+_Mooch_ Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Hey'all. I'm new to this game, and am finding the app to kill my phone battery pretty quick. I've heard that a hand held GPS could be more energy efficient? I have just a few little Q's: How much would this set me back. Is there a second hand market so i could pick up a cheaper one? Any recommendations? cheers !! Quote Link to comment
+NCFran Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 From a bit under $200 to a lot more. You might consider a portable usb charger. They cost less than $20. That would keep your phone charged. For second hand units, check ebay. 1 Quote Link to comment
+justintim1999 Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 the first thing I'd ask myself is if geocaching is something I see myself doing a year from now? If your not sure than I'd continue using my phone for a while. If you think it's something you'll stick with than I'd invest in a hand held gps. I purchased a Garmin Oregon 450 about 4 years ago for under $200.00. It's served me quite well. I've had no desire to "upgrade" to a newer model as the unit has everything I need to cache. 1 Quote Link to comment
+Viajero Perdido Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Phone vs GPS unit is controversial, and It's not a given that a GPS unit is more economical on battery power than a phone + app. I'm a dedicated cacher who's gone in the other direction, from Garmin to phone, and couldn't be happier. The author of the caching app I use (Locus) is proud of the low battery usage he's managed to achieve. I've been able to cache all day with that app on my older tiny-battery phone, or two+ days with my newer tank of a phone with its huge battery. Sometimes other apps deserve the blame for draining phones. Facebook, I've heard, is a real battery-sucker. You could also cache in airplane mode to save battery; just pre-load map and caches beforehand. Some apps support this. 1 Quote Link to comment
+Highlands_Guy Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 (edited) Make sure the model you choose is compatible with Pocket queries. Most are, but not all. It seems that Garmin has better integration with Geocaching. Edited January 2, 2018 by Highlands_Guy 1 Quote Link to comment
+_Mooch_ Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 thanks for all the ideas. I'll grab a USB portable battery for now and save my pennies incase i decided to stick at this. I've totally enjoyed the experience so far, was introduced to caching in Vietnam by a tourist. CHEERS! 1 Quote Link to comment
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