Short FAQ / Wrap-Up of Geocaching

1. How do I setup my GPS?
   First hand, create the "Almanach" on your GPS: Look into the manual. It usually means to switch it on and lay it for about 15 minutes under free sky. It searches and fixes the satelite positions and therefore knows next time a couple of seconds after turning on, for which satelites at which positions it has to look. Each time your move your GPS for more than 100 km you have to do it again (create a new almanach).
   

2. Which Geocache to start with?
   Chose on or two easy caches, that means Terrain and Difficulty rating not higher than 3 stars (out of 5).
   

3. What are those different cache categories for?

   • "Traditional": No stages, the published coordinates are the cache coordinates

   • "Multi": At least one stage before you are able to find out the final coordinates. Stages are usually some written hints (coords) on wooden huts, on the backside of signs, or very often those small black film containers stuck somewhere into a tree, containing the coordinates of the next stage.
     

4. What does "Cache Size" refer to?

   • Nano: Tiny, contains only logbook

   • Micro: in many cases just a film container, often used for city caches, contains only logbook

   • Regular: For exmaple an ammo box of about 6 liters or something, contains logbook, exchange items and often Travelbugs

   • Large: Let's say it like this: Typical American size...
     

5. What do I need for preparation?

   • Use Google Earth and Goolge Maps to check where to go. Maybe print it out. Choose where to park your car.

   • Pack your stuff (backpack) for outdoor hiking:

     • Rain coat & solid boots

     • Something to eat and to drink (it takes always longer than you think!)

     • Some exchange items for trade

     • GPS & mobile phone

     • Print out of cache desription (there is an option called "Make this page print-friendly (no logs)"

     • Leatherman tool or swiss knife

     • Digital Camera
       

6. How does the hunt work?

   1. Park your car, grab your stuff, start the GPS with the coords of the first stage

   2. GPS indicates only direction and distance (direct way!). The compass (=direction) gets very accurate if you start to move and the GPS can track your position.

   3. Never chose the direct way through high gras, fern or the woods - or the Geocacher-Enemy Number #1 will get you or your kids: Ticks! (Please read this article, esp. about Lyme disease!!)
      In 95% of all caches, the cache can be reached closely by small tracks and paths, only the last 10-50m are off (to make sure that nobody watches the geocacher when discovering it).

   4. If GPS indicates about only 6-8m left, you are there (limited accuracy). Start searching for some roots or larger stones which look like somebody might have put it there. Or a small cave on the ground, some branches. Its all about camouflage.

   5. Found: Check if nobody watches you, get the box and move about 10m far away to log and trade. Advantage: In case somebody discovers you, he at least does not know the hiding spot of the box. If trade items are just crap (happens often to olders caches), don't be disappointed - the way to the cache and the hunt itself is what this outdoor sport is about!

   6. When nobody watches you, hide it again, camouflage it with some leaves and move back. You can use your tracking function of your GPS to get back to your car.
      

7. How does it work with the trading?
   Can be used stuff, in Germany, the value of a trading item is between 1 - 5 Euro. Never put in something to eat or drink (animals, freaks and kids might find the cache...), don't put something in you do not want your kids to find. Trade in a fair way (value). Examples: tools, metal ballpens, old CDs or DVDs, a calculator, a laserpointer, an USB cable, toys, key lanyards, etc.
   
   Travelbugs: Often found in caches and identified by a metal dog tag with a tracking number. TBs are not for trade, you can just take one (with leaving something for it), log it and put it into one of the next cache container you looking for. I for example have a travel bug called "Red Elk" (=red moose) which I layed out at Tenerife (Canari Islands), with the objective to travel from cache to cache to the very north of Europe (North Cape). Within 2 weeks it arrived in Germany, now it already is in Finland, taken by cachers going to north for holidays.

• Geocaching on Wikipedia

• Groundspeak "Finding your first Geocache"

• Geocaching Forum: http://forums.groundspeak.com/

• History of Geocaching and the intial posting of the inventor, Dave Ulmer, in a GPS forum
  Its all about the switch off of the "SA" (Selective Availability: The satellite navigation system was intended for military use and therefore the signals were scrambled, limiting accuracy for civilian use to about 100 meters.)
  

  
  

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