Author Topic: What3words app for your location  (Read 4766 times)

ninthace

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #30 on: 17:25:12, 06/02/20 »
Well he is right about one thing.  W3W is useless for navigating as there is no logic to the grid it uses, but it wasn't really meant for that.  With the Nat Grid you can easily divine if your required location is N S E or W of your current location.
As for his point about blizzards though - if you are out in a real whiteout, a map and compass are also virtually useless for working out where you are.  Even if you start from a known point, errors soon creep in if you can only see a few feet so you would have to be a lot more practised than the average punter  Under those circumstances, I prefer my electronic aids that can tell where I am to within a few feet.  Using electronics in really bad visibility, I have almost literally bumped into my target before I have seen it.
I still have W3W on my phone though.  That way, if I need help, I can give my location in W3W, National Grid or Lat Long, whatever the person on the other end wants - under those circumstances, it would be no time to be proud
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Steveandsam

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #31 on: 18:46:06, 06/02/20 »
Don't knock it, it may be all you have... Surely better than nothing!!

alan de enfield

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #32 on: 23:24:39, 06/02/20 »
Don't knock it, it may be all you have... Surely better than nothing!!

If you are out 'on the hill' and all you have is What3Words then you are not sufficiently prepared.

ninthace

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #33 on: 00:15:50, 07/02/20 »
I have heard that if you need an ambulance out in the countryside, they may ask you for your post code.  It this true and is there an app for it?  :)
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lostme1

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #34 on: 07:15:31, 07/02/20 »
I have heard that if you need an ambulance out in the countryside, they may ask you for your post code.  It this true and is there an app for it?  :)
I have heard the same but don't know if it is true
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richardh1905

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #35 on: 08:27:14, 07/02/20 »
If you are out 'on the hill' and all you have is What3Words then you are not sufficiently prepared.
I view it as an addition to my arsenal of safety aids.
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richardh1905

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #36 on: 08:28:25, 07/02/20 »
Just installed it.

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richardh1905

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #37 on: 08:31:26, 07/02/20 »
I have heard that if you need an ambulance out in the countryside, they may ask you for your post code.  It this true and is there an app for it?  :)

I've no doubt that they will ask - but what use is a postcode on the hill?

As for an app, I found this - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.tevp.postcode&hl=en
Don't know anything about it, and I will not be installing it.
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richardh1905

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #38 on: 08:38:37, 07/02/20 »
An alternative is OS's LOCATE app, which gives a 6 figure grid ref of your current location.

I've installed that as well, although is less precise. No harm in having both.

Important thing about these apps is to turn them off when not needed - they will drain your battery.
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ninthace

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #39 on: 09:51:33, 07/02/20 »
Both GPS devices and the ViewRanger app will give your location as a Grid Ref to a ridiculous number of digits (12 excl letters).  Interestingly, as far as I can tell, the OS mapping app doesn’t.
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fernman

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #40 on: 09:52:07, 07/02/20 »
An alternative is OS's LOCATE app, which gives a 6 figure grid ref of your current location.

I've installed that as well, although is less precise. No harm in having both.

Important thing about these apps is to turn them off when not needed - they will drain your battery.

That looks a bit elaborate just to get a grid ref. I have on my Windows Phone (I know...) an app called GPS To Grid Ref which when opened displays a choice of 6 or 8 figure reference of my current location. I often use it when I'm unsure of precisely where I am (aka lost). It doesn't need a signal, it simply converts the phone's inbuilt GPS to a OS ref. I'd be surprised if there isn't something similar available for Android and iOS phones.

sussamb

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #41 on: 10:35:13, 07/02/20 »
There is, but as I have ViewRanger I don't bother  :)

Here's one https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.blerg&hl=en_GB
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lostme1

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #42 on: 15:54:01, 07/02/20 »
I have heard/read, not sure which, that the what3words app is a very large app and will use up a lot of memory on the phone. Is this true?
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alan de enfield

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #43 on: 16:12:08, 07/02/20 »
I have heard/read, not sure which, that the what3words app is a very large app and will use up a lot of memory on the phone. Is this true?

Google says it is 10Mb

jimbob

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Re: What3words app for your location
« Reply #44 on: 16:22:28, 07/02/20 »
Google also says that you probably need a different app for each country you visit as w3w uses the native language of each country. If you have the English app the world is given English words, if the French app the same locations have French words.
Seemingly if you can get a phone signal (which clearly you would need in order to ring the emergency services) then they can tell where you are fairly easily through triangulation of your signal anyway, even if you can't tell them your grid ref. 
Too little, too late, too bad......

 

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