free gps and maps for your mobile

[wildish64]

i've been using this for a while now and have never ceased to be impressed with it.

it has tracking feature so you can see where you've been,speed,altitude etc etc

in fact it has so many functions i haven't even managed to work some of them out but it does everything I've ever needed

I zoom in to the areas i will be travelling in at home and then close the app to save downloading via sim (i'm on payg)

Take a look and see what you think :D

http://www.viewranger.com/en-gb

[Silverback]

not much use if the person cant navigate in the first place, reliance on technology and 'dashboard doris' no thanks

[wildish64]

ahhh but it shows you your location,has a built in compass etc etc walk a few meters the wrong way and it will show you which way you are going so its pretty fool proof....if you still lost then i think you should stay indoors :confused2:

very true sapper,it may not be for everyone ,you cant beat a good old map and compass but it has its place.

[Silverback]

ahhh but it shows you your location,has a built in compass....if you still lost then i think you should stay indoors :confused2:

If Im lost then yes its a real problem. I take pleasure from being able to navigate by many ways, map reading is definately one of them, i just choose not to rely on technology and I wish other people would do the same, it may save many a sleepless night

[Tigger004]

thank you wildish64, always good to have more than one method, could possibly clarify someones location, many uses even in a unknown urban area

[Bob W]

Had it and un-installed it! I just print and laminate the maps for where I'm headed. I keep my mobile battery power for an SOS call if needed. These apps drain batteries very quickly.

[Silverback]

...and the right equipment
A map and compass are essential kit and should be easily accessible – not buried in the rucksack!
A mobile phone and GPS are useful tools but don't rely on your mobile to get you out of trouble – in many areas of the mountains there is no signal coverage.
Take a whistle and learn the signal for rescue. Six good long blasts. Stop for one minute. Repeat. Carry on the whistle blasts until someone reaches you and don't stop because you've heard a reply – rescuers may be using your blasts as a direction finder.
A torch (plus spare batteries and bulbs) is a must. Use it for signalling in the same pattern as for whistle blasts.
At least one reliable watch in the party.
Cllimbers and mountain bikers should wear a helmet. In winter conditions, an ice-axe, crampons and survival bag are essential.
Emergency survival kit comprising spare clothing and a bivvi bag.


http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/mountain-advice

[wildish64]

I must admit it can drain the battery if you leave the app running. I tend to lock the gps to my position and then turn on the tracker, then i exit from that screen going back to my phones 'home screen' leaving it running in the background. this way it does not use anywhere near as much power,in fact it hardly uses any.
When i have finished my walk i can get a detailed history of where i've been,as well as being able to put points of interest into the map as i go ie king alfred cake finds ,fruit trees etc etc. i also get a total of mileage covered,elevations .....

i am not suggesting that anyone should rely on the viewranger or any gps as the only frame of reference to navigate by but it has plenty of uses in its own rights.

[Silverback]

just promoting one of the current messages from the various SAR organisations in the UK.

Its ok using digital mapping systems but they do have inherent issues such as battery life and the fact that the person using it a, knows how to use the software and b, can actually relate the information on the screen to the terrain on which they find themselves - exactly the same for a paper map but there seems to be a move towards blind obeyance of technology these days.

[wildish64]

thank you wildish64, always good to have more than one method, could possibly clarify someones location, many uses even in a unknown urban area

you'r quiet right Tigger,it lists positions of fuel stations,hospitals,chemists,supermarkets bus stops and other useful places which are not shown on maps.

[Martin]

Even a dedicated walking GPS, in the wrong hands, can be worse than useless!!

Last year, on Dartmoor, we were 'check pointing' waiting for cadets to pass through our position. We were supposed to be with another group of instructors from another 'wing' but they were very late turning up. An hour or so after their appointed time, they finally arrived and told us that we were in the wrong place, on the wrong tor!

Now, I had navigated to the correct spot using my map and compass and I was 100% certain of my position which I had confirmed using the topography. This chap told me that he had programmed the grid reference into his GPS and that we must be wrong, even though I showed him where we were on the map and showed him my proof.

After some heated debate, I asked to see his GPS which was an Etrex. I also own an Etrex and fished it out of my rucksack. I fired it up and it came up with a different grid reference to the one his did. On looking at the settings, he had it set to the wrong 'map datum' and admitted that it had always been set to WGS84 instead of BNG. This meant that he had always been in the wrong place!!

The moral of this story is that, on Dartmoor, the worst that can happen is that you may become embarrassed by someone who can read a map better than you. On mountains like Ben Nevis, you could fall off and never be seen again. Therefore, use the technology for sure but use it to consolidate knowledge, not to replace your map and compass skills.

I wonder how long it will be before we have another tech v traditional navigation thread? ;)

Martin

[Silverback]

i wonder how long it will be before we have another tech v traditional navigation thread? ;)




lol ;)

[wildish64]

lol Sapper, i feel you perceive these things as 'demon technology' although i dont disagree with anything you've said i feel i should just point out i'm not trying to sell you one,i only posted it for those who may find it useful to augment their experience in what ever way they might find useful. and its free ;)

[Silverback]

lol Sapper, i feel you perceive these things as 'demon technology' although i dont disagree with anything you've said i feel i should just point out i'm not trying to sell you one,i only posted it for those who may find it useful to augment their experience in what ever way they might find useful. and its free ;)

Dont perceive them as demon anything, I have 2 gps systems. A garmin e trex and a satmap active 10 the active 10 was free as was the countrywide mapping at 3 scales. They are used to support the work i do on the fells and mountains as well as in rural areas. Like Martin I already know how to navigate and they are a back up/support to skills i already posess. They become dangerous when people who dont know how to do either are let loose with technology that they blindly follow.

Im a yorkshireman i defy you to sell me anything

[Bob W]

Dont perceive them as demon anything, I have 2 gps systems. A garmin e trex and a satmap active 10 the active 10 was free as was the countrywide mapping at 3 scales. They are used to support the work i do on the fells and mountains as well as in rural areas. Like Martin I already know how to navigate and they are a back up/support to skills i already posess. They become dangerous when people who dont know how to do either are let loose with technology that they blindly follow.

Im a yorkshireman i defy you to sell me anything

I'll sell you some coal, from afar. Loads left in Yorkshire, just not mined, a major bugbear of mine.

[Silverback]

uh oh dangerous subject alert......coal...miners...maggie...scargill...... .:off-topic:

[Bob W]

I'll step down, only because of the scary face holding the off topic poster



I'm morally correct though ;)

Last word etc :rolleyes:

[Silverback]

navigation has nothing to do with coal... iron pyrites maybe......and this isnt an appropriate thread Im sure one of the mods will be along shortly to say the same, as for the off topic thingy, its the one on the forum nothing else to use.

[happybonzo]

I bought one of these "smart" phones thinking that it would be handy when I'm abroad. Useful if you're in a strange town and trying to find where you left the Motorhome etc

The B. thing is so smart that I cannot get anything to download to it nor can the two local computer specialist shops ...

[wildish64]

Well i personally wouldnt waste my money on one,let alone 2, but as a handy freebie it has its uses.

A map is enough for me in most cases for general use and if i do feel unsure of where i am i dust off the compass.

There are plenty of people who wander off and get them selves lost just as easily with a m+c as well as gps. No matter which they use they should be able to use them correctly to avoid risking their own safety as well as the various 'services' that that have to come to their rescue.

[Ehecatl]

A couple of years ago I climbed Tryfan with a couple of mates and the thought of using technology to navigate didn't even cross my mind (it was such a lovely day though that I hardly even used the map and had no use of my compass).

Last October I had to visit the Visa Europe offices in Paddington. I tried the navigation app on my android phone and was impressed with it. I also use an app on my phone when cycle training, not for navigation but for distance and elevation after a ride.

Technology has its place, but so does a map & compass. These days I'm more likely to look at a smart phone's navigation app in the hills to understand how it's measuring up, not to rely on it, even for making phone calls!

Don't get me started on some of the irresponsible nutters who have utter dependance on their in car sat navs for getting from A to B :guns:

M@

[Silverback]

as well as the various 'services' that that have to come to their rescue.

Its worthy of note that we have no 'right' to rescue in the UK.....


Don't get me started on some of the irresponsible nutters who have utter dependance on their in car sat navs for getting from A to B

M@

I could tell you some stories......pull up a chair and I'll spin the compass bezel

[wildish64]

[QUOTE=Sapper4083;68706]Its worthy of note that we have no 'right' to rescue in the UK.....

its a shame more folks are not made aware of this before they go stumbling off into the middle of nowhere.

that is why i have nothing but admiration for the people who volunteer or work in such circles (yourself included if my assumptions are correct in that you do such a job)

[Silverback]

I have been known to volunteer my services yes, along with one or two others who post here

[happybonzo]

I bought one of these "smart" phones thinking that it would be handy when I'm abroad. Useful if you're in a strange town and trying to find where you left the Motorhome etc

The B. thing is so smart that I cannot get anything to download to it nor can the two local computer specialist shops ...

An update for everyone who hates technology

I tried the wretched thing out on Sunday. Felixstowe to Needham Market and it's approx 25 miles.

The ----- thing had still not planned a route by the time I reached Chateau Despair

What a great piece of kit :(