Offroad navigation/trail recording/etc.

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Z

Zer0

10 Year
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Threads
7
Messages
64
So what are you guys using for offroad navigation? Especially remembering trails via GPS. I was thinking of maybe mounting a tablet in my rig to help with this.. So any advice is appreciated on what software is out there, and what works best.

Certainly i would want:
Points of Interest.
Ability to record(and share) recorded trails.

I tend to offroad in a lot of the same places.
 
I use my ipad and iPhone using Motion X. Gave up on my Lowrance Baja as it is pretty outdated now. Motion X allows offline map use if you don't have wifi or 3G. Also allows trail recording and sharing.
 
If you just want to record tracks, and mark way points, I'd recommend a smaller handheld gps. easy to use, mount, and store when away from the vehicle. They'll track all day on one set of batteries, and you can pack them along when out hiking.

I have all three. Tablet, Smartphone, and Handheld. I use the handheld when I'm heading out exploring, and the phone gets used quite a bit because its always with me. I dont use the tablet much at all, mostly do to the size. Also, I usually just want to record a track, not get directions.
 
My favorite small unit is a Garmin GPS V. Don't bother looking for one, they've been out of production for nearly a decade.

I've used a Lowrance (still own it), due to exceptionally piss-poor customer support I will not bother with any of their product ever again. PM if you want the whole story.

If I didn't already have a perfectly functional netbook running Delorme's software I'd be giving an iPad a serious look.
 
I have all mighty gamin 276C couple of years out of production now but still do all I need from small GPS
 
ntsqd said:
My favorite small unit is a Garmin GPS V. Don't bother looking for one, they've been out of production for nearly a decade. I've used a Lowrance (still own it), due to exceptionally piss-poor customer support I will not bother with any of their product ever again. PM if you want the whole story. If I didn't already have a perfectly functional netbook running Delorme's software I'd be giving an iPad a serious look.
Click to expand...
I agree with you about Lowrance. I have the HDS 5 but it is worthless without topo maps. They finally came out with map cards now but for the price it isn't worth it. They have absolutely no 3rd party map support.

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD
 
I understand that GPSBabel and OziExplorer can now convert other format files into the Lowrance format. Something that Ozi told me that they had no intention of doing at the height of frustration with Lowrance.
 
I use an Android Phone or Tablet with Backcountry Navigator Pro (I think it was $6 on Google Play). You can pre download either topo or satellite imagery to use when there is no wifi or 4G connection. I have been using it for a few years and have no complaints.

One of the things I really like is being able to load a .kml file from trail damage, which makes navigation super easy for the :princess:.
 
strongly recommend "offline topo maps"/"Gaia"

I mounted my iPad in the 60 using the Ram Mount setup. It shakes a little, but not too badly. I've been using "offline Topo Maps" app for the ipad and love it. it's simple but with nice features and you can download maps. so when you're out of service you've got'em and the GPS still works great. Gaia is the upgraded version of Offline topo maps and will do lots more for backcountry tracking and travel. (breadcrumb tracks, elevation tracking and other neat things).
 
For what it's worth, I use my 3G iPad for offroad navigation, waypoints, notes etc. and I've finally settled on GPS Kit HD. I used to use Motion X, which was great but at some point they stopped supporting offline google satellite views. Than I tried Gaia GPS but it wasn't as full featured as Motion X. Very happy with GPS Kit HD, only wish it let you control music from within the App (Motion X does this)... Nice feature.
 
Dangil said:
For what it's worth, I use my 3G iPad for offroad navigation, waypoints, notes etc. and I've finally settled on GPS Kit HD. I used to use Motion X, which was great but at some point they stopped supporting offline google satellite views. Than I tried Gaia GPS but it wasn't as full featured as Motion X. Very happy with GPS Kit HD, only wish it let you control music from within the App (Motion X does this)... Nice feature.
Click to expand...

You can go back to motion X GPS HD now.

http://tlcfaq.com/main/2013/08/motion-x-custom-maps/
 
I use gaiagps. It works for my needs. My advice is to try a few and then decide. gaia may the most expensive at $9.99 so you not investing a lot of money and you can find one that fits your individual style.
 
I now use my Yaesu FTM-400dr 2m/70cm rig for this... it has a GPS log to SD Card feature. Before that, iPad with Motion X GPS HD. Still use the iPad for navigation but now I don't worry about keeping in on and GPS tracking for hours at time. I found that, especially in the summer months, if I left it out where it could get signal it would overheat.
 
CV Kurt said:
I now use my Yaesu FTM-400dr 2m/70cm rig for this... it has a GPS log to SD Card feature. Before that, iPad with Motion X GPS HD. Still use the iPad for navigation but now I don't worry about keeping in on and GPS tracking for hours at time. I found that, especially in the summer months, if I left it out where it could get signal it would overheat.
Click to expand...

I've been using iPad Nav since 2010 and not had an overheat issue myself.
 
RobRed said:
I've been using iPad Nav since 2010 and not had an overheat issue myself.
Click to expand...
Never had overheating with iPad but my iPhone overheats all the time in the summer in 100+. Always have to leave it in shade. It has happened a couple times when left in the junk holder in the shifter console of the 80 on long trips.
 
On android I'm a big fan of GPSessentials. Pretty much does whatever you can think of for next to nothing. Could use some better opensource mapsets but the feature set is great and easy to dump to google earth formats.
 
I went ahead got MotionX yesterday. I am trying to download a map to use for a SAR mission tomorrow. I'm just a volunteer. Never used Motion before. It is taking literally all day to download a 50MB map! WTF!?
 
Paper maps & MVUMs
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For work purposes I use a handheld GPS on the dash connected to a laptop using mapping software but it doesn't work good under tree canopy. It cuts out a lot.
 
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