Does your GPS unit make a big difference?

[+Stewzoo1]

We are newbies to this fun activity. My son wanted to try it for 4H. We are using my phone as our GPS but are quickly getting discouraged. I am wondering if it is because I am using a phone vs a real GPS. Wanted to find out before we spent the $$$ on a GPS. Any recommendations?

[+Keelmann And Cici]

You can definitely start with a phone, many people have hundreds of finds using one. I'd say start with regular size caches, not micros or nanos, they can be frustrating. Also, look at the difficulty rating before you go after a cache. Start with 1, 1 1/2, or 2 star difficulty, harder ones can be tricky.

 

Lastly, remember any GPS, phone or otherwise, is only an approximation. They can bounce around, and depending on the accuracy of the GPS of the person who placed the cache, once you get within about 30 feet, best thing to do is put the phone down, and start the hunt. That's when it gets fun. Look for any obvious landmarks, anything out of place, a suspicious pile of sticks is often a dead giveaway.

 

You'll probably find a lot of good caches to go after in local parks, so I'd check there.

 

Good luck!

[+TheGeoZodiac]

My first recommendation is to read through the other dozens (literally) of posts on this same topic, because this has been answered several times in several other threads. I'm positive your answer will be in there.

 

But to give you a general answer here, no GPS unit will get you to "zero" in accuracy. The best you can expect is between 10' to 60' feet depending on weather, tree cover/interference, etc. 60' is the case in extreme conditions and with a bad calibration, but under the best conditions it is possible to get below 10', but it's rare. Higher end GPS units offer more terrain and map features, but a lot of time the compass itself is no better on a $600 unit than on a $200 unit. I hear that Garmin's new antennas are a tad more accurate and get you somewhat closer, but still, you will need to put the GPS away once you are within about 10-30' and just start looking with your eyes and not your compass. If you rely on the compass alone, you will go in circles and never find what you're looking for.

 

Lastly, don't be discouraged. Geocaching is not just about finding the physical cache. It's more about the locations you would otherwise never be able to see if it were not for the hunt. Enjoy the outdoors.

[+niraD]

What kind of a phone? Some are better than others. For example, I've heard that the iPhone 4 has a much better GPS receiver than the earlier iPhone models. But no device will always put you right on top of the cache. Under ideal conditions, a consumer GPSr will be accurate to about 3m (10'). That applies both to your device, and to the cache owner’s device, so you may find the container 15-20' from ground zero under ideal conditions. Under less than ideal conditions, both GPSr readings can be much less accurate. Once you get within that distance of ground zero, put your device away and look around for places where a container could be hidden.

 

A common recommendation for beginners is to stick with small size, regular size, and large size caches. Until you're more experienced, avoid micro size caches, some of which are smaller than most beginners can imagine (sometimes called "nanos"). Save those for later, after you have some experience.

 

Also, stick with caches that have a difficulty rating of no more than 2 stars . Save the more difficult ones for later. You may also want to choose caches with easy terrain ratings. (The difficulty rating tells you how hard it is to find the cache once you get there. The terrain rating tells you how hard it is to get there.) And it is often best to start with traditional caches, which will be at the published coordinates. Multi-caches or mystery/puzzle caches or other cache types can require more work just to figure out where the container is located.

 

Go ahead and read the cache's additional hints (if provided), and read the past logs and look at any photos in the cache's image gallery. They may help you understand what you're looking for, and how/where it may be hidden. It may also help to look at some of the cache containers available online. For example, check out the cache containers sold by Groundspeak. Also, take a look at the Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's) thread in the forums.

[+luvvinbird]

Having read a lot about this topic myself, I've come to the conclusion that most geocachers like to use a dedicated GPSr over a GPS-enabled phone. I've bumped into several geocachers in the "field" who were using two devices, an Oregon (most often) hanging on a lanyard around their neck and an iphone (or similar) to log finds, store pictures, retrieve e-mail, etc., right at GZ.

[+"grimlock"]

I use both an iphone 3g and a Lowrance endura safari GPS. Now the iphone can be frustrating at times but I think that is due to mine being 3 years old so I use it just for the geocaching app to log finds and such and the GPSr for navigation.....

 

But I want to stress what others have said..... it is more about the journy than the find!!!!!

[+mpilchfamily]

I use both an iphone 3g and a Lowrance endura safari GPS. Now the iphone can be frustrating at times but I think that is due to mine being 3 years old so I use it just for the geocaching app to log finds and such and the GPSr for navigation.....

 

But I want to stress what others have said..... it is more about the journy than the find!!!!!

The 3G is known for having poor GPSr reception compaired to the iPhone 4 and most hand held unit.

[+dfx]

It depends on the type of caches you go for, and when you go caching. I used to cache with a PDA and then switched to an Oregon. For some caches, or on some days (micros, caches in areas with bad reception, high difficulty caches, caching in wet areas, caching in the rain/snow, caching while away from any power source all day, e.g. on a bike) it made a big difference, for others (ammo box in light woods...) not so much. However, I still managed to find over 1500 caches with it just fine, and it didn't even have any maps.

[+"grimlock"]

I use both an iphone 3g and a Lowrance endura safari GPS. Now the iphone can be frustrating at times but I think that is due to mine being 3 years old so I use it just for the geocaching app to log finds and such and the GPSr for navigation.....

 

But I want to stress what others have said..... it is more about the journy than the find!!!!!

The 3G is known for having poor GPSr reception compaired to the iPhone 4 and most hand held unit.

 

Yeap, i plan on upgrading next month to a 1phone 4 so i will be able to say for sure then!

[+BAMBOOZLE]

We are newbies to this fun activity. My son wanted to try it for 4H. We are using my phone as our GPS but are quickly getting discouraged. I am wondering if it is because I am using a phone vs a real GPS. Wanted to find out before we spent the $$$ on a GPS. Any recommendations?

 

After caching for years with accurate GPS handhelds trying to use my iphone was a horrible experience......if you want to get in to regular geocaching get a GPS unit.

 

New

1. Garmin Oregon 450

2. Garmin 62s

 

Used

1. Magellan Meridian Platinum ( my all time favorite )

2. Garmin 60 CSx " The Gold Standard "

 

Only the newer units are " paperless " which adds a lot to the geocaching experience. While I find them not always as accurate as the older units I think its the way you should go.

[+HotDiggityDogs]

After geocaching with our GPS60CSx, trying to cache with my Android phone was/is a nightmare. Very frustrating. We only use it for the "paperless" aspect now, so we can re-read a description or hint while in the field without having to print out the cache page. So with our limited experience I'd say using a regular GPS unit makes a big (positive) difference in how successful we are. Especially under tree cover, which is standard in our area.

 

Don't forget to price used GPSs, not just new ones. Someone's always upgrading or giving up the game after not playing it for awhile...

[+BrixingtonPaddler]

I started with a HTC Desire HD (smartphone) - it got me to where I wanted to go, and found the caches, with all the descriptions/hints/spoilers and satellite i could ever need

Using various apps i could predownload the caches and details incase I didnt have signal where I was caching, which is great but not for live maps or satellite maps

Also the battery only lasts 3-4 hours when you have the screen on, gps, 3g broadband (or lack of), plus all regular phone activities...

 

I bought a Garmin Etrex Venture HC which is quite low on the scale of geocaching utilities

I load a PQ for the area I am aiming for (about 15 mile radius where I live)...

 

I now have a device that has all the traditional/solved puzzles (with corrected coords as solved) that lasts 14 hours on a set of AA batteries with nice accuracy - and a smartphone on my belt if I need extra info, call for help or catch up on twitter/facebook

Edited September 14, 2011 by BrixingtonPaddler