10 Rules On How To Get Good Coordinates

[+Huntnlady]

I haven't been looking at the forums in quite a while (been busy with school), but I came up with this and wanted some feedback for my website:

 

10 rules on how to get good coordinates when hiding a cache:

 

1. Make sure that the batteries in your GPS receiver are at full power. Trying to squeeze the last of the power out of your old batteries will give you bad readings.

2. See how many satellites you are getting for your reception. If you do not have at least four full bars, your coordinates will not be reliable.

3. It is difficult to get a good reading under heavy tree cover. It may help to hold the receiver up high and take a reading. If you can't get enough satellites, you may be forced to hide it in a different location. If you are absolutely married to that location in heavy shade, take a reading out in the open and mention that it is offset by so many feet- you will also need an explicit hint with this.

4. If you can, set the GPS receiver down and let it settle for two to five minutes before pushing the waypoint button. This helps you get a better reading.

5. Take at least three waypoints, preferably taking them after walking away from the cache for a short distance and then returning and letting the GPS receiver settle down.

6. Name your waypoints, and make notes about the location in the message box on your waypoint. This will be important in writing up your cache page.

7. Try to place the receiver on, or hold it directly over the cache.

8. When you have what you believe to be good waypoints, walk at least fifty feet from the cache and then pick one as the Go To Waypoint and follow it back to the cache. This is probably the best way to find out which of your waypoints are most accurate. Make a written note, or note on the waypoint which one is best.

9. Power Lines, radio transmitters, and geology with a heavy iron content will interfere with the accuracy of your GPS readings. Don't put your cache there. That's how we play the game- using the GPS receiver.

10. Last, but not least, DOUBLE CHECK the numbers of the waypoint as you enter it on the new cache report.

[+sept1c_tank]

I haven't been looking at the forums in quite a while (been busy with school), but I came up with this and wanted some feedback for my website:

No you haven't. Welcome back.

 

You might add:

“Last, but not least, DOUBLE CHECK the numbers of the waypoint as you enter it on the new cache report. And check to make sure you're using the correct waypoint.”

 

I know of an instance where a new cacher actually posted his home coordinates on his very first cache page. I know that because I was the FTF!

 

(Snazzy lookin' website, Huntnlady)

[+El Diablo]

That seems to cover it. Welcome back!

 

El Diablo

[+AtoZ]

Well you need to admend number 4 so far. If you feel so inclined ot set your GPSr to let it settle then you need to set it so the antenna is properly orientated. Vertical for quad helix and horizontal of patch antennas. To thy owen GPSr be true.

cheers

[+sbukosky]

3. It is difficult to get a good reading under heavy tree cover. It may help to hold the receiver up high and take a reading. If you can't get enough satellites, you may be forced to hide it in a different location. If you are absolutely married to that location in heavy shade, take a reading out in the open and mention that it is offset by so many feet- you will also need an explicit hint with this.

There often is a better way. If under thick cover, take the best average reading that you can and then walk to an opening that is directly on a cardinal heading from the cache. Use your compass for reference. Take a good, WAAS preferred, average reading at that point and verify that your cache's lattitude or longitude is identical to your out in the open coordinate. Now, judge the distance to the cache and see if your "distance to" is a reasonable match. You can fine tune that coordinate as needed.

 

Now a person can get a reading in a clearing and use their compass to pace off to the cache. They won't need the GPS from that point on.

 

No matter, as I'm a stickler for exactness (hope to have a survey quality gps sometime) I applaude you for doing this.

[+Renegade Knight]

Power lines always muck with your GPS.

 

I've never had an issue with battery power. Settling is a magellan thing due to whatever it's averaging function is.

 

And yes, do a reality check when you input your coordinates. Use the map to see if you are where you should be. I've saved a few cachers the trouble of asking me if my cache was really there by catching a stupid typo this way.

[+BadAndy]

I'd also add to make sure that WAAS is turned on.

[+Bear_Left]

I'd also add to make sure that WAAS is turned on.

With the caveat that you need to be in a place (e.g. the continental US) where WAAS works!

[+briansnat]

7. Try to place the receiver on, or hold it directly over the cache.

 

I find that if I can get a good signal 20-30 feet from the cache and a poor one standing at the cache, its better to move to where I can get the good signal and use that.

[+sbell111]

Where's that guy that was always telling everybody how to use a compass?

[+Lunaverse]

There often is a better way. If under thick cover, take the best average reading that you can and then walk to an opening that is directly on a cardinal heading from the cache. Use your compass for reference. Take a good, WAAS preferred, average reading at that point and verify that your cache's lattitude or longitude is identical to your out in the open coordinate. Now, judge the distance to the cache and see if your "distance to" is a reasonable match. You can fine tune that coordinate as needed.

Hey, wouldn't this also work as a way to get the actual coordinates of the cache when you're posting? Walk due north to the clearing (using a compass), write down the latitude. The go back to the cache. Walk due west to a clearing, write down the longitude...

 

I'm getting ready to place my first cache, and this is one of my concerns, so I think I'll try this.

 

Luna

[+AtoZ]

Where's that guy that was always telling everybody how to use a compass?

LOL, now be NICE. I know there was a war going of that issue but be nice.

cheers

[+StarBrand]

7. Try to place the receiver on, or hold it directly over the cache.

 

I find that if I can get a good signal 20-30 feet from the cache and a poor one standing at the cache, its better to move to where I can get the good signal and use that.

And then you adjust for the 30 feet?? Or do you move your cache the 30 feet? Or do you mention the 30 foot offset on the page? Or you just knowingly give it coordinates 30 foot off??

 

(disclaimer: here goes the war on GPSr accuracy....)

 

 

(I know - I know 30 foot is still inside the expected accuracy)

[+hellifiknow]

[snip]

10. Last, but not least, DOUBLE CHECK the numbers of the waypoint as you enter it on the new cache report.

Got to heartily agree with this one here!

On our most recent submission I inadvertantly typed in 42deg instead of 41deg. The cache was supposed to be about 50 feet from the Cuyahoga River. Turns out that 1 degree error put the cache right smack dab in the middle of the river further upstream. Fortunately, Keystone Approver caught it and e-mailed me right back. I still laugh at the prospect of the cache going through as written - those logs would have been great! "Got to the cache site and donned my neoprene suit. Waded out about 30 feet when I looked up and saw a coal ship 25 feet away and closing fast!"

 

So - yes - check that no typos occurred when you write up your cache page and thank your local approver when they catch your mistakes!

 

-hellifiknow

[dsandbro]

Been posted before but here's a couple of articles on GPS use out in the real world:

 

http://www.safnet.org/archive/0404_howtotriangulate.cfm

 

http://www.safnet.org/archive/702_howtogps.cfm

[+Marky]

7. Try to place the receiver on, or hold it directly over the cache.

 

I find that if I can get a good signal 20-30 feet from the cache and a poor one standing at the cache, its better to move to where I can get the good signal and use that.

I like sbukosky's method better, of taking the coords in a location where there is good signal, and then doing an accurate projection to the actual location. I think this works better in the long run.

 

--Marky

[+W7WT]

We just had a GPS Contest at a Spring Fling event. I spent a lot of time trying to get Ground Zero as accurate as possible using my Garmin 76C. I am not saying how accurate it was but didn't have any complaints from 38 contestents. Since the contest was held close to my home, I could easily get to it. At my home I used an external antenna on a 12 foot fiberglass pole and ran it down to my 76C powered by a small 12V power supply and let it run for hours with WAAS. We get #47 here. When the accuracy improved to around 6 feet I would set it to averaging where it would go as low as 2.4 feet. I was able to duplicate this on the contest site. In an upcoming GPS contest in August we will have both a Garmin site set by my 76C and a Magellan Site set by a MeriPlat. Contestents can choose which site they wish to plant their flag. We also use a N-S line so we can find

Ground Zero again. Then we measure both distance and bearing and record it and remove the flags. We will alternate sites and do the measuring on the inactive site.

Results of the last contest showed that the Make, Model or Geocaching experience

didn't seem to make all that much difference. In other words the inexpensive ones did just as well as the expensive ones. When it comes to Geocaching I believe that

experience is more important than the GPS. Dick,W7Wt

[+Miragee]

. . .

 

Results of the last contest showed that the Make, Model or Geocaching experience didn't seem to make all that much difference. In other words the inexpensive ones did just as well as the expensive ones. When it comes to Geocaching I believe that experience is more important than the GPS.  Dick,W7Wt

That is what I think also and just stated that in this post.

 

Since any GPSr will get you within approximately 30 feet of the reading of the cache hider's GPSr coordinates, the more important factor for finding the cache is refining your "Geosense" and experience.

 

I recently had six DNFs on new caches placed by the same people. I was in the area of the cache, but had never seen those types of containers hidden before, and no hints were included in the cache description.

 

Yesterday I found some of those containers (thanks to a tip from another cacher) and now that I know how those cache containers are hidden, I should be able to find them.

[+GRANPA ALEX]

I actually take a minimum of ten (10) readings, after walking away and returning from different directions . . . I find that the readings produce a high level of accuracy when extreme high & low readings are eliminated - the others will fall into place with the last digit varying only by 1 or 2 places. Coming back another time to verify has proven this to be a solution to inaccuracy.

[+sbell111]

I go to the location and set down my GPSr. I hide the box and then pick up my GPSr. I press the 'mark' button and then go home.

Edited May 13, 2005 by sbell111

[Jeremy]

This is an assumption, but I usually like to do a cold start before using the GOTO function on a GPS to "re-find" the location. Generally it helps you lock on to the satellites again so you can get an alternate read.