I just got a new Iphone5 a week ago.A friend of mine said that you can use it to navigate.I have been useing my Garmin GPS5 for about 10 years now.I have all the topo software for it and it has served me well.My friends have been telling me that i am old school and should catch up with the times.Does any one else use there Ipone5 for navigation.. Thanks...
Iphone5 for Navigation
- Thread starter KernF150
- Start date
spunky2268
Adventurer
Lots of good info in this forum, particularly this section, good sir. Spend your time and do a search. You will learn much more by doing that than from your current post.
obscurotron
Adventurer
I still have my old circa 2000 Garmin eTrex (bright yellow!) and it serves me well. However, in the small MOLLE pouch on my backpack, I've also taken to tossing in my iPhone 4 (for our purposes, it doesn't matter if we're talking about a 4 or 5).
Since the Garmin does not have the ability to show topo maps, the phone is very useful for this. Two apps that I like are TOPO and iHikeGPS. I think TOPO was a freebie and iHikeGPS cost a few dollars. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, though you could get by with one or the other.
One concern is battery life. The Garmin can go a whole season on a set of Lithium AA's. The iPhone sucks down power by comparison. Since I do not use the iPhone for live tracking, I will put it in Airplane Mode when I don't need a location fix. This really helps and if I manage my power use wisely, I can get through a whole day of deer hunting (4am to 8pm) and still have 20% of my battery left. Obviously that's not a concern if you pack some sort of solar or battery-based recharger.
If you were really old school, you'd wander off with a compass and a sextant and some books for the sextant. Oh, and maps.
Since the Garmin does not have the ability to show topo maps, the phone is very useful for this. Two apps that I like are TOPO and iHikeGPS. I think TOPO was a freebie and iHikeGPS cost a few dollars. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, though you could get by with one or the other.
One concern is battery life. The Garmin can go a whole season on a set of Lithium AA's. The iPhone sucks down power by comparison. Since I do not use the iPhone for live tracking, I will put it in Airplane Mode when I don't need a location fix. This really helps and if I manage my power use wisely, I can get through a whole day of deer hunting (4am to 8pm) and still have 20% of my battery left. Obviously that's not a concern if you pack some sort of solar or battery-based recharger.
If you were really old school, you'd wander off with a compass and a sextant and some books for the sextant. Oh, and maps.
robgendreau
Explorer
You are old school and should catch up.
The advantage of a smartphone is its versatility; it can use a plethora of apps and maps. With most of the Garmin/Magellan and other dedicated GPS units you're stuck with their maps, which may or may not be useful. And you have other apps, like Theodolite, that are super useful.
The downside is that using that screen and computing power means you can run out of power, and at least with an iPhone it's a pain to add juice in the field. You can't just stick in fresh batteries. And I would say that the GPS reception is almost always better with the dedicated GPS units, and some even allow for antennas. Phones are compromised in that. But there are some really good GPS units that will work with your iPhone or other smartphone to get exceptional reception, sometimes at a refresh rate higher than most Garmin/Magellan units.
There's no reason to chuck your existing unit in favor of the iPhone; it's still gonna be useful. But for some activities you may like the maps becoming available online. Even all US topos aren't created equal; some are better than others. And there are proprietary maps and special-use maps and BLM maps and... well, you get the point. We've discussed many of the options here, so start searching. You'll find some useful stuff.
The advantage of a smartphone is its versatility; it can use a plethora of apps and maps. With most of the Garmin/Magellan and other dedicated GPS units you're stuck with their maps, which may or may not be useful. And you have other apps, like Theodolite, that are super useful.
The downside is that using that screen and computing power means you can run out of power, and at least with an iPhone it's a pain to add juice in the field. You can't just stick in fresh batteries. And I would say that the GPS reception is almost always better with the dedicated GPS units, and some even allow for antennas. Phones are compromised in that. But there are some really good GPS units that will work with your iPhone or other smartphone to get exceptional reception, sometimes at a refresh rate higher than most Garmin/Magellan units.
There's no reason to chuck your existing unit in favor of the iPhone; it's still gonna be useful. But for some activities you may like the maps becoming available online. Even all US topos aren't created equal; some are better than others. And there are proprietary maps and special-use maps and BLM maps and... well, you get the point. We've discussed many of the options here, so start searching. You'll find some useful stuff.
While traveling around the southwest I use..
Google Earth
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-earth/id293622097?mt=8
Topo Maps
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/topo-maps/id306014271?mt=8
and just regular Google Maps
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354?mt=8
Google Earth
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-earth/id293622097?mt=8
Topo Maps
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/topo-maps/id306014271?mt=8
and just regular Google Maps
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354?mt=8
Thanks for all the good info.I have been doing some(well really,Alot)of searching.There is almost to mush to take in.So far i have got ihike and topo apps.They both look good.I will still keep useing my garmin,it is easy for me to use and don't use alot of power.Thanks again.
Old_School
New member
Check out the free Trimble Outdoor navigation app. Includes sat photos, contour maps, topo maps, and more. If you pay for the subscription version, it allows you to download the maps, etc for use in areas where you don't have data coverage (or don't want to pay the data surcharges).
Sent from my Verizon phone using Tapatalk
Sent from my Verizon phone using Tapatalk
