Author Topic: confused by gps maps  (Read 4368 times)

sussamb

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #15 on: 16:14:19, 05/09/19 »
One simple way in which the OS maps do score for me could actually be easily emulated by other digital mapping products but sadly isn't. That's the overlay of the 1km grid squares, which means its immediately possible to get a feel for distances, even just by glancing at the map. Other products vary the amount of detail, and the resolution of any grid, as you zoom in and out, which can make it very hard to judge scale at a glance.

CacheMap UK, which I use,  has the grid overlay  :)
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Slowcoach

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #16 on: 18:29:25, 05/09/19 »
Sussamb, while you’re available....how are things now?
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sussamb

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #17 on: 20:01:12, 05/09/19 »
Fine thanks, and thanks for your concern.  Did a 9 mile walk over the Downs today at 3.4mph, and planning a return C2C trip in early March O0

No lasting damage except for a small area of my skull that is still numb to touch, and apparently I'll be featured in the next issue of the NW Air Ambulance newsletter  ;D
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Slowcoach

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #18 on: 20:04:37, 05/09/19 »
 Good to hear  but an extreme way to get into the paper. Did your insurance play fair .
It's all uphill from here.

davew

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #19 on: 20:07:19, 05/09/19 »
thanks for the help ,i think i've got it sorted i started a free trail to os maps and can see pretty much everything i need in there, i need reading glasses so i think one with a larger screen would be best, i think i'm going to go for a satmap 20 ,they have recon units on there site for a good price.

Slowcoach

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #20 on: 20:12:43, 05/09/19 »
I use a Garmin Oregon 650...very clever bit of kit and I love it. I walk with several people who use a Satmap and they swear by their kit. The screen as you say is larger and very easy to read and zoom in .
The only downside as far as I can see is the units physical size, it does not sit easily in the hand.
So I hope you get one at a price that suits you and enjoy it.
It's all uphill from here.

sussamb

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #21 on: 21:00:40, 05/09/19 »
Good to hear  but an extreme way to get into the paper. Did your insurance play fair .


Yep, didn't even have to prove anything, just provided the hospital discharge letter, entered costs of deposits I'd made and lost, and train tickets I hadn't used, and paid out within a few weeks  O0
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sussamb

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #22 on: 21:03:17, 05/09/19 »
The only downside as far as I can see is the units physical size, it does not sit easily in the hand.


It's why I use my Etrex 20 when walking rather than my Montana, even though its screen is larger.
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ninthace

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #23 on: 21:16:01, 05/09/19 »
The screen size you need depends on how you use your gps.  Stand by for generalisation here - if you follow routes that you have planned in advance and out loaded to your gps you can use a smaller screen as the decisions you have to make en route are less complex.  Basically you are trying to follow a line so it is more a question of identifying turning points, working out which gate to go through, that sort of thing.
If you are using the gps in lieu  of a paper map then you may need a bigger screen to see the bigger picture.
I use an Etrex 30 to navigate with the range scale usually set on 120m.  If I need the bigger picture I refer to an A4 printout of the route supplemented by OS maps on my mobile if needed.
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Rob Goes Walking

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #24 on: 21:28:26, 05/09/19 »
My Samsung Galaxy S10e is waterproof and has lasted 8 hours with plenty of battery to spare using ViewRanger before. I still can't justify a top notch SatNav and can't afford one anyway.

WhitstableDave

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #25 on: 21:51:15, 05/09/19 »
thanks for the help ,i think i've got it sorted i started a free trail to os maps and can see pretty much everything i need in there, i need reading glasses so i think one with a larger screen would be best, i think i'm going to go for a satmap 20 ,they have recon units on there site for a good price.

Sounds like an excellent choice!  :) O0
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GnP

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #26 on: 13:33:27, 23/05/20 »
I've never owned a dedicated GPS unit, mainly because I've never understood the difference between one of those and the GPS maps on my phone? I assume that the OS maps would show all of your footpaths? I personally use the app Backcountry which displays OS maps and to date, I've never had a problem with it. Your entry interests me because I know nothing about these items and hope that some other Forum members respond to you. If you learn something so will I.

Sorry to bring up an old thread like this, but I have downloaded the free/starter version of Back country navigator on to an old tough phone at home on my broadband. The phone has no sim in it.

I am presuming you cannot download Ordnance Survey maps for use outdoors, without purchasing the next level up of B C N.?
But is it possible to cache them some way in the phones memory & then use the OS maps that way, just to confirm my position, & better still, a GPX route too.At the moment I use a printed out screen shot of OS mapping from Walk lakes along with a GPX route on my E trex 20x GPS.

I love the fact that B C N uses OS mapping via Bing which is free to use when I am at home on broadband. It is superb. Up until a few weeks ago I had an annual subscription of OS mapping & found it to be pretty good but I`m just looking around at the moment for other ways of using OS mapping , especially if it is without cost.  :o
I do not want to use my other phone as I keep that just for calls and text etc. It would be too much of a faff for me to use the one phone for all.
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Toxicbunny

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #27 on: 13:45:26, 23/05/20 »
I have OS maps on my mobile but I dont rely on my mobile for navigation.   I have a Garmin Etrex. I have OS maps on my Etrex and use it with garmin basecamp. 

gunwharfman

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #28 on: 17:41:55, 23/05/20 »
I'm a very simple hiker, I just follow signs or a worn or still recognizable footpath, every now and then I'll check where I am on my phone. I've been lost before but usually because I thought I was on a particular footpath when in fact I was actually on another. Apart from using Backcountry in real-time so I know exactly where I am I've never bothered to find out what else it can do. Sorry.

GnP

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Re: confused by gps maps
« Reply #29 on: 18:46:59, 23/05/20 »
I'm a very simple hiker, I just follow signs or a worn or still recognizable footpath, every now and then I'll check where I am on my phone. I've been lost before but usually because I thought I was on a particular footpath when in fact I was actually on another. Apart from using Backcountry in real-time so I know exactly where I am I've never bothered to find out what else it can do. Sorry.
Ok thanks  O0
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