How to Geocache with a TomTom One

Geocaching is the sport of locating a hidden item with the use of a GPS. The longitude and latitude of the hidden object is entered into the GPS which then guides you to the objects location.

The TomTom ONE (TT1) is a budget priced GPS which works well under normal driving conditions. I received my TomTom ONE as a gift but didn’t think about geocaching until I realized I could enter the destination as longitude and latitude.

Geocaching locations can be found at http://www.geocaching.com/ the premier site for all things geocached. You will need to register but there is no fee unless you want the paid membership. For starters the free membership is all you need.

Once you are logged in locate a geocache near your home and print the longitude and latitude coordinates. Now enter the coordinates into your TT1. Next follow the driving directions to the general area of the geocache. Most geocaches are located away from the road sometimes in a park but generally in a location which you must walk to.

Here is where it gets tricky since TT1 expects to guide you along a road instead of across a park area with no roads. Once you park, you will want to change your TT1 to pedestrian mode. This is found under Planning preferences. In addition you want to set TT1 to display GPS status. This shows the N and W coordinates as you move about.

Remember, the printed coordinates is where you are headed to and the TT1 displayed coordinates is your current location.

With the printed coordinates in hand you start walking in any direction until the TT1 coordinates begin to change as you walk. The printed coordinates are your final destination.

If the TT1 North coordinate is smaller than the printed North coordinate then you must walk North. If it is larger then you must walk South.
If the TT1 West coordinate is smaller than the printed West coordinate then you must walk West. If it is larger then you must walk East.

The rule is:
While viewing the TT1 GPS status screen if you want to move toward a larger coordinate you walk in the direction of North or West.

You will know you have arrived when the TT1 coordinates match the printed coordinates. At that point then you must figure out where the Geocache item is hidden.

Good Luck and Happy Geocaching!