurry as to be unusable, while the earlier images, although a bit sharper, are all over the shop when it comes to placing the coordinates at the lookout:

 

 

So by all means use the satellite images as a check on your measured coordinates, but if there's a significant discrepency, go back and check with your GPSr and if it confirms your earlier reading, trust it rather than the images.

[+TeamRabbitRun]

10 hours ago, Shawna426 said:

And if your hiding spot is at all recognizable on a zoomed-in satellite view (certain corner of a building, near a cluster of three trees, at a curve in a path, etc.), enter your coordinates into Google Maps and use satellite view to review where it places the pin.  If it's off by a little bit, strongly consider adjusting your coords to match to the landmarks on the satellite map, as that's how it'll show in the app to finders.  Of course, if it's more than a few feet off from the coords you got by taking readings at the spot, you'll want to look into the discrepancy.  Maybe the google map is old and trees have grown or been cut, or maybe the satellites just weren't in your favor when you were measuring.

 

No disrespect, but I would never do this. I don't look at satellite view unless I'm having trouble.

This is a GPS game, not a "find it on google maps" game. I think everyone expects the satellite views to be less accurate than actual coordinates.

If it's assumed that finders would use the pictures to find caches as the norm, then game becomes akin to "Go to the parking lot and look on the second lightpost."

 

So, I agree with Jeff as far as possibly using the pics as a location check, but not as a location source.

 

 

[lucindasymmonds]

Thank you all for your help and advice. Apologies it had taken me so long to get back to you, but life got in the way.

 

I will try the waypoint approach as the hiding spot will be a bench.

[+Mysterion604]

I only use a phone for Geocaching, but what I do is:

I measure a spot using multiple different apps which show GPS coordinates (my off-brand geocaching app + a trail / hiking app + a simple compass app), and then I average those.

Often I find I'm taking multiple readings using all these, at different times, and then average all of those readings too. "Measure thrice, hide once". 

 

If Google Maps shows your spot clearly from above, you can additionally use that to estimate the coordinates, by typing in what you think the coords are and then seeing where the map pin falls and adjusting it. My reviewers always warn me not to rely on Google accuracy exclusively; so really what I'm doing is just using it for confirmation that my GPS-measured coordinates are not out of whack, by aligning it with visible landmarks and so on. (Of course, if the cache location is in the woods, forget about it - this is really just for urban / open locations).  

 

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by mysterion604