Navigating

[ootini]

Hi folks,

Quick question, when it comes to off road routes and trails, what kind of maps or navigation tools do you use? I've got a landranger map of my local area which shows a few foot paths and bridleways. Is it more down to local knowledge etc? How did you lot plan routes for WRT?
I've got a phone with GPS but not much in the way of apps other than Google maps.

[Richpips]

I plan my own routes on mapping software at home (or use others .gpx files), and then upload to my Garmin Dakota.

I don't use maps and compasses anymore.

[Ray Young]

Plot using viewranger on my pc as the map is nearly full screen then check it on bikehike using satellite images to see if it exists on the ground. Upload it to my Garmin GPS and viewranger on my phone as a back up.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I, like many others love maps, so will often use OS 1:25k to plan routes. Somethimes I'll then plot the route on bikehike, convert it to a gpx and load it to the gps ... other times I just use the map. For general 'exploring' I use paper, for anything more 'serious' I use a gps.

I would advise using 1:25k rather than 1:50k where possible ... there's a surprising amount of stuff 'missing' on 1:50k.

[Richard G]

For me, mostly these two:

http://www.gpsies.com/
http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm

Then I upload to my Garmin / phone (for backup).

Edit - Seems bikehike is very similar to where's the path.

[ootini]

Cheers, never used bikehike before, looks good.

[ootini]

If I was looking at picking up a new GPS unit for my bike what would you recommend?
I've seen a few Garmins but they seem more like serious "training" computers. I'm not arsed about how many calories I used etc, what I need is something that I can upload a route to, which will then shout at me when a turn is coming up. Like a TomTom for a bike basically. Obviously I'd need it to handle both roads and off road trails / bridleways etc. Does such a thing exist, or is there something similar I could just install on my Android phone?

Thanks very much

[Bearbonesnorm]

Dakota 20 is a popular choice.

[ootini]

Dakota 20 is a popular choice.

Hi, thanks for that. just checking out the manual now. I'm assuming I could plot routes using my pc (BikeHike etc) and upload them?

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm assuming I could plot routes using my pc (BikeHike etc) and upload them?

Yep, that's exactly it.

[barney]

Dakota 20 is a popular choice.

Dakota 20 works great for me with uploaded gpx files from tracklogs.

and I'm really stoopid... so if it stops me getting lost then it should help anyone out (although I always carry a back up map with me )

[Cheeky Monkey]

dash4it.co.uk for cheap (paper) maps. Sign up to their newsletter for frequent discount codes.

If you get a Garmin cheap OS mapping can be had from a vendor (dazzler3693) on iOffer. 1:50k of the UK or 1:25k of the Lakes etc for <£30.

I'm with Stu, really like paper maps. However, I've got a Dakota for when it's the best tool / I just fancy using it.

[Zippy]

If you get a Garmin cheap OS mapping can be had from a vendor (dazzler3693) on iOffer. 1:50k of the UK or 1:25k of the Lakes etc for <£30.

Or you can just download it from the same source as dazzler and buy your own microSD card

[Cheeky Monkey]

If you get a Garmin cheap OS mapping can be had from a vendor (dazzler3693) on iOffer. 1:50k of the UK or 1:25k of the Lakes etc for <£30.

Or you can just download it from the same source as dazzler and buy your own microSD card

Really? Wasn't aware of that. Got a link?

edit: and is it full OS as in same view as 1:50 and 1:25k paper maps i.e not just opersource?

[johnnystorm]

The cards from Dazzler on iOffer are OS 1:50k, as per regular OS maps. Yeah, you could torrent them, but then you might end up torrenting a virus.

Back to the OP, if you have an Android phone have a look at Backcountry navigator. You can store locally the entire UK (other international maps are there) in 1:50k and 1:2k proper OS, as well as being able to follow tracks/record gpx files It was £6.99 when I bought it but the price may have gone up in the mean time. Generally speaking the Dakota has the advantage of taking AA batteries/being weather proof/easy to mount on the bars. My Android phone has a bigger, higher resolution screen but the battery life leaves a lot to be desired for continuous navigation.

[ootini]

Cheers for all the info folks. Back country navigator looks really nice, just playing with demo mode now.

I've often been curious about the difference in power usage between a phone and a dedicated GPS unit. Do phones hammer the batteries simply because of the higher res screens and other signals it's polling for? Is there anyway to shutdown the unnecessary stuff and dedicate the phone to GPS only for periods of time? Something like Airplane mode for everything but GPS?

[Ray Young]

Switch to aeroplane mode, turn off every app you can, turn down the brightness and if possible carry a spare battery. I also used to turn off the GPS when it wasn't needed. I now use an etrex 20 with the phone as a back up and am much happier with that.

[Richard G]

You can get really light high capacity batteries now too, which makes using phones for GPS navigation quite feasible.

Some phones (Like the Nexus 5 and some of Sony's Android offerings) have crazy large batteries too.