Teach me about GPS!

[Ogri the trog]

As much as it pains me to admit it, I have no knowledge about these things.

I am quite comfortable using a map and compass, indeed I teach navigation to a few youth organizations. However it is becoming aparent that I am turning into a dinosaur in not keeping up with technology!

What I am trying to find out is;

How expensive is the technology to buy and maintain? ... and how cheaply could I get away with?
Do you have to "buy" extra information like different scale maps?
Could a "Smart phone App" do something similar? - Please bear in mind that, while I'm thinking of upgrading, I don't have one of those either and it is likely to take an age for me to learn how to drive it!

... And anything else I'm going to need to know

TIA

Ogri the trog

 

[scumble]

I'm a garmin fan so I've not really tried the other makes so won't be able to help with comparisons but the garmin models can be had for £130 - £160 for a good one. you can pay more of course if you need all the bells and whistles, you can also pay less with the base models under £100 but they're very basic.

Garmin provides software that enables you to plan your trip in advance and save your waypoints and routes which is handy.

Maps are extra as are updates and that can get quite expensive. I've never bothered to update mine as it does what I need and generally it's roads that change not woods or moors.

You can get apps for smartphones that will do the job but it'll eat up you battery and they never used to be that accurate, might have changed now.

If you're looking for one check it does what you want in terms of what maps it'll hold, look for battery life and waterproof level.
Also make sure it's got EGNOS which will improve accuracy, the new ones are using GLONASS, the new russian system as well which should make it better.
Word of warning on that, the accuracy claimed is best case once you're in woods it will drop.

I'm currently running an etrex vista and am looking at upgrading to the etrex 20 as I'm into geocaching and it provides a complete solution.

Like most tools it requires practise to get good with them and they'll never replace a map and compass, I've had one crash when I was in France on my motorbike as I got off the chunnel and lost all my routes and stops. Map saved the day

 

[udamiano]

PM me and ill take you through the lot.

 

[widu13]

Garmin is a market leader. The eTrex 20 and above hold maps, the 10 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00542NV32/?tag=hydra0b-21&hvadid=11209666445&ref=asc_df_B00542NV32) is £80. You can buy cheaper "old" model eTrex which work perfectly well without mapping for £50-60.

With the mapping units they still aren't as easy to use as a map, but you don't have a map flapping around or to put away after each use. They can be a pain zooming in and out to see features etc.

Garmins tend to last around 20 hrs on batts.

 

[John Fenna]

RESIST!
I need to know that some others are still as "old school" as I am![
GPS, smartphones, tablets (other than Toddys) watching "I am an X celebrity get me exposure!" are all works that the devil makes for idle brains!
RESIST I TELL YOU!

As much as it pains me to admit it, I have no knowledge about these things.

I am quite comfortable using a map and compass, indeed I teach navigation to a few youth organizations. However it is becoming aparent that I am turning into a dinosaur in not keeping up with technology!

What I am trying to find out is;

How expensive is the technology to buy and maintain? ... and how cheaply could I get away with?
Do you have to "buy" extra information like different scale maps?
Could a "Smart phone App" do something similar? - Please bear in mind that, while I'm thinking of upgrading, I don't have one of those either and it is likely to take an age for me to learn how to drive it!

... And anything else I'm going to need to know

TIA

Ogri the trog

 

[NS40]

Some of the smartphone apps are good but their disadvantages can be a bit of a problem.

Most are quite power intensive so will drain your battery quite quickly.

Most also require you to have a data connection when in use so if you get to an area where you have no phone signal (or even a significantly reduced signal) then you basically have no maps. Some do allow you to download sections of map which can be used offline but this if sometimes fiddly and requires you to plan ahead to make sure you have saved offline maps covering all the areas you'll be travelling in.

Purpose made GPS units have better battery life and generally become more functional the more you pay. It can be quite expensive to purchase the maps for them though although, depending on the model, you can sometimes export from PC based mapping systems (such as memory map).

I tend to use GPS as a backup with my main point of reference being map & compass.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hmmmm - already this is turning into a jargon-fest!

I am very aware that irrespective of how much you kind people post advice, or how ever much training I attend in the use of these confounded things - within minutes of being asked how to use one - I'll be throwing my arms up in despair, turning the infernal device off (if it's lucky, or if it has really hacked me off it'll be launched into the distance) and confining it to the bottom of my pack and adding it to the top of my "seemed like a good idea at the time" list, and calling for a paper map and compass.

Thanks for your replies gentlemen, but I'm fast beginning to regret asking the question now.

Ogri the trog

 

[treadlightly]

You're coming to your senses Ogri

 

[Col_M]

To be honest the only use for a GPS I've found is keeping in a corner of my pack in case on the off chance I to find my exact location in an emergency. I still navigate with a map and compass.

 

[Bucephalas]

I use GB OUTDOORS, ROUTEBUDDY and VIEWRANGER. All these are on the iPhone and I find them great.
I favour VIEWRANGER and it is inexpensive to use as you can download tiles of an os map for credits rather than complete maps.
As far as battery is concerned, I use a extra battery pack to recharge if I'm on a 2 day walkabout but I don't find it too bad on battery use. You just need to disable wifi, email and other apps that may use the battery.
There are also plenty of routes you can download for free too. I use my Dropbox to store them.

I find accuracy very good and no signal is required to use. You do need signal to download tiles though but I do that before I leave home.

 

[Aragorn]

I've not used stand alone units such as garmin etc but can also recommend viewranger as an excellent mapping app that I do use. http://www.viewranger.com/en-gb can be used on android, iOS ( apple products) and symbian operating systems.

The app is free and has a lot of very good features. The buddy beacon is particularly good for hill walking etc as it transmits your location which can be seen on an online map, handy for the misses to keep tabs on you ;-)


The free app includes open mapping, which can be saved to your device so no data connection is needed. A data connection is needed for the buddy beacon feature.
The best thing is that it uses premium os maps, both 1:25000 and 1:50000 scales are available. Maps can be bought as individual tiles or by area. Maps of all nation parks etc are available. These are also stored to device so no data connection is needed to view them. Routes can be created at home on the Viewranger website and then transfered to your device. [video=youtube;B64slQ-YjBk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpag e&v=B64slQ-YjBk[/video]

 

[greensurfingbear]

Hmmmm - already this is turning into a jargon-fest!

I am very aware that irrespective of how much you kind people post advice, or how ever much training I attend in the use of these confounded things - within minutes of being asked how to use one - I'll be throwing my arms up in despair, turning the infernal device off (if it's lucky, or if it has really hacked me off it'll be launched into the distance) and confining it to the bottom of my pack and adding it to the top of my "seemed like a good idea at the time" list, and calling for a paper map and compass.

Thanks for your replies gentlemen, but I'm fast beginning to regret asking the question now.

Ogri the trog

No jargon from me mate. I own the Garmin Etrex basic model its all you'll need if you don't want to rely on using it for electronic maps and its cheap at less than £80. All I use it for is as back up, turn it on when I start hiking and then stick it in my pack top pocket and forget about it. I use it to give me 10 fig grid ref if visibility drops but rely on my map and compass (or my memory of the way back). when I get home I plug it into my computer transfer the route I've walked to a program called memory map which then superimposes the route i walked on top of the map. I do this so I have a log of where and when I go places rather than a logbook.

The etrex came with a really simple to follow pamphlet with step by step instructions as its a basic gps it really isn't to confusing as there are only a few functions.

 

[Teepee]

As above, my GPS is for locating my position in poor visibility. I use a basic Garmin E-Trex, paid £50 for it on offer from Go-outdoors.

I rely on map and compass and always will, I've no desire to have maps on a GPS like the more expensive versions.

 

[Gray]

I used to have an old Magellan years ago, i think it was issue iirc. I only ever used it to check my position with a grid ref.

 

[bearbait]

I have a couple of the Garmin GPSMap units, a 60CSX and a 62S. I use free routable maps from here, that are based on OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, but for road navigation only. (OpenStreetMap is the cartographic equivalent of Wikipedia - a free map of the world made by people like you and me. Some National mapping agencies have released their data for the OSM project so, whilst the cartographic data is not all crowd-sourced, the effort maintaining the map is. There are other organisations that have taken the OSM data and added value to it, tailoring the rendering of the map for special interests, e.g. cycling. Some of the slippy maps you see on web pages now are from the OSM data, rather than the almost ubiquitous Google. And interestingly - or not - Google are now crowd-sourcing updates to their cartographic data!)

When hiking I use the units to help survey the trails I hike and I then go back to OpenStreetMap and upload the tracks and waypoints and edit the map, adding or modifying trails, roads, points of interest, etc. I almost never use the units for nav when off-road, but solely as a recording device and only very occasionally to double check with the map if I'm uncertain with my nav. The recent Garmin GPSMap units will allow you to scan paper maps, calibrate the image and then upload that to the device, overlaying it on whatever maps you already have in the device. You can also subscribe to a Garmin service to download satellite/aerial imagery and overlay that on your device. I recall there is also free satellite imagery available elsewhere with which you can do the same. The UK Ordnance Survey has an OpenData project where they have released some mapping data into the public domain so you can get this and load into you device after calibration.

If you develop an interest in Geocaching then a GPS is almost mandatory, although on the few occasions I've given it a go I try to find the caches by regular nav, pace counting and so on. I've found 5 by regular nav - no GPS - and been defeated by 2.

Note that this post may seem a little Garmin-heavy but I've only ever used Garmin units on land and sea (OK - I did rely on the GPS a bit more then - fewer landmarks, you see!)

I like maps and navigation and am interested in cartography and surveying so, for me, a GPS unit is just a tool to help me get more out of that interest.

See if you can borrow one, or go for a hike with someone, and have a play with it before coughing up some hard-earned...

 

[kmac]

See if you can borrow one, or go for a hike with someone, and have a play with it before coughing up some hard-earned...

Sound advice there. I too have resisted these for off-road mapping (got one for the car a Tom Tom). Be great to really try a few out so you can see what suits best and whether it will get used regularly.

 

[EdS]

Depends on what I'm doing - cheap Garmin etrex, viewranger or Satmap for me.

 

[bob_pickard]

As above, my GPS is for locating my position in poor visibility. I use a basic Garmin E-Trex, paid £50 for it on offer from Go-outdoors.

I rely on map and compass and always will, I've no desire to have maps on a GPS like the more expensive versions.

Exactly the same for me - I have an eTrex 20; I only use it if I can't see to triangulate a position - small screen is a poor substitute for a nice map and compass and you can't sit on an eTrex to stop your bum getting wet like you can a Active map Landranger!

 

[thebushcrafter99]

in my experience DONT BOTHER stick to good old OS maps and a deccent silva compass

 

[rik_uk3]

You can use both map/compass and GPS, no law against it Does no harm to check your GPS and compare to a map if you have any doubts. Even the GPS on my phones pin me to within a few metres.