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Posted on: 9/20/2015

by: WindpumpBoy

Cybercaching 101

I think the 2015 Challenge is great and it's been the last few weeks where it has really taken off. In the last month more new cybers  have appeared than in any other month of the year and by cachers who generally publish TC's and LC's rather than CC's. Also there seems to be a wider range of cachers attempting them. dexters "Stringng You Along" has had 18 finders in about 3 weeks. Magnificent.

 
Knowing that the world of Cybers is different to that of LC's and TC's and that there can be quite a steep learning curve to start with (the first 20 or so Cybers are the worst!) I thought I would post a few tips for beginners. I hope you don't mind. I use Google Chrome on a Windows PC so instructions are for that combination.
 
First Google is your friend. As well as Google Search I have at my fingertips and on my toolbar: Google Maps (including Street View) Google Images, Google Translate (for those tricky spanish language ones) and occasional Google Earth.
 
If you have to find where an object in a picture is located first try right clicking the picture with your mouse which will bring up an option to search the internet for other copies of that image. This may give you a big clue as to the location of the object.
 
Google Search words or sentences from the cache description to see what results Google throws up. It is often a good idea to look to see what images are thrown up by the search as a picture is worth a thousand words and it is possible it may give you an image that is of the object you are looking for. 
 
Cyber caches often involve searching on Google Maps and Street View. I find the stand alone version (see link above) the best to use rather than the ones which are embedded in some of the web pages.
 
Refer to the arrows on the attached picture for the next bit. The full version of Google Maps/ Street View often has Street Views from different dates from 2008 to the present. The CO setting a cyber generally uses the most current date when they set the cache. However this may be superceded by an update from Google. This has just happened to my WildWildWest1 cache where in the two days between submitting the cache and it being published Google updated the images from 2011 to 2015. This means that CC's on older caches may not be visible on the latest images. All is not lost. If you look at arrow A which points to the black box. If you click on the small downward pointing triangle in the box it will give you the option to go back in time to previous Street View images. I would normally look at the last Street View image date before the cache was published to find the CC.
 
Arrow B points to the co-ordinates of the current Street View (in decimal degrees) in the browser bar. Useful in a cache like Sears Roebuck and Co where you have to post the location of an object as part of a cache. You will need to convert the co-ordinates to dd mm.mmm. There are online converters for this but I use the one in any GC.com cache page as they are very reliable and provide a link back to Google Maps so you can check you have done it right. 
 
As an aside only post co-ordinates on a cyber if it is a LC type of cyber (like Sears Roebuck and co) where you have to find a example of an object anywhere in the world. On the puzzle type cybers  (like WildWildWest1) where you have to find a particular location don't post co-ordinates or pictures or hints that may spoil the search for other cachers.
 
Whilst in Satellite View on Google Maps (or on Street View) it can be worth keeping half an eye open on the pictures in the bar at the bottom. Arrow C If you are lucky they can sometimes be of what you are looking for. I once saw a big green bear show up in the pictures at the bottom allowing me an easy solve on a cyber that I wasn't actually looking for! :)
 
Lastly (for now- I may post more later) Arrow D points to a reduced map view showing you where you are and which way you are facing. The little yellow man is you. If you have entered co-ordinates or an address of a location in the search box of Google Maps the red marker shows the location of the object you are looking for. So you can check you are looking in the right area and direction.  Bear in mind that Street Addresses on Google Maps are only approximate.
 
Feel free to post comments and/or questions on cybers on this thread.
 


Comments [6]

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  • WindpumpBoy  Caister-on-Sea 9/20/2015 
    This should be the image for the above Terratalk

    Attachments

    Streetview101.jpg
    20 Points  2   
  • ag08  Durango 10/8/2015 

    This is such an excellent post about Cybercaching. I have updated it to be a "Resource" so that members can easily find it in the future. 

    Thanks WindpumpBoy for writing this up! 
    10 Points  1   
  • WindpumpBoy  Caister-on-Sea 10/12/2015 

    A couple of extra little tips for cybers:

    If a cache page is in a foreign language. As an alternative to using Google Translate, Right clicking on the page text will bring up the option to translate to English (at least in the UK and I assume in the US and Canada).

    If you have Google Searched an image without success it can sometimes be worth looking at the properties and the name of the image in case the CO has left any intentional (or unintentional) hints in it. This can be most easily done by downloading the image and then right clicking on the closed image file and selecting the "properties" option. Then looking at the "details" section. Sometimes modern phones and cameras will automatically record the co-ordinates the image was taken at, which may be a help in locating whereabouts an image originates from. There are also other, more advanced ways of hiding information in an image, 
    30 Points  3   
  • Squeamish  West Saint Paul 6/21/2018 

    Forgive me for the dumb question.  Is there something in the process of logging a cyber that makes sure the finder actually did solve the puzzle?  Is it similar to a gc.com virtual in that the finder is expected to message the hider with the solution after solving it?  I'm starting a cyber as a gateway to a traditional cache in the unique location I posted about in another thread.  In order to log the cyber as a find, we want to confirm that the finder solved the puzzle.
    10 Points  1   
  • skramble  Sooke 6/22/2018 

    No such thing as a dumb question. If you don't know and don't ask... well, that's dumb. cool

    You can assign a "CC Code" that must be entered correctly (case sensitive) before a log is allowed to be posted. This can be something that can only be viewed by "turning around" in Google Street View for example, or it can be the answer to a puzzle, or whatever you like. Of course, as with any information, there's no guarantee the member acquired it in the expected manner, guessed/brute forced it, or was told it by somebody else.

    You can also assign a "FF Code" for the FTF if you wish, for those who care about that.laughing

    You can also, as has been done by a few, require an email before sending the CC code so you can determine for yourself whether your prerequisites have been met. There's still no guarantee as to how they acquired the answer, you could quiz on solving technique, but same caveat. If you do decide on this, please, please enter the CC code in the normal manner if you decide to retire from the game. There are a few of these "orphaned" ones around that become unsolvable and annoying.

    Hope this helps.
    30 Points  3   
  • Squeamish  West Saint Paul 6/23/2018 

    Thanks!  That helps!  Will do.
    0 Points  0   
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