Viewranger replacement

[Glyno]

ninthace - Yes, that sounds very tedious, I don't think I'll be bothering to rename almost 20 years worth of VR tracks


sussamb - Very much alive thanks! Walking has obviously been limited somewhat for the last 12 months, but have been making up for it on two wheels.


jimbob - I wish you were serious!


All I ever really used VR for was to record my walks so's I could keep the tracks as a diary/log, something I could refer back to. Also a useful tool to check if I suspected I might be going astray occasionally.
I'm thinking an OS Maps subscription might be a better option when VR decides to disappear completely?


Glyn

[ninthace]

Glyno, I am I to understand that basically you have a large back catalogue of gpx files stored in ViewRanger and not backed up elsewhere?

[sussamb]

Glyn, think VR will continue for a while yet, there is no indication it's going to disappear. Our SAR team along with many others and the MRTs all use it and we've been assured we'll be able to continue to do so.

[ninthace]

Glyn, think VR will continue for a while yet, there is no indication it's going to disappear. Our SAR team along with many others and the MRTs all use it and we've been assured we'll be able to continue to do so.

The app itself runs independently on a phone so presumably you can continue to use it while your phone’s OS supports it.  But surely it will be unsupported in time and it will not undergo any further development?


The issue for many users will be the long term future of the associated website used for planning routes and the storage and management of tracks away from their phone.  Is there any news on this?  Migrating this function to OA is not going to be an option for everyone, as Glyno, for one, has ably demonstrated. 

[jimbob]

Gylno, I was serious tthe creation date is available for routes but not apparently tracks.

[ninthace]

I heard back from OA today.  I have to say their helpdesk is very responsive.


They have confirmed that the off course alarm is not adjustable and there are no immediate plans to add the functionality but it has now been added to the ideas list.   The default value is around 25 to 30m.


While my brief use of the software indicates this is not a killer when walking lanes, tracks and PROWs it could be a nausea in rougher country where lines are less precise and bogs, rocks and such get in the way.


It can be turned on and off by tapping the speaker icon which silences the entire navigation function.  At least, if you are pushed off line, the display gives you a red line on the map to steer you back after a detour.


Turning to track management, I also confirm that there seems to be no way of knowing the date of recording unless you leave it in the track name assigned by OA.  On the positive side, the mini map provided for each track in the list of tracks is an improvement.

[glovepuppet]

Hi All


Like Glyno, it's been a while since I have posted here in a regular way, but i hope everyone is keeping safe and well and looking forward to another season of walking ahead. I definitely am and, although restrictions still apply, have plenty of ideas for a variety of scenarios!


I'm finding this an interesting discussion. As an "always late to the party" kinda guy, I only subscribed to VR for the first time last year, and have only really been trying it as a navigation tool this weekend! I don't do technology ever so well at the best of times, but want to move into the 21st Century, so, like others, I know I'm going to get confused by any changes. 


Basically, I want an app that will allow me to do a few things:


- Plot a route on my laptop, synch it with my phone
- Have OS map available for my phone
- Allow me to share routes
- Also, when abroad, allow me to upload GPX route files so I can follow a LDP - maybe one not supported by a paper map


When I was first looking into this, I checked a few things and thought VR would be best, including some options like Hiiker and Komoot. OS will cover the UK, I guess, but what about Europe? So ......


If I'm going to have to subscribe to another service, I may as well be sure it will do what I want of it, so any advice here would be welcome. I'm happy to go to OA if that is the best choice, or look at another if needs be. The learning curve will likely be tortuous whichever route I follow! 


Cheers


GP 

[ninthace]

Gylno, I was serious tthe creation date is available for routes but not apparently tracks.

Just had another look.  Have you ried the filter tool at the top of the track list?  Filter options included date first published and it seems to sort the VR files I imported into chronolgical sequence.

Just sent this to OA helpdesk
"I note that tracks can be displayed in order of date first published but as far as I can tell this date is not displayed in the track information.  I realise it is displayed in the default track name but many users rename tracks to suit their own methods of classification and in so doing lose the information.

Adding the date of first publication would help users who keep walking diaries."

[ninthace]

<<snip>>
Basically, I want an app that will allow me to do a few things:

- Plot a route on my laptop, synch it with my phone
- Have OS map available for my phone
- Allow me to share routes
- Also, when abroad, allow me to upload GPX route files so I can follow a LDP - maybe one not supported by a paper map
 <<snip>>

The choice is yours,  VR would certainly do what you want - I have used it in Europe and as far afield as New Zealand.  You nay need a subsrcription depending on the mapping you wanted to use

For fun I have just plotted one of my favourite Pyrennean walking routes using OutdoorActive on my laptop.  The route goes both sides of the Franco Spanish border.   I got "proper" mapping (ie IGN) by selecting the Topo overlay in the route planning screen and exported it to my phone so I guess OA can do the same.  The snap to route feature let me plot a fairly complex route using relatively few waypoints.

[glovepuppet]

The choice is yours,  VR would certainly do what you want - I have used it in Europe and as far afield as New Zealand.  You nay need a subsrcription depending on the mapping you wanted to use

For fun I have just plotted one of my favourite Pyrennean walking routes using OutdoorActive on my laptop.  The route goes both sides of the Franco Spanish border.   I got "proper" mapping (ie IGN) by selecting the Topo overlay in the route planning screen and exported it to my phone so I guess OA can do the same.  The snap to route feature let me plot a fairly complex route using relatively few waypoints.

Thanks, ninthace, that sounds OK to me. I'll do some more investigation of OA. 

[sussamb]

The issue for many users will be the long term future of the associated website used for planning routes and the storage and management of tracks away from their phone.  Is there any news on this?  Migrating this function to OA is not going to be an option for everyone, as Glyno, for one, has ably demonstrated.

Agreed that may be an issue for some. You can of course export all your data from VR, and import it into programs that support .gpx files


I use BaseCamp for all my route planning etc so I haven't looked particularly further for alternatives.

[ninthace]

Agreed that may be an issue for some. You can of course export all your data from VR, and import it into programs that support .gpx files


I use BaseCamp for all my route planning etc so I haven't looked particularly further for alternatives.

I  agree.  All my tracks and planned routes are kept in a set of folders in OneDrive and backed up to a duplicate set in iCloud which I hope makes me fairly future proof.

As to planning tools, I use any of the OS website, BaseCamp, ViewRanger, GoogleEarth and now OutdoorActive.  They all have strengths and weaknesses and I have so strong preference  The resultant route is held in the planned walks folder in the cloud until needed.  I also have a system for storing planned walks in BaseCamp and the OS website so I can browse them.  When I want to walk one of the routes, I import the gpx file into a couple of the phone apps and my Garmin if necessary.   It means I am not dependant on any particular package.

[Glyno]

Glyno, I am I to understand that basically you have a large back catalogue of gpx files stored in ViewRanger and not backed up elsewhere?

Thats correct, though it really is no big deal as my VR library of tracks is really just a diary/log of walks and only used occasionally for reference. Many are duplicated several times - for instance, I reckon I have almost identical tracklogs of the Snowdon Horseshoe duplicated well into double figures, just over different dates.

[ninthace]

Thats correct, though it really is no big deal as my VR library of tracks is really just a diary/log of walks and only used occasionally for reference. Many are duplicated several times - for instance, I reckon I have almost identical tracklogs of the Snowdon Horseshoe duplicated well into double figures, just over different dates.

Trouble is VR does not have a bulk export function and even if you did, all the gpx files would still have the same date.  The problem is of the VR storage site ever disappeared, you would lose the lot.  I know you tried moving them to OA which would at least give you a back up but did you try using the filter at the top of the list and setting it to sort by "date first published" which, if it works, would sort your files into the chronological sequence in which you first saved them?

[Percy]

There is a bulk export option in VR but it's in the app itself not the website. In the Import/Export page of the app you can export all routes, tracks, pois - this will save all of those into a single gpx file on your device.


The individual tracks are preserved within the single file but need splitting out. There appear to be a bunch of online tools that will split gpx files but the one I've tried so far (gpxvisualizer.com) doesn't do a particularly brilliant job - I'm looking at a few other options and will get back to you.


At least it's easy to ensure the data you have within VR is not lost.