a virgin needs gps help

[scottco]

Hi everyone

 

As you all can see i am new to this after we found a discarded cach .. more on that later

 

After finding out what a cach was i thought it would be great to have go but my problem is i have nothing with a gps. I live in australia and was woundering do i just go and buy a gps that you use to navigate around the streets via a car or is it a special type of gps?

 

Scott

[NordicMan]

Hi and welcome to Geocaching

 

First off, a better term for a new person might be "newbie" or "noob" (I assume THAT is what you are trying to indicate lol)

 

Yep you can get a basic GPS receiver and it will work fine for this activity, and if you've never used one before you might discover the gadget is useful for other tasks too so, it's not necessarily a "1 use device"

 

Regarding which one to buy,, it is highly recommended you get an actua "outdoor rated" model, one that is rugged enough to not worry about it getting damaged if sprinkled with rain or dropped. Some people try to Geocache with one of those automotive inspired models, the ones that "talk" road navigation. OR some people use one of the newer cell phones that have a GPS receiver built in.. Both types <can work> for Geocaching but they have their limitations.

 

If you need help on a specific model to bjy, go to the stores and let us know which specific models you are considering and we can assist with purchase advice.

 

Good luck & have fun!

[+briansnat]

The GPS that most people use for geocaching is a hand held unit, meant for outdoor use. Automotive units are not good choices. You can buy a hand held unit starting around $90 (USD) and they run up to about $500 (USD) depending on the features you want.

[+Wild Thing 73]

MapGPS60CSx....none better for caching....Stay safe

[+Chris & Renee]

Personally the Garmin Orgeonm Series, easy of use, paperless, accurite and can be used in Aust for street navigation so no need to purchase a sepatrate unit.

[+rdfirebrd]

I often use an automotive gps to get to the area, and then when I leave my car will use a handheld gps device...

 

I also use the automotive gps for cemeteries and public places since it looks less suspicious(on mute so if it starts giving me directions my cover isn't blown).

[+Rezza]

I use my cell phone with a the geocaching navigator application, works fairly well. I plan on buying a handheld GPSr later on down the road.

[+M4rx15t]

I started out using the iPhone app but the reception is very limited. My Garmin Oregon on the other hand has amazing reception (plus no worry of dropping my iPhone or getting it wet), I Highly recommend it!!

[+a family of spies]

Ditto - go with the oregon

[+EdFromOhio]

ScottCo, I just got started with this, too. I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on a GPS device. NewEgg had a recertified TomTom 130 for $50 after rebate, so I got one. It is my first GPS device.

 

Although it isn't designed for it, I do use it for geocaching and benchmarking. Since it is battery powered, I can take it out of the car and walk around with it. It is very accurate, too. Once I get close to the cache, I switch it over to the screen that shows the raw coordinates and walk around until I get them to match where the cache page says to look. It's much more difficult than a hand-held unit, but for poor folk like me, it works.