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Switching back to my old handheld


TahoeJoe

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I went out with a friend for a couple of hours to find some hiking caches with the new iPhone Geocaching app and was amazed how fast the battery drained. When I got back home I dug out my old Magellan Map 330, found the download cable and had to dig out my old laptop with a com port. To my amazement I was able to run the old topo software from 2000 on a Windows 10 machine. Easy GPS allows me to upload GPX files to my GPS. Besides only having 8MB of memory and a serial cable for uploads/downloads it still works great and I see no need to upgrade with the amount of geocaching I do. I get 10 hours of battery life with the handheld. Anyone else still use their old handheld GPS?

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I've dropped my handheld way too many times to even consider using just my smartphone.

 

When I bought my phone I got the toughest one that I could find and bought the best otter box that fits it. I've dropped it several times. The shatter proof screen and the camera were two features I liked as well. B)

 

I do keep a Garmin for back up, but have not needed it for finding a geocache in some time now. :)

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I've dropped my handheld way too many times to even consider using just my smartphone.

 

When I bought my phone I got the toughest one that I could find and bought the best otter box that fits it. I've dropped it several times. The shatter proof screen and the camera were two features I liked as well. B)

 

I do keep a Garmin for back up, but have not needed it for finding a geocache in some time now. :)

Amen to that. I have the iphone with the Otter Box. I left it on top of my car in West Texas and drove away. Within a couple hundred feet I realized what I had done and back tracked. I actually ran over it and it left a dusty tread mark on the otter box but the phone was not damaged in the least.

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I still use my magellan explorist 500 as my main geocaching tool. I, too, was shocked at how fast the new app ran down my battery. Also I found the app hard to navigate and I hate that annoying chime when you get within a certain distance of the cache. "The features members wanted." I tried the app to see how I liked it. I liked the old one much better. Now I'll just use it to read past logs when I'm stuck.

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I'm never going back to the old Garmin. Never.

 

Picked up this tough-as-nails Android recently (Blackview BV6000s, C$175, that's sub-US$150), and combined with Locus Map Pro, Garmin doesn't even come close.)

 

e8ff40a6-67e7-4f20-9345-d661079297f8.jpg

 

The abuse videos are something to behold. If I dropped this on the floor, I'd check the floor for damage. If I dropped it on my toes, I'd yell. (It's heavy; battery is good for half a week plus with light use, or two full days of caching.)

 

And bonus, put a SIM in it, and it's a phone.

 

21e9f4e7-1789-4beb-be36-89f29a33b2c4.jpg

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I'm still using my Oregon 450, but the on/off button has worn out so it isn't waterproof anymore. I've tried the old app and the new app and an outlaw app on a few phones (Galaxy S3, S6, and an iPhone 5s) and I just hate them. Geocaching drains the battery so quickly, and the phone feels so delicate when I'm trying to scramble over rocks or stuff like that. Also, the on-screen navigation is so weird and frustrating that when I try to use it for a spontaneous urban cache, I often just give up. Just doesn't work for me.

 

All of the doo-dads and add-ons I would need to use to increase battery life and prevent the phone from being damaged would make the phone so unwieldy and ridiculous for everyday use that I would need a second phone dedicated to geocaching in order to make it work. I can't be out in polite society with a smartphone that looks like a tank, and I don't want to carry that in my purse either - I chose a phone that is sleek for a reason. A second phone for geocaching would exceed or equal the cost of a nice new GPS anyway. I don't think I'll ever be a phone cacher - it's just not my jam. But everyone is different, and the right GPS is the one that works for you.

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I agree, I tried the app but went back to a handheld gps. Battery was dead within a couple hours. Little bit more clunky to use a hand held when it comes to downloading gpx files but I've been doing that all along anyways. I may miss on "what's in the area" now feature a smart phone has but if I already know where I'm going then I will just download it to my gps ahead of time.

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I went out with a friend for a couple of hours to find some hiking caches with the new iPhone Geocaching app and was amazed how fast the battery drained. When I got back home I dug out my old Magellan Map 330, found the download cable and had to dig out my old laptop with a com port. To my amazement I was able to run the old topo software from 2000 on a Windows 10 machine. Easy GPS allows me to upload GPX files to my GPS. Besides only having 8MB of memory and a serial cable for uploads/downloads it still works great and I see no need to upgrade with the amount of geocaching I do. I get 10 hours of battery life with the handheld. Anyone else still use their old handheld GPS?

I recently bought a very inexpensive Blackview BV6000 Chinese phone from Hong Kong on eBay. It had two viruses ("Malware") on it, in the ROM from the factory (in the restore files, too), and I was only able to remove one by deleting the App called "Phone". So it's in limbo, unused. I carry an old iPhone 5 as a kind of cache database backup, wifi-only. I try to keep it charged at all times. It can get hot in use. I really can't stand the Apps, they're a mess (although Locus Maps Pro is tolerable on my Samsung tablet). The very configurable Garmin handheld menus just plain make sense to me for some reason.

 

So I cache with a Garmin Oregon 650T, with US routable maps (also I have an SD card with property lines for my state). I usually do my street routing with a Nuvi, to get to a centralized parking area in an unfamiliar place. I haven't left the USA to cache, so that plan is OK for now. The 650 isn't very old. But I cache "offline" like that, unless I'm at a wifi hotpsot. I bring a data-connected work laptop PC at times, and can then load a PQ on-the-fly.

 

Anyway, yeah, I'm one of the holdouts still caching with a handheld hiking GPSr. I have a phone with voice plan, but it's only useful for phoning. Which I've been told often, is just plain weird.

Edited by kunarion
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I'm never going back to the old Garmin. Never.

 

Picked up this tough-as-nails Android recently (Blackview BV6000s, C$175, that's sub-US$150), and combined with Locus Map Pro, Garmin doesn't even come close.)

 

e8ff40a6-67e7-4f20-9345-d661079297f8.jpg

 

The abuse videos are something to behold. If I dropped this on the floor, I'd check the floor for damage. If I dropped it on my toes, I'd yell. (It's heavy; battery is good for half a week plus with light use, or two full days of caching.)

 

And bonus, put a SIM in it, and it's a phone.

 

21e9f4e7-1789-4beb-be36-89f29a33b2c4.jpg

I bought myself one of those, and even bought and designed some adapters to allow use of ordinary headphones and other cables. It's not as high-res nor fast as advertised, but still very nice. I put Locus Maps Pro on it. I then tried running it in airplane mode, since I don't know what the malware does, besides installing surprise apps every couple of days (Sends my personal info? Who knows). Lately, I let it die in a drawer, while I try to figure out what to do with it. It was nice while it lasted.

Edited by kunarion
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I use my phone most of the time except for those caches where the phone doesn't work or battery goes dead. It is nice to have my very old Garmin GPS V as it always works, 24 hr battery , just a little hard to enter info into it. The GPS V has outlasted two other newer GPSs.

 

So to answer the question would I stop using my phone even with the new app (which is working better with updates) No I won't but the old GPS V is always with me. :yikes:

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I've used the phone app in a pinch but i sure don't want to rely on it for everyday caching. The old Garmin 76Csx floats if dropped in the river, is more rugged, is more battery efficient, more accurate, works better under tree cover, and has a much easier to see in sunlight display. Only thing it's not better at is having cache info on it so i usually have the phone with me to look that up if needed.

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I use my Oregon 450T for all of my planned caching trips, downloaded with PQs for the area. I've tried using the old and new apps on the phone but find the navigation is nonresponsive/slow. And "nearby" caches are limited. Battery life of the phone is awful (Samsung S6 Edge) with the Geocaching app running.

 

So I find I use the phone for those "What's around here?" occasions and copy the coordinates into my Oregon and use it for detailed navigation. I'll also copy the coordinates into my Garmin nuvi for road navigation. Both manually, of course. The app is useful for looking up previous logs.

 

Now, if I could figure out a way to pair the phone app with my Oregon/nuvi units, I'd be really good.

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I'm never going back to the old Garmin. Never.

 

Picked up this tough-as-nails Android recently (Blackview BV6000s, C$175, that's sub-US$150), and combined with Locus Map Pro, Garmin doesn't even come close.)

 

It doesn't float so your wunderphone would not be of interest to me. My 78sc (and the 76s I used for 7 years prior) does float and in addition to all the miles they have logged in sweaty bike jersey pockets and on mountain bike handlebars they have also journeyed many wet miles from white water rafting in Chile to sea kayaking in Hawaii. I also spend a fair amount of time in places where there is no cell reception. I'll stick to my Garmin.

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It doesn't float so your wunderphone would not be of interest to me.

It has a strap attachment.

 

My trusty dusty old Garmin doesn't float either. But one day out on a sailboat, I found my hand had instantly grabbed it juuust as it was flying overboard. The clip had popped loose, and my reflexes were faster than my brain, which was still catching up to what just happened. laugh.gif

 

PS, needing cell signal to go phone-caching is soooo 2015. tongue.gif

Edited by Viajero Perdido
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It doesn't float so your wunderphone would not be of interest to me.

 

My Garmin didn't float when it fell into six feet of muddy fast moving water. My iPhone did not float when it fell into the local delta, about a foot deep - although I found it because the screen light stayed on. So these days, I hook a replacement Garmin securely to the kayak or bike, almost like some people use nuvis when on the road; use a blackview bv6000 (GCDroid or Locus) whenever I get out of the craft or on a long hike (especially in poor weather); and, save the iPhone (Geosphere) for trip planning or general caching. Perhaps I should have thought about a floating model, but got spoiled by Geosphere and loved some of the android mapping apps.

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It doesn't float so your wunderphone would not be of interest to me.

 

My Garmin didn't float when it fell into six feet of muddy fast moving water. My iPhone did not float when it fell into the local delta, about a foot deep - although I found it because the screen light stayed on. So these days, I hook a replacement Garmin securely to the kayak or bike, almost like some people use nuvis when on the road; use a blackview bv6000 (GCDroid or Locus) whenever I get out of the craft or on a long hike (especially in poor weather); and, save the iPhone (Geosphere) for trip planning or general caching. Perhaps I should have thought about a floating model, but got spoiled by Geosphere and loved some of the android mapping apps.

For boating, it might be good to attach a float of some kind to devices that otherwise don't float in water.

 

95977d1a-b48f-4d55-a164-373f97931de0.jpg

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Anyone else still use their old handheld GPS?

Oh yes ! Etrex 20, free OSM mapping for the whole UK on memory card, several hundred caches capacity in the memory, and an average of 3 full days caching on a couple of rechargable AA cells.

 

Crucially for the kind of caching I tend to do (a few hours circular walk in the countryside, featuring clambering over stiles, jumping ditches, crawling into hedges, the odd rock scramble or tree climb, stream wade etc) maybe the vital extra feature the GPS has over a 'phone is that I can have it securely tethered to my person (using a short paracord lanyard clipped to a belt and GPS tucked in the trouser pocket) ,so I can't drop or lose it however clumsy, forgetful or unlucky I am.*

 

An android 'phone with GDAK is with me in a pocket or bag as backup, but it is seldom used except when navigating by car : I purely accidetally discovered that the satnav app will link with GDAK so I can select a start point cache for my walk on the 'phone, go to compass, and ask it to 'navigate' wherupon it switches to the nav. app and gives me driving info. Very quick and easy compared with manually setting the sat nav app for a destination.

 

If the etrex died, I'd buy another GPS without hesitation, it suits my caching style. I see the smartphone as the electronic equivalent of a multi tool, handy and convenient to carry, but not as good as quality individual tools made for specific jobs. Besides that, you can't immediately identify a cacher by seeing someone walking along and glancing at a 'phone, but a quick flash of a GPS ? It's a cacher's equivalent of a secret handshake :laughing:

 

* The first two, very, the last, nt so much :D

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Anyone else still use their old handheld GPS?

 

Absolutely.

 

I only use the smartphone to navigate around the roads to caches, and to get more comments for caches we might be having trouble finding. Many times you can read between the lines in past logs to hep find a cache. (that is as long as everyone doesn't just log TFTC!)

When we get to actually look for a cache, the phone stays in a pocket where it belongs.

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I have an old etrex. But I can still load cords on it... if I could find a cheap dedicated gps that allows me to load points and descriptions via Bluetooth and on the fly I'd consider buying it. However, my iPhone 5s (with my drag around battery pack) and c***ly works well enough. When I need a little more accuracy, out comes the Garmin...

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It doesn't float so your wunderphone would not be of interest to me.

It has a strap attachment.

 

My trusty dusty old Garmin doesn't float either. But one day out on a sailboat, I found my hand had instantly grabbed it juuust as it was flying overboard. The clip had popped loose, and my reflexes were faster than my brain, which was still catching up to what just happened. laugh.gif

 

PS, needing cell signal to go phone-caching is soooo 2015. tongue.gif

 

That strap would sure get in the way while I'm trying to paddle. I usually loop the strap through one of the deck lines but I still have to grab it to look for a geocache on shore etc. Just too many opportunities to have it go in the drink not to use one that floats. As for the "so 2015" remark, many people here have commented that they like the phone to check for nearby caches on the fly. Unless I'm missing something, you still cannot do that without a data connection and even in New Jersey (parts of the Pine Barrens for example) I cannot get a signal.

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I use my oregon600 100% of the time. No worries about dead batteries. just a solid unit as it's shock resistant and water proof. It's main purpose is for navigating and does it well. I do use a phone and you'll never believe what for. I use it to speak and communicate with fellow humans. I've been doing this for over 50 years and will continue. I wonder if many young people know this ancient way of communication is available on their phone?

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I don't have a smart phone so I still use my Garmin 60Cx. My geobuddy usually uses a smart phone now and there is no doubt in my mind that my Garmin is much more accurate on the coordinates. He has the advantage of being able to read cache pages and logs out in the field while I have to print out anything like that if I want it, but to me that's part of the fun of geocaching - the advance planning. I've used the dichotomy of geocaching by phone vs. handheld in two of my Cliff Knowles Mysteries: Cached Out and Behead Me. Unlike me, Cliff has finally (in A Will to Die) joined the modern world and now caches with his phone.

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I don't have a smart phone so I still use my Garmin 60Cx. My geobuddy usually uses a smart phone now and there is no doubt in my mind that my Garmin is much more accurate on the coordinates. He has the advantage of being able to read cache pages and logs out in the field while I have to print out anything like that if I want it, but to me that's part of the fun of geocaching - the advance planning. I've used the dichotomy of geocaching by phone vs. handheld in two of my Cliff Knowles Mysteries: Cached Out and Behead Me. Unlike me, Cliff has finally (in A Will to Die) joined the modern world and now caches with his phone.

It's been so long since I last played with my 60CSx, I'd forgotten that they didn't support paperless caching. But I now recall many an hour spent transcribing (and since I was in Germany, in many cases, translating) cache descriptions into one or two lines so I could put many on the same sheet of paper and then go hunting.

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I don't have a GPSr, but I don't use the official app; I still use Geosphere (for as long as it's not obsolete on iOS) and it's not a battery drain. Even if it does go low the app lets you disable the GPS for when you're not actively using which helps prolong the life. I really only use the official app now for quick and direct GC messaging.

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I don't think we can compare a older GPS unit that only gives coordinates to a modern $400 + paperless GPS unit. :(

 

Often I have to read the hint and past logs to find a geocache, and I have way less DNF's now that I use a phone app. :)

I'm a happy camper as long as my Map 330 has topo maps loaded on it and I remembered to make a waypoint for where I parked my car (I also will have $400 dollars more in my bank account). :lol:

Edited by TahoeJoe
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I use a handheld Oregon 600 with a Dakota 20 for backup but carry a cellphone for taking pictures and for better (larger screen) detail for maps when in cell range. My phone geotags all photos and I generally get a good laugh when reviewing the locations: they are close about half the time. How effective a cellphone is for geocaching depends on it's software, it's GPSr and compass, satellite availability and being within cell range plus battery life. For me, it's the third string...

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Handheld GPSr for me. I don't cache as often as I used to, but I am a sucker for older tech. I have an Etrex Legend H that is the only unit purchased new. A GPS12, the old Yellow Etrex, and a Etrex HCx picked up by my wife at garage sales...probably a total of $12.00 over a couple of years. I like to read the cache page load a few at a time and head out occasionally...with my Motorola flip phone circa 2009 if I need to make a call!

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