GPS watch

[kb5auk]

Any suggestions on watches that will provide GPS info and suitable for geocaching? Cheaper in price the better. 

[+noncentric]

You might find some useful in info in one of these recent threads:

• GPS watch with lat/lon display?
• Watch + Phone for caching?

[+hzoi]

17 hours ago, kb5auk said:

Any suggestions on watches that will provide GPS info and suitable for geocaching? Cheaper in price the better. 

 

There are plenty of watches out there that have GPS function, but most of these are designed more for tracking sports activities and less for precision navigation and geocaching.  Meaning that you won't have any information about the geocache other than the coordinates and, when you're navigating, distance and direction to the coordinates.

 

I've tried geocaching with a model of Garmin Forerunner.  It was not helpful.

 

Others may have had different experiences.

Edited January 30, 2019 by hzoi

[+kunarion]

6 hours ago, hzoi said:

 

There are plenty of watches out there that have GPS function, but most of these are designed more for tracking sports activities and less for precision navigation and geocaching.  Meaning that you won't have any information about the geocache other than the coordinates and, when you're navigating, distance and direction to the coordinates.

 

+1

 

noncentric's links above lead to previous threads, including a post where I found watch that is showing coordinates in its shop photo.  The threads have watches with coordinates, watches that seem unsuitable for Geocaching.  At least one thread is about a person who wants only to be able to tell people his coordinates.  I never asked how he conveys the information.  If he's using a smart phone, for example, the phone shows coordinates, no watch needed.

 

Knowing your current coordinates does not equate to knowing where a Geocache is.  I see "GPS" touchscreen smart watches on ebay for as little as $10.  Smart watches may display some data including GPS coordinates (beware, they don't all display coordinates by default, nor in the format you need).  Whether the device actually works great for "Geocaching", you'd just have to try it.  With the evolving "Smart Watch" industry, things all the time (nevermind the low quality of many of these things).  It may be OK for marking a potential cache location.  But traveling from one set of "coordinates" to "cache coordinates" can be quite a challenge without other information.

 

I bought a used waterproof phone for $50 so that I could load Apps, and have an actual pointer to caches.  It may be loaded in advance, working offline for finding caches. 

Sure, it's cool to have a fun watch.  But if the intent is to find Geocaches, consider a decent used handheld GPS.  It's suitable for Geocaching.

 

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by kunarion

[+JohnCNA]

19 hours ago, kb5auk said:

Any suggestions on watches that will provide GPS info and suitable for geocaching? Cheaper in price the better. 

The only watches (and companion phone apps) I am aware of that directly support geocaching are the iPhone/Apple Watch/Cachly, and Android Wear/Samsung Watch/Locus Map

The iPhone/Apple Watch/Cachly combination is really excellent.  On Android, the geocaching support on Android Wear or Samsung watches with Locus Map is quite limited but functional.

[+cerberus1]

22 hours ago, kb5auk said:

Any suggestions on watches that will provide GPS info and suitable for geocaching? Cheaper in price the better. 

 

Cheaper in price ?        You don't say which OS you're using, but "cheaper" in this hobby, and you get what you pay for...

Apple watch 4 GPS starts at  400 bucks, and GPS & cellular (wearing just a watch...) around 500. 

A Groundspeak newsletter from August last year informed folks that cachly will work with apple watch.  For now.

 

Agree with kunarion, sounds cool, but you could buy one heck of a nice handheld GPSr that should last a lot longer for less.    

When the apple watch app here first came out for series 1 watches (ran off the phone...), it was "the thing"  and some just had to have one.

Well,  apple updated to 2 quick, and since they were a whole new animal, they no longer worked here shortly after.

 - It left some who don't pay attention without a way to play ... using a watch. 

Groundspeak didn't feel it made sense updating an app (in this case, creating a new one...)  for just a few users when other projects were needed by many.  

I would have asked for the windows app again first. 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by cerberus1
addification ;)