Garmin Chirp

[+chrislux12]

Well I hid my Chirp nearly 2 years ago and thought about renewing the battery which still has some life in it as cachers are still getting a signal, when I went to do some maintenance on it it was not where I had hid it, I made photo backups so I do know exactly where it should be, it hasn't been stolen as I got a signl from it telling me it is in the area, I suspect maybe an animal has moved it but how can I now find it? Are there any app's that would help? It is in woodland and I did try racking the area where it should be (lots of leaves on ground) but no luck, any idea's would be appreciated.

[+on4bam]

Well I hid my Chirp nearly 2 years ago and thought about renewing the battery which still has some life in it as cachers are still getting a signal, when I went to do some maintenance on it it was not where I had hid it, I made photo backups so I do know exactly where it should be, it hasn't been stolen as I got a signl from it telling me it is in the area, I suspect maybe an animal has moved it but how can I now find it? Are there any app's that would help? It is in woodland and I did try racking the area where it should be (lots of leaves on ground) but no luck, any idea's would be appreciated.

 

I guess you will have to use direction finding techniques to find your chirp. You might try to block reception except for one direction and take readings around the place it originally was taking note of the direction. You can also try to block as much of the signal as possible so you have to get closer before getting a reading.

[+MartyBartfast]

I can't see any way an app is going to help, what you need is a directional aerial which GPS/Phones dont have by their very nature.

If it's been moved by an animal it probably hasn't been moved far, probably only a matter of inches, it could have been buried up/covered with soil etc. so worth a fingertip search.

 

Of course it could have been a cacher who spotted it in the open and hid it better for it's protection in which case it could have moved much further.If it hasn't had thousands of finds you could try Emailing all the finders, explain your problem, and ask them if they actually saw it and if so where.

 

I might also be tempted to make my GPS directional by taking a metal pipe, or tin can, place the GPS in it and then "point" the open end towards where I think the chirp is, if you get a lock then mark the direction the opening is pointing and move to another spot and do the same, where the two markers cross is going to be approximately where the Chirp is. I've no idea if this will work but it should be quick and cheap, so worth a try. Even if it does work it won't be very accurate though.

[+Timpat]

How about borrowing a metal detector?

[+BikeBill]

Just spit-balling here: How about approach the area and stop as soon as you get the Chirp signal, then set a waypoint. Approach from a different direction and do the same thing. Keep repeating this from different directions, then plot all the waypoints and find the center of the radius or circle. That would narrow your search area.

 

I did a similar thing recently. I went to check my chirp and couldn't find it at first. The landscape had changed just enough in a year that it got covered, even though I attached it to a larger object. Fortunately I spotted it after a further search.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

Just spit-balling here: How about approach the area and stop as soon as you get the Chirp signal, then set a waypoint. Approach from a different direction and do the same thing. Keep repeating this from different directions, then plot all the waypoints and find the center of the radius or circle. That would narrow your search area.

 

I did a similar thing recently. I went to check my chirp and couldn't find it at first. The landscape had changed just enough in a year that it got covered, even though I attached it to a larger object. Fortunately I spotted it after a further search.

 

This sounds good.

I put mine in a ziplock and then into a film can attached to a 1/4" dowel about 2 feet long, all painted green...so far, so good.

[+chrislux12]

Thanks for all the excellent idea's, I will try them out, I wish I knew someone with a metal detector as this would maybe make short work of finding it.