can i replace a GPS with a smartphone ?

[mtbmarkymark]

Hi everyone,
At the moment i carry a mobile when bikepacking and i have borrowed my mates garmin GPS a few times.
The weight weenie in me would love to combine the functions into one unit
IFAIK most posh mobiles now have a proper GPS built in that can establish location without a phone signal. Most also have A-GPS which speeds up location finding when a phone signal is available
presumably the phone will need the ability to load maps via a memory card so can work offline
I'm looking into the subject and it's confusing

[johnnystorm]

There are a few ways you can get "offline" mapping in a mobile. The downside for me is firstly the cost of the mapping and secondly the suitability of the device. My Dakota & maps cost under £170 and it lasts ages in all weathers on a couple of AA batteries. To replicate that functionality on my phone would be expensive and a riskier proposition. I also use my phone as my camera so stopping Nav to take pics, etc would be faff if using it for navigation. Having said that I wish my Dakota had a similar resolution screen to my iPhone.

[Gari]

I use a Samsung Note as a mini tablet when riding, I have 3 GPS apps on it which gives me different mapping options.
Gaia GPS uses open source mapping, it comes with lots of maps available as a drop down menu. It is under £10 and is ios and android.
Oruxmaps is an android only App, with much the same options as above. Free.
Viewranger is a also free App, available for both ios and android, and though it comes with the OSM mapping you can buy OS maps as tiles or for complete areas in both 25k and 50k. All are capable of downloading tiles for use offline and have pretty good tracking functions.
I have no interest in buying a stand alone GPS as I much prefer paper maps and a compass, especially on foot/ski, but I looked into gps for a trip abroad that had inconsistant mapping. I was pretty surprised how accurate the GPS is on phones now, even my iPad is accurate to a metre or so, and while I still wouldn't use it purely as a GPS on the hill I think they work great on cycle trips where you are predominantly on track/trails. They are, in my opinion/experience at least, accurate enough also to establish your position in the event of getting "mislaid", something I intend to test in the many days of white-out conditions here in the Cairngorms.

[Bearbonesnorm]

EDIT: Post by IanFitz that went astray

I use memorymap on the iPhone. It works on android platform too.

You can plan or import routes from PC or just email them to yourself. I've got all of Britain at 50k scale on my phone, which is fine scale wise for mtb. The issues are battery life, but I tend not to leave it running all the time. I got round the bb200 on one charge (although carried a spare battery)

I think the newer Garmins with the sat nav function (they beep at you if you miss a turning!) probably have the edge but I'm used to it and the set up didn't cost me much above phone costs etc.

I use a lifeproof case and bike mount. These have taken in some rough riding and a few 'offs' and seem robust to me. On long outing I'd carry a minimal paper map as back up no matter what electronic system I was using...

[ianfitz]

Thanks stu. Was going to Retype that later.

[Charliecres]

I use Viewranger on an iPhone and I'd recommend it. That said, I don't use it as my sole means of nav, more to check where I am if I'm not sure. I got a huge bundle of OS maps in with the £15 download fee.

[DoctorRad]

Big thread here with lots of info including how to get OS mapping for free if you don't mind being a bit naughty:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... d-tracking

Personally, I always have the paper maps with me as well as a backup, so don't feel too bad about ripping a digital copy of the same mapping onto my phone. I use a Galaxy S3 in a ruggedised case, plus an external battery pack for longer rides.

[mtbmarkymark]

Thanks for all the replies
I need a solution with which i can plan the next days riding whilst sat in the tent/pub.
With many GPS's you can't do this without a computer ( e.g Garmin )
Can this be done with an app on an Android smartphone ?

[Dan_K]

Thanks for all the replies
I need a solution with which i can plan the next days riding whilst sat in the tent/pub.
With many GPS's you can't do this without a computer ( e.g Garmin )
Can this be done with an app on an Android smartphone ?

Yes, viewranger. Syncs with PC, iPad, whatever too so you can plan routes online and then send them to your device and vice versa.
It's free to download so you can always try it and cache OSM mapping before buying any OS maps.

I can plan routes on my garmin etrex too though....

[DoctorRad]

Can this be done with an app on an Android smartphone ?

Can also be done with OruxMaps. MoBAC will generate maps for this app too.

[petemaz]

i noticed link to a pretty useful article on this in the 'hiking in finland' blog:

http://www.alexroddie.com/2013/11/how-t ... -into.html

some good suggestions and links to apps..

[drain]

Another vote here for ViewRanger, excellent app. The downside with using a smartphone is the battery draw is so big - best really to use it on shorter rides or as an occasional look-see with the GPS on to reassure yourself that you're not off route.

PowerMonkeys or similar power sources are useful - but then the costs are starting to converge on a 'proper' GPS...

[mtbmarkymark]

Can a Garmin user confirm that you can plan a route just using the GPS alone ( nothing else, no smartphone, no pc etc ) ....i didn't think you could
i'm planning to run the smartphone from a Dynamo hub ( the SP sold with the exposure revo ) along with a USB converter Brightbikelabs.com revolution. Has anyone got any experience of similar.

[mtbmarkymark]

Can a Garmin user confirm that you can plan a route just using the GPS alone ( nothing else, no smartphone, no pc etc ) ....i didn't think you could
i'm planning to run the smartphone from a Dynamo hub ( the SP sold with the exposure revo ) along with a USB converter Brightbikelabs.com revolution. Has anyone got any experience of similar.

[Eoghan]

This app is worth a look for semi-luddites like me who just want to use a paper map with the option of a simple grid reference now and again:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... g&hl=en_GB

[Keiracon]

Mark I have a garmin 800 if u want to have a play around with it. I don't think you can plot a route on it. I think the screen would be on the small side

[JohnClimber]

This app is worth a look for semi-luddites like me who just want to use a paper map with the option of a simple grid reference now and again:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... g&hl=en_GB

Cheers for this app, I've just downloaded it

[Chew]

Can a Garmin user confirm that you can plan a route just using the GPS alone ( nothing else, no smartphone, no pc etc ) ....i didn't think you could
i'm planning to run the smartphone from a Dynamo hub ( the SP sold with the exposure revo ) along with a USB converter Brightbikelabs.com revolution. Has anyone got any experience of similar.

You can but it's a pain. Probably as much as plotting a route via a phone

[ScotRoutes]

Can a Garmin user confirm that you can plan a route just using the GPS alone ( nothing else, no smartphone, no pc etc ) ....i didn't think you could
i'm planning to run the smartphone from a Dynamo hub ( the SP sold with the exposure revo ) along with a USB converter Brightbikelabs.com revolution. Has anyone got any experience of similar.

You can but it's a pain. Probably as much as plotting a route via a phone

That.

The process and interface is exactly the same - you are basically entering a series of markers and joining them up into a route. This is easy if you are sticking to roads and using "car-like" GPS routing. A lot more difficult if you are off-road as there is no inbuilt "routing" along tracks (or the bits between them).*



* Some limited routing may be possible using OSM mapping but I've found it's pretty pants.

[DoctorRad]

A lot more difficult if you are off-road as there is no inbuilt "routing" along tracks (or the bits between them).

I find http://www.bikehike.co.uk really useful for auto-routing and route plotting, as it will auto-route along both OSM and Google tracks, and the latter often includes forestry tracks. Switch it over to satellite view to follow lines on the ground where there are no mapped tracks.