How do you use your GPS to travel to the cache location?

[+Trashcan_Man]

Just got my GPS this weekend, but waiting till spring to begin the hunt. Do you all use the turn-by-turn directions in your hand held device to get to the location? Or do you copy the coordinates to your car's GPS (if you have one)? Any advice or thoughts?

 

--Jason

[+Chief301]

I usually use the turn-by-turn directions on my handheld GPS (Garmin Oregon 550) in "on road" mode until I reach a place to park, then switch the GPS over to "Navigate Off Road" when I get out on foot.

 

Your handheld GPS must have routable maps installed to get turn-by-turn directions. You can purchase them from the manufacturer or download them for free from openstreetmap.org.

 

I don't have a car GPS.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Chief301

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Make/Model of GPSr? It matters, a lot. Some will, some won't. It is the installed mapping program that determines whether it will/won't direct you via roadways.

 

If you have an automotive unit, it is easier to enter the coordinates into that unit... then you aren't looking at the tiny screen on the hand-held (illegal in some areas to do so).

 

Either way... you don't really NEED turn-by-turn. It points you towards the cache (coordinates), how you get there is another story.

 

 

If you "just got" your GPSr, why want until spring? Practice up now and save having to practice up later. For most raw GPSr beginners, it takes a bit of practice to use it well. Besides that, geocaching season is open all year -- there is no closed season.

[+TeamRabbitRun]

Ya know, in the spirit of the sport, I kinda like to start over here, and use my GPSr's direction and distance to figure out how to get there.

 

Turn down a road and you're not close enough? Try again!

 

Go about a mile or so, turn again, see how close you get!

 

Or, you can use turn-by-turn to eliminate the hunt and get you to Ground Zero.

 

I use both methods, but I feel better about what I'm doing if I really go HUNTING.

 

For most caches, you can look at the cache page, open the map and say, "Oh, it's that light pole, or THAT guardrail, or the second tree from the building."

 

What do you need a GPS for in those cases?

 

Want a 'middle ground'? Grab a MAP! A paper MAP! I'm here, and I'm supposed to go 2.2 miles in this direction, so that should put me...HERE! Then GO THERE and ask your GPS if you were right.

 

C'mon, take a RISK! Dive in to the hobby and go HUNTING!

 

Put away the car GPS!

[+Trashcan_Man]

Thanks for the input, folks. I've been searching for some winter-friendly caches in my area, so we'll see!

[+NanCycle]

I usually use the turn-by-turn directions on my handheld GPS (Garmin Oregon 550) in "on road" mode until I reach a place to park, then switch the GPS over to "Navigate Off Road" when I get out on foot.

 

Your handheld GPS must have routable maps installed to get turn-by-turn directions. You can purchase them from the manufacturer or download them for free from openstreetmap.org.

 

I don't have a car GPS.

 

This, exactly.

[+dprovan]

After I've decided where to go at home, I look at the area on-line and decide where to park. Then I put the address of the trail head into my car's nav system. Normally I just park once and walk around an area, but if I'm doing multiple park&grab-ish caching, I'll still enter the address for each stop. I find that far more convenient than using my handheld while driving. Besides, too often the cache's actual coordinates mislead my GPSr about the best way to get there by car.

 

And it doesn't hurt that almost every time I do try to use my GPSr for driving, after I park the car and set out on foot, I forget I'm in driving mode and suffer the subsequent confusion about why my GPSr keeps trying to tell me to go back to the street when I know the cache should be up this trail.

[+wmpastor]

Thanks for the input, folks. I've been searching for some winter-friendly caches in my area, so we'll see!

Here is a cache that is winter-friendly most of the time. I won't mention where some parking lot caches are hidden - so you can experience the joy of discovery!

 

[7rxc]

I avoid that type of cache... finding it is bad enough, but the part about rehiding as found, gets to my back.

 

Maybe if I got a snow blower... or a back hoe.

 

At least if you get stopped by security you can claim it was an avalanche practice. Those piles are almost as tough to dig through... but not quite.

 

Doug 7rxc

[+Heli Leo]

I load the caches into my Garmin Nuvi 500 and into my Garmin Montana. I use the nuvi in the Geo truck and once I'm close to Ground Zero I get out and use the Montana or my smart phone. Some times my defination of close to Ground Zero will be a half mile or more depending on whether or not I've had my morning walk.

[+bpcooper14]

It depends on if i'm in an area i'm familiar with or not. If I'm out local, I can look at the map and ballpark where I need to be in order to hop out and hike/walk/search for the cache in question. If i'm on a trip or in a new area, I'll look at the map and try use the car and directions to get me in the ballpark and use the gps to make it the rest of the way.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I have the caches loaded in my cars Nuvi 780. In unfamiliar areas I use the turn by turn instructions to get to the vicinity of parking. I use a 62S handheld which I hold in my non driving hand....at approx. .1 to 400 ft I switch to compass mode for exact parking . Once parked I walk to the cache with unit in compass mode.

[+Harry Dolphin]

As noted elsewhere, eTrex 30 is not the best for step-by-step directions. It is known to freeze if you do not do what it says. (Stop. Take batteries out and replace, reboot.) My friend has the nüvi 1450. Using GSAK and POI Loader, I upload the same caches into Miss Bossy. She has no problems if we don't follow her advice. "Recalculating." It seems to be a major fault with eTrex 30.

[+JohnCNA]

I don't use the handheld to navigate to or from cache sites. I have a Nuvi that I will enter coordinates for a Forest Preserve parking lot. Most of the time I just use Google navigation on my phone to take me to a cache site and then use the handheld for the caches after that.

[+briansnat]

Just got my GPS this weekend, but waiting till spring to begin the hunt. Do you all use the turn-by-turn directions in your hand held device to get to the location? Or do you copy the coordinates to your car's GPS (if you have one)? Any advice or thoughts?

 

--Jason

 

My handheld GPS gives turn by turn directions, but since I bought a car GPS I use that to get to the caches. It's far easier to follow.