Using the GPS on an iPhone

[whodatdoc1975]

Hi Folks,

 

I've recently got myself an iphone with GPS capability. Having known about geocaching for a while, I thought I'd give it a try using the iphone. I've tried to find three caches recently, without any luck so far. What i'd like to know is how accurate are the GPS devices in iphones and does anyone have any tips for more successful finds? I would love to leave some caches but until I know that I'm using the iphone properly, i don't want to cause anymore frustration to other 'cachers. All help is appreciated

[+briansnat]

The GPS in the iPhone isn't a particularly accurate one. Even a dedicated handheld GPS unit will only get you to within 10-60 feet of the cache (when you factor in the inaccuracy of your unit and the hiders). I know people who use the iPhone who have reported finding the cache 100+ feet from where the IPhone says it is.

 

For a veteran geocacher who knows what to look for this might not be as much a problem as it is for a novice.

 

The iPhone with the app from geocaching.com is a nice tool for spur of the moment finds and also works nicely

to bring up the cache pages for nearby caches, but for serious geocaching a dedicated hand held unit is still the best tool for the job.

[whodatdoc1975]

The GPS in the iPhone isn't a particularly accurate one. Even a dedicated handheld GPS unit will only get you to within 10-60 feet of the cache (when you factor in the inaccuracy of your unit and the hiders). I know people who use the iPhone who have reported finding the cache 100+ feet from where the IPhone says it is.

 

For a veteran geocacher who knows what to look for this might not be as much a problem as it is for a novice.

 

The iPhone with the app from geocaching.com is a nice tool for spur of the moment finds and also works nicely

to bring up the cache pages for nearby caches, but for serious geocaching a dedicated hand held unit is still the best tool for the job.

 

Many thanks for the advice, will bear this in mind on my next mission!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

The GPS in the iPhone isn't a particularly accurate one. Even a dedicated handheld GPS unit will only get you to within 10-60 feet of the cache (when you factor in the inaccuracy of your unit and the hiders). I know people who use the iPhone who have reported finding the cache 100+ feet from where the IPhone says it is.

 

For a veteran geocacher who knows what to look for this might not be as much a problem as it is for a novice.

 

The iPhone with the app from geocaching.com is a nice tool for spur of the moment finds and also works nicely

to bring up the cache pages for nearby caches, but for serious geocaching a dedicated hand held unit is still the best tool for the job.

 

I was looking at getting an iPhone a couple of days ago and asked about the GPS. The guy at the store said it uses Wifi triangulation and it's not a "real" GPS. I don't know if that's true but that's what he claimed.

 

As it turned out, I'm not eligible for an upgrade (at the discounted price) until February 18th but I plan on getting one then. I'll also get a copy of the Groundspeak iPhone app and will use the iPhone in tandem with my Garmin 76Cx. I figurethe iPhone GPS will allow me get a listing of geocaches no matter where I am that I haven't preloaded into my GPS, then if I see something interesting I can also copy the coordinates into my Garmin for the actual search. I'm hoping that will work well when I'm traveling at the end of February. I've got some caches along a route PQs already set up but if I diverge from the route I'll still be able to find what local caches are in an area.

Edited January 6, 2009 by NYPaddleCacher

[+jjt1503]

The GPS in the iPhone isn't a particularly accurate one. Even a dedicated handheld GPS unit will only get you to within 10-60 feet of the cache (when you factor in the inaccuracy of your unit and the hiders). I know people who use the iPhone who have reported finding the cache 100+ feet from where the IPhone says it is.

 

For a veteran geocacher who knows what to look for this might not be as much a problem as it is for a novice.

 

The iPhone with the app from geocaching.com is a nice tool for spur of the moment finds and also works nicely

to bring up the cache pages for nearby caches, but for serious geocaching a dedicated hand held unit is still the best tool for the job.

 

I was looking at getting an iPhone a couple of days ago and asked about the GPS. The guy at the store said it uses Wifi triangulation and it's not a "real" GPS. I don't know if that's true but that's what he claimed.

 

As it turned out, I'm not eligible for an upgrade (at the discounted price) until February 18th but I plan on getting one then. I'll also get a copy of the Groundspeak iPhone app and will use the iPhone in tandem with my Garmin 76Cx. I figurethe iPhone GPS will allow me get a listing of geocaches no matter where I am that I haven't preloaded into my GPS, then if I see something interesting I can also copy the coordinates into my Garmin for the actual search. I'm hoping that will work well when I'm traveling at the end of February. I've got some caches along a route PQs already set up but if I diverge from the route I'll still be able to find what local caches are in an area.

 

Being new to geocaching, I tried the iphone with the geocaching.com app. The best margin of error that the GPS would give me was +/- 56feet.

 

This was a bit frustrating to a newbie. I have just purchased a Gamin to give me better accuracy. I agree with previous post that I will keep the app on the iphone for spur of the moments when traveling but will use the garmin for my serious hunts. Staring at 56 feet of dense underbrush is a bit intimidating.

[+iPhone3Gcacher]

I have been using my iPhone as my sole GPSr for upwards of 75 finds now. I do things slightly differently. First I use GC.com app to find the cache, read description, etc... Then I use Google maps to find the cache. I have found it to be VERY accurate, and have never had a problem with the accuracy. One thing to keep in mind is that when you are using the compass and you get the +/- 56 that seems to me to be the minimum. (Many apps on the phone never get lower than that.) It doesn't mean that it IS that far off just that it could be.

 

I was looking at getting an iPhone a couple of days ago and asked about the GPS. The guy at the store said it uses Wifi triangulation and it's not a "real" GPS. I don't know if that's true but that's what he claimed.

 

This sales rep is way behind on his training! Since the launch of iPhone 3G it has had a real GPS chip. The original model used Cell/WiFi positioning.

 

In my opinion the iPhone is one of the best tools this sport has seen. I also know from an inside source that there are even bigger things to come.

 

Edited to fix Grammer

Edited January 6, 2009 by mikenaddeo

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I have been using my iPhone as my sole GPSr for upwards of 75 finds now. I do things slightly differently. First I use GC.com app to find the cache, read description, etc... Then I use Google maps to find the cache. I have found it to be VERY accurate, and have never had a problem with the accuracy. One thing to keep in mind is that when you are using the compass and you get the +/- 56 that seems to me to be the minimum. (Many apps on the phone never get lower than that.) It doesn't mean that it IS that far off just that it could be.

 

I was looking at getting an iPhone a couple of days ago and asked about the GPS. The guy at the store said it uses Wifi triangulation and it's not a "real" GPS. I don't know if that's true but that's what he claimed.

 

This sales rep is way behind on his training! Since the launch of iPhone 3G it has had a real GPS chip. The original model used Cell/WiFi positioning.

 

In my opinion the iPhone is one of the best tools this sport has seen. I also know from an inside source that there are even bigger things to come.

 

Edited to fix Grammer

 

That's good to hear about the GPS chip. Since I already have a good handheld GPS with topo maps (are topo maps available for the iPhone?) I'll rely on it for most of my searches.

 

As far as better things to come, "so what else is new". Everytime I upgrade my phone it seems that something new comes along in a week that makes it obsolete. When I got my Blackberry Pearl a version wit an internal GPS came out two weeks later.

[+iPhone3Gcacher]

There are no topo maps currently availabe however there is google maps satellite images. As for the things to come. The best part about the iPhone is that both apple and developers are constantly adding updates to the current model. Unless there is a major hardware update your phone should stay current for awhile.