Time to Upgrade to an Actual GPSr

[+danno68]

Hello all,

 

Well, I believe the time has come for me to upgrade to an actual GPSr. Since I started geocaching in mid-October of this year, I've been using my iPhone 4 with the Geocaching App (paid version) and it hasn't ever lead me astray. I have to say I'm totally satisfied with everything EXCEPT for the battery life.

 

Using the App to read descriptions, recent logs and the occasional hints combined with the actual navigation to GZ drained my fully charged battery in 3 hours +/- 30 minutes. I understand why this is happening, because of how much the poor battery has to run (the iPhone screen and built-in GPSr being the worst power consumers), so lately I've taken along my rechargeable battery pack with me in case my battery gets too low. This has been working for the longer geocaching adventures I've gone on thus far, even if carrying the battery pack, charge cable AND the phone is a bit of an inconvenience.

 

Then...the other day I was caching on some established trails just north of the city I live in, when I tripped slightly on the wooden bridge crossing a creek and my iPhone flew from my hands and skittered across the bridge, stopping about 3 inches from falling off into the creek; to what surely would have been its demise! After grabbing my iPhone and putting it back into my pocket, my heart rate started to decline a little from what surely was 160 bpm!

 

Thus, I am left with a single option...BUY AN ACTUAL GPSr!

 

So I'm appealing to all of you, Geocaching.com Forum visitors, for your input!

 

I've read most of the reviews posted in the "Resources" section of Geocaching.com, but most of them don't have a story to go along with it.

 

I would like to know what GPSr you would recommend and why!

 

I'm looking for paperless geocaching capabilities and am undecided as to whether I should be looking for a unit with the 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter.

 

Your help is GREATLY appreciated!

[+mpilchfamily]

Check out the Oregon 450 if you like a touch screen and look at the eTrex 30 is you want buttons. Also get very familiar with running pocket queries.

[+StarBrand]

Some folks swear by the electronic compass - others (like me) swear at them when I have turned them on. Personal preference. They seem too jittery for my use and require frequent calibration.

 

Let me encourage you to visit a spot that carries a wide variety of models and look at them, hold them and play with them. So many features are becoming universal that look and feel has become an important consideration.

 

I perfer Garmin units and the newer etrex models with full Geocaching GPX features are really great units.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Upper shelves of Garmin and Delorme come to mind, first.

 

I started with Garmin (old-style), upgraded to Delorme PN-40. Other geocaching members of our extended family use Garmin and Delorme but the numbers (in this family) favor Delorme ('40s and 60's).

 

Both makes have +/- aspects compared to the other, but in truth, there is little differences. Both are fully committed to geocaching as a product target; both have excellent support; both have very good mapping.

 

Magellan and Lowrance upper shelf units are far better than their older models. Some people have had some problems with product support, while others give glowing accounts of support.

 

While I do not know which all provide 3-axis compass, I know that both Garmin and Delorme do, likewise altimeter.

 

As for which model to choose... well, that my friend, is purely a personal choice. Most all dedicated GPSr units are far better than those of old.

 

A brick and mortar store that would allow you to play and check them out (yourself) is the best route to go.

[+YooperSnowman]

I have a Garmin Dakota 10 and have used it in rugged and urban areas as well as remote areas of Upper Michigan, Montana, etc. and has held up well. If I were to buy another, I would probably get a Dakota 20 or an Oregon. All these are tough units. They handle transferring PQs easily and its easy to add waypoints--important for mult-caches. As mentioned above, visit a store where you can play with them and ask questions. Buying a GPSr is kinda like buying a car. There are lots of models out there that do similar things, but its a matter of what you personally like. There's a model out there for everyone's preferences. Good luck and let us know what GPSr you end up with.

[+briansnat]

The DeLorme PN60 is a good unit. Stay away from the PN40 if battery life is important to you. It's awful in that unit, though it's a pretty good unit otherwise.

[+chrispt]

I'll +1 the PN-60. I just got it for my birthday and love it's durability and the peace of mind to not have my seemingly fragile DroidX out in non-optimal conditions. Using it, along with TNA9 is great. Also, the folks on the Delorme forums are very helpful (especially when I had an issue).

[TheDoctorPH]

this thread has been very helpful. i too use my iphone4 and the thought of it flying off a bridge is not good.

 

ive said before, i love garmin. their customer service is great. i stick with them just because of that.

[knowschad]

Some folks swear by the electronic compass - others (like me) swear at them when I have turned them on. Personal preference. They seem too jittery for my use and require frequent calibration.

 

Let me encourage you to visit a spot that carries a wide variety of models and look at them, hold them and play with them. So many features are becoming universal that look and feel has become an important consideration.

 

I perfer Garmin units and the newer etrex models with full Geocaching GPX features are really great units.

 

I am one that loves the electronic compass. It can lose its calibration, but somehow I always seem to know when that is. It can be a pain when I'm with a group to stop to calibrate it, but its a real pain to not have a compass and find yourself in an area where, because of terrain or underbrush, you can't move fast enough for the triangulation to work.

[+mcoppel]

Just got my first GPSr unit, was looking for something to use till I decided and played with one to figure out what I want in a high end one. Ended up with a Garmin etrx10. Great unit for the price, everything about it is par above the rest in the price range >100$.

 

If your on the border with what features you want and want to learn more and see what you use, this is it, I use it in conjunction with my android apps and it has it all. Personally I will never stop using some parts of my phone for caching, but with the added accuracy of the GPSr it makes it way more enjoyable.

[+JesandTodd]

I hear you fellow iPhone lover!!

 

First off....

Run your app off of PQs.

While caching, turn off 3G, cellular, wifi

Save your finds as field notes and upload when you get home.

Turn it on/off only when needed.

Adjust the brightness.... Blah, blah, blah

 

I can cache alllllll day with these settings.

 

Now....

I have a garmin 60csx. I've been paying attention to the boards for a while and it seems people really like this gps, it seems to have a cult following. You don't need something with all the bells and whistles (that's what the iPhone is) so you don't need it to be paperless and all that. It's extra money for something you already have.

 

I have dropped my iPhone a-plenty. It's durable. But I've actually tossed my garmin on the ground, it landed in a muddy puddle, I wiped it on my jeans and away I went. Plus, it keeps track of where I've been. Also, it always knows where I'm at. I'm an iPhone lover, but sometimes my iPhone struggles to know where I'm at. It will eventually figure it out, but at the expense of my battery

 

I only use my garmin for back woods caching. The iPhone is just too good of a device to not be used.

[+Geoscouts.eu]

My brief advice is to definitely go for a touch-screen device whatever you get. We went for a Magellan Explorist for the paperless Geocaching ability and it is very durable and very useful except for the silly toggle thing in the middle for scrolling. It is almost impossible to use with wet hands. The touch-screen devices I've seen are way, way better to use.

 

Also, buy a case for your iphone if you haven't already.

[+danno68]

Check out the Oregon 450 if you like a touch screen and look at the eTrex 30 is you want buttons. Also get very familiar with running pocket queries.

 

I have looked at the Pocket Queries a few times and I'm pretty sure I understand how to use them. I suppose I've been spoiled up to this point with nothing really have to run them because of the iPhone and the App.

 

Some folks swear by the electronic compass - others (like me) swear at them when I have turned them on. Personal preference. They seem too jittery for my use and require frequent calibration.

 

Let me encourage you to visit a spot that carries a wide variety of models and look at them, hold them and play with them. So many features are becoming universal that look and feel has become an important consideration.

 

I perfer Garmin units and the newer etrex models with full Geocaching GPX features are really great units.

 

I have been looking around and different big-box stores that carry a relatively large GPSr inventory. The problem I've run into (and why I'm starting to look at smaller stores) is that the people that work at big-box stores (no offence to them) often have no idea what they're talking about when you ask them questions. There is a smaller, more niche-market outdoors/sport/recreation store near me that I'm going to check out today; hopefully they'll be able to give me some useful advice and let me play around with the ones they have in stock!

 

Upper shelves of Garmin and Delorme come to mind, first.

 

I started with Garmin (old-style), upgraded to Delorme PN-40. Other geocaching members of our extended family use Garmin and Delorme but the numbers (in this family) favor Delorme ('40s and 60's).

 

Both makes have +/- aspects compared to the other, but in truth, there is little differences. Both are fully committed to geocaching as a product target; both have excellent support; both have very good mapping.

 

Magellan and Lowrance upper shelf units are far better than their older models. Some people have had some problems with product support, while others give glowing accounts of support.

 

While I do not know which all provide 3-axis compass, I know that both Garmin and Delorme do, likewise altimeter.

 

As for which model to choose... well, that my friend, is purely a personal choice. Most all dedicated GPSr units are far better than those of old.

 

A brick and mortar store that would allow you to play and check them out (yourself) is the best route to go.

 

I've been leaning toward Magellan since I started looking (I will admit I'm a little biased) because I've had a Magellan RoadMate vehicle GPS before and it never lead me wrong. Then I decided that having a GPS in my car took the fun out of figuring out where I was and where I needed to be, so I got rid of it. I don't think its something I'll do for Geocaching, simply because finding some of the caches I've found without a GPSr would be...phenomenally difficult to put it nicely!

 

I have a Garmin Dakota 10 and have used it in rugged and urban areas as well as remote areas of Upper Michigan, Montana, etc. and has held up well. If I were to buy another, I would probably get a Dakota 20 or an Oregon. All these are tough units. They handle transferring PQs easily and its easy to add waypoints--important for mult-caches. As mentioned above, visit a store where you can play with them and ask questions. Buying a GPSr is kinda like buying a car. There are lots of models out there that do similar things, but its a matter of what you personally like. There's a model out there for everyone's preferences. Good luck and let us know what GPSr you end up with.

 

I actually tested out a Garmin Dakota 10 at my local Canadian Tire and I found the touchscreen too small and too finicky. Maybe it was just me in the sense that I'm used to the touchscreen functionality of the iPhone...but it was terrible! And I just didn't see that it added many features for the extra $75 the store wanted for it compared to the eXplorist GC.

 

The DeLorme PN60 is a good unit. Stay away from the PN40 if battery life is important to you. It's awful in that unit, though it's a pretty good unit otherwise.

 

Another GPSr that I've been seriously contemplating! The PN-60 or 60w. I've heard that their battery life isn't the best, but extra batteries aren't something that is hard to bring along. Certainly better than bringing along battery packs for the iPhone 4!

 

I hear you fellow iPhone lover!!

 

First off....

Run your app off of PQs.

While caching, turn off 3G, cellular, wifi

Save your finds as field notes and upload when you get home.

Turn it on/off only when needed.

Adjust the brightness.... Blah, blah, blah

 

I can cache alllllll day with these settings.

 

Now....

I have a garmin 60csx. I've been paying attention to the boards for a while and it seems people really like this gps, it seems to have a cult following. You don't need something with all the bells and whistles (that's what the iPhone is) so you don't need it to be paperless and all that. It's extra money for something you already have.

 

I have dropped my iPhone a-plenty. It's durable. But I've actually tossed my garmin on the ground, it landed in a muddy puddle, I wiped it on my jeans and away I went. Plus, it keeps track of where I've been. Also, it always knows where I'm at. I'm an iPhone lover, but sometimes my iPhone struggles to know where I'm at. It will eventually figure it out, but at the expense of my battery

 

I only use my garmin for back woods caching. The iPhone is just too good of a device to not be used.

 

I certainly won't be giving up using the iPhone + App anytime soon! I love being able to log my finds while I'm still out in the field, though I've almost run into trees while doing so and walking! As for running the App off of PQ's, I never even knew that was possible! I'll have to look into it!

 

I can honestly say that I think I'll end up doing the exact same thing you're doing: buying a dedicated GPSr and using the iPhone to log finds on the go or to locate caches that I missed when running my PQ. Either way, by sparsely using the iPhone + App to navigate, I think I'll get many more hours out of the battery!

 

Thanks for your advice!

 

My brief advice is to definitely go for a touch-screen device whatever you get. We went for a Magellan Explorist for the paperless Geocaching ability and it is very durable and very useful except for the silly toggle thing in the middle for scrolling. It is almost impossible to use with wet hands. The touch-screen devices I've seen are way, way better to use.

 

Also, buy a case for your iphone if you haven't already.

 

I'll have to look more at the touchscreen devices. My initial impressions haven't been all that great...

 

As for the case, I certainly have one on my iPhone

Its just water that frightens me!

[+macatac1961]

I hear you fellow iPhone lover!!

 

First off....

Run your app off of PQs.

While caching, turn off 3G, cellular, wifi

Save your finds as field notes and upload when you get home.

Turn it on/off only when needed.

Adjust the brightness.... Blah, blah, blah

 

I can cache alllllll day with these settings.

 

Now....

I have a garmin 60csx. I've been paying attention to the boards for a while and it seems people really like this gps, it seems to have a cult following. You don't need something with all the bells and whistles (that's what the iPhone is) so you don't need it to be paperless and all that. It's extra money for something you already have.

 

I have dropped my iPhone a-plenty. It's durable. But I've actually tossed my garmin on the ground, it landed in a muddy puddle, I wiped it on my jeans and away I went. Plus, it keeps track of where I've been. Also, it always knows where I'm at. I'm an iPhone lover, but sometimes my iPhone struggles to know where I'm at. It will eventually figure it out, but at the expense of my battery

 

I only use my garmin for back woods caching. The iPhone is just too good of a device to not be used.

I've been doing the exact same thing right down to turning off wifi and using pq's. Best system I've used yet. I keep the iPhone in a non water proof cover but keep an otter box in the pack that it will fit in when necessary.

I've been wanting to upgrade to the 62 but can't justify changing. An iPhone and gps is almost like cheating. Google Earth in the field? Too cool.

[+Chokecherry]

Some folks swear by the electronic compass - others (like me) swear at them when I have turned them on. Personal preference. They seem too jittery for my use and require frequent calibration.

 

Let me encourage you to visit a spot that carries a wide variety of models and look at them, hold them and play with them. So many features are becoming universal that look and feel has become an important consideration.

 

I perfer Garmin units and the newer etrex models with full Geocaching GPX features are really great units.

 

I am one that loves the electronic compass. It can lose its calibration, but somehow I always seem to know when that is. It can be a pain when I'm with a group to stop to calibrate it, but its a real pain to not have a compass and find yourself in an area where, because of terrain or underbrush, you can't move fast enough for the triangulation to work.

 

You can adjust that setting too.

 

Anyhow, I have the 60csx. It works well for me. Depending on who I'm with I either print my cache pages or use my phone for paperless information. I never run PQ's. I hand pick my caches I want to do and shoot them over to my unit and off I go.