GPS question

[CLSports]

Does anyone use a hand held GPS unit or a GPS android phone app for navigating around while hiking/fishing?

I was considering purchasing a hand held unit and wanted to get some feedback on a few brand options that work well and don't cost big $$.

Or, I would prefer to simply use my Android phone and download a reliable and accurate GPS trail app if one exists and is worth using over a hand held.

Please let me know your opinions.

Thanks.

 

[Foxgap239]

See this thread from today. I actually purchased this GPS today along with the NE Topo for $210 shipped.



I obviously screwed this one up. K-Bob uses a Garmin Etrex GPS and I can tell you he likes it and when i was with him Saturday on a remote stream, he got us back to the car without once getting lost.

 

[Love2fish]

I have an App for my Iphone from Pocket Ranger called "the Officail Pa State Parks & Forest Guide". I like it as it has trails to follow along with GPS and a "911/Emergency" button (not sure if that works). Ill try and post a picture from when i walked our property in tioga county.

 

[CLSports]

Yeah, Foxgap, I saw that thread and that is the reason why I created a new thread. I didn't want to hijack that one and I did PM k-bob about that Garmin.

I prefer to be as cheap a$$ as possible and get a phone app that works just as well, but if none are worthwhile then I will break down and buy a hand held.

I just have way too much stuff in my gear bag as is and if I can do what I want to do on my phone then it saves me the extra weight and space and money.

 

[Love2fish]

Here are two views from the app

 

[Love2fish]

FYI the propety is 17.5 acres and i cut a chunk out of the walk since its swamp

 

[salmonoid]

I used a combination of three different apps on my phone; my primary interest is tracking where I was, not necessarily looking where I'm going to, but each can be used for that if needed.

1) OruxMaps - this is the only Android app that I know that lets you download maps for offline usage. Requires some work to cut the maps, but definitely a worthwhile feature. It will also let you do waypoint routing, etc.

2) EndoMondo - more for tracking

3) Google MyTracks - mapping/tracking

Naturally, the places that I enjoy fishing the most are the ones that don't have cell service (not a primary consideration, but generally a side effect of the streams being more remote). So I'm mostly using the apps to tell where I have been, and not necessarily relying on the content to direct me where to go. And because of that, I usually put my phone in airplane mode, so the battery doesn't get killed searching for cell signal.

I also own a PN-series Delorme handheld GPS, but my phone has largely replaced that, as I can also log fish on my phone, take pictures, etc. My Android phone is a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, but good enough at what it does to largely replace all of my other electronic gadgets on the stream. If only it would take a stream temp yet...

If I'm out overnight backpacking or dayfishing and camping overnight, I use an Anker Astro2 battery power pack to recharge my phone overnight.

 

[troutpoop]

The phone apps are nice but they rely on tower triangulation, not gps satellites. If you loose signal you are out of luck. I think this opinion mirrors Salonoid's post. I use a Garmin when I need one.

 

[k-bob]

I carry both a garmin etrex and an android phone with 'backcountry navigator pro' application. My phone maps will sometimes work even with no bars, but overall I find the garmin is much more reliable down in trout ravines. Phone is great for pictures and other functions, but of course phone service cant be counted on.

 

[salmonoid]

troutpoop wrote:
The phone apps are nice but they rely on tower triangulation, not gps satellites. If you loose signal you are out of luck. I think this opinion mirrors Salonoid's post. I use a Garmin when I need one.

Phone apps definitely use the GPS capability of your phone. Location awareness on an Android device can be coarse (tower) or fine (GPS). If you lose signal, you're out of luck in terms of loading data (i.e. map tiles, etc.); that's where the offline capabilities of OruxMaps is nice. But your location will still be pinpointed within 10m in a trout ravine in the middle of nowhere and it will be done with GPS satellites.

 

[k-bob]

yeah, I have noticed that the current location display will sometimes work on my android phone even with no bars = no cell service. so it must be using satellites not cell towers to establish location. (that's good, because I have sprint service )

but for whatever reason, I have found that my garmin etrex 30 is still more reliable on remote fishing trips; sometimes the android phone app (backcountry navigator) works well w/o bars, but sometimes it doesn't, while the etrex is almost always works continuously.

salmonoid maybe I get lower reliability with android gps due to the application?, I have never used the ones you like.

and I guess its important to go slow on these things, learning to use them and learning how well they work, before you rely on them too much. I enjoy planning trips and using a gps while fishing, but they are just another tool, and it is good to have the ability to get back out without them (paper map, compass, familiarity with area, time, etc) in case you kill the batteries or drop your gps off a cliff

 

[salmonoid]

Agree 100% - a GPS is a tool, but its not a substitute for having outdoor skills, in terms of reading a map, staying found, etc. There's no substitute for engaging your brain and not mindlessly following what the screen says And if the screen is blank, because your battery is dead, or you are using something that requires a cell signal, and you can't reach a tower, thats not a good reason to spend a cold night in the woods.

When I use a GPS for road navigation in an unfamiliar area, I always check out an online map or paper map in advance to verify what the GPS is telling me. For instance, if you enter the address for where I work in a GPS, most of them will take you to a cul-de-sac four miles away from here, because the underlying map databases that are used are wrong. If I'm meeting someone in a new area, that last thing I want is to end up four miles away, because I blindly trusted my GPS. Same goes for being out in the woods - I want to have a good grasp of what the general lie of the land is and have figured out some exit points in advance, not fully having to rely on an arrow to point me in a direction.

k-bob wrote:
yeah, I have noticed that the current location display will sometimes work on my android phone even with no bars = no cell service. so it must be using satellites not cell towers to establish location. (that's good, because I have sprint service )

but for whatever reason, I have found that my garmin etrex 30 is still more reliable on remote fishing trips; sometimes the android phone app (backcountry navigator) works well w/o bars, but sometimes it doesn't, while the etrex is almost always works continuously.

salmonoid maybe I get lower reliability with android gps due to the application?, I have never used the ones you like.

and I guess its important to go slow on these things, learning to use them and learning how well they work, before you rely on them too much. I enjoy planning trips and using a gps while fishing, but they are just another tool, and it is good to have the ability to get back out without them (paper map, compass, familiarity with area, time, etc) in case you kill the batteries or drop your gps off a cliff

 

[Chaz]

I don't use a GPS, but have on occasion had a need for one. I'm still ot certain that I need one, I'm very good about know where I am at any time and I depend on that, I once crossed the Coast Range on dirt roads with just a map and knowing where I was and where I wanted to be.
I do plan on getting an hh GPS.

 

[UFMGuy]

I am a GPS app developer in both Android and iPhone. Android can use GPS when enabled in your Location Services to display your current location however accuracy really depends on the the GPS chip in your phone model. The app must also be specifically written to use your GPS location.

The key app feature you want is the ability to cache maps offline. There are a number of apps out there as mentioned above. I designed the Game Commission's app which allows caching of USGS topo maps for offline navigation.

I'll be integrating that functionality in the next generation of The GPS Fishing Guide to Pennsylvania apps as well.

Personally, I still carry a compass, map, and Garmin Oregon whenever I'm in the wilderness but I love the phone. GPS is battery intensive on phones so be cautious relying soley on any phone app to get you back safe.

 

[k-bob]

"Android can use GPS when enabled in your Location Services to display your current location however accuracy really depends on the the GPS chip in your phone model." ...

"The key app feature you want is the ability to cache maps offline..."

this is clear and helpful thanks

 

[Chaz]

Great info from everyone.

 

[k-bob]

As UFM noted above, there is a separate control on the settings menu of my android phone under locations that says "gps satellites: let apps use gps to pinpoint your location." Makes it clear that the system can get location info from satellites and not just by cell tower triangulation. Turning that on, and downloading maps to a hiking, hunting, etc., app should let your phone do more to provide gps info -- remembering the stuff above about batteries, backups, and common sense...

 

[pcray1231]

I use a handheld GPS extensively when hunting. Less often when fishing, but occasionally.

I have an old Magellan sporttrak topo, about 10 years old. It works fine, but it's slow and loses signal easily, plus it eats batteries. I'm likely to upgrade soon.

My dad and uncle have Garmin GPS 60 series, with the Garmin topo loaded. They are absolutely wonderful units. Just fantastic all around, but pricy, especially when you add the $100 bucks on top of purchase price for the maps.

My brother uses a Garmin Oregon, which came with the topo maps preloaded. He likes it. I struggle to use it with the touch screen, but I'm touch screen stupid as I haven't entered the smart phone world yet. Just doesn't seem like a good idea for something that's supposed to be a rugged outdoor item. But perhaps I'm off base there.

For hunting purposes, loading good topo maps are a necessity.

 

[k-bob]

Pat I have had a garmin oregon touchscreen model, and a few garmin etrexs without the touchscreen. I like touchscreens in phones and the ipad, but in gps units, I like the etrex models without a touchscreen better. I did not find the oregon's touchscreen to be a big advantage in directing the unit, and the display seems brighter and clearer on an etrex. (Last time I was able to compare etrex and oregon displays, the etrex display was sharper and brighter. I'll put an image of etrex and oregon screens from a gps testing site at bottom this post -- I would try this in a store since oregon screen may have been improved.)

A big factor in any gps is upgradable memory, because the factory maps have about zero detail, and maps reside in gps memory and they take a lot of space. So a unit where you can add a cheap hi capacity microsd card is great. Or getting the topo maps on a memory card in the first place, because downloading those big maps to the card is a pain.

The current generation of etrexs seem tough and good in waterproofing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k266tH1ssQI

A garmin etrex 20 bundled with NE USA 1:24 topo on card strkes me as a nice unit for remote fishing around here. (You might also get a USA 1:100K map in bundle, but the 1:24 NE map is much more detailed and I seldom leave the NE USA map's zone) Still a learning curve of course.

 

[pcray1231]

Yeah, I've been out of the market a while, just re-entering now. Before his Oregon, my brother had an e-trex. The antenna sucked, he could rarely get a fix in hilly, wooded terrain. I suspect they've upgraded the antenna's these days, though.

I do like my sporttrak topo compared to my brother's e-trex. It's problems too are pretty dated in the world of GPS, I think. Reception is fine, but navigating the screens is slow. Gotten used to hourglasses, lol. Modern units have faster chips in them. And modern units do a lot better on batteries too.

I still think Garmin's GPSMap 60 series are fantastic, the best thing out there. They have a bunch of models depending on how many bells and whistles. I think the modern number is 62. And then there's 62s, sc, st, stc, etc. depending on the bells and whistles you want. They've got crystal clear screens. The reception is great, you get good fixes indoors! Memory is upgradable with SD cards. You can put whatever maps you want on it, including satellite and birds eye views.