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Joined: Nov 2005
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Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 22,735 |
Just weeks away from my first smartphone and its a Apple 7plus. Wondering if there is a way to get it set up as a my gps unit with mapping software downloaded?
I have very limited knowledge of this "stuff".
Last edited by bigwhoop; 12/05/16.
My home is the "sanctuary residence" for my firearms.
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,350
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Your compass and Google earth will always work.
I have been using onXmaps Hunt app. I like it,and it isn't hard to figure out.
Music washes away the dust of everyday life Some people wait a lifetime to meet their favorite hunting and shooting buddy. Mine calls me dad ![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/ZCL8Ws2r/JohnGult.jpg)
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,575
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2006
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Yes. I use the Delorme product. Not perfect, but good. Will render a high quality topo.
I do not entertain hypotheticals. The world itself is vexing enough. -- Col. Stonehill
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Joined: Mar 2014
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2014
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Check out the huntstand app. I really like it.
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 7,177
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Yes. I use the Delorme product. Not perfect, but good. Will render a high quality topo. X2
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 64
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Mar 2010
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Yes. I use the Delorme product. Not perfect, but good. Will render a high quality topo. X2 x3 I also have used backcountry navigator that lets you mess with the maps you use and add layers if you want. But basic use the Delorme works fine. Make sure you download the map area before you go if you wont have a good data connection where you will use the maps.
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Joined: Feb 2007
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2007
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The phones will never be as good a decent GPS. Well at least with current technology, in the future, maybe. But if you don't really need a good GPS then they aren't bad. I use my GPS for a lot of stuff and am just used to using it instead so that is my preference. I actually use both the phone and GPS at times, Google Earth is nice to have available.
I see 2 downsides to using the phone. Primarily battery life. You'll suck the phone dead in a couple of hours if using the GPS a lot and then you'll not have a usable phone in an emergency. It is possible to use re-chargers in the field, but not nearly as easy as simply swapping out AA batteries in my GPS. I can keep my GPS on non-stop during daylight hours for several days on a backpack trip if needed with just a handful of spare batteries and keep the phone off unless needed.
The 2nd problem is reception in thick woods or steep mountains. A quality GPS, especially with an external antenna is much better at this.
Most people don't really want the truth.
They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Go to a web site for bad Elf. They have plug in modules for several versions of iPhones and iPads that make them GPS units with down to 2.5 M accuracy. This capability is completely separate and independent from the cell system.
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Joined: Mar 2013
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Yes. I use Gaia GPS on my Android (I think they have an ios version too). The key to preserving battery life is running in airplane mode. As long as I'm not constantly checking the GPS every couple of minutes mine will last all day. I have a 9000 mAh battery that I use to recharge. If I leave the truck with my phone and external battery both at 100% I can get by for 3-4 days, maybe more if I turn the phone off at night.
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Joined: Dec 2007
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
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I heard a comment the other day:
"Calling the new smart phones a phone is like calling a Bentley a cup holder"
“Life is life and fun is fun, but it's all so quiet when the goldfish die.”
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 97
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
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First red flag...
I have very limited knowledge of this "stuff".
I have seen multiple issues on different forums with no clear resolution.
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,317
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2005
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I heard a comment the other day:
"Calling the new smart phones a phone is like calling a Bentley a cup holder"
Interpretation: Bentleys do a lot of things well, but holding cups is not one of them.
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Joined: Mar 2011
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I use Gaia also on an i-phone 6. On airplane mode it only updates your location when you hit the update button, and therefore is not constantly dinging your location and battery life. I hunted north of Durango CO in 2015 and could use the phone as a gps in that way and end the day with 80% battery life. I used an external battery charger and had no problem going 4 days at a time away from electricity. Ran out of water before we ran out of charge.
Gaia cost $20, you can download maps ahead of time, and add layers, trails, and waypoints (where you are currently, or locations you haven't been yet) to the map.
I had zero problems using the phone as a stand alone gps.
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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BW,
The GPS apps are great, and if you are within cell range most of the time, the phone is handy to have anyway. Where we moose hunt, we get occasional cell coverage, and have a means of charging a phone. It is pretty damn handy. Other hunts, there is no cell coverage and the phone stays in base camp. I prefer the GPS if picking one.
I have almost zero faith in my phone surviving from day to day. They are a fragile, disposable, (yet powerful and expensive) piece of equipment. I couldn't begin to list the phones I've broken.
I've been using a GPS for about the same amount of time I've had a cell phone, and I'm on my second one.
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Joined: Dec 2004
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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I've had very good luck with an iPhone 6 in a Lifeproof case as a GPS, using OnX maps.
Battery life hasn't been an issue if running on cashed maps and airplane mode.
What I like best is the large screen size (at least compared to the eTrex models I have used.) Also the ability to easily zoom in and out with the touch screen.
Just make sure you have the maps cashed if you are going to be out of cell range, which is mostly where I end up going.
I still use map, compass and altimeter way more for navigation than my GPS, but really do like the land ownership feature of a GPS with appropriate chip/app.
Ed T
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Joined: Oct 2006
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Who is going into the woods without a phone? Not me. Hence the app. Whether there is cell service or not, the phone GPS works fine.
The sensitivity of the the GPS chip in the phone is the same as the GPS chip in a GPS, IMO. That's not the issue. If the GPS can talk to the satellite, the phone can talk to the satellite. Both devices can fail. Both use batteries. I have never had my phone come close to running out of juice. And a GPS with the screen size and quality of my iPhone 6 is pricey. And heavy.
If anyone is still in doubt, CELL SERVICE IS NOT REQUIRED TO USE YOUR SMART PHONE AS A GPS.
Also, it's a dealbreaker if the product will not support full-featured map creation on your PC. I study my PC topos while at home on a laptop screen, not on the tiny phone. The app synchs my stuff automatically -- no worries.
I do not entertain hypotheticals. The world itself is vexing enough. -- Col. Stonehill
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Joined: Dec 2003
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,113 |
BW,
The GPS apps are great, and if you are within cell range most of the time, the phone is handy to have anyway. Where we moose hunt, we get occasional cell coverage, and have a means of charging a phone. It is pretty damn handy. Other hunts, there is no cell coverage and the phone stays in base camp. I prefer the GPS if picking one.
I have almost zero faith in my phone surviving from day to day. They are a fragile, disposable, (yet powerful and expensive) piece of equipment. I couldn't begin to list the phones I've broken.
I've been using a GPS for about the same amount of time I've had a cell phone, and I'm on my second one. You may be a tad tougher on things than a normal human.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 22,735
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 22,735 |
Well, a variety of thought on the subject of smartphones & Bentleys. Thanks for the input. I have a long way to go on this subject so maybe I'll back away from the 7 plus as a GPS device.
Thank you.
My home is the "sanctuary residence" for my firearms.
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 11,273
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 11,273 |
The phones will never be as good a decent GPS. Well at least with current technology, in the future, maybe. But if you don't really need a good GPS then they aren't bad. I use my GPS for a lot of stuff and am just used to using it instead so that is my preference. I actually use both the phone and GPS at times, Google Earth is nice to have available.
I see 2 downsides to using the phone. Primarily battery life. You'll suck the phone dead in a couple of hours if using the GPS a lot and then you'll not have a usable phone in an emergency. It is possible to use re-chargers in the field, but not nearly as easy as simply swapping out AA batteries in my GPS. I can keep my GPS on non-stop during daylight hours for several days on a backpack trip if needed with just a handful of spare batteries and keep the phone off unless needed.
The 2nd problem is reception in thick woods or steep mountains. A quality GPS, especially with an external antenna is much better at this. When using your iPhone as a GPS, you do not need cellular or internet coverage. Pre downloaded maps work just fine without them. Also, I have used my iPhone SE on 12 day backpack hunts, sustaining the battery with nothing but a lightweight external battery pack and solar charger. On airplane mode, these phone batteries will last a long time. I carry a Garmin in case SHTF, but I used it a grand total of 2 minutes in my 2016 hunting season. I personally use TopoMaps on my phone, but there are a multitude of great map applications. Tanner
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 26,192
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 26,192 |
Can the iPhone mark waypoints, show the direction back to waypoints, and track your route and then do trackback?
Casey
Casey
Not being married to any particular political party sure makes it a lot easier to look at the world more objectively...
Having said that, MAGA.
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