New Geocacher Tips

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Geocaching Apps For Android

C:Geo
Geocaching
CacheSense
GCDroid-Geocaching
Geocaching Widget
WhereYouGo

Geocaching Apps for iPhone

Offical Geocaching App
Geosphere
Cachly

Containers

Nano

- Small metal container about 1/2 inch tall. Usually magnetic and found in really small spaces.

Bison Tube

- Round tube container usually about 2 inches long. Most of the time these are hung from a branch or sign.

Loc N Loc

- Tupperware style containers with tabs that lock down the lid to the container. These can range from 2" x 2" up to 12" x 12".

Film Cantainer

- These are plastic 35mm film canisters from when people used cameras with film.

Pill Bottle

- Typical pill bottle you get from the pharmacy. Usually containers are camo'ed with tape or paint.

Decon

- Old military containers with a lid that snaps on. These are about 4" long, 3" wide, and 1.5" deep.

Mega Bison

- Newer container that looks like a bison tube but much bigger. They are 4" long and about 2" diameter.

Specimen (DNS Tube)

- Small tubes about an inch long and diameter of a pencil.

Ammo Can

- Large military containers. Usually metal cans that are the size of a shoe box.

Bolt

- A magnetic bolt that is hollowed out. They stick to metal and look like a regular bolt.

Metal electrical face plates

- A metal face plate with a magnet glued to it and stuck to metal electrical boxes or poles.

Tools of the Trade (TOTT's)

Flashlight

- Very handy tools for night caching and when looking into dark holes

Tweezers

- Good tool used for getting logs out of nano's and bison tubes.

Extendable Pole

- Used for reaching things hung high in a tree or on a sign.

Ladder

- Needed to reach those caches hung high in trees or on buildings.

UV Flashlight

- Harder caches can involve UV pens and paint. A UV flashlight is required to read the needed information.

Wire

- Tool used to reach containers down in a hole or to grab something hanging.

Magnets

- When dealing with a metal container a magnet can be used to hook on to the container to retrieve it.

Climbing Gear

- When climbing high into trees or on bridges it is recommended to use climbing gear.

Gloves

- Gloves help when searching in the dirt and when around thorns.

Bug Spray

- Many caches are out in wilderness area and bugs can be really bad in the summer time. Bug Spray helps repel ticks and mosquitos.

Cache Types

Traditional

- This is the original type of geocache and the most straightforward. These geocaches will be a container at the given coordinates. The size may vary, but at minimum, all of these geocaches will have a logbook. Larger containers may contain items for trade and trackables.

Mystery or Puzzle

- The "catch-all" of geocache types, this type may involve complicated puzzles that you will first need to solve to determine the correct coordinates. Mystery/Puzzle Caches often become the staging ground for new and unique geocaches that do not fit in another category.

Multi-Cache

- These geocaches involve two or more locations, with the final location being a physical container with a logbook inside. There are many variations, but typically once you're at the first stage, you will receive a clue to the whereabouts of the second stage. The second stage will have a clue for the third, and so on.

Earthcache

- An EarthCache is a special geological location people can visit to learn about a unique feature of the Earth. EarthCache pages include a set of educational notes along with coordinates. Visitors to EarthCaches can see how our planet has been shaped by geological processes, how we manage its resources and how scientists gather evidence. Typically, to log an EarthCache, you will have to provide answers to questions by observing the geological location. For more information about EarthCaches visit www.earthcache.org.

Letterbox Hybrid

- Letterboxing is another form of treasure hunting that uses clues instead of coordinates. In some cases, the letterbox owner has made their container both a letterbox and a geocache and posted its coordinates on Geocaching.com. These types of geocaches will contain a stamp that is meant to remain in the box and is used by letterboxers to record their visit. To read more about letterboxing, visit Letterboxing North America.

Event

- An Event Cache is a gathering of local geocachers or geocaching organizations. The Event Cache page specifies a time for the event and provides coordinates to its location. After the event has ended, it is archived.

CITO

- Cache In Trash Out is the environmental initiative supported by the geocaching community. The main aim of this program is to clean up and preserve the natural areas that we enjoy while geocaching. These events are larger gatherings of geocachers that focus on litter clean-up, removal of invasive species, planting trees and vegetation and trail building.

Mega-Event

- A Mega-Event Cache is an Event Cache that is attended by 500+ people. Many Mega-Events offer geocachers a day of planned activities. There are often several days of additional activities surrounding a Mega-Event. These large events attract geocachers from all over the world and are often held annually.

Giga-Event

- This is one of the rarest geocache types available. A Giga-Event Cache is an event that is attended by 5000+ people. These events are similar to Mega-Events and may include activities, could last several days and are usually held annually. Since Giga-Events are so rare, they attract geocachers from all over the world.

Wherigo

- Wherigo is a toolset for creating and playing GPS-enabled adventures in the real world. By integrating a Wherigo experience, called a cartridge, with finding a geocache, the geocaching hunt can be an even richer experience. Among other uses, Wherigo allows geocachers to interact with physical and virtual elements such as objects or characters while still finding a physical geocache container. A Wherigo-enabled GPS device is required to play a cartridge. Learn more at Wherigo.com.

Geocaching HQ

- The Geocaching HQ Geocache is located at Geocaching HQ in Seattle, Washington. Geocachers interested in visiting HQ to log the geocache should make an appointment at least 48 hours in advance via hqvisits@geocaching.com. Appointments help us keep Geocaching HQ running smoothly. Visits are available Tuesday through Friday, from 2-3pm. For the ultimate HQ experience, we recommend scheduling your visit for Friday.

GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit

- A find of this type represents attendance at the GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit or a regional variation. GPS Adventures Mazes are designed to teach people of all ages about GPS technology and geocaching through interactive science experiences.

Lab Caches

- Welcome to Geocaching HQ Research & Development. A Lab Geocache is an experimental and extremely rare geocache type. These geocaches are a way for us to innovate and test-often at the molecular-level-new ideas to make geocaching even better. By finding a Lab Geocache, you're helping shape the future of geocaching.

Grandfathered Cache Types

Virtual Cache

- A Virtual Cache is about discovering a location rather than a container. The requirements for logging a Virtual Cache vary-you may be required to answer a question about the location, take a picture, complete a task, etc... In any case, you must visit the coordinates before you can post your log. Although many locations are interesting, a Virtual Cache should be out of the ordinary enough to warrant logging a visit.

Webcam Cache

- These are geocaches that use existing web cameras that monitor various areas like parks or business complexes. The idea is to get yourself in front of the camera and save a screen capture from the website where the camera is displayed in order to log a find.

Project A.P.E Cache

- In 2001, fourteen geocaches were placed in conjunction with 20th Century Fox to support the movie Planet of the Apes. Each geocache represented a fictional story in which scientists revealed an Alternative Primate Evolution (A.P.E.). These geocaches were made using specially marked ammo containers and contained an original prop from the movie. Only one Project A.P.E. cache still exists today.

Geocaching Slang

TFTC

- Thanks for the cache.

TFTH

- Thanks for the hide.

TFTE

- Thanks for the event.

FTF

- First to find

STF

- Second to find

DNF

- Did not find

SL

- Signed Log

TN

- Took Nothing (Older term used when most everyone swapped swag)

LN

- Left Nothing (Usually used in conjunction with TN)

PAF

- Phone a Friend (Means calling or texting someone for help finding a cache)

TOTT

- Tools of the Trade

SWAG

- Trinket traded in a cache for another trinket.

BYOP

- Bring your own pen.

Muggle

- A person not knowing about geocaching or not playing the game.

CITO

- Cache In Trash Out.

GZ

- Ground Zero (Where the coordinates get you closest to 0 feet from the cache.

LPC

- Light Post Cover. (If you don't know what it is, you soon will)

TB

- Travel Bug

GC Code

- Unique code to each cache in the world. It's listed on the geocache page and starts with GC.