Geocache Apps questions (new on Android)

[+Hankey07]

Hi,

 

Having used my Garmin GPS and log the cache via the website for the last 3 year, now i have an Android phone to do this. Still learning how to use Android as well as the official geocach apps. Not being an Premium member until now, since i have now a device that can justify the premium. When i am geocaching i am not using the Data service from the phone provider, so i am "offline" like i would be with a GPS.

 

The phone is a Caterpillar S60 with 32 GIG internal and 128 GIG SD card.

 

Questions:

 

1- Is the apps Maps have to be downloaded for offline use? or they are within the apps itself (doubt it since i also using Canada Topo Map Pro and have dl Gigs of maps, topo and Open street maps)

 

2- Tried to log the first cache i found with the phone, indeed i was "offline" so didnt expected to be logged, but was thinking it would be once at home with the wifi. It seem to have log some time later (after loged the cache on the website). Is there a delay or i have to log on the apps once on the Wifi?

 

3- Since i am premium i have observed that the map choice on the web site were much limited compared to the non premium ( like No Open street map?) Only Plan and satellite from Google apparently is there a reason?

 

Couldnt find those answer elsewhere.

 

Thanks for the help,

 

Hankey07

[ohgood]

woooo, I've been waiting to find someone that purchased that AWESOME phone, and hoping they would review it.... hint ! :-)

 

 

if you're using the official application for caching, you'll soon find it is extremely limited when compared to third party applications (both officially endorsed and not) that are available.

 

answers

1 offline maps are best if downloaded in their entirety, all at once. fort instance, if you were caching in California, it would be a good idea to download the state of California, in vector format. vector based maps are incredibly small in size, but very detailed and updated weekly, if you choose sources like Open Street Maps to download from. HINT: if the application you're using does not have a method built in for downloading maps, it's the wrong application to try and use for offline mapping operations like caching.

 

2 caching offline means your data is saved until either a) you or the application .. decides to log the find, either through wifi or cellular connections. the good applications will save your offline logs until you tell it to sync with the mothership, aka gecaching.com

 

3 the website stuff is full of rules and third party requirements that change with the wind direction. your offline application can bypass all the mumbo jumbo and just do what you want

... and arrive you're already on the hook for the subscription fees, you won't have any limitations on your phone.

 

simple summaries for future reference:

maps - the tiles you look at

waypoints- geographic locations with gps cords, pictures, audio/video and it pictures attached

tracks- recorded by a GPS

routes- fake tracks that computers so their best to guesstimate, but not proven like tracks

 

all of those can be shared with other people, including maps in both vector (simple) or image (complex/satellite imagery) formats.

 

btw- if you haven't discovered the Location Settings on your phone yet, make sure you set it to "gps only" when caching to get the closest possible location info, as both wifi and Google services will only kill the battery and throw off the cords.

 

and please review that device sometime!

 

:-)

[+Hankey07]

Thanks for the answer,

 

I figured that with the official apps, IF i am "looking and zooming" in the maps area i want, it seem to be saved for offline use. I was doing that on my other TOPO map apps, until i figured i could dl all the maps of a specific area on all zoom. I will see of there a third party apps that can use my current TOPO map (dozen of map type also possible including Open street).

 

I got the phone last week of Aug and still learning the phone and apps capability and how to use them, the FLIR is wonderfull, altough some could see it as a gadget, the SDK have been released, mean futur various use apps will come using a FLIR that could bring many possiblities. The spec said 30m, however i was kayaking and took a FLIR pic of a train passing along, 700m distance and i could see the heat signature of it, as well the rocky part of the montain. I am looking this fall if could see a deer hidding..... later i will try to see if i could use the FLIR as a thermal imagery while driving at night, and see if i can see car from some distance.

 

I bought that specific one so it can surive my Outdoor lifestile, my Iphone would not survive my Kayak trip, and the full GPS is wonderfull. Have just bought a RAM mount for my bicycle and the car. Altough i didnt not test it underwater, it can take underwater photo. So it replace a waterproof camera as well. Looking to order a attach system to use it on Kayak and when GPSing, phone may be hard to broke, but it could be lost.

 

realsing how easy it is to use android compare to Iphone (no ?&?*?&%$%& Itune)

 

MTF on that phone. Hopefully he dont do like the Samsung....

[+Viajero Perdido]

You might want to look at Locus Map (free or pro) which is a caching- and map app par excellence. (Also officially supported by Groundspeak, or is it the other way around?) It does offline maps, and offline caching in general, very well.

 

(Apologies to the forum regulars who must tire of hearing me plug my favourite app.)

 

Excellent topo maps for this app are available here, and on that page you can get an idea of the download sizes for your area; pretty reasonable I think. Locus also offers very similar maps within the app, for little more than the cost of bandwidth to deliver them. I think the Alberta map I just downloaded cost about a quarter. (OpenAndroMaps are donation-ware.)

 

I'm not familiar with the Canadian topo maps you have right now, but beware that the government-based ones are horribly out of date, by decades. The OSM maps are much more up to date, though some mappers are working at cross-purposes (probably with the best of intentions) and importing the old gov't data into OSM. Don't get me started... Yeah, you.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Viajero Perdido

[+TriciaG]

Regarding maps on the website: Open the left sidebar and click on Set Map Preferences. Choose Leaflet. That'll give you OpenStreetMap and other maps besides Google.

[+Bear and Ragged]

 

Questions:

 

2- Tried to log the first cache i found with the phone, indeed i was "offline" so didnt expected to be logged, but was thinking it would be once at home with the wifi. It seem to have log some time later (after loged the cache on the website). Is there a delay or i have to log on the apps once on the Wifi?

 

 

Worthwhile saving your logs as Field Notes. These can be downloaded to the web site when at home/with a connection (wifi etc) later and a log written at leisure.

[+niraD]

Worthwhile saving your logs as Field Notes. These can be downloaded to the web site when at home/with a connection (wifi etc) later and a log written at leisure.

Absolutely. But note that Groundspeak's Geocaching app does not support field notes.

[+geodarts]

You might want to look at Locus Map (free or pro) which is a caching- and map app par excellence. (Also officially supported by Groundspeak, or is it the other way around?) It does offline maps, and offline caching in general, very well.

 

The good thing about Android is that there are a number f free versions of apps to try. I tried out Locus and GDAK, paid for the full version of Cachesense, and ended up with GCDroid, but there are people who swear by them all.