Cheap GPS unit to use with android app?

[+4funmillers]

So I LOVE the geocaching app from geocaching.com, but the navigation on my verizon android is TERRIBLE! My friend brought along his GPS to a cache and he was about 60 yards away from me when navigating to the same cache... and he was standing on top of it.

 

So I bought the Garmin explorist GC thinking it would be nice to just download from the internet, but I've been having more and more frustrations with it. I was at a cousins house a few cities away, and obviously I didn't have caches loaded for that area. Seemed like the thing was useless there. It also doesn't seem to be very accurate and it takes way too long to find satelites.

 

What I want is an affordable GPS unit to use with my geocaching.com APP. I would love to be able to use the app to find a cache close-by, read the description and get driving directions, then bust out my GPS unit to get nice and close to GZ. Ideas?

 

*friend told me I need a WAAS-enabled gps and one that you can manualy enter coordinates into.... I'm still lost!

Edited September 7, 2011 by 4funmillers

[+mpilchfamily]

Ok the Garmin Explorist GC doesn't exist. The GC is made by Magellan. Some things you need to know about a GPSr before you go trading out units.

 

All GPSr when they are moved a good distance away from the last location they where at or have been off for a few weeks needs some time to find the sats. The sats in the sky are constantly moving around up there so if the unit has been off or moved a long way it doesn't know what sats are available to it. SO it needs time to update its tables. After that it shouldn't take long to lock on.

 

Unlike a smart phone most hand held units don't have an internet connection (i say most but as of this writing no hand held GPSr has it). So you must pre load the caches for the area your traveling to. You could go the long rout and enter the cords in manually every time you come across one you feel like going after. Or you can take advantage of the units memory and load 1000 or more caches into it.

 

Most newer units are WAAS enabled. But you also gotta be aware that the unit will rarely if ever land you on top of the cache. Unless by some odd coincident the CO's GPSr was under the exact conditions as yours at the time of the hide. The accuracy of any unit will vary based on atmospheric conditions, weather, and the terrain your in. The CO's unit could have been as much as 10 feet off the actual position and your unit could be as much as 10 feet off too. So when your unit shows you about 20 feet away from the cache its time to stop looking at the unit and look for possible hiding places.

[NordicMan]

It sounds like you already have all the devices you need. Use your Android phone to reference all the Geocaches around you, then once you decide on one to try you just transfer the coordinates to your "Garmin Explorist Gc"

[+4funmillers]

ya except you can't enter cords into the MAGELLAN gc. after about 20 minutes when it finds satelites, it will tell me where I am in cords (within 75 or so feet) but I can't enter them manualy.

[+mpilchfamily]

If you don't have a manual then look it up online. You can enter cords you just need to learn how. All good Geocaching units have the ability to manually enter cords otherwise the unit is worthless trying to find multi and puzzle caches.

 

http://support.magellangps.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=125&nav=0%2C18%2C24%2C62

See page 11.

Edited September 7, 2011 by mpilchfamily

[+EdrickV]

To add a new cache from your phone data, you would have to create a waypoint. (While there is an "add geocache" function, it is for adding a geocache for your current location, and the coordinates may not be editable.)

 

If you do decide that the Explorist GC is not for you and you want a GPS for your phone, you'd probably need a Bluetooth GPS receiver. (Assuming your phone has Bluetooth.) Which would mean you'd have to have Bluetooth running on the phone when using the external GPS. That could reduce the battery life of your phone. Whether you can use a bluetooth GPS with the Geocaching app is another question, and one I can't answer.

[+4funmillers]

If you don't have a manual then look it up online. You can enter cords you just need to learn how. All good Geocaching units have the ability to manually enter cords otherwise the unit is worthless trying to find multi and puzzle caches.

 

http://support.magellangps.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=125&nav=0%2C18%2C24%2C62

See page 11.

thats for saving your CURRENT location as a waypoint. I did read the manual and asked multiple people that own or have owned the unit. Apparently I went to the wrong place for some suggestions because I keep getting newbie 101 answers.

 

Anyway, I figured out what would be best for me. Thanks to those who put in recomendations rather than sarcastic/"poor you" remarks.

[+Pax42]

Check out this thread. Sounds like the GC can do what your asking.

[+mpilchfamily]

If you don't have a manual then look it up online. You can enter cords you just need to learn how. All good Geocaching units have the ability to manually enter cords otherwise the unit is worthless trying to find multi and puzzle caches.

 

http://support.magellangps.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=125&nav=0%2C18%2C24%2C62

See page 11.

thats for saving your CURRENT location as a waypoint. I did read the manual and asked multiple people that own or have owned the unit. Apparently I went to the wrong place for some suggestions because I keep getting newbie 101 answers.

 

Anyway, I figured out what would be best for me. Thanks to those who put in recomendations rather than sarcastic/"poor you" remarks.

Look at the manual page 11, number 3 of create a waypoint of your current location. After creating the waypoint you can go in and edit everything about. You can change the cords, icon, name, and description. You just need to courser down to the cords and make your changes. Like most manuals now days they don't spell everything out for you.

[+rjb43nh]

4funmillers-"thats for saving your CURRENT location as a waypoint."

I don't have a Magellan but my Garmin has the same type of feature. If I press "MARK", the GPS enters my current location, but it isn't saved at this point. I can then use the up-down arrows to highlight different data areas on the screen. If I highlight the data field that has the coordinates and press "ENTER" to select the coordinate field, I can now edit the coordinate information before I save that waypoint. You should also be able to edit the name of the waypoint before you save to make it meaningful to you. I'd guess your Magellan has a similar procedure, just don't save the default location but edit the info then save.