How To Get Booty With Your Pocket PC

[Philip Colmer]

There are two things that really appeal to me: gadgets and gratification. Geocaching satisfies both vices, and has the (grudgingly fortunate) side effect of throwing in a bit of exercise and the great outdoors in the bargain. Read on to find out more about geocaching and how you can do it too!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/geocache1.gif" /><br /><!><br />This article is an introduction to geocaching. For me, geocaching is a double-dog dare. The first dog is the fact that the search requires using my gadgetry. Pooch number two is the fact that the gadgets will get me to the general vicinity of something hidden, daring me to find it.<br /><br />To get an idea of how big a draw the find is for me, picture a normal dog bone. Now imagine that the bone has been hollowed out, and the hollow has been filled with bacon. Now drill holes in the bone so the bacon scent can waft out, and then hide the bone someplace sneaky. If we continue with the dog analogy, the Pocket PC + GPS + software is the nose. I'm the dog, and I'll find that bone or I'll die trying.<br /><br /><span><b>So You're a Dog. What's Geocaching?</b></span><br />Simply put, geocaching is using technology to find treasure (or caches). The concept of finding buried treasure is not a new one. Pirates were saying "Arrr" at maps marked with Xs centuries ago, and scavenger hunts have always been popular.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/geocache1.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 1: NOT a geocacher</i><br /><br />The current "sport" of geocaching is a convergence of several different technologies and past-times. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?<br /><br /><span><b>Letterboxing</b></span><br />Letterboxing started back in 1854, when an Englishman named James Perrot stuck his calling card in a bottle and hid it under a pile of rocks on the shore of Cranmere Pool in Dartmoor. He did this mainly to prove that he'd been there and, given the harsh, boggy terrain, it was certainly something of an accomplishment. Other walkers in the area heard about it, and started placing their calling cards in the bottle to prove that they'd been there too.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/geocache2.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Artist's depiction of the first letterboxer</i><br /><br />The idea spread and now has adherents in many different countries and continents. Unfortunately for gadget freaks, letterboxing is just about as old school as it gets. Using maps, clues and a compass, letterboxers ferret out the location of letterboxes in pursuit of rubber stamps placed in the boxes. When a letterbox is found, the finder inks the stamp and stamps their personal letterboxing book as a trophy.<br /><br />While getting the stamp is certainly the end result, I think that most letterboxers would agree that the real reward is the journey to reach the letterbox, as they are usually placed in interesting locations one would normally never see.<br /><br /><span><b>The Satellite Age</b></span><br />Fast forward a century to the launch of Sputnik in 1957. Scientists tracking the orbit of the satellite realized that a person on earth could determine their exact location if they could obtain a signal from the satellite and if they knew the exact orbit of the satellite.<br /><br />After several earlier attempts using a small number of satellites, the U.S. government launched the first four satellites of the Navstar constellation in 1978. Today, the Navstar group of satellites consists of 24 satellites, each of which circle the globe every 11 hours and 58 minutes.<br /><br />Each Navstar satellite contains an extremely precise atomic clock, which is used to sync the satellite with a ground based receiver. Since the exact orbit of the satellite is known, a ground based receiver, if accurate enough, can triangulate its position based on the positions of several different satellites.<br /><br /><span><b>Global Positioning System (GPS) For the Masses</b></span><br />At first, Global Positioning System technology was used exclusively for military purposes, but on May 1st, 2000, The Clinton Administration ordered that the satellite signal be unscrambled to provide greater accuracy for civilian purposes. <br /><br />Prior to this order, accuracy was limited to about 90 meters - now it's good to about 10 meters. This is important because it means that much smaller objects can be located with a higher degree of accuracy. This is pretty much a requirement when one is attempting to find an ammo box buried under a pile of rocks on the side of a mountain somewhere.<br /><br />On May 3rd, a mere TWO DAYS after the GPS signal was de-scrambled, a man named Dave Ulmer hid a bucket stuffed with goodies in the Portland, Oregon area. Mike Teague found the first container, and started a web page to track the locations of the containers and their contents so that others could find them as well.<br /><br />That early site evolved into the current geocaching.com site, which now lists over 70,000 caches in 186 countries.<br /><br />There is now a plaque at the site of the first cache location - you can find information <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=a79d6f50-74a6-4c85-b18c-86dd8b7313ab">here</a> if you're in the area and would like to visit.<br /><br /><span><b>Required Items for Successful Geocaching</b></span><br />If you want to geocache with your Pocket PC, you'll need at least two things. A GPS receiver (either CF or bluetooth), and a mapping program to plot the location of the cache. I use an Axim X5 Advanced, a <a href="http://www.semsons.com/haicmulgpsre.html">Haicomm 303MMF CF GPS card</a>, and Maptech's <a href="http://www.maptech.com/products/outdoornavigator/index.cfm">Outdoor Navigator Software</a>.<br /><br />When you have the necessary gear, the first thing to do is to visit <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/">geocaching.com</a>. Once there, enter your zip code, state or country, and see the caches that are hidden in your local area. Each cache has specific latitude and longitude coordinates. There are several different types of coordinates, based on the type that was used by the creators of the topographical maps you're using.<br /><br /><span><b>There's a Cache in my Area. Now What?</b></span><br />Now that you've located a cache you want to find, you'll need to get the cache details in a portable form. For most people, that means making a printout of the cache page. This is fine if you only want to hit a few caches, but becomes annoying (and heavy) if there are a number of caches in the area. <br /><br />Fortunately, as proud owners of Pocket PCs, we have a few options open to us that aren't available to the typical geocacher with a monochrome Garmin. For example, my wife and I recently went to Mammoth Lakes, CA for vacation. Before leaving, I located 46 different caches within a 20 mile radius of our cabin. I wanted an easy way to access specific information, including hints and satellite photos. I decided that the best way to do this would be to create an HTML page that would be readable in Pocket Internet Explorer. It wasn't very hard to do, and as it turned out, it was extremely useful to me to have the cache information in this format when I was out in the middle of nowhere.<br /><br />(If you're feeling intrepid, you can see what the page looks like and grab the code <a href="http://www.mybunny.org/images/geocache/sample.htm">here</a>). <br /><br /><span><b>Finding a Cache</b></span><br />First of all, be safe. If you're going to hit a cache 20 miles from nowhere, pack accordingly and tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back. <br /><br />Second, pack accordingly. Pay attention to the description of the area the cache is located in. If it says there's water nearby, bring bug spray, perhaps an <a href="http://www.aquapac.net/">Aquapac</a> ... that sort of thing. <br /><br />The GPS will get you very close to the cache location, but will not find it for you. You'll need to use your wits and look for clues. Where would you hide a cache in this location? Are there any slightly odd looking piles of stones or branches? Any crevices or hollows that look suspicious? Check them out. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/geocache3.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Piles of rocks are usually a dead giveaway</i><br /><br />If all else fails, you can always read the hint ... if you want to be a big fat cheater, that is!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/geocache4.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Eureka! Big Fat Cheater found the cache</i><br /><br />Cache containers can be just about anything, but they're usually either Tupperware containers or ammo boxes. Some people even leave "micro caches", hidden in film canisters. If you think it's hard to find an ammo box, wait until you try to bag a micro cache! Very challenging, but fun.<br /><br />So there you are at the cache. Go on, open it up! You'll find lots of stuff inside. The contents of any cache are as diverse as the people that have visited it. We’ve found everything from incense to stuffed animals to pocket knives and carbiners. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/geocache5.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 5: The inside of a cache</i><br /><br />This brings me to one of the more important rules of geocaching: if you take something, you should leave something. Try to leave something that YOU would like to find, i.e. not the pack of gum in your pocket. Plan ahead, and take something nice with you when you leave.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/geocache6.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 6: At this cache, we took a marble and left some mini suncatchers</i><br /><br />If there's nothing you want, or if the find itself is reward enough for you, feel free to take nothing and leave nothing (TNLN in geocacher-speak).<br /><br /><span><b>Other Stuff You Should Do</b></span><br />Each cache usually has a log book. If your cache has one, sign it so the owners of the cache know you've been there, what you think of the place or the trip, if you saw anything interesting along the way, etc. <br /><br />Some caches also have a camera, so you might want to take a picture of yourself; these will end up in a photo album in the cache when developed.<br /><br />When you're done, hide the cache again in the same location. If you can, try to hide it better than you found it - you don't want a non-geocacher (i.e. <a href="http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muggle">Muggle</a>) to find the cache - they tend to steal them.<br /><br />When you get back home, make sure you log your find on geocaching.com. This gives you credit for the find, and lets the cache owner know that someone has visited the cache. <br /><br />If you didn't find the cache, make sure you log that as well so the owner can check to see if it's been stolen.<br /><br />So now you know all about geocaching. What are you waiting for? Go out and find a cache!<br /><br /><i>Pat Logsdon is a freelance writer/journalist.</i>

[Jason Dunn]

I've never done Geocaching before, but it sure looks like fun if you're an outdoorsy-type person. Myself, I'm not one, but perhaps in the summer I'll give this a go. :-)

However, this title made me burst out laughing when I first read it. :lol:

[Dave Beauvais]

Cool article! I've been meaning to give this a try sometime and this may have just inspired me to do it. (Of course it's in the 30s (F) outside now, so I'll probably wait for better weather.)

[MsInferno]

My husband and I just started Geocaching in the Ohio area two weeks ago... What a blast! We're meeting new friends and it's a great activity during any season... We plan on doing more of the "virtual" caches (you are finding a place more than a treasure) during the winter months... Hopefully this will catch on more with PPC users because I've had to do alot of explaining how I was using a handheld PPC vs. a standalone GPS unit.... Happy caching! :x-mas:

[david291]

There are a few really good GPS games, too...

My favorite is called MinuteWar (http://www.minutewar.org/), a game of capture-the-flag territorial conquest using your gps receiver for navigation.

GeoGolf is also interesting.

Those and more are accessible from the GPS Games website (http://www.gpsgames.org/)

[Doug Rausch]

I started geocaching a few months ago - great way to use a Pocket PC. Hook up the GPS and find the cache. Throw on the digital camera attachment, photograph the cache and whoever I happened to bring with me on this trip (usually my sons), make a few notes or voice recordings and post the results to the web. I highly recommned the hobby to anyone that needs another excuse for gadgets or getting outside.

[GoldKey]

Been into this for a few years now on and off. Very cool!

One warning, if you find yourself having problems buying all sorts of gadgets for your PPC, Geocaching has the same effect, I have spent tons of money (the game even influnced a vehicle purchase) as a result of playing, but you can play with nothing but a receiver.

[tylosaurus]

I'm suprised you didn;t mention any dedicated geocaching software for the ppc.

If you sign up as a premium member at geocaching.com, you can get pocket queries. They send you a custom file, with the caches that you want, up to 500 caches in 1 .GPX file. This file has ALL caches pages, hints, descriptions and logs for all of those caches. You can then use GPS sonar

http://gpxsonar.homeip.net/default.aspx

or GPX View

http://strandberg.org/gpxview/

on your pocketpc to view all of those pages. Its just like being online!!! With GPX Sonar you can do your own filters, sorting & note taking, while you are at the cache site. Its great.

My pocketpc and I have been geocaching since January.

[Pat Logsdon]

Cool article!
Thanks! :D

I've been meaning to give this a try sometime and this may have just inspired me to do it. (Of course it's in the 30s (F) outside now, so I'll probably wait for better weather.)
You'd be very surprised at the lengths people will go to grab a cache. When I wrote that article, I was up at our summer cabin in Mammoth (a ski resort town). While we were there, there was no snow, and we placed two caches. Now there's a few feet of snow up there, and our caches are still being found!

I'm not sure that *I* would go digging for a cache in the snow, but lots of people do it. :D

[trachy]

This looks really cool. Thanks a lot for bringing this to my attention. I've been contemplating getting my Dad a GPS unit for Christmas, and now I think I will. I'm going to see if there are any books on the subject I can bundle with the receiver.

- Drew

[Pat Logsdon]

I'm suprised you didn;t mention any dedicated geocaching software for the ppc.
Actually, I useMaptech's Pocket Navigator (http://www.maptech.com/products/outdoornavigator/index.cfm), which uses rasterized topographical maps in conjunction with user-set waypoints. It's a little pricy at $99 US, but that gets you download access for a year to all of their maps, which cover the continental US.

If you sign up as a premium member at geocaching.com, you can get pocket queries. They send you a custom file, with the caches that you want, up to 500 caches in 1 .GPX file. This file has ALL caches pages, hints, descriptions and logs for all of those caches. You can then use GPS sonar or GPX View on your pocketpc to view all of those pages. Its just like being online!!! With GPX Sonar you can do your own filters, sorting & note taking, while you are at the cache site. Its great.
I'll definitely check that out - my method was a bit more kludgey - I made my own html page, as you can see here (http://www.mybunny.org/images/geocache/sample.htm). It would be nice to just get everything from the cache entry at the geocaching.com site, and less work, too!

How do those programs handle hints? I find that I need to refer to them rather frequently, so I don't want to lose them! :oops:

[volwrath]

Hints are included with GPXView. I use it in conjunction with my PPC to geocache. I do NOT have a GPS CF Card tho. IMHO I'd rather use my etrex Legend independent of my PPC, so my PPC doesn't have to brave the elements. Also the battery lasts ALOT longer than a PPC/CF card combo. I actually thought about doing the CF card thing, but got a Legend with the intention of hooking it up via serial. When I saw how well the Legend worked, I didnt bother :) + my Legend cost $150 :D

[lonesniper]

How To Get Booty With Your Pocket PC .............

If I let my girlfriend play BeJeweled on my PPC I normally end up getting some booty! :lol:

[Kaber]

I like to use SkyEye (http://www.etree.com/tech/notsofreestuff/skyeye/) and the map maker at Lost Outdoors (http://www.lostoutdoors.com/) to make maps with waypoints for the caches. Unfortunately it only works with Garmin protocol GPS's.

[mrkablooey]

Cool article! I've been meaning to give this a try sometime and this may have just inspired me to do it. (Of course it's in the 30s (F) outside now, so I'll probably wait for better weather.)

wimp. :wink:

we tend to cache in all kinds of weather, adds to some of the fun. if you're ever in maryland, drop me a line! :)

[mrkablooey]

This looks really cool. Thanks a lot for bringing this to my attention. I've been contemplating getting my Dad a GPS unit for Christmas, and now I think I will. I'm going to see if there are any books on the subject I can bundle with the receiver.
- Drew

Not really any geocaching books, though there is supposed to be one very soon (if it hasn't been released yet). Depending on where you live you can likely find a local organization and contact them. I'm with the Maryland Geocaching Society (www.mdgps.net) and we do that sort of thing all the time. We've been doing Intro to Geocaching seminars at the local REI, we have monthly meetings (well, they're actually picnics), and do a sort of "geocaching 101" with new cachers if they want.

[Kaber]

I highly suggest getting in touch with your local geocaching group.

If you want to geocache, find one, find two. If you like it, please get involved. A lot of geocaching groups bring together people who also like other outdoor activities so it is a great way to meet people and learn more about your local area.

I live in the mountains of southern California. I still remember the first time I found Geocaching.com (http://www.geocaching.com/). I said to myself, "Why not see whats up around here?" For some reason geocachers just love mountains.

I still haven't found all the caches within 10 miles. I'm lucky to be saturated I guess.

[Andy Whiteford]

Great article, well written and informative. I think I may give this a go once the summer gets back to Scotland. Doing this in the winter months would be nothing short of sadistic!

[Glisson]

Very well written article about GeoCaching. I've been caching for about a year now and it is great fun. It's been a wonderful way to spend time outdoors with the kids and they love the "treasure" that they find! (Read as: Dad gets hopped up when he uses a multi billion dollar satellite system to find a happy meal toy some yahoo hid in the woods! ) We have seen a lot of deer, raccoons, squirrels and the like caching and the kids are learning to recognise the tracks. I am part of a Kansas Geocachers gruop based out of Wichita and we have picnics and events to get together. The caches are often like puzzles or multi stage scavenger hunts as well! There is one around here where you have to find 3 locations in a park, each giving you coordinates that when used together allow you to "triangulate" where the cache is actually hidden. Some effort went into that cache.
As mentioned, virtual caches allow you to find beautiful landscapes, historic landmarks, or just a place someone thought was cool. As far as the weather goes we tend to cache more in the fall and winter when the tics and spiders are not so thick. (ah, umm... It's for the kids benefit really!! )

Equip can be had for as little as $100 new and pawn shops often have used GPS units cheap. So what are you waiting for? Go save a Beanie Baby today!


Another thing to keep in mind is how Geocachers tend to clean an area as they vist. We go in hunting our cache and usually take along a trash bag or some small plastic greocery bags to pick up trash as we go. As the motto goes...

Cache in Trash out!

Glisson

[sundown]

We've been geocaching for a few years now and enjoy it much. Probably the best benefits are: 1) increased family time 2) we have found LOTS of neato places not too far from our house that we might not have seen otherwise.

[genoist_gps]

I've been geocaching for over a year now. I use a standalone GPSr, but I use my Jornada 568 as well. I use my Jornada to carry cache descriptions along with me. I also just ordered the battery with mmc slot, so hopefully i can store extra maps on my 256mb cf card, and transfer them over to my sd card for use in my Magellan Meridian.

I was also interested to read some of the names that responded to this. I recognize (to an extent) some of the names from the geocaching.com forums.

[Powelly]

Had a go at this yesterday, and found a cache 1.5 miles from my home in manchester, did it using gps info.

I then spent the afternoon looking for some software to point my toward the coordinates, the only thing I found was vito navigator which didnt work for me.

Im using an IPAQ 3970 and a Navman 3000 which installs on com0 and the vito software only recognises com1 to com9

Any other options?

[Pat Logsdon]

Had a go at this yesterday, and found a cache 1.5 miles from my home in manchester, did it using gps info.
Welcome to geocaching! :D

Im using an IPAQ 3970 and a Navman 3000 which installs on com0 and the vito software only recognises com1 to com9

Any other options?
The best option for users in Europe is Memory Map Navigator (http://www.memory-map.co.uk/acatalog/maps_europe_edition.html). It's a bit more expensive (79 pounds) than Vito Navigator, but you get actual topographical, scrolling maps.

Programs like Vito Navigator basically replicate the experience of using a monochrome handheld GPS unit - basic coordinates and an arrow pointing you in the right general direction. The use of topographical "moving map" software really brings out the strengths of the Pocket PC platform.

Plus, it's just neat! 8)

[PatrickD]

Just came across this

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/fun.games/11/26/confluence/index.html

On CNN. Sounds like similar fun to Geocaching, and you can use your PPC camera as well as GPS.

[PatrickD]

Here is a link to the Confluence web site.

http://www.confluence.org/

[Pat Logsdon]

That is a very cool site! Yet another neat way to see and read about places that a tourist would never see.

Another thing to do with your GPS and PPC is "benchmark hunting (http://www.geocaching.com/mark/)" (unfortunately limited to the continental U.S). Benchmarks are maintained by the NGS (http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/faq.shtml) (National Geodetic Survey) for surveying purposes. According to geocaching.com, benchmarks can be one of two types:

1.One type, the vertical control point, is for precisely establishing the elevation at that point. This type of control point is usually, but not always, a small brass or aluminum disk, concrete post, iron pin, or bolt, (among other things), that is permanently attached to a stable foundation.

2. The other general type of control point is for horizontal control. There are several names for horizontal control points - triangulation stations, traverse stations, trilateration stations, GPS stations, and intersection stations, depending on which kind of horizontal control system was used in establishing them and the amount of precision they represent. This type of control point can be a small brass or aluminum disk, concrete post, iron pin, or bolt, (similar to the vertical control points) but also radio towers, water towers, church spires and mountain tops or any other type of object that can be identified from a distance.

[tylosaurus]

How about geodashing

http://geodashing.gpsgames.org/

Monthly, they randomly generate thousands of coordinates all over the planet. The person who visits the most that month wins!!! You have to get within 100 yards and describe what you see. Pictures are encouraged.

Don;t forget gps drawing

http://www.gpsdrawing.com/

you draw pictures on your gps!!

[volwrath]

The other day I was at work when I saw a pill bottle stuck in a tree, and thought, no it cant be. But yes I checked it out and logged a geocache. Thought that was pretty cool. What are the odds of just walking up on one?!? especially when you know what it is when you come across it. Of course nashville is absolutely saturated with geocaches. I have 10+ within a mile of my house

[jbtaylor]

We started GeoCaching after reading this article. My wife and son really enjoy it. We are outdoor-sy types and really enjoy hiking around looking for caches.

It is a great excuse to get outside and get some exercise. Give it a try!

[Pat Logsdon]

We started GeoCaching after reading this article. My wife and son really enjoy it. We are outdoor-sy types and really enjoy hiking around looking for caches.

It is a great excuse to get outside and get some exercise. Give it a try!
That's excellent to hear! How did the first cache go? Anything interesting?

I remember that my first cache was at a local college - a little plastic drink container with a screwtop stuffed with neat stuff. We took a marble, I think.

Anyone else care to relate the story of their first (or most interesting) cache?

[stitics]

After reading this article I quickly put a GPS on my Christmas list. I got it. I found my first Benchmark (because it was the closest thing to my house and my car was in the shop) the day after Christmas, and my first cache yesterday. It's really fun.

This may have been answered in one of the previous posts, but I missed it if it was. What is good PPC software to use to figure out approximately where the cache is to determine what roads to take and where to park before getting out there and using the GPS to "home in". Would that requirement be fulfilled by the Geocaching.com subscription? If it would, what software should I put on my PDA to utilize it? My GPS is a very vanilla version....no graphics to speak of, just a bunch of coordinates, an arrow pointing north, and an arrow pointing at the cache.

[mrkablooey]

The cache page will show you a Mapquest map that you can click on to get more info. I believe you can download that to your PPC (even if just saving the image of the map).

I use Mapopolis to route me around and it works very well. :) Sometimes it takes me to a side street that's closer to the cache than the park entrance so it still takes a bit of foresight, but it still makes it a lot easier to go from cache to cache when they're not all in one park.

[Steven Cedrone]

O.K., just borrowed a GPS and I am going to take my daughters out this weekend. To make it a "special" first cache (Three Frogs, near my home), I grabbed a GeoCoin from Groundspeak. Looking forward to spending time outside with the girls trying to find caches! :way to go:

Going to try for "Smell You Later" as well! (These are supposed to be easy finds!)

Steve

[Video11]

Have fun Steve, but beware -- geocaching is addicting. :lol:

Bought a GPS receiver in December after reading this thread and now must admit that we have become hooked. We have found most of the closest caches to our house and have even hidden one of our own. It's a great way to get out and get some exercise and the kids love finding the 'treasure'. We have a three cache trip planned for today. We have also bought supplies to make our own caches and are just waiting for the snow to melt before hiding them. (Footprints in the snow make caching a little too easy).

Enjoy.

[Steven Cedrone]

Video11, did not heed warning, big mistake - we are addicted!

Found the two caches and had a great time! Came home and already planning for next weekend! As the weather gets nicer, this is going to get really fun! (the kids were a bit cold this morning)

Steve

[Pat Logsdon]

:clap: :mrgreen:

[Video11]

Video11, did not heed warning, big mistake - we are addicted!

:D Welcome to the club. Found two caches last weekend and planted a new one of our own yesterday. Great fun, this geocaching.

[Steven Cedrone]

We went out and found two yesterday. The kids are already dressed and ready to go out this morning! Daddy thinks it's too cold and too windy! We'll see who wins out in the end...

Steve