Newbie... Question About Coordinates

[JerrySuhrstedt]

Ok... so is a standard cache that is at a specific set of coordinates supposed to be actually at that location? I.e., is it like within a 20'-50' radius?

 

Also... will my Garmin 60cs GPS actually be accurate to those coordinates? Or... is it safe to say that while I may be at the actual coordinates, there will still be some error within 20' or so.

 

I spent about an hour looking for a supposedly easy cache but I was using the MAP screen on my GPS and watching the arrow take me to the location. Should I be looking at another screen... like Distance to Dest? Actual coordiates?

 

Also... one last question... "How the heck do you find a GC with trees all around you blocking your GPS and then you can't get any readings??????"

 

Signed,

 

confused

Edited May 23, 2004 by JerrySuhrstedt

[+WeightMan]

A better screen to use would show the arrow along with distance and bearing to the cache. You can change to data blocks on the 60cs to show the ones most helpful to you. I like to keep at least distance, bearing, heading, and accuracy showing.

[+SixDogTeam]

The cache coordinates are the location of the cache, to the best of everybody's ability. If you lose your sat signal in heavy canopy, go to a spot where the sun shines on your GPSr to re-aquire it.

[+baloo&bd]

Get away from using the map. Either do like was sugested above with the arrow or bearings or do Like I do and rely on the bearing "readings" (the coordinate readout).

 

There are many factors that affect the accuracy of both your GPS and the GPS of the individual placing the cache. Weather, Foliage, GPS brand, etc. However they are generally within a 10 foot radius, give or take a few feet.

 

Anything more than that, look at the logs to see if anyone else is having the same difficulties. You should also drop a note to the owner with either a picture of where you found it or a good description. On rare occasions, some well intentioned individual may have put it back in a place slightly removed from its original location.

[+Carl LaFong]

I am using a plain yellow eTrex (no maps) but I've discovered that once you're close to the location it's better to monitor the distance to the target, or the current coordinates versus target coordinates, and not chase the arrow.

 

And when you're more or less within the distance that's the current error/uncertainty level, the GPSr has done its job and it's time to look around and think where a container of the kind you're looking for might be, or where you might put one if you were hiding it.

[+briansnat]

Your GPS has a margin of error and so did the GPS of the person who hide the cache. So if your EPE is 30 ft and the person who hid it also had an EPE of 30 feet, the cache could be as much as 60+ feet off from the what your GPS says is ground zero.

 

Some tips for hunting under heavy tree cover. First, turn the GPS on well before you enter the woods...preferrably on the drive there so it can figure out where the sats are. If you flick it on in the woods, it may have a problem finding all the sats and reacquiring them if you do lose them. As long as it knows where the sats are, it will reacquire them quickly if you do lose them.

 

Second, make sure you're holding the unit in its recommended position for best reception. For instance the eTrex likes to be held flat and face up. Not sure about the 60CS.

 

Next, if you lose reception go to an open area, or one with a thinner canopy to regain it and finally, bring a compass. Use the compass to take sightings and keep moving in the correct direction in areas where you lose signal.

 

You really shouldn't lose a signal unless you're under extremely heavy leaf cover and even then, you should get it back quickly. If you continue to find this to be an issue, you may have a defective unit.

Edited May 26, 2004 by briansnat

[+Jared_and_Tanis]

Another method for finding caches in a wooded area:

 

I approach the cache until I get within a few feet and my chase arrow (I have the yellow eTrex) starts changing directions as I get within the average coords. If I can't find the cache right away, I walk away a few hundred feet and approach the cache from another direction, and then again from a third if needed. This usually gives me a smaller area to seach around in. (I think this is basically triangulation with a GPS). And as a side note, yes, the eTrex much prefers to be held face up and flat.

[+BGunner01]

I spent about an hour looking for a supposedly easy cache but I was using the MAP screen on my GPS and watching the arrow take me to the location. Should I be looking at another screen...

 

A new 60CS huh? .... Excellent Choice!!

 

I recently upgraded from a Legend to a 60C and, as much as I hate to admit it, could not figure out how to get the "red direction arrow" to display on the compass page of my new unit. The compass dial would display, but not the red direction arrow. After a couple of days of playing with the unit, reading the directions over again, and thinking maybe my GPSR wasn't fuctioning correctly, I called Garmin.

 

They quickly educated me that when a user wants to "find" a waypoint or geocache and activates the "GO TO" button, that a second little menu comes up requiring selection of either "FOLLOW ROAD" or "OFF ROAD". I was so enthralled with the autoroute feature of the unit that I always selected "FOLLOW ROAD" and stayed on the map page. I didn't realize that once I get to the general area of the cache, I needed to repeat the waypoint or geocache selection process and then select "OFF ROAD" to get the red arrow to display on the compass page like I was used to seeing on my other GPSRs. DOH !!

 

I don't know if you were / are having that problem or not on your compass page, but I wanted to share the info because once you are in the general area of the cache, you want to use the compass page with directional arrow rather than zooming in on your map page.

 

Hope this helps someone a little.....

[Swagger]

I didn't realize that once I get to the general area of the cache, I needed to repeat the waypoint or geocache selection process and then select "OFF ROAD" to get the red arrow to display on the compass page like I was used to seeing on my other GPSRs. DOH !!

Shortcut: You can re-select "follow road" or "off road" by hitting the Menu button and choosing "Recalculate". It saves you from having to go through the find waypoint/goto process again.

[+itsmetom]

I thought that with the 60cs all you had to do is attach a long leash and the unit will lead you to the cache

[JerrySuhrstedt]

It's my understanding the 60C has a compass that only gives you a direction as you are moving, i.e. it must use actual travel to calculate. It also doesn't have an altimeter.

 

The 60CS has an electronic compass that actually works like a normal compass and it has the barometric altimeter with it also.

 

According to Garmin, that's only diff between the C and CS.