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Geocache coordinates is off

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Hi! So I have a geocache and I used the compass app to get the coordinates, but then later on I realized that it shows my geocache is somewhere else then its supposed to be. How can I get the exact coordinates?

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1 hour ago, NightFall806 said:

How can I get the exact coordinates?

Helpful info from IceColdUK.

Also, civilian GPS is only "accurate" to around ten feet on a good day, so "exact" is simply to get as close as you can.  

Of both caches, there's only one cacher that said " It shouldn’t have been as hard as it was but my coordinates were off".

 - They could have just had an off day.    Looks (to me) that you're doing okay as-is.  :)

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If you used the Compass app on an iPhone, it isn't a good choice for hiding a cache, as explained by Keystone:

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 11:26 PM, Keystone said:

Do NOT use the iPhone's native compass app for taking coordinates.  The Degree/Minutes/Seconds format is terrible for geocaching, due to its lack of precision. Where I live, 1 second represents about 100 feet latitude and 76 feet longitude . That means your coordinates could indicate a spot anywhere within a 7,600 square foot area. Obviously, that lack of precision is not acceptable for geocaching.

Geocaching.com uses the Degree/Decimal-Minutes format (DD° MM.mmm') as the standard. It's what virtually all GPS units come set to from the factory. It's precise to about 6 feet (or about a 36 square foot area). Converting from one format to another does not increase the precision. You just end up with bad coordinates in a different format.

As a reviewer, bad coordinates taken with the iPhone compass app are a top ten problem in the cache review process.


You'll want to find an app that gives more precise coordinates (ie. more digits). Pretty much any GPS app should allow you to do that.

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