Can I cache with an automotive/car/road/navigation GPS?

[NedFunnell]

I currently don't have a GPS and would like to get one- however I have also wanted to get a road-navigation GPS to use in my car for a long time. If I got one of those, could I just use it? I don't need a bunch-ton of features. Would it be possible?

[BCProspectors]

Vehicle navigational devices are not well suited for Geocaching. A cheap bush GPS wouldn't cost much more than an vehicle navigation system.

[+dfx]

supposedly the garmin nuvi 500 does both. not sure how well though.

 

of course other regular handhelds (such as the oregon series) are able to give you turn-by-turn directions as well, but they're not gonna talk to you and they don't come with car mounts or power adapters.

 

and of course you can also use regular nuvi devices for geocaching by switching them to offroad mode. but personally i'd rather use the cheapest handheld for that instead.

Edited July 7, 2010 by dfx

[BlueRajah]

Some will work, but remember that many times it takes you to the closest road, not the cache. You may have to alter a setting (I am remembering from vague friend conversations).

 

I have seen others that print the caches, and go to the coordinates.

[+Bundyrumandcoke]

The Nuvi 500/550 can be used. Geocaching mode, walking or driving mode. Offroad mode. PQs can be downloaded to it, giving hints, last 5 logs, descriptions, all on it. Waterproof, and battery lasts a few hours without charging.

[+dfx]

Some will work, but remember that many times it takes you to the closest road, not the cache. You may have to alter a setting (I am remembering from vague friend conversations).

in case of the plain nuvis: it needs to be switched to off-road mode AND pedestrian mode.

[+Mark+Karen]

I started out using a TomTom but and found a couple of caches with it, but then failed to find a couple too!

Most car GPS units try to keep you to the roads so won't be clear at all as to where they are leading you to.

 

They can be useful for navigating to parking, of course. But not much good for finding caches themselves.

The best all round too IMO is the iPhone 4 - but that's expensive of course!

[+WBGamers]

I have Garmin Nuvi 265WT. It has a pedestrian mode that works pretty well. Battery life of a car model is going to be a lot shorter than an offroad model, but the 265WT lasts 3-4 hours. If you're not doing all-day hiking, it might get you by. The only thing I wish the 265WT had is an electronic compass, but you can buy a cheap compass.

[+ltlpink]

We use both. the auto Garvin to get us to the general area then switch to the hand held for close work. If you are looking for caches close to roads and pay attention to the clues, hints and log notes, a lot of times the Garvin will take us close enough that we can spot the logical location for the cache and often go right to it without the hand held.

ltlpink

[+briansnat]

Most automotive units lack the compass navigation screen which is a key feature for most geocachers. Battery life is not sufficient (unless you are never far from a power source), the batteries are not field replaceable if they die, so your are SOL if your GPS dies halfway into a 2 mile hike to a cache. Automotive units aren't waterproof or shock resistant the way hand held units are. One sudden heavy thunderstorm or a fall into a stream and your automotive unit is toast. They also awkward to hold in the hand and don't come with a lanyard.

 

The Nuvi 500 series addresses many of these issues, but it is the only series right now that comes close to being a good geocaching unit.

 

That or a Garmin Oregon or Map 60CSX (or perhaps the soon to be released Map 62S) running City Navigator will be perfect for geocaching and do a decent enough job of automotive navigation. I've been using my 60CSX (and before that my 60CX) for automotive navigation for years with great success.

[+losgranditos]

It is possible. I have garmin nuvi 205w and it works perfectly fine. go to this site: http://geocaching.totaltechworld.com/

to find out how to do paperless caching with a garmin nuvi. Takes some tinkering and figuring out but once you get it working it is amazing. Good luck!

[+Mark+Karen]

I found the main problem is that it is big to hold and there is no way to lock the screen. So if you put it into your pocket it will push all sorts of buttons. Otherwise you have to switch it off and have it take a while to get a new fix once you turn it back on.

[+Deems4054]

My hubby just bought me a Garmin 1300 for my birthday - slightly more expensive, he paid $150 for it, but I LOVE it! It has screen lock, fits in my back pocket when I need a quick place to put it. I can use it for driving around from place to place. I switch it to Pedestrian, off road modes and use it to pinpoint a cache. It has always brought me within 5 feet of the cache so far! For the extra hard to find locations, it has a "where am I" function, so you can see the exact coordinates of where you are and compare to where the cache is supposed to be. VERY simple to use, and fully customizable. I'm very glad he didn't spend the money for one designed specifically for geocaching! Does have a short battery life, though, but I was able to use it for a 10 mile bike ride with my boys and locate both caches we set out to find

Edited July 8, 2010 by tornadovalleystar

[+bwilliamson]

I know someone who primarily uses a Nuvi for both in the car and in the bush for the caches so I'm going to say yes although I like my GPSMAP60cs

[MisterEFQ]

We have a really cheap Nuvi 200 that my girlfriend got for x-mas a few years ago from her folks. It works just fine for caching. The trick is finding where you need to go to get exact cooridnates. I set it to pedestrian, and off road to get to the cache. Then I goto tools and press "where am I" to find out the exact coordinates of where im at.

 

We have found over 30 so far in two weeks. Not bad for a 99 dollar GPS (that we never asked for)

[+Vulcan1600]

For a long time I thought I'd get an automobile GPS and use it to Geocache. After reading these replies, I won't suggest this to my Dad who has a Garmin in his car. He geocached with me recently and I'm using an Android phone. I got turn by turn directions to the cache, then I switched it over to radar mode, and I can walk right up to the cache. Sounds like most geocachers don't have that luxury or have 2 GPS units.

[frozenflyboy]

I use my ancient Nuvi 660 and it does as well and maybe even easier to use than my Colorado 300.

Edited July 16, 2010 by frozenflyboy

[+powerlineguy]

It is possible. I have garmin nuvi 205w and it works perfectly fine. go to this site: http://geocaching.totaltechworld.com/

to find out how to do paperless caching with a garmin nuvi. Takes some tinkering and figuring out but once you get it working it is amazing. Good luck!

 

Took the words out of my mouth! I have a Nuvi 205 W AND a Garmin Oregon 300 and I prefer the Nuvi for caching.

 

I can store a huge amount of caches in the Nuvi (11,423 currently stored in mine) and on my Oregon 300 it holds a max of 2000 i think.

 

The Nuvi can drive you really close to the cache. Once you park, switch it to pedestrian & offroad mode (which takes literally 36 seconds lol) and then it will take you right to the cache!

 

My Nuvi is always on when I'm driving and by following the steps at http://geocaching.totaltechworld.com like losgranditos said, I get alerted when I am within 600 meters of a cache. It's great! The cache icon will show up on the GPS screen and i can decide if I want to stop and find it or keep moving, depending on how close to the road it looks.

 

Alot of people say that Nuvi's aren't good for caching but the only downfall that I have found is that it isn't waterproof (put it in a ziplock bag and bada-bing! you're good to go) It really is the best of both worlds...it will drive you right to the area of the cache and then once in pedestrian & offroad mode it will take you right to the cache!

 

By the way...my oregon 300 is currently for sale in the GPS Garage Sale forum for anyone i haven't convinced to cache with a Nuvi lol

Edited July 16, 2010 by powerlineguy

[knowschad]

When you read the posts that say, "Yeah, it works fine!", be sure to check the poster's profile and see how many finds they have. I don't know a single cacher that has been doing this for very long that would even remotely suggest that an automotive GPS would "work fine" for geocaching.

 

I ran into a guy one time that was caching with a Nuvi. He hadn't found the cache yet. I almost walked right up to it with my 60CSx. We got to talking... seems he had been looking for almost two hours! And he considered that to be par for the course.

 

Use the right tool for the job. Sure, you can hammer a screw into the wall, but should you?

[+roziecakes]

When you read the posts that say, "Yeah, it works fine!", be sure to check the poster's profile and see how many finds they have. I don't know a single cacher that has been doing this for very long that would even remotely suggest that an automotive GPS would "work fine" for geocaching.

 

I ran into a guy one time that was caching with a Nuvi. He hadn't found the cache yet. I almost walked right up to it with my 60CSx. We got to talking... seems he had been looking for almost two hours! And he considered that to be par for the course.

 

Use the right tool for the job. Sure, you can hammer a screw into the wall, but should you?

 

Yes, you can cache with a Nuvi. I have actually made over 500 of the 1107 cache finds we have made with my nuvi 255W, and I will tell you how below. If you use my method you can find caches really quickly with it. But do I recommend it? Not really. The dog with one glasses says it best above. A nuvi is not necessarily the right tool for the job. I only use mine when I go out without the handheld (the handheld belongs to my husband and he's protective of it). The handheld is far superior to the nuvi for caching, and we love being able cache paperlessly with it.

 

We didn't spend that much money on it, since we got it off of ebay. Handheld GPSrs are just made for being outdoors in the weather, they have better tools for well, just that, walking around holding it in your hand. A car GPS is designed to keep you on the roads unless you do this little trick (at least with a nuvi 255W)

 

I have a nuvi 255W as well. I do find caches with it, even some out in the woods, when I don't have my handheld on me. It works great, if you can get the hang of this technique. I even leave mine in automobile mode.

 

(*Note: Some newer units you can't do this with anymore, but mine is less than a year old, and it works)

 

On the main screen (where there are the "Where to" and the "View Map" icons), hold your finger down on the signal bars (upper lefthand corner) until a screen pops up with the coordinates.

 

I look at what the coordinates are supposed to be for the cache, and I start moving towards those numbers. I watch the numbers go up and down, and follow the numbers in the right direction until I get to the coordinates listed on the cache page.

 

It actually really works. It takes a little bit of practice, but it works great when our handheld GPS is at home and I want to go caching. It took me a couple of days to get it down. I know it's not as convenient as following an arrow, but you might try it!

 

Hope that helps!

[+godavid]

i have with my tom/tom → http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e0-f6b453ea8679

it got me to 30 feet of the cache

[+t4e]

For a long time I thought I'd get an automobile GPS and use it to Geocache. After reading these replies, I won't suggest this to my Dad who has a Garmin in his car. He geocached with me recently and I'm using an Android phone. I got turn by turn directions to the cache, then I switched it over to radar mode, and I can walk right up to the cache. Sounds like most geocachers don't have that luxury or have 2 GPS units.

 

if you like them that's fine but those features actually take some of the fun out of geocaching

[+milhous1]

I have cached with my dad's TomTom and have had no problem with it. You do have to know how to work it. I entered my location in with the coordinates and then once we got close I would touch the screen on the right side and it would switch to a screen that would show the coordinates in more detail. It would not tell me what direction to go in s there is some orientation you have to do on your own. It is doable.

[+Rich1010]

We started out using a car GPS, it was a binatone carolla running tomtom.

 

We got so fed up with it sending us all over the place near to the cache we just gave up and went home! entering the cho-ords at each cache was a pain too!

 

We now have a cheapie Etrex H and it's very accurate!

[+WBGamers]

When you read the posts that say, "Yeah, it works fine!", be sure to check the poster's profile and see how many finds they have. I don't know a single cacher that has been doing this for very long that would even remotely suggest that an automotive GPS would "work fine" for geocaching.

 

Gee, thanks, Mr. Holier-than-thou, for the total discreditation, as if I don't know what I'm talking about merely because you have found more caches than I.

[+Team Cotati]

When you read the posts that say, "Yeah, it works fine!", be sure to check the poster's profile and see how many finds they have. I don't know a single cacher that has been doing this for very long that would even remotely suggest that an automotive GPS would "work fine" for geocaching.

 

Gee, thanks, Mr. Holier-than-thou, for the total discreditation, as if I don't know what I'm talking about merely because you have found more caches than I.

 

You know what? It wold be really wonderful if you guys could just learn to IGNORE and post your factual information while allowing him to twist in the wind. Everyone can see the game, do not provide the gratification as it only serves to encourage the behavior.

[frozenflyboy]

You know what? It wold be really wonderful if you guys could just learn to IGNORE and post your factual information while allowing him to twist in the wind. Everyone can see the game, do not provide the gratification as it only serves to encourage the behavior.

 

Look at who's talkin. Coffee pot callin the fryin pan black.

[NordicMan]

Aww come on guys, play nice

 

You have to admit there is at least some "general truth" that a veteran Geocacher just may have some more understanding insight & awareness on what works well and what doesn't, as compared to someone who (for example) just discovered Geocaching last week. Doesn't that sound sensible?

 

Sure it's not a hard & fast rule. I've bumped into people who have been Geocaching for quite a while, and was surprised to see the way they do it.. They would just switch the GPSr to the coordinate screen and walk around until the coords matched up with the cache coords, lol. Hey it "did work" for them

[+t4e]

can't generalize and dismiss all car GPS's as not working, its the same with everything, some are better than others...the NUVI is the best of them all once you get used to it

 

having said that i would recommend a handheld anytime over a car GPS, but that does not imply that the car GPS is not usable

[+bswanderer]

Vehicle navigational devices are not well suited for Geocaching. A cheap bush GPS wouldn't cost much more than an vehicle navigation system.

That is why you should be using a DROID Good navigation for car, great tool for geocaching. Some programs will even let you route yourself to the next cache by using the car navigation program (for those caches that are just down the road and around the corner).

[frozenflyboy]

My ancient : ) Nuvi 660 is nice because I can just recharge it rather than feeding it batteries like the Colorado.

[+Trevski 65]

Hi guys, new to this forum & geocaching, so here's the newbie perspective...

 

I have a Garmin Nuvi 260 car satnav, which I used for my first adventure last Sunday. Garmin say it has the high sensitivity receiver, so should be good...ish. I entered the coords for 10 local caches and found....1

 

The thing is, the fault lies with me, not the machine, as I have no idea what I'm looking for. It was inconvenient to use, but here's how I did it.

 

Drive as close as possible in 'Automobile' mode. OK, so I rode the bicycle instead.

Put it in 'Pedestrian' mode. It will take you pretty close, and say 'Arriving at....'

Go back to the first screen, and select 'Where To?'

Scroll down and select 'Coordinates' (last selection). It will give you your current posn.

A compass would be handy. I think that 0.001 of a minute is approx 2 meters, so pace off to where you should be.

Recheck posn and refine, repeating until you hit GZ. Note, that to check your current posn, you must select 'Back' and then 'Coordinates' again.

Once at GZ, stand around staring blankly, and think...'So what do I do now?'

 

While very cumbersome, this procedure does work well. I have since been on Google Map and entered the given coords of the 9 I missed, and sure enough I was standing around staring blankly in the correct place each time I didn't log 8 of them as DNF, as that would be disrespectful of those who know what to do. I'll just persevere and find them, instead.

 

Anyway, if anyone in Rockingham, West Oz want to show me how it's done...

 

Cheers,

Trev

[frozenflyboy]

 

Once at GZ, stand around staring blankly, and think...'So what do I do now?'

 

I didn't log 8 of them as DNF, as that would be disrespectful of those who know what to do. I'll just persevere and find them, instead.

 

Anyway, if anyone in Rockingham, West Oz want to show me how it's done...

 

Cheers,

Trev

Log em! who cares if they are DNF. Only your ego knows for sure

If you DNF 9 in the beginning that sounds about right

Try this page to find people in OZ http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=198869

BTW I found this page by looking on the home page of Geocache.com under resources/contribute to our community/join a local organization/Australia

[frozenflyboy]

 

Once at GZ, stand around staring blankly, and think...'So what do I do now?'

 

I didn't log 8 of them as DNF, as that would be disrespectful of those who know what to do. I'll just persevere and find them, instead.

 

Anyway, if anyone in Rockingham, West Oz want to show me how it's done...

 

Cheers,

Trev

Log em! who cares if they are DNF. Only your ego knows for sure

If you DNF 9 in the beginning that sounds about right

Try this page to find people in OZ http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=198869

BTW I found this page by looking on the home page of Geocache.com under resources/contribute to our community/join a local organization/Australia

[+Trevski 65]

Where's the 'Hangs head' smiley?

 

OK, will do...just didn't want to admit to total stupidity - even though I just did in the last post HAH HAH!!

 

Thanks,

Trev

Edited July 23, 2010 by trevski65

[+Trevski 65]

Log em! who cares if they are DNF. Only your ego knows for sure

If you DNF 9 in the beginning that sounds about right

 

All right....I did it, I logged the remaining 8 DNFs....but I still stand by the accuracy of my PITA Nuvi!!

 

And, I obviously need to learn how to edit quotes!

 

Cheers,

Trev

[frozenflyboy]

All right....I did it, I logged the remaining 8 DNFs....but I still stand by the accuracy of my PITA Nuvi!!

Cheers,

Trev

I have a Nuvi 660. Love it much more than the Colorado I have. You will discover that it is not the GPS, but just becoming familiar with GC and GPSs. The GPS has a repeatable accuracy of around 10 meters, so the GPS takes you to the area, then you hit the + to expand the map, then you stand and let it settle for awhile, say 10 - 20 seconds and then move closer to where it says and stand again. At this point you are probably close so just look around for some obvious hiding spots like a pile of wood etc. When you post a DNF sometimes the person who set out the cache will email you some more hints which will help you to see what to start looking for. It's not rocket science but it seems that way at first.

 

When you get the hang of it you may want more difficult ones. But it's just an excuse for a walk anyways. Cheaper than going for a walk with a set of GCs (Golf Clubs)

[+t4e]

Hi guys, new to this forum & geocaching, so here's the newbie perspective...

 

I have a Garmin Nuvi 260 car satnav, which I used for my first adventure last Sunday. Garmin say it has the high sensitivity receiver, so should be good...ish. I entered the coords for 10 local caches and found....1

 

The thing is, the fault lies with me, not the machine, as I have no idea what I'm looking for. It was inconvenient to use, but here's how I did it.

 

Drive as close as possible in 'Automobile' mode. OK, so I rode the bicycle instead.

Put it in 'Pedestrian' mode. It will take you pretty close, and say 'Arriving at....'

Go back to the first screen, and select 'Where To?'

Scroll down and select 'Coordinates' (last selection). It will give you your current posn.

A compass would be handy. I think that 0.001 of a minute is approx 2 meters, so pace off to where you should be.

Recheck posn and refine, repeating until you hit GZ. Note, that to check your current posn, you must select 'Back' and then 'Coordinates' again.

Once at GZ, stand around staring blankly, and think...'So what do I do now?'

 

While very cumbersome, this procedure does work well. I have since been on Google Map and entered the given coords of the 9 I missed, and sure enough I was standing around staring blankly in the correct place each time I didn't log 8 of them as DNF, as that would be disrespectful of those who know what to do. I'll just persevere and find them, instead.

 

Anyway, if anyone in Rockingham, West Oz want to show me how it's done...

 

Cheers,

Trev

 

you don't have to go through all that, just put the cache coordinates in and drive, once you parked your car to the closest point just change the setting to "pedestrian" and "off road", give it few seconds to comprehend what you just did and you're good to go

 

you can zoom in for a better view of where GZ actually is

[+Trevski 65]

I've been use pedestrian mode to get me close - i.e. within 10 metres, then checking actual coordinates to find GZ. The Nuvi 260 seems to be quite accurate - it's just a pain to use. In the spirit of keeping this as a cheap fun hobby, I'll probably just get something like an eTrex H. Then I can use the Nuvi to get me nearby, and the hand held for the close-up work. The eTrex adds to the challenge, too, because it doesn't have mapping. At the moment, I have to hide the Nuvi screen, so I don't see where I'm going. I intend to stop using Google to pinpoint the location. Google has proved the accuracy of the Nuvi, but being able to zoom in and see GZ before you even get there negates about 90% of the fun! I'll use Google to confirm my location on DNFs, and see how accurate the published coords were for finds.

[+EVIL Ninjection]

I currently don't have a GPS and would like to get one- however I have also wanted to get a road-navigation GPS to use in my car for a long time. If I got one of those, could I just use it? I don't need a bunch-ton of features. Would it be possible?

Short Answer: Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[frozenflyboy]

supposedly the garmin nuvi 500 does both. not sure how well though.

 

of course other regular handhelds (such as the oregon series) are able to give you turn-by-turn directions as well, but they're not gonna talk to you and they don't come with car mounts or power adapters.

 

and of course you can also use regular nuvi devices for geocaching by switching them to offroad mode. but personally i'd rather use the cheapest handheld for that instead.

You are also going to cough up about USD 120. for the road maps in the Oregon and Colorado because they come with zilch.

 

With the Nuvi you get it all at the same price and you keep peace in the family with a vavigation device that everyone gets to use and will not cause an accident while squinting to look at it as you or they drive.

Let me put it this way......

What exactly do you get in a handhold over a Nuvi?