Accuracy of built-in tablet GPS vs. dedicated GPS unit?

[+jayrizzlerizzle]

Hello all,

 

Brand new to the hobby (< 3 days) and head over heels like the rest of you. I've only recently begun dipping my toes in because I only recently realized I now have a GPS-capable device - my Nexus 7 tablet. I absolutely love it - it's equal parts utility and entertainment - but I've got some questions about the accuracy. I know that a margin of error is normal with GPS pinpointing, but I'm curious to know if there's any benefit to actually having a dedicated device for GPS rather than using the receiver built into my tablet. Would I gain any accuracy?

 

One downfall is that I wouldn't be able to use the app (unless there are GPS devices running Android OS...is this the case?). But for caches that might require a higher degree of precision, would it be worthwhile to have a GPS device in my arsenal? Or will the built-in functionality on my tablet suffice, generally speaking?

 

Thanks in advance!

[+BearsFan11]

A dedicated GPS receiver would have better accuracy, but a tablet would work fine

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

True "accuracy" is dependent upon the person placing the cache, not the person hunting the cache.

 

Any (half-way decent) GPSr device will get you to the area of the cache -- which normally consists of a 20 or 30 ft. circle. You still must hunt it up.

 

If you "must" use a tablet, there is an Android app available and I believe it functions for such a GPS equipped tablet.

 

I just don't wanna be around when you trip on a tree root and end up tossing your tablet into a tree, brick wall, send it skipping down the sidewalk, or into a mud puddle!

 

With that in mind, I suggest that you reconsider using a tablet.... but, it's your $$$$$$$.

[+Walts Hunting]

The bigger issue is the ruggedness and battery. Dropping most GPS will not result in breakage (especially if you have a gizzomost on it) whereas tablets are more fragile. GPS can get a battery change in the wild while tablets can't.

[+EMarkM]

The old advice was, "of COURSE a dedicated GPSr is going to be more accurate; what were you thinking?"

Well, mobile phone and computing devices have come a long way and, as has already been pointed out, a large part of the "accuracy" is reliant upon the person who placed the cache and you have no control over what device they used!

We use our iPhone 5 for caching but have always used a dedicated unit for the principal field device due to the reasons mentioned above - ruggedness, waterproofness and battery-life.

Your phone or tablet will get you there, and will allow you to log your find online or refresh the most recent logs for caches you saved a while ago, but it will not survive contact with the great outdoors for long.

 

Our iPhone comes out when we get safely back to the vehicle or base camp for logging purposes only.

 

Hope this helps. BTW, I don't think any dedicated GPSr units run anything like an Android OS.

[+BlackRose67]

BTW, I don't think any dedicated GPSr units run anything like an Android OS.

 

The recently announced, but not yet available, Garmin Monterra runs on Android.

[+EMarkM]

To Blackrose 67: ah, that'll be good news for fans of that system, thanks for the extra info.

[+N8OFP - Del]

I use a combination of tablet, a dedicated GPS, and an Palm Pilot. I use the tablet the majority of the time, the exception is inclement weather. If it's raining, snowing excessively I use the Garmin 60csx and the Palm TX. As far a accuracy there are many factors involved with this. Like mentioned earlier the accuracy of the owners placement is probably the biggest factor, view of the sky, or lack of(tree cover, heavy cloud cover, under a roof etc.). I have found that my tablet for the most part is just as accurate as the 60csx. Most of the time it gets me reasonably close to the cache as the 60csx would and then I rely on your experience to locate the cache.