nearest cache?

[+sandz]

Hello

We have been caching now for over a year in the UK, and keep reading logs where people say "we were driving along and a nearby cache pinged in". Please could someone tell us how we would be able to have this available to us? What GPS/phone app has this facility? It would be excellent to know when we are passing a cache. Many thanks for your help. sandz

[+The A-Team]

Hello

We have been caching now for over a year in the UK, and keep reading logs where people say "we were driving along and a nearby cache pinged in". Please could someone tell us how we would be able to have this available to us? What GPS/phone app has this facility? It would be excellent to know when we are passing a cache. Many thanks for your help. sandz

Probably what they meant was that they got an email saying a new cache just got published, and they happened to be close to the location. Those are Instant Notifications.

[+sandz]

Thanks 'The A Team'.

The message we got on the log was 'Mr XX was filling up a the nearby petrol station, quick check of the Garmin - a cache within 300ft.

Out of the car, cache found, log signed and back in the car before he'd finished!'

 

We can't do this on our Etrex H model and we were wondering what we would need to get this facility?

sandz

[+The A-Team]

Thanks 'The A Team'.

The message we got on the log was 'Mr XX was filling up a the nearby petrol station, quick check of the Garmin - a cache within 300ft.

Out of the car, cache found, log signed and back in the car before he'd finished!'

 

We can't do this on our Etrex H model and we were wondering what we would need to get this facility?

sandz

OK, that sounds like they just had all the caches for an area loaded into their GPS, and they brought up the list and saw one nearby. I'm not familiar with the Etrex. Is there any kind of list of the loaded caches on your GPS? If there is, you can often have it sort by the closest to your current position.

[+sandz]

The Etrax is a quite basic type. We down load caches into it, but it only stores the co-ords, no info about size, hint or difficulty. I guess if we got a better GPS, it would then store all the information about each cache, is that correct? If so, please could you suggest which GPS's have this feature? Thanks

[+The A-Team]

I guess if we got a better GPS, it would then store all the information about each cache, is that correct? If so, please could you suggest which GPS's have this feature? Thanks

Being able to store things like the decription, hint, and logs is referred to as being "paperless". Unfortunately, asking which GPSs are paperless these days is like asking which cars have power windows. There are so many, and they vary widely in their other specifications, so it would be hard for me to give you any recommendations. However, there are constantly topics about GPS recommendations in the GPS and Technology, so you might want to check some of those out.

[+sandz]

Thank you, that answers our question, at least we now know what we are looking for. I am sure it would be well worth purchasing one that has the 'paperless' feature.

many thanks for your help

sandz

[+The Blorenges]

Hi sandz

 

As you say you're in the UK you might find the "Follow the Arrow" site useful. There's an explanation of paperless caching, a comparison table to show you features of GPSs and which support paperless caching, stuff about how to do a Pocket Query and put caches on your Tom Tom and loads of other info.

 

"Follow the arrow - Geocaching Resources for the UK"

 

Hope it helps.

 

MrsB

[+sandz]

Thank you Mrs B, we will have a look.

sandz

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Thank you Mrs B, we will have a look.

sandz

 

Since you mentioned GPS/phone app in your first post, although your GPS may not be top of the line, if you've got a modern smart phone there's likely an app that you can use that will allow you to find the nearest cache to where every you happen to be. If you have an iPhone, a Droid based, or windows phone the Geocaching app will do everything you're asking for.

[+junglehair]

One thing you can try is to just load the traditional caches on your GPS. You still won't know what size or anything, but at least you know there should be some type of cache at the posted coordinates.

 

I have a paperless unit, but most often we just go to the next cache and search. If we don't see it right away, then we start looking at the description for things like size, hints, etc.

 

I believe there is a new eTrex model out now that has the paperless features. My cousin bought one last year. The eTrex 20 I think it was. There are lots of options for paperless caching units now though, so it depends on how much you are willing to spend.

[+Hynr]

The message we got on the log was 'Mr XX was filling up a the nearby petrol station, quick check of the Garmin - a cache within 300ft.

Out of the car, cache found, log signed and back in the car before he'd finished!'

 

We can't do this on our Etrex H model and we were wondering what we would need to get this facility?

sandz

Since there is no such thing as “Etrex H model” I wonder if you might actually have one of the H versions of the eTrex models that gives you the ability to load custom POIs. Note that all eTrex models except the first yellow one have a model name (Legend, Vista, etc); some have the H designation (high-sensitivity GPSr circuitry), some have a C (color screen) designation and some also have an “x” (expandable memory using SD card). The more recent eTrex models with numbers (20/30) are completely different and can do much more. If you go to the Garmin website and inspect your model’s spec, you can see whether it can load custom POIs.

 

So, for example, the eTrex Legend HCx allows you to load custom POIs (but the Legend H does not). With that feature you can load tens of thousands of POIs. Thus if you maintain off-line data (e.g. with GSAK) you can load all the geocaches for many miles around you into the GPS as custom POIs. The way I have it set up is to also give me the hint. Also POIs in Garmin GPSrs can be configured to actually give an audible signal when you get close. So perhaps that is relevant to the observation.

 

I am frequently on the road for purposes other than geocaching and do experience occasionally, after lunch or a meeting, where, "just out of curiosity", I will turn the GPSr on, to look at the custom POIs nearby and if it is a simple drive-by, will make a quick detour to grab it. I do also carry all my data with me in a smartphone, so if I need more than the hint, I can get more information.

 

If you upgrade so as to get more data, then do skip that generation of gpsr and go to the ones that let you load descriptions and logs into the gps.

Edited June 1, 2012 by Hynr

[+The A-Team]

The message we got on the log was 'Mr XX was filling up a the nearby petrol station, quick check of the Garmin - a cache within 300ft.

Out of the car, cache found, log signed and back in the car before he'd finished!'

 

We can't do this on our Etrex H model and we were wondering what we would need to get this facility?

sandz

Since there is no such thing as “Etrex H model”...

Uhh, what? How about this one? It's the first result when I Googled "etrex h". Also, according to the Groundspeak GPS Reviews section, the Etrex H is used by over 30000 users (and those are only the ones that have added it to their profiles), making it the 2nd most popular handheld GPS in use by geocachers.

[+whh0]

We have an etrex 10, it has taken a bit of getting used to but we can download all the geocaches and have the description, hints, logs etc on it.

 

If we are in a new area (and weren't planning to do any caches) and just want to see if there is a cache nearby we use an android phone.