First things first. What do I need in a GPSr to go geocaching? What features do I want to make geocaching more enjoyable? What are those extra flashy features that I want because I am a gadget crazy guy?
Well fist off, any gps can get you to the GZ, Ground Zero, but some do it faster and more accurately than others. So what do I need? Any old gps! But to make the experience enjoyable there are some features that I should seriously consider. Such as, accuracy, coordinate management, paperless geocaching, electronic compass, map availability, to name a few. And the features that are just a cherry on top? Well there are units with built in cameras that automatically attach the GPS coordinates to the photo so you know exactly where the photo was taken. There are units that have GPS enabled games. There are units that can communicate with each other to share cache locations, waypoints and tracks. We will take a look at all of these as we take a look at our three GPS categories.
Automotive GPSr
You are likely familiar with this style of gps. Whether it is a Garmin, Magellan or a TomTom, just to name a few. They are designed for automotive use but can be used for geocaching as well. They generally don't have any geocaching features but will accept geocache coordinates and mark them on your screen. The maps installed are road maps and your screen will just be blank with a little arrow on it once you get off road.
The + Side
- Cheap and readily available. Garmin Nuvi 255w is available for $99
- Great turn by turn road directions
- Come preloaded with Road maps
- Most have additional maps for purchase. Such as topographical maps or trail maps.
- Designed to be used on open roads and therefor does not receive a strong signal under tree cover
- Accuracy is usually at best 10m
- Most do not have any geocaching features built in.
To Sum Up
- It will work, you can find caches with it, but it just isn't that great. It isn't what it was designed for and you can tell as soon as you leave the road.
With smart phones quickly taking over the cell phone market it is likely there is already a GPS enabled phone in your house. The only thing you need to get going now is an app! And those can be a lot cheaper than buying a new GPSr unit. I am talking FREE, and who doesn't like that. There are many options for apps based on the model of phone you are using. I won't go into trying to pick a best one as they are very similar and also very subjective. I will mention a few positives and negatives of the genre however.
The + Side
- Cheap and depending on the feature set you want, possibly free!
- Most apps have a cache management system built in to track which you have found already.
- Some apps will communicate directly with www.geocaching.com to make finding caches extremely easy. Even allowing you to log your find from the field.
- A smart phone will allow you to jump onto the internet if you need clues or help solving a puzzle.
- GPS is a secondary function of the phone and as such doesn't have the accuracy of a handheld.
- Most smartphones aren't designed for outdoor roughing it use.
- GPS use on a phone usually dramatically increases power consumption and therefor the battery life will be shortened and because they don't run on AA batteries, when they die in the middle of a cache hunt there usually isn't a plug in available.
To Sum Up
- Smart phones work. They will get you closer than a automotive GPS but aren't ideal for going out into the woods. Staying in your city? Sticking to urban caches? Smart phones will work great there.
Handheld Mapping GPSr
These are ideal. Mostly because GPS companies design models specifically for geocaching
Well I am going to start this off by stating my prejudice. I will never again give magellan my money. I bought a gps unit of theirs some time back. It broke within a month and they would do nothing to help me out. Even though it is supposedly warrantied, they wouldn't help me out. Their customer service is amongst the worst I have ever dealt with. So although Magellan does make handheld gps, some made with geocaching in mind I will not be recommending or even reviewing them.
The + Side
- Purpose built for outdoor use. Almost all will be waterproof and to a certain extent shock proof. Some will even float if dropped into water.
- Built with backwoods reception in mind. Most Garmins and all Delormes come with a very good antenna built in and the latest gps chipset to give you great reception even in the woods, valleys, mountains. My Delorme PN-40 gets 2-3 meter accuracy in almost any condition.
- Most if not all of the modern handhelds have a geocaching function built in. This will allow you to upload not just the coordinates but also the name, rating, previous logs and hint. This can be extremely valuable when you just can't find the darned cache.
- Most handheld gps units are designed to run off of AA batteries. Each different model will have a different run time but most are in the 4-6 hour range. This can be extended by using higher quality batteries such as rechargeables. I can usually get around 6-8 hours with my PN-40 with rechargeable NIMH batteries. The nice thing about AA batteries is that it is easy to carry extras and easy to change.
The - Side
- No internet connection means that you are unable to log from the field or get help off of the web.
To Sum Up
- All round best class of device to use. The trick now is deciding which one to get. In the next blog I will cover off a handful of the most common handheld units covering the whole price range.
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