Can I Place A Cache With An Old Gps?

[Ben & JJ]

Hi,

I have an older GPS(Magellan Blazer 12) that doesn't have the the last digit of LAT/LION that most GPS's do, only .01.....not .001; It is great in UTM though and I have a cache that I feel MUST be placed, a location that has brought joy to my younger self and maybe 4 generations of "younger-selves" before me, but that soon will be destroyed. Right now it is my main goal to place a cache before this location is destroyed, though looking to the future I have several ideas that will be really cool as far as caches go....What should I do about coordinates? Assuming that I can't get a new GPS...should I look towards the community? Or should I just post in the most accurate format available to me?......So far I have met only one other (a couple)Geo-Cachers and they definatly seemed very distant, so the Geo-Caching community seems out. Also I won't be able to afford a better GPS for at least a year and by then this place/landmark will be gone.

Would you hunt a cache if you had to switch CO-ORDS system...maybe to UTM/ will geocaching.com even allow it?

Thank You....

P.S. sorry about spelling and grammar.....I'll fix it in the morning(as best as I can)

[+TeamTek]

I don't see why not....heck it's a free gps....

[+SixTen]

Well..I am not sure about the technical apects of your question...I can say that I am sure a lot of people are going to jump on you for considering a cache that will be temporary...

 

I admire you for trying to get a cache placed in an area that means something to you...and that you want to share that with other cachers...but as far as I know, I don't think it will get approved due to the temporary nature of it...

 

When the coments start coming in from the self proclaimed experts....and they start bashing you for considering this...just ignore them. (and yes they will come)

 

Keep caching and have fun

[+JohnnyVegas]

You can, but if people have lots of trouble finding it and there are lots of purple faces it may not get man hits.

[+Renegade Knight]

Use UTM then convert to DDD MM.MMM, if you don't have the means someone in the forums or a local cacher can do it for you.

[+SixTen]

Use UTM then convert to DDD MM.MMM, if you don't have the means someone in the forums or a local cacher can do it for you.

Oooh...good idea RK...never thought of that!

 

If you need help with that, just post the UTM coords here...I or any number of helpful people can convert them for you!

[Ben & JJ]

WOW, I wasn't expecting much reply..esp. within minutes.

This is a much faster reply than I expected...I don't mind people complaining in the forum. What I really am wondering is if YOU would play around with your GPS and change the setting to UTM.......and does geocaching.com allow you to post UTM only coords........I've always seen UTM coords on cache sites, but can you post ONLY UTM

thanks for your quick replys.

EDIT: Hmm, I wasn't aware that it was easy to convert UTM to LAT/LION......can you post a formula?.........I'm new to this, can you tell ..............?

Edited August 28, 2004 by Ben & JJ

[+º]

and does geocaching.com allow you to post UTM only coords...

Nope - not possible

 

Anyway - try G7toWin it can convert UTM to DDD MM.MMM. There's no easy formula to convert.

Edited August 28, 2004 by teamguzbach.org

[+eddthejailer]

i still have an old maggie 310 and i have set 2 caches out i just leave a note asking that the first finder e-mail me the last diget to me and they always do them i add it.oh you have to fill in the last nimber so i used 0's and explained this well on the page and to my approver and as soon as my finder e-mailed me the final coord i updated my page and droped the long appeal for the last diget...not the best way i am sure but it worked for me...lol

[+FtMgAl]

I would try http://lostoutdoors.com/newmap.html . Get close and then click on the exact location. You wil get the coordinates as DD.DDDDDD which can easily be converted to DD MM.MMM. If you have a clear view of permanent landmarks then on the huge 1 meter photo you can fairly easily get .001 minute accuracy. But you do have to have a clear view of a landmark at your cache such as a specific identifiable tree, etc. If you're in the middle of a forest it probably won't help so then I would use eddthejailer's method. If your GPS doesn't display the third digit in a minutes reading, are you sure the UTM reading is more accurate?

[BassoonPilot]

You could also place your cache to be accurate to only two decimal places. On the top of the cache page, list the coordinates for a hard-to-miss parking area, rounding the coordinates to three decimal places. In the body of the cache, list the coordinates in large type. One of my caches was of this type.

 

You might want to bump up the "difficulty" notch one star higher than usual, and if you believe in providing "additional hints," provide a dead-give-away.

Edited August 28, 2004 by BassoonPilot

[+CYBret]

Be prepared for the first finder to send you corrected coordinates, in fact if you ask for it in the first place I think people will be more than happy to help out.

 

One of our local newbies was having trouble with their coordinates being a little off and I noticed that their last digit was always "0." Turns out they were using a very old GPS. It wasn't much of a problem until one of their caches had coordinates that pointed right into the center of a 4 lane highway.

 

I was able to provide corrected coordinates for that one and another "old timer" around here went out with them and helped them correct their other caches. There are cachers in the area now looking for a cheap, newer GPS to replace their old one.

 

In short, there are a lot of people out there who love the game and will do what they can to help you out. Be sure to ask and always say "please" and "thank you."

 

Bret

[gm100guy]

Cord conversion site

 

If you look at the top of every cache page there is a spot to convert cords. This is the site that gc.com uses.

 

Get you utm cords and enter them here and convert to what is used to post a cache.

 

[+Rogue_monkey]

if you place it people will hunt it.

[virgo91967]

My old Magellan 310 is the same way.. only 2 decimal precision. What I anded up doing is using YTM format coordinates then popping over to www.jeeep.com to convert. Works very well. And , actually, Most days I find UTM coords to be very accurate, often to within a meter (3.25 feet).

BTW- I love my Maggie

[+SixDogTeam]

My old Magellan 310 is the same way.. only 2 decimal precision. What I anded up doing is using YTM format coordinates then popping over to www.jeeep.com to convert. Works very well. And , actually, Most days I find UTM coords to be very accurate, often to within a meter (3.25 feet).

I use a Mag 310, also-- I search and hide in UTM, it's VERY acurate. For hides, mark your waypoint in UTM, then convert using jeeep.com coordianate translator , when you get home, to get degrees/minutes for the cache report page.

[+shunra]

I have a Blazer12 with 2dec precision too, and used it for hunting my first 129 caches, and for placing quite a few, which people have had no trouble finding. I have always asked first finders to mail me their readings on their more accurate units, and I've adjusted my coords accordingly.

[+ChileHead]

You could probably estimate the last digit by walking North of your cache until the digit changes, and walking South of your cache until the digit changes, and ballparking where it lies between. Then do the same for East/West.

[4x4van]

Get your coordinates in UTM, then use Geocalc to convert them into DD MM.MMM

 

Make sure you are using WGS84 as your datum.