Apisphere Geomate Jr. Handheld Geocaching GPS Reviews
Apisphere Geomate Jr. Handheld Geocaching GPS
- Clear distance and direction to the closest geocache along with information like size, terrain, difficulty, and GC code
- High-sensitivity GPS performance with core GPS functions like current position, height, and heading
- A “found” list allows you to mark geocaches as found and review them later
- Set a “home” waypoint so you can always navigate back to where you started
- Updatable with the latest U.S. geocaches and caches for other countries with the optional Geomate.jr Update Kit (sold seperately)
The easiest and quickest way to get in on the geocaching fun, the Geomate.Jr is an incredibly affordable and amazingly easy-to-use geocaching GPSjust switch it on anywhere in the United States and be directed to your closest geocache. Its really that easy. With over 250,000 pre-loaded geocache locations covering all 50 U.S. states, its an outdoor adventure just waiting to happen anywhere, anytime, straight out of the box. No downloads, Internet connection or typing in coordinates necessary.The easiest and quickest way to get in on the geocaching fun, the Geomate.jr is an incredibly affordable and amazingly easy to use geocaching GPS–just switch it on anywhere in the U.S., and be directed to your closest geocache. It’s really that easy! With over 250,000 pre-loaded geocache locations covering all 50 U.S. states, it’s an outdoor adventure just waiting to happen anywhere, anytime, straight out of the box! No downloads, internet connection, or typing in coordinates necessary.
List Price: $ 69.95
Price: $ 46.47
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S. Bauer "high_flyer"
March 16, 2011Great little unit!,
Well built, SUPER easy to use! Nothing negative to say…. if your looking for a unit to give to a child this is absolutely the one. It is well built, rugged, and does not cost 200 or more like other GPS units. SIMPLE controls, but has everything you need.
The only drawback (not that it is not clear already with this unit) there are no maps on the display. So particularly if your in a urban area it will give you “as the crow flies” distance to the cache your looking for, without a map on the display it is not always clear which street to go down, or what is between your current location and the cache. REALLY not a big deal.
GREAT family fun!!!!
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|Skippy Jay "SkippyJ"
March 16, 2011Perfect for spontaneous adventures!,
This is the perfect device for on-the-fly geocaching.
I travel alot with work, and I used to find myself wishing I could go geocaching but I didn’t have the time or the means to upload caches. With the Geomate.jr, I can just pull it out, turn it on and go. It travels everywhere with me, in fact it has a permanent place in my bag. I would be more upset if I left it behind, than my cell phone!
I have found over 100 caches with the geomate.jr, it is a shame it doesn’t give the description of the cache, but with the “found’ list, I just log online and read about interesting caches after I have been there. The information it does provide, such as cache size and difficultly is very helpful. I still shy away from small caches! Sometimes I am just not up for the challenge!
I found the navigation to be very accurate, I have never been mis-directed, even in the woods where you would expect coverage to be spotty.
I really would recommend this product to anyone who wants to start geocaching, anyone who has kids and to any seasoned geocachers for the moments when you haven’t planned. It is light weight, small, inexpensive and so easy to use! This would make a fantastic gift for young and old!
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|AlexCartermom
March 16, 2011Fantastic supplemental geocaching tool,
I purchased two of these, one for my kids and one for a friend.
THE GOOD
For my kids, this is the perfect unit. We use the geocaching app on my Iphone as our main geocaching tool to get us into the vicinity and then the kids use their Geomate Jr to get them to the cache. My 6 year old can run into trees with it, fall on it, etc and it takes a licking and keeps on ticking (much better than him doing that with my iphone!) Because we have already been geocaching, we were able to understand how to use this tool after a few button pushes. We did a side-by-side test with my iphone and the Geomate jr and the Geomate updated faster than my iphone and was more accurate under heavy tree cover conditions. Under normal conditions, both the Iphone and Geomate Jr updated at similar times and had readings within 2 feet of each other.
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
This tool is billed as the Grab and Go geocaching tool, so easy that it will encourage everyone to get in the game. Well, not quite. If you aren’t already very familiar with geocaching, trying to figure out what these buttons mean will just be confusing. You will need to read a book or go on the […] website before you’ll understand what a GC code is or have any clue what those coordinates mean. After you do make a find, you can only mark 20 caches as found. You need the update kit to mark up to 99 caches as found (though they represent that it will eventually be up to 1000 found). However, these issues are not a big deal because after you buy the update kit and do some reading, you’re as good as gold.
NO MAPPING
But perhaps the biggest feature that is lacking that truly prevents this unit from being a true Grab and Go unit is the the lack of a mapping capability. For this reason, this is best as a supplemental unit. Mapping is important in geocaching because trying to find a geocache by going 3.6 miles NNE is about impossible to drive to. Roads generally don’t travel in the direction that your compass happens to be pointing. And by the time you take a road in that general direction, the compass will be pointing .6 miles West. You could drive around like this all day. The Iphone app shows the map of the area and where the geocache is located on the map so that you can drive to the general vicinity and then get out and hunt. The work around for this lack of a mapping feature on the Geomate Jr. is to go to the geocaching.com website and print out the maps to the geocaches you want to seek. Of course this relegates you to only planned geocaching trips instead of geocaching on the go because you happen to have a few extra minutes like you can do with the Iphone.
SUMMARY
This is a great supplemental unit and a must have for kids in a family of geocachers. However, unless and until they provide a mapping capability on the Geomate Jr., this is not a true Grab and go unit and may not be the best choice as a stand alone unit.
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