GPS On Verizon Phones

[+ROOKIE49]

Just wondering if anyone has heard of using the gps on a cell phone to geocache?

[uber_bike_geek]

Based on my (primitive at best) knowledge of cell phone "GPS" systems, they're not actually GPSs, they just communicate with the cell towers in the area and figure out how far they are from each in order to determine a location... Then again, some of the newer models may actually have real GPSs integrated...

 

To answer the question: No, I've not heard of anyone caching by cell phone. I'd think it'd lack in the accuracy department, though, since they're not generally intended for accurate positioning so much as general location

 

eh, this was something of a useless post... I guess I don't deserve a full post point :D

 

Happy Caching!

Jeff

[+TMAACA]

Before switching to Verizon, I used my i730 from Nextel to locate a couple of caches. There was a software package from Trimble that I downloaded to the phone that allowed it to function like a GPSr. It wasn't half bad - usually getting me to within 20' of the location. I haven't seen anything that I can use on my current Verizon phone however.

[+Red 07Z]

GPS in cell phones cant do much but make the phones have more insanely higher prices.. plus the typical screen of a cell phone is smaller...

 

... plus i would hate to see what would happen if you got a phone call as you were closing in on that elusive cache!

 

having a GPS thing into a phone would definitally be cool, if i didn't allready own a phone and a GPS i would most likely consider a phone that has that... but then again i'm sure it wouldn't be as durable or as waterproof as alot of the gps units are

 

 

TMAACA, what was your phone's GPS like as compared to a regular unit in terms of function and usefullness?

[+TMAACA]

Let me preface this by saying that I use an eTrex Yellow for caching, so I am not used to a lot of features..

 

The phone allowed me to hand enter coords and from what I recall, the display was alot like my eTrex. An arrow pointed you in the direction you needed to go and the distance to the cache counted down as you approached. Its ability to get signal under trees was very limited and for that particular model of phone, to get the best reception you had to orient the back toward the sky.

 

I wouldn't want to use it as a primary GPSr but for those times when I didn't have my primary system with me it worked. Combined with the geocaching wap site and the travel navigation software, it was a pretty cool geocaching tool!

 

The biggest plus of all was that the talking into your "cellphone" stealth move was perfectly reasonable.

 

I looked at the Trimble site and there was a note in the forums that they are working with Verizon to try to offer services to them before the end of 2006.

[gatorcj]

You get to enter coordinates into your cell phone and you even get an arrow?! WOW!

*chuckle*

 

I had the same question myself, and according to my Nextel, it was accurate last night to approximately 6 feet. Today the best I got was 35 feet, but it was close enough to find my first cache, and I guess that's all that matters. Maybe I won't be able to get to any that are hidden too well, but maybe bonus points for not having a real GPS yet?

[+darus67]

I got my first FTF using a Boost Mobile phone with the Trimble software.

I also compared the accuracy, side by side, with my Garmin Geko GPS.

The Geko and the Boost phone coordinates agreed exactly to 0.001'

I never had that chance to compare sensitivity in the wild.