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Any tips for a first-timer? and Intro


Deckyon

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First, let me introduce myself. I am Brad, from Louisville, KY. I just bought a Magellan Meridian Platinum w/ 128 MB SD Memory card. I have downloaded a bunch of waypoints for some caches withing a half mile of my house. I plan on walking the park tonight with my wife and daughter (family outing) and would like some tips about both using the GPS unit and searching the area when I am "there"

 

---

Brad Buskey

deckyon@NOSPAM.msn.com

Magellan Meridian Platinum

 

[This message was edited by Deckyon on May 13, 2003 at 12:52 PM.]

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Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the obsession. icon_biggrin.gif If you have read your manual carefully and looked at the helpful pointers on this site you should have no problems with your first find. I have somewhat of an advantage in that when I get to about 5 meters (16 feet) on my etrex, I then release the hoard ie: my five kids who then find the cache in short order icon_smile.gif Have fun and Happy caching.

 

Work Smarter, Not Harder!

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read the FAQ and the boards. be gentle with the search- leave the area in good shape. don't take TBs unless you've read the instructions at least once. expect to be skunked sometimes. remember that anything can be a clue, and by the same token, many things are just extra noise.

 

and welcome. you are doomed now.

 

it doesn't matter if you get to camp at one or at six. dinner is still at six.

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quote:
would like some tips about both using the GPS unit and searching the area when I am "there"

 

Generally you're not looking for a cache. You're looking for a disturbance — something that looks man made, or somehow "not right" -- the unnatural pile of rocks, the suspicious cluster of brush or limbs, the shiny new galvanized bolt on the weathered 50-year-old telegraph pole (a micro I found once).

 

Trust your instincts. Look for places that YOU would hide something.

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I would take along a compass.When you get close

to the cache site you can read the bearing from

your GPSr and use your compass and estimate the

distance to the cache.You have to be moving for

the GPSr's needle to point correctly.The compass

allows you to stop and still know the direction

to the cache.

Regards

Seatrout

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Well I'm a n00bie too, but so far all the cahces I have gone after, I have found with the look for something that doesn't belong method. If you stop and look around when your GPS tells you you are close within x amount of feet usally for me 8feet, you can usally pick something up, or you will see a tree then search it for a hole. But as far as I can tell it gets easier with the more you find. So welcome aboard and like was said before your gonna have a good time.

 

texasgeocaching_sm.gif

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Hi.

 

I am from the UK and have created a Word Document regarding some of the finer points of Geocaching. You can get it from a link of the from page of my (Non-Commercial) Website:

 

Lassitudes Retreat

 

Hope it helps

 

Thanks

 

Chris

 

LASSITUDE- (noun) Tiredness and apathy: a state of weariness accompanied by listlessness or apathy[15th century. Via French from Latin lassitudo , from lassus 'weary'.]

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#1 - Stop Now. Once you start, you will be going crazy as you pass place after place wondering if there is a cache already there, or if you could hide one there. Every car parked beside the road represents a cacher in the woods... STOP NOW.

#2 - ALWAYS CARRY WATER!!!

#3 - BE PREPARED FOR POISON IVY if you are allergic to it. I have been blessed by our Lord in that I can roll around in the stuff and stay healthy and itch-free.

#4 - Maybe most important, TELL SOMEONE ELSE WHERE YOU ARE GOING, WHEN YOU ARE LEAVING, AND WHEN YOU WILL RETURN. This information could have saved that guy his arm a couple of weeks ago.

 

Other points: always mark your vehicle as a waypoint, the direct line to the cache is not always the best line to the cache, if there is a stream in the area you will cross it at least twice, ... I could go on.

 

The experience is half of the fun. Figure out the rest for yourself. Just be safe in doing it.

 

Adversity is certain, misery is optional.

texasgeocaching_sm.gifntga_button.gif

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Welcome to the hobby. With the MeriPlat, you won't need a separate compass as suggested here as you already have one built in.

 

You should however, go into the setup and change the following: Northern Reference to True, and Compass Orientation to GPS. This will get you closer to the Cache location providing you have a good satellite lock and get your EPE down to 30 feet or less. I'm new to the hobby, but the stats I've kept so far are 7 out of 11 put me on top of the cache. (It would have been 8 out of 11 if I include a DNF {Did Not Find} but was standing within 8 inches of it. I had to come back another day to locate it.)

 

When you approach and get near to the coordinates, take a few steps and wait a moment, and repeat until you are on top of the coordinates. Wait about 3-5 minutes in that one spot and just look around. Give the GPS a chance to settle down and start averaging your location. There will be a debate about how good or useless this is, but suffice to say this is how I'm getting my best results with the same receiver.

 

Cheers!

TL

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Went out tonight and found all three I was aiming for. the GPS got me to right on top of them (or as clos as physically possible) I am lucky enough to live next to a very nice state park with at least 3 caches. We walked tonight for over 6 miles, took 2.5 hours, to find 3 caches. It was too much fun, and I will be continuing to geocache. I have a plan on hitting 7 more on Thursday and 3 on saturday, unless I can find some new ones, and I will...

 

Thanks to everyone on the list who answered (and are going to answer) for even though I got most of them after we got home, they will help us later.

 

BTW, the Meridian Platinum has a compas that does not require me to be moving... I love this thing, and I am expecting to have the map software tomorrow... Can't wait to use it driving as well...

 

---

Brad Buskey

deckyon@NOSPAM.msn.com

Magellan Meridian Platinum

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As stated before, look around for possible hiding spots once you get to the location. Try and think like the hider...Where would you have hidden it?

 

I used to keep walking till I my GPS stated I had zero feet to go, then I would search. I have learned to take consideration for errors in MY gps as well as the HIDERS gps, so I now walk till my GPS says it is 20' away and I begin my search. I almost always find them within 10 minutes of searching.

 

Get yourself a nice backpack, a first aid kit and a couple emergency rain ponchos along with a few other survival necessities you may need to make yourself a nice cacheing bag to grab and go when you are ready to head out.

 

And do NOT go sticking your hands in any holes without first poking them with a stick. Im sure you would like to keep all 5 digits on each hand!!

 

Have Fun!!

 

TEAM SHIBBY!!!!

 

Krs, Kar & Na

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Congratulations.....you now get to learn the secret handshake!

 

The one thing I would add to all the great advice your getting is..

 

There are at least 360 different ways to approach a waypoint (cache)..You don't always have to follow the arrow on your GPS.

 

There is a cache near my house, that during heavy rains, folks keep posting that they got close, but couldn't reach it due to the high water...there is a road 5' behind the cache, but almost no one walks in on the road, they follow that darn arrow.

 

Ok, I'm going to add my 2 cents to those that mention letting your Plat average when you get close...when I get within 0 to 10 feet, I put my Plat down, then while I go looking, let it average for a couple min.. then if I haven't found it, I can usually sight along the arrow (now it's ok folks) and it will usually point to it....well, most of the time....Ok, some of the time icon_rolleyes.gif

 

____________________________________________________________

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

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quote:
Originally posted by mtnsteve:

 

Ok, I'm going to add my 2 cents to those that mention letting your Plat average when you get close...when I get within 0 to 10 feet, I put my Plat down, then while I go looking, let it average for a couple min.. then if I haven't found it, I can usually sight along the arrow (now it's ok folks) and it will usually point to it....well, most of the time....Ok, some of the time icon_rolleyes.gif

 

____________________________________________________________

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.


 

Yup... I've done that too, particularly on the tough hides. Only sometimes when I do this, I look a foot past my hand to see the cache. icon_biggrin.gif

 

Cheers!

TL

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mr lassitude,

 

i am also in the uk and struggling a bit with this geocaching thing! OK i'm thick i admit it

 

i have anquet software on my pc i print out the geocache info, how do i convert the cache location eg n 54 degrees 26.559 w 002 degrees 59.855 into something more meaningful like an os grid reference cheers mate, help a thicko - ta

 

I am from the UK and have created a Word Document regarding some of the finer points of Geocaching. You can get it from a link of the from page of my (Non-Commercial) Website:

 

http://www.lassitude.co.uk/

 

Hope it helps

 

Thanks

 

Chris

 

LASSITUDE- (noun) Tiredness and apathy: a state of weariness accompanied by listlessness or apathy[15th century. Via French from Latin lassitudo , from lassus 'weary'.]

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quote:
Originally posted by Deckyon:

First, let me introduce myself. I am Brad, from Louisville, KY.


 

Hi Brad!

 

I'm Chris, I'm also in Louisville, and I just did my first cache today. This thread has some great advice, so I won't bother repeating it.

 

I'm planning on going on a 4 cache round-up this weekend with a coworker, and since it's my job to supply the GPS and the knowledge of how to work it, I wanted to make sure I had set everything up ok.

 

I did the "Amphitheatric Altoids". This is a good, quick cache, if you need to do something relatively fast to check your technique.

 

DrMemory

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I posted this some time ago, but since it seems to be appropriate, here it is again:

 

Do not:

Do not mark the location of the cache with stones, flagging tape, arrows, cairns, etc... You found it without the extra help, so can everyone else.

 

Do not leave the cache exposed, unless you are absolutely sure that is the way the owner wants it.

 

Do not leave food in the caches. This includes dog biscuts, gum, Pez and cans of soda. It doesn't matter how well sealed the food item is. Just don't do it.

 

Do not leave heavily scented items like soap, candles, incense, pot-pourri, etc... The scents may be as interesting to animals as food.

 

Do not turn over, or move every rock and down tree in the area during your search. When you leave the area, it should not look like a cyclone went through. Besides, it isn't necessary and may tick off land managers.

 

Do not log it as a find if you didn't find it. It will confuse the cache owner and subsequent searchers.

 

Do's:

Do re-hide the cache well. Use the difficulty rating as a guide if you are unsure how well to hide it.

 

Do make sure you re-seal the lid. Many caches are ruined because someone failed to close the lid properly.

 

Do log your find on this website. It's a courtesy to the cache owner. It lets them know the cache has been found and their effort is appreciated.

 

Do let the owner know of any problems with the cache. You can do this through your log, or by e-mailing them directly.

 

Do log a "not found", if you didn't find it, no matter what the reason. It alerts the owner and other cachers that there could be a problem. A "not found" is nothing to be ashamed of. We all have our share.

 

Do try to leave the area around the cache as undisturbed as possible.

 

Do follow the trail where possible. Often a trail will turn away from the cache, then loop back in its direction. Resist the urge to bushwack. It won't save you much time and more often than not, you'll just run into the trail again.

 

Do try to make sure you aren't being watched. In high traffic areas, its a good idea to take the cache and move to another spot to make your trade and log in. Then return the cache to its hiding place when you are sure nobody's looking.

 

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln

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A tip I wish I had on the first outings -

 

Power on your GPS unit someplace with a clear view of the sky. If you are parking under the trees, you may have to "back-off" a bit for when you turn it on.

 

Once the GPS has a good signal, it will do better when the signal is partially blocked, like by tree cover.

 

You might want to check the threads for "what is in your backpack" for ideas of stuff to carry.

 

2 items I find usefull, due to blackberries in my area, are gloves and a long sleeve heavy shirt.

 

One bit of advice - Don't stay 'heads down' hunting.

Look around, enjoy the view and have fun.

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Bring water - always.

bring at least 1 set of extra GPS batteries.

bring a pen.

bring a gracery store bag for trash.

ALWAYS mark you car with a waypoint.

Have fun. If you aren't go home, and try some other day.

 

DustyJacket

Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case... icon_biggrin.gif

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