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Using a handheld GPS


Mattallicawolf

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Hi all, sorry if this has been mentioned to death

 

I use a smartphone for Geocaching, I have 20gb data a month so that isn't an issue but the battery life on my phone is dire.

 

I am thinking of investing in a GPS but literally have no idea how it works, or whether a smart phone's benefits outweigh the negative phone battery. I've been reading into chirp caches and some of the benefits of having a dedicated GPS device.

 

Is it a case that on a handheld GPS I input the data directly from a PC and away I go? Or do some GPS devices have a version of the app installed?

 

I like the ease of being able to not plan my caching ahead of time , such as yesterday when I found my self a couple of hours to kill, I imagine thats not the case with a GPS?

 

Can anyone recommend a GPS device (UK) that doesn't break the bank?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Matt

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Hi all, sorry if this has been mentioned to death

 

I use a smartphone for Geocaching, I have 20gb data a month so that isn't an issue but the battery life on my phone is dire.

My iPhone's battery just plain drains right down to nothing. So I dug a couple of power banks out of a junk box. You can buy small USB power banks cheap. Bring two. :anicute:

 

For a handheld GPSr, you'll need to carry extra barreries, too.

 

I am thinking of investing in a GPS but literally have no idea how it works, or whether a smart phone's benefits outweigh the negative phone battery. I've been reading into chirp caches and some of the benefits of having a dedicated GPS device.

Many phones have "ANT" receivers built-in. My Samsung tablet does. There are Apps that work with ANT to read Chirp. The Geocaching App "Locus Maps Pro" can access Chirp. Also, there are external ANT receivers that plug in.

 

Is it a case that on a handheld GPS I input the data directly from a PC and away I go? Or do some GPS devices have a version of the app installed?

Some high-end models run Android and work on wifi. If you're keeping your phone, you could devise a plan to use both a GPSr and your phone for Geocaching. For example, when a new cache pops up, type the coords into the GPSr and go.

 

I like the ease of being able to not plan my caching ahead of time , such as yesterday when I found my self a couple of hours to kill, I imagine thats not the case with a GPS?

You can load 1000 caches at a time, using Pocket Queries. Mine cover an area of about 100 miles, and if I'll be traveling beyond that, I load a PQ for wherever I'm heading. That plan works for me.

 

If you have your phone basically set up for caching, you can load a cache or two that were not loaded in the GPSr, when you need live info.

 

Can anyone recommend a GPS device (UK) that doesn't break the bank?

There are tons of recommendations around the Forum. You may find a used Garmin 450 or 550 or one on sale.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Matt

Edited by kunarion
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I use a smartphone for Geocaching, I have 20gb data a month so that isn't an issue but the battery life on my phone is dire.

My iPhone's battery just plain drains right down to nothing. So I dug a couple of power banks out of a junk box. You can buy small USB power banks cheap. Bring two. :anicute:

 

For a handheld GPSr, you'll need to carry extra barreries, too.

Keep in mind that using a powerbank means that you'll be holding the phone in your hand with the powerbank attached. With a GPSr, you'll switch out the AA's and won't be holding anything extra in your hands.

 

If you have a GPSr, then your phone can still be useful for filling in the gaps. For example, if you decide on some spontaneous caching in an area that you don't have loaded onto your GPSr. I also find that it's easier to use the phone when working through stages of multi-caches. Phones are also useful for Wherigo caches, as only a couple Garmin GPSr's (I don't recall which models) support Wherigo cartridges. A combination of GPSr and phone may be preferable.

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I use a smartphone for Geocaching, I have 20gb data a month so that isn't an issue but the battery life on my phone is dire.

My iPhone's battery just plain drains right down to nothing. So I dug a couple of power banks out of a junk box. You can buy small USB power banks cheap. Bring two. :anicute:

 

For a handheld GPSr, you'll need to carry extra barreries, too.

Keep in mind that using a powerbank means that you'll be holding the phone in your hand with the powerbank attached. With a GPSr, you'll switch out the AA's and won't be holding anything extra in your hands.

 

If you have a GPSr, then your phone can still be useful for filling in the gaps. For example, if you decide on some spontaneous caching in an area that you don't have loaded onto your GPSr. I also find that it's easier to use the phone when working through stages of multi-caches. Phones are also useful for Wherigo caches, as only a couple Garmin GPSr's (I don't recall which models) support Wherigo cartridges. A combination of GPSr and phone may be preferable.

 

there are some pretty slick battery cases for iphones, nothing extra to hold, added drop protection, all that jazz.

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I use a smartphone for Geocaching, I have 20gb data a month so that isn't an issue but the battery life on my phone is dire.

My iPhone's battery just plain drains right down to nothing. So I dug a couple of power banks out of a junk box. You can buy small USB power banks cheap. Bring two. :anicute:

 

For a handheld GPSr, you'll need to carry extra barreries, too.

Keep in mind that using a powerbank means that you'll be holding the phone in your hand with the powerbank attached. With a GPSr, you'll switch out the AA's and won't be holding anything extra in your hands.

 

If you have a GPSr, then your phone can still be useful for filling in the gaps. For example, if you decide on some spontaneous caching in an area that you don't have loaded onto your GPSr. I also find that it's easier to use the phone when working through stages of multi-caches. Phones are also useful for Wherigo caches, as only a couple Garmin GPSr's (I don't recall which models) support Wherigo cartridges. A combination of GPSr and phone may be preferable.

Having to use a power bank can be cumbersome. In the case of a handheld gpsr, sure it's good to carry spare batteries. The thing is, they don't run out of juice nearly as quickly as most phones do. Many, maybe most, will run 8 or more hours on a set of batteries. As far as recommendations, i still use my antique Garmin 76csx so haven't had much experience with newer units. Because several friends use it, i do know that the Garmin Etrex 20 is inexpensive and a good unit. Only thing is, i don't think it has chirp capabilities so you would have to maybe move up to the 30, 35. There are other models as well but i'm thinking cost will be going up when you move from the Etrex line.

 

Most gpsrs can hold cache information but you do have to make sure you have it downloaded into the unit before you head out. You get this via pocket queries from the geocaching site. These are available for you since you're already a premium member.

 

As said above, your phone will come in handy for those on the fly moments when you want to do some quick caching or look up additional information.

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I use a Galaxy S4 currently, and tbh I had never thought of looking at a replacement battery, I will have a look to see if the S4 has an ANT receiver built in :)

 

I will look at the other threads around recommended GPS units too!

 

Thanks

You can get replacement batteries for your S4 off ebay or other websites for less then $10. Check the reviews though, they are not all created equal. My old SII, I used to take 3 or 4 spares. My new S5 I have only one spare.

 

If you are looking for a handheld GPS, what is your price range. You can get used from as low as $30 (eg. old eTrex Venture HC) or new as high as $800 (eg. Garmin Monterra). There is a huge variance in price. They will all give you good accuracy, but of course, the more features, the higher price.

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I use a Galaxy S4 currently, and tbh I had never thought of looking at a replacement battery, I will have a look to see if the S4 has an ANT receiver built in :)

 

I will look at the other threads around recommended GPS units too!

 

Thanks

 

If your S4 has an ANT receiver, there is an Android app called 'Chip' from WLSoft. It was created for the purpose of finding Chirp geocaches. There are more than one app in the Android Market called Chirp, so make sure you download the right one. On my Galaxy S6, it actually works marginally better than my Garmin.

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I use a Galaxy S4 currently, and tbh I had never thought of looking at a replacement battery, I will have a look to see if the S4 has an ANT receiver built in :)

 

I will look at the other threads around recommended GPS units too!

 

Thanks

 

If your S4 has an ANT receiver, there is an Android app called 'Chip' from WLSoft. It was created for the purpose of finding Chirp geocaches. There are more than one app in the Android Market called Chirp, so make sure you download the right one. On my Galaxy S6, it actually works marginally better than my Garmin.

Could you give more details on that app. I can't seem to find it.

 

Edit: Nevermind, just a little hard to find as it is not very popular

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.wlsoft.chirp&hl=en

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If you are looking for a decent inexpensive unit, look at the eTrex line. The eTrex 10 and 20 are good budget units.

 

I use a phone and GPS. Probably the GPS 80 percent of the time. After several years of using both, this is how I see it.

 

GPS advantages.

Battery life. I can get a full day of caching, plus some out of a pair of AAs. If they die, I quickly slip in fresh pair. To save money in the long term I bought a charger and rechargeable batteries.

Reception. I've heard some people claim that their phone gets great reception. I haven't seen that. My GPS gets better reception than my phone, by a lot

Accuracy. I find the GPS to be much more accurate, especially for hiding but also for finding.

Durability. GPS units are built to take abuse. I've dropped them rocks, had one fall off the roof of my car at 25 mph, sat on them and generally banged them around and they can take it.

Waterproof. Drop it in a stream, get caught with it out in a sudden downpour, use it in snowstorm, no problem.

Screen readability. I can actually read my GPS screen in direct sunlight. In fact the brighter the sunlight, the better the readability. My phone is really hard to see on sunny days.

Reception everywhere. As long as you are outdoors you should have reception.

 

GPS disadvantages.

You need to plan ahead and load caches to it. It's not a difficult process and most can hold 2k caches or more, but unless you refresh it frequently you will be using outdated info. And you can find yourself in a location where you neglected to download the caches.

No field logging capability. I prefer to log at home when I can sit down and write a decent log, but some prefer to log in the field and this could be an issue for them.

Images don't render on caches pages. When you display cache info you won't see any images.

 

Smart phone advantages.

No need for pre planning. Wherever you are (as long as you have reception) just flick on your geocaching app and any nearby caches will be on it.

Field logging. Log your find or DNF right at the cache site while it is fresh in your memory.

Map variety. Move easily between road, topo and satellite view maps. It can be done with GPS units, but it takes a number of steps and you are limited by storage capacity. Also satellite imagery isn't nearly as clear on a GPS screen as it is on a phone.

Convenience. You are likely to have your phone wherever you go. No need to remember to bring another device.

Real time caching. If a cache is published while you are in the field, it will be available to you. You will also see the latest logs, even if someone was there an hour before you. No need for a fresh download to see newly published caches.

 

Smart phone disadvantages.

Battery life. Caching can drain your battery fast. If you are traveling between caches in your vehicle where it can recharge in between, it's not an issue, but once you step off the beaten path it can be. There are charging power packs, but that means you are holding two devices connected with a cable. Awkward and that cable always finds a way to snag on branches.

Screen readability. Screen washes out in sunlight. You need to find some sort of shade to read it. I pull my shirt over my head and read it underneath, but that looks just plain weird to passersby.

Lack of durability and water resistance. You hopefully have insurance on your smart phone if you use it for caching, because if you fall in a stream, get caught in a unexpected downpour or drop it on rocks, there is a good chance you will have an expensive brick.

Depends on website availability. The geocaching.com website is very reliable, but it does go down once in a while. If that happens while you are out caching you are out of luck.

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If you are looking for a decent inexpensive unit, look at the eTrex line. The eTrex 10 and 20 are good budget units.

 

I use a phone and GPS. Probably the GPS 80 percent of the time. After several years of using both, this is how I see it.

 

GPS advantages.

Battery life. I can get a full day of caching, plus some out of a pair of AAs. If they die, I quickly slip in fresh pair. To save money in the long term I bought a charger and rechargeable batteries.

Reception. I've heard some people claim that their phone gets great reception. I haven't seen that. My GPS gets better reception than my phone, by a lot

Accuracy. I find the GPS to be much more accurate, especially for hiding but also for finding.

Durability. GPS units are built to take abuse. I've dropped them rocks, had one fall off the roof of my car at 25 mph, sat on them and generally banged them around and they can take it.

Waterproof. Drop it in a stream, get caught with it out in a sudden downpour, use it in snowstorm, no problem.

Screen readability. I can actually read my GPS screen in direct sunlight. In fact the brighter the sunlight, the better the readability. My phone is really hard to see on sunny days.

Reception everywhere. As long as you are outdoors you should have reception.

 

GPS disadvantages.

You need to plan ahead and load caches to it. It's not a difficult process and most can hold 2k caches or more, but unless you refresh it frequently you will be using outdated info. And you can find yourself in a location where you neglected to download the caches.

No field logging capability. I prefer to log at home when I can sit down and write a decent log, but some prefer to log in the field and this could be an issue for them.

Images don't render on caches pages. When you display cache info you won't see any images.

 

Smart phone advantages.

No need for pre planning. Wherever you are (as long as you have reception) just flick on your geocaching app and any nearby caches will be on it.

Field logging. Log your find or DNF right at the cache site while it is fresh in your memory.

Map variety. Move easily between road, topo and satellite view maps. It can be done with GPS units, but it takes a number of steps and you are limited by storage capacity. Also satellite imagery isn't nearly as clear on a GPS screen as it is on a phone.

Convenience. You are likely to have your phone wherever you go. No need to remember to bring another device.

Real time caching. If a cache is published while you are in the field, it will be available to you. You will also see the latest logs, even if someone was there an hour before you. No need for a fresh download to see newly published caches.

 

Smart phone disadvantages.

Battery life. Caching can drain your battery fast. If you are traveling between caches in your vehicle where it can recharge in between, it's not an issue, but once you step off the beaten path it can be. There are charging power packs, but that means you are holding two devices connected with a cable. Awkward and that cable always finds a way to snag on branches.

Screen readability. Screen washes out in sunlight. You need to find some sort of shade to read it. I pull my shirt over my head and read it underneath, but that looks just plain weird to passersby.

Lack of durability and water resistance. You hopefully have insurance on your smart phone if you use it for caching, because if you fall in a stream, get caught in a unexpected downpour or drop it on rocks, there is a good chance you will have an expensive brick.

Depends on website availability. The geocaching.com website is very reliable, but it does go down once in a while. If that happens while you are out caching you are out of luck.

 

Instead of leasing/renting electronics from a carrier, we just pay for them, so insurance isn't an issue.

 

We also only buy waterproof devices now, mine are rugged, the wife prefers not to have the rugged exterior, no cases, nothing. Her moto g took a 5' drop into a creek bed, while we were hiking last week near gct380. I expected to be ordering another $60 phone on the way home to replace hers, but when she picked it up, it was fine. Screen down, sickening thwaaap, but no damage? Cool! Her battery dropped %12 during caching and recording a gpx of the 5 1/2 hour hike.

 

The five inch display I'm testing this week looks like a good candidate for caching, with IPS display, LTE, and a quad core. $39 at any Walmart.... Ya I won't worry about insurance :-)

Edited by ohgood
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Okay, weird question coming up.

Newb at the same time btw :anibad:

Would it be possible at all to use maps? Because I love maps and I find the use of them a lot more exciting, with a sort of "cut off from" the world touch.

Any idea if this would be possible at all?

There are a number of cachers who have thousands of finds using only maps and sattelite images. So yes, it is possible.

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If you are looking for a decent inexpensive unit, look at the eTrex line. The eTrex 10 and 20 are good budget units.

 

I use a phone and GPS. Probably the GPS 80 percent of the time. After several years of using both, this is how I see it.

 

GPS advantages.

Battery life. I can get a full day of caching, plus some out of a pair of AAs. If they die, I quickly slip in fresh pair. To save money in the long term I bought a charger and rechargeable batteries.

Reception. I've heard some people claim that their phone gets great reception. I haven't seen that. My GPS gets better reception than my phone, by a lot

Accuracy. I find the GPS to be much more accurate, especially for hiding but also for finding.

Durability. GPS units are built to take abuse. I've dropped them rocks, had one fall off the roof of my car at 25 mph, sat on them and generally banged them around and they can take it.

Waterproof. Drop it in a stream, get caught with it out in a sudden downpour, use it in snowstorm, no problem.

Screen readability. I can actually read my GPS screen in direct sunlight. In fact the brighter the sunlight, the better the readability. My phone is really hard to see on sunny days.

Reception everywhere. As long as you are outdoors you should have reception.

 

GPS disadvantages.

You need to plan ahead and load caches to it. It's not a difficult process and most can hold 2k caches or more, but unless you refresh it frequently you will be using outdated info. And you can find yourself in a location where you neglected to download the caches.

No field logging capability. I prefer to log at home when I can sit down and write a decent log, but some prefer to log in the field and this could be an issue for them.

Images don't render on caches pages. When you display cache info you won't see any images.

 

Smart phone advantages.

No need for pre planning. Wherever you are (as long as you have reception) just flick on your geocaching app and any nearby caches will be on it.

Field logging. Log your find or DNF right at the cache site while it is fresh in your memory.

Map variety. Move easily between road, topo and satellite view maps. It can be done with GPS units, but it takes a number of steps and you are limited by storage capacity. Also satellite imagery isn't nearly as clear on a GPS screen as it is on a phone.

Convenience. You are likely to have your phone wherever you go. No need to remember to bring another device.

Real time caching. If a cache is published while you are in the field, it will be available to you. You will also see the latest logs, even if someone was there an hour before you. No need for a fresh download to see newly published caches.

 

Smart phone disadvantages.

Battery life. Caching can drain your battery fast. If you are traveling between caches in your vehicle where it can recharge in between, it's not an issue, but once you step off the beaten path it can be. There are charging power packs, but that means you are holding two devices connected with a cable. Awkward and that cable always finds a way to snag on branches.

Screen readability. Screen washes out in sunlight. You need to find some sort of shade to read it. I pull my shirt over my head and read it underneath, but that looks just plain weird to passersby.

Lack of durability and water resistance. You hopefully have insurance on your smart phone if you use it for caching, because if you fall in a stream, get caught in a unexpected downpour or drop it on rocks, there is a good chance you will have an expensive brick.

Depends on website availability. The geocaching.com website is very reliable, but it does go down once in a while. If that happens while you are out caching you are out of luck.

 

My experience, exactly.

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Okay, weird question coming up.

Newb at the same time btw :anibad:

Would it be possible at all to use maps? Because I love maps and I find the use of them a lot more exciting, with a sort of "cut off from" the world touch.

Any idea if this would be possible at all?

 

Absolutely yes!

 

There are tons of great YouTube videos showing and explaining how to plot routes with compass and map, grid lines, etc

 

I say go for it, it's a great way to disconnect

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if you have been using a smartphone think about if you need a GPS with touchscreen or if you would be happy to go back to buttons. A touch screen was one of my must haves and a good map. The touchscreen on mine is not as slick as a phone, but I didn't expect it to be. Have a think about the features you like on your phone and the ones you could live without look for that in a GPS.

 

I am in the UK, I managed to get a second hand (but like new, not a scratch on it) oregon 450 for £100 with OS map. I got a good buy, GPS are more expensive here, I wish we could get them for the second hand $ prices I see on the forum. Here you can buy a new etrex 10 for £70 but i considered it better to spend a bit more and get a newer secondhand model.

 

The only issue with second hand is you can't return it so you need to be sure of your choice, research, research and do some more research (i didn't do enough) search on here and look for the potential issues - there are problem with windows 10 and garmin communicator but this is not needed if you are a premium member.

 

Loading the caches is no where near as easy as a smartphone, I struggled with it but once I go it working its fine, you will get used to it, ask on here if you need to, the experts here were really good and patient with me.

 

Overall I am really pleased with my oregon.

 

Can I ask what the 'r' means after GPS, I keep seeing GPS units referred to as GPSr.

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[...] Can I ask what the 'r' means after GPS, I keep seeing GPS units referred to as GPSr.

 

Yes, you can. And you may as well. ;-)

GPS stands for the system (global positioning system)

GPSr is the receiver using the GPS sytem.

 

Hans

Edited by HHL
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Images don't render on caches pages. When you display cache info you won't see any images.

 

I load caches on my Oregon 600 and also load images. This is done with GSAK + garminexport macro and sendimagestogarmin macro. Although images are not rendered in the description, I have them on the GPS if I should need a spoiler.

Edited by on4bam
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