App for iphone to find GPS coordinates

[jstoufflet]

I recently purchased the full geocache app ($10 from Groundspeak) and it has been useful on finding single cache sites. I have recently ran into trouble when following multiple cache sites that have GPS lat and long coordinates to get me to the final cache site. I tried using google maps, but it's not very helpful or accurate. Does anyone know how to enter the GPS coordinates into the geocache app or have any suggestions for a app for the iphone that can accurately find gps coordinates? Cheaper would be better, I've already spent $10 on this app, hopefully I am just too dull to figure out how to input coordinates. Thanks for the help.

-smilesofmiles

[slhooper]

You are not alone, I bought the same app and the only thing it lacks is the ability to input coordinates when working on multi-caches. I would be interested in finding an app to input coordinates as well! Surely someone has thought of this!!!! HELP!

[+Geoscouts.eu]

Open the multicache from your list

Click "Navigate to Geocache"

At the top of the map page click the flag icon (top middle right)

Enter new waypoint name - Enter Latitude - Enter Longitude - Set to Geocache location

Off you go!

 

Hope this helps

[+Geoscouts.eu]

Oh and with regards to other apps, iGCT is downloadable for free and works great for projecting waypoints as well as other stuff.

[+Chief301]

+1 for Geoscout's reply...the flag icon in the paid app will do that for you. You might also want to take a look at Motion X Lite, a really good (and free) general purpose GPS app.

[+starrchilde]

When using this, how do you get it to allow you to walk along non-street paths? I tried it tonight with the hubs and kids on a cache I had already found that they wanted to try and I couldn't find a way to get it to walk us through the park, rather it kept moving us to streets and the estimated time was 50 minutes.

 

I tried changing it to walking and it told me to "walk carefully" along the same road route as driving.

 

 

Oh and with regards to other apps, iGCT is downloadable for free and works great for projecting waypoints as well as other stuff.

[+Chief301]

When using this, how do you get it to allow you to walk along non-street paths? I tried it tonight with the hubs and kids on a cache I had already found that they wanted to try and I couldn't find a way to get it to walk us through the park, rather it kept moving us to streets and the estimated time was 50 minutes.

 

I tried changing it to walking and it told me to "walk carefully" along the same road route as driving. :

 

The short answer is, you can't. A handheld GPS is not designed for guiding you along routes and paths like a driving unit does. It basically just points you in a straight line toward the coordinates (it's 500 feet thataway) You'll have to engage your other navigation device (the one located between your ears) to figure out the best way to get there . That's part of the challenge (and the fun!)

[+starrchilde]

Interesting... I guess I had assumed that since it was in the geocaching toolkit it would be more caching friendly as far as waypoints.

 

Husband put in the waypoint for where he wanted to go and it put in the pin drop, but it didn't really tell them how to get from location A to location B. (Edited to add: Meaning, it didn't say - it's X feet that way, or anything, it was just the pin drop and no access to compass, etc) They tried using directions, which is when it routed them out of the park and along the main roads rather than the probably 500 ft directly in front of them the cache actually was.

 

Then again, since we're both fairly new at this, maybe we're not using the tools as they're supposed to be used. Can you offer any insight?

 

What they ended up doing was just walking in the general direction of where the pin drop looked to be, then when we got close they started looking. Took only a few seconds for older daughter to find it, which thrilled her since it was only her second find ever, and second find that day to boot. (I'm "mean," I don't offer feedback if I've already found a cache that they're seeking, it's not going to teach them anything if I help them)

 

The short answer is, you can't. A handheld GPS is not designed for guiding you along routes and paths like a driving unit does. It basically just points you in a straight line toward the coordinates (it's 500 feet thataway) You'll have to engage your other navigation device (the one located between your ears) to figure out the best way to get there . That's part of the challenge (and the fun!)

Edited July 2, 2011 by starrchilde

[+Chief301]

 

Husband put in the waypoint for where he wanted to go and it put in the pin drop, but it didn't really tell them how to get from location A to location B. (Edited to add: Meaning, it didn't say - it's X feet that way, or anything, it was just the pin drop and no access to compass, etc) They tried using directions, which is when it routed them out of the park and along the main roads rather than the probably 500 ft directly in front of them the cache actually was.

 

 

Sounds like you're still trying to use Google Maps. The problem with using Google Maps for finding geocache coordinates is this: Google Maps is really designed to give you driving directions. Normally to an address, but it will also give you driving directions (and only driving directions) if you put in a set of GPS coordinates.

 

In other words, when you input coordinates and try to navigate to them, it will bring you to the nearest street address to those coordinates. It's trying to find an address for you to drive to, not a point off the roadway for you to walk to. Sometimes, if the cache is very close to a street address (like in the parking lot of a business or right along the roadway), you might get lucky and be pretty close. It won't drop the pin off in the woods (where the cache might actually be).

 

If you're using the Groundspeak app, the best thing to do is what Geoscout said...when you're in the "Navigate to Geocache" screen, look up in the upper right corner of the screen....there's a little flag icon, next to the little compass icon. Tap the flag icon and it will bring you to a screen where you can input coordinates manually then navigate there from your current location.

 

The Geocaching Toolkit app will also let you "project a waypoint", which is just a way of saying manually input coordinates and navigate to them from your current location.

 

The other app I mentioned, Motion X Lite, is also great for general GPS purposes.

 

Hope I explained it clearly enough...I remember this was all very confusing to me too when I was first starting out

[+starrchilde]

That makes perfect sense and sounds like what happened, thanks!

[+DrStrange1]

some gps's also come with a choice of CAR or pedestrian (sp) so it will use the road map for car but will use different maps for walking. check your gps for those choices.

[Robinwood05]

What should i go for ...???? iphone or tablet ?

[molly1216]

i spent money on the Groundspeak app too and am terribly disappointed. i spent an hour trying to find a very very easy cache and it never showed my location properly. i wish you could get your money back from a bad app.

[+The Ymmit]

i spent money on the Groundspeak app too and am terribly disappointed. i spent an hour trying to find a very very easy cache and it never showed my location properly. i wish you could get your money back from a bad app.

 

Sorry to hear that. I just recently bought an iPhone and the Geocaching app was the first app I downloaded. For me, it only has one drawback - which others have been discussing on this forum - which is it's inability to input coordinates for multicaches. Still, this app sure beats manually inputting them into my eTrex any day!

 

If your location isn't being displayed properly, you could probably bring your GPSr with you and look up a nearby cache, then put those coordinates into your GPSr...

[+thebruce0]

I recommend Geosphere. Geocaching was one of the first apps I downloaded as well when I got my iPhone (got me into geocaching ) but I've since been using Geosphere almost exclusively, save live searches and immediate logging. It has all the capabilities you'd want, save a couple which are easily attainable in another app.

 

I posted details about it here. Very worthwhile purchase, IMO.

[+Chief301]

i spent money on the Groundspeak app too and am terribly disappointed. i spent an hour trying to find a very very easy cache and it never showed my location properly. i wish you could get your money back from a bad app.

 

Sorry to hear that. I just recently bought an iPhone and the Geocaching app was the first app I downloaded. For me, it only has one drawback - which others have been discussing on this forum - which is it's inability to input coordinates for multicaches. Still, this app sure beats manually inputting them into my eTrex any day!

 

If your location isn't being displayed properly, you could probably bring your GPSr with you and look up a nearby cache, then put those coordinates into your GPSr...

 

Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I've stepped in to explain this feature, I could afford that new GPS I've been wanting....

 

When you're in the Navigate to Geocache screen, in the upper right hand corner, next to the Compass button is a button with a little flag icon on it. This button opens the screen where you can add a waypoint. You can input the new coordinates, name it what you want, and save it. You can then navigate to it from there, or if you have that cache in your Saved lists it will attach the new waypoint to that cache listing (it will show up as a little flag on the map whenever you're in Navigate to Geocache mode...you can click on it to navigate to it)

 

I have several "additional" waypoints saved this way at the moment because I have a few puzzle caches that I just solved for Baton Rouge and I'm planning to go grab them this weekend.

 

The app should really come with an online manual or something, it really doesn't explain all the features...you just sort of learn by using it.

[NEwhere]

When you click the flag you get this screen

http://pbckt.com/pe.QzQvGh

 

Here is an iPhone screenshot of what the official app looks like when you are entering waypoints

 

http://pbckt.com/pe.QzQhOJ

[+JesandTodd]

i spent money on the Groundspeak app too and am terribly disappointed. i spent an hour trying to find a very very easy cache and it never showed my location properly. i wish you could get your money back from a bad app.

 

I've found 1120 caches with that "bad app". tyvm

so, somewhere, somehow it must be working...

 

. For me, it only has one drawback - which others have been discussing on this forum - which is it's inability to input coordinates for multicaches.

 

Did you read any of the previous replies?

 

Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I've stepped in to explain this feature, I could afford that new GPS I've been wanting....

 

I know, right?? What gives? This is the most common question so GS is failing somewhere with this app. Maybe in the app store they can show a screen shot of that particular screen?

 

This is just proof that we need our iPhone forums back.

[Keystone]

This is just proof that we need our iPhone forums back.

1. If you have suggestions that would improve the iPhone app's user interface on this subject, please go to this feedback forum.

 

2. If you want to discuss iPhone app issues generally with other community members, please go to this discussion forum.

 

3. Individual tech support questions about the official Groundspeak iPhone app can be sent to Groundspeak Customer Relations via the Help Center.

[+JesandTodd]

 

2. If you want to discuss iPhone app issues generally with other community members, please go to this discussion forum.

I'd like to discuss iPhone problems, issues, etc with other iPhone users in its own forum. I'd like to see threads remain open for a bit so that others who have the same issue can simply clarify a post, or further a question, without having to go through the entire process of emailing GS and waiting for a response. I wish threads weren't locked immediately with a scripted reponse like " thread locked, email us instead". Oftentimes, many of us have the same issue that can be clarified by a simple reponse on an already locked down thread. I dont always want to email you guys, maybe I want to see if someone else already had this problem, and how they got it resolved.

 

Now this information is kept hidden away. Because its not in the right place, or in the right format, or isn't worded correctly, or doesn't have the right {brackets}

 

 

If the current system was working the we wouldn't have a bazillion posts saying hints like, "this app sucks because it can't do multis or puzzles"

[+Team Pixos]

I agree with the above. Within the last few days a question was asked that I would have liked to know the answer to; but it was already locked.

[+Team Pixos]

When you click the flag you get this screen

http://pbckt.com/pe.QzQvGh

 

Here is an iPhone screenshot of what the official app looks like when you are entering waypoints

 

http://pbckt.com/pe.QzQhOJ

 

From the picture in the top link do you set it to geocache location or just click done?

 

Also is there a way to use the set to current location my vehicle so I can find it again?

Thanks

[+Chief301]

When you click the flag you get this screen

http://pbckt.com/pe.QzQvGh

 

Here is an iPhone screenshot of what the official app looks like when you are entering waypoints

 

http://pbckt.com/pe.QzQhOJ

 

From the picture in the top link do you set it to geocache location or just click done?

 

Also is there a way to use the set to current location my vehicle so I can find it again?

Thanks

 

Yes. When you get out of the car hit the little flag icon. Instead of manually entering coordinates there's a button "Current Location". Tap that to create a new waypoint at your current location, indicated on the Navigate screen with a little flag You can name it "Car" or "Parking Lot" or whatever. It will stay attached to the cache listing so when you're done finding the cache you can tap on the flag and navigate back to it.

 

I've played around with it a bit but I'm not sure if it makes a difference if youre navigating "live" (I.e., a cache you just pulled up the listing for ), or one you have saved in a list. Seems like it saves the new waypoint either way, but you might want to experiment a bit first to make sure.

[+Team Pixos]

Thx

[+Understandblue]

Oh and with regards to other apps, iGCT is downloadable for free and works great for projecting waypoints as well as other stuff.

 

Thank you for this tip - this is exactly what I wanted in addition to the main app!

[TexasGreyhound]

This whole thread has been very enlightening. Thanks to all the experienced geocachers out there who took the time to answer.

[+crunchewy]

Thanks for the heads up on iGCT. This could come in handy. Is the Pro version worth paying for?

[+Pheonix-n-Hawkeye]

I did not know how to input my own coordinates into my ipone. Thanks so much for this thread. Even a few years later it is still helping people. I don't have the flag icon but I do have 3 little dots top right of my map screen, click on those and was able to add new waypoint. Look out multis I can find you now LOL. Thanks again for this thread, was very very helpful.

[terbear]

I did not know how to input my own coordinates into my ipone. Thanks so much for this thread. Even a few years later it is still helping people. I don't have the flag icon but I do have 3 little dots top right of my map screen, click on those and was able to add new waypoint. Look out multis I can find you now LOL. Thanks again for this thread, was very very helpful.

[terbear]

I have followed the steps and I entered the New Waypoint Name, Latitude and Longitude Coordinates but when I try to set the Waypoint to 'Geocache Location' I can't make that selection or any selection and none of the information is retained. What might be going on

[+Chief301]

I have followed the steps and I entered the New Waypoint Name, Latitude and Longitude Coordinates but when I try to set the Waypoint to 'Geocache Location' I can't make that selection or any selection and none of the information is retained. What might be going on

 

You don't want to set the waypoint to the geocache location or current location. When you have named the waypoint and entered the new coordinates, just hit "Done". Then go back to the map. A flag will now be on the map at the new coordinates you entered. Click on the flag and select "Set As Target".

 

Setting the waypoint to your current location is handy if you want to mark your car or the trailhead before you go into the woods, so you can find your way back. I'm not sure why you'd want to set an additional waypoint to the Geocache location, since you already have those coordinates.