new GCA android app

[mtrax]

A question from a noob GA cacher user. can i log my finds from the app? I seem to remeber seeing the option at some stge but am having lots of trouble getting it to show up again.

alas not yet above the only thing I can do till GCA have authentication is redirect you to the log page, which I'll try and add in the next release.

[CraigRat]

Yep, the problem is at our end and is going to require a heap of work to get in-app logging to work.

I may be able to do it via a browser instance keeping all the authentication on our side... in fact I have played with it and got it to work from my web based mobile trial.

I'll try to get something workable when possible

For now mtrax, you could open a browser instance that points to http://geocaching.com.au/my/log/new/<waypoint>
The mobile method will be quite similar but to a different URL without all menus and headers and stuff.

[mtrax]

another option in the interim to do offline logging, I could do is build a fieldnotes file to upload into GCA

[gregandjudi]

Have been challenged all week trying to get geohunter to work when I discovered this was available. Should log into forums more often, would save me a lot of time and stress.

Thankyou for your work on this app, I am very happy with it to date. Since buying android I have not looked at GCA caches before going out, then been frustrated when I get home and discover online what we have missed. This will certainly get us out and about our GCA caches.
Thankyou again

[mtrax]

just uploaded a new release with some small changes.

* waypoints are now sorted by distance from your location
* app is registered as browser for GCA cache links which will load and displace selected cache
eg if email contains link like: http://geocaching.com.au/cache/tp5699

Paul

[kennythe1st]

just uploaded a new release with some small changes. Paul

HTC Desire S. Installed the app Wed I think and it checked out OK in my work location. Looks quite useful thanks. Today at home I installed the upgrade. Went outside for the app to get the GPS fix and curiously it resolved my location as Faraday (nr Sutton Grange) which is 70km from home near Daylesford. Then tried Map view and it showed the target and pulsing blue button in Faraday. Switched to List view and the app bombed - sent the crash info to Google.

I'm not sure the Faraday issue is an app problem as I suspect that initialisation is the Android GPS funnction?

Anyone else had a similar mis-location issue?

Kenny

[mtrax]

just uploaded a new release with some small changes. Paul

Then tried Map view and it showed the target and pulsing blue button in Faraday. Switched to List view and the app bombed - sent the crash info to Google.

I'm not sure the Faraday issue is an app problem as I suspect that initialisation is the Android GPS funnction?

Anyone else had a similar mis-location issue?

Kenny

FYI the full crash info doesn't go to me , but if you can send some of the logcat data to me that would help you can use something like alogcat app.
that is if you can repeat the crash

[kennythe1st]

Well today it mis-located plenty and crashed plenty and finally out in the open (i.e. on a windswept cutover forest hill above everything within a few kms radius) where there was great 3G reception as well as satellite reception, everything worked fine. So I guess you will tell me that somewhere in the written or unwritten guide, is a tip about being in 3G range. That's OK, I can live with that.

Read on only if you like too much info.

The location thing really bugged me as it was evident in one or two of the other GPS based apps as well. Apart from Faraday, it would just as consistently show North Fitzroy. Once at home it was showing Faraday (70 km N) and when I moved it a metre it flashed the correct location then straight onto North Fitzroy. Now we did drive through Faraday 4 weeks ago and did live in N Fitz 18 months ago. For N Fitz I am guessing some historical special contact/Telstra account setting carried through when Telstra transferred info from my old phone. As for Faraday - Farout!

My observations over the course of the day at home , then driving then maintaining a cache then going for a bush walk, lead me to believe that when the phone is first switched on (or a GPS app selected) it grabs an initial reference (coarse or fine?) internally. Then if the phone is static no attempt is made to validate that location, probably as a power saving measure. The same occurs, if later is temporarily out of sight of satellite/3G.

Why are others not having these issues? My guess is that they live in towns or cities where 3G is always there. That fits with my first experience last week when I used it in a city. But then it could simply be my inexperience with Android ...

Anyway the app seems to work fine in town Mtrax. Thanks, Kenny

[gmj3191]

I have a plain ordinary Desire, and have found the GPS to be very accurate.
My Oregon, my Sony camera, and my Oregon 550 all take a from seconds up to at most a minute to get a fix when first turned on.
The camera is annoying as if you just turn it on and then a picture, it gets georeferenced back to the last place where the GPS had a fix unless you allow some time for it to get a new lock.

The phone you need to turn on and let settle too for c:geo, munzee, or whatever you're using.

But you're problem sounds more like a fault than a GPS settling problem.

If you're only having issues with apps that download maps I can understand the 3G relationship.

[kennythe1st]

At home when I took it outside, it was there for 15-20 minutes - our GPSrs in this exact location need just minutes to find out where they are aafter a move. The GPS symbol at top of Desire screen would go on for maybe 5 seconds every minute or so.

No other issues with the phone nor apps. Have used Navigation 2 or 3 times to test driving instructions and it has worked well both in Bendigo and out in the countryside.

In Sunbury this morning, started phone up and when home screen showed it had already located itself in Sunbury. Then started GA Cacher and Sunbury came up almost instantly. So yes, 3G, or lack of it, does seem to have a strong influence.

bte I doubt the Desire S is much different to your Desire apart from having Telstra logos on startup. Think yourself lucky

Weather permitting, will use it this week to try for GA3180 in Sunbury on an evening walk. Thanks for your responses, Kenny

[fluffyfish]

Apologies if this question is stoopid but I am an Android noob.

I was having trouble entering my Geocaching Australia User name in the Settings. It wanted to capitalise the first letter of my user name i.e. Fluffyfish when it should be fluffyfish. Not sure whether this is a phone issue or an app issue. I'm using a Huawei U8300 on 2.1

Everything else is working well with the app and looking forward to using it!

[caughtatwork]

It will be your phone. First letters are probably capitalised. Scroll back and change it to lowercase and it should stick.

[mtrax]

Yep, the problem is at our end and is going to require a heap of work to get in-app logging to work.

For now mtrax, you could open a browser instance that points to http://geocaching.com.au/my/log/new/<waypoint>
The mobile method will be quite similar but to a different URL without all menus and headers and stuff.

Interim solution to allow logging in the field app will launch browser from List and details screens
I've uploaded v0.13 to the Market with this new menu option