My decade old GPS has better reception compared to my 2 year old smart phone. It is also much more rugged. Smart phones may have improved in those 2 years .. but I don't think they will ever be as good due to the wide frequency range required for phone operation, the small space and shape requirement for pocket compatibility. The GPS has a narrower band of frequencies to receive - thus the antenna can be made better and people might be more prepared to accommodate the more difficult shape of the GPS as a trade off for the specialist features.

A large portion of the accuracy of the GPS is the app that's using it I wonder. I've been using the S4 for 3 years now as my only nav tool in the Canadian Rockies during +30 and -30 temps no worries using topo maps where it's always accurately indicated my position without flaw. I'd be happy to navigate with it in a whiteout.
Haven't had it strapped to the bars much. Had an S3 before that that was strapped to bars for prolonged period, and it also didn't fail riding high speed gravel roads through the States. Until it started raining and I forgot to check if the headphone jack cover was still there on the case. I blame the case and myself, not the phone. Charging them is a challenge. But I'm ok with how it's working, also charging it during the night to get it to 100%. It only seems to loose 20% over the day with a few stops for fuel or a piss. Sadly they drain with them plugged in without power delivery. I have all my accessories switched. You can single out your USB lead and not switch that, but that makes me nervous.
For whatever reason they (S3, S4 and S6) do not accept >1 - 2amp going in from a 2amp charger. Not sure what that is all about. If it does I'm all set.

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Reception: Under tree cover my S4mini duos looses satellite reception. My GPS 60Cx still has satellite reception in the same place. First hand practical information - no web search .. just first hand experience.

The android app GPS Status gives you the satellite reception ... I think you find all the apps use the same input data - the accuracy of the map may vary.

I lost my 60csx somewhere on the sunshine coast hinterland riding single track. Awesome machine.
There are areas with thick rain forest canopy where you can have signal issues I guess. Dunno myself. Didn't try in Oz. My mate did and I can't remember him suffering that too much if at all. Never had issues myself as mentioned. Not in tight B.C. forests with tall deciduous trees whilst mountain biking either.

For motorcycle travel it's a non issue anyway.

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Firstly clearly GPS is not essential otherwise none of us would have been going anywhere 20 plus years ago. The main requirement is a map preferably with at least 1:1m scale. IGN does maps of most of the countries you are visiting. Mauritania is at 1:2,5000,000 but all you need to do is follow the main road.

Some days when I'm being carefree I head off and navigate by the sun. If you know the time, you can roughly work out which is north from the position of the sun.

A smartphone running Google Maps will go a long way towards basic navigation. When you have wifi, download the map areas you will be going through. When you are offline, the inbuilt GPS receiver will pinpoint your position on the downloaded map. However, the unit will quickly overheat if mounted in sunlight, so this is best used as an in-pocket resource.

You can download a compass app for the smartphone, so that's one less bit of kit to worry about.

I use GPS extensively in Morocco for real remote off-tarmac stuff where there's tracks headed in all directions and you would have little idea where to go. In circumstances like that I sometimes just put a rough waypoint in of where I generally want to go, and then use this as aid, but in reality choosing my route from what I see on the ground.

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and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Not if you have to find embassys to apply for Visa or want ot find a special place in a big city etc...

Agree with Tim, when you go off tarmac often and traveling to certain countries where phone signal are poor, then GPS is still the better option. With GPS I can easily and safely back track where the path ends. And what I love with Garmin maps are to find old roads no longer in use nor directed to by maps on phone app. I also have Garmin streetpilot app installed on my iphone, but then the gadget will easily overheat when riding under the sun and connected to power cord. Another thing I like from a GPS is the trip computer function, an awesome feature to track the journey.


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This is where dedicated gps's suck. The ability to use any map you want. Some Garmin's allow this. But it's slow on the one I used it on. With a smart phone the world is your oyster. I scan in every paper map I want to use on the Android (iPhone can't do it). Prefer then now over vector mapping with routing. Never needed it. In cities I use Here maps or sometimes but rarely Google maps offline.
The technology is about the same but the low speed and narrow use that you get on dedicated equipment means it is a cost that's no longer required. Obsolete in my mind. The overheating is overstated. Had mine on the bars at 100f, no worries. Like any electrical equipment, it needs cooling so don't leave it in the sun stationary. But whilst moving no worries.

Adopting tech has always been slow in this activity. It was the same when Garmin popped up. Now the same discussion is being had.

I tend to use this tech to confirm. Do you really need it on routing when you're on a double track in the desert? I would argue that it's safe to say you're on the right track. If you see other tracks, check out if you're on the right one, sort of heading in the direction towards the landmass feature you're aiming for, or bearing, and look ahead instead of down.

In the end the new tech is actually what the old paper map fan boys of yesteryear were dreaming about. Having a device that told them exactly where they were on their paper map. It's here now guys. Use it!

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I recently went through Spain and Morocco ,but has the entire world ,only using Sygic from the app store on my smart phone it does not use your data plan but downloads the maps onto your phone it even navigated me inside the fez medina. have sold my Garmin Zumo as much better. give it a try!

Raster maps have quite a few decades of development in their paper form. As such they have reach quite a high level of usefulness.

Vector maps are still developing and don't have the same amount of development time as raster maps. That said they are still competing with raster maps fairly well. When the vector maps have the same information as the raster amps they do need more work ... because when zoomed in you are looking at one raster map ... when zoomed out you are looking at a different raster map - this is an advantage of the vector map - it can contain many raster maps in the one package ... and do it in less memory.

Both the above map types can be placed on an electronic device .. even your camera could be used to display the information, most cameras won't do vector but they should do raster.


The GPS/smart phone with map/s has the advantage of 'knowing where you are' and can display that info (usually by placing you in the center of the map/display). Routing can be another advantage of the GPS/smart phone map/s. And searching for a place can be much easier using a GPS/smart phone with map/s.

Given time (at least years) vector maps will surpass raster maps. Until then a good raster map at the right level of scale will probably be more usefull than a vector map.

What is the purpose of your quest - to experience the journey or to arrive at your destination?
I admit when I read the title of the first post, I expected a debate about maps vs electronica. When you follow the screen, your blinkers are set - tunnel vision. Isolated from your surroundings. It is very easy to take the simple course and be led by the nose. Where is the embassy? Ask someone! Take or follow a taxi (I'm sure Siri/Cortana could give you the address if you're desperate to go it alone)
I will admit it is nice to know exactly where you are and where you have to go, but as Tim points out many of us were travelling over long distances not so long ago without electronic assistance. (Lois Pryce in Iran most recently anyone?) Try it, it's quite rewarding.
As to the question, if you're relying on electronics, take 2 of them. Keep them separate (they're much more desireable than a map to thieves) And have a map and compass to keep track of where you've been and remind you of your place in the world:-)
Travel safe,
Simon.

You learn to make do with what is available. When I first rode to Africa on a motorbike in 1972 there were no downloadable maps, no GPS units, no tourist guidebooks. If you needed to find something, you stopped and asked someone.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

I'm pretty sure my GPS Smartphone can't hold a gun to my head to make me use it. I use it when I need to. Actually enjoy trying to find "centre ville" without it.

Saying that though. A friend of mine runs a popular touring company where they give GPS's. Most of his clients rely blindly on it without considering their surroundings. I guess that's why they do tours though instead of doing it them selves.

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