How do I get an accurate reading of gps coordinates?

[Fireflying]

Hello, I fairly new and I want to place a cache. I don't have an actual gps and I don't have the money to buy one. I usually use 2 different apps to do my geocaching...the official Groundspeak one, and c:geo. I have the apps for my android phone. I know it is not really accurate...how do I get an accurate reading to place my cache?

[+T.D.M.22]

Hello, I fairly new and I want to place a cache. I don't have an actual gps and I don't have the money to buy one. I usually use 2 different apps to do my geocaching...the official Groundspeak one, and c:geo. I have the apps for my android phone. I know it is not really accurate...how do I get an accurate reading to place my cache?

 

Well since you said you know it's not accurate, don't use it. Would you date someone you know you don't like? No, so why use an inaccurate device to place a geocache? Use a GPS. Buy one, or borrow one. I'm sure a local cacher would be willing to help you out. If you want a GPS, then get one. Find a way to get the money. Get a job-or work extra hours if you have one. A couple weekends and you can afford a good unit. OR you can buy a basic one for less than $100.

Edited October 23, 2013 by T.D.M.22

[Fireflying]

Do you know of any gps apps that are more accurate for the android?

[+Reardon41]

Well, that was a rather rude response. I do not recommend hiding a geocache with a smartphone, as you said yourself they are not always accurate. If you really want to hide one you could do a couple things until you can get you a GPSr. Make it an easy hide out in the open, nothing under tree cover. There are also waypoint averaging apps for smartphones. If you use an averaging app and stand in the spot until it shows a high accuracy then that should be good enough for a simple hide. In the long run you will want a GPSr, but hopefully that will give you some info and help until you acquire one. Good Luck

[+Reardon41]

Do you know of any gps apps that are more accurate for the android?

There is one called GPS Averaging by DESTIL, I would try that one.

[+T.D.M.22]

Well, that was a rather rude response. I do not recommend hiding a geocache with a smartphone, as you said yourself they are not always accurate.

 

I don't think it is. I had started with the same thing that you have said-in different words, but same thing. I had then given an example of a similar situation to back up my point (Both had the whole "If you know it's bad why do it" thing going on) I then gave a way to get good co-ords, which was to use a GPS. I had said how to acquire one, both by purchasing and borrowing one. The OP had said they don't have the money for one, and I proceeded to inform how little one actually(relativly, of course. It costs a hundred times more than a Coke, but a hundred times less than a car...) costs. A basic unit is less than a full day's work, and a decent unit is 2 weekends of work. May seem like a lot, but work for less than 40 hours to buy something you can use every day...better than spending it on booze, or drugs, or video games.

Edited October 23, 2013 by T.D.M.22

[Fireflying]

Well, that was a rather rude response. I do not recommend hiding a geocache with a smartphone, as you said yourself they are not always accurate. If you really want to hide one you could do a couple things until you can get you a GPSr. Make it an easy hide out in the open, nothing under tree cover. There are also waypoint averaging apps for smartphones. If you use an averaging app and stand in the spot until it shows a high accuracy then that should be good enough for a simple hide. In the long run you will want a GPSr, but hopefully that will give you some info and help until you acquire one. Good Luck

Thanks a lot!

[+wmpastor]

Do you know of any gps apps that are more accurate for the android?

The accuracy lies in the phone's electronics, not in the specific app.

 

If the android phone is a fairly good, recent one, then it has the potential to give you a good reading. But you can't be in a hurry - & especially if there's dense tree cover. You go to GZ with a piece of paper. You let the gpsr settle. You write down the coords. You walk away, then back, then write down the readings. You do this on two other days. You eliminate the highest & lowest number in each column (latitude & longitude), & average the rest. Those coords will rival those given by a dedicated gpsr.

 

PS. There are sometimes used gpsrs on sale in the forum for as low as $50.

[+niraD]

One more comment... If you don't trust your coordinates, then test them. Enter them into your device and use it to navigate to the cache location from at least 100ft away. The arrow should point right at the cache location as you approach it. Then repeat this test, approaching from various directions, from at least 100ft away each time. No matter which direction you approach from, the arrow should point right at the cache location as you approach it.

 

If the arrow doesn't point right at the cache location as you approach it, then adjust the coordinates accordingly and repeat the test.

 

Bonus points for repeating the test on another day, when the GPS satellites are in a different configuration.

[+u1bd2005]

Do you know of any gps apps that are more accurate for the android?

There is one called GPS Averaging by DESTIL, I would try that one.

 

Totally agree, I recently got my first GPS device, but up until then I have used the GPS Averaging app by Destil to place my hides, just allow plenty time to get good readings and take a couple of readings on different days if possible too, never had too many issues, though one of my hides with denser tree cover was a little out, but with good hints and descriptions there still hadn't been many dnf's on it and people had been very helpful in providing their gps coordinates using propper device which helped me adjust the coordinates to get them a little closer.

 

GPS device is definately better at getting readings, but with the right use in the right environment smartphones are more than capeable too.

[+NotreDameFan11]

I just did a test where I let my Garmin GPSr average coordinates for about 5 minutes and then I let my Android smartphone with averaging app average for about 5 minutes. Both tests were performed in the same exact spot and inside my house. I then plugged both sets of coordinates into a calculator that determines distance between them. It came up with a difference of 18 feet. I imagine this would have been better performed outside but it pretty much shows cell phone gps is probably as good as a dedicated gps unit.

[+K13]

Do your test outdoors so the GPSr can get clear signals.

 

Your current test only shows that the two devices do not agree. You have not determined which one (if either one) is more accurate.

[+Glenn]

how do I get an accurate reading to place my cache?

 

The goal with accuracy is to reliably being someone to the spot that you intend. So forget about accuracy and instead think reproducibility.

 

Get the best reading you can by whatever method you find is the best. Then come back a couple of hours later or even better come back another day and see where your coordinates take you. If they take you to your cache then use them. If they get you close but you want to get closer you can get a new set of coordinates and average the new coordinates with the previous days coordinates. You may even want to do this over multiple days. If the coordinates are far off then you may want to start over with new coordinates.

[+wmpastor]

The take-home message is not to use one quick gps reading when placing a cache. Caches like that get published, get 4 dnf's on the first day, then have the coords corrected because they were 87 feet off. A bad start for any cache.

[+Dode222]

Since you have the Groundspeak app, you can hide the cache, and then walk to it from different directions, then average the coords at the cache.

[+Glenn]

Since you have the Groundspeak app, you can hide the cache, and then walk to it from different directions, then average the coords at the cache.

What's the reasoning behind walking to it from different directions?