+AtomicPuppy Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Hi, sorry for the newbie question but I am visiting the Isle Of Man in a while and they aren't part of the UK and although some provider's do have an agreement with them, EE doesn't . So, I was wondering, is there a way to geocache without internet switched on (I don't want a massive bill when I get home - and I'm actually not sure if my phone will hook up to ManxCom at all). Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) Since we have no idea what kind of gear you're taking with you, it's impossible to say. It sounds like you're a 'cell phone cacher'. If so, you need to find an app that will allow you to pre-load maps and caches and that doesn't require an 'online' connection to work. They're out there, but would also help to know if you are iOS or Android! Edited April 19, 2015 by ecanderson Quote Link to comment
+Pork King Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) If you are using a dedicated GPS, you could pre-load the caches into it and print out some cache pages. If you are only using your smartphone, your geocaching app will have an "offline" mode. Simply view the cache page on the app, then find the option to save it to your offline list. You can then view these cache pages (and navigate to them via GPS) if you have no service (or have the service turned off). Here is a link to the support page with detailed instructions on an iPhone (using the official Geocaching app from Groundspeak). Here is one for Android. Edited April 19, 2015 by Pork King Quote Link to comment
+FunnyNose Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Hi, sorry for the newbie question but I am visiting the Isle Of Man in a while and they aren't part of the UK and although some provider's do have an agreement with them, EE doesn't . So, I was wondering, is there a way to geocache without internet switched on (I don't want a massive bill when I get home - and I'm actually not sure if my phone will hook up to ManxCom at all). Thanks in advance. How long are you going to be there ? The best option if you have an unlocked phone is get a MANX Sim Card Quote Link to comment
+SageTracey Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Do a PQ before you leave and save it to your phone for off-line use. Just be sure to turn off mobile data as you board the plane and you should be fine. Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Do a PQ to what in particular? I would imagine that he's going to want an app that can deal with locally stored maps of the area, and they don't all do that. We still don't know what flavor of phone he's using. Quote Link to comment
+AtomicPuppy Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 Good morning, I'm on Android, my phone is Sony Xperia Z and I am a phone cacher. I'm going to IOM for 7 days. I have emailed ManxCom as thought about getting one of their PAYG sims. Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I've used my Android phones in a number of areas where I haven't had cell/data reception. I've put them in airplane mode (which turns off the cell and data antennas), just to keep the phone from wasting power trying to connect to distant towers. I've had no problem geocaching that way using the GPS antenna, as long as I had downloaded cache data in advance (either using a PQ, or just having my app download it). Quote Link to comment
+AtomicPuppy Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 Thanks for the info. But another newbie question.........I've never used PQ before. How do I do it? And how do I get the app to download the data in advance? (sorry) Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I've never used PQ before. How do I do it?And how do I get the app to download the data in advance? The main thing about PQs is that there are 3 steps to using them: Create the PQ - which defines the search criteria Run the PQ - which saves cache data on the server, using the search criteria Download the PQ - which copies the saved data from the server to your device There is more info about using PQs in Markwell's FAQ: http://www.markwell.us/pq.htm Most of the apps I've used have had a built-in command to download PQ data via the API. A few have required me to download the PQ data as a ZIP file, extract the contents of the ZIP file, copy the GPX file inside to my device, and then use a built-in command of the app to import data from the GPX file. But the details vary from app to app. Quote Link to comment
Blue Square Thing Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Thanks for the info. But another newbie question.........I've never used PQ before. How do I do it? And how do I get the app to download the data in advance? (sorry) If you're using the "official" app you can simply save caches to the phone - generate a search and then get the list up and click the three dots in the top right. These will save - and then you can turn the phone data off entirely and it'll work fine. You may or may not get decent maps, but the compass will work fine. You will also probably find decent wifi at various points. You can connect to this without incurring any data charges (probably - I certainly can). I find that helps if I need to download something on the fly. Quote Link to comment
craigmusselman Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 (edited) wow, i was going to comment that it was a small island just memorize them, but for a 10x10 island there are almost a thousand of them, must not be a lot to do there. lol. wish there were that many where i lived. Edited April 24, 2015 by craigmusselman Quote Link to comment
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