School me on iPhone based GPS mapping?

[wahoowad]

It was suggested to download an offline Google map so I am going to try that. I think I can test it by putting my iPhone in Airplane Mode to disable internet access and then verify my iPhone GPS and downloaded Google map work together. Right?

So what I really want to know is how to do this using my larger iPad? That will be so much easier to view the map detail. I have downloaded the Google map, but my ipad gets it's internet and location info from my linked iPhone. How will they talk if I put my iPhone in Airplane Mode to replicate no 3G/4G/LTE access? I'm thinking Bluetooth but have never fooled with linking them that way...???

 

[Dharma Dude]

It was suggested to download an offline Google map so I am going to try that. I think I can test it by putting my iPhone in Airplane Mode to disable internet access and then verify my iPhone GPS and downloaded Google map work together. Right?

So what I really want to know is how to do this using my larger iPad? That will be so much easier to view the map detail. I have downloaded the Google map, but my ipad gets it's internet and location info from my linked iPhone. How will they talk if I put my iPhone in Airplane Mode to replicate no 3G/4G/LTE access? I'm thinking Bluetooth but have never fooled with linking them that way...???

When you download an map on your iPad, the Google Maps app stores the map in the iPad and not the iPhone. You can experiment like this:

• Download the map region on your iPad's Google Map
• Put your iPad into airplane mode, or just turn off wifi on the ipad
• You should still be able to view the map.

The google map apps on your iPhone and iPad are independent and store offline maps independently.

 

[wahoowad]

What I wanted to do was see the iPad use the location services from the iPhone (which it does) and see my location change on the Google map as I drove around.

 

[Dharma Dude]

What I wanted to do was see the iPad use the location services from the iPhone (which it does) and see my location change on the Google map as I drove around.

Oh I see. You have an ipad w/o a GPS receiver chip. I didn't even think of that. We're an all Android household and every device I own has GPS even the ones w/o cellular. The iPad should be able to use location from the iPhone and still use its offline copy of the map, and won't require the iphone to have the offline map.

You probably want to get an external GPS receiver for you ipad but it seems they're almost as expensive as a good Andriod tablet with GPS.

 

[wahoowad]

I believe my iPad can source the GPS data from the iPhone, just haven't confirmed it yet. Will play around with it this weekend as I'm heading off the hardball for a long weekend trip.

Any links to find a GAIA discount? I can't download a map without paying one of their premium levels. Their website shows it is $17/year.

 

[terrapin]

I recently finished a weeklong overland trip through AZ using the following setup:

1 - Older iPad Air 2 with RAM Mount/Owl Expedition Media Mount.

2 - Dual Electronics XGPS160 GPS Receiver ($140 Amazon). I tried to get my iPad to read locations from my iPhone 6 and it seemed to work at home, but not when I was off grid. I decided not to take any chances and went with a device that I knew would work. The receiver worked like a champ, but you do have to monitor the battery. I started out with it on the dash, but eventually just left it on the passenger seat. It might even work in the rooftop sunglass holder, but I did not try that.

3 - Gaia GPS 5-year Premium Membership. Here is a link for $128 for the 5-year Premium Plan. Lifestyle Overland Discount | Gaia GPS It's actually less than I paid! Having the Nat Geo maps alone is worth the upgrade, but I also use the MVUM and even the wildfire history maps to see which areas to avoid. I live in the Southwest and have even used the satellite images to see where the trees are to help find good camping spots.

I followed a route that somebody else had outlined by importing their GPX file, but it is easy to create your own routes. While not turn-by-turn navigation (ala Siri), the setup followed right along as I was driving and I was able to easily tell if I was still on track or if I had missed a turn. I was able to drop pins and photograph good campsites in case I come back to the area.

The only drawback to using a system like this is that you have to download the maps before you leave or from a wifi/cellular source while on the road. If you decide to do some off-route exploring and have not downloaded a sufficiently large area, you will run out of map. This wasn't a problem on this trip, but I carried paper FS and other maps anyway. There is a limit on how many map tiles you can download, so you have to play around a bit with the zoom level and the number of layers you want to download. On your home PC there are no limits so you can use all the resources you want to plan your trip. I spend a lot of time "armchair exploring" before going out!

There definitely is a learning curve, but I have found tons of videos and info on how to use the system. Even the list of map overlays available is overwhelming, but I have about 5-6 "go to" map layers that I download.

Please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of the parties mentioned above. I love Gaia GPS and have used it may years for hiking/biking, but only recently for overlanding.

 

[reddog90]

On each device I select map areas to download for off-line use. Sometimes I also set up a route and just ask Gaia app to download all the areas adjacent to a route.

I don't know how to do this step. I know if I pull up the app on my phone, whatever I have routed on my desktop will appear. But how do I tell the app to download a map area before I leave cell service? Sorry this is very noob. I'm in my first year of subscription and haven't used the app out of cell service yet.

 

[wahoowad]

@reddog90 - I don't think it will download them automatically. You have to go in, search for a waypoint or named location, let the map open to show that item, then use the plus sign at the top of the app and you will see that Download Map is one of the options. That's how I think it works. I'm new to it too but used it this way this past weekend.

I think you can first scroll out to see a larger area and expand the map size it will download.

 

[terrapin]

#reddog90 - I just got back from a trip where I automatically downloaded the maps along my route. Here are the instructions:

Download Maps for Track, Route, or Area in iOS

Use the 'Download Maps for Track, Route, or Area' feature to download an offline map that follows your track or route or area. The width of the map may vary slightly depending on the selected map s...

help.gaiagps.com

Very easy to do, but there is a limit (5 or 6?) to the number of layers you can download using this method.

Prior to this I had always used the method #wahoowad outlined where you display the map and manually draw a box around the area you want. I will play around some more, but I think I prefer this method (manual) where I can see the entire area that I am downloading. Using the automatic method, you don't have any real control over the width of the map. Per my usual MO, I explored beyond the maps I had downloaded!

 

[Cruzerman]

I tried Gaia, but the limit on tiles when downloading was a killer for me. We don't ever have an actual route planned in advance and prefer the exploring outback trips. My Samsung tablet has a 512GB card so I wanted to download a huge area of maps and while I didn't take lots of time looking into this, it seemed like it was going to be painful.

For now I've been using US Topo Maps Pro. Can download Topo maps, Forrest service maps, etc. and does route tracking, waypoints, etc. Plus, no subscription. Just a one time purchase fee (I think like $12).

While it has been working decently for me, I'm still looking for something better.

 

[saucebox]

I believe my iPad can source the GPS data from the iPhone, just haven't confirmed it yet. Will play around with it this weekend as I'm heading off the hardball for a long weekend trip.

Any links to find a GAIA discount? I can't download a map without paying one of their premium levels. Their website shows it is $17/year.

To the best of my knowledge, that won't work. iPhones don't broadcast GPS.

Gaia should have a Labor Day sale going on.

 

[saucebox]

I tried Gaia, but the limit on tiles when downloading was a killer for me. We don't ever have an actual route planned in advance and prefer the exploring outback trips. My Samsung tablet has a 512GB card so I wanted to download a huge area of maps and while I didn't take lots of time looking into this, it seemed like it was going to be painful.

For now I've been using US Topo Maps Pro. Can download Topo maps, Forrest service maps, etc. and does route tracking, waypoints, etc. Plus, no subscription. Just a one time purchase fee (I think like $12).

While it has been working decently for me, I'm still looking for something better.

Same. It's annoying, but it's a limitation of the map vendors (i.e., the folks who supply maps to Gaia). I've downloaded all zoom levels for the entire state of UT, and it's a monster to download. The only way I could get it to work is breaking the maps into smaller sections. So I have NE UT, SE UT, SW UT, etc. Works fine, at least until I get a new iPad and have to do the thing all over again.

 

[wahoowad]

To the best of my knowledge, that won't work. iPhones don't broadcast GPS.

Gaia should have a Labor Day sale going on.

The iPhone doesn’t broadcast GPS but it does share Location information with my iPad. I just can’t figure out how and when it does it and don’t see any settings to control refresh rate, etc.

I have a trial version of Gaia on both my iPhone and iPad and can get my iPad to update my location on the Gaia map while driving around. It does the location updates herky jerky every so often, sometimes fast and sometimes every few minutes. Not sure what governs those updates...but it’s working. Just wish I understood it better.

 

[Cruzerman]

Same. It's annoying, but it's a limitation of the map vendors (i.e., the folks who supply maps to Gaia). I've downloaded all zoom levels for the entire state of UT, and it's a monster to download. The only way I could get it to work is breaking the maps into smaller sections. So I have NE UT, SE UT, SW UT, etc. Works fine, at least until I get a new iPad and have to do the thing all over again.

Doesn't seem to be a limitation for US Topo Map Pro. I just draw a box on a map and it downloads it (eventually). I've done the entire state of Oregon and more in one fell swoop (USGS Topo maps). Also done large USFS areas too.

I wouldn't mind breaking it up into chunks, but it seems like the chunks were so small that it was going to be a ridiculous amount of them. I like having the entire state of Oregon available offline and also chunks of Washington too. I just want to grab the tablet, no matter if it's just for a day of exploring or a week.

 

[saucebox]

The iPhone doesn’t broadcast GPS but it does share Location information with my iPad. I just can’t figure out how and when it does it and don’t see any settings to control refresh rate, etc.

I have a trial version of Gaia on both my iPhone and iPad and can get my iPad to update my location on the Gaia map while driving around. It does the location updates herky jerky every so often, sometimes fast and sometimes every few minutes. Not sure what governs those updates...but it’s working. Just wish I understood it better.

Huh. That's new to me, I'll have to check it out for sure. Thanks!