How far is too far to look from GZ?

[Trekkin and Birdin]

While we’d all love to have a true ground “zero,” it almost never happens. We will expand out even more than your poll, as far as 80-100 feet at times. If it’s within 30 feet, we figure that’s good, within margin of errors and variation between units.

[kc9gbo]

Had to expand my search quite a bit yesterday on a few caches that I did, just kept at it until I eventually got lucky or found it. I think a couple I was a good hundred feet from where the gps said it should have been. I was about to give up but knew they had to be there as someone found them recently, but with the rain and cloud cover it was not fun to wander farther and farther.

[Sagasu]

I try to get the accuracy down to under fifteen feet on most of our caches, especially waypoints for multis, sometimes tweaking coordinates over time if I get consistent feedback to make a slight change. Hardly ever happens, though I have gotten one or two logs that say the coordinates were off by 16 feet, or something like that and I just laugh, especially after several others logged previously that the coordinates were dead on. I do like to see the “coordinates dead on” comments, and have gotten quite a few as I usually take at least three readings on a new cache before submitting, and then check at intervals for a while to be sure the tectonic plates haven’t shifted. 🙄 We lean toward non-urban, non-micro caches, so the difficulty is usually based more on a subtle and muggle-proof hide than soft coordinates. With a few exceptions, most of our caches are intended to be able to be found easily enough on the first attempt.

How far I would go off my GPS ground zero to look for a cache is a totally different matter. I’m in the hundred foot range like some others, and have gotten FTFs at over a hundred feet off. Even got one with labrat_wr that was in the hundreds off. I guess it depends on how far I can see, and if it’s a regular sized cache or a micro in the woods. 😯 If it’s a micro in a park with only two trees and a trash can it doesn’t seem to be an issue. Sometimes it’s fun to just leave the GPS in the car and go check out some spots based on where you think it would be. There are diffeerent standards and styles on accuracy (and different equipment) so sometimes you can get to see a pattern with a certain hider’s style, sometimes even a tendency for their equipment to lean one direction or other compared to your own.

[Trekkin and Birdin]

Had to laugh at Dave’s comments, as Trekkin’ had a FTF on one that was about a half mile off. Where the coordinates took him made no sense, but knowing the town and thinking about the clue, he took a little jaunt down the road and found it. The cache owner had reversed a couple numbers in listing it, which sometimes happens. I know others who’ve had similar experiences.

Trekkin’ has “semi-retired” from the FTF madness, so these things are less likely to happen now, others can run around and get things straightened out. He claims he’s thinking more like the old bull who tells the young one to wait….then we can do ’em all! 😉

He’s accepted he’ll never catch zuma, anyway! 🙄

[SammyClaws]

Normally, we will look in a 20 ft radius for a cache. Then expand out from there. If we find it beyond that, we will normally post something in our log that we found it a ways off from our ground zero. More often than not, we are not the only one having problems with the cache. Environmental conditions change everything though, then we just chalk it up to bad reception.

[hogrod]

I usually look only about 40ft from ground zero before I give up, If your coordinates are averaged there is no reason I should have to look farther than that. I post averaged coordinates on caches I consider off. If they are out in the open I would expect them to be within 20ft, if they are in the woods or any cover I would expect them to be under 35ft.

My gps is not the only thing I base coordinates being off on, we use two different gps models/brands so they both have to show they are off. Next We take a ton of waypoints at ground zero and when we get home we compare our waypoints to the listed cache coordinates on a map. Funny thing is everytime I do this our new averaged spot is in the exact direction and distance the posted coordinates were off.

You can even use projection to get coordinates more accurate, mark/average a waypoint in the closest spot to your cache that has a open view of the sky. Next get the compass bearing from your waypoint to the cache, now measure the distance to the cache.
You can use the projection function of the gps to test the coordinates this gives you, or you can wait until you get home to use your PC. Obviously the closer you are to your cache the more accurate this will be, I probably wouldn’t try anything over 100-200ft distance away.

[The Crippler]

I am with Sammy Claws in that if I feel a cache is more than 30 feet off I usually post in my log that the cache was X feet away from MY ground zero. This way, by mentioning that it was my GZ that I have potentially notified the cache owner of a problem with his placement or my GPS unit. 😆 Since I usually do not go through the logs of caches I am searching for I have no idea if others have posted the same difficulties.

Other times it is just understanding the cache placer’s style. Certain area cachers I expect to be at least 30 away from my GZ.

How many times have you cached with a group of cachers at an event and looked up to see different groups looking 50+ feet apart? When someone finally says they found it are you surprised where everybody is?

[amita17]

I voted for the high end, but agree that I would have voted higher if that were an option. It depends on the cache for me, but I always take into account my limited caching experience, my low-end GPSr, how much time I have, and previous logs. When my GZ takes me to an open grass patch, I will try to search a nearby area, but often I give up if it is not more accurate. I don’t blame the hider. I always figure it is me, because it always has been. If I ever find a cache that is that far off the posted coordinates, I will say how far off my reading was, but only as a point of reference. If future finders also experience this, then the owner can take our mulitple logs into consideration.

[blue35jeans]

I carry the GPS and start l heading in the direction of the cache and tell hubby how many feet and he usually finds it. He’s the birddog and thinks of the clue and the logical place, I usually don’t pay attention to how many feet off when I find it, I’m just happy to find it. My Lowrance works pretty good unless there are a lot of trees… I would never second guess the cache owner. Sometimes we just can’t find them.

[zuma]

@Mister Greenthumb wrote:

I also didn’t vote since your numbers don’t go high enough. Finding a cache 30-40′ off isn’t unusual. We’ve found them up to 75′ off, which of course isn’t acceptable. In cases like that we post the coordinates that we found the cache at in our log and hope the owner makes the change or checks on the cache. .

This is my thinking as well. I generally figure anything within 30 feet is not worth a mention or a second thought. Off 30 -50 feet might or might not get a little grumble to give a heads up to the next guy, something like, “My GPS led me to the wrong area, but after looking around a bit we found it.” That acknowledges that it could have been me or it could actually be off a bit.

Generally, if a cache is more than 50 feet or so off, I will mention it in the log. The practice you mention of posting “finder’s coordinates” is the best practice, and I really appreciate it when folks do that. If I can do that, that is my practice as well. A second best alternative is to log “found cache 80′ due north of posted coords” so the next seeker has a better chance of finding it, and to alert the cache owner that they might want to adjust their coords. For example, several of the new caches in Rusk County are 80 feet off, and I commented on each one to that effect.

As to your original question, the distance from GZ I am willing to look depends on a lot of a factors, but mostly it depends if I like being where the cache hider took me. If I am in the woods by a creek, I will look around for quite awhile. If GZ is a garbage pile next to the freeway, than maybe I will widen the search to 20 feet and a minute or two of looking and then move on to greener pastures.

zuma

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