MyEvilTwin Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Alright! Yesterday I went on my first cache hunt. Being a total newbee, I picked of course something very easy. Quickly I figured out how to set a Waypoint on my Magellan 315 and I used the GOTO feature to find my way to the cache-waypoint. I located the exact coordinates and my distance to the waypoint read 2 feet. Great, I thought! But there was absolutely nothing that could even remotely resemble a cache. Is there an error margin I need to factor in when reading my GPS or am I totally blind or dumb? Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Would you settle for newbie? It takes some experience to spot every little sign and learn all the trick of where these things might be hidden. Plus when your GPs says 2' in reality your GPS is only accurate to about 20' normall. The person who hid it is only accurate to about the same degree. That's a 40' radius or an 80' diameter circle. In some places that gives you something like a million places to look. Try caches that are rated a 1 for difficulty. That still doesn't mean it's easy but at least the hider thinks it's easy. Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+dwmurphy Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 the GPSr is not an "exact" science. there is some error that can creep in that will throw off a reading (yours/theirs). I've had errors up to 50 ft. from the coordinates shown on my Unit. (Magellan MAP330) You will read logs that say they walked straight to it, and logs that will say 150 ft off. Think of the error as part of the fun. I'm not Lost, my GPS says I'm right here....no over here......no over here. Quote Link to comment
+CWL Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Yea, The typical GPSr is about 3 to 10 meters accuracy. So if you add up the margin of error between the cacher that placed the cache (10) plus yours (10) you could be looking at upto 20 meters. Usually they are within about 25 feet of what you see as 0ft on your GPSr. The best way to find it is to ask yourself "Where would I hide it" Remember we are trying to keep these caches hidden from Geomuggles but not impossible for us cachers so you might have a little trouble finding it. Keep trying you'll find it. If you still have trouble finding it try the hint if you've been out there several times and still havn't found it you might want to send the cache owner a note he will either give you an additional hint or go out and check the cache to make sure no geomuggle has ransacked the cache. Remember to log your No finds. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Don't beat yourself up to much. With practice, finding the caches will become easier. Also, there is a word for a cacher that always finds the cache. That word is 'liar'. I sometimes fail to find simple 1/1 caches. I just get out of 'cache mode'. Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again. Quote Link to comment
Seeker BP Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Something also to remember is that not all cachers stand on top of there caches when they set the coordinates. Some may stand away from the hiding area because it is so obvious. It pays to look around at all your surroundings. It could be anywhere!! Seeker BP Quote Link to comment
Lyra Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Everybody else that's already replied is correct, and you're going to go back out there and realize, once you've gotten all their advice, that you were about three feet from what you'll soon recognize as an obvious hiding spot. As one cacher put it (names withheld for obvious reasons...) if the cops were coming and you had to hide something illegal quickly, where would you put it? Look there and you'll find the cache. Go find it. Let us know if it's there! It was probably right under your feet the whole time. Always wear proper caching safety equipment! Quote Link to comment
+3cacheteers Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Are you sure you were hunting a regular cache?? Nothing harder than trying to find a cache only to realize later it is a virtual. Quote Link to comment
+Geo-Johnson's Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Been there, done that! We've done 43 caches....out of all of those, our GPS took us to the exact cache location maybe 2 times. The farthest that we found a cache from where the coords took us was 40 feet. We spent an entire hour looking for that one. But it was also a very good hide. With experience, you'll know what to look for. Difficulty rating is also in the eye of the beholder. I've seen some 1's that were not easy to find.......... Look in tree stumps, behind rocks and don't forget to look up every now and then. Once you find your first........you're hooked to the core. Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners. Quote Link to comment
+Prime Suspect Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Lyra: As one cacher put it (names withheld for obvious reasons...) if the cops were coming and you had to hide something illegal quickly, where would you put it? Look there and you'll find the cache. When I hide a cache, I try to look for the best place to hide it. Then I put it in the second best place. Let 'em spend 15 minutes looking all over that hollow log before they figure out it's hanging from a tree branch. Quote Link to comment
+Fatboy Slim & Rainey Belle Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 I always take a close look at the map to make sure that my GPSr and map agree on where the general location of the cache is. Check to see that your coordinate system matches the system used to set the cache...typically WGS84. 'A good traveler has no specific destination, and isn't intent on arriving.'-take pleasure in the journey Quote Link to comment
+jeff35080 Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Check out this cache: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=40125 Read the logs where I logged it. I spent about 5 hours total looking for a 1/1 cache. It was there the whole time, I just couldn't see the forest for all the trees. Don't give up, just keep searching! Happy caching! Jeff http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com http://www.NotAChance.com If you hide it, they will come.... Quote Link to comment
+Jamie Z Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Jeff, it seems the cache you referenced is a bit underrated... at least according to the logs: "Found the spot and spent 35 minutes looking. I think its gone" -BigDrano (posted a Cache should be archived note) "took myself and 5 others 30 minutes to find this one" -BigDrano (the next day) "We final found this cache, we have been out there about 3 times" -Bama-cachers (no no-find logs) "cache was WELL hidden. Looked for 30 minutes probably" -pillager "looked for this one yesterday for about 45 minutes...it may be missing" -Readymixer And that's not including Jeff's two no-finds and then the find. The Cache Rating System classifies caches this way: Two Stars-Cache could be in one of several locations. Hunter may have to look for a while. Three Stars-Cache may be very well hidden, may be multi-leg, or may use clues to location. Four Stars-Cache likely requires special skills, knowledge, or in-depth preparation to find. May require multiple days or trips to find. I think maybe the cache owner ought to revise the difficulty rating. I did notice that he logged his own cache as a find, so at least he's watching the cache. Heh. The point is that even 1-star caches can be hard to find... for a number of reasons. Jamie Quote Link to comment
+RB_Nielsen Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 The number one assumption is often that the cache coordinates are always golden, which is not always the case. In fact, it is highly probable that a healthy percentage of the published geocache locations are inaccurate because of the owner's methodology, and the circumstances under which they attempted to figure out the correct lat/long. Given the usual number of distracters that are active when one is attempting to determine an accurate lat/long such as tree cover, condition of the GPSr, various expertise levels of the geocacher using their GPSr, time of day, atmospheric conditions, etc., etc. and you have fertile ground for inaccurate coordinates being earnestly recorded and passed along through Geocaching.com as golden. So starting out believing that the geocache coordinates you just entered were accurately determined in the first place is in itself a fairly flawed beginning. That being the case, it should come as no surprise when your GPSr is dead on for accurately guiding you to the published lat/long yet the cache is not right under your feet. Failure is not your fault, the fault of a crappy GPSr, or even due to demons inside your GPSr but rather it is because the geocache you are seeking is really at different lat/long location. The best approach for seeking a geocache, then, is you just have to remain facile in your quest, and take into account all the many variables that are at play in the process. Chief among your reckoning should be the strong possibility that the coordinates you have taken from Geocaching.com are a bit phony. Quote Link to comment
+poksal Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 MyEvilTwin , I often use my GPSr to walk a circle around the cache. A circle of about 50 feet in dia. The arrow keeps pointing at the cache and as I walk the circle the hiding place usually becomes clear. I even found one hidden in a really clever place. In that case I kept walking up to the hidding place and say to my self, "It has to be right here", it was. ... In a hollowed out object. ** The worst suggestion of a life time may be the catalyst to the best idea of the century, don't fail to listen to suggestions. Quote Link to comment
+miuwu Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Me too thought it was going to be easy, since I had been stomping around the woods finding property corners for 20 years, but I have had to go back twice to find caches, and am still trying to find two others. Quote Link to comment
Cache'N It Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 I too have the Magellan GPS 315, and I think that the error margin can vary significantly depending on how many sat's it is averaging from. I can sit in my house and have the distance be anywheres from 2-30 feet off, however on my first Cache Hunt, which was today, I was darn near standing on it when it said I was there. When ya find the first one, You will be hooked, I was. I have about 10 more I am wanting to do tomorrow. (: Just keep it up, and you will feel the rewards of finding it. Good luck to you. Allen Quote Link to comment
+LoneHowler Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 I was on a cache hunt today my GPS wasn't giving me good readings on the map page it would say I was standing right on top of it then it moved away while I was standing still. I turned on the WAAS feature and found the cache several feet away from the spot it had originally indicated. the gps will not always give you a good reading when that happens sometimes you have to fall back on old easter egg hunting techniques More to see, More to do Quote Link to comment
+Rygel Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 I just failed at finding my first cache. Got some hints from another cacher so I'll have to go out again. My was having trouble getting to the spot my GPS was telling me to go. I was at about 125 ft and it just kept point back to this fenced in area. I didn't want to hop the fence. Quote Link to comment
Dale_Lynn Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 I just usually walk up to a cache and where my GPS says it is (within a couple of feet) put down my back pack (cache stuff) to create a "marker" and start a search pattern round the "marker". Lots of times you need to study area, look for something ordinary and natural in area that is not quite how nature would have placed it. Lots of times it is pretty obvious once you find something that is "not natural"... A couple of caches were exactly where GPS said it was, with in 2 feet, furtherest out has been about 15 feet... This is why it's a "high tech treasure hunt"... If you walked up to it, and it screamed "CACHE" at you it would be no fun.... Dale -------------------------------------------------------- I'm Diagonally Parked, In A Parallel Universe. -------------------------------------------------------- [This message was edited by Dale_Lynn on February 03, 2003 at 09:23 AM.] Quote Link to comment
+dogdoins Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 quote:The variable is in the variables The number one assumption is often that the cache coordinates are always golden, which is not always the case. In fact, it is highly probable that a healthy percentage of the published geocache locations are inaccurate because of the owner's methodology, and the circumstances under which they attempted to figure out the correct lat/long. Given the usual number of distracters that are active when one is attempting to determine an accurate lat/long such as tree cover, condition of the GPSr, various expertise levels of the geocacher using their GPSr, time of day, atmospheric conditions, etc., etc. and you have fertile ground for inaccurate coordinates being earnestly recorded and passed along through Geocaching.com as golden. So starting out believing that the geocache coordinates you just entered were accurately determined in the first place is in itself a fairly flawed beginning. That being the case, it should come as no surprise when your GPSr is dead on for accurately guiding you to the published lat/long yet the cache is not right under your feet. Failure is not your fault, the fault of a crappy GPSr, or even due to demons inside your GPSr but rather it is because the geocache you are seeking is really at different lat/long location. The best approach for seeking a geocache, then, is you just have to remain facile in your quest, and take into account all the many variables that are at play in the process. Chief among your reckoning should be the strong possibility that the coordinates you have taken from Geocaching.com are a bit phony. quote: Man!! I'm with him! Well said RB! My credo is "Wait 'til the GPSr gets goofy and start eyeballing". Have fun DD [This message was edited by dogdoins on February 02, 2003 at 04:53 PM.] Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.