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GPS Phone APP's Android or iPhone for 2020

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Thanks to all for your help.

I have read that Gaia can be unstable on Android. Maybe old news.

Also read that downloading satellite maps into Locus Pro from Google Maps is difficult because the add on app (Locus Map Tweak) doesn't work well or is not easy to use.

Have you heard this or have any additional info?

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On 4/16/2020 at 6:59 AM, Bagstr said:

"Running Off-line"    As you are driving around the countryside, does your map re-center current location or do you need to move the map?

This is all good info, Thanks

All of my Apps center on the run. "Here" and "GAIA". Have not tried LOCUS yet. 

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7 hours ago, amgems said:

Thanks to all for your help.

I have read that Gaia can be unstable on Android. Maybe old news.

Also read that downloading satellite maps into Locus Pro from Google Maps is difficult because the add on app (Locus Map Tweak) doesn't work well or is not easy to use.

Have you heard this or have any additional info?

I have been running Gaia all year. Lots of hard miles since I started using it on Android and not one problem When I did the Arizona Peace Trial, I downloaded the satellite images of the ride area before I left. I learned during that experience that I will need to download much smaller sections at a time in order to get the resolution I want. I'm not sure you can actually download satellite imagines or maps out in the field with no service?? Garmin offers this service on their newer 66i unit I know that.

 

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14 hours ago, Oracle said:

I have been running Gaia all year. Lots of hard miles since I started using it on Android and not one problem When I did the Arizona Peace Trial, I downloaded the satellite images of the ride area before I left. I learned during that experience that I will need to download much smaller sections at a time in order to get the resolution I want. I'm not sure you can actually download satellite imagines or maps out in the field with no service?? Garmin offers this service on their newer 66i unit I know that.

 

Thanks for the feedback LB! From what I can tell, mostly from gigantic ADV Rider threads, is that, Gaia was originally made for IOS. They just created the Android version a few years ago. It did not work great at first. But from your experience and some other input from ADV Rider guys, it looks like they have fixed the problems. But it still is a heavy user of phone resources I guess. Not sure what that means. Maybe a battery hog.

I don't think you can download without service. I will do what you did, download what I think I need at home. And then use the sat maps offline.

I looked into the Garmin BirdsEye. It is a subscription for $30/yr (or $20/yr thru Amazon). Same deal, you download satellite images at home and use off line on the trail. People don't like it so much because the resolution is quite poor. I saw a video where a guy compared a BirdsEye sat map to Google map and Google was better. The 66i sounds interesting. Would be cool to be able to download as needed on the trail.

Have you tried downloading smaller sections yet in Gaia? Resolution OK?

With Locus Pro is you are limited to 10,000 tiles per day. Not sure how much area that covers. But you are getting real Google sat images with good resolution. Luna gets a big chunk of baja using it.

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On 7/4/2020 at 12:12 PM, amgems said:

Thanks for the feedback LB! From what I can tell, mostly from gigantic ADV Rider threads, is that, Gaia was originally made for IOS. They just created the Android version a few years ago. It did not work great at first. But from your experience and some other input from ADV Rider guys, it looks like they have fixed the problems. But it still is a heavy user of phone resources I guess. Not sure what that means. Maybe a battery hog.

I don't think you can download without service. I will do what you did, download what I think I need at home. And then use the sat maps offline.

I looked into the Garmin BirdsEye. It is a subscription for $30/yr (or $20/yr thru Amazon). Same deal, you download satellite images at home and use off line on the trail. People don't like it so much because the resolution is quite poor. I saw a video where a guy compared a BirdsEye sat map to Google map and Google was better. The 66i sounds interesting. Would be cool to be able to download as needed on the trail.

Have you tried downloading smaller sections yet in Gaia? Resolution OK?

With Locus Pro is you are limited to 10,000 tiles per day. Not sure how much area that covers. But you are getting real Google sat images with good resolution. Luna gets a big chunk of baja using it.

I have not tried smaller section yet but definitely well for the next off grid ride. For the Arizona Peace Trail, I downloaded 4 separate satellite sections. Basically I broke the ride area up into quarters and downloaded the sat image for each quarter to my sd card. Then as I was riding I would have a good idea off the top of the head which quarter of the map I was currently in. Then I would just pull up the image for that section. The concept is great. However, the max res for each section was less than desirable for the area size I downloaded. I believe if I would have broken the ride area into 1/8th, the data would have been much more useable.  

The Garmin 66i just dropped $100 in price to $499. I'm thinking about adding one to my bars to replace my Garmin 78 (backup for my phone) and my Spot 3. It is a very nice unit. Has a useable size GPS screen, off grid two way text communication, 911 of course, on demand satellite download capabilities (no service needed).

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Not 100% sure, because I've just started playing with it, but I think there is an option in Gaia (I think I saw it in there somewhere, can't find it now), that asks if you want to download maps along your route (or maybe track?). If that will do satellite maps that would probably give us just what we need and give better resolution. I'll have to play with it some more and see if I can find it.

Guy I ride with here in AZ has a 66i. He's using it pretty much only as an emergency locator, like a SPOT. And for the texting capability. The screen is pretty small, so the phone he's using (Kyocera DuraForce Pro) is his main navigation tool.

With all this cool stuff and cool apps we will never get lost....

 

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On 7/3/2020 at 2:14 PM, amgems said:

Thanks to all for your help.

I have read that Gaia can be unstable on Android. Maybe old news.

Also read that downloading satellite maps into Locus Pro from Google Maps is difficult because the add on app (Locus Map Tweak) doesn't work well or is not easy to use.

Have you heard this or have any additional info?

I don't know where you're reading this stuff, but all that sounds to me like, User Error.

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9 hours ago, luna said:

I don't know where you're reading this stuff, but all that sounds to me like, User Error.

Got some from ADV Rider, Some from 4 x 4 sites, some from hiker sites. A lot of guys on ADV Rider are in love with Locus and prefer it over Gaia. Also a lot of guys there are in love with Gaia... And like you say "user error" may have some part in it. Lot of "opinions" on ADV Rider.

Some of the bad news about Gaia on Android was true, but old news. Didn't work well when initially ported to Android. It seems to work fine now.

I'm just now starting to play with Gaia and it seems ok. Not to excited about the resolution on the downloaded sat maps. Not that great. I was hoping for better. Will try it on Locus and see if it is better.

A cool feature in Gaia is that you can download maps along your track. That includes sat maps. In the "Saved" folder tap on the track, scroll down, and tap "Download Map Along Track" It will download all the tiles needed. About 5 tiles wide along the track. Like I said resolution is not super, even when set to "High". But a very convenient feature.

Luna, when you add the Locus app to your phone, do you need to have the Locus Map Tweak on the phone prior to adding Locus?

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Amgems, I assumed you had Locus App. Why on page 1 at the bottom, I posted the photos of my offline maps. I wanted you to see the "G" that you can have Google on Locus. You asked for Satellite images, I showed you it can be done in Locus, if you install the "Locus Map Tweak" add on.

If you had Locus, you would know, there is no Google maps on Locus. In order to get Google map on Locus, you have to install "Locus Map Tweak" add on. Only Google map downloads are restricted to 10K tiles per day, on Locus. Again only applies to Google Earth, not any other map. All other maps that are available to Locus, is an instant download. So whatever map you download will be instant and whole map will be there. I recommend should you want to use Locus, to read the entire/most thread on ADV Rider.

I think you reading/talking about GAIA and LOCUS at same time is confusing you. One does not apply to the other. Like PC vs Mac. Way too hard to learn both same time.

I used to only use GAIA too. I stopped using GAIA when they started to charge a subscription fee. GAIA is an excellent APP.

I highly recommend you stay with GAIA, sounds like you're starting to get comfortable with it. I would pay the $40 subscription fee, just so you continue to learn you're way around that APP.

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Hey Luna, what zooms do you recommend I download for that level of zoom like in your example?  I have setup Locus pro and now have the map tweak addon as well.  I really like the idea of using a good clear zoom to find alternate routes.  I'm interested in many of the same maps you have on yours like Otay mtn area and all the trails around corral canyon as welll.

So far I'm running it on my old phone (Galaxy s7). It's been working great.  I used this video as well to help setup mine.  

 I was able to download a really nice vector topo map using that video, now I just need to get that nice satellite hybrid map!

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*****Disclaimer: When riding in the USA, 99.9% of the time I have California Trail Map on my phone as map to use when riding. To me it's amazing.***********

Satellite images for me are bail outs. It's my safety plan. I never use them for maps while riding. Too hard to see. I always ride in Topo mode, if not using California Trail Map. I don;t try to find new single tracks while on a ride. I'll look for new single tracks, at home on my PC, and make a route. Nothing worse then looking at your phone, and killing the flow, trying to connect new trails, while on the trails.

 

That's actually a really good video, posted above. That's a great crash course of loading maps. That's same website also I download my Vector Maps.

On that video at 1:35 you see the G for Google, they click on the G and it does a drop down with map choices. There in that drop down, you can see maps you can use/download since you downloaded the Locus Map Tweak.

When you do your first download, I recommend just do your neighborhood a few blocks.

Click on the three dots next to hybrid.

Click download

Click Select Area, you can adjust the perimeters (this is to see how big or small an area. First one small, your neighborhood)

After you select your area, click the Blue check.

You'll come to a screen and it has zoom levels. ( Since you're doing your neighborhood area, click them all. The more zoom, the more tiles you use. Limited to 10K a day for Google only)

Above zoom, you can name your file.

Click Download.

 

That's it your done.

 

When doing a large area, I leave my phone by coffee pot due to Google 10K restriction. I just wake up, go to coffee,grab my phone that's connected to WiFi, go to offline tab and press the file you named and click "Continue Download". I do this everyday till whole Google Satellite Map is downloaded. More zoom and bigger the area, more tiles you'll use.

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Thanks! Those are great tips. 

Any more examples of the CTM program in use? Is there a trial version to try out? 

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Also if anyone is looking for the map tweak app, you have to use the link luna provided, not the one in that video. It's no longer in the Google play store

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RobT2K it doesn't appear that https://www.californiatrailmap.com/ has a trial version. To get an idea what it would look like on your phone, here is a video CTM made. Disregard the talk of Basecamp, that's for your PC, I want you to see  visual of what it will look like the trails on your phone. Start at the 3:30 mark if it didn't set to play from there.

Here is the purchase, you can pick one year or lifetime, it's a no brainer going lifetime, with how much one year cost. https://www.californiatrailmap.com/Purchase.aspx

 

 

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