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how accurate is the Android Geocaching software


Contra1971

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would it be say...as accurate as my Magellen Meridian Gold?

 

if it would does it have abarametric altimeter?

compus?

 

If so I will buy it and start looking for more caches...please let me know your observations

I had a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx. Found a couple thousand caches with it and it is by far the best of the 8 GPS receivers I have owned or used. Sold it, and rue the day.

 

I have a Magellan Meridian Gold, found a few hundred caches with it. Good device. Simple, solid, reliable and accurate.

 

I bought an Android Motorola Atrix 4G to replace the MeriGold as my primary GPS. Not so much impressed. c:geo works well, the Groundspeak Android app often won't connect, and the accuracy of the Atrix leaves a lot to be desired. It's okay for finding caches, if you are patient, but it is not accurate enough to hide caches. This is a failure of the phone, not the GS app, as even when using the AT&T maps for navigation the Atrix shows me to be off in the woods alongside the road I am on! :(

 

Bought a Garmin GPSmap 62st and recommend that you do too. Or a used 60CSx. Either would be hard to beat.

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
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This is a pretty common question. Check out the technology forum. The issue is that the phone does not update its locations regularly...but there is an app for that.Here is one that has been suggested to me and changed my caching experience tremendously. You can calibrate your compass and you can refresh your location so that your phone actually knows where you are. After you do the calibration it will work within the geocaching app.

Edited by AmphibianTrackers
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I have the Groundspeak app and c:geo on my tmobile mytouch. The Groundspeak app doesn't work at all--it just crashes. c:geo is good enough though. For right now that's what I'm using until I figure out which gpsr to buy. I didn't want to shell out money for a gpsr until I knew if I would stick with caching...so for now c:geo is decent. I've had a fair amount of DNFs due to it being a phone, though.

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I have c:geo on my motorola droid. It works pretty good. Theres some bounce in areas that tend to bounce a lot. Even people with gpsr mention bouncing around so i expect that to some degree. It's actually put me within feet of a lot of the caches. Sometimes theres a bit more of a margin for error but it gets me in the location. I think only a few times ive had some questionable results but probably due to having to update a location and lots of tree cover. Biggest issue though is the battery. haha.

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My experience using Android devices (a G1 and a Nexus 1) with various software (GeoBeagle, Groundspeak's Geocaching app, Neongeo) is that they are about as accurate as my old yellow eTrex (from before multiple eTrex models). Plenty of caches have been found (and hidden) with devices of that caliber.

 

But in areas with poor satellite reception, a modern handheld device with a high-sensitivity receiver will be much more accurate, and can get a signal when the others get nothing.

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would it be say...as accurate as my Magellen Meridian Gold?

 

if it would does it have abarametric altimeter?

compus?

 

If so I will buy it and start looking for more caches...please let me know your observations

No to the altimeter.

 

As to accuracy, that depends on the chipset in your phone. The app has a compass, IFF your phone has one.

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I have c:geo on my motorola droid. It works pretty good. Theres some bounce in areas that tend to bounce a lot. Even people with gpsr mention bouncing around so i expect that to some degree. It's actually put me within feet of a lot of the caches. Sometimes theres a bit more of a margin for error but it gets me in the location. I think only a few times ive had some questionable results but probably due to having to update a location and lots of tree cover. Biggest issue though is the battery. haha.

They sell extra battery's for when back up is needed cheep on ebay!

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I think the better question is, how accurate is your particular device? My HTC G2 works excellent, but I don't think all android phones are created equal.

This is a common missconseption. The OS has nothing to do with accuracy, nor does the software (well the software could, but that would have to be due to intentional introduciton of error, or poor coding, one app I had always reported the londitude off by several minutes). These are just clients of the chipset/RF hardware. Indeed, some Android phones are good, while some are not so good. This goes the same with any other OS.

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I don't use the Groundspeak app. I have an LG Ally, and I use an app called Backcountry Navigator. It works great with the .gpx files exported from pocket queries, and since they can be emailed to my phone, I can do it all completely wirelessly. Accuracy is pretty good, most of the time. It does struggle with signal lock under heavy foliage at times. Battery life is tolerable as long as you keep the screen off as much as you can. Doing so doesn't shut down the GPS, and still allows your tracklog to show.

 

All in all, I'm really pleased with it. That said, I still plan to upgrade to a dedicated unit soon. Probably a Garmin 62.

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