Cell Phone Gps

[GeorgeS]

use a regular GPS. Cell phone 'GPS' triangulates using cell towers, which can be rare in good hunting country.

George

 

[lefty315]

George, actually the newer smart phones use a gps that doesn't need any cellular coverage. You can download satellite images or topo maps that will work with the gps and it's fairly neat. But the downside is they chew up battery life pretty fast. I don't use it to navigate, but I mess around with sometimes in the woods. I still carry paper maps and a compass, but rely mostly on a Garmin.

Here is a screen shot of the topo map downloaded using the gps indicator on my phone.

use a regular GPS. Cell phone 'GPS' triangulates using cell towers, which can be rare in good hunting country.

George

 

[GeorgeS]

lefty,

Which phones are those?

 

[mjcmichigan]

George, actually the newer smart phones use a gps that doesn't need any cellular coverage. You can download satellite images or topo maps that will work with the gps and it's fairly neat. But the downside is they chew up battery life pretty fast. I don't use it to navigate, but I mess around with sometimes in the woods. I still carry paper maps and a compass, but rely mostly on a Garmin.

Here is a screen shot of the topo map downloaded using the gps indicator on my phone.

use a regular GPS. Cell phone 'GPS' triangulates using cell towers, which can be rare in good hunting country.

George

Thanks Lefty, what app?


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[DrMike]

o.k. my usual distractors think I am bragging and being arrogant and I am going to respond on the open forum

1. I am not bragging at all, as others, like perhaps Gil will tell you, "learning" about and how to live in the wild is part of our upbringing and I was agreeing with Rodger

2. No, I will not delete my post

3. I swear to god, that you are VERY close to me exposing you on the open forum and at the very least reporting you to Jim.

4. I am sooooooo tired of this s---

Name names, Cheyenne. Send the info to the moderators and let them address the issue.

For those who don't frequent the north woods, it is difficult to imagine what they are like. You can travel hundreds of kilometers in a given direction and never encounter a road or human built structure. People who frequent such areas do learn quickly to read the woods and the mountains, or they will shortly be a mere memory to a few people.

Things have changed in my AO within the past decade as gas exploration has pushed roads into areas I previously hiked. Thus, today, one can drive into what was trackless wilderness but a few short years past. However, one need not go much farther north to again be in areas that are still relatively unexplored. It is advantageous to know something about finding your way back whenever you go into such areas. People go missing every year in mountains around Vancouver! And that area is relatively well mapped out. Move a little farther north, and entering the forest requires considerably more preparation.

 

[lefty315]

George, I use an iPhone and have kept a couple of older iPhones for a spare and will usually download maps with wifi at home and then toss one in my pack. I actually thought my iPad would be better in the truck or using in camp to study terrain and/or road systems.


I don't have any Android devices in the house but I am guessing their newer smartphones would also work and also be able to find the app in their store.


Here is a screen shot of the free app where you can download the topo maps for those that are interested.

 

[GeorgeS]

Thanks. I hate Apple products with a passion but will look for the real GPS feature when I buy my next phone.

George

 

[Elkman]

Question: What kind of life expectancy can one expect out of a cell phone, when you are using maps, gps, and receiving texts and in some cases phone calls. We had a real problem in Oregon, even when we carried extra battery packs.

 

[lefty315]

As others have stated, that is the real Achilles' heel with using a smart phone in the field. The battery life just doesn't last at all. That's why I primarily use my GPS and only use the smart phone to play with. Plus, I don't know how good the GPS on the phone works in heavy tree canopy compared to my Garman GPS. Last year I treated myself to a little Christmas present and bought one of the goal zero brand solar panels that you can clip to the outside of a backpack. I use it while I'm in the boat to charge my cell phone and I suppose it would work while hunting later in the year to recharge battery packs in the cell phone but I'm not sure if I necessarily want it hanging off my backpack during hunting season, if the sun hits it right it can produce quite a glare. Depending on how you had camp set up, I suppose you could take a couple of battery packs with you and get them re-charged in the evening hours while you were sleeping. But then, I think it really becomes more of a hassle dealing with extra battery packs and the extra weight while you're out trying to hunt. I guess, it would really depend on how often you were actually using the phone during the course of the day. Since I'm fairly familiar with the country I'm hunting I don't use my GPS a whole lot so I could probably make it through an entire day using my phone and not having to recharge it until the evening.

 

[BretN]

I don't generally use my old Garmin 12 gps while hunting, as we aren't ever far from a road or logging trail. But I do have a small Silva compass as a zipper pull on my hunting vest and coat. The compass helps avoid anxious moments after you've chased a few grouse deep into an overgrown aspen clear cut that all looks the same. I usually have a better full sized compass in my pack, but I probably use the one attached to my coat or vest most.

My hunting buddies and I use the Huntstand lite app to map our hunting areas. I very much like that it will show your location on the aerial photo map. I believe it is gps based. I know if you update the weather info, it updates the maps and downloads it to your phone. The biggest problem is battery use with the location turned on. However, I have a Motorola Moto G phone that I only recharge at night under normal use. If I were running with location on all the time and/or on the internet constantly, the phone would probably only last probably 8-10 hours. It's got a pretty good battery for a cheap android phone. But if you limit your use of the app and location feature, you can still get fairly long use of your phone before it dies.

 

[salmonchaser]

Cheyenne,
I too am disturbed by this. I enjoy your input and hope you continue.
The lack of civility in our culture bothers me in general, specifically as it applies to you.

We have figured out, under normal conditions we can get about 1 1/2 days out of our Garmin. Really depends on how much you talk. The most interesting thing is how much I've learned over 20 years using the GP. Hidden draws, routes around cliffs or slide alder patches, hidden side ridges or a route through a bunch of blowdown where a packer cut in a trail a few years ago.
We've plotted all the Bulls and bucks we've killed over the years. Interesting patterns develop.
Really a much more useful tool then just getting unlost or arraigning for pick up at the end of the day.


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[Vince]

Cheyenne,

Great to see you posting.
If this knucklehead is in my area let me know. I'll go knock on his door late at night.
I'm not pleasant late at night but I will go with the intention of talking while giving him every opportunity to do something stupid.
Stupid should hurt. [emoji3]


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[Vince]

Cheyenne,

Great to see you posting.
If this knucklehead is in my area let me know. I'll go knock on his door late at night.
I'm not pleasant late at night but I will go with the intention of talking while giving him every opportunity to do something stupid.
Stupid should hurt. [emoji3]


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[Vince]

Cheyenne,

Great to see you posting.
If this knucklehead is in my area let me know. I'll go knock on his door late at night.
I'm not pleasant late at night but I will go with the intention of talking while giving him every opportunity to do something stupid.
Stupid should hurt. [emoji3]


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[salmonchaser]

A couple of things I've noticed about the Rhino radios;
Line of sight, communication is good. In our primary Elk area, steep lots of high points. We can talk five miles apart. That being said, depending where you are you may be able to communicate with the guy farthest away and not with the guy closest too you.
The radios do not have any where near that range when everyone is in heavy timber. We have a three by 5 mile area that is relatively flat, about 1000 foot elevation change, we generally save for the third day. It's thick. The gps works fine, comms are limited to a mile. Big depends factor.
if one of us is in an open park comms increase quite a bit. Interesting is that while we may be limited to a mile talking, the polling feature works at greater distance. I may not be able to tell you where I am but can show you where I am.
We also have trouble with the radios, not the gps, on the Naknek river in Alaska. The only explanation is the proximity of the Air Base and the huge radar system there. Once we get about 5 miles from the base the radios work great. Since the radios work fine on the Columbia, or out in the Ocean my guess is the radio is simply being jammed if you will.
In our deer area, high desert with scattered trees and sage but not too many real deep draws, they work very well.
On a typical day we use about 60% of the battery life. I would guess that includes maybe 10 minutes of conversation and polling every 1/2 to hour. Polling is where you simply push a button that sends your location to all the radios you are linked with.
Since we truck camp battery use is a non-issue as they can be charge with 12 volt adapters.