GPS - Following a track

crooks

Hi all,

I'm currently planning a cycle trip for myself and some friends. The idea is to roughly follow the NCN3 but with a few scenic detours and a final burn across Dartmoor to our home village in Cornwall. I've plotted the track into Google Earth (Saved here: http://www.stmellion.org/ncn3.kmz) and can download it to my Android phone and view it in Google Earth.

Having got the track on to my phone, I'm now facing an unexpected challenge: what to do with it! I want to track my progress in real-time against the map in much the same way as a normal vehicle GPS shows my progress along a preset route. Is this possible on a phone or do I need a dedicated Garmin type device for this degree of functionality?

Regards
Steve

djm501

Use strava or map my ride or something like that.

However, the battery of your phone won't have a hope on a trip like that - you'll need a powermonkey or something to keep it going. My smartphone will only run for 4-5 hours with MMR or Strava running.

If you save the file in a suitable format (gps for example) you should be able to send it to your phone app if you've uploaded it to the web version of your favourite phone gps app.

deadhead1971

This article covers a couple of good contenders (apps)
http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/2011/12/an ... line-maps/

I use Locus pro on my phone occasionally and the depth of its functionality is always surprising.
You could load your track into it, see where you are at any given point, and if necessary it will provide navigation (to a destination you specify - not sure if it can navigate along a predetermined route, but it probably can, I wouldn't be surprised. Plus - the app can store offline maps. This is a biggie to save your data download allowance.

Djm501 is absolutely correct though, the biggest limitation is your battery life.
If you just want to log your ride, use something like MyTracks and turn off wifi, mobile data, all notifications and sound, keep the screen off etc. Think of that scene in Apollo 13 when they have to power everything down to conserve energy!

crooks

Thanks for the quick answers, I'll check out these apps. The first I've looked at, Strava wouldn't accept my plot files. I converted them into a format it takes (using GPSbabel) but I think it needs speed/time data as well as just raw track.

Not too concerned about battery life as I've got a hub dynamo and inline battery pack. I'll also be taking traditional paper maps along as backup but would prefer not having to stop and unfold them to study the way ahead at every junction. The penalty for trying to follow quiet lanes instead of main routes!

nevman

Route cards.photo the map as well.no battery solution.

amaferanga

nevman wrote:

Route cards.photo the map as well.no battery solution.

Maybe he lives in the 21st century?

crooks

deadhead1971 wrote:

This article covers a couple of good contenders (apps)
http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/2011/12/an ... line-maps/

I use Locus pro on my phone occasionally and the depth of its functionality is always surprising.

After a few hours of trying different apps, Locus does indeed seem to be a winner. I really like the way it interacts with MOBAC to let me store an entire map locally on my device. This means I can switch off Data Access on my phone which saves battery and gives me peace of mind that it's not downloading Gigabytes of map data. So far it's only been tried from the comfort of my chair but tomorrow I'll test it in the wild with a short track.

More feedback to follow but so far, it's looking good!

Buckie2k5

i find osmand pretty good. Allows you to upload a created route and follow it. Has voice support too so phone screen doesnt need to be on.

deadhead1971

crooks wrote:

deadhead1971 wrote:

This article covers a couple of good contenders (apps)
http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/2011/12/an ... line-maps/

I use Locus pro on my phone occasionally and the depth of its functionality is always surprising.

After a few hours of trying different apps, Locus does indeed seem to be a winner. I really like the way it interacts with MOBAC to let me store an entire map locally on my device. This means I can switch off Data Access on my phone which saves battery and gives me peace of mind that it's not downloading Gigabytes of map data. So far it's only been tried from the comfort of my chair but tomorrow I'll test it in the wild with a short track.

More feedback to follow but so far, it's looking good!

It is a great app, and I'm pretty sure it can do the guidance around a track too, but that may be only available on the Pro version. I bought the app ages ago, but ended up getting a Garmin anyway so I've never fully got to grips with locus pro. The developer is always releasing updates for it too, expanding its functionality. Glad you checked it out ;-)