There's an Amateur Radio angle to this rapidly growing activity.

Geocaching is a fast-growing hobby that should interest many Amateur Radio operators. After all, hams tend to be enamored with techno-gadgets and probably own more Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers per capita than the population at large. Geocaching makes use of both GPS technology and the Internet. Amateur Radio adds an extra dimension that makes it even more enjoyable.

Donald Lafreniere, VA3DJL, consults his GPS receiver in a Windsor, Ontario park.

How Geocaching Works

Someone hides a cache in a publicly accessible place, such as a park or natural area. The cache may be as small as a 35-mm film canister, or as large as a five-gallon container. Plastic containers that seal tightly to prevent moisture damage to the contents are preferred. Inside the container, the person hiding the cache usually includes an explanatory note in case someone happens to find it accidentally, along with a logbook and various pieces of "treasure." These often resemble the contents of a junk drawer, but may include more valuable items such as CDs or video games. Once the cache is hidden, the hider uses his GPS unit to note the latitude and longitude of the cache. He then goes to the geocaching Web site and enters the coordinates along with a description of the cache, including difficulty and terrain ratings. After a volunteer reads the information and approves it, the cache is listed on the Web site and the fun begins.

Geocachers search the Web site for caches in their area, enter the coordinates of a cache into their GPS receivers and set off in search of the treasure. They're typically motivated more by the challenge of finding the cache than by what they'll find in it. GPS receivers can be accurate to about 15 feet, but when you factor in the potential for error on the hider's unit as well as the seeker's unit, then add in terrain that can be quite difficult and hiding places that may not be obvious, finding a cache becomes an accomplishment to be proud of.

Once the cache is found, the happy geocacher enters a note in the logbook about his cache-finding experience and trades one or more items of his own for items in the cache. He then makes his way back to civilization (meaning a place with Internet access) and returns to the geocaching Web site to log his find and enter comments.

The author looks over the contents of a cache she has just found near Lansing, Michigan.

Combining Amateur Radio

While geocaching is not directly ham radio-related, some hams have combined the two hobbies. For example, the Michigan DX Association hid a cache on Horse Island, in northern Lake Huron, while activating islands this summer. I'm not at liberty to disclose its contents, but the cache was planted with Amateur Radio in mind. It took less than a week before the cache was first found by geocachers who canoed from the Ontario mainland.

The geocaching Web site includes a discussion board for ham radio-related topics. Postings cover general inquiries about ham radio, questions about types of radios and antennas and suggestions for combining the hobbies. Bill Platt, N3XLP, posted a suggestion for combining geocaching with foxhunting by setting up a solar-powered beacon and listing its frequency in the logbook of a cache. The geocacher would have to first locate the cache, then the beacon. Jeffrey Garnett, KG4CNM, described his combination of APRS and geocaching, which involves a roving cache located in the spare tire of his vehicle.

Some geocachers leave their business cards in caches they have found. My husband and I are leaving QSL cards, some with notes inviting people to contact us if they'd like to learn more about ham radio. When we hid our first cache recently, we included several more-or-less radio-related items, such as electrical tape, zip ties, solder lugs, a mini screwdriver set and a PL-259 connector, as well as more conventional items: a kazoo, small toys (kids' meal type), a bicentennial quarter, a deck of cards, and other odds and ends. Unfortunately, our cache was too small to include a copy of Now You're Talking!

The Maid of Many Waters travel bug at the Detroit River, with the Ambassador Bridge in the background.

Considering the ingenuity of hams, they will probably find many more ways to combine ham radio with geocaching. One area in which hams could innovate is travel bugs. Travel bugs are usually small items, like key chains, that geocachers move from one cache to another. They are identified with metal tags stamped with a number, rather like dog tags. Geocachers log when they retrieve a travel bug from one cache and place it in another cache, and the Web site keeps track of the distance traveled.

Travel bugs often have stated goals, such as visiting as many bodies of water as possible or traveling to Texas. Geocachers sometimes use another of their techno-toys, digital cameras, to take pictures of the travel bug adventures to upload to the Web site.

Geocaching is an enjoyable hobby that can complement Amateur Radio. Other than the purchase of a GPS receiver, it is a relatively inexpensive hobby. Geocaching can inspire you to discover interesting locales not far from your home that you may have never visited before. Geocaching is more than a reason to go for a walk; it's a challenge. So dust off your GPS receiver, check out the Web site, grab your handheld transceiver and go for a hike!

I earned my first ham license at age 13, and now hold an Extra class license. Don Lafreniere, VA3DJL, and I met on the air in 1995 and we were married in 1998. I was the first in my immediate family to get a ham license. Now, all five members of my immediate family are hams. A portrait of my three-generation ham family appeared in "Up Front in QST" in the October 2001 issue of QST. You can contact the author at eblafreniere@attbi.com.

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