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What product would you like made for geocaching


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Just curious what you guys would want as a product for geocaching, for me it would be a really accurate gps with more features

 

What do you want from the accuracy? It's pretty good already. Remember the GPS is taking you to the co-ords not the cache. So it won't matter how accurate your unit is, if the cache isn't in the right spot, or if the hiders unit was off. They do make them ultra-super-mega accurate, but are you willing to pay $1000 or 10 grand, or whatever?

 

What features do you want? They already can hold thousands of geocaches, have NFC with other GPS units, take photos, make notes, log caches and upload the logs to geocaching.com. There's even an Android based GPS unit. Play music? Surf the net? Use your smartphone that can be used as a GPS.

 

So I guess my question is how much accuracy could you need? And what exactly do you want for more features, that's not available on available high end GPS, or even on a smartphone?

Edited by T.D.M.22
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Really accurate GPS receivers exist, but they're expensive and bulky and no one uses them for consumer purposes like geocaching. And I'm not sure how much it would help to have one (assuming it was affordable and compact enough) unless everyone started using them.

 

But a smartphone with batteries that last 16+ hours when you're using GPS the whole time, and with a durable waterproof case that can be dropped repeatedly into a stream without ill effect, and that is affordable and compact enough for everyday use... That could be nice.

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Everyone wants longer battery life.

 

As for this other part, it already exists, is made by Lifeproof, is guaranteed, and the unit is easily usable while in the case. (The other big-name case-makers probably have them too.)

 

...with a durable waterproof case that can be dropped repeatedly into a stream without ill effect, and that is affordable and compact enough for everyday use...

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I want a bluetooth heads up display of my GPS screen on my sunglasses so that I don't have to stop watching where I am going and enjoying the scenery to look down at my GPS screen. But I don't want to look uberdorky like a Google Glasshole. Just something subtle in the corner of my sunglasses that I can see, but looks perfectly normal to anyone else.

 

I'm not sure what I would use on cloudy days or at night though.

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A force field that is impervious to mosquitos, ticks, and stinging nettles.

 

A bison tube sniffer outer for when they're hidden in super woodsy areas. I get too impatient.

 

The ability to twitch my nose and have food appear for all those times I come ill prepared and get hangry.

 

You forgot the ruby slippers with which you can click your heels while saying "there's no place like home" at the end of a days caching.

 

 

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Everyone wants longer battery life.

 

As for this other part, it already exists, is made by Lifeproof, is guaranteed, and the unit is easily usable while in the case.

 

Those generic 12000 mA-h USB rechargers work great with GPS units, as long as you have a cable that can charge your GPS from USB, which I would expect is universal these days.

 

For me, while hiking, the main reason I want my GPS on all the time is to record my track. It's easy to plug in the GPS unit and have it on top of my pack while hiking, and then unplug it when near a cache from more detailed searching.

 

I tested mine once and the GPS was still going strong after 24 hours. (I have a Delorme PN-60)

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Just curious what you guys would want as a product for geocaching, for me it would be a really accurate gps with more features

 

What do you want from the accuracy? It's pretty good already. Remember the GPS is taking you to the co-ords not the cache. So it won't matter how accurate your unit is, if the cache isn't in the right spot, or if the hiders unit was off. They do make them ultra-super-mega accurate, but are you willing to pay $1000 or 10 grand, or whatever?

 

What features do you want? They already can hold thousands of geocaches, have NFC with other GPS units, take photos, make notes, log caches and upload the logs to geocaching.com. There's even an Android based GPS unit. Play music? Surf the net? Use your smartphone that can be used as a GPS.

 

So I guess my question is how much accuracy could you need? And what exactly do you want for more features, that's not available on available high end GPS, or even on a smartphone?

 

Apologies for a slight derailment but the mention of the NFC with other units has made me ask; has anyone tried an NFC from a garmin oregon/ any other device with the capability to detect a dedicated NFC chip? It hasn't occured to me previously to try the share wirelessly function on NFC's caches. It may not be compatible but if it is it would be a bonus. There is a fairly local cache so I will at some point be able to test it but prior input would be useful.

 

Happy caching.

 

Cheers

 

Schnuz.

 

Hahaarrgghh yeah goin' to PIRATEMANIA 9 (not that it's been arranged yet, more details in the future)? Be thar or be keel hauled!

The only MEGA PIRATE event in the UK to attend?

 

Hahaarrgghh, be seein' yah thar yah filthy landlubber!

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A force field that is impervious to mosquitos, ticks, and stinging nettles.

 

A bison tube sniffer outer for when they're hidden in super woodsy areas. I get too impatient.

 

The ability to twitch my nose and have food appear for all those times I come ill prepared and get hangry.

 

You forgot the ruby slippers with which you can click your heels while saying "there's no place like home" at the end of a days caching.

Would the ruby slippers take you home or to Mingo? <_<

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You forgot the ruby slippers with which you can click your heels while saying "there's no place like home" at the end of a days caching.

 

Could have used this yesterday. Had a tough scramble up a ridge looking for a cache; the 45 degree slope with thorns and loose rock was slower going on the way down.

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Three things: 1) GPX file management, 2) the filter to work, and 3) sending a new GPX file to the GPSr.

 

1) GPX file management

I would like to be able to select from which GPX files the GPSr is showing geocaches. When I'm on trip, I typically have a PQ with 2/2 and lower traditional caches to guide me around the area. I would like to be able to have another, more complete GPX file of the area, but not show it on the map or in the searchable list of geocaches until I enable the GPX file. This allows me to target an area for simple caches, then see what else is around if I have time to target some time-intensive caches. I am aware I can filter by rating and cache type on my GPSr. That brings me to the next item.

 

2) The filter to work

Garmin's GPSMap 64 (and probably the 62) has an annoying bug with the filter. If your filter is set to show everything and you power on the unit, it won't actually show on the map all caches in the GPX files. I haven't figured out a pattern to what it won't show. In order to get around this bug, you have to go back into the filter page and reapply the filter as-is. After that, everything will show. So I'd really like this fixed.

 

3) GPSr phone pairing

Garmin's GPSMap 64 does include Bluetooth to show your phone's text messages on its screen. It would also be useful for me to send GPX information from the phone to the GPSr. For example, let's say I'm caching somewhere and a new cache comes up or I wasn't planning to go caching in another area and meet up with some people who want to do so. I'd like to be able to pull the cache up on my phone and send it the GPSr. This is especially helpful when it comes to field notes. While I don't use GSAK to log finds, I imagine it would be a pain to reconcile field note files with one's online field note list.

 

 

If you want a product, why not a cache with a spring mechanism in it that automatically rolls the log when you're done? Or an inexpensive cache that doesn't crumble in the desert when you grab it (they're called wooden stakes and officially cannot be used as a cache, so you need something else). Or another cache type. Or fun monthly team challenges for a souvenir only available for that month.

 

What about a "homing cache"? Your phone emits a signal that powers and bounces the signal off a cheap tag left in the area. Your phone picks up the faint signal and you follow that to the cheap tag, which has the cache.

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What about a "homing cache"? Your phone emits a signal that powers and bounces the signal off a cheap tag left in the area. Your phone picks up the faint signal and you follow that to the cheap tag, which has the cache.

 

Isn't that sort of how chirp caches work? I know they don't function exactly like beacons, but they are similar in that they are cheap tags left in the woods that can feed messages back to your GPSr.

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What about a "homing cache"? Your phone emits a signal that powers and bounces the signal off a cheap tag left in the area. Your phone picks up the faint signal and you follow that to the cheap tag, which has the cache.

 

Isn't that sort of how chirp caches work? I know they don't function exactly like beacons, but they are similar in that they are cheap tags left in the woods that can feed messages back to your GPSr.

 

The MP3 caches work similar too.

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