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Navigation - Maps, Compass, GPS How to find your way - traditional map, compass and road signs, or GPS and more
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland




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  #406  
Old 13 Dec 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vin100 View Post
The OSN data however has quality problems. It doesn't seem to have house numbers and there are connectivity problems between road segments.
I guess you mean OSM i.e. Open Street Map data which is developing rapidly and is updated regularly.
I access OSM via a variety of phone apps and I find that house numbers can be found on their maps if a sufficient level of zooming in is done with the app.
For instance, "navigator" shows house numbering and has a search function which can find, for example, UK postcodes/addresses.
As per the app name, it can navigate to such addresses in the same way as my garmin Nuvi does, while showing a better detail of mapping along the way - hence I rarely use the Nuvi nowadays.


Quote:
Originally Posted by infinityjellyd View Post
What about the DeLorme InReach (or SPOT) as an alternative? I know cost-wise it is not a cheap alternative, but it adds the function of emergency help, tracking, and (limited) texting with friends/family back home.

Anyone have experience using one vs a GPS or the seemingly preferred phone options discussed above?
If you search in the HUBB there are some threads that talk about the capability of the InReach and the SPOT products but I don't recall anyone has said that they have used either as a navigation aid.
There are certainly smart phone apps that record tracking data - I have experimented with one called MY Trails which does exactly as it's name suggests.
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  #407  
Old 24 Dec 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout View Post
I guess you mean OSM i.e. Open Street Map data which is developing rapidly and is updated regularly.
I access OSM via a variety of phone apps and I find that house numbers can be found on their maps if a sufficient level of zooming in is done with the app.
OSM house numbers... depends on unpaid people putting them into OSM. As there are lots of unnamed roads around me .. I am spending some time just putting those names in. I'd rather spend time putting in tracks in the country side, but given the vast number missing I though I'd add a few. Some 300+ in the last week.

So house numbers will depend on where you look .. Glasgow UK does not have many. Sydney Australia does not have many either.
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  #408  
Old 30 Dec 2015
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More hardware competition

I've just caught up with the existance of yet another water resistant smart phone, this one coming from Motorola.
UK's Cheapest Moto G (3rd Generation): Where To Buy?

It looks like a great specification at the price (for around the cost of a rear tyre on a sports bike).
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  #409  
Old 23 Apr 2016
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Experiences with Mapfactor Navigator using OSM mapping; an update.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout View Post
For instance, "navigator" shows house numbering and has a search function which can find, for example, UK postcodes/addresses.
As per the app name, it can navigate to such addresses in the same way as my garmin Nuvi does, while showing a better detail of mapping along the way - hence I rarely use the Nuvi nowadays.

There are certainly smart phone apps that record tracking data - I have experimented with one called MY Trails which does exactly as it's name suggests.
I've used this for street navigation in a few countries of Europe now.
It has found street addresses in a very accurate manner, in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK using either full addresses or postcodes.
From a recent update (which are offered regularly) it also has a basic form of lane guidance for major autobahn type highways – what I found more interesting, and even quite useful, were the depictions of the overhead gantry signs on the German autobahns which automatically appear in the app software in good time while approaching the junctions.
Naturally, voice directions are also available.

The app had something of an apparent glitch around the area of Geneva airport; I was disappointed in this at the time and put it down to something or other to do with the density of roads in that area, or the complex international borders – later, when fiddling with the app settings I found that I had it set for a walking mode at about 4 miles per hour (which previously I did not realise existed), so I guess that this is what caused the apparent glitch. In this mode it could use all forms of footpaths as part of the routing algorithm, such as pedestrianised precincts.
It certainly hasn't misbehaved since then and it is now set in a vehicle-use mode.

This led me to look more at the settings of the app, having ignored this aspect for some time.
It's impressively detailed with various modes that can be chosen and the parameters for each mode can be preset in great detail (such as the average speed, types of roads to be used – tolled roads, ferries etc etc).
I can't find a thing this app can't do actually.
The display can also be modified and personalised to suit most things that folk may wish to view – number of satellites in use, time to destination, distance to destination, all that kind of thing.
A compass heading can also be placed at the top of the screen.

I think it also has a route tracking capability but I haven't looked into that aspect, having no specific use for suchlike.
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  #410  
Old 5 Jul 2016
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Smartphone with maps of Iran, Pakistan, India...

Sorry if this matter is courrently solved in the thread, but I don´t find it. I have no smartphone at this moment, I´m going to Thailand from Spain through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India and Myanmar (Bhirmania). I have a new Tomtom Rider 400, who has all Europe and Turkey maps too, but I look for Tomtom maps from Iran, Pakistan, India, Myanmar and Thailand and there are not available, only Thailand.
Do you know if "here maps" has maps of these countries, and witch kind of smartphone (Nokia, Windows, Samsung...) I need for? I´m not introduced so much in smartphone new phones, I have a simple Nokia with no internet connection but I need to get in contact with the world when I depart from Barcelona. I will stay also about three month in Thailand, and need one cheap smartphone but in the middle range of quality.
Can you help me, please?
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  #411  
Old 7 Jul 2016
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I think you'll have a battle on your hands at short notice if you are not familiar with smart phones. Here is for Android and probably iPhone. Personally I recommend Android for travelling. Locus is a very good app for it that's not on iPhone. It allows you to use custom mapping but I think that would be a bit technical in your case. They do have lots of other offline options though.
They had all those countries except Pakistan and Myanmar. Good luck!

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Last edited by tmotten; 18 Aug 2016 at 16:32.
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  #412  
Old 8 Jul 2016
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I'm still struggling to find an android app that shows friends and family where I am. Delorme does it but I ought to be able to do it from my phone or tablet.
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  #413  
Old 9 Jul 2016
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Can't you send a pin by email?

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  #414  
Old 9 Jul 2016
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Originally Posted by Mark hadley View Post
I'm still struggling to find an android app that shows friends and family where I am. Delorme does it but I ought to be able to do it from my phone or tablet.
"Real time GPS Tracker" free on the app store. Gives you a link you can send anyone you like.

Andy
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  #415  
Old 18 Aug 2016
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A comment to SeoulJoe after a long trip to Siberia and Mongolia, re smartphones vs. Garmin GPS: what good are smartphones when "No Service". They don't remember much when "offline".

Charlie
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  #416  
Old 18 Aug 2016
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...that's probably why people use apps like 'Here maps' and ' maps.me' that work perfectly well offline using previously downloaded maps..!

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  #417  
Old 18 Aug 2016
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Exactly. I'm finding a lot of the people in the no camp haven't done their homework. If you know a little about digital mapping (GIS) you'll never go back. Phone are powerful, new models are hardly better than 3 generations back (I'm still using an S4), easily available, wireless setup if you need to swap, I can keep going.
Using a phone opens up a vast array of options that I didn't have access too before. You can now truly go off the map. I'm planning donkey tracks that are not on the map in Google earth. With easily available gis software and in app you can download all the free mapping you want. Plus in gis software like global mapper you can download aerial imagery and use scanned paper maps like tracks4Africa, in decently sized files to find population asking your route as a safety net. Really, it's a no brainer and I cannot understand why people still spend a couple of nights at a resort type money on dedicated gps units that offer less not more.

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  #418  
Old 18 Aug 2016
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Half the difficulty is the mass of information and geek speak.

I've been playing with a tracker

https://sites.google.com/site/pooratrek/poorasecure

Still no idea what GPS&M/GRP/GPS is but it seems if you text it a fixed sequence it texts one back. The radio signal is called about 12 different acronyms and TLA's

Andy
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  #419  
Old 19 Aug 2016
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m37charlie View Post
A comment to SeoulJoe after a long trip to Siberia and Mongolia, re smartphones vs. Garmin GPS: what good are smartphones when "No Service". They don't remember much when "offline".

Charlie
Really? Please. "No Service" refers to no cell service, so you can't make a phone call or use 3G/4G/LTE/CDMA connection. It says NOTHING about the phone's capability of receiving a satellite signal.

Do some homework.
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  #420  
Old 19 Aug 2016
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie View Post
Half the difficulty is the mass of information and geek speak.

I've been playing with a tracker

https://sites.google.com/site/pooratrek/poorasecure

Still no idea what GPS&M/GRP/GPS is but it seems if you text it a fixed sequence it texts one back. The radio signal is called about 12 different acronyms and TLA's

Andy
Now all you need is for someone to steal the bike so you can test it

It's bound to work - after all the man on the website says:

"GPS tracker is easy to use, with just two buttons (although) you must set up the APN of your local GSM network for the SIM card in tracker first ...

As long as you've done that (whatever it is) you'll always know where the joyriders are, right up to the point where they dump it in a canal.
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