Getting coordinates under tree cover

[sbukoskyParticipant]

Just to be clearer, this is intended
for those HIDING a cache or waypoint.

When you are under dense enough cover that you can’t get any reading or one that has a huge error radius, try this, if applicable. If there is a clearing near your waypoint that you can get a decent error radius, like 20 feet versus 60 foot or so, find your distance and bearing from the waypoint with a compass and either measuring or estimating the distance. If at all possible, be exactly either east of it or west or north or south. This way you can punch in a waypoint and adjust the latitude or longitude to correspond to the actual location of the waypoint by adding or subtracting the third decimal in the waypoint coordinate. After adjusting it, change the function to “GO TO” and it should point to the correct spot and show the correct distance. If not at a right angle to it, you will have to fiddle with both latitude and longitude.

While you can seldom have spot on coordinates, you can get close enough to minimize frustration. Also, when you know correct coordinates are going to be tough, I suggest using an easy to find landmark near by and give a bearing and maybe even a distance from that as a hint.

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Steve Bukosky
Waukesha

[This message has been edited by sbukosky (edited 08-11-2002).]

[Cheesehead DaveParticipant]

Uh oh, Steve… Bad experience hunting a cache?

Usually when I hide mine, I leave the container in the car first and go scope out the spot, then mark a waypoint. I go back to the car, get the cache, and then see if the coordinates I marked get me to the same spot. If I get to within 20 feet or so, then that’s acceptable to me. If not, then I start to make adjustments as necessary to my set waypoint until it’s set correctly.

I’ve started bringing a compass along with me, so I can also walk a distance away from the cache and make sure that the GPS needle (after finding north with the compass) points to the cache from a couple different locations.

While I don’t try to get the coordinates so exact that people can walk right up to the cache (What fun is that?) I certainly also don’t want to put people 75 feet away from where then should be searching. (What fun is that? )

[sbukoskyParticipant]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cheesehead Dave:
While I don’t try to get the coordinates so exact that people can walk right up to the cache (What fun is that?)

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Actually, that is my goal, when combined with usable hints. For the rest of the story, read my log at “Glacier Hills”

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Steve Bukosky
Waukesha

[arfferParticipant]

If we head out on a hunt and realize we left the compass at home, we quit and go back home. On the other hand, if it was the GPSR we left home, well we’d probably still try hunting with just the compass

Seriously, we can’t understate how usefull a compass is in geocaching. As for loss/poor signal under tree cover, we haven’t experianced that yet, but thanks for the tips Steve, we’ll keep them handy!

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