Heading and such for multi

[mtbcacher]

I am thinking of creating my first cache and I am going to make it a multi. I want each pointer cache to include heading (like 192deg for 1 mile) directions and miles to try and keep people on the trails. Has anyone done this and does it work?

 

Thanks

[+RGS]

I setup one like this several days ago called Waypoints R Us http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=16281

and another called Roman http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=15355 .

 

With Roman, at the last waypoint, I have a tag with the bearing and distance. The distance is only several hundred feet so following the bearing will keep one in a reasonable range for error.

 

In Waypoints R Us, there are no coodinates. The cacher uses the bearings to arrive at a trail intersection, an eagle cage, and finally the cache at a rockpile. The distances between the waypoints are 400-600 meters and they can find the correct spot with a little looking around. Even with that, there have been problems getting to the right location to make the waypoint.

 

That said, I would think a heading/bearing of 192 degrees at 1 mile could cause quite a bit of error. At 191 degrees instead of 192 for 1 mile, that point could be quite different. If you're trying to find a building or something, no problem. But if you're taking them to a spot under a rock or in a tree or something, I think it would be awful hard to find.

 

Just my opinion, but I still enjoy those kind of challanges.

 

Rich

 

quote:

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Originally posted by Tomas P. Dawson:

I am thinking of creating my first cache and I am going to make it a multi. I want each pointer cache to include heading (like 192deg for 1 mile) directions and miles to try and keep people on the trails. Has anyone done this and does it work?

 

Thanks

---

[mtbcacher]

The bearing is not to obtain an exact objective but to get them on a trail in a specific direction for a specified distance then there will be a trail intersection and the instruction will specify which direction to turn. I will still be using specific long/lat waypoints. I just want to keep people on the trails.

[+martinp13]

You can NEVER keep people on the trails. One deviation of the GPSr needle and CRASH!... they're in the trees, bushwhacking for all they're worth.

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo!

[+martinp13]

You can NEVER keep people on the trails. One deviation of the GPSr needle and CRASH!... they're in the trees, bushwhacking for all they're worth.

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo!

[+Renegade Knight]

I just did one and people are having all sorts of trouble finding it. It's a bearing of 307 feet from a point to the cache. The error of using a GPS and compass is pretty high. If you do a mulit I'd go with coordinates for each leg.

[+Jamie Z]

For an off-set cache as you describe, a good idea is to have the coords send the cacher to a known landmark. That way, even if the coords are off, the landmark can still be found. Then, send the cacher on a bearing from that landmark. With that technique, you'll eliminate GPS error on the front end.

 

Jamie

[peter]

And please specify if the heading is based on true north, magnetic north, grid north, or ??

[CaptHawke]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/03/20/north.pole/index.html

 

If you give a heading based on magnetic north it might be off in a just a few years. Yikes!

[CaptHawke]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/03/20/north.pole/index.html

 

If you give a heading based on magnetic north it might be off in a just a few years. Yikes!

[+unclerojelio]

quote:

---

I am thinking of creating my first cache and I am going to make it a multi. I want each pointer cache to include heading

(like 192deg for 1 mile) directions and miles to try and keep people on the trails. Has anyone done this and does it work?

---

 

For an offset multi like this, is it cheating to just have your GPSr create an offset waypoint and head for that waypoint? Or do ya hafta use a compass?

 

... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by, ...

 

unclerojelio

www.arlut.utexas.edu/~banks/geocache.html

[+unclerojelio]

quote:

---

I am thinking of creating my first cache and I am going to make it a multi. I want each pointer cache to include heading

(like 192deg for 1 mile) directions and miles to try and keep people on the trails. Has anyone done this and does it work?

---

 

For an offset multi like this, is it cheating to just have your GPSr create an offset waypoint and head for that waypoint? Or do ya hafta use a compass?

 

... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by, ...

 

unclerojelio

www.arlut.utexas.edu/~banks/geocache.html

[+jeremyp]

quote:

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Originally posted by CaptHawke:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/03/20/north.pole/index.html

 

If you give a heading based on magnetic north it might be off in a just a few years. Yikes!

---

 

That's the least of our worries. WGS84 is set up so that the average movement of the World's land mass is zero with respect to it. That means that individual countries are moving. The UK is moving North East for example.

 

In a few thousand years none of the current cache locations will be correct.

 

-------

jeremyp

We're going to need a bigger boat!

[+jeremyp]

quote:

---

Originally posted by CaptHawke:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/03/20/north.pole/index.html

 

If you give a heading based on magnetic north it might be off in a just a few years. Yikes!

---

 

That's the least of our worries. WGS84 is set up so that the average movement of the World's land mass is zero with respect to it. That means that individual countries are moving. The UK is moving North East for example.

 

In a few thousand years none of the current cache locations will be correct.

 

-------

jeremyp

We're going to need a bigger boat!