+FA1SGL Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 If you, like myself, eschew carrying yet another device with you on your hunting trips for the wiley cache (no bag limit) and use a Blackberry or other GPS enabled phone let's discuss the pros and cons. Pin: 30ACF388 Quote
+ecanderson Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 If you, like myself, eschew carrying yet another device with you on your hunting trips for the wiley cache (no bag limit) and use a Blackberry or other GPS enabled phone let's discuss the pros and cons. Pin: 30ACF388 Did a lunch 'event' with another cacher in the same business park to see his new iPhone in action earlier this year. Thus far, these things are designed to find the nearest Starbucks, not a geocache ... so the accuracy isn't there. Most applications just don't need it at the extra hardware cost of a better GPS chipset. We were out in "open skies", so I can't say how good the sensitivity is. For some kinds of caching, I could see using it, but if there's any "clutter" that doesn't allow for some pretty obvious choices for the hide, I can see how it would be a pretty rough deal. Quote
+Too Tall John Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 Pros? You'll have one less device to carry around. Oh, wait. That's covered in the OP. Let me think of another. . . . . . Hrm . . . . . . Umm . . . . . . Still thinking. . . . . . Well, I guess I'll have to get back to you on that one. I know some real iPhone fanatics, and they still bring their GPS when they go caching. The whole can't get a signal under a tree thing discourages it. Quote
+StarBrand Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 Devices like the Garmin Colorado/Oregon/Dakota series are all in one. Same with Lowrance Endura and Delorme PN Series. I leave my Cell phone in the Jeep - so it is fair to say that I am carrying just the one device. Quote
+GrateBear Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 Let's see----drop PN-40 in water, watch it float. Drop iPhone in water, watch beaucoup dollars flushed down the drain. Quote
+Too Tall John Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 Devices like the Garmin Colorado/Oregon/Dakota series are all in one. Same with Lowrance Endura and Delorme PN Series.Well, since you're bringing it up, I LOVE my Oregon. I still carry my cell with me too. The OP wants to know about using GPS enabled phones, I believe. . . Quote
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) When I first got my Blackberry 8310 I loved it. Found some caches, played with various software, even made some posts here in the hardware forums about how cool it was. After about fifty finds I liked it enough to sell my Garmin 60CSx. Then I went to GW7 and could not get a data connection. At the biggest most eagerly anticipated event of the year I could find no geocaches. Got back to Birmingham, I could find caches just fine. Went to a ham radio convention in Montgomery AL and the city of Montgomery, Alabama's capitol, is not on my Blackberry's maps. Had to stop and buy a paper map. I go caching now with a Garmin eTrex Yellow as backup because the Blackberry only works under perfect circumstances. The eTrex Yellow that I paid $25 for works every time. I am embarrassed now to have this high-tech but unreliable Blackberry that I am stuck paying a $35 monthly data plan (over and above the phone service plan) for when it won't do what a $25 six-year-old eTrex will do reliably. I bought my daughter an iPhone, she had to have it for the 'cool factor'. Another monthly data plan required so she can send text messages (the dumbest form of communications yet conceived and foisted on a gullible public). I wouldn't dream of taking it caching, I would have it destroyed in one trip. Anyone want to trade a Blackberry for a real GPS? Yeah, I'm missing my 60CSx like you would not believe! Edited December 21, 2009 by TheAlabamaRambler Quote
+power69 Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 If you, like myself, eschew carrying yet another device with you on your hunting trips for the wiley cache (no bag limit) and use a Blackberry or other GPS enabled phone let's discuss the pros and cons. Pin: 30ACF388 Did a lunch 'event' with another cacher in the same business park to see his new iPhone in action earlier this year. Thus far, these things are designed to find the nearest Starbucks, not a geocache ... so the accuracy isn't there. Most applications just don't need it at the extra hardware cost of a better GPS chipset. We were out in "open skies", so I can't say how good the sensitivity is. For some kinds of caching, I could see using it, but if there's any "clutter" that doesn't allow for some pretty obvious choices for the hide, I can see how it would be a pretty rough deal. you can always tell when coords are taken with an iphone, they're always off at least 30ft Quote
oakenwood Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 Power69 beat me to one point: a dedicated GPSr is usually more accurate than a GPS-enabled phone. They typically have high-sensitivity chipsets that allow them to see more satellites and usually also have WAAS. It's the difference between ten feet and 30-50 feet. You can get geocaching apps for a phone, but it's often a built-in feature for a GPSr. Many times, the phone apps aren't free. For instance, the geocaching app for my Motorola phone costs $6.99/month. Using a phone also requires connecting while you use the app. You need an unlimited plan, or you'll pay a lot of money. Speaking of money, not everybody can afford both gadgets. If they've paid $400 for a phone, they may not want to shell out another $150 for a GPSr that they consider redundant. Quote
+KBI Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 I carry three devices: A GPS*, a cordless word processer**, and an organic legacy multipage display***. *Garmin eTrex Vista ** pen *** stack of printouts Quote
+Heresomewhere Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) I got into geocaching because my Nokia 5800 cell phone has a GPSr. I added ViewRanger software so that it would read British Ordinace Survey maps, and their overseas equivalents. That led me into geocaching. I find the Nokia to be accurate and when used in assisted GPS mode the data download is tiny. You need assisted in town but switching it off out of town only slows up the first lock, the accuracy is about the same. This could be important if I use it outside of the UK when data roaming charges would apply. The only downside is the Nokia's screen is fragile. For that reason I always use a lanyard and, if there is any danger of getting wet, the phone goes into a freezer bag. I am not "yet" an experienced cacher and I may change my mind later, but so far this has worked well even under England's cloudy winter skies. Edited December 21, 2009 by Heresomewhere Quote
Keystone Posted December 21, 2009 Posted December 21, 2009 I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the GPS and Technology forum. Quote
+Maingray Posted December 22, 2009 Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) I have a Blackberry and an Oregon. The BB is a good backup, but no way good enough as a primary caching unit. Fragile, poor accuracy, slow at times and battery life to be desired. Nothing can keep up, get closer or find the cache info faster than a new generation paperless handheld GPS on a caching run Internet connectivity is good though Edited December 22, 2009 by Maingray Quote
+user13371 Posted December 22, 2009 Posted December 22, 2009 Pick the right tool for the job. For almost all "fair weather" and "spur of the moment" geocaching, the iPhone is enough. The major advantages are immediate access to complete cache info, aerial and satellite views of the cache location, ability to log finds on the spot, and ease of use. If you are a fair weather cacher, this can be the right tool for the job. For use "in the rough," a bare Phone may not be waterproof or rugged enough (though protective cases are available if you insist on taking it into harm's way). In some cases it may not be precise enough. For those situations a dedicated GPS is the right tool for the job. Quote
CoyoteRed Posted December 22, 2009 Posted December 22, 2009 If I'm not working or out running errands the BB stays home and the flip phone goes in my pocket. Right now I carry a 60scx, a Palm, and my journal. I've tried Cacheberry. Didn't like it. It seems as though, as of yet, a device that tries to do everything isn't able to a lot of what dedicated devices can do individually. Me, I'll continue to be a more than one device type of person. ...maybe a PN-40 will allow me to combine the 60SCx and Palm. At least as far as geocaching is concerned. Quote
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