Iphone VS Garmin GPS

[Fam.Rusterholz]

Hello everyone.

 

I am kind of new to this, and I was wondering! Because I use my Iphone 3GS with the Geocache program to find caches with, and sometimes it seems to be kind of off, I mean not accurate!?

 

I like this sport very much and my intentions are, to spend a lot more time doing it!

 

My question is:

 

Are other GPS-equipment just as good, or will I gain a lot by purchasing for example a garmin GPS?

Has anyone tried both?

 

Thanks you

 

Pernille

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

We haven't tried both. General consensus is that iPhones work OK or even good for finding, but not-so-reliably good for hiding.

 

As technology advances, the iPhones most certainly will sometime become perfectly acceptable (by all) for hides. As it currently stands, well...

 

Flip side: Many who use the iPhones claim total accuracy and reliability finding and hiding.

 

It just depends upon which camp you reside in!

 

A lot of people use both. Many use the iPhone for finding, and their dedicated GPSr for hiding.

[+Touchstone]

I have both and I generally use the iPhone for a quick grab in the urban areas. For hiking/backpacking out of 3G range, or where a full day of caching will pretty much drain the batteries on my iPhone, the Garmin is my first choice.

 

They both have their place, but generally the Garmins (or just about any handheld GPSr is concerned), are much more rugged and dependable.

[+briansnat]

You will certainly gain accuracy with a dedicated GPS and much better reception under trees. It makes sense. The GPS in an iPhone is an afterthought and one of many features packed into that small package. A dedicated hand held GPS is all GPS.

 

When you hide caches your fellow geocachers will thank you for using a real GPS.

 

You will also appreciate the durability and water resistance of a hand held GPS so you can safely keep your tucked safely away.

Edited March 30, 2010 by briansnat

[+t4e]

shouldn't this thread be in GPS and Technology section?

[+HawkLawless1]

Very few phones are produced that have an actual GPS embedded in the system. Current GPS capability relies on cell tower connectivity and triangulation (i.e., relative distance from 3 or more cell towers) to determine location. So, the accuracy of the GPS would depend greatly on cell phones' ability to get good signals from multiple towers. As more and more towers are popping up all over, I'm sure cell phone/GPS capability is increasing.

 

GPSr, however, rely on signals from satellites that are constantly available, so, especially in remote locations, would be more dependable than a cell phone. Also, GPSr provide more functionality than the standard iPhone for other outdoor activities. I've not been able to determine whether topo maps are available for iPhone.

 

IMO, generally find that my Garmin is more consistently accurate. But, maybe it's my phone. Like others, use my iPhone for quick urban PnGs, otherwise, pull out my Garmin for everything else.

[+Borst68]

I don't have an iPhone but started out using my Blackberry Storm. I have had issues with reliability. There were some days I could not get it to connect to the satellites. It was a sunny cloudless day and I was standing in a field with no obstructions. Go figure. When it does work, it works well for most caches. I have found that it bounces around a lot more in hillsides than the new toy, the Dakota 20. I would think that your iPhone would work just fine for a lot of caches but there are likely some that it won't perform well. Eventually you'll probably want to get a non-cell phone based GPSr.

[+JL_HSTRE]

My friend and I use a combination of an iPhone 3G (using the official Groundspeak app) and a Garmin GPS 72.

 

In our experience, the iPhone has been about as accurate as the Garmin most times: usually a reported 15-20 ft accuracy. Admittedly, we've only done urban and semi-rural caches. If you're out in the true boonies I suspect it's not as good. Also, a newer/better model GPS will probably help.

 

The battery time is an issue too: a full charged iPhone seems to only last us 3-4 hours, even when turning it off when not using it for navigation & cache info. Having the full info on a cache at your fingertips is great though, especially as newbie cachers.

[+TwoSox Trekkers]

I've had similar experiences as explained above.

 

On clear days, I get very good GPS reception with my iPhone 3g. For urban caching days, I often will bring my GPS but not flip it on unless I am getting crazy bounciness.

 

On hikes, cell reception can and often does wane, so a hand-held GPS is a must. I think if one is truly interested in continuing, it just makes sense to invest in a good GPS. There are many kinds- and many threads about which ones are good and which ones aren't, and many opinions in between.

[+Upham]

I use both. My I-Phone tells me what's in the area. My Map 76 finds them.

[+brslk]

You will certainly gain accuracy with a dedicated GPS and much better reception under trees. It makes sense. The GPS in an iPhone is an afterthought and one of many features packed into that small package. A dedicated hand held GPS is all GPS.

 

When you hide caches your fellow geocachers will thank you for using a real GPS.

 

You will also appreciate the durability and water resistance of a hand held GPS so you can safely keep your tucked safely away.

 

^^ this. I love my iPhone and it is as accurate as my Garmin for finding but I would never use it for hiding.

Also, the battery life of the iPhone is horrible. Using it in GPS mode will kill a fully charged battery in a few hours.

 

I like it for caching spontaneously or even just to look for caches while in the field.

 

And as other have already said... it is kinda fragile. I have no fear about dropping my Legend on a rock or getting wet... my iPhone.... not so good.

[+The Bakkers]

I use both iPhone and Garmin Ventura HC. I preload a ton into the GPS and use the iPhone to see what is in the area and use the maps and satalite to drive to a good starting point, then I take out the GPS and continue. I leave the iphone plugged in most of the time so battery is not an issue.

Sometimes i may not have the GPS with me and I may use the iPhone. I know it is not as accurate but it gets you close enough that your geosense will pick out the hiding spot.

[amac8585]

went out with scouts on geocaching and found garmin satnav terrible - albeit a cheaper older one. you get a quite a bit of inaccuracy - out by around 40-50 ft frequently. It bounces from forward to back (north to south) and behaves like jack sparrows compass from pirates of the carribean! It was hellish in the woods for obvious reasons.

 

In the end I eventually succumbed and used my phone 3gs towards the end of the trip (with ios 4.3) and it was more accurate to about 20ft, had more consistent sense of direction and far better maps via google and OS. ok - so the battery power may not be good, but you can always buy extra battery charger boosting packs/cases for them! why pay hundreds of pounds for a garmin and get substandard value?

 

If you really want to go cheaper and more accurate - buy a decent map and compass! I'm turned off by GPS.