APRS Pro fine with cell service. Useless connected to a handheld contrary to what the developer says. 5 watt radio can't ping repeaters enough. I did thorough testing.
what form of gps do you use?
- Thread starter Scott
- Start date
How well does the Sat tracker pair to it and can you message a radio from the app to the sat tracker and back?
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I have never tried or paid for that functionality. It's an additional fee.
For Android I've tried a few mapping applications and they all have their up/downs:
- Backcountry Navigator ($20)
- Best map selection I've seen with tons of free and paid options
- Doesn't seem to show altitude in the app and doesn't have a lot of options to modify what is shown on the main screen
- A little odd when trying to save points while on a trip. I often get them in the wrong place then have to go fix it later. May be user error since I've only used it on a few trips
- Locus (and Locus Pro) - Free unless you want to buy it to support the developer; which I did because I really liked the app
- Not a great map selection but generally has enough to get you what you need
- Has limited map downloads (10,000 images per 24hrs usually)
- Shows lots of information on the screen if you want it (altitude, coordinates, compass...ect)
- Has a good interface for adding points and for putting them where you want them
- It's made in and for Europe, so in some cases there is a bias towards that side of the world (EX: You have to change settings to USA standards instead of metric if you want them)
- Delorme app (Earthmate) -- Quick summary, don't use it :)
- Doesn't allow multi-color tracks
- Has limited map selection
- Doesn't allow importing tracks from your phone (you have to do it online from a PC then the app syncs)
- If you have a Delorme, you need this though to send/receive text messages. The Delorme unit itself is a good external GPS too if you needed it as a backup for your tablet/phone GPS
Hi,
i run a Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 convertible with touch screen and a marine grade GPS chip for all things NAV in the car.
It's a ArchLinux based setup with marble Desktop for navigation, satellite images and OpenStreetMaps, it's a bit like Google Earth.
I prerender all the OSM data on my workstation and copy it to the toughbook so i have full offline maps.
Offline POI and address routing is handled by MoNav which integrates with marble completly.
For offline turn by turn navigation on roads i installed navit, but because i have a navigator with me all the time and she likes the sattelite map view within marble so much we don't use it often.
One of the killer features of this setup is the ability to fetch huge areas of satellite images and store them on an external HDD, with an OSM overlay merged into it it's like google earth/maps hybrid view but completely offline.
We are used to 3 renderings now and we prerender them for every area or country we go.
Thunderforests Mobile Atlas layout for high contrast street navigation.
Thunderforests Outdoor layout for all things away from streets.
And a hybrid rendering of satellite images with OSM Streets overlay.
It's also possible to add multiple online OSM providers in marble, free and commercial ones with all kind of different layouts and satellite image sources and just download a defined area for offline use within the application, but that's not a good approach if you have to handle huge areas for multiple week long trips.
i run a Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 convertible with touch screen and a marine grade GPS chip for all things NAV in the car.
It's a ArchLinux based setup with marble Desktop for navigation, satellite images and OpenStreetMaps, it's a bit like Google Earth.
I prerender all the OSM data on my workstation and copy it to the toughbook so i have full offline maps.
Offline POI and address routing is handled by MoNav which integrates with marble completly.
For offline turn by turn navigation on roads i installed navit, but because i have a navigator with me all the time and she likes the sattelite map view within marble so much we don't use it often.
One of the killer features of this setup is the ability to fetch huge areas of satellite images and store them on an external HDD, with an OSM overlay merged into it it's like google earth/maps hybrid view but completely offline.
We are used to 3 renderings now and we prerender them for every area or country we go.
Thunderforests Mobile Atlas layout for high contrast street navigation.
Thunderforests Outdoor layout for all things away from streets.
And a hybrid rendering of satellite images with OSM Streets overlay.
It's also possible to add multiple online OSM providers in marble, free and commercial ones with all kind of different layouts and satellite image sources and just download a defined area for offline use within the application, but that's not a good approach if you have to handle huge areas for multiple week long trips.
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Running Gramin Rino 655 T also the Garmin Inreach explorer plus, because you can't depend on cell service.
i really dig maps and tracks and all things like that, so i maybe overkill it.
i have a cheap garmin hardwired in my truck with all british columbia basemaps in it. it was $30 used. nothing special.
i carry a garmin etrex or gpsmap with me. each has different basemaps. one has the garmin birdseye (garmin aerial imagery) and the other the same basemap as the unit in the truck.
i have also been experimenting with my phone and use an app called memory map on my android. with a basic paid subscription i can load any basemap i want.
i hate getting home and finding out i didn't get a trip log of my drive, so i overdo it and n+1 it.
i have a cheap garmin hardwired in my truck with all british columbia basemaps in it. it was $30 used. nothing special.
i carry a garmin etrex or gpsmap with me. each has different basemaps. one has the garmin birdseye (garmin aerial imagery) and the other the same basemap as the unit in the truck.
i have also been experimenting with my phone and use an app called memory map on my android. with a basic paid subscription i can load any basemap i want.
i hate getting home and finding out i didn't get a trip log of my drive, so i overdo it and n+1 it.
Pathfinder I
Any reason why you went with Arch? Is Marble just known to work better with that than say, Debian or RHEL based? Maybe just your preferred distro?
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It's just my preferred distro, i wouldn't recommend RHEL/CentOS for this job, available marble and navit packages are quite outdated on this Fedora 19 based distros.
Pathfinder I
Hopefully Debian-based will work nicely, it's my preferred personal use distro. If not then guess it's time for me to learn Arch ;)
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I have used Locus Maps Pro for years on my cell phone, just keep adding to my new phone. I build track on my computer, save the GPX track, upload to Locus, then just follow the track. For Moab, our tracks for each day are on Locus.
Locus uses vector offline maps, so I don't have to have a cell phone signal to see topo maps, just sat signal to track my current location.
I also have a Garmen GPS is the dash of jeep that allows me to touch a point on the map and it will route me to that point on back roads and trails. Some of our best...and longest...adventures have been by just touching the map and following the route.
IMHO, the key to any good GPS is being able to create routes on a computer and uploading them into your GPS.
Locus uses vector offline maps, so I don't have to have a cell phone signal to see topo maps, just sat signal to track my current location.
I also have a Garmen GPS is the dash of jeep that allows me to touch a point on the map and it will route me to that point on back roads and trails. Some of our best...and longest...adventures have been by just touching the map and following the route.
IMHO, the key to any good GPS is being able to create routes on a computer and uploading them into your GPS.
Should be easy with debian, if you go for a toughbook CF-19 the special buttons on the front are a real pain to get running in every distro, i have all the needed ACPI kernel modules and x.org/wayland configs around.
Pathfinder I
I won't have access to a toughbook. Probably use an old EeePC or something. Maybe a RPi...do you know if anyone is [successfully/effectively] using Marble via a RPi?
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I use my Carplay Pioneer AVH1330NEX with Apple Maps (would prefer Google maps, since I have used them longer, but Apple Maps have gotten significantly better - at least for the US); for on-road travel, they are adequate.
I also use my iPad (10.5") with GaiaGPS (Pro) mounted on an iKross cup mount (http://amzn.to/2AAyeSj) for all my offroad needs. As a backup, I have my iPhone, as well as a Garmin Nuvi. To be honest, the Garmin hasn't seen daylight for at least a year and a half while on the road; I do keep the maps updated, though.
Since I am usually traveling solo, I do have a SPoT in tracking mode (for the wife :) ), which is also capable of notifying friends and/or SAR in case of emergency. And it doesn't need a cell connection!
I also use my iPad (10.5") with GaiaGPS (Pro) mounted on an iKross cup mount (http://amzn.to/2AAyeSj) for all my offroad needs. As a backup, I have my iPhone, as well as a Garmin Nuvi. To be honest, the Garmin hasn't seen daylight for at least a year and a half while on the road; I do keep the maps updated, though.
Since I am usually traveling solo, I do have a SPoT in tracking mode (for the wife :) ), which is also capable of notifying friends and/or SAR in case of emergency. And it doesn't need a cell connection!
