markstang

If I had a full charge at sun set and for some reason needed to GeoCache at night. I would have a charge for about 5 hours, depending on the time of night, day light savings time in the US or not, 2 in the morning is about when I would run out. I view GeoCaching at night as a risk in a city area as far as Others wondering what the heck you are doing and safety. If I am roughing it and have spent hundreds on camping and cooking and so on, I will certainly spend 40 dollars for another battery. But Batteries for another full charge on the run take about 30 seconds to remove and another 1 minute for reboot. I should say I do not GeoCache all night long. for me it is a day hunt, and even then I drive from point to point and keep a full charge while driving. If I should get into camping and Kaiaking more, then a GPS and several Batteries for both would be my choice and power would not really be an issue. As stated solar chargers are very expensive. I suppose I agree that battery life is a non issue. Water? is another issue.

... assuming the sun is out when you're caching. or that you're caching during the day for that matter. try doing a lengthy night cache with that! They work with ambient light....as for the other night search I would have to be past 2 in the morning .... ridiculous , absolutely ridiculous stretch at a moot point.

Agreed , however you can find dozens and dozens of solar chargers that make this a non issue for either device.

+1

Have you been asked to calibrate your HTC from the software? My HTC has never been off more than 20 feet (one time in rain) but usually within 3 to 10 feet. Still testing. I might just have a lucky device. It seems each device model can be quite different.

That was very well said. I can not imagine trying to use a device that is even 50 foot off with the complexity of some of the finds I have run across involving logs and a creative mind.. Since I am new I am sure I have simply no clue as to how ingenious some of the hides can be. To ad a 3 degree of altitude change in tough terrain. Weather effects mine for sure.

I use the Evo Droid on Froyo 2.2 I get 3-7 feet with open skys every time. actual finds have been 1 foot to 13 feet. I am not placing caches with it until these new devises are excepted in time from the community of cachers. The latest supper smart phones have only been out with Droid 2.2 for a couple weeks. I enjoy finding caches with ease. Sure is nice finding the creative nature type log hides. LOL

I do not call people liers, so stop being rude , argumentative and misleading. Thank you.

I do not need you to put words in my text. My words apply to who I describe. opinions about a device regarding accuracy can only be truthfully given from an actual user. I am not sure what you are trying to say. You must be unsure of my clear words.

Shouldn't the considerations of different devices be based someone ACTUALLY using them before a negative opinion be given. I seem to be reading on this forum over and over and over from people giving negative remarks but never admitting that they have used one. Since the Supper Smart phones have only been out for a couple of months , a person would have to have bought one (the most popular IPhone4 and EVO are still on waiting lists because demand is too high) very recently to be able to relate to us very few people who "Actually Know" how accurate our finds are. So of coarse people like me are frustrated to read the transparant negatives from non users and yet we know what we experience from our "actual" use of the new devices. They work great. My finds on sunny days have always been within 10 feet or less with the device giving a variance of 7+ OR - , or 10 + or - . On one rainy day it jumped at times into the mid teens and 20 + or - What is the purpose of a person bashing a GPS device that they them selves have never used personally. Even then the manufacturer of each device is different and can not be grouped into one category. I only contend that if a person has not bought the newest Supper Smart Device in the last couple of months , that there is no basses to establish truth except by hear say.

Thank you for helping me learn.

Sooo...what the heck is a travel Bug Prison? I read through this whole topic and found no clue to what you are talking about.

I am a new player and realize at a glance that travel bug owners have somewhat of an attachment to them. I felt very lucky to find one. The reason I still have it after a week is because I want to make sure it gets going in the right direction. I was a bit bewildered after finding it and looking on the internet (this is how I found this sight) and saw that it was actually traveling the wrong way. So...I am going to make an effort the first chance I get to take it about 50 miles in the correct direction. This also means that I have to find a traditional cache in that direction and distance to make sure the little Bugger gets going I feel I am a good temporary custodian.

You are correct. I have not used an Iphone4. Until a device is proved in accurate I would hope it could be used. I personally feel I am not experienced enough to record a Cache location until I have more time in this activity. The placements I have found so far are recorded very accurate. I seem to notice the more I have found the less I depend on my device when at the location. A couple of my finds have been genius level containers that far exceed a film type container. These are the ones I enjoy the most , the kind that you are sure are Not there and you feel like leaving and coming back again. I have a GPS but am not sure where it is. Having Kids now and not using it for 5 years puts it somewhere in the attic category LOL. Perhaps we could consider letting a Cache be placed (beta form) and have a local Cacher with a stand alone confirm the accuracy if a Cacher wanted to have his/her device pass accuracy. The multi devices have too many different manufactures to cluster them together. Anyone with a GPS in Central Florida willing to let me do a "verification" Cache privately? I live in the Clermont area.

The devices intended use, is was it does and is when the App opens. You choose and it...is HTC EVO High Tech Computer It is a computer. It has applications that do many things. Computing is its strong point. It has 512mb of RAM and 1 gig of ROM. It is no more a phone than it is a movie player. It is many things you want it to be. A phone company does not make it. But it does Phone quite well. It takes High resolution videos. Much better than two of my video cameras. But not as good as my 8mm Sony. If I put a picture taken with my Nikon SLR next to this one on the same setting you might me amazed. Remember the Nikon is a computer too, the lens makes better light however. Have you used one for Caching? Or setting a Cache? Fair question considering I have done finds at 100% now that I know the game better. within 30 feet it is a brain game...isn't it. I could easily say for me it is within 10 feet so far in a clear sky. I have actually used one though. just a note.

Leave it at home. Really that simple. It is common to have a 1000.00 dollar bill for roaming on the phones when taken out of the country. Just go to your destination and buy a cheap monthly pay as you go phone for your safety. The kind with packaged minute cards.

I am pretty sure from the reading I have done "so far" and as much as I have read (repeat) "so far" A "REAL" GPS is a device that receives signals from multiple Satellites to determine fractional time differences based on the devices ability to read atomic time and transfers the information to (so many) different applications so as to see the resulting information on a Map as "Location" in real time. Yeah this is basic baby talk but It is what I have determined so far. A real GPS is one that reads Satellite signals and is not something Plastic made by a toy factory with a sticker on the screen to look like a child depiction of technology. I keep thinking I am missing something here. I keep seeing hints that a stand alone is real and a Multi use is not. Is there a chip difference or proprietary license that entitles some kind of difference in the types of chips from either type? Stand Alone verses Multi Use. Both have the ability to find a location within 20 feet. Is just the Stand Alone one better at returning its location for a placement of a Cache even though both get you there? Antenna and durability ...yes. I am saying both are as good at locating (I have both, so I can say for sure) within acceptable Caching locations. Are we about to discriminate against a line of products and why?

They would very in performance and difference to other smart phones like cars very from one manufacturer to another or GPS manufacturers very from one to another. Because the word "smart phone" describes all of them does not mean they are the same at all. My Iphone reception (all 4 of them ) was horrible most of the time. But that has more to do with towers and location. My current smart phone works everywhere in my home. My Iphones never ever worked in my home. I felt I could give some opinion on the Iphone because I owned them for over two years. Night and day From Iphone too what I have. Iphones are wonderful phones and I am not nocking them. Just giving insight into what I believe is a reception problem. (for me)

LOLDue to spelling. thanks for noticing

I looked at youtube videos today about the Garmin450 and think it looks extremely versatile .

Did not work so well. I do not understand why. I found the marker by the description of survey but inputting the coordinates put me 1/2 mile off. Not likely the GPS . I must not understand how to input a coordinate by hand correctly. New to me.

Thanks. Side note. The App discussed was used before I knew better. The moderator helped me find the right one however I could not omit the comment above because too much time went by for the edit option. Found two today with my wife. She wants to know how to do it on her own device now. LOL

Since I have to leave now to take the kids to school I thought I should logically load the list to distance and take coordinates of the closest on and go see where it takes me. hmm Bring wife and find closest breakfast if I fail Edit: Ahhh...I see I can click on survey and get historical print out of the history and specific type directions of area. Thanks, I will have some results I hope.

I am with sprint and have the EVO my brother is with Verizon and has the Droid Both work well

Hello, I thank you for your insight. If I may say this...I tend to agree with you too. Imagine that Going out in the rain yesterday was not my idea of fun at all. Then I realized this morning that it actually made me feel more adventurous. The hunt and conditions were far more enjoyable than just the find. I was using pen and paper for the first time to record the information and felt a truer connection than no paper. This is not going to be surprising to a lot of you but I just wanted to share this humbling turn of events so you know that I am truly somewhat of a GeoCacher with possibility. The rain let me know right away (zip lock or not) that bad conditions are no place for the phone. ...and I kinda liked the bad conditions. So...a rugged location outside of Florida for example has become part of my new thinking. I suspect a Stand alone (newer than my ancient one) will become a desire very quickly. I love gadgets, I am not so sure about the steps to load info into one though. When I get one I just want to get the best one with the first money I spend and I do not know a thing about which one is best for this hobby. Thank you again. Mark