1g vs 3g Iphonr vs GPS

[+Fox_Trot]

hello everyone- new to geocahing...but as you all prolly were, addicted. I havnt found any with my first gen iphone as you all might or might not know the app is super sweet but on the first gen the compass doesnt work. My application though is not accurate due to the GPS not being totally accurate. One time it didnt update my location even though i tried moving in differnt spots of an entire block. So what i heard is that the other iphone, the new one....is much better. I think that the Application by far is really nice and really conveniant and easy to use, BUT.... it doesnt get me at all close to a cache and doesnt update my location due to the technology in the GPS part of the phone. SOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooo what to do? I can either

A. Upgrade to the iphone 3g S

B. Buy a cheap cheap GPS

C. Buy a super nice GPS

 

what would you all reccommend? Any help in any area of what i covered would be super greatful, i appreciate it, thanks abunch!

 

Fox_Trot

 

Also... i am located in the Ottawa, IL area currently but am traveling all the way to southern Alabama on sunday so i wanted to find a Bug to bring all that way, any ideas?

[+ecanderson]

Even a low end purpose-built handheld GPS will do better than any of the iPhones. If you're looking for accuracy, something with SIRFiii and WAAS will get you as close as you can get. Since I actually get good use out of the mag compass when caching, I'd settle for another Summit HCx. It's an accurate unit without a nasty price tag.

[+Fox_Trot]

Even a low end purpose-built handheld GPS will do better than any of the iPhones. If you're looking for accuracy, something with SIRFiii and WAAS will get you as close as you can get. Since I actually get good use out of the mag compass when caching, I'd settle for another Summit HCx. It's an accurate unit without a nasty price tag.

[/quote

 

cool thanks man, so who makes this and where can you find it? See I

thinking that maybe use the gps and iPhone both, the iPhone to find nearby stuff and the gps for a better location. How close does that gps get you? Pretty easy to use? I'd like to use a compass part like you said to find stuff to.

[+user13371]

You need to buy both.

 

Relevant to the topic at hand: The first generation iPhone doesn't have a GPS at all. It can only give a very rough approximation of your loc based on nearby cellphone towers and WiFi hotspots. The newer ones have a real GPS & compass. Apart from that, there have been enough improvments to the iPhone since it first came out (faster, more memory, better camera, better audio, etc) that you'd gain a lot from a newer model.

 

And... if you're even half way serious about Geocaching, a dedicated GPS would help a lot. You don't "need" a GPS at all, really -- conventional wisdom says you just need to get close to the spot and start looking around, and your first-gen iPhone with an aerial overview (or even a good topo map) could get you close enough much of the time. In reality though, a more precise GPS does help. It's a lot easier to search a 1-3 meter radius than 3-10.

 

And that is literally how I cache: Use the iPhone to get me there. Look around. If it's not an obvious or easy find, I take the real GPS out pf my pocket to help narrow it down.

Edited December 26, 2009 by lee_rimar

[+ecanderson]

cool thanks man, so who makes this and where can you find it? See I

thinking that maybe use the gps and iPhone both, the iPhone to find nearby stuff and the gps for a better location. How close does that gps get you? Pretty easy to use? I'd like to use a compass part like you said to find stuff to.

The Summit HC (I was smoking something when I called it an HCx) is made by Garmin. Here's a link. Prices are all over the map, and they're available from a lot of sources, so you will want to google up some different sites:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-eTrex-Summit-...7944&sr=8-1

 

It's got very good sensitivity, a good backlight, a compass that works while you're standing still (helps to triangulate a cache now and again) and a very decent price. It doesn't do road nav, it doesn't have a fancy touch screen, and it doesn't come with high res topo maps -- all of which I already had available on my in-vehicle GPS anyway.

[+Fox_Trot]

Wow thanks lee, I'm either torn between getting a 3gs iPhone and a gps, my sister uses a 3g and has Ero problem finding a cach. So I'm thinking what makes me aggruvated is that it doesn't show my exact location due to having a 2g phone. If I can get within 10 m I'm fine with that but the 1g iPhone sometimes shows u miles Away, sucks

[+3Gcurtispower]

Wow thanks lee, I'm either torn between getting a 3gs iPhone and a gps, my sister uses a 3g and has Ero problem finding a cach. So I'm thinking what makes me aggruvated is that it doesn't show my exact location due to having a 2g phone. If I can get within 10 m I'm fine with that but the 1g iPhone sometimes shows u miles Away, sucks

 

I absolutely love my iphone 3gs and have had numerous successes using it to find caches. However, I am concerned that if it gets dropped or damp, I'm out of a wonderful phone...so I am searching for a user friendly GPS that is similar to that of the iphone app. I have heard wonderful things about the Garmin 300 and think it looks perfect for my girls and I (except for the price tag)...still looking into real GPS for my family too...but I highly recommend the updated iphone just in general!

[+ZeroHecksGiven]

nevermind

Edited December 27, 2009 by NWCREW

[+Fox_Trot]

Yah thanks guys, I'm thinking I'm just gonna get the new iPhone... That way, if I don't stay with geocaching, atleast I got a new phone. There isn't a new iPhone coming out any time soon is there? Also I heard apple will be done with AT&T in may? So cheaper plans maybe??

 

 

nevermind