Apisphere Geomate.jr User manual
Geomate.jr Quick Start Guide
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Geomate.Jr User’s Guide
PartNumber:04‐0003‐01
Date: May2009
‐2‐
Notices
TheGeomate.jrisadevicedesignedtoassistyouinlocatinggeocachesandparticipatingintheoutdoor
activityofgeocaching.Safetyisimportanttous,andweremindyoutofollowthefollowingsafetyrules
topreventaccidents.
VehicularUse
DonotusetheGeomate.jrwhiledriving.Itisthesoleresponsibilityofthedriverofanyvehicleto
operatethevehicleinasafemanner.Takingyoureyesofftheroadisdangerousandcanresultinan
accidentinwhichyouorotherscouldbeinjured.IftheGeomate.jrisusedinavehicle,itmustnotbe
usedbytheoperatorofthevehicle.
GoodJudgmentandCare
TheGeomate.jrcanprovidenavigationtoageocachelocationandalsoprovidetheabilitytonavigate
backtoapreviouslymarkedlocation.Itdoesnotreplacetheneedforcarefulplanning,anawarenessof
yoursurroundings,andgoodjudgment.Neverrelysolelyonthedevicefornavigation.
GPSAccuracy
TheGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)isoperatedbytheU.S.Government,whichissolelyresponsiblefor
theaccuracyandmaintenanceoftheGPSnetwork.Theaccuracyofresultantpositionscanbeaffected
bytheperiodicadjustmentstoGPSsatellitesmadebytheU.S.Governmentandissubjecttochangein
accordancewiththeDepartmentofDefensecivilGPSuserpolicyandtheFederalRadioNavigationPlan.
Positionaccuracycanalsobeaffectedbypoorsatellitegeometryandobstructions,likebuildingsand
trees.
Geocaches
Geocachesareownedandplacedbymembersofthegeocachingcommunitywiththeplacementand
maintenanceofanygeocachethesoleresponsibilityofindividualmembersofthatcommunity.Itis
possiblethatageocachecouldhavebeenremovedordestroyed.InnoeventshallApisphere,Inc.be
liablefortheplacement,quality,maintenance,contents,locationaccuracy,oravailabilityofany
geocache.
Liability
InnoeventshallApisphere,Inc.beliableforanyincidental,special,indirect,orconsequentialdamages,
whetherresultingfromtheuse,misuse,orinabilitytousethisproductorfromdefectsintheproduct.
Theuserassumesallresponsibilityassociatedwiththeuseofthisproduct.Apisphere,Inc.isnot
responsibleforthelocationorconditionofanygeocache.
‐3‐
LicenseAgreement
Apisphere,Inc.grantsyoutherighttousethesoftwareembeddedinthisdevice(the“Software”)inthe
normaloperationoftheequipment.TheSoftwareisthepropertyofApisphere,Inc.and/oritssuppliers
andisprotectedbyUnitedStatescopyrightlawsandinternationaltreatyprovisions.Youmaynotuse,
copy,modify,reverseengineerortransferthisSoftwareexceptasexpresslyprovidedinthislicense.All
rightsnotexpresslygrantedarereservedbyApisphere,Inc.and/oritssuppliers.
FCCNote
ThisequipmenthasbeentestedandfoundtocomplywiththelimitsforaClassBdigitaldevice,
pursuanttoPart15oftheFCCRules.Theselimitsaredesignedtoprovidereasonableprotectionagainst
harmfulinterferenceinaresidentialinstallation.Thisequipmentgenerates,usesandcanradiateradio
frequencyenergyand,ifnotinstalledandusedinaccordancewiththeinstructions,maycauseharmful
interferencetoradiocommunications.However,thereisnoguaranteethatinterferencewillnotoccur
inaparticularinstallation.Ifthisequipmentdoescauseharmfulinterferencetoradioortelevision
reception,whichcanbedeterminedbyturningtheequipmentoffandon,theuserisencouragedtotry
tocorrectehinterferencebyoneormoreofthefollowingmeasures:
•Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna.
•Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentandreceiver.
•Connecttheequipmentintoanoutletonacircuitdifferentfromthattowhichthe
receiverisconnected.
•Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TVtechnicianforhelp.
Shieldedinterfacecablemustbeusedwiththeequipmentinordertocomplywiththelimitsforadigital
devicepursuanttoSubpartBofPart15ofFCCRules.
Copyright©2009Apisphere,Inc.Allrightsreserved.Apisphere,theApispherelogo,Geomate.jrandthe
Geomate.jrlogoaretrademarksofApisphere,Inc.TheGeocaching.comlogo,CacheInTrashOutandtheCITO
logoaretrademarksofGroundspeak,Inc.Usewithpermission.Allrightsreserved.Othertrademarksarethe
propertyoftheirrespectivecompanies.
‐4‐
Contents
1.AnIntroduction...............................................................................................................................6
WhatisGeocaching?........................................................................................................................6
MoreAboutGeocaches...................................................................................................................6
HuntingGeocaches..........................................................................................................................6
TheGeomate.jr................................................................................................................................7
2.GettingStarted...............................................................................................................................8
Bits&PiecesofYourGeomate.jr.....................................................................................................8
TheButtons......................................................................................................................................8
BatteriesNeeded.............................................................................................................................9
TurningitOn&Off
.........................................................................................................................10
StartUpMessages.........................................................................................................................10
GettingaGPSPosition...................................................................................................................10
3.GeocachingWithYourGeomate.jr....................................................................................................12
SetYourHomePosition.................................................................................................................12
ReviewingGeocacheInformation..................................................................................................12
SelectingYourTargetGeocachetoFind........................................................................................14
SelectingADifferentGeocache.....................................................................................................14
GeocacheHunting..........................................................................................................................15
MarkingaGeocacheasFound.......................................................................................................16
GoingHome...................................................................................................................................16
4.OtherFeatures&Functions.............................................................................................................18
AvailablePages..............................................................................................................................18
TheGeocachingPage.....................................................................................................................19
TheGCCodePage..........................................................................................................................20
TheNavigationPage......................................................................................................................21
TheFoundListPage.......................................................................................................................23
LowBattery....................................................................................................................................24
‐5‐
Preface
So,younowhaveaGeomate.jr.Goodforyou!Yourgeocachingadventure
awaits.IfyouarereadingthisUser’sGuidehowever,youprobablyhavesome
questions.ThisUser’sGuidecontainsinformationlike:
•AnintroductiontotheGeomate.jrandtheobjectiveofgeocaching
•GettingstartedwiththeGeomate.jr
•AstepbystepguidetogeocachingwiththeGeomate.jr,and
•DetailedinformationabouteachfeatureandfunctionoftheGeomate.jr
MyGeomate
Tomakesureyougetthelatestinfoaboutwhatishappeninginthegeocaching
world,toregisteryourproduct,andgetexclusiveGeomate.jroffers,youmay
wanttocreateyourownMyGeomateaccount:
www.mygeomate.com/sign_up
Support
Forallyoursupportneeds,youcan:
•Visitwww.mygeomate.com/support
•Email[email protected]
•Call+1(510)898‐1731Ext.55
ContactApisphere
Apisphere,Inc.
2107DwightWay,Suite2100
Berkeley,CA94704
Phone:+1(510)868‐2655
Fax:+1(510)898‐1731
Email:[email protected]
‐6‐
1. AnIntroduction
Wewouldliketointroduceyoutoourfriend,theGeomate.jr.TheGeomate.jr
istheanywhere,anytime,worksout‐of‐the‐boxgeocacherandistheeasiest
waytogetinonthegeocachingfun.Butfirst,alittleaboutgeocaching…
WhatisGeocaching?
Hiddenallovertheworldare“geocaches”.Theobjectiveofgeocachingisto
findthesehidden“geocaches”.Thinkofitasaworld‐widemodern‐daytreasure
huntwhereaGPSreceiverisusedtonavigateyoutothelocationofthe
treasure.Andthetreasureisthegeocache!
MoreAboutGeocaches
Ageocacheisacontainerthatcanlookalmostlikeanything,andbealmostof
anysize.Theyaretypicallyaclearplasticcontainerthesizeofyourhand.But
theycanbeastinyasyourthumbnail,orbeaslargeasabucket!Theywill
usuallyhaveanofficial“geocaching”stickeronthemorbemarkedassuch.
Insideageocacheyouwillfindalogbookandoften,smalltrinkets.Onceyou
findageocache,youshouldsignthelogbook,andiftherearetrinkets,youcan
trade!
Onceyouhavefinishedwithyourgeocache,youneedtohideitintheexact
samespotasyoufoundit.
HuntingGeocaches
Findinggeocachescanbetricky.Butit’shalfthefun!TheGPSreceiver,inthis
case,yourGeomate.jrwillonlygetyouclosetothelocationofthegeocache.
Byclose,wemeansomethinglike10feetorso.Therestisuptoyou!Youneed
tolookaroundandfindthehiddengeocache.
Ifyoutradetrinkets,makesureyoureplacewhatyoutakewith
somethingofequalorgreatervalue!Keepsitfunforeveryone.
‐7‐
Theycanbehiddenalmostanywhere!Commonhidingplacesandtricks
include:
•Inorbehindbushes
•Insideorunderlogs
•Magneticallyattachedtothebackofstreetsigns
•Underneathparkbenches
•Betweenrocksorsmallcaves
•Ingapsinrockwalls
Soyouhavetolookhardanddon’tgiveuptooeasily.Keepinmindthatthereis
achancethatthegeocachethatyouarelookingforjustmaynotbethere
anymore.Itdoesn’thappenoften,buttheycandisappear.
Tohelpinyourhunt,thefollowinginformationisprovidedforeverygeocache:
•Size:Toknowhowbigthegeocachethatyouarelookingforis,arating
between1and4indicatesthesizeofit.A“1”isaverysmallgeocache
ormicro‐cache,whilea“4”isaverybiggeocache,somethinglikea
bucketorlargemetalbox.
•Terrain:Thisisaratingbetween1and5(andyoucanhavehalves)and
tellsyouhowdifficulttheterrainisthatyouwillhavetocover.A“1”
ratingwillbeawalkalongagardenpath(orsomethingjustaseasy)
whilea“5”meansyouwillprobablybeclimbingamountain!
•Difficulty:Anotherratingbetween1and5,thistellsyouhowwellthe
geocacheishidden.A“1”meansitshouldbeeasytofind,whilea“5”is
very,veryhardtofind.
TheGeomate.jr
SohowdoestheGeomate.jrfitintoallthis?Well,letustellyou.The
Geomate.jrisyourgeocachehuntingtool.Itcomesoutoftheboxloadedwith
approximately250,000geocachelocationsthatcoverall50U.S.states.When
youswitchtheGeomate.jron,itworksoutwhichgeocacheisclosesttoyour
currentposition,displaysthesize,terrain,anddifficultyinformationforthat
geocache,andthenguidesyoutoit!Allyouneedtodoisfollowthearrowand
distanceanditwillleadyoustraighttowherethegeocacheishidden.
Geocachescanbehiddenalmostanywhere,butremember,they
arenevereverburied!
‐8‐
2. GettingStarted
Thefollowingisaquickrundownofthethingsthatyouneedtoknowtoget
yourGeomate.jrupandrunningandreadytogohuntyourfirstgeocache.
Don’tworry,it’llbequick.
Bits&PiecesofYourGeomate.jr
Figure1:HandytoknowbitsandpiecesofyourGeomate.jr
TheButtons
YourGeomate.jrhasonlytwobuttons.Yep,onlytwo.Butit’squiteamazing
whatyoucandowithjusttwobuttons!Therearethreepossiblewaysthe
buttonscanbeused.Theyare:
1. Asimplepress
‐9‐
2. Apressandhold(forafewseconds)
3. Pressandholdbothbuttonsatthesametime
Thesymbolsthatareonthebuttonsthemselvesindicatetheactionthatwillbe
takenifabuttonisjustpressed.Theiconsaboveandbelowthebuttons
indicatetheactionifthebuttonispressedandheld.
Figure2:ButtonsandtheiractionsofyourGeomate.jr
BatteriesNeeded
TheGeomate.jrneedstwoAAAbatteries.Togetthebatteriesinsideand
aroundtherightway:
1. RemovethebatterydoorbypressingontheGeomate.jrguyonthebattery
door,slidethedoorback,andthenliftitup.
2. Insertthebatteriesmakingsurethattheyfollowthebatterydiagram
locatedinthebatterycompartment.
3. Don’tforgettoreplacethebatterydoor!(Whatyoudidinstep1butin
reverse.)
‐10‐
TurningitOn&Off
ToturntheGeomate.jronoroff:
1. Simplyholdthepowerswitchdownforasecondortwo.
Figure3:Holdthepowerbuttonforasecond
ortwototurnitonoroff.
StartUpMessages
WhenyoufirstswitchonyourGeomate.jr,youwillseenumbersandwords
appearissequence.Thefollowingtablewillexplaineachoftheitemsyousee.
ThisItem:MeansThis:
V1002
ThisisthesoftwareversionrunningonyourGeomate.jr.You
maybeaskedforthisifonedayyouhavesomequestions
aboutusingyourGeomate.jr.
4/19
Thenextthingyouwillseeisamonthandday.Thisisthedate
ofthatthegeocachelistthatyouareusingwascompiled.
2009 Youwillseeayearaswell.Thisistheyearthatthegeocache
listthatyouareusingwascompiled.
HELLO Anicewarmgreetingtostartyourdayright!
GettingaGPSPosition
YourGeomate.jrusessignalsfromGPSsatellitestocalculateitspositiononthe
earth.EachtimeyouswitchonyourGeomate.jr,itmustsearchforthese
satellites,obtaininformationfromthem,andthendoabunchofnumber
‐11‐
crunching.Thisprocessmaytakeaminuteorso.Also,asGPSsignalsdonot
passthroughbuildings,theGeomate.jronlyworksoutdoors.
TogetaGPSposition:
1. TakeyourGeomate.jroutside(agoodclearviewoftheskyisthebest)and
switchiton.
2. WaitwhileyourGeomate.jrsearchesforsatellitesignals.Whileitisdoing
this,youwillseealittlesatellitesymbol“flashing”aswellassomemessages
tohelpyousuchas“GPSSRCH”and“FINDCLEARSKY”.
3. OnceyourGeomate.jrhasfoundthesatellitesandhascalculatedits
position,thesatellitesymbolwillstopflashingandsignalbarswillappear.
TheaccuracyofthepositioncalculatedbyyourGeomate.jrdependsonmany
factorsincludingwhereintheskythesatellitesare,thestrengthofthesignal,or
signalinterferencebynearbyobjects.Thesatellitesymbolshowsthecurrent
statusoftheGPSandthepositionquality.
Ifyousee:Itmeans:
YourGeomate.jrissearchingforsatellitesanddoesnothavea
validposition.Itisnotpossibletohuntgeocachesinthisstate.
Makesureyouhaveaclearviewofthesky.
YourGeomate.jrhasapositionbutthequalityoftheposition
isnotgood.Itispossibletobeginhuntinggeocachesbutitmay
notgetyouveryclosetothegeocache.
ThepositionqualityisOKandgettingbetter.Wethinkyou
shouldbefinesearchingforgeocachesbutyoumayneedto
searchharder.
YourGeomate.jrhasprettygoodpositionqualityandyou
shouldhavenoproblemsearchingforgeocacheswiththis
positionquality.
YourGeomate.jrhasthebestqualitypositionitcanget!Those
geocachesdon’tstandachance…
Ifthesatellitesymbolkeepsflashingafterafewminutes,make
sureyouhaveaclearviewoftheskyand/orfreshbatteries.
‐12‐
3. GeocachingWithYourGeomate.jr
NowthatyouhaveyourGeomate.jrpoweredup,trackingsatellites,andwitha
position,youarereadytostarthuntinggeocaches!Thissectiongivesyoua
quickoverviewofwhatittakestogogeocachingwithyourGeomate.jr.
SetYourHomePosition
Beforeyougorunningoffintothewoods,park,oropenspacetogohuntsome
geocaches,it’sagoodideato“SetaHomePosition”soyoucanfindyourway
backlater.
Tosetyourhomeposition:
1. MakesureyouhaveavalidGPSposition.(Thesatellitesymbolshouldnot
beflashing)
2. Holdbothbuttonsdownforafewseconds.
Youwillseethemessage“HOME SAVED”flashonthescreen.Thismeansthat
youhavesuccessfullystoredahomeposition!
Figure4:Youcansetyourhomepositionbyholding
bothbuttonsforafewseconds
ReviewingGeocacheInformation
AssoonasyourGeomate.jrhasavalidGPSposition,itwillcalculatetheclosest
geocachetoyourcurrentpositionanddisplayinformationaboutthatgeocache.
Yourdisplaywilllooksomethinglikethis:
‐13‐
Figure5:Yourdisplaywilllooksomethinglikethis
ThisItem:MeansThis:
Thisisthe“FindDifficulty”rating;ittellsyouhowharditwillbe
findthisgeocache.Itisoutof“5”with5beingthehardest.
Thisisthearrowpointinginthedirectionofthegeocache.If
youarenotwalking,thisarrowwillnotbeavailable.
Thisistheclosenessorderofthegeocache.Inthisexample,
thecurrentlyselectedgeocachingisthe“1st”closesttoyour
location.Ifthegeocachewasthe2ndclosest,thiswouldbea2.
Andthisisthesizeofthecache.Rangingbetween1and4with
a1beingaverysmall“micro‐cache”whichcouldbeassmallas
yourthumbnailanda4beingasbigasabucket!
Thisisthe“TerrainDifficulty”rating.Outof“5”with5being
thehardest,thisgivesyouanindicationofthetypeofterrain
youneedtocovertogettothegeocache.
Thiscoollittlesatellitesymbolgivesyouanindicationofthe
positionquality.Themorebars,thebetter.
Thisisthedistancetothegeocache.
Thistellsyouwhatunitsthedistanceisin.Youwillsee“FT”for
feet,and“MI”formiles.Ifyouarecloserthanhalfamile,itwill
displayfeet.Anymorethanthat,thedistancewillbeinmiles.
Thislittleguyshowsyouthatyouarecurrentlyviewingthe
“Geocaching”page.Moreaboutthisandotherslater.
‐14‐
SelectingYourTargetGeocachetoFind
Nowit’stimetodecideonwhichgeocacheyouwouldliketotrytofind.You
canusetheinformationabouteachgeocachetohelpmakeyourdecision.
Youshouldconsiderthingslikehowcloseitistoyou,howharditistofind,and
alsohowdifficulttheterrainmightbe.Iftheterraindifficultisa4forexample,
itcouldmeanyouareabouttocoversomeveryroughorsteepterrain.
Oneimportantconsiderationisthesizeofthegeocacheyouhaveselected.
Micro‐caches(shownbythesmallestsquare)canbeverysmall,difficulttofind
andveryrarelyhavetrinketstotrade.Soifyouarelookingforaneasierfind
withsometradingpotential,alargergeocachemaybemoreyourstyle.
SelectingADifferentGeocache
Ifyoudon’twanttogototheclosestgeocacheitisveryeasytoselectthe
“next”closestgeocacheinstead.
Toselectthe“next”closestgeocache:
1. PresstheBIGbutton.
The“closenesscounter”willgoto2,andthesize,terrain,anddifficulty
ratings,alongwiththedistancewillbeupdated.
Figure6:Ifyoudon'tlikethecurrentgeocache,justhitthe
BIGbuttontoselectthe"next"closestgeocache
Foryourfirsthunt,youmaywanttoconsiderhuntinglarger
geocaches(sizes2,3,or4).Theyareeasiertofindandcanbe
morerewardingthana“micro‐cache”(asize1).
‐15‐
YoucankeepclickingtheBIGbuttontoseethe2nd,3rd,4th,etcclosest
geocacheupto20.Whenyoureach20,itwillgobacktothestartofthelist.
GeocacheHunting
OK,we’vereviewedthegeocachesclosesttowhereweareandknowwhichone
wewanttofind.Wehavestoredahomepositionsowecangetbacksafely.
Nowit’stimetofindthegeocache!
Tonavigatetowherethegoecacheishiding:
1. HoldyourGeomate.jrstraight(likeacompass)infrontofyouandwalk!
Youwillseeanarrowappear.Thisisthearrowthatwillkeeppointingyou
tothegeocache.It’simportantthatyoukeepyourGeomate.jrstraightin
frontofyouandnottwistitaroundwhenfollowingthearrow.
2. Keepfollowingthearrowandwatchthedistance.Thedistanceshouldkeep
gettingsmallerasyougetclosertothegeocache.
3. Whenyougetthedistanceassmallaspossible,somewherefrom0to10
feet,thisisgroundzero!Thisiswhereyoustartsearchingforthegeocache.
Figure7:Whenhuntingyourgeocache,holdyourGeomate.jr
straightandinfrontofyou–justlikeholdingacompass!
Youmustbewalkingforthearrowtoappear.Ifyoustop
walking,thearrowwilldisappear.Thisisbecauseyoumustbe
movingforthearrowtobemeaningful.
Aquickwaytogetbacktothestartofthegeocachelististo
pressandholdtheBIGbutton.Itwilltakeyoustraightbackto
thestartofthelist.
‐16‐
MarkingaGeocacheasFound
Onceyouhavefoundageocache,youcanmarkitasfound.Thisisreallyhandy
tomakesureyoudon’taccidentlytrytofindageocachethatyou’vealready
found.(Unlessyoureallywanttoofcourse).
Bymarketingageocacheasfound,italsogetsaddedtothe“FoundList”that
youcanreviewlaterandlogyourfindsonwww.geocaching.com
Tomarkageocacheasfound:
1. SimplypressandholdtheSMALLbutton.
Onceageocachehasbeenmarkedasfound,itwillbeaddedtotheFoundList
anda‘smiley’willbedisplayedonthemainGeocachingpageifthatgeocacheis
selected.
Figure8:Thisgeocachehasalreadybeenmarkedasfound.
Seethesmiley?
GoingHome
You’vefoundthegeocache.Congratulations!It’snowtimetogohome.
Rememberwhenwesavedahomelocation?Nowwecanusethattonavigate
home.
Tonavigatehome:
1. PressandholdtheBIGbuttonforafewseconds.
A“HO”willbedisplayedtoshowthatyouareheadinghome.Itwilllooklike
this:
‐17‐
HOME is
the target
Figure9:Youwillseesomethinglikethisif“goinghome”.
2. Nowjustfollowthearrowanddistancetogetbacktothepointwhereyou
storedyourhomelocation.
Figure10:Tobeguidedbacktoyourhomelocation,
justpressandholdtheBIGbutton
‐18‐
4. OtherFeatures&Functions
Nowforsomeinformationaboutalloftheotherfeaturesandfunctionsofyour
Geomate.jr.Therewillalsobealittlemoredetailaboutcertainoperations.We
hopeyoufindithelpful.
AvailablePages
YourGeomate.jrhasfour“pages”thatarededicatedtodifferentfunctions.
Thereisauniquepageiconforeachpagetomakeiteasytotellwhichpageyou
arecurrentlyon.
Ifyousee:Youareon:Whichisfor:
Thegeocaching
page
Selectingandhuntinggeocaches.Thisis
thepagethatyouwillspendmostof
yourtime.
TheGCCode
page
ViewingtheGCCodeoftheselected
geocache.AGCCodeisaunique
identifierforgeocaches.
Thenavigation
page
AccessingtheGPSheading,position,
andsatellitetrackinginformation.
Thefoundlist
page
Viewingthelistofgeocachesthathave
beenmarkedasfound.
Tochangefromonepagetotheother:
1. PresstheSMALLbuttontomovefromonepagetotheother.
Youwillcyclebacktothefirstpageafterthelastpage.
Table of contents
