GEEEz can't find a thang..

Hi There... Yikes...Took me 2 days of hell to get the maps imported and learn the ropes of my new Delorme PN 40 .. Down loaded 2 caches in the area today. Just hiked up the bald mountain one and was standing on top of where a cache was suppose to be... zero zero zero zero... So I went down to the Hobbs pond cache and stood in the middle of the road near the landing and it read 00 and zero zero.... How far away are these cache from where the GPS says they are suppose to be.??? There must be something wrong i'm doing.
Any help would be great to get me started.. I can see where i might not find the one on the mountain...but Hobbs pond ?? THANK YOU FOR SUGGESTIONS.
Eliza

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Originally Posted by ElizaDZ21

Hi There... Yikes...Took me 2 days of hell to get the maps imported and learn the ropes of my new Delorme PN 40 .. Down loaded 2 caches in the area today. Just hiked up the bald mountain one and was standing on top of where a cache was suppose to be... zero zero zero zero... So I went down to the Hobbs pond cache and stood in the middle of the road near the landing and it read 00 and zero zero.... How far away are these cache from where the GPS says they are suppose to be.??? There must be something wrong i'm doing.
Any help would be great to get me started.. I can see where i might not find the one on the mountain...but Hobbs pond ?? THANK YOU FOR SUGGESTIONS.
Eliza

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Dear Eliza,

One must use thy geo-senses. Understanding that your GPSr at its most accurate may still be off as many as several feet. You may be required to search a fairly sizable area, both high and low. Some hides are devious others may be obvious, those factors are usually outlined in the description or hint. Your GPSr is more than likely 'fine' and dependable and you should not question its ability but you may have to adjust your search patterns to adjust for the inherent inaccuracy of your unit that is true for all GPSr units. Also in keeping that your GPSr during search has a built in standard deviation so does the hiders GPSr which can compound the overall inaccuracy.

Trust thy GPSr, question your immediate search area for a likely spot. Hobbs Pond required some verticle adjuncts for me to reach. :-)

Cache on and good luck.

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Originally Posted by TRF

One must use thy geo-senses. Understanding that your GPSr at its most accurate may still be off as many as several feet. You may be required to search a fairly sizable area, both high and low.

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I'm not familiar with either of these caches, but have to reinforce TRF's comment about accuracy.

GPS units are a lot more accurate these days than they were 5-6 years ago, so you might want to consider how long the cache has been there when searching.

And even the bestest, newest GPS has good and bad days depending on the weather, tree cover, etc.

We've been caching many times when we've found the cache 50 or more feet from "ground zero".

:D:D

Or, try caching with a group. We went last month and there were 4 GPS devices in the group. Many times, all 4 indicated vast differences in the cache location. Three were Garmins and one was a Magellan.

Thanks You for the replies !!.....kinda what i thought, but was hoping for an easier fix :))
Interesting...we just bought the camp right next to the Hobbs pond cache. SOOO for the last month before I got the GPS...I searched all around those dang trees from zee water back to shore road...Every weekend i look and look and look.....its the journey not the destination...:0 THANKS AGAIN... Its fun !

There are so many factors involved. It not only depends on the accuracy of YOUR GPS but the hider's as well. Also, were they standing right on the spot when they took the reading? How many coords did they take before they averaged them out? Also, is it possible that it was a puzzle cache which often do not give their true coords? Generally with my GPS (which is a couple of years old) we start looking once we are within 20-30 feet or so. Sometimes we luck out and find the cache pretty much "at ground 0" but it is actually quite rare for us. Hints can be very helpful but also make sure you look over past logs as well because SOMETIMES that gives more clues than the actual hints do. Sometimes even the name of the cache can tell you something. I always recommend starting with relatively easy caches and careful with micros unless you have LOTS of patience. Lastly, look at each and every hide as a learning experience as you may encounter similar styles of hides again in the future. Hope this helps.

Do you have the GC numbers of the 2 caches that you looked for? That might help in maybe determining the problem you had and make sure the GPS is set to the correct datum as well too.

So, as the cache placer of this cache I ask first " Are you a munchkin?" If you are, you'll need help. If not, you might still need help. I'm 5'10', on a good day and I did not use any artificial devices to place the cache. If you read some of the logs, some cachers used very clever means to get to it. So...does that help? Some times it takes a little extra effort to "reach" your goal! Have fun!:)

You guys are soo funny with your .. philosophy / life jots ..
hmmm so... i will pull myself out of the snowy no- found ditch...and search, search, search...ill go up mt batty tomorrow and see if i cannot find another... anyone reading this have the PN40 ??..thanks e.

ohhhhhh there you are dubord 207......gonna git you for this :)))
Hell...we have been working on the camp and have plenty of things to get us 'Way out Yonder" or giant UP ....I will be embarrassed ,I'm sure when i find the SKY critter !!

Several things come to mind on this. First starting out is not easy alone. When I take people out on caching trips I will usually show them several hides of different size contains and types of hides to get them started. Size matters no matter what anyone says. Finding a nano is much harder than a large bucket depending on the location and cleverness of the hide.

Another thing is a cache can be very hard to find even if you have a lot of experience. The Oregon State nickname is one that only I have found with many people looking for it. I found it easy enough, but that most likely was just a good day for me. I have gone back to find caches months after looking the first time and found them without any trouble.

And I regularly find that a cache is 40 feet from where my GPSr is first telling me where it is. That is because sometimes it takes a minute or two for the GPSr to zero in on the location.

Give caching a little time and start out on ones listed as 1 difficulty and 1 terrain and this time of year ones that are winter friendly. As time goes on you'll know better what to look for and where, but then again some of the hides will be very hard to find no matter how good you get. I have seen very experienced cachers have trouble on caches that others find real easy. Don't give up. Just go have fun.

And admire the spots that caching takes you too and the people you may meet. Everything else is just a bonus.

OK...went back up today and found it !!!!!!!! Thanks all

Fantastic. That's one down and a million to go so far, so get going.

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Originally Posted by ElizaDZ21

OK...went back up today and found it !!!!!!!! Thanks all

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Way to go! Wait until you get really addicted to this...

This hobby will really grow on you before you know it. If your free, come meet some of us at this get together GC21H2B. I'm new here too and this will be my first event. Looking forward to seeing you there!