Geocaching and your NC700
What is Geocaching? Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.
A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. After signing the log, the cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little financial value, although sometimes they are sentimental.
Read more: Ideas for Hiding for Geocaching | eHow
I have been Geocaching since 2005. In the beginning I had to use a handheld GPS to located geocaches. When smart phones hit the scene it allowed me to leave behind the handheld GPS and use my smart phone. You will need to become a registered user on the geoching.com. It is FREE although the do offer a $30 annual membership with access to more features. The free version works just fine.
Most geochaces are hidden around “Points of Interest. State parks, places to eat, tourist attractions, cemeteries, unknown areas of a town or a hidden monuments. They are most always hidden somewhere interesting.
I knew the NC700X would make a good geocaching vehicle. In the past I used my CBR and a paper map to get myself to the general location. Once there I would dismount and use my handheld GPS and then graduated to the phone. It wasn’t until recently it got even easier. I can now do everything with only my smart phone and the NCX. The phone is mounted to the NCX with a RAM mount and it has constant power with the 12V socket. There are several motorcycle groups that plan rides round geocaching. The article below is just one example.
Motorcycle Geocaching ? Two Wheels, One Mission to Explore ? The Geocaching Blog
I use my Samsung Galaxy S4 and an app called C:Geo. This app is free. There are several apps available but I am familiar with this one. I will attach some photos for a quick step by step to demonstrate how easy it is to use the app.
When you open C:Geo you are brought to the main screen. I typically select “Live Map”. This shows you geocaches very near to you.
This will open the next page showing all close by geocaches.
Tap on a geocache you have not found. Looks like a green book enclosed by a circle. This brings you to the basic info screen.
Click the bar that says “More Details”. This page gives you access to several options.
Click the “Menu Button” on your phone while on this screen and a small pop-up menu will appear at bottom.
Click “Navigate” from the pop-up menu.
At this point you can chose how you need to proceed. If you’re driving to the geocache you would select “Navigation (Driving)”. If you are at the geocache site you can select “Compass or Navigation (Walking).
Once you get to the geocaching site the search begins. Maybe you immediately stumbled on the geocache that you were looking for or perhaps it took you a couple of painstaking hours, searching high and low to find a particularly devilishly hidden cache. It really doesn't matter in the end, though, because you succeeded and found the cache. Congratulations! Savor the moment. There's definitely a sense of accomplishment when you discover a cache, and a little bit of child-like wonder as you open up the container to see the treasures inside.