1:00 AM
Paul B
Recently my wife and I decided to get into a pretty awesome game/hobby called Geocaching. Never heard of it? Here is a basic description from Wikipedia, "Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container (usually a tupperware or ammo box) containing a logbook. Larger containers can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is most often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek", sharing many aspects with orienteering, treasure-hunting, and waymarking."
It is really fun, and it is a great thing to do with the whole family on the weekends. Also, with the exception of the GPS equipment, it is basically a free activity your family can do!
Some GPS receivers cost $300 or more! Don't have that kind of cash? Well, do you have a Palm Pre or an iPhone? Then you are in luck! That is exactly what my wife and I use to find our caches! Since I don't use the iPhone, I won't talk about the apps for that, but I will tell you about the apps I use on my Palm Pre.
With these two apps on your Pre, you should be able to find just about anything hidden out there. Well, as long as you have a sharp eye, and a keen wit that is. Do you have the Palm Pre? Do you Geocache? What apps do you use? Do you use a different device for Geocaching? What GPSR is your fav? Hit me up in the comments!
It is really fun, and it is a great thing to do with the whole family on the weekends. Also, with the exception of the GPS equipment, it is basically a free activity your family can do!
Some GPS receivers cost $300 or more! Don't have that kind of cash? Well, do you have a Palm Pre or an iPhone? Then you are in luck! That is exactly what my wife and I use to find our caches! Since I don't use the iPhone, I won't talk about the apps for that, but I will tell you about the apps I use on my Palm Pre.
- Geocaching for WebOS - This app is available in the Palm catalog for free. It lists caches close to your location, but will also allow you to loog for caches close to coordinates, by cache number, by address and more. It is directly linked to Geocaching.com so you can see other Geocacher's comments and clues. There is also a navigation compass to help point you in the right direction.
- GoTo Tool - This app is also available in the Palm catalog, and costs only $4.99. I only downloaded it because the Geocaching for WebOS app wouldn't let me put in my own coordinates manually. That isn't necessary for most caches, but I recently decided to try and find one called "A Treasure Hard To Attain" which I had to crack a cipher to find the actual coordinates and manually plug them into my GPS. GoTo Tool lets you manually plug in your own coordinates and save them for later. Also, with a clear view of the sky the accuracy is about 10ft. I tested it against my friend's Garmin handheld and it was just as if not more accurate than his! Booyah!
With these two apps on your Pre, you should be able to find just about anything hidden out there. Well, as long as you have a sharp eye, and a keen wit that is. Do you have the Palm Pre? Do you Geocache? What apps do you use? Do you use a different device for Geocaching? What GPSR is your fav? Hit me up in the comments!
