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Merits of GPS vs Smartphone App

mrcheevus
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mrcheevus

+mrcheevus

Posted
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So I have an old gps I bought long before I had a smartphone, but I do like the App for Android.

 

I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 running ICS and I do really love the app for its convenience - I always have it with me and can find a new cache in a second if I am out and about and want to grab a quick cache.

 

However, I am finding its limitations.

 

1. Seems when I take a pic and attempt to log the cache with the pic, it never uploads.

2. When I turn off the screen and put it in my pocket, it seems to release its lock on satellites, meaning every time I take it out to check my distance, proximity, etc., it takes 5-10 seconds to find satellites and figure out where it is.

3. Caching drains the battery like nobody's business. If I try caching after school with my boys I can only get in a couple or 3 before the battery is smoked, unless I charge it up before leaving.

 

My question is, what are the advantages of a dedicated handheld? I have an old ETrex Legend H as my backup (my son is using it principally now). Obviously technology has advanced since then. Will a new GPS work substantially better than my smartphone in terms of the issues I have had? What are some other advantages I am unaware of?

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Chief301

+Chief301

Posted
Posted

.

2. When I turn off the screen and put it in my pocket, it seems to release its lock on satellites, meaning every time I take it out to check my distance, proximity, etc., it takes 5-10 seconds to find satellites and figure out where it is.

 

 

This is one of my main aggravations about using a smartphone for caching (I have an iPhone), and one of several reasons I prefer to have my Garnin Oregon in hand instead.

 

Battery life is another big one, obviously, as well as the GPS's ability to handle abuse on the trail. It will take a lot of punishment, including submersion in water, that would kill a phone.

 

Also, even if the batteries die, you can easily swap them in the field as most handheld units work on ordinary AA batteries.

 

Paperless caching is one advantage of the smartphone over older models like your etrex H, but most newer handhelds have addressed that issue as well.

 

The only real disadvantage to a handheld GPSr vs a smartphone is the real time, online access. The caches stored on your GPS are only as current as your last download and you can't log from the field, but if those issues are important to the way you cache you still have the phone as an option.

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iatsemedic

+iatsemedic

Posted
Posted

I often use my smart phone in conjunction with my stand alone... I will often use my stand alone to find the caches and use my smart phone for logging them if I am doing an all day caching run. if I am just out grabbing a quick one then I just use my phone as it is alot faster to fire up than my stand alone....

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mrcheevus

+mrcheevus

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A dedicated GPS is more accurate and has a longer battery life, you have to log your finds afterwards though.

I had thought the accuracy of the GPS had more to do with the satellites and selective availability than the hardware of the device. So dedicated GPSr are more accurate?

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JesandTodd

+JesandTodd

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I'd recommend you do a search of the forums and see the hundreds of threads already existing on this subject...

That's what I initially thought, but I guess I chose the wrong keywords because I couldn't find anything.

 

I don't mean to be rude.

 

Here's the quick summary.

 

Your smartphone will do just fine. It has its limitations, and it has its benefits over a gps.

 

If you have both, use both!

 

Here's a long winded thread for you to peruse...

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=294046

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mrcheevus

+mrcheevus

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Posted

I'd recommend you do a search of the forums and see the hundreds of threads already existing on this subject...

That's what I initially thought, but I guess I chose the wrong keywords because I couldn't find anything.

 

I don't mean to be rude.

 

Here's the quick summary.

 

Your smartphone will do just fine. It has its limitations, and it has its benefits over a gps.

 

If you have both, use both!

 

Here's a long winded thread for you to peruse...

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=294046

Ha! I would have never found it... I'd never search for iPhone... not even if it were a cache itself!

/Androidsnob

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Walts Hunting

+Walts Hunting

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Posted

A dedicated GPS is more accurate and has a longer battery life, you have to log your finds afterwards though.

I had thought the accuracy of the GPS had more to do with the satellites and selective availability than the hardware of the device. So dedicated GPSr are more accurate?

 

Selective availability was turned off over 20 years ago. It was the date that this hobby started.

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BlackRose67

+BlackRose67

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Posted

I had thought the accuracy of the GPS had more to do with the satellites and selective availability than the hardware of the device. So dedicated GPSr are more accurate?

The GPS antennas in most smartphones are not that good. I have a Samsung Galaxy S running Android and the antenna in it is horrible.

I tested out the geocaching waters with it last year and it was fine as long as I was out in the open. As soon as I got under some trees, all bets were off.

 

With one cache I was looking for, the phone had me 30 feet away from where it actually was. I bought a GPSr unit over the winter (Garmin eTrex 20) and went back for it and found it within minutes of arriving. It was nowhere near where the smartphone said it was.

 

I have since rooted the phone and done some heavy mods to the GPS config, but it's still not super accurate.

 

I use my smartphone for log viewing and logging finds, etc. and the GPSr for actually finding the caches.

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thebruce0

+thebruce0

Posted
Posted

Higher end smartphones have much better GPS reception and processing power. If you have an older smartphone, better to use a GPSr. If you have a newer smartphone (and have checked that its GPS capabilities are much improved), then it should do fine on its own, but your caching experience may well be improved by pairing with a GPSr.

 

If you're really curious, you could look up geocaches that are placed with the intention that people record their accuracies at GZ for comparisons. Some of those are pretty interesting

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dakboy

+dakboy

Posted
Posted

I've got both, I use both.

 

With the phone, I get the absolute latest logs for any cache. Position accuracy & GPS signal lock-in has been much better w/ my Droid X since I installed CM9 on it. I can use Evernote to take notes on virtuals, multis or puzzles while I'm out in the field. If a new cache is listed while I'm out & about, I've got the details right away.

 

With the dedicated GPS, I never worry about running out of juice (every gas station sells AAs), or the weather conditions, or what happens if I drop the phone, or what happens if I can't get a data signal. And as long as I refresh my data before I leave the house, I've got logs as of "this morning" on it; since most logging & cache changes seem to happen in the evening, I'm not missing much.

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