GPS for Dummies.pdf - Engineering Surveyor

128 Part II: All About GPS Geocaching statsJust like any sport, geocaching has statistics(stats). In this case, stats refer to the numberof caches that you’ve found and hidden. Whenyou sign up for a free or premium account atGeocaching.com, you can log the cachesyou’ve found as well as add caches that you’vehidden to the site’s extensive database. The Website tracks the finds and hides for you and displaysthem on a user profile page. Other memberscan check out your stats, and the number ofcaches that you’ve found appears next to youralias when you log your comments about a cacheyou’ve visited. Some geocachers are competitiveand are in to racking up as many cachefinds as possible. Others are more blasé aboutthe whole numbers thing and could care less.Like so many other aspects of geocaching, it’sup to you how you want to play the game.As you start looking around, you can do a few things to help improve yourodds of finding the cache: Find out the maximum distance to the cache. Check the EstimatedPosition Error (EPE) to see how accurate your GPS receiver currently is,based on the satellite coverage. Remember: The bigger the number, theless accuracy. This helps you roughly determine how large your searcharea is. For example, if the EPE is 20 feet, your search area is a circle witha 40-foot diameter, with the center at the closest location that you canget to the cache waypoint. Follow a magnetic compass. When you’re within 30 feet of the waypointand your GPS receiver is showing a consistent bearing to the cache (treecover and poor satellite coverage can cause the distance and directionnumbers to jump around), use a magnetic compass to guide yourself tothe cache. As you slow down, unless your receiver has an electronic compass,the direction that your receiver shows to the waypoint becomesless precise, and you can easily veer off-course. Handheld magnetic compassesor electronic compasses built into the GPS unit don’t rely onsatellite signals, and won’t have this problem. Think about the container. Knowing what kind of container the cache isstored in can be a big help in identifying and eliminating possible hidingspots. Sometimes the cache description lists the container type (ammocan, plastic ware, bucket, or whatever), which can narrow your searchbased on the container size and shape. For example, you shouldn’t belooking for an ammo can in a three-inch-wide crack in a rock. Think about the terrain. Look at the surrounding environment to get ageneral idea of where a cache might be hidden. What natural (or manmade)features make a good hiding place? Remember, unlike pirate bootyhiding, geocaching has a rule against burying cache containers, so youshouldn’t be burrowing holes like a gopher.