So new, I havent got a GPS.

[+Boltonian]

OK, this sounds like fun.

I have not got a clue.

I thought my sat nav was a gps but obviously not.

 

I live in Breightmet, Bolton, BL2 5JE.

I drive and am familiar with some of the surrounding areas such as up to 20 miles away.

 

I am on reduced income and therefore want to know that I will enjoy this before I rush out and buy all the gear with no idea.

 

I recently had surgery to remove bowel cancer so mobility is a small problem but I can walk.

 

I am looking at joining this hobby from a photography angle.

 

Anyone willing to buddy up and show me the ropes and advise what is needed and how much to pay on say ebay etc would be most welcome.

[+The Patrician]

Your car sat nav is a GPS and there's probably a way to enter lat & long into it. Have a look at the manual. My Garmin Nuvi will certainly do it, and I'm pretty sure that my ancient Navman unit would as well.

 

The big problem with car satnavs is that the batteries don't tend to last long when not plugged in to external power, and they don't tend to be as robust and waterproof as outdoor style GPSs.

 

Nowhere near Bolton so can't help with the rest of it!

 

Regards,

 

Neil

Edited January 18, 2011 by The Patrician

[+Amberel]

I thought my sat nav was a gps but obviously not.

It is a GPS receiver, but just as there are different types of car designed for different purposes, so there are different types of GPS receiver designed for different purposes. A SatNav has features to suit it for that purpose, such as an electronic road map, a 12V plug, maybe a phone connection for traffic updates and so on.

 

For geocaching, something designed to be hand held is more convenient. They probably will be smaller than a SatNav, have batteries that last longer, will be more waterproof, and may have better facilities for entering and navigating to waypoints that are not on a road.

 

But at a stretch it is possible to use some SatNavs for geocaching, though I've not done so.

 

Anyone willing to buddy up and show me the ropes and advise what is needed and how much to pay on say ebay etc would be most welcome.

You're a long way from Surrey, but I'm sure someone local will reply. Alternatively, search the site for "events" near you - these are just times and places for cachers to meet, often in a pub or similar.

 

Rgds, Andy

[+MartyBartfast]

You could take yourself over to The North East caching website and say hello on their forums, as there will be more people on there from your part of the world.

 

Oh and Hello & welcome.

[+Boltonian]

Thanks for all the advice.

[+GAZ]

Hi Derek, welcome to our hobby/obsession! I have just checked and there are over 13,000 caches within 50 miles of you!

 

What you could do, is to zoom in on Google Earth and get the EXACT co-ords of your house (or from your sat-nav)and enter them into the "search for caches" page.

 

That will give a more precise amount. Then when you pick a cache that you want to go for, just enter the co-ords into Google Earth and you will have a good idea where it is, and using the clue and your knowledge of the area, have a go at finding it. This way, the only cost is the fuel(and time!). If you find that a success, then you can decide on a dedicated GPSr if you want.

 

Sorry, I'm up in Carlisle, so can't help in person.

 

Gaz

[+Boltonian]

Thanks, I will try that, using some of the stuff i have seen so far, I have identified a dozen local to me (2 miles) and am going to a nearby meet next month.

[team tisri]

I thought my sat nav was a gps but obviously not.

It is a GPS receiver, but just as there are different types of car designed for different purposes, so there are different types of GPS receiver designed for different purposes. A SatNav has features to suit it for that purpose, such as an electronic road map, a 12V plug, maybe a phone connection for traffic updates and so on.

 

For geocaching, something designed to be hand held is more convenient. They probably will be smaller than a SatNav, have batteries that last longer, will be more waterproof, and may have better facilities for entering and navigating to waypoints that are not on a road.

 

But at a stretch it is possible to use some SatNavs for geocaching, though I've not done so.

 

A caching buddy of mine started out looking for caches with the TomTom he borrowed from his car. He found a few caches but also found it was very hit-and-miss under tree cover. It wasn't great for doing puzzles and multis but served him well enough until he felt confident he'd enjoy it enough to drop the cash on a handheld.

 

In terms of what to pay - anything from around £300 for the high end units which will do just about everything you can think of and then some, to £30 or less for a used very basic unit.

[+burtsbodgers]

It may be worth divulging which sat nav you have as it may be good or useless.

GPSr's are available on ebay and such the like.

A lot of people use Mio's which are PDAs harder work to set up and shorter battery life but generally cheaper than GPSr's that are capable of doing the same thing.

The easiest GPSr's to use tend to be the more expensive ones.

[+Boltonian]

It may be worth divulging which sat nav you have as it may be good or useless.

GPSr's are available on ebay and such the like.

A lot of people use Mio's which are PDAs harder work to set up and shorter battery life but generally cheaper than GPSr's that are capable of doing the same thing.

The easiest GPSr's to use tend to be the more expensive ones.

 

Thanks to both recent posts.

 

I doubt my Tom Tom (very old) would be suitable as I am thinking of changing it for a more suitable one for the car.

 

There are a couple of meets near me soon so I will tag along and chat with them and have a go with their kit if they let me.

[+Guanajuato]

Well, you'll find the north WEST cachers pretty helpful! Get over to WWW.nwcaching.Co.Uk-there's a few round Bolton way. Some odder than others:-)

if you've got a phone with GPS (?) There's probably an app for it. If not, get trekbuddy for your phone and get a Bluetooth GPS. They're available for about £20. I have a bluenext bn909 as a backup, and have used it with Sony k800, C902, MOTO pebl and a Samsung 7220 teamed with trekbuddy.

some can be found using streetmap.Co.UK and a bit of common sense.

 

Grr. Hate the way this phone thinks it knows what I mean...

Edited January 19, 2011 by Guanajuato

[+Boltonian]

I am an oldie myself, (50 in March OUCH).

 

I have a basic phone that makes calls and text only with only 2 numbers programmed in it.

 

I know roughly what blue tooth is but dont have a child to show me how so I never got one.

[+Guanajuato]

:-)

even the most basic (mobile) phones should be able to run trekbuddy and connect via Bluetooth. It's not so easy to explain how to set it up though!

You'll get plenty of help from local caches though. Some will make you feel like a spring chicken. :-P

I'll run & hide now!

[+Original A1]

Welcome aboard!

 

Not sure how far it is for you to get down to Stalybridge, but there's an event there on 19th March (GC2MBAY) - "Sidetracked Stalybridge - The Meeting". If you are interested in meeting like-minded folks, an event such as that is a good way of breaking the ice.

 

Or there's "Banish the Winter Blues" (GC2K978) on 20th February up in the Leyland area.

 

Happy Caching.

 

[+Boltonian]

:-)

even the most basic (mobile) phones should be able to run trekbuddy and connect via Bluetooth. It's not so easy to explain how to set it up though!

You'll get plenty of help from local caches though. Some will make you feel like a spring chicken. :-P

I'll run & hide now!

This phone cost £14 from ASDA last month and had £10 free calls on it.

It doesnt have BT.

 

I think my car does but not sure.

[+Boltonian]

Welcome aboard!

 

Not sure how far it is for you to get down to Stalybridge, but there's an event there on 19th March (GC2MBAY) - "Sidetracked Stalybridge - The Meeting". If you are interested in meeting like-minded folks, an event such as that is a good way of breaking the ice.

 

Or there's "Banish the Winter Blues" (GC2K978) on 20th February up in the Leyland area.

 

Happy Caching.

 

Heard of Stalybridge never been there but will be going to either the Chorley or Warrington meets both of which are in my diary. -I think the Chorley one and Leyland are the same meet depending on how you look at the map. (GC2K978) is meaningless to me at the moment though.

[+Munkeh]

You could take yourself over to The North East caching website and say hello on their forums, as there will be more people on there from your part of the world.

 

Oh and Hello & welcome.

 

north east - geography not your strong point then

[+Munkeh]

Welcome aboard!

 

Not sure how far it is for you to get down to Stalybridge, but there's an event there on 19th March (GC2MBAY) - "Sidetracked Stalybridge - The Meeting". If you are interested in meeting like-minded folks, an event such as that is a good way of breaking the ice.

 

Or there's "Banish the Winter Blues" (GC2K978) on 20th February up in the Leyland area.

 

Happy Caching.

 

Heard of Stalybridge never been there but will be going to either the Chorley or Warrington meets both of which are in my diary. -I think the Chorley one and Leyland are the same meet depending on how you look at the map. (GC2K978) is meaningless to me at the moment though.

 

try this pageGC2K978

Edited January 20, 2011 by Munkeh

[+Boltonian]

Welcome aboard!

 

Not sure how far it is for you to get down to Stalybridge, but there's an event there on 19th March (GC2MBAY) - "Sidetracked Stalybridge - The Meeting". If you are interested in meeting like-minded folks, an event such as that is a good way of breaking the ice.

 

Or there's "Banish the Winter Blues" (GC2K978) on 20th February up in the Leyland area.

 

Happy Caching.

 

Heard of Stalybridge never been there but will be going to either the Chorley or Warrington meets both of which are in my diary. -I think the Chorley one and Leyland are the same meet depending on how you look at the map. (GC2K978) is meaningless to me at the moment though.

 

try this pageGC2K978

 

Yep thats the one in Chorley in my diary already. Still dont know what the GC refers to though, I would have thought map references but they are just a set of digits of various length depending on how accurate you want to be

[+MartyBartfast]

You could take yourself over to The North East caching website and say hello on their forums, as there will be more people on there from your part of the world.

 

Oh and Hello & welcome.

 

north east - geography not your strong point then

LOL, yes I do know my North East and West geography, as I come from West Yorkshire and lived in Newcastle (Upon Tyne), and I did manage to put in the right link.

[+Original A1]

Ah no - GC is the prefix of every cache number (stands for Geo Cache, I guess!). Most of them are 7-digit alpha-numeric codes, including the prefix, although some of the very old ones have 6 digits. Naturally, each is a unique code and if you look at the right-hand column on the home page (http://www.geocaching.com/), you'll see the 2nd box down allows you to search for caches by the codes.

 

Hope that helps.

 

[+Arenalife]

Using a GPS is fun but if the satellites fell out of the sky tomorrow, you'd still be able to find many of the traditional caches. A print out of the satellite map from the cache page is usually enough to get you to 'ground zero' at least and you can use the hint or just have a good hunt when you get there. That's as accurate as a GPS often is anyway!

Edited January 20, 2011 by Arenalife

[+mcwomble]

Don't despair about the lack of GPS - there is a couple down here in Essex who have found over 1100 caches in the last year or so without a GPS. They're not just trads either but multis and puzzles too - they rely on googlemaps, OS maps and dead reckoning in the field.

They're also FTF hounds as well when the mood takes them

[+Boltonian]

Don't despair about the lack of GPS - there is a couple down here in Essex who have found over 1100 caches in the last year or so without a GPS. They're not just trads either but multis and puzzles too - they rely on googlemaps, OS maps and dead reckoning in the field.

They're also FTF hounds as well when the mood takes them

 

Thanks for all the info there, I was too polite to point out that the NE is the wrong way but the link did work.

Have observed the NW site but not registered or commented as it seems to be broken and well out of date.

 

I am registered here and with GAGB and that is enough for me to handle as I like to get involved so limit myself to areas that take my fancy.

 

Changed my name to my preferred name 'Boltonian' which is also my SFC name. (StarFleet Commander).

[+Guanajuato]

The NW site is a bit sparse at 1st view, but all the action happens on the forum.