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Support For A Frustrated New Boy Please


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Hello all,

I have just discovered this site and the "art" of geocahing but have hit a few hurdles.

1. The nearest cache to my home is, i recon, about 120 meters its the one in Malmesbury The Flying Monk II (Malmesbury, Wiltshire) but my GPS keeps losing coverage so as yet I have not found it. It may also heve something to do with me feeling self concious walking around a small town where I have lived for 17 years looking lost and carrying a GPS reciever.

 

2. I decided to try another cache, where I was a bit more anonimous but couldnt find it. My reciever got me to 0.04 m but I just couldnt see anything. This one is Waterworld (Glocs) and all the feedback states that they found the cache easily. Is it me?

 

My GPS is a fairly ols Garmin GPSII so only 8 satalites resieved but i would have thought it would do to begin with. I have it set up for position, hddd,mm.mmm and datum, ord survey, is the cause of my problems?

 

3. Caches are listed on the site in grid refferences, is it posible to convert easily to ordanance survey so i can relate it to my extensive collection of OS maps?

 

I think that should do to start with.

 

Many thanks

 

Ted

 

PS the handle behindthepub is because thats where the nearest cache to me is. :D

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2. I decided to try another cache, where I was a bit more anonimous but couldnt find it. My reciever got me to 0.04 m but I just couldnt see anything. This one is Waterworld (Glocs) and all the feedback states that they found the cache easily. Is it me?

No, it's just the way you have your GPSr set up.

 

The display format is right (dd mm.mmm) but the map datum setting is wrong. Set it to "WGS84" when homing in in the cache. You'll get it!

 

My GPS is a fairly ols Garmin GPSII so only 8 satalites resieved but i would have thought it would do to begin with.

 

More has been found with less... :D

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My reciever got me to 0.04 m but I just couldnt see anything. This one is Waterworld (Glocs) and all the feedback states that they found the cache easily. Is it me?

 

Hi welcome to the "Art"

 

Rest assured it will get better.

First I would like to be associated with the remarks of the previous speaker

and second, just check that the 0.04m may actually refer to miles I'm not sure that many GPS report to centimetre level, bear in mind that when they do you still need to look in at least a 10 -15 feet radius (sorry I'm still using the old money)

 

cheers

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It may also heve something to do with me feeling self concious walking around a small town where I have lived for 17 years looking lost and carrying a GPS reciever.

 

Stick it up to your ear every so often and talk to it. 'They' will think it's a mobile phone.

Welcome to the crazy house of us Geocachers. You will learn to love it. :D:unsure::D:o

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It's all to do with datums ! I too recently got into geocaching and have had success in finding the caches but I did find the datum stuff confusing.

 

Here is the thread I raised on the topic ... it may be some help ?! Alternatively, try searching for 'datum' there is loads of info here on the forums !

 

For my first cache, I tried to follow the pointer but was nowhere near. I found watching the coordinates converge on the site was the best way to get close, then it is a case of just having a look in the most/least obvious site around !

 

Happy hunting :D

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Hi folks, me again,

having established that I needed to re set the datum on my GPS I am looking foreward to trying again.

I now have another question.

There are many and varied items in the caches and they seem to get around a bit. Are they all "official" travel bugs with other items attached or are some just odds and ends that people have used instead. If the latter is true can these be traced like the bugs, ie on line through the siteand automatically, or do you just have to search for where they have ended up manually. :D

 

Thanks

 

Ted

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I may be wrong but only official travel bugs are tracked using geocaching.com. I did find a traveller called pingu in a cache I visited. Pingu wasn't a travel bug but he did have his own website where you could log his adventure.

 

There are loads of caches in Wiltshire. It seams to be a bit of a caching hotspot!

 

Dan

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:P Hi,i watch this topic with a feeling of happyness that what is about to happen....as i know you will find that cache,......as regards using etrex as mobile phone...nice one.hahahahahhhah ;) .................what about the effects on the brain........no brain in this game...just fun,bye
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Thanks folks, got my first cahe today [Waterworld (Glocs)]. All down to your good selves sorting out my GPS settings for me.

I ended up about 50meters from where I was looking yesterdayand found it easily.

 

Thanks again

 

Ted :o

There’s little that can be more satisfying then finding your first cache. :rolleyes:

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3. Caches are listed on the site in grid refferences, is it posible to convert easily to ordanance survey so i can relate it to my extensive collection of OS maps?

Click the Streetmap.co.uk link shown towards the bottom of the page and then zoom in. You can then use the map shown to mark a point on your own OS maps :rolleyes:

MarcB

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Thanks folks, got my first cahe today [Waterworld (Glocs)]. All down to your good selves sorting out my GPS settings for me.

I ended up about 50meters from where I was looking yesterdayand found it easily.

 

Thanks again

 

Ted :o

There’s little that can be more satisfying then finding your first cache. :rolleyes:

dadgum right! Well done!

MarcB

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There’s little that can be more satisfying then finding your first cache. :o

... apart from the three B's: beer, bacon sandwich, and a b*****b :rolleyes:

 

I was really lucky, my first cache was a challenging micro with 1* terrain, which I found with a couple of friends (who never went on to become cachers). If I had to do the same cache today (231 finds later), I'd still go "wow, nice cache".

 

Unfortunately it got muggled a few months later, and is now archived :o

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Nothing says Hitch-hikers have to be official travel bugs (Thanks Dunos for helping Pingu) but you have to track them yourself by email or something, Pingu just has a laminated note attached with a message ,email address, and web address to help him on his way, he now has an official TB out looking for him though.

I have to admit I find the postage on TB's a ripoff.

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