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Thinking of moving from iPhone to a GPSr - need help!


Monkey_Chops

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Hello all,

 

It's been suggested to me that I post here rather than the general forums to get some UK specific help with choosing a GPSr. Basically, I'm using my iPhone at the moment and (perhaps unsurprisingly to some of you) it isn't quite delivering the service I'd like from it despite the fact that I really like being able to spontaneously geocache in a new area with no preparation.

 

The thread I made in the main forums can be found at: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=265176&pid=4567384&st=0entry4567384

 

And my last post is copied below:

 

So we've just been out on the hunt for three caches. We only found one and I think I now see a bit more about why it would be useful to buy a dedicated system.

 

1. My battery was eaten up very easily.

2. If doing urban caches, a phone is great because you can do things spontaneously and just nip off and find one or two caches without any preparation and you always have your phone with you, but if doing rural caches, they're not as easy to find with a phone. Unlike an urban cache, you don't have as many permanent structures to fix on by looking at the maps ("It's down this street, just past the bus stop" is a lot easier than "I'm in that forest but I can't see the path on the map as we're under trees").

 

We've just been talking about buying a handheld gps and we'd like to only spend a minimum of money as we're still quite new to this and don't yet know if we're going to stick with it (Loving it so far, but it's always worth being a bit cagey about a new hobby rather than going and blasting a load of cash!). Something under £100 seems sensible. I seem to keep coming up with the 'Garmin eTrex H Handheld GPS Navigator', which (once you include the case and obligatory cable) comes out at £88. Only problem being that it seems to get some mixed reviews, especially when under tree cover - which is where we are currently having a problem with the iPhone. Can anyone offer any advice? I know that there are always many questions on here about which unit to buy, and I've read many of them, but they never seem to quite answer the question you want to pose yourself!

 

If anyone could give any help, I'd very much appreciate it! My wife and I had the following thought last night: As we're still very new to geocaching and the iPhone is basically doing what we want at the moment, except under tree cover, why splash out for a unit now only to need to upgrade at a later stage, giving a total spend of £300ish on GPSr's? Would it not be better to stick with the iPhone until say next Christmas, and then buy a decent unit like the Garmin 60CSx or similar that would do everything we want and save the money on the first splash on a cheaper GPSr. Hopefully that makes sense...

 

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help with this!

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How about buying a second hand cheap etrex? Plenty on various auction listing sites in the region of £30. Then you can buy an even flashier one next Xmas when you have attended a few events and tried the different types.

 

It is always worth having a spare GPS for when you lose, break, leave at GZ or lend to friends.

 

You can then use your iPhone for adhoc caching, or for getting the information to enter in to the Etrex. This will then save your Iphone charge and damage to the iPhone which is a little more vulnerable to weather and being dropped.

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I think if I were you I would stick with the Iphone until I was ready to get a more expensive and feature rich GPS.

 

The Etrex H will give you longer battery life and be far more rugged and weather proof than an Iphone, and the H version will give you as good as you are going to get under trees. (H for high sensitivity, the old yellow non H versions were useless under trees). I don't know how good the GPS in the Iphone is so I don't know if it will be an improvement.

 

However, it is a very basic GPS, pretty much all you will get is the co-ordinates and an arrow. You will have to print off and take with you the cache page etc.

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Have a look at my resource website. Page there all about GPS receivers, the features they support (explained in non-technical terms) which ones do paperless caching and what maps are available. Also explains how the GPS in the iPhone works and explains why it isn't ideal for geocaching - well, placing caches certainly. For finding them it works pretty well (assuming you have a data connection...).

 

Resource site GPS page

 

Chris

Graculus

Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com

UK Geocaching Information & Resources website www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk

Geocaching.com Knowledge Books

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If you get the Etrex H then along with the iPhone you'll have all the equipment needed for your requirements. (for now).

You'll have the phone (and GC app) for obtaining any local caches on the hoof. The phone will have all the info required for the cache.

And the gps will get you there with good battery life and accuracy.

The only downside is that you'll have to input the cache coords manually into the gps. Which is OK for a while, but does become tedious after a while.

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If anyone could give any help, I'd very much appreciate it! My wife and I had the following thought last night: As we're still very new to geocaching and the iPhone is basically doing what we want at the moment, except under tree cover, why splash out for a unit now only to need to upgrade at a later stage, giving a total spend of £300ish on GPSr's?

IF.

If you get the etrex and use the phone for info... And both like caching and 'upgrade' one of you can have the 'upgrade' whilst the other can still use the etrex!

(Can't promise you won't wander off in different directions to search though! :laughing: )

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Don't get me wrong on this, not for one second am I suggesting you do what I'm going to say...But, Garmin Dakota 10 models are available through an internet auction site for a buy now price of around £130 inc postage. I've never used, or even held one of these devices so you'd need to research the topic before taking any "wallet-opening-action".

I've only been involved in geocaching since July '10 & use a Legend Hcx GPSr, & an old PDA for the paperless bit, but if I was starting out again then I'd consider the Dakota 10 as a good, cheap (and paperless) starter unit.

Then again, like most things in life - "you pays your money, and makes your choice".

Just a thought!!

Edited by seven of hearts
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The Dakota 10 is a nice GPS and will do what you want. Sufficient internal memory for TalkyToasters free maps (it doesn't have an SD card slot). The Dakota is slightly smaller than the similar style Oregon and has a smaller screen. Get yourself to an event (look in the GAGB calendar here for ones near you). You'll find geocachers there will have all manner of GPS and will be more than happy to show you how they work. Best way to get practical 'hands on' and to get the low down on the pros and cons of each type.

 

Chris

Graculus

Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com

UK Geocaching Information & Resources website www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk

Geocaching.com Knowledge Books

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Hmmm. Lots to think about. Thanks. We had a good day caching with the iPhone yesterday, with a little bit of time spent preparing prior to going out and writing a lot of info on a piece of paper rather than printing our reams of info we wouldn't need. We also only turned the iPhone on when near to the approximate site according to my hastily scrawled map! This way, we saved plenty of battery and still found everything we were looking for. I think I'm going to stick with the iPhone for a year or so, but with a casual eye on eBay and the GPS Garage Sale forums in case a bargain for a cheap one comes up. Then after the year we'll buy a swanky unit. The iPhone app really is very good if you take your time with it and it allows for spontaneous caching if you're somewhere you didn't plan for and feel like getting a quick cache!

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Like yourself, we are very new to Geocaching as well. We initially used an iPhone to cache and it worked very well. Of course, it wasn't great under trees and did send us here, there and everywhere on a couple of occasions, but generally did the job very well. The best thing about it is definitely the fact that you can find and do a cache wherever you are without needing anything other piece of equipment. However, my partner got the Garmin eTrex H for Christmas and after having used it on about 8 or so caches over the past couple of days we absolutely love it! It's so much more robust, weather-proof and more accurate than the iPhone. We will definitely keep using the iPhone, but probably as more of a backup to the Garmin i.e. when we spontaneously want to find a cache or if we need to double check logs/descriptions/hints etc. Either way, both are great devices!

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I keep saying I need a new GPS. I started with a GPS 12 that I bought for work back in 2000. It was ok for caching but I knew there were better units when caching buddies had a much more accurate location than me.

 

So next I bought a pda so that I could run memory map. That was a great move. The paperless app I used wasn't great but workable. Memory map wonderful and it allowed me to run Wherigo which I have come to love.

 

Next came the iPhone 3G, not for caching but because I wanted the toy ... sorry, phone. it proved great for adhoc as you appear aware. Then when those around me bought the iPhone 3GS I saw the real potential of an iPhone as it was probably as accurate as my GPS 12 which I was still having to use.

 

Now I have an iPhone 4 and it's great. Never use my other devices. But i don't just use the Groundspeak app as that's more energy and data hungry than another I use.

 

However I do still want a flashy GPS, but now know it will have to be very accurate, paperless capable, Wherigo able. And I just can't justify that yet.

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Hi i would sugest you stick with what you have ,the gps satellite signals are allways above and thru the horizon and using a phone or hand held dedicated has the same issues in built up or wooded areas im afraid. i currently run with a garmin etrex and a nokia n96 both of which work very well indeed ,once you have the nack and know, feel how stuff is hidden then it counts almost as well as the gps unit its self , ive been out without any gps just with the aid of a note pad and a good read of the description then a look on google earth prior to departure before.

I only have one or two issues with the phone and its the battery problem gprs cains it! oh and screen timeout but no real biggy.

Finally it does pay to keep good notes and try not skimp on detail like THIS IS A CITO CACHE etc etc when you are saving paper by not reaming out printoffs

 

very best regards and a happy new year

Shawn

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Hi i would sugest you stick with what you have ,the gps satellite signals are allways above and thru the horizon and using a phone or hand held dedicated has the same issues in built up or wooded areas im afraid.

 

some good misinformation right there!

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