Handy GPS app for Android phones

[Anthony]

Hi all,

I've been developing a back country GPS hiking app for Android phones
since January this year. Its gone through a few major revisions and is
now a very useful app - I use it myself on every trip now. Its
basically a replacement for a simple Garmin or Magellan GPS unit. It
allows manual entry of waypoints in UTM or lat/lon coords, records
waypoints and tracklogs to Google Earth KML files, has a goto page
which lets you home in on a waypoint showing direction, distance, and
ETA, has both a simple map for use in remote areas and a Google map
page for use closer to civilisation.

If you're interested, check it out here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=binaryearth.handygpsfree

Thanks,
Anthony.

[Bob Vaughan]

Post by Anthony
Hi all,
I've been developing a back country GPS hiking app for Android phones
since January this year. Its gone through a few major revisions and is
now a very useful app - I use it myself on every trip now. Its
basically a replacement for a simple Garmin or Magellan GPS unit. It
allows manual entry of waypoints in UTM or lat/lon coords, records
waypoints and tracklogs to Google Earth KML files, has a goto page
which lets you home in on a waypoint showing direction, distance, and
ETA, has both a simple map for use in remote areas and a Google map
page for use closer to civilisation.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=binaryearth.handygpsfree
Thanks,
Anthony.

While this may be great for geocaching, or a day trip, I would not trust it
for any extended trip.

Why?

Because when your phone battery does dead, so does your GPS, and
unless you are carrying a solar charger of some sort, you have no way to
recharge the battery, and no way to change it. You also no longer have any
communications should you need to summon help, assuming that you are (or
can hike to) somewhere with a cell signal.

With a Garmin or Magellan, I can easily carry several spare sets of AA's,
and save my phone battery for when I need it.

[a***@gmail.com]

Definitely a good point.

There's a little battery box you can get for lass than 10 dollars at electronics stores which holds 4 AA batteries and has a USB output. I take one of these along for if my phone battery runs out. Fortunately my Galaxy Nexus has a great battery and I can run the GPS app for at least 8 hours without it going flat.

Anthony.

[h***@juno.com]

Post by a***@gmail.com
There's a little battery box you can get for lass than 10 dollars at electronics stores which holds 4 AA batteries and has a USB output. I take one of these along for if my phone battery runs out. Fortunately my Galaxy Nexus has a great battery and I can run the GPS app for at least 8 hours without it going flat.

As a search and rescue volunteer I encourage people with cell phones to have such a thing. We've had several missions in which the subject had a cell phone and could actually get a signal but the battery was dying. In such cases we try to arrange set times for them to turn the phone on and leave it off the rest of the time to conserve batteries.

An even better solution for communications is an amateur (ham) 2 meter radio. Those are now available in very small size and weight. You can get a battery pack using alkaline batteries for most of them. Not always but usually ham repeaters cover places where cell phones won't work.

You do need a license for normal use of those radios but FCC rules specifically allow anyone to use them if life, limb, or property is in danger and no other good means of communication is available. The problem is that most people aren't going to put out a lot of money for a radio just for emergencies, but you can often find them relatively cheap second hand since many hams want the latest and greatest and sell the last generation at a big discount.

If you go that route, get a repeater directory and learn to use it. Most repeaters nowadays require not only the correct frequencies but PL tones (subaudible tones transmitted before the repeater will work to keep them from interfering with each other).

[d***@gmail.com]

Post by Anthony
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=binaryearth.handygpsfree
Thanks,
Anthony.

No, THANK YOU, Anthony!! That is a cool app! We've never had a way to extract our GPS info from the phone before except Google Maps, and good luck if you're outside WiFi or cell coverage.

A compass, and satellite status! AND being able to create your own waypoints. Yea!! Terrific utility for a hiker, boater, pilot, and regular guys... :-)

[a***@gmail.com]

PS> A version of this app is also now available for iPhones:

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=704471940&mt=8

[a***@gmail.com]

PS> The first version for Windows Phone is now also available:

http://www.binaryearth.net/HandyGPS/index.php