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my iphone app is ok but is it easyer with something else?


Mad mex

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I have found about seven caches around my house and town but my iphone gps leads me in circles alot. i was wondering if it would be worth it to buy a magellen or other device to help?

 

Even a dedicated GPS will not get you much closer than 20ft, after that you just have to look. I have found over 100 caches using my iPhone exclusively. It depends on what type of caching you do. If you like to urban cache on your lunch break, you will probably be happy with the iphone for a long while. If you love backpacking and plan on hiking several miles to some caches, you might want to upgrade.

 

Battery life and slow updates are the biggest downfalls of the iphone. I use an external battery to combat the former, and paying attention to satellite maps instead of watching the compass usually helps with the later. Also pay attention to see if your phone is updating as you move. For instance, if your phone says the cache is 50 feet north, and you walk 30 feet and it still says 50 feet north, you aren't updating, take that time to look around and wait to see if your GPS settles.

 

Also, hiding caches with an iPhone sucks. You can compensate by taking lots of readings and checking yourself on google maps, but I wouldn't try to hide a cache in the woods with one.

 

I love my iPhone app.

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A stand alone GPS unit may make it easier to locate the cache due to increased accuracy. But it does not make it easier to go caching in general, IMO. The app makes it really simple to cache on the fly with little or no preparation, whereas the dedicated unit will require more planning up front. Either one is only going to get you so close...if your phone is getting you within 10 feet or so that is about the best you should really expect, even with a dedicated unit.

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Even a dedicated GPS will not get you much closer than 20ft, after that you just have to look.

 

That's not exactly true. It depends on several variables, mostly quality of the given coordinates and current reception conditions. If both come together, the GPS will take you to within arm's reach of the cache. Of course there's no guarantee, but with a dedicated GPS the chances of getting closer to the cache are higher than with any phone or PDA. Our Oregons led us to within 2-3 meters (6-9 feet) of the cache numerous times, and occasionally even closer.

Edited by dfx
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Even a dedicated GPS will not get you much closer than 20ft, after that you just have to look.

 

That's not exactly true. It depends on several variables, mostly quality of the given coordinates and current reception conditions. If both come together, the GPS will take you to within arm's reach of the cache. Of course there's no guarantee, but with a dedicated GPS the chances of getting closer to the cache are higher than with any phone or PDA. Our Oregons led us to within 2-3 meters (6-9 feet) of the cache numerous times, and occasionally even closer.

 

Ok true. What I meant was that no GPS will regularly or consistently get you closer than 20 feet. It is not at all unusual to be standing on the cache and have your GPS read 20-30ft away (that doesn't mean there is something wrong with your device). There is error in your device, there is error in the hiders device. Oh whatever...you know what I mean. I've hit lots of caches when my phone said I was 10 feet or less, even as little as 2 feet.

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I have been using the intro app on my iPhone 4 for the 2 whole weeks I've been caching and have found it to be extremely accurate (usually within 5 feet) in my area. My biggest problem has been way too many people around to search for the cache. The person who introduced me to this uses only a gps unit and was amazed at the accuracy I was getting, granted this has been strictly city caches. I'm sure that outside a big metro area my results will vary.

 

Edit: forgot to mention that the compas is next to useless for me. I ONLY use the map. :rolleyes:

Edited by Ace mck
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I use my iphone4 99% of the time. Shen I'm going to the middle of nowhere I let my nuvi 1450 do the grunt work. Not exactly what I'd want to use but is all I have. iPhone does a great job for me as far as getting me within a few feet of the cache and sometimes spot on. I'm hoping to upgrade to a Montana or Colorado soon but i don't know if I can manually punch in coords with those or if I have to load them from my pc.

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Hello. I recently posted a similar question on here and was given quite a lot of help.

 

Here's the link in case it's of interest to you:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=265176&st=0&p=4569299&fromsearch=1entry4569299

 

Your link has been most helpful. I think I have came to the same conclusion as you have. I'm going to stick with my phone for now unless i find a good GPSr for cheap.

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Edit: forgot to mention that the compas is next to useless for me. I ONLY use the map. :rolleyes:

 

I believe that this is how a lot of smartphone users do their caching. It says nothing about the accuracy of the integrated GPS, but instead only relies on the accuracy of the maps. In most urban areas, the Google/Bing maps are quite accurate, but even then, YMMV greatly.

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Hi I use the etrex h in conjunction with the iphone app, what I do is work out where my start point is going to be then do a search for nearby caches on the iphone and then turn off the gps in the iphone as it kills the battery fast, then manually enter the coordinates into the etrex. This method allows me to cache all day and also be paperless as I can still view cache info and post field logs using the internet on the phone.

 

Dan

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Edit: forgot to mention that the compas is next to useless for me. I ONLY use the map. :rolleyes:

 

I believe that this is how a lot of smartphone users do their caching. It says nothing about the accuracy of the integrated GPS, but instead only relies on the accuracy of the maps. In most urban areas, the Google/Bing maps are quite accurate, but even then, YMMV greatly.

 

I also use the iPhone sometimes but I don't understand that line of thinking...I only use the map while driving to the cache location, as soon as I'm out on foot I switch to compass. I'll sometimes switch back to map (is it on THIS side of the fence or THAT side, that kind of stuff) but the compass mode is easier to navigate to GZ with.

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Hi I use the etrex h in conjunction with the iphone app, what I do is work out where my start point is going to be then do a search for nearby caches on the iphone and then turn off the gps in the iphone as it kills the battery fast, then manually enter the coordinates into the etrex. This method allows me to cache all day and also be paperless as I can still view cache info and post field logs using the internet on the phone.

 

Dan

 

Great suggestion! Now I just need to find a GPS. Anyone selling an old one?

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