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The modern definition of geocaching


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In an article entitled 'Life on a Budget' in today's Stella (Sunday Telegraph women's magazine) Lisa Cole from Bristol is quoted as saying 'Toffee and I go geocaching, which is a free treasure-hunt game using your mobile phone'.

 

I was going to ask how long people think it will be before those of us using standalone GPS units are in the minority but I suspect we are already.

 

(Edited typo)

Edited by MBFace
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I have to say MB im a newbie to the hunt with a low 30 caches to my name...and everytime ive used my phone and its worked perfectly....Id see using the proper GPS systems as been hardcore "true" geocachers!!......U keep on using ur GPS because thats what geocaching was all about when it first got going :

 

Ive even used a tomtom on walk mode and i have to say its only been like half a metre out on co-ords everytime :)

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I think that day is coming, but not too soon. The folks I know that use phones are always disappointed with them. Oh sure, they find the cache....eventually. but if someone with a gps is there, my phone friends are following in the dust.

 

Far as I can tell, the phone gps is good to get ftom one mall to the next, but no so hot at getting through the woods.

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I think it will come soon if it hasn't already happened. The advances in smart phone technology and the availability of an app put out by Groundspeak itself is going to make those new to the game more apt to start with the phone. I am using an iPhone and in my 42 finds so far, it has been spot on every time except one -- and I suspect the coordinates are wrong on that one because when I checked it on several online mapping programs they put me in the same place my phone did, about 60 feet away from the actual GZ. I haven't been out in the wilderness yet, so for those times when I may be in an area without a signal, I may buy a normal handheld GPS as a backup, but I suspect most people that start with the phone will stay with it for most of their finds.

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I think that day is coming, but not too soon. The folks I know that use phones are always disappointed with them. Oh sure, they find the cache....eventually. but if someone with a gps is there, my phone friends are following in the dust.

 

Far as I can tell, the phone gps is good to get ftom one mall to the next, but no so hot at getting through the woods.

Let me say first that I am no fan of the invasion of mobile phone geocaching. There was a time I would have agreed with your assessment that most times (especially in the woods) a traditional GPS would leave a mobil phone app in the dust every time. Then I talked to a co-worker about caching. He has an older model etrex that he abandoned quite early, and a very robust set of geo-utilities on his phone that can keep pace with my NON paperless Garmin step for step on the hunt in ANY terrain (even in the absence of cell signal coverage). I have to admit it even has cache data capabilities far superior to my Garmin and PDA combo. I would not have believed it if I had not seen it repeatedly with my own eyes. Not all cell phones are created equal, and not all cell phone operators are equally adept at maximizing their effectiveness.

 

I see now, it's only a matter of time till the only ones still using traditional GPS units will be us Dinosaurs. That's OK. The "game" is going to crap anyhow. Jeremy is abandoning the traditional cachers. He can see where the money is. I'll just hold on as long as I can and then just fade away like the original Dinosaurs.

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I was going to ask how long people think it will be before those of us using standalone GPS units are in the minority but I suspect we are already.

 

As someone with 15 or more GPS receivers, both with and without integrated phones, I have never in my own mind differentiated the two. A phone with a GPS receiver IS a GPS receiver. There are certain models of GPS receiver that don't perform very well, the iPhone 3GS being an example (and I do have one). On the other hand, the very best performing receiver I have is an Acer Windows Mobile phone. My Oregon 550t is somewhat below average.

 

In my experience it's probably true to say that on average GPSr performace of a phone based unit is probably a little lower than dedicated units, and I'd guess that's because phone manufacturers are more likely to be willing to compromise the antenna performance. But you can't generalise - you have to look at the performance of individual models.

 

The main differentiator at present is not performance, but robustness and weather-proofing. Few phones are built to take the sort of treatment my Oregon will cope with.

 

Rgds, Andy

Edited by Amberel
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Haven't read the article, but;

'... which is a free treasure-hunt game using your mobile phone'.

 

is the part that bothers me.

Suggests that you can take, but nothing about 'Swap' 'equal or higher value'.

 

Been out to two caches this afternoon, using the old Garmin Map 60cxs... Ahh, those were the days :laughing:

 

The phone just doesn't do it.

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I tend to use both. The GPS gets me to GZ and to the cache, but I can use the phone with the Groundspeak Geocaching app for re-reading the cache page and for getting the hint if I find I need it. I use my Dad's old GPS which doesn't let me go paperless caching, so the two are very good together.

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Haven't read the article, but;

'... which is a free treasure-hunt game using your mobile phone'.

 

is the part that bothers me.

Suggests that you can take, but nothing about 'Swap' 'equal or higher value'.

 

Been out to two caches this afternoon, using the old Garmin Map 60cxs... Ahh, those were the days :laughing:

 

The phone just doesn't do it.

 

Is the geo app free then? I hadn't realised they were giving it away.

 

Jon

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Haven't read the article, but;

'... which is a free treasure-hunt game using your mobile phone'.

 

is the part that bothers me.

Suggests that you can take, but nothing about 'Swap' 'equal or higher value'.

 

Been out to two caches this afternoon, using the old Garmin Map 60cxs... Ahh, those were the days :laughing:

 

The phone just doesn't do it.

 

Is the geo app free then? I hadn't realised they were giving it away.

 

Jon

No but the c:geo app is.

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Haven't read the article, but;

'... which is a free treasure-hunt game using your mobile phone'.

 

is the part that bothers me.

Suggests that you can take, but nothing about 'Swap' 'equal or higher value'.

 

Been out to two caches this afternoon, using the old Garmin Map 60cxs... Ahh, those were the days :laughing:

 

The phone just doesn't do it.

 

Is the geo app free then? I hadn't realised they were giving it away.

 

Jon

No but the c:geo app is.

 

Does "c:geo" dynamically read geocache information based on your iPhones location?

 

Cheers,

 

Jon.

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I guess I am a young dinosaur.

 

I use my trusty old Etrex Legend, and an iPhone (4 or 3GS) Also present at some of the new team's finds are another 2 iPhones (3GS) and an Etrex H. Sometimes the phones are better, sometimes the dedicated units wipe the floor with them. Usually having 5 devices can help as we can waypoint average on finds.

 

The iPhone 4 is a match for any GPSr I've found in terms of location... buy not on battery life.

 

The 3 3GS's have different characteristics, one seems to hold phone signal much better, often showing a signal while the other 2 are showing none, but the same iPhone is less accurate as a location finder. So in my experience it's not only the phone model that matters, it's the individual phone!

 

The Legend and the H often report the same co-ordinates when side by side and out in the open, with the H winning hands down in the woods.

 

The top end (not top price) dedicated units should always beat the top phones, just as in the digital photography field. A 12 megapixel phone's camera can't match a 12 megapixel digital SLR by a long way. I think that the same is true of GPSr units... but geocaching is the equivalent of holiday snaps... yes my iPhone 4 can find the ammo can in the woods as well as a GPSr, but would I want to have my life depend on it? When I see a professional photographer using a camera phone as their main device, I'll consider using a phone to get me off a mountain in high winds and snow.

Edited by NattyBooshka
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The main differentiator at present is not performance, but robustness and weather-proofing. Few phones are built to take the sort of treatment my Oregon will cope with.

I'm with Andy regarding robustness. We much prefer caching on rugged terrain where I would prefer not to have the phone in my hand (it's in the rucksack for emergencies with a fully charged battery IF there's a signal). Likewise I've never liked using the more delicate PDA for Wherigos such as the brilliant The Lost World on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh (and still need to do so when the Oregon can't cope).

 

Getting back to my original post the quote was a one liner from an article on living on a budget. I guess geocaching is cheap if you live in a cache dense area, don't pay for Premium membership, set micros using film containers, don't do swaps or release trackables (NB this is a general comment, not in any way directed at the person quoted in the article) and providing you can cope with your mobile phone getting rendered u/s every so often. That's not really our sort of caching so we'll stick to being dinosaurs with our old fashioned Garmins and writing logs that contain more than '.' but that's another topic!!!

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I'm a relatively new geocacher using a mobile phone. I was keen to try geocaching and needed a new mobile (old one packing in after over 10 years of use), and was lucky enough to be given a phone that could do both as a Christmas gift :)

 

I think that's the way many people get into it now - they have the functionality on the phone so give it a go, and perhaps upgrade to Premium as & when they get hooked. We may well splash out on a standalone GPS now the whole family has got into it though, as they do seem much more robust and my phone doesn't like being out in the rain...

 

I'm not sure it's a particularly cheap hobby though, especially when you take into account fuel or public transport costs once you've exhausted the local area for caches within walking/cycling distance. And of course you have to buy the phone/GPS in the first place if you don't already have one. We haven't got heaps of spare cash, so try and combine a bit of geocaching with trips we already have to make.

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I'm a relatively new geocacher using a mobile phone. I was keen to try geocaching and needed a new mobile (old one packing in after over 10 years of use), and was lucky enough to be given a phone that could do both as a Christmas gift :)

 

I think that's the way many people get into it now - they have the functionality on the phone so give it a go, and perhaps upgrade to Premium as & when they get hooked. We may well splash out on a standalone GPS now the whole family has got into it though, as they do seem much more robust and my phone doesn't like being out in the rain...

 

 

This seems to be one of the biggest differences between now and when I (at least) started caching.

 

Newer cachers seem to be buying phones and/or GPS's to go caching. A few years ago many people already had a GPS for other reasons - and then started to use them to cache with in addition to other pursuits...... so using a phone app has brought it all full circle - without the advantage (or disadvantage) of having used a GPS or map and compass to navigate with in the first place?

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I like a lot started with a phone. I read about geocaching and as I had the phone I though I'd give it a go! After a few finds then I bought a BTGPS and that gave me better results.

 

But after about a dozen or so finds I bought a GPSr. Now can't understand why anyone would use a phone instead of a paperless GPSr, apart from maybe 'spur of the moment' caching.

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I think that's probably right keehotee. I have friends who sail etc who already had their gps for that, so geocaching was just another thing they started using it for over the last few years. I've never had the money for more expensive hobbies like that so never bought one, and all the hiking & cycling I've done (lots) has been the old fashioned way with map & compass which always suited me fine, as I can use both confidently and have a good sense of direction. Even now I'll often just use a paper OS map, and have found lots caches that way without even switching the phone on.

 

Anyway, now we have a family I'm finding this is a really nice way to add a bit of extra interest to walks with a younger child - it's a much better way to persuade a few extra miles out of them ("looking for boxes") than the old promise of an ice cream at the end! Which again is probably very different to the original idea, but all hobbies evolve over time, especially where technology is involved.

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I like a lot started with a phone. I read about geocaching and as I had the phone I though I'd give it a go! After a few finds then I bought a BTGPS and that gave me better results.

 

But after about a dozen or so finds I bought a GPSr. Now can't understand why anyone would use a phone instead of a paperless GPSr, apart from maybe 'spur of the moment' caching.

 

In fairness a phone can be a useful caching tool in urban areas where someone poking about with a GPS might look odd while someone poking about with a cellphone looks perfectly normal.

 

When looking for local caches during a lunch break or similar it's not like you need the ruggedness or battery life that something like a Garmin gives you over and above a smartphone. For me it was always pretty simple - if it was raining hard enough to be concerned about my phone it was raining hard enough to not go caching.

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In fairness a phone can be a useful caching tool in urban areas where someone poking about with a GPS might look odd while someone poking about with a cellphone looks perfectly normal.

And what do most cachers do with their GPS, if they think a muggle is watching them?

Put their GPS to their ear,as if it's a phone! :laughing:

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Haven't read the article, but;

'... which is a free treasure-hunt game using your mobile phone'.

 

is the part that bothers me.

Suggests that you can take, but nothing about 'Swap' 'equal or higher value'.

 

Been out to two caches this afternoon, using the old Garmin Map 60cxs... Ahh, those were the days :laughing:

 

The phone just doesn't do it.

 

Is the geo app free then? I hadn't realised they were giving it away.

 

Jon

No but the c:geo app is.

 

Does "c:geo" dynamically read geocache information based on your iPhones location?

 

Cheers,

 

Jon.

Although I have it on my phone, I haven't used it yet. I think I will only use it if I am out without my GPS. But I do know that it locates all nearby caches based on your GPS or wireless network location.

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Several areas id like to cover.

 

C:geo. I use this on my mobile and you can locate nearby caches to your gps location, downloading details over your data network. It can also import gpx files. I have my nearest 1000 caches on my phone and receive my closest 500 pocket query weekly to keep it up to date as easily as possible. This is emailed direct to my phone and uploaded into c:geo.

 

I started caching on my blackberry, a nice free way to try the sport. My friend had a few gps units on a night cache in woods last year and my mobile beat the dedicated units consistantly. Since then I have a new mobile, which is actually a small tablet pc made by dell. I also got a garmin dakota 10 for xmas as I was keen to ensure that:

 

1) my tablet just lasts a day on normal usage never mind caching. Dont want my mobile dieing when I need it because I was cachin with it.

 

2) my mobile is a very pricey bit of kit. I drop my blackberry caching so many times I lost count. Dont want to do that this phone.

 

3) rain. Dont want to risk the wet. The dakota is water resistant.

 

4) I still use my phone for the odd bit of surprise caching opportunity.

 

5) looking to place caches and the GPSr does average waypoint easily.

 

I think that those enjoying the hobby well enough may still go for dedicated gps units after a while, but there is nowt wrong with using a mobile device, especially when these can at times outperform other units. Expensive GPSr units may also put some people off, I only got the dakota 10 as I found it at a fantastic price at xmas time :D

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as with everything technological - it moves on. change occurs and methods/equipment develop. you could even go as far as to say its evolution! I know some people dont like change, i know some people fully embrace it - were all different and i am sure one is in the minority.

 

as with the statement '... which is a free treasure-hunt game using your mobile phone'. this has all sorts of 'issues' with it; not any mobile phone, Its not 'free' for all smartphone users, there is trading involved if you wish to take anything from caches.

 

there seems to be a massive adversity to cachers using smartphones which i personally dont see the problem with to be honest. the 'right equipment' in 'the wrong hands' can cause just as much calamity as anyone else.

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Just as a matter of interest, here'sa different approach - perhaps.

 

I disagree with whomever wrote that! That is the single most stupid log I have ever read.

 

My Blackberry Bold is far, far more accurate than my Garmin H.

 

Then rather than blame the reviewer that wrote the log, thank your phone-using compadres for not learning the value of averaging - or of differentiating between mast/gps co-ords when they hid caches with early generation phones. They're the ones the policy was introduced to deal with - and with valid reason :)

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Just as a matter of interest, here'sa different approach - perhaps.

 

I disagree with whomever wrote that! That is the single most stupid log I have ever read.

 

My Blackberry Bold is far, far more accurate than my Garmin H.

 

Then rather than blame the reviewer that wrote the log, thank your phone-using compadres for not learning the value of averaging - or of differentiating between mast/gps co-ords when they hid caches with early generation phones. They're the ones the policy was introduced to deal with - and with valid reason :)

 

to be honest - for hiding a cache, anyone with any type of device can be guilty of not averaging, not approaching from many different angles etc. not just phone users. i admit that there are a lot of newer cachers using smart phones as they can 'experience' geocaching for very little extra expenditure. which when you compare some GPS units are around £300 this is a lot of saving. but getting someone to learn to use their device (what ever it might be) and use it proporly is out of our control unless they read the forums and ask for advice.

 

A lot of people use a GPS and smartphone in conjunction (which i did recently when i borrowed a GPS handheld etrex HC) it was not better nor worse nor accurate than my iphone 4 on the caches i hunted on the day in question.

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The newbies and the dinosaurs are just the same. Originally people who already had a GPSr discovered geocaching, now people with mobiles are doing the same. In the middle people had a need to spend money to get into it, myself included. I like that it can be truly free again, as a game. Phones cost £per month for up to 2 years, so a top GPSr works out cheaper than an iPhone 4... They're similar prices without contract. The thing is the phone only lot and the another use for my GPSr lot can both, in theory play for free as their expenditure had/has nothing to do with the game.

 

Times change... Just the other day I went to tip my hat as a lady walked by... But realised that I didn't have one on. Etiquette is drawing its last breaths my friends, and those who show it are seen as strange. An FU is becoming more common than a TY! So, we've seen the game expand rapidly, and also seen an accelerated decline in standards. It's not the phones fault, it's societies. At the risk of getting flamed, the sheer cost of a GPSr 10 years ago kept the riff-raff out! I should know... My first receiver was a present from a richer friend... So I snook under the radar!

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The newbies and the dinosaurs are just the same. Originally people who already had a GPSr discovered geocaching, now people with mobiles are doing the same. In the middle people had a need to spend money to get into it, myself included. I like that it can be truly free again, as a game. Phones cost £per month for up to 2 years, so a top GPSr works out cheaper than an iPhone 4... They're similar prices without contract. The thing is the phone only lot and the another use for my GPSr lot can both, in theory play for free as their expenditure had/has nothing to do with the game.

 

Times change... Just the other day I went to tip my hat as a lady walked by... But realised that I didn't have one on. Etiquette is drawing its last breaths my friends, and those who show it are seen as strange. An FU is becoming more common than a TY! So, we've seen the game expand rapidly, and also seen an accelerated decline in standards. It's not the phones fault, it's societies. At the risk of getting flamed, the sheer cost of a GPSr 10 years ago kept the riff-raff out! I should know... My first receiver was a present from a richer friend... So I snook under the radar!

 

very good point very well made.

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Hello all!! My first post here but thought it seemed like a good thread to start on.

 

I got into Geocaching in March of this year as I heard a comment on the radio that someone had found their 100th cache. I didn't have a clue what that was about so I 'googled' it, read all about it on Geocaching.com and found the links to the various apps I could put on my HTC Desire, android phone. Since then I've become hooked. I've now found 173 caches, become a premium member and have placed two caches of my own (currently planning my third but waiting for permission to place it is a lovely natural area) which have been very well received by finders. One of my caches has been placed in dense woodland and I have received comments to the effect that the co-ordinates were surprisingly accurate given the caches location.

 

When I find a cache, I put it back exactly where it should be and ensure that it is properly hidden. If I find problems with the cache, I report them to the CO via a log entry to alert the owner that it needs attention.

 

I have also set my own trackable off on it's merry way and love watching it's progress as it travels about.

 

The more I get into this, the more I am learning and after two months, I've now found out about averaging :rolleyes:

 

Had the pastime not been available to me relatively cheaply (as I already had a capable phone), I would not have got involved as I could not have afforded to spend the sort of money a GPSr would cost for a hobby that I hadn't previously tried. Now I like to think that I have brought enjoyment to others through the placing of my caches and am becoming more involved in the caching community. I find my phone is ideal for caching, it doesn't always pick up a GPS signal as quick as I would like but that just means I have to revert to reading the maps on my phone to try and find the cache instead.

 

I like to put a bit of a story in my log entries (if there is one) and have added several photo's to my log entries (using the camera on my phone) to enhance them a little more.

 

One day I suspect I will buy a dedicated GPSr for the reasons already mentioned in earlier posts (battery life, toughness etc) but for now, my Android phone seems to work fine and I'm having a whale of a time, much to the annoyance of the family as I keep disappearing, phone in hand and constantly talking about geocaching.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited by Micky Two Pints
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Phone coordinates are pretty variable. The iPhone is terrible, but Mrs sTeamTraen's HTC (Android) keeps pace with my Colorado to within a foot, at least to the end of our drive (which is as far as she will let me take it).

 

That last comment joins on to what was said above about battery life and robustness. If I were Groundspeak, I would put code in the mobile apps to detect /a/ a high rate on the accelerometer, corresponding to the phone being dropped, /b/ battery life dropping to 20%, and /c/ a DNF, and when any of those happened, I'd pop up an advert saying "Ready for a real GPS? Click here to buy a Magellan Thing 9000, with $40 off if you order in the next 15 minutes". :D

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In fairness a phone can be a useful caching tool in urban areas where someone poking about with a GPS might look odd while someone poking about with a cellphone looks perfectly normal.

And what do most cachers do with their GPS, if they think a muggle is watching them?

Put their GPS to their ear,as if it's a phone! :laughing:

 

I do that with my GPS60csx but hold it upside down so it doesn't look like I have a 1980's brick phone with it's antenna sticking up. :rolleyes:

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In the case of the iPhone you'll see the accuracy figure will never go below 56 feet

 

A perfectly inaccurate, ill informed comment. I expect better from Reviewers. :(

Someone who has obviously never used an iPhone4

 

Early iPhones weren't great in the accuracy dept and would not be good for hiding a cache. Weren't that great for finding at times.

iPhone4 is a very accurate beast and works better under trees than my Garmin Legend does. It is quite capable of being used for setting a cache. Yes, it can produce rubbish co-ords if you don't know what you're doing, but so can a GPS.

 

By the way, (factually correct info follows, please pass on to the Reviewers) iPhone4 will show an accuracy figure of 5m (16.4 ft for the dinos amongst us). :)

 

Back to the OP. I bet you still use one of those single function devices that has some sort of strap to attach to the wrist. How weird is that? And to think all they do is tell the time! (Not even that if the sun goes in!!) :P

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A perfectly inaccurate, ill informed comment. I expect better from Reviewers. :(

Someone who has obviously never used an iPhone4

 

Early iPhones weren't great in the accuracy dept and would not be good for hiding a cache. Weren't that great for finding at times.

iPhone4 is a very accurate beast and works better under trees than my Garmin Legend does. It is quite capable of being used for setting a cache. Yes, it can produce rubbish co-ords if you don't know what you're doing, but so can a GPS.

 

By the way, (factually correct info follows, please pass on to the Reviewers) iPhone4 will show an accuracy figure of 5m (16.4 ft for the dinos amongst us). :)

 

Back to the OP. I bet you still use one of those single function devices that has some sort of strap to attach to the wrist. How weird is that? And to think all they do is tell the time! (Not even that if the sun goes in!!) :P

 

i concur - my iphone 4 works for the vast majority of the time to an accuracy of 5m.

 

In the case of the iPhone you'll see the accuracy figure will never go below 56 feet

 

It is comments such as this one from people such as this (reviewer) that are completely unfounded and unwelcome. I have never had my hands on or used a Garmin 62CX and will therefore never pass comment on its suitablity to do any task. i hope others might adopt this mentality. and while we are on the subject - me and a garmin 62CX straight out of the box hiding a cache would be a far bigger disaster than anyone with a smartphone i can almost guarantee.

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A perfectly inaccurate, ill informed comment. I expect better from Reviewers. :(

Someone who has obviously never used an iPhone4

 

Early iPhones weren't great in the accuracy dept and would not be good for hiding a cache. Weren't that great for finding at times.

iPhone4 is a very accurate beast and works better under trees than my Garmin Legend does. It is quite capable of being used for setting a cache. Yes, it can produce rubbish co-ords if you don't know what you're doing, but so can a GPS.

 

By the way, (factually correct info follows, please pass on to the Reviewers) iPhone4 will show an accuracy figure of 5m (16.4 ft for the dinos amongst us). :)

 

Back to the OP. I bet you still use one of those single function devices that has some sort of strap to attach to the wrist. How weird is that? And to think all they do is tell the time! (Not even that if the sun goes in!!) :P

 

i concur - my iphone 4 works for the vast majority of the time to an accuracy of 5m.

 

In the case of the iPhone you'll see the accuracy figure will never go below 56 feet

 

It is comments such as this one from people such as this (reviewer) that are completely unfounded and unwelcome. I have never had my hands on or used a Garmin 62CX and will therefore never pass comment on its suitablity to do any task. i hope others might adopt this mentality. and while we are on the subject - me and a garmin 62CX straight out of the box hiding a cache would be a far bigger disaster than anyone with a smartphone i can almost guarantee.

 

I vaguely remember something about iPhones claiming on occasion to have 5 bars of signal strength when they only really had 2 bars. How do you know that your 5 meters of accuracy isn't really 50 meters. Although, maybe you were already holding it in the way Mr Jobs showed you!! :D :D :D

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I vaguely remember something about iPhones claiming on occasion to have 5 bars of signal strength when they only really had 2 bars. How do you know that your 5 meters of accuracy isn't really 50 meters. Although, maybe you were already holding it in the way Mr Jobs showed you!! :D :D :D

 

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

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A perfectly inaccurate, ill informed comment. I expect better from Reviewers. :(

Someone who has obviously never used an iPhone4

 

Early iPhones weren't great in the accuracy dept and would not be good for hiding a cache. Weren't that great for finding at times.

iPhone4 is a very accurate beast and works better under trees than my Garmin Legend does. It is quite capable of being used for setting a cache. Yes, it can produce rubbish co-ords if you don't know what you're doing, but so can a GPS.

 

By the way, (factually correct info follows, please pass on to the Reviewers) iPhone4 will show an accuracy figure of 5m (16.4 ft for the dinos amongst us). :)

 

Back to the OP. I bet you still use one of those single function devices that has some sort of strap to attach to the wrist. How weird is that? And to think all they do is tell the time! (Not even that if the sun goes in!!) :P

 

i concur - my iphone 4 works for the vast majority of the time to an accuracy of 5m.

 

In the case of the iPhone you'll see the accuracy figure will never go below 56 feet

 

It is comments such as this one from people such as this (reviewer) that are completely unfounded and unwelcome. I have never had my hands on or used a Garmin 62CX and will therefore never pass comment on its suitablity to do any task. i hope others might adopt this mentality. and while we are on the subject - me and a garmin 62CX straight out of the box hiding a cache would be a far bigger disaster than anyone with a smartphone i can almost guarantee.

 

I vaguely remember something about iPhones claiming on occasion to have 5 bars of signal strength when they only really had 2 bars. How do you know that your 5 meters of accuracy isn't really 50 meters. Although, maybe you were already holding it in the way Mr Jobs showed you!! :D :D :D

 

Sorry to burst the bubble of the iPhone haters... I've had 17 feet of accuracy reported on a 3GS... and a lot less on a 4.

 

How do I know my 17 feet of accuracy isn't 170 feet? The same way I know my Garmins' 12 feet isn't 120 feet!

 

I've had both Garmins report the exact same co-ordinates as the iPhone with better "accuracy" right on a trig point... all were actually within a couple of feet of dead on... the iPhone reported the worst accuracy... so if anything, the iPhone seems to err on the side of caution when it comes to its accuracy reading. When my legend reported 4 feet (WAAS on) I doubted that it really was.

 

So, yeah... the iPhone does everything... the reason I don't use it to find caches is I may need to make a phone call and if on a walk the chances are my battery would be dead. If Apple fixed this, my GPSr would be the backup/lifesaver. I'd use it like I do my map and compass... to get me out of trouble.

 

PS... met Mr Jobs once.. he hates being called that, he's just Steve.

Edited by NattyBooshka
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In the case of the iPhone you'll see the accuracy figure will never go below 56 feet

 

A perfectly inaccurate, ill informed comment. I expect better from Reviewers. :(

Just wish reviewers were consistent. This was in the description of a cache published yesterday

"I accidentally lost the coords for this cach and cant get back for a few weeks, so they are taken from a map, they may be a little out, if the first to find could let me know the true coords, if you go of the title there is only one place..." Owner lives 100+ miles by road from the cache.

 

Back to the OP. I bet you still use one of those single function devices that has some sort of strap to attach to the wrist. How weird is that? And to think all they do is tell the time! (Not even that if the sun goes in!!) :P

No, I tend to find it difficult to keep the gnonom correctly aligned with the earth's axis. Someone is asking for blank logs on his caches :P

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"Accuracy Values by Garmin Receivers

 

The declaration of the accuracy by Garmin GPS receivers often leads to confusion. What does it mean if the receiver states an accuracy of 4 m? This readout refers to the so-called 50 % CEP (Circular Error Probable). This means that 50 % of all measurements are within a radius of 4 m. On the other hand, 50 % of all measured positions are outside of this radius. Furthermore, 95 % of all measured positions are within a circle of twice this radius and 98.9 % of all positions are within a circle of 2.55 the radius. In the given example, nearly all positions are within circle with a radius of 10 m. The determined position is in the worst case accurate to 10 m"

 

http://www.kowoma.de/en/gps/accuracy.htm

 

Something similar will hold true for other devices. Unless you're standing on something of known position, like a trig point, you don't know absolutely how accurate the position is, although a low number is obviously better than a big one!

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"I accidentally lost the coords for this cach and cant get back for a few weeks, so they are taken from a map, they may be a little out, if the first to find could let me know the true coords, if you go of the title there is only one place..." Owner lives 100+ miles by road from the cache.

 

 

I said something very like this in my first ever cache submission back in 2002. The reviewer refused my original submission as he said with inaccurate co-ords I could be sending a cacher into danger. Permission was not granted until August of that year when I was able to return to the cache site and take co-ords.

 

(edited to add missing word! )

Edited by dodgydaved
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Just wish reviewers were consistent. This was in the description of a cache published yesterday

"I accidentally lost the coords for this cach and cant get back for a few weeks, so they are taken from a map, they may be a little out, if the first to find could let me know the true coords, if you go of the title there is only one place..." Owner lives 100+ miles by road from the cache.

 

I trust you stuck a NA on it ;)

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Just wish reviewers were consistent. This was in the description of a cache published yesterday

"I accidentally lost the coords for this cach and cant get back for a few weeks, so they are taken from a map, they may be a little out, if the first to find could let me know the true coords, if you go of the title there is only one place..." Owner lives 100+ miles by road from the cache.

 

I trust you stuck a NA on it ;)

 

I've emailed the reviewer. Perhaps the FTF should use a one-off reading with a smartphone to get the coordinates. :laughing:

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As the owner of both an "Android" phone and a 550 I find both useful. If I go somewhere new and have not downloaded the area to the GPS I fire up the phone and look at the "Nearby caches" - I can then download the co-ords on to the GPS and use that to navigate whilst using the phone for the hints, descriptions, logs etc. I have found that sometimes the GPS is more accurate and sometimes the phone! As one becomes more experienced it usually becomes fairly obvious when you hit the right location. A case in point - last year We went to Wales on hols (after only caching for a couple of months) Looked for about an hour for a cache in Bed Gelert (Deep Pools) in a lovely location but DNF'd

A year later walked down the field with both phone and GPS giving a good location and found in seconds !

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