Man, I Need Help

[+Sommers]

Couple problems I have, sometimes my GPS says I am 2 feet (or closer) from cache with a 17 foot degree of error, then all of a suddon it says I am anywhere from 10 to 150 ft away with same degree of error. Two questions how do you compensate for suddon shifts? And If I am placeing a cache should I confirm coords with compass and map, because if my GPS is 20 feet off and someones GPS who is trying to find it is 20 feet off, thats a big area. I have only found 1 cache and when I found it my GPS said I was still 45 feet away.

Somedays when I want to go out I head outside turn on my GPS and it says "accuracy 150 feet" and I give up, that is just too big an area to look in, i can get that close just by using the maps on the site. Any ideas? It is an E-Trex.

Thanks Sean

[+Torry]

These things aren't precise, and the little yellow eTrex is the Volkswagen of the GPSr's. (I'm not being a snob, that's what I use.)

 

Canopy (leaves, branches), clouds, your head, etc. all will block part or all of the signal.

BE PATIENT.

Move slowly in one direction in a square pattern to "zero in" on the location.

 

Often when I am having problems I will set the unit down on a prominent location near my best guess and leave it alone for a moment. Light a smoke, take a drink, call back to the raccoon. Try not to hover over the unit. Let it get a good grip on a signal and see where and how far away it shows.

 

ALSO, keep good, fresh batteries in there. It is probably pscychological but I seem to get my best signal when the batteries are good and new. Don't bother with the cheapie dollar store batteries, they poop out too soon.

 

To summarize; Don't lean over the unit. Don't keep marching around following the arrow. Don't expect it to guide you right in at a trot.

[+Torry]

When setting a cache:

 

I will set the unit down as close to the location as I can and let it sit a minute BEFORE hitting the "MARK" button. Then label it , walk about 30 feet away, come back, set it down and repeat. Repeat a third time. Remember hit the "MARK" button AFTER it has set a few.

 

I'll then use the "Nearest cache" function to figure out which entry was truest. Or average them if I can't come to a conclusive decision. Walk away from the cache and then go find it again. Do it until youare comfortable with your co-ords.

 

DO NOT TAKE THE FIRST SET OF CO-ORDS THAT YOU CREATE TO POST FOR YOUR SITE. One of those techno-geeks with the high-dollar GPSr will whine about your rotten co-ords. Walk away from your cache and double-check the accuracy.

Edited April 21, 2004 by Torry

[+Cool Librarian]

That's an excellent way to get a good reading. I have found that I get the best reading when I let the GPSr sit a few minutes at the caches site before hitting mark. Repeat two or three times. I hadn't thought about using the "nearest" feature - good idea. Typically, I walk away and then do a go to after each mark and use the closest (or average).

 

Try to put out your caches on nice clear days.

 

Lately I have noticed that the signal does not settle for several minutes. The past few weeks I have had very poor readings and heading when hunting, with a lot of "sudden shifts." Use the clue if you get frustrated. The longer you do this, the more apparent "classic hides" will be.

 

Good Luck! And remember, this is supoosed to be FUN! Don't get too worked up over bad signal days, and don't let anyone take the wind out of your sails (especially in some of the forums).

[+Torry]

...

 

Lately I have noticed that the signal does not settle for several minutes. The past few weeks I have had very poor readings and heading when hunting, with a lot of "sudden shifts." Use the clue if you get frustrated. The longer you do this, the more apparent "classic hides" will be.

 

Good Luck! And remember, this is supoosed to be FUN! Don't get too worked up over bad signal days, and don't let anyone take the wind out of your sails (especially in some of the forums).

I've had some bad days, too. That's where I got my "weak battery" theory. Good, strong batteries seemed to help on the bad days.

 

The biggest problem I see, especially when I head out with my kids and their friends is that they'll hunker down over the GPSr and try to chase the arrow all over the place.

 

On extra-bad days I'll get a good fix on my cardinal points and set the GPSr down in a few different spots and triangulate. This proved extra-useful in thick forests where I'm lucky to get any kind of signal.

 

The Geo-Chronics can be pretty nasty in the forums, logs and when you're out caching with them and their big-buck, multi-antenna, all-the-bells-and-whistles NASA-approved newest toy. Just chill.

[magellan315]

When I get within 30 feet of the cache I have a regular compass with me and set it for the bearing that GPS says I should move in. The compass keeps me moving in a straight line and I use the GPS only for the distance to the cache reading. This has really helped me find most caches.

[+Smitherington]

Good question and good answers.

Another thing I suggest is to do several finds before you do a hide. You will learn from each one.

[dsandbro]

A short article on improving reception.

 

http://www.safnet.org/archive/702_howtogps.cfm

[+Ed Rad]

I learned from experienced cachers to get to about 20 feet, and put the GPSr in your pocket. I have used that method ever since with much success. Stop, look around and check out the immediate area. By using your caching senses, you can usually find the cache. The more experience you gain, the better you will get at picking out spots that are most likely to contain the cache. Good Luck!

[solokayak]

I had a similar problem on my first Cache about 2 days ago. I happened to know the area and found it without a problem but the cords I had and what the Gps showed didn't come very close to matching. I was given a retired Garman Gps 45xl a week ago and have wanted to try my hand at Geocaching. I don't know how good the Garman is but I've worked with it over the last few days and have found that patience, practice and Lurking around on the forums is helping.

[superwes]

I am new to all of this too, and like TORRY I have been triangulating with improved results. It helps that my three young sons are helping me with this. When we get to within 30-40ft I hold my gps (garmin V,what better way to blow five bills) out in front of me and take 3-4 steps in a straight line. Then I have one of the boys point in that direction of the gps arrow. I do this from 3 different places, if the vectors don't meet then I repeat the errant one to see if I get the same result. Each time I have done this it has gotten me to within 5ft of the cache.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

Here's someone with a different idea. I never average, ever. I make sure I have good satellite readings first and then move the gps back and forth a few times to see if the readings stabilize. When they settle and don't change that is when I hit mark. I hold the gps high above my head to make sure there are good readings. If my strength meter isn't registering a lot of strong satellites I move on regardless of how cool the hidey hole is.

 

Then I turn the gps off, start it back up, wait until I get all my satellites and see how close the gps leads me to it. If I'm happy I'm done.

[+crzycrzy]

Triangulation here...

Wherever possible, I go about 50 feet in one direction, then another, then another...

(Meaning from about 50 feet or so TOWARDS the cache area.)

Then like magic, I come right up to the area it is hiding in.

Edited May 4, 2004 by crzycrzy

[+macatac1961]

I kind of like the 'margin of error' factor. I've done a bunch of caches and very few are within single digits of GZ. What fun would it be if the gizmo directed you to the exact spot? I've seen logs about people complaining that the coords are way off, well that's part of the game. If you get mad because you can't find something that was intentionally hidden, maybe your playing the wrong game. I wouldn't worry too much about exact coordinates. This game is about finding something, not someone handing you something. I use the same method as Cool Librarian when hiding, and it seems to work ok. Just keep hiding them.

Edited May 4, 2004 by macatac1961

[+briansnat]

And If I am placeing a cache should I confirm coords with compass and map, because if my GPS is 20 feet off and someones GPS who is trying to find it is 20 feet off, thats a big area. I have only found 1 cache and when I found it my GPS said I was still 45 feet away.

 

45 feet off is quite normal. It really isn't that big an area. One way to zero in is to walk past it and keeping the needle pointed to your right, walk a big circle around the cache. This way you can figure out that the cache is somewhere in the middle of that circle.

 

When placing a cache, I no longer average. I did it for the first few I hid a cache and found it to be a waste of times find it to be a waste of time. Now I do it kind of LB & MM, short of holding the GPS over my head.

[+JeepCachr]

I kind of like the 'margin of error' factor. I've done a bunch of caches and very few are within single digits of GZ. What fun would it be if the gizmo directed you to the exact spot? I've seen logs about people complaining that the coords are way off, well that's part of the game. If you get mad because you can't find something that was intentionally hidden, maybe your playing the wrong game. I wouldn't worry too much about exact coordinates. This game is about finding something, not someone handing you something. I use the same method as Cool Librarian when hiding, and it seems to work ok. Just keep hiding them.

The coord's are supposed to be as accurate as possible. People trampling a bigger area than necessary isn't good for the game. Some people place to much emphasis on the hide. You have to balance the hide against what is good for the area.

 

The game started as a celebration of the removal of the intentional error that the goverment introduced.

[+crzycrzy]

Gotta chime in here...

 

When I first started playing, there was a similar post and I said then and still agree...

 

If inaccurate coordinates are good enough, then I have a cache hidden somewhere in California waiting just for you.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

As for me, I say put the best coords possible on it, and do a better job hiding it if you want to up the ante on finder's difficulty.