Groundspeak's Geocaching Android Application Tutorial
Searching for Geocaches on the Android
There are a few ways to search for geocaches on the Geocaching for Android application. 'Find Nearby Geocaches' provides a list of geocaches around your current location, with the one nearest you located on top. You can also search for listings by Location (address, postal code, coordinates) or by the GC code of a geocache.
Hitting 'MENU' from the search screen will give you the following options:
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Settings — This is where you can change general settings to personalize your experience on the Android Application. See the 'Settings' section below for more information.
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Help — This section provides information about geocaching, including a tutorial, and a link to online discussions regarding the Android Application.
The results page for all searches will display the geocache name, GC number, coordinates, geocache size and difficulty and terrain ratings. To view geocaches on a map, click MENU and then 'View Caches on Map.' To sort the listings by GC Code or title rather than by distance, click MENU and then select the appropriate option under 'Sort.'
Geocache Details
Select the geocache listing that you want to view. You will be taken to the geocache details page.
Sections on this page include:
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Navigate to Geocache — – Helps you navigate to the geocache using the map or compass (see 'Navigating to the Geocache' below for a detailed description).
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Save for Offline Use — Saves the listing so that you can access it when you are not connected to the internet.
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Description — Provides you with the same description information found on the geocache listing page on Geocaching.com.
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Recent Logs — Displays the most recent logs for the geocache listing.
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Hint — A hint regarding the geocache hide for those times when you are having difficulty finding the geocache. This button will only be highlighted if the geocache owner has provided a hint.
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Attributes — Helpful information regarding the geocache hide and location. Examples of attributes include 'recommended for kids,' 'dogs allowed' and 'stroller accessible.' This button will only be highlighted if the geocache owner has assigned attributes to the geocache.
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Inventory — A list of Trackables in a geocache. Click on the Trackable's name for information on its current location, goal, etc. This button will only be highlighted if there are Trackables listed in the geocache.
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Photos — This button will be highlighted if there are photos submitted with geocache logs.
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Post a Log/Field Note — Log your find or post a field note that you can later use as a log directly from the website (see steps for posting below).
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Find Nearby Geocaches — Search for geocaches located nearest the current selected geocache.
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View on Geocaching.com — Opens the Android browser and takes you to the geocache listing on Geocaching.com. If you select this option, you will be exiting the application.
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View on External Map — View the geocache location on alternate maps (including Google Maps, Bing Maps and Yahoo! Maps).
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Navigating to the Geocache
Click 'Navigate to Geocache' to see the geocache location relative to your current location on the map (see the 'Settings' section below to learn how to change your default navigation setting to compass view).
Clicking on MENU will give you the following view options:
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My Location — Centers the map on your location.
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Map Mode — Choose whether you prefer to see a Street or Satellite view of the map.
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Compass — Switch to a compass view that will help guide you to the geocache location. The red arrow points toward the geocache coordinates. The distance remaining to the coordinates is displayed at the top of the compass page.
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Add Waypoint — Add a new waypoint based on your current location or from coordinates that you enter. This is helpful when finding Multi-Caches or Puzzle Caches.
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Logging a Geocache
To submit a log to Geocaching.com or a field note that can be submitted as a log at a later date follow these steps:
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Click on the geocache listing
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Scroll down and click on 'Post a Log/Field Note'
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Click 'Log Type' and select the option that best fits your log type
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Click 'Message' and enter your log note that will appear on the geocache page
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[In the 'Auto-Post as Log' drop-down, select 'On' if you wish to submit a log. Select 'Off' if you would prefer to submit a field note that you can post as a log on the website at a later time.]
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Click on 'Save and Dismiss' to save your log or field note in the application for later use. This will not submit the log or field note to Geocaching.com. The feature is most often used when you have no network connectivity. To access these logs later, go to the 'Settings' option under 'MENU' from the original search screen.
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If you would like to submit your log or field note to the website, click 'Submit to Geocaching.com.'
About Field Notes
Field notes are a good way to keep track of the geocaches that you find when you are not prepared to write a complete log. Once you have submitted a field note, it becomes available on Geocaching.com by clicking on the link 'Access My Field Notes' on your 'My Account' page. You will then have the option to edit the log and post it to the geocache listing.
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Settings
Visit the main search screen and select 'MENU' to access the Settings section of the Application. You will have the following options available:
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Search Filters — Change your search filter to 'Basic' if you only want to see traditional geocaches or 'Advanced' if you want to see all geocache types. Select 'Hide Finds' if you want your finds hidden in the search results.
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Units — Select either 'Miles/Ft' or 'KM/Meters' for your distance measurements.
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Database Location — Select Phone or SD Card as your Database Location.
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Search for GPX files on the SD Card — Access GPX files from an SD card.
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Pocket Queries
Geocaching.com Premium Members have the ability to download their
Pocket Queries
directly on the application. Pocket Queries are custom geocache searches around a specific location. Each query can include up to 1000 geocache listings.
Steps for accessing a Pocket Query on the Android:
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On the website, visit
http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/
to create a Pocket Query. Choose to receive the results in .GPX format.
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After the Pocket Query has been generated, login to the Android application and press 'Pocket Queries' from the main search screen.
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Choose the Query that you would like to access.
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When the download is complete, return to the main search screen using the back button.
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Press 'Offline Lists' and select the name of the Pocket Query to access the results.
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Clicking 'MENU' from here will give you sorting options, the ability to view the results on a map as well as the ability to delete the Pocket Query.
Once you have downloaded a Pocket Query, you will be able to access it from the main search page by clicking 'Offline Lists' and selecting the name of the Pocket Query.
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