Idiots Guide Please

[+Gralorn]

New Legend GPS arrived this morning, never had a gps before. In KISS terms (Keep it simple someone) do I enter the location of a geocache by entering its individual waypoint. Then wait until I drive near to this area, get out the car, switch on the gps to locate where I am, then bring up geo waypoint and click 'goto'. Then walk in that direction until at the waypoint co-ords. Then look for geocache. Is That it in a nutshell, or am I missing something vital.

[+Renegade Knight]

That's about it but I'd hit GoTo long before I got close to the cache since the GPS will point at it and help you get close.

[+cache chasers]

Works for me...there are several programs that will download the waypoints for you. EasyGPS and GSAK are very kissable.

[+AuntieWeasel]

Yep, more or less. That's what I did my first time out, except I turned on the Go To from home and followed the arrow the whole way. It's a little miracle I didn't drive over the top of a house or something.

 

It might be worth checking the map on your Legend and making sure the place you're going is familiar, or checking with Mapquest. My first trip would've been a touch easier if I had.

 

Of course, there's a thousand more good pieces of advice, but you have the basics.

[+Night Stalker]

For real KISS you need easygps. It isn't called easy for nothing. Now if you want to get more complicated and have a lot more abilities GSAK is the ticket. Personally I would start with EasyGps and then upgrade after a little more experience. (I am still using EasyGps. Just Lazy I guess)

 

[+Gralorn]

Whizzo, but what page does one have on Map page or Navagation page and how do you know when you are at the co-ords?

[+Keiko's buddies]

After you enter the waypoint it is a good idea to leave it on unless the cache is a long way and battery usage is an issue. With a mapping unit like the Legend you can take advantage of the fact that the waypoint shows up on the map and will help you plan your driving route.

[+AuntieWeasel]

Whizzo, but what page does one have on Map page or Navagation page and how do you know when you are at the co-ords?

There are advantages to both. The map is handy for working out the drive (zoom in and out with the top two buttons on the left side. For driving, I find .2 of a mile a good zoom). Sometimes it's useful at the site, too, particularly if you have a good landmark like a river to steer by. The basemaps are pretty basic, though (you can buy better topo maps later).

 

The "compass" screen is usually what I use near the cache site. Watch out, though -- it's not an accurate compass unless you're moving at a pretty brisk walk. If not, it's telling you how far you are from the cache, but you can't trust the direction it's pointing. Get a good walking pace going and follow the arrow. When it says you're about about 30' away, stop and start looking around. It's unlikely to get you right on top of the cache, so "cacher's sense" gets you the rest of the way.

 

It's four presses of the main button on the right of the unit to go from the compass to the map and back.

 

Love my Legend. Hope yours works out for you, too

[+Gralorn]

Thanks for your advice, I'll try it out tomorrow. My first real geocaching with a gps, must say that I am quite excited and hope that it is not an anticlimax. As this forum keeps stating - As long as one enjoys!

Thanks again.

[+briansnat]

Then wait until I drive near to this area, get out the car, switch on the gps to locate where I am, then bring up geo waypoint and click 'goto'

 

You'll have best results, particularly if you're in a forest, if you turn your GPS well before you get near the cache. That way it knows where all the sats are and if you enter the woods and lose a lock, it will get it back instantly. I usually turn mine on when I leave the house.

 

Whizzo, but what page does one have on Map page or Navagation page and how do you know when you are at the co-ords?

 

The navigation page is the most useful, but if you have detailed maps (for the Legend I recommend Mapsource Topo because of its limited memory) that can be of some help too. Personally I'm on the navigation page about 80 percent of the time, but I switch to the map to check my progress, see what's ahead of me (I have Topo on it) and if I have trouble finding it with the navigation screen I often switch to the map screen.

[+StarBrand]

Just a note - get some Nimh rechargable batteries for the Legend - then you don't worry so much about running from home to the cache. (keep a charged set of spares handy too). These last longer than many alkaline.

 

I keep a charger in the vehicle to always be prepared.

[+sTeamTraen]

Just a note - get some Nimh rechargable batteries for the Legend - then you don't worry so much about running from home to the cache. (keep a charged set of spares handy too). These last longer than many alkaline.

A full charge on my NiMH batteries lasts less long than a fresh set of alkalines... but of course the key advantage is that the NiMH can be charged hundreds of times for as close to free as makes no difference

[+robert]

Thanks for your advice, I'll try it out tomorrow. My first real geocaching with a gps, must say that I am quite excited and hope that it is not an anticlimax. As this forum keeps stating - As long as one enjoys!

Thanks again.

just do yourself a favor and don't get frustrated if you don't find it at first. make sure to start with some easier caches and work up from there.

 

good luck!

 

[+IVxIV]

Yo I hope you (probably) already did confirm your brand-shiney-new GPSr has its datum set to WGS84, and the coordinate style is set to DD MM.MMM.

 

Otherwise finding caches is gonna get REAL frustrating

[TCE]

Agreed on the TURN the unit on when you leave the house comment. Then, it can track the sattelites the whole way there, and you don't lose the lock on 'em so easily in a forest (assuming the cache is in a forest).

 

Agreed on the Map page helps you as you drive there, especially in unfamiliar territory. BUT!!!....it's always best to have SOMEONE ELSE look at the GPS if you are driving!!! (of course you probably already knew that)

 

True, the Navigation page helps tons more than the map page once you start walking. When you get close (arriving at destination) the compass arrow will jump around...don't worry...start looking at the number of feet left to get there. The distance you have left to get to the waypoint should drop at every step. When you get to about 20 feet start looking for a likely hiding place for the cache.

 

Hmmm...I might have just summed up what others just said?...I hope it's not too redundudndantdunat.

Edited March 22, 2005 by TCE

[Dale_Lynn]

Another concept may be to go to local school grounds or park or just "someplace". Take GPS to a "identifiable " spot , like a tree or water fountain or rock or "something".... Once GPS is turned on and synced on the sats, save the way point for that spot, and then just hold GPS unit in a way you can not see the screen, and walk quite a ways away from "waypoint". Now look at GPS screen and let GPS unit lead you back to your (known) waypoint.... The exercise here is to see how GPS unit reacts as you move around. And don't necessarily go in a straight line back to known point. Zig-zag a bit. With a know waypoint you will see how the unit indicators show you the way to a waypoint. This is something you can do in your neighborhood. Maybe using a STOP sign on end of block, or a sewer manhole cover as your known way point for this exercise. This is all about you becoming familiar with unit before getting lost and confused "out there" someplace. In other words, just play with it!

 

Dale

Edited March 22, 2005 by Dale_Lynn

[+Cache us Clay]

One more thing. Learn how to set up a waypoint. When you get out of the car to begin your search, enter a waypoint.

 

After you've found the cache, you can then navigate to your car. You'd be surprised how easily you can get turned around in the woods.

 

Have a great time!

[+IVxIV]

Yeah that's a great & fun experiment Dale describes, and it really works well to effectively show what GPS navigation is-and-is-not capable of.

 

Once you've had fun circling your landmark/waypoint/manhole cover/phone pole (lol), stop and remember that those tracking satellites are 12000 MILES AWAY (overhead)!! Kinda amazing the tracking is as accurate as it is eh?

[+wwobble]

One more thing. Learn how to set up a waypoint. When you get out of the car to begin your search, enter a waypoint.

 

After you've found the cache, you can then navigate to your car. You'd be surprised how easily you can get turned around in the woods.

 

Another trick with the legend is using the trackback feature to find your way back to the car. When you start out from the car, reset the trip computer and head on your way to the cache. After you find it, Go to the main menu on the GPSr, select "tracks", save the current track, and select "trackback" at the bottom of the screen, select "to beginning" and the unit will take you right back to where you started.

[+Sputnik 57]

You may want to look at Thot's Beginner's Guide and Markwell's Update to the FAQ for more good info for beginners.

[mudhuggers]

It took me about 20 caches before I felt confident that I could find anything.

The technology still amazes me. Maybe I'm just simple. hehe

knock out 20 caches and you will be hooked.

Edited March 22, 2005 by mudhuggers