Geocaching

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What is Geocaching

• Geocaching is the free high-tech treasure hunt where you use your GPS receiver to find caches hidden by other players. It's a great way to be outdoors, enjoy the environment and the revel in the thrill of the hunt!

Whats Inside a Cache

• Inside the caches can be anything from cheap little Chinese toys to cd's/dvd's software, money etc.

• The most basic cache is just a logbook with a pencil/pen to record your visit.

• There can also Travel Bugs and other collectibles in the caches.

• A Travel Bug is a item with a tracking number on the back intended to be moved to new caches some of these have a goal to get to a specific city in the world when others are just to go as far as they can, and each time its moved that person enters the tracking number online and the cache they have moved it to so you can follow the travel bugs journeys online.

• A collectible is a pin badge or something that you can keep or move to another cache provided you log it online.

• The general rule if you take something you put something of equal or better value back into the cache.

• A Geocoin is a special coin created by individuals or groups of geocachers as a kind of signature item or calling card. Like Travel Bugs, each geocoin is assigned a unique tracking ID which allows them to travel from geocache to geocache or to be passed amongst friends, picking up stories along the way.

Quick Guide on How to Cache

• Get yourself a GPS
  • Most basic GPS can be your Mobile Phone with Navigation software on it Navigami is a excellent 100% FREE application that supports a wide variety of phones.
• Sign up here
• Find a cache in your area.
• Write down the co-ordinates (UTM is better to use) The co-ordinates are listed as (D.MM.MMM)
• Go and find the cache (Remember to take plenty of water with you)
• Sign logbook
• Once you get home go back to the Geocaching website to the caches page.
• Log your visit
• Find another Cache.

Geocaching Terms

There are various terms used in various cache logs and on the Geocaching website. A lot of terms are mostly the same but slightly different.

• GPS - Global Positioning System a device that connects to satellites to get its position on Earth.
• Cache - A shortened version of the word geocache, can be a physical package or not.
• Muggles - A person that isn't a geocacher usually in the area of a geocache while you are there.
• Muggled - When a geocache has been found or wrecked by a non geocacher (usually stuff is taken without anything being put in)
• TNLN - Took Nothing, Left Nothing.
• TNSL - Took Nothing, Signed Logbook
• TNLNSL - Took Nothing, Left Nothing, Signed log.
• TNLSNL - No idea on this one
• FTF - First To Find (term used to say the first person to find the cache eg, Grats name on FTF, Special item for FTF)

OCAU Members into Geocaching

OCAU Cachers

Here is a list of OCAU members into Geocaching feel free to add yourself to the list.