GPS Devices & Smart Phone Apps

[SpartanFoxes]

Hello everyone

 

So I have found a measley 25 geocaches but being a full time worker-bee, and what with the evenings being dark I am strictly a weekend geocacher for the time being.

 

I am now thinking about hiding a few caches of my own and have been keeping a note of places where I want to hide but at the moment I am only geocaching with an iphone app.

 

To place geocaches, is it strictly necessary to own a stand alone GPS device? I have downloaded apps that can give you your location coordinates but am not sure. I really want my caches to be successful.

 

Has anyone hidden geocaches purely with the aid of a smart phone?

 

Many thanks

 

The Inquisitive Fox

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

The newer breed of smart phones are much better than their predecessors.

 

The real key though, is the user.

Take your time and don't hurry anything... especially while obtaining the coordinates location.

You can use whatever apps you would like to. Just make sure you are using the correct Datum and Format. Don't rely on the maps, ever.

 

Some will advocate using a dedicated GPSr unit (I used to), but the continual advancement of the smart phone has improved dramatically.

Whatever you do, do it right. That's all.

[+TriciaG]

What GG said. But also, approach the spot from multiple approaches, let the phone settle down, and take the reading. Do this several times, preferably over a couple days when the satellites will be in different places. Note the different coordinates, throw out the outliers, and work with the ones that are most similar. It's crazy how much the coordinates can differ!

[+TheHarleyRebel]

It is ok, as long as you take from the location, not a online mapping software.

[+Chief301]

I hid my first cache with an iPhone, have received zero complaints about the coordinates. As Gitchee stated, it's more about the care and patience of the user than the device. The guidelines state only that a GPS device must be used to obtain coordinates, not what type of device. Nowadays a smart phone IS a GPS device.

 

However, you are going to want to obtain a few sets of readings, on different days preferably, and calculate the average of those readings for best results. You can average them manually or use an app like Perfect Mark, which will do it for you. Then, once you have what you believe is a good number, use it to navigate back to the spot yourself and see how close it gets you. Do this at least two or three times from different directions. If it consistently brings to back to the spot accurately, you should be good to go.

[NordicMan]

All of the above tips are awesome, take note of them!

 

And after you're confident you have decent coordinates saved of your cache location, hide something/anything at that spot. Then..

 

..hand your GPS (or give the coordinates) to a friend and ask them to find your hidden object. If you're traveling with them at the time do not coach them at all, & see if they can successfully use your coordinates. That would be a good final confidence-building test of accuracy.

 

If you can't find somebody to assist, the YOU should "pretend" to find your own hidden object using just your saved coordinates. Hope that helps

[+The_Incredibles_]

I find and hide caches exclusively with my smartphone. Never get any complaints about coords. If your phone gets you within 10m when you're finding them, it's probably good enough to hide them. As with a dedicated GPS, take a few different readings at different times, then average them. If you're in a bad area such as a ravine or next to a tall building, be sure to include a good hint.