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Main Boards => Gear => Topic started by: tom83 on 19:15:52, 03/01/18

Title: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: tom83 on 19:15:52, 03/01/18
Hi all,


I was just wondering if any of you use Ordinance Survey maps on your phone?


I bought a 12 month pass to use the maps, plotted some routes and saved them on my OS profile. So off I went up Bleaklow Hill, and almost immediately lost any kind of signal on my phone, which stopped me seeing my pre-saved route. Luckily the Trans-Pennine trail is well established, and I have walked that stretch before, so I could continue my walk anyway.


I came home and realised that you can download screen grabs of OS maps onto your phone, which in theory should then work just like a GPS Tracker, but I haven't tried it yet.


I am just curious as to how good it is, is it dependable and accurate? Does anybody use downloaded OS maps for Android and have an opinion?


Just to add, I do print off maps and carry them on new routes, but this year I am planning a bit of a tour and wild camp around North Wales with my son, and I don't really want to stick religiously to a preplanned itinerary.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: Mel on 19:44:04, 03/01/18
IMO this is the one - and only - but big - downfall of the OS maps app - the requirement for a signal to be able to view the maps whilst out and about.


There are a couple of forumites who also currently use the OS maps app so hopefully they'll be able to chip in with their experiences with the app and caching map areas before heading out.



Personally, I use ViewRanger (free subscription) and buy map tiles for the area I want to walk in. These are then available offline/without signal on my phone (android) and are mine forever.  The only downfall to this is that if the map changes I would have to re-purchase the corresponding map tile (a bit like needing to buy a new paper map when the old one is out of date). 

Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: tom83 on 20:28:27, 03/01/18
Thanks for the reply Mel. It was annoying losing the route up on Bleaklow, especially as I was looking forward to using OS maps.


I will try the cached maps hopefully at the weekend.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: Mel on 20:39:02, 03/01/18
 :o   up on Bleaklow  :o   Aye, not the best of places to lose a map.  Does the route not show when the signal is lost (even if it's just a line on an otherwise blank screen?).



Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: motorlaunch on 21:06:27, 03/01/18
I use Back Country Navigator. It is designed for Android. You can download any areas of OS map and view them down to 25,000 scale. You can have a free trial for 21 days before purchasing the app. The maps are free. You can also download maps for other parts of the world. Worth taking advantage of the free trial.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: NeilC on 21:28:39, 03/01/18
Must depend on which product/service you buy. I have a few OS maps on my phone which I downloaded for "free" - using the code on the paper maps I bought. Those ones do not require any kind of phone signal as they are fully downloaded. They work on the Android OS Maps app and allow route planning and tracking etc - although I don't think it's quite as a good as Viewranger's system.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: vizzavona on 09:54:04, 04/01/18
I don't use a smart phone myself however my daughter uses the Memory Maps 1:50,000 loaded up on her phone.
She works in the remoter parts of Scotland doing survey work on Estates so I guess that accurate positions of the locations of  what is found is vital. She also uses one of the basic GPS models to pinpoint etc.
I haven't heard her say that a unreliable signal to be a problem.
In the Mercantour we met some young French folks who were using a phone with maps to navigate on terrain that was covered over with snow with not the best visibility. What they were getting from the device seemed to be very accurate.  When I asked them how that it worked for them etc. they said that they paid and annual fee for maps to the IGN folks ( equivalent to our OS ).....simply a download or is it upload of maps for the area desired for each walk to be undertaken was all that was needed each time that they went out.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: PeterDevon on 10:26:12, 04/01/18
I did use OS maps on my Android phone but found it unreliable even with the maps downloaded it would lose routes and not record them properly. I now use Viewranger which works brilliantly and is better on the battery - you can go all day and will still be over 50%
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: gunwharfman on 12:47:39, 04/01/18
I also downloaded the Backcountry app, always works well.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: Peter on 14:10:16, 04/01/18
I have Memory Map and Viewranger. You need to download maps for practical use.
I didn't get the OS app because of the apparent weakness.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: maxmarengo on 18:30:22, 05/01/18
Pretty confident you don't need a signal to use the OS subscription service. I have been in places with no signal where my friends were using the OS maps on subscription. I guess you just need to download sections in advance and once you have "authenticated" in a place with a signal you can continue to use (just like when you get a downloaded map after buying a paper map).

I am another ViewRanger user. Never had a problem with 1:50000 and 1:25000 - you just need a bit of advanced planning and a large mini sd card (16Gb now <£10).
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: BuzyG on 19:02:01, 05/01/18
Must depend on which product/service you buy. I have a few OS maps on my phone which I downloaded for "free" - using the code on the paper maps I bought. Those ones do not require any kind of phone signal as they are fully downloaded. They work on the Android OS Maps app and allow route planning and tracking etc - although I don't think it's quite as a good as Viewranger's system.

I do exactly this too.  Though I have a lot of Maps, as I just love OS Maps.  It works great, on my S4mini and does not require a signal.  They are also, clearly updating the App regularly, as the version I was using on my S3mini, was not as good as it is now.

I think the battery issue is purely device dependent.  Nothing to do with which App you have loaded.  If it's a concern then investing in one of these...           https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-5200mAh-Portable-External-Technology-Black/dp/B00P8SY7HQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1515178796&sr=8-6&keywords=charger+anker (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-5200mAh-Portable-External-Technology-Black/dp/B00P8SY7HQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1515178796&sr=8-6&keywords=charger+anker)
 is a simple lightish weight solution.  That I also carry with me.

At present, I would never head out without a paper map and compass as back up though.  I'm sure that will change in the future as mobile GPS and batteries continue to improve.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: SafetyThird on 21:33:37, 07/01/18
If you've subscribed to the OS maps system, you have all the maps of the British Isles that you can download. You have to specify the area you want to download, save it, then it's available for offline use. At least, that's how I do it.

£20 for a year of the whole country at 1:25000, yeah, that's a bargain. It's not as full featured as some of the other mapping systems but it's massively cheaper. I managed to use Tesco clubcard points, £8 worth, so basically it cost me nothing.

I record routes with it, or I plan them on the laptop ahead of time and download to the phone. With a paper map in my bag, I've found it very good indeed.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: tom83 on 22:57:13, 07/01/18
Thanks for everyones replies.


I used OS on my mobile today, and it worked perfectly. Guided me round Malham with ease. I downloaded the specific area to my phone last night.


Very simple to use, and as SafetyThird says, £20 for the whole country is a bargain.



Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: Wurz on 00:02:47, 08/01/18
For anyone that has memory map files on a PC there is an app called AlpineQuest which I think is about £6 which will let you use them on your phone.
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: fernman on 09:11:44, 08/01/18
If you've subscribed to the OS maps system, you have all the maps of the British Isles that you can download. You have to specify the area you want to download, save it, then it's available for offline use. At least, that's how I do it.

£20 for a year of the whole country at 1:25000, yeah, that's a bargain. It's not as full featured as some of the other mapping systems but it's massively cheaper. I managed to use Tesco clubcard points, £8 worth, so basically it cost me nothing.

I record routes with it, or I plan them on the laptop ahead of time and download to the phone. With a paper map in my bag, I've found it very good indeed.

Am I missing something? What is to stop you paying £20 and downloading as much as you can for offline use, and paying no more? Presumably they don't all magically disappear at the end of the 12 months so that you must renew your subscription to get them back. This isn't a criticism of your post, I'm genuinly confused. 
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: lostme1 on 09:51:08, 08/01/18
I was wondering the same thing
Title: Re: Ordinance Survey Maps on Mobile.
Post by: SafetyThird on 09:56:30, 08/01/18
try it and see if the downloads last past your subscription. Given that they only work through the app, I would expect there's an expiry option built in for that reason. Wouldn't be hard to code I don't think.

That said, 20 quid a year is a reasonable cost to pay in my view, even better when it's free with clubcard points :)