Starting with a 3G iphone

[wrongwayshorty]

Hi everyone! I'm a newbie to geocaching, but I went out the last two nights and had a great time. I saw a previous post about starting with an iphone 3GS, so I thought I'd ask about my phone too. I have an iphone 3G, and have been working with the free intro to geocaching app. It works pretty well, except the distance isn't exactly accurate all the time. I'd really like to upgrade to the paid version so I can see more than three caches at a time, and (hopefully) support the site by getting their app, but I'm not sure if it will work with my phone. (I'm thinking along the lines that the intro version works well because it's a smaller app with less to run.) Does anyone have any experience with using it for a 3g iphone? I've read a ton of reviews, but they're mixed, and it doesn't say the phone type. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[+Touchstone]

I have the full version on my 3G and it works fine. Although don't get your hopes up about increasing the accuracy. That's a limitation of the phone, not the app.

 

Thanks for supporting the site 8)

[wrongwayshorty]

I have the full version on my 3G and it works fine. Although don't get your hopes up about increasing the accuracy. That's a limitation of the phone, not the app.

 

Thanks for supporting the site 8)

 

Oh yay!! Thank you! I didn't figure it would increase the accuracy. The other night my boyfriend and I were looking for my first one and it said I was five feet away, then I was directly next to it (after he found it) and it said 19 feet. I'm a broke college student though, so I really don't have the money for a nice handheld, but I really like the idea behind geocaching. I love free fun (relatively speaking due to gas) that gets us to areas we've never been to, and helps clean up the areas for further enjoyment as well. It reminds me, on a different scale, of metal detecting with my family when I was a kid. My parents really like the idea behind it too, so I think I'm going to be asking for a premium account for Christmas. I think $10, or even $30 is pretty small in comparision when supporting something that provides such great experiences and memories.

[+Panther&Pine]

 

Oh yay!! Thank you! I didn't figure it would increase the accuracy. The other night my boyfriend and I were looking for my first one and it said I was five feet away, then I was directly next to it (after he found it) and it said 19 feet. I'm a broke college student though, so I really don't have the money for a nice handheld, but I really like the idea behind geocaching. I love free fun (relatively speaking due to gas) that gets us to areas we've never been to, and helps clean up the areas for further enjoyment as well. It reminds me, on a different scale, of metal detecting with my family when I was a kid. My parents really like the idea behind it too, so I think I'm going to be asking for a premium account for Christmas. I think $10, or even $30 is pretty small in comparision when supporting something that provides such great experiences and memories.

Generally when you get within 20 feet it is a great idea to put the phone down and start looking. The GPS doesn't usually get you spot on the cache (although many, myself included, have set GPS units, backpacks and behinds on caches without realizing).

I've worked out the cost of the GPS, PM, GSAK, Sig. Item and other stuff to a cost per hour of amusment (and as long as I exclude the wine we drink while solving puzzles in the winter) it works out to around 50 cents an hour and that is for two of us.

 

When I saved up for a GPS I decided that if we hadn't found a certain number of them within 90 days I'd send the GPS back to REI. Instead we kept it and got a PM.

[+mpilchfamily]

Be aware that the free app sucks compared to the paid one. The free app operates nothing like the paid app so don't expect the same interface. But it is well worth the $10.

[+Chief301]

Be aware that the free app sucks compared to the paid one. The free app operates nothing like the paid app so don't expect the same interface. But it is well worth the $10.

 

+1...the paid app is way better and FWIW I think the interface is great. Far more versatile...instead of just showing you the 3 nearest caches it provides all the cache descriptions and data available on the site, recent finds, etc., plus the newest version lets you filter your searches (by size, type, etc) and create favorites lists. Once you play with it awhile I think you'll like it!

[wrongwayshorty]

All great information! Thank you all very much. I think it's great that everyone is so helpful to newbies I was looking at the pics for the upgraded app, and it does appear to be quite different. I would expect it to be though, because it isn't a beginner's app. I just hope it works with my phone so I don't have to constantly hit refresh to find new ones in the area I'm in.

I also think I will set up my itunes info today so I can purchase the app. I have absolutely NO idea how to use a handheld GPS, or even what to look for in one, so I think I'll hold off on that part of this for a while. I'd like to get the hang of geocaching with my iphone first before I venture into handhelds lol. Yesterday I went by myself and scoped out a few (decided not to go for ones that weren't PG by myself.) I actually found one by myself, so I was really excited. Living in the Holly/Davisburg area of MI, I think I'll have to purchase a parks and recs sticker too. All in all though, I think the price will be well worth it for something I already enjoy so much. Even the geocache I didn't find was fun because I didn't know the road existed.

[wrongwayshorty]

I just wanted to say thank you so much again, to everyone. I was finally able to purchase the app (with some account help from a friend) and it seems to work so far! Everything appears to be loading correctly, and *knock on wood* it hasn't crashed. I'm heading to town in a bit, so I think I just might need to put it to the test. Thanks for the help!

[+terrkan78]

I use an old (2008) 3G iPhone. It's not horrible on accuracy, but it's slow on updating my position. I broke down and bought a handheld GPS (a Garmin 60csx) about a year after I started geocaching. Accuracy is definitely better on the Garmin, but the iPhone app is infinitely more user friendly. To this day I prefer to use the 3G to get me to ground zero and then I pull out the Garmin. Since it's an old phone (original battery), I get about one hour of solid geocaching in before I have to charge it - I have to ration my use of the the 3G when I'm out geocaching on a long hike. For about the first six months, hunting geocaches primarily in the city (usually micros) with only my 3G, I was running about 50% DNFs (did not find). So don't feel bad when you get skunked. After I got the Garmin, I couldn't blame my DNFs on the GPS anymore.

 

Welcome to the insanity!

[wrongwayshorty]

Lol! Thanks for the heads up! Let's see... I started geo caching on Tuesday with my boyfriend, using the free intro app. We went to two locations near my house (in the sticks) and managed to somehow find both of them. I felt pretty silly when I didn't think to look at where the first one was when I was standing right next to it, because I was concentrating on the app saying 19 feet. I was really excited when I found the second one while he was up in a tree lol. I went out Wednesday by myself and found one, scoped out a bunch and decided I wasn't do those alone, (for safety of either a crowded area, or climbing 50ish feet into the woods) and had one DNF. Today (or, yesterday now I suppose) I purchased the paid app, and took a friend along. Not only is he appearing hooked, but we found four out of five. For the accuracy being relatively horrid, and both being newbies, I thought we did a pretty good job lol. Especially for three micros and a small, two of which were just before dark. All in all, I'm completely addicted, and seriously considering saving up the money for a GPS. I'm considering going to an event because I noticed some have learning shops about different GPS units and how to use them. (Plus, the mention of swapping the best stories about run ins with the local law enforcement made me laugh and caught my interest.) I even managed to unintentionally talk a friend into giving geocaching a try (he asked what I was doing when I was playing around with the paid app, so I explained the best I could and let him play around with it too.) He thought the concept was absolutely awesome.

I was curious though... On the paid app, is there a way to log a find? Maybe I just haven't messed around with it enough to find that yet. So many questions to ask... Sadly, I tend to get side tracked and forget one when I have another lol.

[+Chief301]

I was curious though... On the paid app, is there a way to log a find? Maybe I just haven't messed around with it enough to find that yet. So many questions to ask... Sadly, I tend to get side tracked and forget one when I have another lol.

 

It's been a couple of weeks so you probably already figured this out, but anyway...

 

On the main info page for the cache, scroll down to "Post a Log/Field Note". Click that, then select "Log Type" (Found It/Didn't Find It/Write Note/Needs Archived/Needs Maintenance"). Then select "Message" to type your log. Finally, select "Save and Send Log" to upload it to GC.com.

 

If you're in a poor reception area or just want to save data, or might want to add more comments or a photo before you send it, you can just hit "Save and Close" at the top, which will save it for later when you get in a WiFi area.

[+TL&MinBHIL]

Welcome to the obsession, wrongwayshorty, it sounds like you are off to a great start. I've been caching (along with my family) for a year now and have used my iPhone 4 the entire time. Even when the time comes that I can afford a handheld, I doubt I will because I've become so used to and thoroughly enjoy using the phone. As others have said, the full version was well worth the $10. If you haven't realized that yet, you will. Play around with saving caches to your favorites list. On each individual cache page, you have the option to "Add to Saved List." Once you click that, you pick which list to add it to (or create a new one) then you can choose which maps you'd like to save (street, satellite & topo). By saving caches to your favorites, it allows you to access each cache's information (description, recent logs, maps, etc.) without having to access the internet over the cell network. It's great in low signal areas but also helps conserve data if you have a limited data plan. Obviously if you choose to create a log and send it to Geocaching.com, it'll then connect to the net (if possible). But as Chief301 mentioned, you can "Save and Close" if you'd rather wait.

 

As far as accuracy, I've read that the older iPhone models are less accurate than the iPhone 4, but as you've noticed, that doesn't have to be a deal breaker. These days when we pull up to the general location, I get a reading before even getting out of the car. Normally we're a few hundred feet away and I tend to give a general direction, the distance, and we pick where we think the cache will be (maybe a tree or a fence post). After awhile, you'll begin to recognize more common hiding places and be able to base your search on them. There's been plenty of times when my GPS just wasn't in the mood so I'd ask myself, Where would I hide it? And there it would be. So don't always expect your device to put you right on the cache every time. If it did, that would take a lot of the fun out of it for me. Get within 20 feet or so, put the device away and have a good look around.

 

You sound like you're already have a lot of fun with it and I think it's safe to say it'll only get better. We've found so many great locations, many of which weren't too far from home. Some of them we've passed countless times and never realized what was hiding in plain sight. I even randomly picked a town on the map for a nice cache outing and it turns out I have some strong family history in that area. That was probably the greatest gift of all. All thanks to Geocaching. So good luck, have fun & happy hunting!

[Hampstr family]

Just to let you know, I have a 3G and 4G iphone. The GPS in the 3G is not nearly as accurate as the 4G. My 3G will say 56 feet to cache and the 4G will say 14. You can still have fun with the 3G but when you upgrade your phone the experience will be totally different!!!

[+thebruce0]

Been using the 3GS exclusively for my entire geocaching life, and love it. Smartphones are quite capable for geocaching, but if/when you get into placing caches, it may cause tension with other cachers if you don't take extra care in determining coordinates

I'm holding out for the iPhone 5 as an upgrade, as I'm having to charge the 3GS now daily, and the boost in GPS accuracy and speed will be awesome. I prefer Geosphere over the Geocaching app, and another good practice for anything smartphone+gps is to hop out of the app if you're not using it or the GPS (sometimes even just putting the phone in sleep mode will keep the gps active and drain the battery). If I'm running low and biking, for instance, I'll check the app and verify, hide the app, travel, then bring it back to double check my relative location, hide again, rinse and repeat until I'm confident to just put it away and go with the geosense.

Hone that geosense - whether using a smartphone or a GPSr! =)

[+Hawardenleaders]

I have the full version on my 3G and it works fine. Although don't get your hopes up about increasing the accuracy. That's a limitation of the phone, not the app.

 

Thanks for supporting the site 8)

 

Hi

 

I'm also new to this with a 3g phone. don't know the etiquette about using this reply function to ask a connected query. If its not appropriate apologies from a newbie. My query is how can I enter co-ordinates for a cache onto the iphone as in n53.09563 W etc please.

Looking forward very much to supporting the site. Thanks Val

[+TL&MinBHIL]

Hi

 

I'm also new to this with a 3g phone. don't know the etiquette about using this reply function to ask a connected query. If its not appropriate apologies from a newbie. My query is how can I enter co-ordinates for a cache onto the iphone as in n53.09563 W etc please.

Looking forward very much to supporting the site. Thanks Val

In the official Geocaching app for iPhone, the only way to enter coordinates manually is while navigating to a cache. On the cache's page, click on Navigate to Geocache. One on the map screen (or Compass view) click on the small flag icon at the top to enter coordinates manually.