GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right? HeadHardHat's Geocaching Insights

HeadHardHat's Award Winning Geocaching Blog is a geocache treasure trove of geocaching information. Years of searchable geocaching insights await you here. HeadHardHat's GeoSnippits Geocaching Videos series can be seen on You Tube. You can also find him on his new GeoSnippits Reboot Podcast series and the Geocaching Podcast. Geocaching the outdoor treasure-hunting game which the participants use a GPS receiver to hide and seek containers called "geocaches" or "caches" anywhere in the world

Showing posts with label game. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Great Tip To Know: Munzee Map Deployment Adjustment

To change your Munzee Coords simply move the red pointer.

Before reading below if you want to learn more about Munzee and how to get started with this fun geocaching like game go here and read up about it:

http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/2011/07/enjoying-my-munzee-madness.html

One of the things that I have started hearing about Munzee hides is the inaccuracy of the coords when placed. I kind of suspected that would be an issue because people forget to let the smartphone just sit for a minute or three and settle. What happens is your Munzee card is shows up way over there. Sometimes several hundred feet way over there and it is really right where you placed it. How can you correct when this happens?

Great question. Even with our best efforts of leaving the phone sit for a few minutes before scanning the Munzee card things like tree cover and other interference can cause the GPS to be off. The Munzee website has a really simple solution. Log in to www.Munzee.com and click on the smallish 'User Home' link at the top of the page. When it loads you will see another link towards the top middle called 'Deployed Munzees', click it. You will then be shown a list of all the Munzee hides you have placed. Choose the one you want to adjust.

This opens up all the information and description you will want to put about that particular Munzee. Towards the bottom is a map that has a red pin showing where Munzee thinks you hid your card. Below the map is the coords that were uploaded when you scanned the card initially. At the top right of the map click the Satellite button. Now zoom in all the way you can and you will see a really great shot of the area you hid the Munzee card and where the red pointer thinks it is. To adjust, simply move the red pointer from where it is to where you want it to be. The coords automatically readjust to where you put it. When you have the pointer where you want it don't forget to click the 'Update Munzee Details' button to save everything.

Once done, the update is automatic and anyone searching your Munzee hide will now have a much better chance of finding it.

After seeing this I went to each of my hides and made the correct adjustments. It made a big difference on a couple. Hope this helps!

-HHH

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Enjoying My Munzee Madness

These Munzee cards are heading for
Lake Benson County Park

It has only been a week since I found out about MUNZEE. A game similar to geocaching in the sense that you use your smart phone and a Munzee application to hide and/or find Munzee Cards. The word is spreading throughout all of the social networks and it is really taking off. Thanks to Darrylw4 by the way who mentioned on last week's Geocaching Podcast.

Basically all you have to do is go to the Munzee website - www.munzee.com and get yourself registered. If you have a compatible smart phone either Android or iOS download the Munzee App. *Note your phone must have an auto-focus type camera otherwise your App will not install.

Whether you are hiding a Munzee card of finding one you will use your Munzee app. On each Munzee card is a QR code. Those square bar code like graphics which contains information for only that Munzee card.

If hiding, you scan the Munzee card via the app which utilizes your camera and some QR scanning software to register exactly where you scan the card. The GPS in your phone also is used to mark the spot and all is sent to the main Munzee website. Do a successful hide and you get points for your efforts.

If finding, you bring up the closest Munzee hides via your app. Select your choice and use the map to get you to where the Munzee card is hidden. Note the map is crude, don't look for any big bells and whistles right now but you can zoom in close enough to make a good guess of ground zero. When you find the Munzee card again use your phone app and scan the QR code on the card. When you successfully scan your find you get points.

You can hide Munzee cards any way that you wish. In containers like geocaches, laminate them or print via laser printer, basically any way you think the QC code can stay dry and protected works.

I don't think that the game of Munzee will replace geocaching but it is a fun adaptation to it. I would think that Munzee cards would be much more accepted in high muggle areas than a traditional geocache would. In my humble opinion people are much less likely to yell "bomb" with a card held by a magnet. Common sense and permission with any hide though is always a key thing to have.