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What handheld GPS do you have?


R0ck5

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most popular is going to get you a bunch of different responses from different people. Etrex 10 or 20 for people on a budget will be really popular choices in that group. Montana 6xx or similar for the people who have the money to spare will be popular to them. I would say that buy what you can afford and need. With that being said, there are people that buy the latest and greatest Alienware and just play minesweeper. Get my drift?

 

I have a middle of the road GPSmap 64s that I purchased refurbished. It suits me fine.

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most popular is going to get you a bunch of different responses from different people. Etrex 10 or 20 for people on a budget will be really popular choices in that group. Montana 6xx or similar for the people who have the money to spare will be popular to them. I would say that buy what you can afford and need. With that being said, there are people that buy the latest and greatest Alienware and just play minesweeper. Get my drift?

 

I have a middle of the road GPSmap 64s that I purchased refurbished. It suits me fine.

Many who used the reliable 60cxs (in my area) have gone to the 64s when theirs finally died.

If mine ever dies, I'll swipe the other 2/3rd's 60cxs, and get her a 64s. :)

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A quick review in the order I've had them is below. I still have every GPSr and they are all in working condition.

 

Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx: April 2006 - May 2013

I started with this GPSr. I didn't know if I'd enjoy geocaching, but didn't want to blame my failure to find a cache on my equipment. I still believe in this GPSr's accuracy. There are ways to get around not having cache information on it, such as packing as much as you can into the notes field (I did this) or using POI maps (I didn't do this). Many still use this model. It accompanied me to my first 35K or so caches and eventually got more than 300,000 miles on its odometer. I only retired it after it spontaneously reset after encountering some baad daata [sic].

 

Dell Axim PDA: July 2006 - January 2008

Pocket queries became more important. I bought this and Beeline GPS to have access to cache information in the field. I used a Bluetooth GPSr with it a few times when the 60CSx was in for warranty repairs after (stupid me) put the batteries in backwards (November 2006). I didn't care to cache with the PDA, but I did keep an early version of field notes on it. The PDA was limited, slow, and its battery life was okay.

 

Garmin Colorado 400t: January 2008 - April 2013

Do you see an overlap here? Good. I bought the Colorado to test and play Wherigo cartridges. If I have to test things even today, I'll bring it out. The Colorado never successfully passed my equipment vetting process, meaning I never fully trusted it compared to the equipment I already have. There were several good things about this GPSr: it accepted pocket queries, made field notes, could switch between maps, and had a better belt clip (I still use its carabiner today, despite having new ones from other GPS receivers). Compared to the 60CSx, the Colorado was between thirty and forty feet off, which was unacceptable in my opinion. The date overlap between the Colorado and 60CSx was because I'd "dual wield" the two. I would use the 60CSx to find and navigate to caches and the Colorado to look up information and keep field notes. The battery life on this seemed just as acceptable as the 60CSx, though a little less due to a better screen. The Colorado, in my opinion, has the best Wherigo player on a Garmin device (the Oregon's is too sapped for resources).

 

Garmin 62st: May 2013 - May 2015

I bought the 62 because I was wondering if I could replace the things I didn't like on the Colorado with a model reminiscent of the 60CSx. I do not care for touchscreen GPS receivers. If that's your thing, that's fine. As I do a lot of power caching, I can manipulate the pages of the 62 and 64 to mimic the minimal button presses of the 60CSx. For switching between navigation modes, the 62 and 64 requires less button presses than the 60CSx. Again, I like the ability to switch between maps, field notes, cache information availability, etc. The 62 also held far more waypoints than the Colorado and 60CSx--a necessity during power caching. I vetted the 62 during a power caching trip in Idaho, where I also did the locomotive geoart with a team. I was satisfied with the 62's performance and accuracy, meaning I could retire the 60CSx and no longer have the Colorado with me as well.

 

Garmin 64st: May 2015 - present

There was one problem I had with the 62st: panning maps could be slow. While I typically have twenty or more maps loaded to a GPSr, only one or two will ever be active at a time. I use OpenStreetMaps because I believe them to be more detailed than Garmin's offering. I've had plenty of opportunities to compare them as I started with Garmin maps and still cache with people using updated Garmin maps. I got an opportunity to play around with the 64st at Garmin's booth at Geowoodstock in Maryland. (I hung around the booth for a while and helped others with their GPSr problems--even for receivers I have never before touched; I'm good with technology.) I used my 62st's chip inside their GPSr to give me a fair comparison. The 64st kept up with my map panning far more than the 62st could. I was hung up on map panning because I do a lot of ad-hoc caching. I can go into an area, pan a map for a few minutes, and put together a really good cache run. During the run, I'm constantly panning around the map to understand the roads and flush out the details of transportation to the next three to five caches along the macro route I decided at the beginning. Keeping up with this need was important to me. Anyway, I vetted the 64st against the 62st, as I do with all my equipment, and I was pleased with the accuracy and performance, so was able to retire the 62st. For power caching, I believe there isn't a more convenient Garmin GPSr OS than the one on the 60CSx and 62-64 series. I do wish there was an option to increase the GPSr's position's polling rate from every second to every half a second. This would come in handy when doing power caching and you're coming into a cache "hot" (at a high speed). I've used this GPSr to find perhaps 18K already.

 

=====================

 

I should point out the most important thing is to know your equipment and customize it for your needs. I'm very experienced with geocaching and know what I demand of my equipment: accurate maps, varied maps, a small EPE (high position accuracy), responsive map panning, field notes, GPX compatibility, capability to load at least 8K caches (the minimum these days for desert power caching), and the ability to switch between on- and off-road navigation modes quickly (I switch between both modes frequently while driving). I also like the ability to control at which zoom level I start to see caches (I change this frequently based on the situation's needs and priorities).

 

Once you know what's important to you, look at the equipment available. Attend geocaching events and ask to play around with others' GPS receivers, especially those who cache similarly to you. If you're at a mega, chances are a manufacturer might have a booth set up. Spend some time playing with their offerings. In the end, the GPSr you choose will be a personal choice, more about the way you use the device than anything else. Just as I am against touch screen GPS receivers, there are some who don't care for ones with buttons. Each of our reasons are valid and, at their heart, stem from how we wish to interact with our devices and the priorities we place.

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I want to thank -- Ranger Fox and other who has response. Unfortunately in my area stores don't have GPS Handheld demo. So I end up ordered Oregon 600 thru online. It offers 45 days to play with it. If not happy, I can send it back or exchange. I am very exciting and looking forward to it. We should get by this coming Monday. Wish me luck!

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Seem like most of you own Garmin. What about Delorme earth mate P-60? Does anyone have Delorme?

 

That was my second GPSr purchase after an inexpensive Garmin was stolen. I have also bought others to use at work (mostly Garmin etrex 20s). Of the three, they all have their good and bad points. I really, really like the DeLorme buttons and navigation. It's super simple to go from cache listing to compass to 'mark as found' to 'find next.' It also has dedicated buttons for marking wayponts, find, switch pages (ie compass to cache listing with no need to go back to the menu),and zoom. The maps are good and the accuracy is great. The downside (and possibly deal-breaker if I get another unit) is that the USB connector is terrible. It's one of those flat pin-types that has to be "delicately jammed" into the back for it to connect. You have to push hard, but if it's even slightly crooked, it won't read. Oh, and if you misplace the cord, you're out of luck. One of the best things about ANY other GPS unit is that they use standard mini USB connectors, which everyone has a dozen of lying around. That said, I do like the Garmins I've used, but I wish they had a few dedicated buttons.

 

ETA: Reading Ranger Fox's great post, I looked at the Garmin 64 series...it has very similar buttons to the DeLorme. Nice! That bumps those up over the etrex series for me.

Edited by ByronForestPreserve
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Thanks for the compliments!

 

I tried to be as neutral as I could. I started with Garmin due to its reputation for having a very accurate GPSr. (I wasn't disappointed with the 60CSx's accuracy, either, so this was why I continued with Garmin.) I have gotten the opportunity to play with other models from both Garmin and other manufacturers over the years. Had I found a unit that worked better with how I geocache, I would have switched to it. As I use the GPSr while driving, having buttons allows me to switch navigation modes without looking. I've played around with the touchscreen GPS receivers, but their OS never fit as well with how I wanted to interact with it. Also, some geocachers use a dash-mounted GPSr for navigation, then switch to a hand-held unit to find the cache. I operate exclusively on my hand-held unit. That's another difference to consider.

 

R0ck5, if stores in your area don't let you play with the GPSr on the shelf, why not approach geocachers at an event and ask to see their GPSr? Ask them what they like about it, what they think could be better. Above anything else, play exquisite attention to the differences between how the person uses the GPSr and how you want to use it. It also occurs to me you could view some review videos on YouTube. Buying a GPSr is an investment, so do your research. Don't be turned off to geocaching just because it's difficult to work with your equipment. If you ever experience that, it's either because you don't know the equipment well enough or the way you want to cache doesn't match well with the equipment you have.

 

As I've advised, favoring one GPSr over another has a lot to do with how you want to use it. This can't be stressed enough. You don't want to be fighting with your equipment on the trail or road. Because it's a personal decision, I can't recommend any GPSr to you, but I can describe how the ones I have work with how I play the game. Though I'm experienced at this game, that doesn't mean the equipment I use is right for you. I really want you to find something you're happy with, but I can only give you ideas about what to look for when evaluating a GPSr and relate to my own experiences.

 

When you do find something, please let everyone on this thread know, and what features appealed to you. I'd certainly be interested. After a couple weeks using it, I'd appreciate another update to see how you're doing with it. Let everyone know why you chose the model you did, what you like about it, what you're having issues with (people might be able to help), and how it fits (or not) the way you cache.

 

(And, no, I'm hardly brief.)

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I've got a Magellan eXplorist 310... got it for free with reward points from my credit union.

 

I've seen some negative reviews on it, but the price was right and it seems to work very well for me and is really accurate.

 

I also use my cell phone on the dashboard of my car to get close to the cache, then I use the Magellan when I go on foot.

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just smartphones, because, well, it's right there in my pocket...

 

htc g1 (the first android): great phone, great battery life, great UI, great accuracy, but the screen was tiny like the standalones, and it's operating system was stuck at 2.3, which meant updating the apps wasn't going to happen. that's the only sadface for this one, which pushed me to

 

htc g2: great phone, great battery life, great UI, great accuracy, but the screen was tiny like the standalones, and it's operating system was stuck at 2.3, which meant updating the apps wasn't going to happen. that's the only sadface for this one, which pushed me to

 

nexus: huge improvement in displays, the trackball was beautiful, no complaints besides i wanted a rugged device...

 

enter the first rugged/waterproof device

casio c711: great phone, great battery life, great UI, great accuracy, but the screen was tiny like the standalones, and it's operating system was stuck at 2.3, which meant updating the apps wasn't going to happen. that's the only sadface for this one, which pushed me to

 

galaxy s2 (tmo): fantasticly huge (for the time) display, great gps accuracy, always updated, really great device, but not waterproof, i missed that, a lot.

 

rugby pro (att): waterproof, rugged, survived thousands of miles of dualsporting, dirtbiking, road trips, hikes, drops, streams, and vibrations from motorcycle engines. the only thing this one was missing were external charging points.... leading to

 

casio c811: everything in one package... external charging points, great gps sensetivity, waterproof, rugged, CHEAP ($30 everywhere like amazon/ebay), replaceable batteries ($8 amazon), and even though it's three years old, it's just as fast, or faster than some of the more recent models i've used.

 

i've used standalones but they were so archaic and antiquated, requiring a computer for transfers, had no wireless connectivity, no sharing, extremely limited maps, and those user interfaces.... good lord who designs those ? i really like the hardware buttons, but when they encroach on the screen's real estate, i'll pass.

 

i am envious of the standalones that have the capability of using AA batteries, i would love to have that functionality in a phone... other than that, i can't think of anything else.

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great phone, great battery life, great UI, great accuracy, but the screen was tiny like the standalones, and it's operating system was stuck at 2.3, which meant updating the apps wasn't going to happen. that's the only sadface for this one, which pushed me to

I got a chuckle out of the repetition. I halfway expected you to say, "and its operation was not stuck at 2.3" in the Galaxy S2.

 

You bring up a few good points. One of them are the batteries. If you use the phone a lot, you'll have to carry around a portable charger like the Munzee crowd. If you use a GPSr, chances are good you can survive on a pair of AAs for almost the whole day. And now that I think about it, there are issues with a phone for power caching. Would you be able to keep up with a phone? You wouldn't be able to run off the team's GPX file in the desert because the apps don't seem to have a way of loading external GPX files and there are many places without a signal, so you'd have to run all your pocket queries ahead of time and wouldn't be able to switch easily to a new area without having a cell signal. And you wouldn't be able to share field notes with others on the team because you can't generate a field notes file for everyone's use. I don't think I've ever seen a power cacher attempt to use a cell phone, now that I think about it. (I'm classifying a "power cacher" as one who sustains a rate of one find every sixty seconds, including transportation, over the course of several hours.) I've tried to use my phone for caching when I didn't have a cache on my GPSr. I didn't mind it and was able to find the cache.

 

By the way, just for kicks and giggles, can I self-promote? I am the first geocacher to have found a geocache using a wearable device. When Google Glass came out, I created a geocaching app for it that downloaded the closest caches and led me to one. I have two videos on YouTube about it (first

). That experience was okay, but I didn't know how well I could trust the accuracy. Still, I went into those videos not knowing where the cache was--and it's difficult to divide your attention between pointing the camera in the right direction and looking for the cache. I didn't find a lot of caches with Glass because I didn't like how conspicuous I looked, but it was a fun experiment.

 

There are some things I'd love to see in the handheld GPS receivers:

  • Switch on and off GPX files.
  • The ability to transfer a cache to the GPSr from an app on the phone. Use case: you load easier caches onto the GPSr and, when in the field, you see a more difficult cache on the phone. It would be nice to transfer all that information to the GPSr, especially so you can keep your field notes in order.
  • Delete or edit a field note.
  • Load others' field notes and have the GPSr recognize the geocaches as found.
  • Some satellite maps without having to download small rectangles of land beforehand. I used to do that extensively, but it didn't have much utility in the field when I could pull out my phone.

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There are some things I'd love to see in the handheld GPS receivers:

  • The ability to transfer a cache to the GPSr from an app on the phone. Use case: you load easier caches onto the GPSr and, when in the field, you see a more difficult cache on the phone. It would be nice to transfer all that information to the GPSr, especially so you can keep your field notes in order.
 
I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 (Android) and before that a Galaxy S3. They both connect to my Garmins using a OTG cable. I use the CacheSense app on the phone, and it imports and exports GPX files to/from the Garmins very easily. I have on more than one occasion used the phone app to download a bunch of caches while in the field and then save them out to the Garmin as a single GPX. I have also used my phone's file manager app to delete a corrupt GPX file from the Garmin that was causing it to crash.
 

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most popular is going to get you a bunch of different responses from different people. Etrex 10 or 20 for people on a budget will be really popular choices in that group. Montana 6xx or similar for the people who have the money to spare will be popular to them. I would say that buy what you can afford and need. With that being said, there are people that buy the latest and greatest Alienware and just play minesweeper. Get my drift?

 

I have a middle of the road GPSmap 64s that I purchased refurbished. It suits me fine.

Many who used the reliable 60cxs (in my area) have gone to the 64s when theirs finally died.

If mine ever dies, I'll swipe the other 2/3rd's 60cxs, and get her a 64s. :)

 

Agreed. I loved my 60csx but the USB port died. I didn't know I could have it repaired cheap and never check to see if I could. I tried an Oregon and a Magellan and they didn't hold a candle to it. So I sprung for the 64s and love it too. The 250000+ cache capacity is the cats meow for what I do. I don't cache all that much anymore unless I'm tired while on the motorcycle but when I do there's always a cache nearby in the GPS. Just my opinion on the not holding a candle. For others the Oregon's work just great. I would be very interested to see how many people keep their 64 at 250000+ caches.

Edited by Jake81499
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By the way, just for kicks and giggles, can I self-promote? I am the first geocacher to have found a geocache using a wearable device. When Google Glass came out, I created a geocaching app for it that downloaded the closest caches and led me to one. I have two videos on YouTube about it (first

). That experience was okay, but I didn't know how well I could trust the accuracy. Still, I went into those videos not knowing where the cache was--and it's difficult to divide your attention between pointing the camera in the right direction and looking for the cache. I didn't find a lot of caches with Glass because I didn't like how conspicuous I looked, but it was a fun experiment.

I noticed a wearable Garmin GPSr (not a smartwatch or fitness band). It looked basically like a mini Garmin you'd strap to your wrist. Hmmm...it was a Foretrex 401. It doesn't say anything about caching specifically, but one of the photos shows navigating to a cache on the screen. I was curious how well it works (but not enough to shell out $150). Anyone have any experience? I think maps or storage space might be an issue.

 

 

There are some things I'd love to see in the handheld GPS receivers:

  • Switch on and off GPX files.
  • The ability to transfer a cache to the GPSr from an app on the phone. Use case: you load easier caches onto the GPSr and, when in the field, you see a more difficult cache on the phone. It would be nice to transfer all that information to the GPSr, especially so you can keep your field notes in order.
  • Delete or edit a field note.
  • Load others' field notes and have the GPSr recognize the geocaches as found.
  • Some satellite maps without having to download small rectangles of land beforehand. I used to do that extensively, but it didn't have much utility in the field when I could pull out my phone.

What about the bluetooth/wireless Garmin models? Isn't 2 and 4 what they're supposed to do?

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By the way, just for kicks and giggles, can I self-promote? I am the first geocacher to have found a geocache using a wearable device. When Google Glass came out, I created a geocaching app for it that downloaded the closest caches and led me to one. I have two videos on YouTube about it (first

). That experience was okay, but I didn't know how well I could trust the accuracy. Still, I went into those videos not knowing where the cache was--and it's difficult to divide your attention between pointing the camera in the right direction and looking for the cache. I didn't find a lot of caches with Glass because I didn't like how conspicuous I looked, but it was a fun experiment.

I noticed a wearable Garmin GPSr (not a smartwatch or fitness band). It looked basically like a mini Garmin you'd strap to your wrist. Hmmm...it was a Foretrex 401. It doesn't say anything about caching specifically, but one of the photos shows navigating to a cache on the screen. I was curious how well it works (but not enough to shell out $150). Anyone have any experience? I think maps or storage space might be an issue.

 

You may want to check out this thread. In post #2 of that topic are some links to other threads about wearables.

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great phone, great battery life, great UI, great accuracy, but the screen was tiny like the standalones, and it's operating system was stuck at 2.3, which meant updating the apps wasn't going to happen. that's the only sadface for this one, which pushed me to

I got a chuckle out of the repetition. I halfway expected you to say, "and its operation was not stuck at 2.3" in the Galaxy S2.

 

You bring up a few good points. One of them are the batteries.

 

1 If you use the phone a lot, you'll have to carry around a portable charger like the Munzee crowd. If you use a GPSr, chances are good you can survive on a pair of AAs for almost the whole day. And now that I think about it, there are issues with a phone for power caching.

 

2 Would you be able to keep up with a phone?

3 You wouldn't be able to run off the team's GPX file in the desert because the apps don't seem to have a way of loading external GPX files and there are many places without a signal, so you'd have to run all your pocket queries ahead of time and wouldn't be able to switch easily to a new area without having a cell signal.

4 And you wouldn't be able to share field notes with others on the team because you can't generate a field notes file for everyone's use.

5 I don't think I've ever seen a power cacher attempt to use a cell phone, now that I think about it. (I'm classifying a "power cacher" as one who sustains a rate of one find every sixty seconds, including transportation, over the course of several hours.)

6 I've tried to use my phone for caching when I didn't have a cache on my GPSr. I didn't mind it and was able to find the cache.

 

7 By the way, just for kicks and giggles, can I self-promote? I am the first geocacher to have found a geocache using a wearable device. When Google Glass came out, I created a geocaching app for it that downloaded the closest caches and led me to one. I have two videos on YouTube about it (first

). That experience was okay, but I didn't know how well I could trust the accuracy. Still, I went into those videos not knowing where the cache was--and it's difficult to divide your attention between pointing the camera in the right direction and looking for the cache. I didn't find a lot of caches with Glass because I didn't like how conspicuous I looked, but it was a fun experiment.

 

There are some things I'd love to see in the handheld GPS receivers:


  •  
    8
  • Switch on and off GPX files.
    9
  • The ability to transfer a cache to the GPSr from an app on the phone. Use case: you load easier caches onto the GPSr and, when in the field, you see a more difficult cache on the phone. It would be nice to transfer all that information to the GPSr, especially so you can keep your field notes in order.
    9
  • Delete or edit a field note.
    10
  • Load others' field notes and have the GPSr recognize the geocaches as found.
    11
  • Some satellite maps without having to download small rectangles of land beforehand. I used to do that extensively, but it didn't have much utility in the field when I could pull out my phone.

 

very good response, lets hit each one...

 

1 airplane mode does wonders, i see 8-24 hours of gps usage, depending on how much screen-on time is used. carrying 2x batteries, or charging while traveling isn't a big deal. carrying batteries or charging overnight means it's ready to go again in the morning, wether or not i am ;-)

2 so far, yes

3 the official geocaching app is a terrible place to start judging a device. third party apps have GREAT data handling user interfaces, and can switch between 4-5,000 geocaches, 5,000 mile gpx tracks, or multi-day hike ROUTES within seconds, or display them all at once. the limiting factor here is the standalone device's lack of connectivity/transfer modes. the phone will handle all the gpx files you can throw at it, with ease.

4 i make field notes, it doesn't seem like a big deal. sharing it with a standalone will be problem only if the standalone doesn't use bluetooth / wifi for transfering files (it's 2016, this should be standardized by now) across any device, instead of only the same model device, from the same vendor.

5 does not sound fun to me, but if they have fun in this manner, go for it. standalone, watch, smartphone, whatever, i'm not planning on being a robot. no offense, robots. :)

6 yep, it's not really a big deal.

7 that's pretty cool. i can't imagine tossing myself into a situation with a new piece of hardware, while running video, let alone write my own application to make it happen. that's reallly cool.

8 on smartphones, this is trivial. I have a database with around 90mb of gpx tracks/routes/waypoints, then another 5gb of maps with satellite imagery, vector maps, image maps, image overlays, and turning one on / off is a touch of the screen. turning them all on at once isn't a big deal either.

9 yep

10 yep

11 yep, there's an app for that. i like to download an entire area so the landmarks around that area are usable for direction/orientation, but if all you want is a 30m square around the cache, there's an app for that. it will download satellite imagery for all the caches you ask it to. normally this is just tree tops, but occasionally you get useful stuff ike which side of a stream, pile of rocks, etc that helps with finding the cache.

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Seem like most of you own Garmin. What about Delorme earth mate P-60? Does anyone have Delorme?

I missed this question when it was originally asked. I use a PN-60. I swear by it. (Yes, even with the stupid cable...) But, alas, I can't recommend it since I considered it no longer supported long before Garmin bought Delorme.

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  • The ability to transfer a cache to the GPSr from an app on the phone. Use case: you load easier caches onto the GPSr and, when in the field, you see a more difficult cache on the phone. It would be nice to transfer all that information to the GPSr, especially so you can keep your field notes in order.
  • Load others' field notes and have the GPSr recognize the geocaches as found.

What about the bluetooth/wireless Garmin models? Isn't [that] what they're supposed to do?

The Garmin 64st does have Bluetooth, but I haven't heard of a way to use it to receive cache information from a phone. Receiving cache information from another unit uses Garmin's proprietary ANT protocol.

 

I've tried combining my field notes with others' and restarting the GPSr. The last time I ran the experiment, it didn't seem to mark those caches as found. Granted, this experiment was done a year or so ago. Perhaps the OS had an update?

 

As for power caching with devices, to each their own. I use power caching to satisfy the numbers game, which gives me the rest of the year to slack off and not care what or how many I find. In my area, I've long since done the caches worth doing, and the rest worth doing I haven't heard about. I'm less inclined to drive longer distances over a weekend for caching because I drive a long distance to work (70 miles there, 70 back, and 20 for a cache) during week days.

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I have a Garmin 64ST on order...should be here Wednesday. I bought it to help in the woods when I'm photographing wildlife. Reading about it got me interested in geocaching, so now I'm looking forward to exploring that. I also installed the app on my LG G5 android.

 

the stock geocaching app is next to worthless for offline caching and GETTING TO caches.

 

check out others like cgeo, locus, etc

 

it's much, much easier to geocache with a phone than a standalone.

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I have a Garmin 64ST on order...should be here Wednesday. I bought it to help in the woods when I'm photographing wildlife. Reading about it got me interested in geocaching, so now I'm looking forward to exploring that. I also installed the app on my LG G5 android.

Good choice !

If my long-discontinued GPSr ever dies (and the other 2/3rd's carps out too), eventually the 64s is what I'll be grabbing.

Often out far enough to worry about phone care and battery life, we've found the GPSr to be much, much better to geocache with while "in the woods". :)

 

We've found in the past that the "official" app was still the easiest to use (for us).

Once everything's completed with the app changes, I expect it to be just as good (hopefully better) as before.

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it's much, much easier to geocache with a phone than a standalone.

 

We've found the GPSr to be much, much better to geocache with while "in the woods". :)

 

I like this. There's no right or wrong. It's what you're used to, how you intend to use it, the features you're looking for, and the situation in which you find yourself. As long as whatever you're using helps you have fun. Feel free to extol the benefits of your setup, but accept not everyone has the same requirements, preferences, or situation.

 

Speaking of setups, I'll tell this quick (for me) story:

Last September in the desert, I came across three cachers from Ohio. They drove out there in this one guy's SUV. He had a holder for his laptop on the passenger side, a 60CSx plugged into the laptop, and a small extra screen bolted to the center of the vehicle. The laptop ran MapSource and the extra screen InRoute, which used MapSource maps to show an active map of where he was. While going to the next cache in the power trail, he liked for someone to call out the distance while he watched the map to see how close he was. The setup looked like serious geocaching and his car had a bunch of smiley stickers showing all the power trails he had cached. Wow. That's too much "geocacher" for me; I just go out and find stuff. Again, there's no right or wrong. Do whatever brings you the most fun. If you want to geek out, feel free.

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I have a Garmin 64ST on order...should be here Wednesday. I bought it to help in the woods when I'm photographing wildlife. Reading about it got me interested in geocaching, so now I'm looking forward to exploring that. I also installed the app on my LG G5 android.

 

Great Choice! You'll be happy!

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it's much, much easier to geocache with a phone than a standalone.

 

We've found the GPSr to be much, much better to geocache with while "in the woods". :)

 

I like this. There's no right or wrong. It's what you're used to, how you intend to use it, the features you're looking for, and the situation in which you find yourself. As long as whatever you're using helps you have fun. Feel free to extol the benefits of your setup, but accept not everyone has the same requirements, preferences, or situation.

 

Speaking of setups, I'll tell this quick (for me) story:

Last September in the desert, I came across three cachers from Ohio. They drove out there in this one guy's SUV. He had a holder for his laptop on the passenger side, a 60CSx plugged into the laptop, and a small extra screen bolted to the center of the vehicle. The laptop ran MapSource and the extra screen InRoute, which used MapSource maps to show an active map of where he was. While going to the next cache in the power trail, he liked for someone to call out the distance while he watched the map to see how close he was. The setup looked like serious geocaching and his car had a bunch of smiley stickers showing all the power trails he had cached. Wow. That's too much "geocacher" for me; I just go out and find stuff. Again, there's no right or wrong. Do whatever brings you the most fun. If you want to geek out, feel free.

 

probably had a cowbell, somewhere. :)

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I have a Garmin 64ST on order...should be here Wednesday. I bought it to help in the woods when I'm photographing wildlife. Reading about it got me interested in geocaching, so now I'm looking forward to exploring that. I also installed the app on my LG G5 android.

 

the stock geocaching app is next to worthless for offline caching and GETTING TO caches.

 

check out others like cgeo, locus, etc

 

it's much, much easier to geocache with a phone than a standalone.

 

I have a Garmin 64 coming since a standalone gps is very helpful. As far as good apps for offline check out Cachly (www.cach.ly) it has a lot of features for offline caching and logging. While I really like the app a standalone will always be more reliable for a lot of circumstances.

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I have a Garmin 64ST on order...should be here Wednesday. I bought it to help in the woods when I'm photographing wildlife. Reading about it got me interested in geocaching, so now I'm looking forward to exploring that. I also installed the app on my LG G5 android.

 

the stock geocaching app is next to worthless for offline caching and GETTING TO caches.

 

check out others like cgeo, locus, etc

 

it's much, much easier to geocache with a phone than a standalone.

 

I have a Garmin 64 coming since a standalone gps is very helpful. As far as good apps for offline check out Cachly (www.cach.ly) it has a lot of features for offline caching and logging. While I really like the app a standalone will always be more reliable for a lot of circumstances.

 

check this out, an accuracy test via geocaching

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5F825_downtown-gps-testing?guid=e163b1e9-ecc5-46f5-b5b9-94e12a8fddc0

 

and the super easy to read results:

https://goo.gl/GcHNcS

 

A B C D E

1

Correct Coordinates: N 51° 03.036 W 114° 04.279

2

Cacher GPS Brand GPS Model Coordinates Error

3

Andronicus Samsung Galaxy S5

N 51° 03.027 W 114° 04.287

18 m

4

Garmin Etrex Venture HC

N 51° 03.027 W 114° 04.292

48 m

5

Real Batman Apple iPhone 5S

N 51° 03.024 W 114° 04.287

24 m

6

Garmin Rino

N 51° 03.033 W 114° 04.306

32 m

7

billy robson Garmin 62SC

N 51° 03.195 W 114° 04.291

20 m

8

3Teas Garmin Oregon 550

N 51° 03.051 W 114° 04.309 *

36 m

9

7744 Garmin Oregon 600

N 51° 03.055 W 114° 04.267

39 m

10

HTC Raider

N 51° 03.045 W 114° 04.290

21 m

11

knickle Garmin 62SC

N 51° 03.043 W 114° 04.303

32 m

12

Samsung S3

N 51° 03.029 W 114° 04.296

20 m

13

J2D2 Garmin 62S

N 51° 03.048 W 114° 04.277

9 m

14

Kinder Ken Garmin Oregon 650

N 51° 03.036 W 114° 04.277 *

1 m

15

Oregon 550

N 51° 03.053 W 114° 04.293

37 m

16

Oregon 300

N 51° 03.073 W 114° 04.292

70 m

17

Samsung S3 - 19 m

18

Calgalmo:) Garmin Monterra

N 51° 03.044 W 114° 04.268

17 m

19

JnJ H Garmin Etrex 20

N 51° 03.040 W 114° 04.272

15 m

20

Average 27 m

21

GPS average 30 m

22

Note: * denotes averaged measurement

Phone average 20 m

 

which pretty much boil down to, smartphones were more accurate, but to get right on the mark, use averaging.

 

I'm inserting the keyword "dagnabbit" so I can find this post to reference again in the future.

 

:-)

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I see that a lot of people like the 60 series. Too bad they dropped the line. They could be making good money on those yet.

 

Yes, if the "which is the most popular" question was asked (and it probably was) 7 years ago the Garmin 60Csx would have won in a landslide. I used to have a 76Cx which has basically the same electronics (but without the electronic compass) but in a different package. Now I have a Oregon 450 (which I bought after the 76Cx was stolen).

 

 

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I have a Garmin 64ST on order...should be here Wednesday. I bought it to help in the woods when I'm photographing wildlife. Reading about it got me interested in geocaching, so now I'm looking forward to exploring that. I also installed the app on my LG G5 android.

 

the stock geocaching app is next to worthless for offline caching and GETTING TO caches.

 

check out others like cgeo, locus, etc

 

it's much, much easier to geocache with a phone than a standalone.

 

I have a Garmin 64 coming since a standalone gps is very helpful. As far as good apps for offline check out Cachly (www.cach.ly) it has a lot of features for offline caching and logging. While I really like the app a standalone will always be more reliable for a lot of circumstances.

 

check this out, an accuracy test via geocaching

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5F825_downtown-gps-testing?guid=e163b1e9-ecc5-46f5-b5b9-94e12a8fddc0

 

and the super easy to read results:

https://goo.gl/GcHNcS

....

Thanks for linking to my event. I like that someone found some use for it.

Link to comment

I have a Garmin 64ST on order...should be here Wednesday. I bought it to help in the woods when I'm photographing wildlife. Reading about it got me interested in geocaching, so now I'm looking forward to exploring that. I also installed the app on my LG G5 android.

 

the stock geocaching app is next to worthless for offline caching and GETTING TO caches.

 

check out others like cgeo, locus, etc

 

it's much, much easier to geocache with a phone than a standalone.

 

I have a Garmin 64 coming since a standalone gps is very helpful. As far as good apps for offline check out Cachly (www.cach.ly) it has a lot of features for offline caching and logging. While I really like the app a standalone will always be more reliable for a lot of circumstances.

 

check this out, an accuracy test via geocaching

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5F825_downtown-gps-testing?guid=e163b1e9-ecc5-46f5-b5b9-94e12a8fddc0

 

and the super easy to read results:

https://goo.gl/GcHNcS

....

Thanks for linking to my event. I like that someone found some use for it.

 

no, thank you for publishing it! it takes a decent amount of effort to pull together reliable folks and combine the data for real world results, instead of just rehashing what someone's uncle said might be true. your efforts were appreciated.

 

I would love to find studies that highlighted poor GPS triangulation in places that people that commonly say this or that GPS enabled device won't work.... but it's not easy to come by :-)

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