Walking Forum
Main Boards => General Walking Discussion => Topic started by: happyhiker on 18:44:22, 09/01/19
-
Has anyone else found OS maps on Bing maps no longer works? Anyone know if this is permanent, or a temporary glitch?
-
Not working for me either :o
-
Not working here either.
-
Not working now but definitely was yesterday.
-
Not working for me :-[
-
It has even gone from the menu. Was definitely there yesterday. A number of other smaller sites have stopped using Google maps dew to charges. I'm sure Microsoft can afford the license for OS though. Hopefully just a temporary measure. There is little other reason to use Bing for me. :-\
-
It has even gone from the menu.
Still in the menu for me;
Road
Aerial
Streetside
OS
-
I have it in the Bing menu but does not work for me either. OS website is still working for OS Leisure maps - has in Bing someone not paid a licence?
-
Bing is owned by Microsoft. I would hope they can afford it. The menu option has definitely gone from the app on my Android tablet. Correction I now have half of the OS icon on the pull down menu showing. Doesn't work any how.
-
Been 'sticking' for a couple of days and was going to ask this question myself - will be very sadly missed :(
-
It was working Saturday, shame I use a lot.
As the old saying goes " There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"
Jon.
-
I've just checked, not working for me either. The other site that does OS is gps-routes.co.uk but its for already identified routes. Is there another site I could go to?
-
Just tried it, no joy.
Theres thehug, just looked at it, but dont know how to move the curser.
-
If Bing have dropped it or are having problems, you'd have thought they would have put up an explanatory message by now. Probably engaged in an argument with OS about royalties.
-
So much for progress; back to the piece of string :(
-
I have asked Bing the question. If I get a reply, I will post it.
-
Try using walk lakes that has OS maps for the UK...great site.
https://www.walklakes.co.uk/maps/ (https://www.walklakes.co.uk/maps/)
-
Try using walk lakes that has OS maps for the UK...great site.
https://www.walklakes.co.uk/maps/ (https://www.walklakes.co.uk/maps/)
That's great - thank you :)
-
I've just checked, not working for me either. The other site that does OS is gps-routes.co.uk but its for already identified routes. Is there another site I could go to?
Both these sites have OS mapping you do need to create an account but thats easy to do and despite the name both provide full UK mapping.
www.walklakes.co.uk
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk
-
Aye, had forgotten walkhighlands, and I'm a member!
-
Just tried and it's still not working.
Bit of an off the wall idea here though.......subscribing to OS Maps is only about £20 per year. Fairly reliable too!
-
Just tried and it's still not working.
Bit of an off the wall idea here though.......subscribing to OS Maps is only about £20 per year. Fairly reliable too!
Yep OS seems good . I have the annual OS subscription for Viewranger. It is reliable also.
-
Didn't know VR had an annual subscription?
-
Hi Sussamb, VR is free but you can get OS maps for an annual subscription. Of course as you know they give access to other free map styles.
Also you can still buy "permanent" OS tiles .
Oh, since I know you use VR look on their website they give you a free 7 day trial of the OS offer.
-
I've got the full OS mapset so no need, thanks. Just hadn't appreciated you could get a subscription O0
Interesting that you get unlimited downloads for a year, do they then self destruct? If not it's a very cheap way to get a full set :)
-
I've got the full OS mapset so no need, thanks. Just hadn't appreciated you could get a subscription O0
Interesting that you get unlimited downloads for a year, do they then self destruct? If not it's a very cheap way to get a full set :)
Yep. That is an interesting question. If they are actually downloaded onto my , say PC hard drive, then what happens after the year is up? Or does the file have an encrypted date stamp which stops it working in the VR app?
Sure they, and OS must have worked on this.
OS couldn't do worse than buying out VR and merging the apps. What with the free digital maps from the paper map codes and scale printing from OS allied to VR superior track/route planning and field usability as well as its capability to be used worldwide, they would make an almost unbeatable combination for that type of app.
Future dream, now what if Garmin..........
-
Just refreshed the Bing page and OS working in both 1:50000 and 1:25000
-
Just refreshed the Bing page and OS working in both 1:50000 and 1:25000
Yup, they are back on my iPad too.
-
Yup, they are back on my iPad too.
Hooray. I always have full OS maps of areas I walk but rather than having the sheet open on the desk when I am writing up my walk routes, it is easier to use Bing. I did once try the OS on line system as £20 a year seemed good value but it seemed clunky and did not always work properly. This was in its early days. Has it improved?
-
Yes, glad to say it's back up and running. I always buy a paper map of any area that I am walking in anyway, but it's nice to be able to browse, plan and revisit walks online.
And I do like the "Measure Distance" feature.
-
Phew, that's a relief!
I never print screencaps from Bing, you get a bigger area on MemoryMap, but whenever I want to look somewhere up on Bing I always select the OS view.
-
Well that is a relief, people would probably start to ask questions if I had a paper map spread across my desk at work as often as I have Bing open.
-
Have they made changes. Just that it seems to be running faster than ever here. I still have only half an icon too. But it seems to be something peculiar to my tablet.
-
My Bing OS is back! Yippee!
-
I have just had a look at Bing Maps in more detail. Would I be right in saying its only use for walkers is to print off OS maps for free?
I couldn't see any way of plotting a walking route on the map, let alone exporting it. The directions tool only seems to lay routes along roads which if true, makes it a fat lot of good for most trips.
-
I have just had a look at Bing Maps in more detail. Would I be right in saying its only use for walkers is to print off OS maps for free?
I couldn't see any way of plotting a walking route on the map, let alone exporting it. The directions tool only seems to lay routes along roads which if true, makes it a fat lot of good for most trips.
1. It's a OS map of anywhere at all that you want in England / Scotland / Wales.
2. It's free.
When I go on a day walk I take a photocopy of a couple of pages from a guidebook and a screencap of the area of the walk from a 1:25k map such as Bing. I can look at the routemap from the book and see it on the footpaths on the OS map. That's enough for me.
By the time I go on one of my multiple-day walks I've looked at the route so many times that it is firmly fixed in my head.
The only reason I need to plot a route on a map is to leave it at home in case someone has to come and find my body. I can do that with a highlighter pen.
-
So that's a yes then. I thought I may have been missing a trick.
-
So that's a yes then. I thought I may have been missing a trick.
I use it for planning routes without having to rifle through my map collection, and obviously for planning routes in areas for which I do not have the 1:25000 map (most of the Highlands, for instance). Also, it is sometimes useful to flick between OS map and satellite shot, to see if a route actually exists on the ground.
And the 'Measure Distance' feature is pretty good.
-
Phew, that's a relief!
I never print screencaps from Bing, you get a bigger area on MemoryMap, but whenever I want to look somewhere up on Bing I always select the OS view.
Just looked at the trailzilla routing page, and must say the OS mapping is great considering its free. Its on a large area too.. It is as good as the paid for Ordnance Survey mapping app, if you only want to create routes and download the GPX files. Plus I guess you are unable to download maps for offline use.
I`m beginning to think I will not subscribe to the paid for OS mapping anymore, as Trailzilla enables the creation of routes..I can then transfer to my Garmin which I use a talkytoaster map on. (that is a paid for map but was only £11 and its a raster map). Even the free Talkytoaster maps are very good.
-
Is it only me still uses paper OS maps now?
-
Is it only me still uses paper OS maps now?
No, I still use paper maps. I have thought about buying a gps unit, but am not yet convinced. I only have a work mobile phone that eats battery charge and has little memory space for maps. The map doesn’t come out very much when walking as,once I have planned a route, I tend to have a very good picture of where I am going in my mind. I do consult the map and compass in poor visibility and when the route isn’t clear.
-
Is it only me still uses paper OS maps now?
I still use paper maps to plan walks. I like to see the greater context. In the field (no pun intended) I use a basic GPS as another navigational aid like a compass but occasionally refer to the map to double check - eg which side of a wall a path is, if not obvious.
-
Still crooked though. Why do maps in Bing always show OS maps tilted slightly to right?
-
You're right! If you get the name of a town in 1:50k and slide it up to just below the top bar, it's ever so slightly out of line. I never noticed that before.
-
You're right! If you get the name of a town in 1:50k and slide it up to just below the top bar, it's ever so slightly out of line. I never noticed that before.
Top of my head - difference between true N and grid N?
-
Top of my head - difference between true N and grid N?
Or the difference between magnetic N and grid N.
-
If you open the OS map and look at the orientation of the grid lines as you run along the south coast from Lands End to Dover you can see the tilt changing. I suggest it is a difference in the projections being used between the two maps. I suspect one is mercator and the other is conical.
-
Is it only me still uses paper OS maps now?
Nope I still carry a laminated paper map on my walks. It is really easy to navigate using OS maps on my phone screen with a magnetic compass. It so handy just line the compass up from the center of the screen to my next way point on those odd occasions when I need to. I think it is still vital to have a printed map though and know how to use it, so I make a point of still counting steps and using my printed map in very low vision, from time to time.
-
Is it only me still uses paper OS maps now?
If I want to quickly look, either a walk I'm thinking of doing or if someone mentions something on the forum which I want to check, then I'll look at Bing, particularly if I am at work.
For proper planning and for actual walking I always use a full OS map either a waterproof one or a paper one in a map case.
Both of my kids got OS maps for Christmas but perhaps they are influenced by me, they didn't actually ask for them!
-
Just looked at the trailzilla routing page, and must say the OS mapping is great considering its free. Its on a large area too..
I looked at Trailzilla after your mention of it, as it is a new one to me.
Not sure why you say it's on a large area, as the home page has side bars left and right, leaving a much smaller area of map to be viewed. It reminds me of the old StreetMap with the little bit of map in the middle.
Unless it is full width on the routing page that you specify?
Well I never got to see that, because after the fiddle of registering I tried to look at 1:25k but I was instructed to go to My Trailzilla, where there were more boxes to tick.
At this point I opened another tab on my browser (I had just received an email notification) and then went back to Trailzilla, which again told me I needed to sign in but when I did, it told me fernman was already signed in on another computer??? and I needed to sign out and come back.
That was my first and final experience of Trailzilla. It might be OK for some people but it's too much hassle for me. I can open Bing any time I want without having to sign in, I can look at anywhere and in whatever scale I want, plus it is full screen width.
Edit: I just read the Welcome email I received, which was from SALES@... (my capitals) and it looks like I'll be receiving regular emails from them, no doubt trying to persuade me to pay for things. The only thing I haven't found anywhere is how to cancel the registration, short of using their Contact form.
-
I looked at Trailzilla after your mention of it, as it is a new one to me.
Not sure why you say it's on a large area, as the home page has side bars left and right, leaving a much smaller area of map to be viewed. It reminds me of the old StreetMap with the little bit of map in the middle.
Unless it is full width on the routing page that you specify?
Well I never got to see that, because after the fiddle of registering I tried to look at 1:25k but I was instructed to go to My Trailzilla, where there were more boxes to tick.
At this point I opened another tab on my browser (I had just received an email notification) and then went back to Trailzilla, which again told me I needed to sign in but when I did, it told me fernman was already signed in on another computer??? and I needed to sign out and come back.
That was my first and final experience of Trailzilla. It might be OK for some people but it's too much hassle for me. I can open Bing any time I want without having to sign in, I can look at anywhere and in whatever scale I want, plus it is full screen width.
Edit: I just read the Welcome email I received, which was from SALES@... (my capitals) and it looks like I'll be receiving regular emails from them, no doubt trying to persuade me to pay for things. The only thing I haven't found anywhere is how to cancel the registration, short of using their Contact form.
So you didn`t like it then.
-
It might be OK for some people
Look, I tried to be polite!!!
-
That's the best policy ;)
-
Is it only me still uses paper OS maps now?
I always use paper OS maps on the hill.
But I do use Bing Maps for planning or reviewing a route.
-
Is it only me still uses paper OS maps now?
I honestly can't remember the last time I used a proper OS map on the hill in anger. Has to be at least 10 years ago if not more, they are just way to much trouble. In rough country I still carry one for the comfort of having it but it has been dead weight to keep the mountain rescue happy. I do carry enlarged printouts of the OS map for my route in plastic sleeves that I can refer to to identify features and use for a how goes it but that is the extent of their use.
I have a good selection of OS maps on my bookcase that I used to use for planning but now, by and large, they are dust magnets or toilet reading.