• Published:August 22nd, 2008
• Comments:No Comment
• Category:Message Boards, Product, Technology

Geocaching is a hobby in which you use a GPS device to locate hidden boxes (“caches”) by looking for coordinates posted on www.geocaching.com. Although the hobby itself is pretty easy to do, it requires one piece of technical equipment: the GPS device. Since there are a wide variety of receivers with a huge array of features, a relative newcomer might be overwhelmed when trying to figure out which model might be best.

Never fear! On the Geocaching website there’s a discussion forum, and one of the topic areas is “GPS and Technology”. Perhaps you can get some buying tips there.In fact, there is currently a thread posted there entitled What is the best GPS you can get for cheap?, I’m pretty sure a lot of people want to know.

Seems like a simple and obvious request here on the Geocaching.com forums, yes? Well keep in mind that when it comes to technology you’re dealing with geeks, and for geeks, the best way they can help you when you ask a question is to demonstrate how the question was stupid.

reef mapper starts us off by deciding that he’s had enough of the whole “online community” thing.

Go and do your own online work

The smiley lets you know he’s just kidding around, but he still fails to answer the question.

Wesbo, however, feels he just can’t recommend a good inexpensive GPS receiver on the Geocaching.com website because there’s not enough information in the question to go on:

Best for what? Geocaching? Boating? Getting to and from the mall? You can get a used etrex for a song on ebay and you can get a Trimble surveying setup with sub-centimeter accuracy for the price of a pretty nice car.

Need some specifics…

Motorcycle Mama agrees that it’s impossible to suss out what this guy on the Geocaching.com’s forum wants a GPS for:

What are your intended uses? (geocachin, car, motorcycle, hiking, boating, other?)

Source GPS wishes that Sherlock Holmes were around to deduce the poster’s (on the Geocaching.com forums) intended use of the GPS device:

I have to agree with MM. You need to identify what the primary use will be – then you can narrow down your choices by price.

ryleyinstl takes a bold and misspelled gamble:

I’m going to take a leap here and say you want an “affordable” GPRs for geocashing.

Amazingly, he actually recommends a unit!

jmundinger thinks ryleyinstl’s detective work might be good, but he still hesitates:

And, although I have some level of agreement with those who suggest that the question can’t be answered without also knowing something about intended use and budget, I’d note that the Venture HC will do (and do well) everything that a person has a right to expect from a consumer grade gpsr.

LEGO Cacher brings the hilarity:

Here’s the best “cheap” GPS’er that you can get: (photo of a magnetic compass).

Finally, KUBLECLAN takes time off from his CSI work to respond with:

I would assume they only want the GPS unit for caching …

Nevertheless, he doesn’t make a recommendation.

At the end of the thread on the Geocaching.com forums asking for recommendations on a good and cheap GPS receiver the score, out of eleven replies, is:

2 serious recommendations (one of which is supported by another person).

1 joke recommendation.

4 people who can’t figure out what he might be using it for.

1 person who does know what he might be using it for but doesn’t recommend anything.

and 1 guy who says to “do your own online work”.

Hooray for Web 2.0!