Reviews > Navigation and Map Gear > GPS > Geomate Jr. > Test Report by Derek Hansen

Geomate.jr

Test Series by Derek Hansen

TESTER INFORMATION

Name	Derek Hansen
Age	33
Gender	Male
Height	5' 10" (1.78 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg)
Email Address	derek·dot·hansen·at·mac (without cheese)·dot·com
City, State, Country	Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND

I am a lightweight backpacker with a typical overnight pack weight of 15 lb (7 kg) and a multi-day weight of 20 lb (9 kg). My normal backpacking style is to carry a simple hammock and a multi-functional tarp, often a poncho used for multiple purposes. I recently completed a backpacking trip on the Kalalau Trail on the Napali Coast on the island of Kauai.

INITIAL REPORT

7 Oct 2009

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Geomate.jr—hereafter referred to as ‘GPS’, ‘Geomate’, or ‘device/unit’—is a lightweight, family-friendly, out-of-the-box geocaching device utilizing GPS technology. Its simple functionality has been fine-tuned for geocaching with only two main function buttons and a clear, geocache-focused display.

The Geomate is targeted at youth, but it can be used by anyone wanting a no-fuss geocaching GPS unit. The unit is lightweight and fits snugly in my hands and in the hands of my children who are also testing this device with me. The Geomate is powered by two AAA batteries, which are accessible from a sliding panel on the back of the unit.

The top and bottom casing of the Geomate are made of hard plastic. The center section is made of a black rubberized plastic. On the left side of the unit there is a small, black rubberized panel to access the custom USB plug for the Update Kit, sold separately. The power button is located on the top of the unit. There is a black loop on the bottom of the unit where the included lanyard can be attached. The loop is also rubberized plastic and is flexible.

The included lanyard is approximately 1.5 ft (45 cm) long.

Also included with the package was a small quick-start guide that reviewed the basic features and functions of the unit.

WEBSITE

The Geomate has an excellent website that is well-designed and easy to use. The site has information and video presentations on geocaching and shows youth using the device to find caches. While you cannot buy directly from the site, there are links to retailers who sell the Geomate.

Also included on the website is the “Updates” tab, which allows personalized accounts and will allow connections to the Geomate via the optional Update Kit. I signed up for the free account with the intention of getting the Update Kit and testing the user interface.

While browsing the website is supported on all modern platforms and browsers, the update functions are currently limited to Windows-based computers running Internet Explorer on a PC. The manufacturer is aware of the Macintosh community and states that Macintosh support is coming soon.

The website also includes more user manuals and guides that fully explain the functionality of the device.

http://www.mygeomate.com/GeomatejrUsersGuide.pdf

I found this online User Guide to be indispensable in learning the about the extra functions of the device.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

When the Geomate first arrived at my home, I was expecting a larger package. I guess I didn't realize how small everything would be. My kids were so excited! They quickly dismantled the packaging, and with my help, installed the batteries. Within 30 minutes, we dressed for the cool weather and went out to find our first geocache!

Confessions of a Muggle

Before I go too far, I should mention that I am brand-new to both GPS units and geocaching. I am a die-hard map-and-compass boy, but have considered a GPS for some time, especially for geocaching with my kids and as a multi-purpose navigation device.

Prior to receiving the Geomate, I signed up for a free account with geocaching.com. This website is a partner with Apisphere, Inc., and the Geomate’s database is pulled from this website. From what I’ve read, geocaching.com is the top spot for geocaching around the world. I also found that I am (or was) what is commonly referred to as a “Muggle”, in the geocaching world—a non-geocacher. It’s a reference pulled from the popular Harry Potter book series where “Muggle” is a non-magical character.

Geocaching.com is a great resource for geocaching. I can search and find caches near my hometown and get maps and even hints (on occasion) on where the caches are hidden. I quickly found that a map is still an indispensable part of geocaching, especially with the Geomate. Once turned on, the Geomate determines the 20 closest caches to my current location. I have to walk in some direction before the device will point which direction the cache is located and how far away it is from my position. This is all well and good, but it points in a straight line “as the crow flies” and isn’t much help in figuring out how to actually get to the cache. Having a map and knowing generally where the cache is hiding is an important part to actually finding the cache, in my short experience.

Our First Treasure Hunt

So, before the GPS unit arrived, I picked one cache that was close to my home and thought that my kids and I could find it with just a map and compass. After all, how hard could it be? I quickly marked the map and we went out, but after 30 minutes of randomly searching, we gave up and came home. My kids were disappointed that we didn’t find the “treasure,” but I was hopeful that with the GPS unit, it would be easier (to be honest, if I had used the latitude and longitude data from geocaching.com, I probably could have triangulate a better position on a map, but I was lazy…).

So after my oldest kids (ages 8, 6, and 4) were ready, we went back to this first cache. My 6-year-old powered up the device and within a few seconds we had acquired enough satellites to get some cache data. I knew, from the website, that there were about four caches close to where we had parked our car. From the Geomate information, I was under the impression that certain caches were not part of the standard database, including “virtual” caches and extremely difficult caches. The first cache the device pointed to was one that was marked as a “Night Cache” on the website, which meant we needed to follow hidden reflectors through the forest before we found anything. It wasn’t dark (yet), but I didn’t think this sort of cache was “traditional” enough to get on the database, but apparently so? The good news was that the Geomate had located the first cache: the parking lot! We'll have to come back and try the night cache later.

My son pressed the “next” button (the “Big” button) to scroll to the next closest geocache. I was hoping it would be the one we originally came to hunt. It pointed in the general direction so off we trotted. From our previous exploring, I knew the general area where we needed to hunt, but I watched as my kids wandered left and right trying to follow the direction arrow on the device. As long as we were moving, the arrow pointed in the right direction and we eventually got there. I had to remind my kids a few times to keep moving so the device would work.

The cache was marked with 1.5 for “finding difficulty” and 2.5 for “terrain difficulty” (1 being easiest and 5 being hardest). The Geomate uses stars to indicate these ratings on the top left and right of the screen. The cache size was marked as “medium” in the lower-left screen while we were in geocaching “hunt” mode.

I could feel my kids excitement (hey, I was excited too!) as we neared the spot. My son counted off from 20 ft (6 m). We overshot the spot and wandered back a bit, but once we hit “0” we stopped and looked around. It was a nondescript area, with a few downed and rotted logs with stumps. I’ll admit that I was first to spot something shiny under one stump. I called to my kids to investigate and they shouted with excitement at finding the “treasure”—finally!

The Hunt Continues

After this first successful hunt, my kids didn’t want to stop. The darkness, however, was enough to turn us back and bring us home. In the last few days, we’ve found a few more caches. We’ve prepared a little geocache backpack that contains little toys we can trade with, some snacks, water, and warm clothing, just in case.

Cache Code	Date Found	Description	Topography
GC1VDP4	5 Oct	Our first cache! We were within 5 ft (1.5 m) of this cache.	Heavily forested, hiking trails, rocky hills
GC1G7H7	6 Oct	Took the Geomate to work and found this one near my office. It took me some time to find this. Lots of trash near the site. I carried some trash to a bin nearby and then came back to ground zero to try again. I was within 1 ft (30 cm) of the cache and just needed to look down.	Urban setting, some trees
GCY130	6 Oct	Out exploring during my lunch break at work. This cache wasn't listed on the Geomate, so I wrote down the longitude/latitude from geocaching.com and used the navigation tools on the Geomate to find this one. Since the location was a well-known landmark, getting there was easy. I was actually amazed that I was able to find this using the navigation tools. I just moved North and West until my lat/lon matched the website information. I was actually only 1 ft (30 cm) away when I found this micro, log-only cache.	Urban setting, open and clear to the sky
GC1NQ0N	6 Oct	As I rode my bicycle home from work, I thought I'd try picking up a series of caches along my route. I found this first one easily—again, an easy landmark in an urban setting. Unfortunately, since the Geomate shows the 20 closest caches from where you turned on the device, once I started riding a few miles, the caches I was hoping to pick up weren't being listed. I didn't have time to stop and restart the device every quarter mile (0.4 km), so I gave up that idea.	Urban setting, clear, near major roads
GCM7JA	7 Oct	I took my 4-year-old to find another cache close to home. I had to help orient him, but once he got going, we were able to follow the direction arrow. I didn't bring a map with me, choosing instead to just try the direct line approach. It turned out to be a very difficult climb up the side of the mesa. The Geomate brought us within 1 ft (30 cm) of the cache! It started to rain as we looked through the treasures. The Geomate got a little wet so we covered it quickly. The Geomate doesn't appear to be waterproof, so we'll take better care in the future. On our way back, I found a hiking trail not too far from the cache which we took back to the car. Don't forget the map!	Forest, difficult climbing, rocky, trail system
GC1EZRD	7 Oct	When I picked up my two oldest from school, we decided to pick up a one of several caches located along the trails behind the elementary school. My kids were excited and had fun following the Geomate to the site. We were within 5 ft (1.5 m) of this very fun find.	Open trails leading to dense forest, moderate slope to cache
GCTQG1	7 Oct	We took the whole family on a short hike to find this cache. My daughter took the lead, but misread the pointer and led us 200 ft (61 m) off course. I gave my wife a 15-second tutorial and she took the helm, leading us right to the spot.	Forest trail in ravine, moderate slopes to cache

Other Features

The Geomate.jr is designed to be a “grab-and-go” device with its primary mode tuned to pointing to nearby geocaches. In the past few days, I’ve found the other modes or features to be a great help. The “Geocache Code” mode does exactly that: it shows the geocache codes for the 20 nearby caches. I started using this when I compared the code with what I had found from geocaching.com. This was how I discovered that GCY130 wasn’t listed in the Geomate, and how I made sure to pick the right cache for those locations where several caches were nearby. The Navigation mode is also very helpful. There is a compass feature that shows my heading (only when I’m moving) and two screens that show longitude and latitude. A final screen in Navigation mode shows my elevation (listed as “Height” in the manual) which I’ve found to be very accurate and handy.

We’ve used the “Big” button (as it’s referred to) to switch between local caches, but we’re not yet in the habit of marking when we’ve found a cache. When I press and hold the Mode button (small button), I can mark a cache as “found” and it is subsequently stored in one of 1,000 memory locations. I can see these found caches when I go to the “Found List” mode.

The other feature I haven’t used much (not in the habit yet) is storing a “home” location. This is actually a great feature where I can set a starting waypoint. By pressing and holding both the “Big” and little buttons together, I can store my current location as a “home” waypoint—typically my car or maybe a trailhead. Once I’ve found a cache, or I’m just ready to turn back, I can press and hold the “Big” button, or press to scroll to the “home” waypoint. As I mentioned, the Geomate lists 20 caches at a time plus the “home” waypoint. A single press of the “Big” button will scroll through each of the 20 cache locations and then the “home” location or waypoint. A press-and-hold of the “Big” button is just a shortcut to this “home” location.

REVIEW SO FAR

As a Muggle-turned-Geocacher, I’m already hooked. My kids and I are already planning which caches we will hunt. We took out a city trail map, and using the geocaching.com website, marked the map with dozens of cache locations. We’re already fighting over who gets to hold the GPS unit!

I find that I like the caches that are hidden in the forest rather than in urban areas. The urban caches are easily pinpointed, especially major landmarks. I guess the fun is in stealth and not letting Muggles see me find the cache. The caches out in the forest have been a lot of fun. We’ve been able to hike outdoors longer, we don’t have to worry about obstacles in the same way, and the hunt feels more like pirates searching for buried treasure.

We’re not yet in the habit of using the “home” feature yet, but I imagine when we get out to some areas it will be a good feature. My kids are also asking me if we can hide our own cache and I think I could by using the “home” feature to mark a waypoint and store the lon/lat data for upload.

I’m also not in the habit yet of using the “found” button feature, and storing the found caches on the unit. I am using the geocaching.com website to record the found caches, and that seems like the best solution for me. The “Found List” mode doesn’t really offer a lot of helpful information for me besides a list of the geocache codes.

PRO—Lightweight; easy-to-use, even for kids, built-in compass and GPS-based altimeter. Rugged design and nice ergonomics.

CON—I wish the Geomate was waterproof.

This completes my initial report. Please check back in a few months for my field report.

FIELD REPORT

LONG TERM REPORT

I would like to thank Apisphere, Inc., and BackpackGearTest.org for providing me with the opportunity to test this product.

Reviews > Navigation and Map Gear > GPS > Geomate Jr. > Test Report by Derek Hansen