different caches

[+dorkrachel]

Good Morning, my daughter and I began this fun activity over the weekend. When I pull it up on my IPhone some of the caches are black dots, some are gray. Whats the difference? Secondly, we didn't find our cache, is there a way to tell if it has recently been found or tended, Im sure we lose a few to vandals but I was bummed out not to find it and we were on top of it. This is the coolest thing I've ever done. I cant believe I had never heard of it! Hooked...

[Pup Patrol]

Good Morning, my daughter and I began this fun activity over the weekend. When I pull it up on my IPhone some of the caches are black dots, some are gray. Whats the difference?

 

Help Center

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php

 

Help Center - Apps

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=12

 

1.3. What’s the Difference Between the Free and Paid Apps, and the Free and Paid Membership?

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=514

 

Secondly, we didn't find our cache, is there a way to tell if it has recently been found or tended, Im sure we lose a few to vandals but I was bummed out not to find it and we were on top of it. This is the coolest thing I've ever done. I cant believe I had never heard of it! Hooked...

 

Go to the cache page and read the recent logs. Scroll down the cache page to see more than the last 5 logs.

 

Just because you didn't find it, that doesn't mean it's missing. It depends on the difficulty of the hide and the size of the cache container. It could be very, very tiny or camouflaged.

 

If you looked for a cache and didn't find it, then log that as a "did not find" (dnf).

 

Help Center → Finding a Geocache → Logging a Geocache

4.2. What log type should I use?

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=534

 

B.

[+niraD]

Just because you didn't find it, that doesn't mean it's missing. It depends on the difficulty of the hide and the size of the cache container. It could be very, very tiny or camouflaged.

 

If you looked for a cache and didn't find it, then log that as a "did not find" (dnf).

Yep. I've logged as many as 6 DNFs before finally finding a tiny, well-camouflaged geocache.

 

And here are some beginner tips that I've posted before:

 

A common recommendation for beginners is to stick with small size, regular size, and large size caches. Until you're more experienced, avoid micro size caches, some of which are smaller than most beginners can imagine (sometimes called "nanos"). Save those for later, after you have some experience.

 

Also, stick with caches that have a difficulty rating of no more than 2 stars . Save the more difficult ones for later. You may also want to choose caches with easy terrain ratings. (The difficulty rating tells you how hard it is to find the cache once you get there. The terrain rating tells you how hard it is to get there.) And it is often best to start with traditional caches, which will be at the published coordinates. Multi-caches or mystery/puzzle caches or other cache types can require more work just to figure out where the container is located.

 

Under ideal conditions, a consumer GPSr will be accurate to about 3m (10ft). That applies both to your device, and to the cache owner’s device, so you may find the container 5-6m (16-20ft) from ground zero under ideal conditions. Under less than ideal conditions, both GPSr readings can be much less accurate. Once you get within that distance of ground zero, put your device away and look around for places where a container could be hidden.

 

Where would you hide something? Do you notice anything unusual? Is anything too new, too old, too organized (e.g., UPS: an Unnatural Pile of Sticks/Stones), too symmetrical, not quite the right color or shape, etc.? Don’t look only on the ground; the cache may be knee-level, waist-level, eye-level, or overhead. How might the container be secured in place? With magnets? With a hook? With string? With fishing line? With something else? Does anything move when you touch it? (Be careful when touching things though.)

 

Go ahead and read the cache's additional hints (if provided), and read the past logs and look at any photos in the cache's image gallery. They may help you understand what you're looking for, and how/where it may be hidden. It may also help to look at some of the cache containers available online. For example, check out the cache containers sold by Groundspeak. Also, take a look at the Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's) thread in the forums, and check out some geocaching videos on YouTube.

[+briansnat]

As NiraD points out, because your GPS or phone says you are on top of the cache, it doesn't necessarily mean you are. Consider what your device shows to be "ground zero" to be a starting point. Look around and think about where you would hide a cache there. If nothing sticks out then expand your search area. Most caches will be within 15-20 feet from your unit's ground zero, but sometimes they can be farther. In areas with poor GPS reception I've found caches 50+ feet away from where my GPS said it was.

[+JeepFreak81]

Sometimes the posted coordinates are inaccurate due to either the quality of the hider's GPS or perhaps they were under heavy cover, etc etc. I found a cache just this weekend that was a solid 75' from the coordinates. I always log a DNF if I come up empty handed and then bookmark and/or watch that cache so I can return or see if others have been able to find it after I was there.

[+vw_k]

Do you have a link to the cache page or the geocache code (beginning with GC----) so we can see which cache you are looking for?

Cache owners are generally very helpful and friendly so it might be worth messaging the cache owner for an extra hint.