Jump to content

Take a bearing - which Android app?


giocatore

Recommended Posts

Hello,

 

I'm new at GC and have found 2 caches only so far.

 

After having read as much as possible about GC and about different cache types, I wonder how I would proceed in the following situation:

 

Using coordinates, I arrive at point A. There I find a cache telling me that in order to find waypoint B, I need to go 40° E for 65 meters.

 

I've found out that c:geo can guide me using map or compass - with the latter, I see distance and bearing. But this seems to be possible if there's a coordinate to direct myself to already.

What if there's no coordinate to the next waypoint and the only indications are distance and bearing?

 

Is there a way to use c:geo to such a purpose? If not, can you recommend Android apps that can accomplish this? I've read about Locus but I haven't been able to find out if it lets you enter bearing and distance only to find the next waypoint.

 

I appreciate your answers, as a new user I'm still learning and will be for a long time :)

 

Thanks

Alex

Link to comment

Thank you very much for all the information!

 

There are very different comments and views when it comes to a comparison between c:geo and the official app, it seems.

 

Honestly, I found it a little surprising that one has to pay an affordable, but still RELATIVELY high price (compared to most apps in Play store) for the Groundspeak app, even as a Premium user who already pays on a regular basis.

 

As for finding trackables, I haven't really found out how that works, on the GC website I've only found ones far far away, in other countries. I'll have to try again.

If the official app helps with finding trackables and if the advantages are as numerous, I probably will buy it as a second app nevertheless.

 

Regarding the bearing question I had, I figured that bearing and distance would be quite common for an indication to the next waypoint, hence I thought that some app might have implemented it. Of course you could take your compass and walk (approximately) 60m, but I doubt that it would be very accurate if I'd do that :P

 

Again, thanks for your helpful answer!

 

If someone else knows about apps that help with bearing, I'll be happy for every further information.

 

Edit: I've just seen your "Edit" ! THANKS a lot!

Edited by alexhager
Link to comment

If you are finding lots of caches that require a bearing... the solution is pretty simple, really.

 

Put on your "old-timers" hat and carry a (real) compass with you.

 

Besides, it is always nice to know you can do something without relying upon electronics to "do it for you".

** a smart-alec response (sort of), but it is true that one should be able to use alternative methods**

 

 

Actually, what you need to do (with your device) is to project a waypoint. I don't use a phone or c:geo so I cannot advise exactly how you would go about doing such with your unit.

 

EDIT TO ADD: I see that Braytography provided the "how to" whilst I was typing away. :)

Edited by Gitchee-Gummee
Link to comment

Thanks for your answer!

 

My question was a theoretical one, so far, but I might have to use bearing some day. You're right, it's more elegant to use the brain rather than my digital assistant, but at least at the beginning, I think that I'd fear that walking 60 meters in a specific direction just with a compass in hand could get me a few meters off the target. That's why I wondered whether there's some assistance through an app. And there seems to be, as Braytography told me.

 

But you're right, I'll include a (physical) compass in my GC-gear, it certainly won't hurt.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
I think that I'd fear that walking 60 meters in a specific direction just with a compass in hand could get me a few meters off the target.
Well, sure. But a GPSr won't get you much closer than that. I've found a lot of caches by pacing off a certain distance at a certain bearing from a known landmark. Some of those paced distances have been well over 60m.

 

Sometimes I've turned the problem around using Neongeo on my Android device. If I'm trying to travel 65m at bearing 40°, then I sight a landmark at 40° and walk about 65m towards it. Once I'm in the general area, I set Neongeo to navigate back to the original waypoint. The opposite of 40° is 220° (180° + 40°), so I adjust my position until the original waypoint is 65m away at bearing 220°.

Link to comment

Thanks, niraD!

 

Good to know that you can get a similar marge of error using a GPSr. I'll probably better start with easier caches, as pacing 60m or more in order to find a small, micro or nano cache would probably ruin the fun for me, at least now that I've just started. No doubt, with time comes experience and the ability to engage more challenging riddles.

 

Thanks for sharing your backwards-method using Neongeo, I'll start saving every good advice or idea in my Evernote so that I can make use of it when needed!

 

Greetings from Vienna, Austria,

 

Alex

Link to comment

Thanks for your answer!

 

My question was a theoretical one, so far, but I might have to use bearing some day. You're right, it's more elegant to use the brain rather than my digital assistant, but at least at the beginning, I think that I'd fear that walking 60 meters in a specific direction just with a compass in hand could get me a few meters off the target. That's why I wondered whether there's some assistance through an app. And there seems to be, as Braytography told me.

 

But you're right, I'll include a (physical) compass in my GC-gear, it certainly won't hurt.

 

Thanks!

Just about all the apps and GPSRs will let you project a way point. The typical step with any of them would be to find the option to manually enter a waypoint and you will often see 3 options; manual coordinate entry, current GPS position, and projection. I only toyed with your app for a while, but I remember seeing the option.

Link to comment

Thanks JohnCNA,

 

You're right, I've just found out how to navigate with bearing and coordinate using that app.

 

Yet another question have come to my mind, I should probably start a new topic for it:

 

Is there a way to add comments/ideas to a specific cache (both on the website and using the official app) and to sync these comments from one platform to another?

 

Let's say that I have found out that a certain riddle alludes to a specific object but I can't go there right away, or that I want to keep track of my progress with solving an elaborate mystie. I want to remember this detail and I want to add it to the cache so that just I myself can see it (= without spoiling it for others), on the website as well as in the app when on the go.

 

I have found out about bookmarks, lists and about personal notes that you can write and save on the cache site itself, but I haven't found a way to sync such an info to my Android phone (having bought the Groundspeak app, I'd have expected this to work). Somewhere I read that comments added to a bookmark should get synced along with a pocket query that includes that specific cache that I added to a bookmark list, but after downloading the query to my phone, I don't see the comment I had added to the cache on the website.

 

I'd find this very useful and I guess that there must be some way to do it.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

Edit: So far, I haven't really understood the advantages of the official app over the one we shouldn't talk about, maybe besides Pocket Queries.

I've bought it because I wanted to give it a try and because it seems to be a moral decision (as the other app isn't officially supported), but I repeat that I doubt it's a good strategy to sell an app for 10$ if there's another app for free that does almost everything (or in some way even more!) than the official app. App prices are generally quite low and I find it questionable that a Premium user should have to pay - and pay this "much" - for an app instead of just sticking to the free and full featured alternative.

A price around 5$ (at least for Premium users) would seem much more fair imho and wouldn't give a certain bad taste of a company that puts profit over functionality and over attracting as many happy customers as possible.

 

Couldn't we expect that with a 10$-app notes and bookmarks would get synchronized along with the caches/pocket queries? Couldn't we expect to have tools such as bearing/distance that are there with the free alternative app?

 

I don't go so far to say that I regret having paid the 10$ for an app doing the same or less than a free alternative, I'm just wondering what reasons a new user might have to buy the official app rather than to download the alternative if it's not for the ideal of supporting the idea - and the company of course.

 

But I don't know about their costs, on the other hand, maybe they have to charge thousands (?) of users 10$ for the app and 10€ every few months in order to make a living and keep the system running.

 

I'm in no position to be critical, of course, I was simply surprised when - as a new user - I saw the app's pricing in first place. I could simply imagine that they would sell the app to many more users if they would set the price at a fair level that would make it easier to buy the official app instead of downloading the free (and let's be honest: equally well, if not even better made) alternative app.

Edited by alexhager
Link to comment

Oh, there's quite a few geocaching apps now. Some free and some paid. I started with CacheSense because that was all that was available on the Blackberry that I had at the time. All you do is search the app stores. I have yet to see one app that does everything. Like any software comparison, each app has at least one cool feature that the others don't.

 

Learn how to use what you have to its fullest. And know that every other app will have at least one thing that yours doesn't. No matter which one you get. :-)

 

I tried 3 of the free apps and still prefer my paid app better.

Link to comment

Alexhager, you can use the app that shall not be named to project a waypoint. From the main cache info page, slide your finger from left to right, click add waypoint, enter data as requested, then save the reference point.

 

Another couple of apps you might be interested in are GSAK for the pc and GDAK for the droid. GSAK allows you to sort and filter through your Pocket Queries in a number of different ways. GDAK does something similar but uses the exported database from GSAK. I use all three apps as well as my Garmin on a regular basis.

 

If you haven't heard of them yet, you might also try out WhereIGos. Download WhereYouGo to your phone and then download some whereigos. They're fun puzzles to solve and play.

Link to comment

As mentioned, c:geo has a good projection feature, allowing you to choose current location or input coords. This app works well once you load your PQs.

 

You want to get the app: GCC-Geocache Calculator which has many tools including waypoint projection.

Other good gps apps include GPS Essentials and My Tracks.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...