Using a Smartphone as GPS on the Trail ?

[Larry Swearingen]

OK, so I thought I might be able to consolidate some standalone items
by going to a Smart Phone (Android Razr M, gps, mp3 player and cellphone.
I bought the Gaia gps app and was figuring out how to use it with imported
waypoints for the CDT.
Big Problem !
I can't see a damn thing on the screen while outside in the Sun making it virtually
unusable, except at night maybe.
Does anyone actually use a smartphone like this, with the exception of Wired ?
Any suggestions ? I tried cupping my hand over the screen to shade it but no go.
Still doesn't work. I've got the Screen brightness turned all the way up too.
Sucks more battery power that way too.

Larry

[Justin Baker]

I don't have this problem. What smartphone are you using?

[Dave G]

I Have used Gaia and Orux maps on a Motorola Atrix and Samsung GS4, sunlight legibility could be a lot better, but it is still usable.
Note that screens have a polarizing layer, so using polarizing sunglasses will reduce legibility as will having a dirty screen.
Standing with your back to the sun helps somewhat.

Dave

[Terry G]

Absolutely. I use the heck out of my phone for GPS. Iphone using gaia gps.

[Larry Swearingen]

So how do you see anything on the screen ?
BTW I don't use Polarized lenses in my glasses. I got new glasses
with Transition (photogrey) lenses before my trip.

Larry

[Larry Swearingen]

Droid Razor M

[bayden cline]

I use my Iphone 4 in combination with my garmin Fenix. It can be difficult to read the screen unless i turn up the brightness quite a bit. Once i do this though there are no issues with seeing it

[Jim H]

I use my Galaxy S4. A matte screen protector combined with using my hat so the phone is in shade when viewing seems to do the job. Even though it uses more battery, I keep the brightness all the way up, since I'm only turning it on for a few seconds every now and then.

Going from memory, the latest iphone has the maximum brightness overall, but the Nokia Lumia fared best in outdoor viewing tests (not sure the Nokia has the same app availability as iphone/android though). The latest Galaxy S5 also does fairly well in sunlight, and was the best at night (allows for lowest brightness setting). Some fairly detailed testing and specs can be found on the web. The nice thing about the Samsung line is the availability of 3rd party oversize batteries. I have a battery that is 3x the stock size, so I can get through 4 days of use with only the GPS turned on and cached maps in the Backcountry Navigator app, as well as continuous track logging in the Google MyTracks app. I don't use it as a camera/mp3/etc though.

[BlackHatGuy]

Tru-Fit antiglare filter. Works extremely well, even in direct sunlight.

[Dave G]

Larry,

You mentioned you had downloaded waypoints, did you download maps for offline use?
Might be useful to take a screenshot while outside and post it here.

Dave

[Joe Lynch]

I use a nexus 7 outdoors every day for work. A good anti glare screen protector makes a huge difference. I've had good results with Bodyguardz.

[Scott S]

We used a smartphone as our GPS on the CDT. But unlike most, we only used it when we were legitimately lost. That averaged out to about once a week. The rest of the time it was off, so battery and screen visibility were not problems for us.

Um, if you can't see your screen in the sun, just find a shady spot or lean over so that the screen is in your shadow. Plus try turning up your screen brightness. We had a pretty old phone with a mediocre screen and never had a problem with it.

[Larry Swearingen]

I've ordered a Tru-Fit antiglare filter.
I'll see if that makes it any better.

Thanks all,

Larry

[Jon Leibowitz]

Just out of curiosity, are y'all simply using the chip inside your cell phone for GPS? Is it true GPS? Does it work when you are nowhere near cell service?? Or are you buying a GPS Dongle for better accuracy?

Also, how do you recharge? Are you brining solar panels for longer trips?

I'm considering upgrading my iPhone for this exact reason and would love some insight. Thanks!

[Daniel D]

On my last off track walk, my friend and I were both navigating one day, she had an IPhone 5 and I had a Garmin Etrex 20. The IPhone 5 was as good the Etrex in following the planned route, which I was surprised to see because my iPhone 4S is hopeless in comparison. I'm assuming they upgrade the GPS chip with the newer phone models, so the iPhone 6 GPS chip should be even better.

I forgot to say the Garmin is brought along because of battery life, whereas the iPhone is charged with a Powertraveller, we didn't get much sun during the trip so we struggled to get power into the phone whereas the Etrex had enough Lithium batteries for the nine days of walking,

[Scott Musack]

A smartphone GPS is every bit as good and effective as a standalone GPS – it's the same technology exactly. No cell towers needed.

Of course, just as with a GPS, you will need to load up maps before heading out (if you are out of cell tower range, if you are).

To answer the original poster, I set my S4 to max brightness and can easily read the screen in sunlight.

I also put my phone into airplane mode to turn off all antenna's and then turn on the GPS only. This improves battery life significantly. I can go probably 10 hours a day actively tracking with GPS over two days before I need to recharge or swap batteries (which is a huge plus of samsung over apple).

[Marc Shea]

This looks interesting as it provides a charge for your phone and provides maps without data connection or taking up phone memory.

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/TopoCharger/

Downside…its $149.

[Jim H]

deleted

others type faster than i do. :)

[Dale Wambaugh]

I've been using an iPhone 4 with the Gaia app and have been quite pleased for the $20 investment.

Battery like is the issue if you want continuous tracking and putting it the day hiking category for me. If used for occasional spot checks it would be fine for longer trips and you get all the other phone features. You can certainly supplement it with external battery packs or solar chargers. The expensive color GPS models aren't big on battery life either.

Don't leave your map and compass behind. We were on a hike last summer and were asked directions by a small group of hikers who had no map or compass. They said that one of the group had a map on their phone, but erased it. Sounded like an SAR classic to me.

My iPhone will give latitude/longitude coordinates in the compass app which can be used in conjunction with a map with no further investment.

[Joshua Abel]

so Gaia maps are the "standard"? and worth the $20? thanks in advance.

[Larry De La Briandais]

My problem was battery life. But then I had the "are we there yet" syndrome… Apparently it's not just for kids. ;^)

[J R]

FWIW, two recent articles from PC Magazine on saving smartphone battery life.

For Android: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2367542,00.asp?

For iPhone: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395808,00.asp?

[Larry Swearingen]

OK. So I ordered a screen protecter/glare filter and it does help.
Now I can actually see the information on my Droid enough to be
able to navigate.
This is supposed to be a "tempered glass" screen cover that "sucks onto"
the surface so maybe it'll actually make my phone last longer before
the screen gets too screwed up too. Just replace occasionally.
Now to see what kind of battery life I can live with on the trail.
I've got two 2600mAhr battery packs that hook up with a USB cable
that'll fit my phone and SPOT 3 device. So far it looks like all I can
get out of each pack is about one full recharge and then a partial.
I've got a Motorola Android Razr 'M'.
I haven't tried yet to see if my Droid screen will work in full sun
as a decent camera. I tried before the glare filter and couldn't see
a thing.

Larry

[DGoggins]

To bring up another user's question (and mine), is Gaia the best gps/map software for an android/iphone? I don't necessarily mind the $20 app price, but how much do I lose by not doing the pro subscription?

[Bill Law]

I used Backcountry Navigator when I had an Android phone. Gaia GPS on my iPhone.

I have some issues with the latter, had none with the former. Wish I could get Backcountry Navigator Pro on my iPhone!

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