iPhone as primary GPS device when traveling on roads

[roadpacker]

Hey all,

I'm pretty late to the smartphone game. I got my first a few months ago. I use it for Strava a lot. I do distance road bikepacking things, wondering how this would fare as a replacement for a Garmin 705. Really like the interface better.

Any insight or apps welcomed, thank you


 

[KeithG]

Potential issues:
Charging - gonna eat up lots of battery using a GPS app, searching for cell signal if you are in a remote area, and having the screen on lots.  Can be remedied with a dynamo hub with a USB charger.

Service - if you get "way out there" and have no service you might be in a pathfinding pickle.

[roadpacker]

How is it that a GPS manages to do what a GPS does better than an iPhone? Lots of satellites I guess.

My Garmin 705 is pretty toast and in need of repair. May just want to buy a replacement. I'll search around on this forum for advice. But you're right it does seem less reliable. That interface though is freakin awesome.

[KeithG]

Etrex 20 or 30 are both popular, easy to use, and reliable.

[SlowRide]

I use an eTrex 20 as my on-handlebar follow-the-purple-line GPS device and use my iPhone as a backup. I like the Garmin interface for actual moment-to-moment navigation, it's simple and it's lack of a lustrous interface may be a good thing. I also like that it's waterproof, pretty darn shock proof, and uses AA batteries(which I can carry extras of and have predictable life from). As you mentioned the interface on the phone is excellent and when I want to look where I am overall on a long route it does much better than a zoomed out Garmin does for detail and overall map visualization and usability. I've been using the Motion-X GPS app(which is only $.99) and it loads long trail tracks just fine and has the ability to cache maps for offline use which is perhaps the most important thing. As far as battery life for the phone, I carried a small external rechargeable battery pack with USB outputs that would charge my phone fully about 3-4 times. I found the phone quite useful as a backup on the AZT this year, and my eTrex 20 took the beating of all beatings and it's still running great. I don't think I'd recommend using the phone as primary though, something just doesn't feel right about it.

[gouacats]

I would say that the charging needs would be the mis challenging. The iPhone GPS works when in the sticks, as long as the app you're using has offline maps. I use Navigon for on road stuff and Scenic Maps or Topo Maps for off-road stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mountainjah]

I'll second John's strategy....Iphone backup in emergencies with PDF files of your maps as a just in case.....I've had the purple line device poop out and it's good to press those old school topo skills into service when needed. With the map/cues/waypoint files on your phone in airplane mode, you'll have a good safety net and reference library.

But for nav applications, get an etrex if you're serious, the iPhone just sucks too much juice up... unless you're creating your own charge on the fly....?

If you're on the road rather than in the woods, maybe you could capture enough sun that you could go solar charger on yo bike/back in lieu of getting dynamoed? You could add a recharge cell in the bags for a gray day safety net.....? A cord for gas stations....  IDK, sounds more complicated than just getting a new ETREX.... iPhone is nice for pics tho

[Cfritze]

on an iphone, if you set a SIM passcode and restart the phone without unlocking the SIM, then you've turned off the cellular radio. You can turn bluetooth and wifi off manually. With this setup, an iPhone battery will last a good long while for doing occasional lookups of your position, but it doesn't have enough battery to be turned on consistently as you ride.

[RonK]

You're riding a bike - get a hub dynamo and a cache battery. Keeping your phone charged won't be a problem. Discussed in detail in this thread.

[Farawayvisions]

I always like a map. As a sailor as well as a bikepacker, it's always good to have a backup that doesn't rely on modern technology.

[wahday]

I use my iPhone as a GPS unit. It works great but you need to be sensitive to battery use as others have noted. I use Gaia GPS as my app which allows one to preload maps in the phone. That way I can turn off cellular, wifi, etc. The phone can always get a GPS location but if you haven't preloaded the maps it will not be able to stream the map data if no cell signal is available. You will just be located in a blank grid on the screen.

FTR the SIM card option does not work if Verizon is your carrier (the case for me). Will work for AT&T users.

I actually just upgraded my phone and so am now using the old one just for GPS. I have no data plan so it's really just a glorified iPod. But it does get GPS signal and as long as I download maps when I have wifi, no problem. Gaia makes this easy.

I also have a battery charger I carry with me. It's made by "Trent" costs $35 and will recharge the iPhone 5-7 times before it needs charging itself. It's about the size of a cigarette pack but square. There are others available, some that use regular AA batteries.

Another useful app is PDF maps which you can use to preload USGS maps that have geospatial data. That way it will locate you on the map when in the field.

Both apps are free though Gaia has a pay option for additional features. With the paid version you can also print maps of a predesignated route. You can also create routes using it even with the free version. They export as both gpx and kml files so can be shared with most any GPS program/unit.


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[Couloirman]

I only use the iphone as my primary GPS on routes I know to have service, and that I do frequently and want to easily get them on Strava. Anytime I head into the wilderness the eTrex 30 comes with me. Iphone just isn't reliable enough overal IMHO. But, here are two good links if you decide to use the iphone as primary gps:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=72254

http://adventurealan.com/iphone4gps.htm

[RonK]

Since iOS 8.3 was released, GPS remains activated in Airplane mode.

Posted by Apple Support May 9 2015.

[aaron w]

Thanks Ron!  That's pretty cool.  I just tested this and it *seems* to work.  I'll try with Strava in airplane mode later to verify. 

[Wingnut]

This works great with my iPhone while riding...no need for the cache battery...