iPhone GPS help: Another clueless newbie

[Schlauer_Fuchs]

I am quite a newbie on Geocaching and have spotted a problem with my iPhone GPS.

It seems not to be accurate enough to localize a spot exactly. Below a distance of 5 zo 10 meters, it is oscillating around the exact location, e.g. it shows 5m to north and the next display shows 5m to south.

With Waldläufer N 47° 02.989 E 008° 17.615, e.g., this leaves me unable to find the last cache, as I have to navigate 15 steps from the exact location.

 

Does anyone have a clue how to act in such situations?

[+The Wandering Stars]

I am quite a newbie on Geocaching and have spotted a problem with my iPhone GPS.

It seems not to be accurate enough to localize a spot exactly. Below a distance of 5 zo 10 meters, it is oscillating around the exact location, e.g. it shows 5m to north and the next display shows 5m to south.

With Waldläufer N 47° 02.989 E 008° 17.615, e.g., this leaves me unable to find the last cache, as I have to navigate 15 steps from the exact location.

 

Does anyone have a clue how to act in such situations?

Get a real GPS. The iPhone is not accurate enough.

[+Chokecherry]

Since I didn't want to risk destroying my phone in the woods, bogs, swamps and otherwise hard on phone terrain I opted to get a real gps. Not only did it improve accuracy but I didn't have to worry about the phone dropping out of my hand anymore.

 

But if you are looking for better accuracy you have to get a unit that is made just for that purpose.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Your problem... really isn't a problem.

 

No GPSr unit or smart phone is going to put you atop an exact spot. It is only going to put you in an area of which that spot will (or should) be.

 

With a dedicated GPSr, you can expect that area to be about 6m (20 ft) or thereabouts, on a good day.

A smart phone, may or may not give you even that accuracy.

 

When you do experience wild swings as you noticed, put the device away and start "hunting" for the cache or its' likely hiding spot. This is afterall a "hunt", and not a "take me to your leader" guide.

 

When you arrive at Ground Zero (GZ), put the device away and use your eyes and brain to find the cache. If you always expect it to take you to the cache proper, you are just plain expecting too much.

Edited May 16, 2010 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+dfx]

as for the cache you mention, it's possible that the coords for the last stage describe some sort of distinct object. go to where your GPS says you're close, then try to figure out which object this may be (maybe a big tree or something like that) and then use that as reference point.

 

on the other hand, "go 15 steps NNE" isn't a very accurate instruction either, so it doesn't really matter much if you're not exactly on the spot you're supposed to start from. you're going to have to use your geo-sense to find the cache in any case.

Edited May 16, 2010 by dfx

[+Stanimal0098]

I use the Iphone and i have not run into too many problems as it locates the coordinates. I normally tend to start looking for places it may be when it hits about 30-20 Feet. Then i double check every now and again if i cant locate it just to make sure i don't wander too far away from the 20- 30 foot range.

 

Only trouble i have with the Iphone is when i go out into a dead zone and lose service. Thus no GPS. : ( Then I'm SOL. And trying to cache in New York City with the buildings cased the GPS to jump every which way.

[+dfx]

GPS reception is unrelated to cell phone coverage.

[Schlauer_Fuchs]

 

When you arrive at Ground Zero (GZ), put the device away and use your eyes and brain to find the cache. If you always expect it to take you to the cache proper, you are just plain expecting too much.

 

Point taken

 

On the other hand, when I arrive at a cache and see that the cachers before, in search of required "stump" indicating the cache, rummaged through all stumps in a wooden area of about 100 sqare meters: I see a mismatch between letting it be a hunt (and such indicating just the approximate location) and the protection of the nature where I linger as a geocacher.

 

Is this only a Newbie problem?

Or do you say "o.k. this is everone's own responsability"?

[+Chokecherry]

The GPS will rarely if ever put right on top of where the cache is. Regardless of how much you want to not disturb nature.

 

Cache was with as much nature sensitivity that you can. And if you feel that you are disturbing nature more than you would like to be then don't do that cache and find one that fits your needs better.

 

I'm yet to find any caches where the people looking for it caused any damage to nature regardless of how much bushwhacking etc. is involved. It's rare for me to find a trail that was established by cachers out to where it is and then other than unnatural piles of birch bark and assorted stuff I see little disturbed in the area.

[+Prime Suspect]

GPS reception is unrelated to cell phone coverage.

Using "reception" in the strictest sense, yes. But as an umbrella term meaning ability to accurately resolve the signals into a location, you're wrong. The whyPhone uses A-GPS.