Geocaching Australia

I installed Geosphere on to my Iphone the other day, and trialled it to locate a known cache.

The compass couldn't point to get me closer than 40 metres. Is this an iPhone thing, a problem with Geosphere or was i doing something wrong?

<edit: a 16GB iPhone 3GS>

I think it's an iPhone thing. I use the Groundspeak Geocaching app which is very good to get me in the general area of the cache but then use an etrex to get me the rest of the way.
The Iphone seems to struggle in updating its coordinates. I have a 3Gs iPhone - but the lag and accuracy seems to be even worse since I upgraded to the OS 4.0. Either that or the v4.0 of the groundspeak app is worse than the one before becasue they both upgraded at the same time.

It is v4 of the groundspeak app. I have not yet upgraded my iphone to os4 as the backup keeps crashing, but have upgraded the app and the tracking is so much worse than it used to be... anyone would think they are trying to discourage its use!!!

I have to say that I consider it to be both.

I am in the country and rarely (almost never) have 3G coverage and the iPhone is very poor in updating and getting GPS co-ords. Often times out.

Also since upgrading to v4.0 and the groundspeak app I feel it has gone backwards. I regret doing this now. Almost unusable in 2G coverage.

Heres some interesting tests on smart phones vs GPSr accuracy:
http://rnr.davidlokshin.com/post/825290568

Verdict: Not even close...

CraigRat wrote:Heres some interesting tests on smart phones vs GPSr accuracy:
http://rnr.davidlokshin.com/post/825290568

Verdict: Not even close...

That does it for me - app is definitely gone!!

10 bucks down the drain

I've been using Geosphere on the iPad (3G+wi-fi) lately, and I love it! Very easy to download pocket queries, and very accurate GPSr, as good as my etrex. Sometimes the compass points in strange directions, particularly when walking, but otherwise no complaints. I prefer it over the etrex now, unless I'm going bush, and don't want to trash the iPad.

I did use the Trimble application on the Nokia phone a few times when it was still free, and found that would quite happily lead me close enough to a find. While I would prefer the dedicated GPS I occasionally had a work trip without warning and found myself interstate without the chance to pre do pocket queries for where I was going to be. So the Nokia phone GPS seemed to work fairly well.

ian-and-penny wrote:

CraigRat wrote:Heres some interesting tests on smart phones vs GPSr accuracy:
http://rnr.davidlokshin.com/post/825290568

Verdict: Not even close...

That does it for me - app is definitely gone!!

10 bucks down the drain

I went through the same procedure a year ago when I got my iPhone. I read on here about geosphere V GC App, bought geosphere and tried to find a cache. I found the cache with instinct and the iPhone was still pointing 35m away. The Oregon had GZ as dead accurate. That was the first and last time I tried to find a cache solely using the iPhone.

That being said, if I am in the inner city I do find it handy to use the App to bring up the location of the cache on Google Maps Satellite View. Just ignore where it 'thinks' you are

Thanks for posting that link CraigRat. Very interesting and it confirms my opinion on the iPhone for caching, a bit slow in refreshing the position but quite adequate to get you to GZ!
I have had no problems with the Groundspeak application for finding caches and the recent upgrade works great with iOS4 on a 3GS.
I have been tempted to get something like Geosphere to enable me to find GCA caches easily with it as well but hopefully CraigRat will be coming up with something in a web application soon!
While I wait I can find GCA caches with the groundspeak app anyway with the waypoint feature. I even found a Terracache with it yesterday!