From: Coordinor <news2yous@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Stash page/faq yet?
Date: Friday, May 12, 2000 12:22 PM


Global Positioning Stash Hunt

(GPSH)

Preliminary FAQ Ver0.0

OVERVIEW

The Global Positioning Stash Hunt (GPSH) is an entertaining adventure game
for gps users. Participating in a stash hunt is a good way to take advantage
of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic plan is to
have individuals and organizations set up stashes all over the world and
share the locations of these stashes on the internet. GPS users can then use
the location coordinates to find the stashes. Once found a stash may provide
the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is
that if they get something they should try to leave something for the stash.

ANATOMY OF A STASH

A GPSH stash can come in many forms but the first item should always be the
logbook. In its simplest form a stash can be just a logbook and nothing else.
The logbook contains information from the founder of the stash and notes from
the stash's visitors. The logbook can contain much valuable, rewarding, and
entertaining information. A logbook might contain information about nearby
attractions, coordinates to other unpublished stashes, and even jokes written
by visitors. If you get some information from a logbook you should give some
back. At the very least you can leave the date and time you visited the
stash.

Larger stashes may consist of a waterproof plastic bucket placed tastefully
within the local terrain. The bucket will contain the logbook and any number
of more or less valuable items. These items turn the GPSH into a true
treasure hunt. You never know what the founder or other visitors of the stash
may have left there for you to enjoy. Remember, if you take something, its
only fair for you to leave something in return. Items in a bucket stash could
be: Maps, books, software, hardware, CD's, videos, pictures, money, jewelry,
tickets, food, beer, antiques, tools, games, and many other stuff. You may
take any of these items but please write in the logbook what you took and
what you gave, this way others will be able to read about your lucky day. It
is recommended that items in a bucket stash be individually packaged in a
clear zipped plastic bag to protect them.

Commercial and larger stashes can bring even more fun to the GPSH experience.
In order to attract customers to their store or business, they may advertise
that they have a GPSH stash on their premises. Stashes within stores should
be located at the posted coordinates and be marked with the letters GPS for
Global Positioning Stash. The GPS box, closet, or room should function just
like any other GPSH stash. There should be a logbook and places to take and
leave items. The business may decide to feature samples of their products at
their stash. A smart business should recognize that gps users can make very
good customers and posting the coordinates get you to their door.

The location of a stash can be very entertaining indeed. As some say,
location is everything! The location of a stash demonstrates the founder's
skill and possibly even daring. A stash located on the side of a rocky cliff
accessible only by rock climbing equipment may be hard to find. An underwater
stash may only be accessed by scuba. Other stashes may require long difficult
hiking, orienteering, and special equipment to get to. Stashes may be located
in cities both above and below ground, inside and outside buildings. The
skillful placement of a small logbook in an urban environment may be quite
challenging to find even with the accuracy of a gps. That little logbook may
have a hundred dollar bill in it or a map to greater treasure. It could even
contain clues or riddles to solve that may lead to other stashes. Rich people
could have fun with their money by making lucrative stashes that could be
better than winning the lottery when you find it. Just hope that the person
that found the stash just before you left a real big prize!

 Stamped Offset Stashes (SOS) are not found by simply going to some
coordinates and finding a stash there. With the SOS the published coordinates
are that of an existing historical monument, plaque, or even a benchmark that
you would like to have your stash hunter visit. From this site the stash
hunter must look around and find offset numbers stamped in some part of the
marker site. For instance, if the plaque has four mounting bolts you might
find a 44 stamped in the head of the easterly bolt, and a 72 stamped in a
northerly bolt. This would be a clue to go the stash location 44 meters east
and 72 meters north. There are many other variations of numerical codes and
formats that could be used to guide one to the stash.

In order to create a Stamped Offset Stash you will need a numerical stamp
set. Stamp Sets cost about $20US in a good tool supply store. Go to the
monument you want to mark and record the location with your gps, this is the
location that you will publish on the net. Next, find a location for the
stash nearby and place it there. Now using your GPS record the position of
the stash, return to the monument and then find the range and bearing to the
stash from the first location. You may now stamp these numbers in a
convenient place. Do Not Deface The Monument ! You can use a single center
punch mark to indicate degrees of a number. You can also use the UTM
coordinate system to determine distances north, east, south, or west.

I see that in order to make the Stamped Offset Stash (SOS) system work on
stone monuments or similar structures some augmentation is required. My
feeling at this time is that it would be most advisable to stamp the offset
coordinates into a penny and then glue it to the base of the monument in an
inconspicuous place. Fast acting epoxy glue would work well and still be
removable in case the stash was abolished due to development in the area.

One glued penny is all that is needed to find the stash. Stamp the radial
distance on the penny, then glue the penny to the rock at a location that
points in the direction of the stash.

Lets all glue pennies to rocks now!

CAR STASHES

Cars make great stashes, they are waterproof and can hold a lot
of stuff. They can be enjoyable as well as troublesome.

Lets say you have coordinates to a stash at the airport you are
flying into, you find the stash and WOW there are car keys in
the stash!! Attached to the keys are the coordinates where the
car is parked. You find the car in good condition and check the
stash in the trunk. Should you go for a drive?
Here is where things get a little difficult. For the car to be a
good usable stash car there should be an up to date insurance
card in the glove box. It would also be good to have the signed
title to the car so you could prove it wasn't stolen and also be
able to sell it if you need the money. If you are at all
suspicious about the car, please call the police and have them
check and make sure its not stolen. If all is well, use the car,
park it in a safe location, record its position on the keys and
stash the keys in the same or a different stash.

Stationary or Junk car stashes can really be a problem. Even
though a car can hold quite a stash of stuff and be easy to find
with a gps maybe you should hold off before creating one. Dead
car stashes are best done on private land where the area can be
controlled. If you don't mind having stash hunters on your
property, go ahead, park your old van next to the barn and
identify it as a stash on the internet.


THE LIFETIME OF A STASH

When you create your GPS stash, you are creating something that
can last forever! A location on the planet is just that, a
location, and locations don't go away. Space is forever...

When you transmit the coordinates of your stash to the Internet
and to Newsgroups it becomes part of cyberspace, and information
in cyberspace may also be forever. In cyberspace stash
information is duplicated all over the planet. Lists of
coordinates copied from server to server to user to disk to
paper, and becomes super redundant, never lost.

Even after the Great Asteroid Impact of year 4023 when most
everyone died, your stash and its location could survive.
Archeologists of the year 16428 may find a disk with a list of
stash coordinates. Once decoded, the stash hunt is on again.
Lets just hope they do the right thing:

1. Take something from the stash

2. Leave something in the stash

3. Write about it in the logbook

Stashed in Perpetuity !

Comments Please!

Coordi