Can my smartphone replace a GPS unit?

[laxwyo]

I wish the gps chip worked on airplane mode. Would save tons of battery

 

[lostriverproductions]

I use both my android and a gps, gps is way more accurate. Even i I turn service off so I am just using the gps in my phone. It can be glitch, not sure why? Maybe it doesn't work off as many satellites as the GPS receiver does?

 

[Triple BB]

Have a hard time believing any smart phone is more accurate than a 62 series Garmin. Mine has 500 plus way points. Guessing you can't transfer data between a GPS and phone? I also like to put my Garmin in my pocket and leave it on all day with tracks going. Keep a couple sets of batteries in my ATV and an extra set in my pack. I've never run short. Can't believe a phone will match. On top of that, we have zero phone service in most of the areas I hunt. Maybe I'll change one of these years. Then again, maybe not...

 

[Timberline]

WapitiBob,
"I used all the power saving tips, and only took the phone off airplane mode to activate the GPS (GPS doesn't work in airplane mode on iPhone) so I could mark a waypoint, or get a bearing, or check the terrain, etc."


I'm confused by this statement...I thought the above post said GPS and cell signal are not related... So if you don't have "cell service", and have an iPhone, are you SOL if you are in deep dark canyon with no reception and need to know where you are or you want to mark a wallow?

I have an iPhone 6 and I have the Garmin 62 series. I agree with Triple BB - I just trust my Garmin 62 far more than my iPhone. Unless I'm missing something, which I would love to know, my phone will be in my pack but mostly used for playing games while I wait at the wallow with no cell service.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Have a hard time believing any smart phone is more accurate than a 62 series Garmin. Mine has 500 plus way points. Guessing you can't transfer data between a GPS and phone? I also like to put my Garmin in my pocket and leave it on all day with tracks going. Keep a couple sets of batteries in my ATV and an extra set in my pack. I've never run short. Can't believe a phone will match. On top of that, we have zero phone service in most of the areas I hunt. Maybe I'll change one of these years. Then again, maybe not...

You can transfer your waypoints and tracks in GPX and KML if you want.

If you want to track all day in your pocket, you are going to run through your battery, just as you do with a GPS. It may be easier to just keep changing batteries in your GPS rather than to keep charging your phone for those uses.

As far as believing in the accuracy, I guess you would have to try it and find out. You can certainly keep with the GPS you trust of course.

On the phone service. You don't need phone service for the GPS to work. I almost never have service where I hunt, and the GPS function on the iPhone 6 Plus works great.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

WapitiBob,
"I used all the power saving tips, and only took the phone off airplane mode to activate the GPS (GPS doesn't work in airplane mode on iPhone) so I could mark a waypoint, or get a bearing, or check the terrain, etc."


I'm confused by this statement...I thought the above post said GPS and cell signal are not related... So if you don't have "cell service", and have an iPhone, are you SOL if you are in deep dark canyon with no reception and need to know where you are or you want to mark a wallow?

I have an iPhone 6 and I have the Garmin 62 series. I agree with Triple BB - I just trust my Garmin 62 far more than my iPhone. Unless I'm missing something, which I would love to know, my phone will be in my pack but mostly used for playing games while I wait at the wallow with no cell service.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Timberline,

You don't need service to use the GPS functionality. You just can't have an iPhone in Airplane mode and use the GPS function. iPhones turn off the GPS when you put it in airplane mode. I wish they would change that, and make the GPS independent of airplane mode.

When I am in the woods I do this:

1. Keep the phone in airplane mode until I want to use the GPS app.
2. When I want to use the GPS app, I turn airplane mode off.
3. I use the app to make a waypoint, check the map, etc.
4. Turn the phone back on airplane mode when I am done.

This works whether there is cell phone coverage or not. If you aren't in a coverage area, the phone will just be "searching for service" while you are using the app, but the GPS function will still be working fine.

I hope that clarifies it a bit.

I am sure that some will still prefer their GPS, but I am good to go with just the phone.

 

[tim]

frontcountry use you phone, backcountry use your gps?

 

[WapitiBob]

Bitter, I don't have an answer on the actual chip difference between the phone and Garmin.

Garmin had the ability to create the best GPS ever in the Montera and they flubbed it. Their focus now seems to be on watches and the auto market.

 

[laxwyo]

And fish finders

 

[okielite]

Yea you are right you interpreted my post and thoughts correctly. Even in airplane mode the batteries in mine only last a day using the GPS. Why have to worry about charging a phone some time each day or every other day when you can bring a GPS and pop out the batteries once a week and move on?

Both units will require charging during extended trips. There are many options to charge electronic devices in the field including solar, crank, heat from wood stove or coffee, and even a yo-yo. Just a matter of finding what works best for your situation.

You must have a better GPS than me as my GPS batteries won't last even close to a week. Maybe next weekend I'll do a comparison of battery life so we can see exactly what the difference is.

 

[okielite]

It's a phone, with a stick-on app to try and make it something it's not.
Take the Garmin Montera and it's Android OS, unlock the .jnx restriction, remove the limitations on tiles, and drop the price to $299. done

Not really. the GPS is standard on a smartphone. In reality the smartphone has already taken the place of may devices such as home phone, camera, etc..

Essentially a phone and GPS are just a GPS receiver and a screen. One just happens to do a few million other functions than the other. This is why according to the article I posted that stand alone GPS units are becoming less useful as they are replaced by smartphones much like digital cameras have been.

 

[25contender]

On a two week trip I change the batteries in my Garmin 62s twice maybe three times over the course of 14 days. It just depends on how long the first set has been in the GPS before a trip. My phone does not do well I would be lucky to get a day and a half out of the Battery. I will say that my wife's new phone a Samsung galaxy (S5 I think) is very good on batteries considering how much she uses it.

Both units will require charging during extended trips. There are many options to charge electronic devices in the field including solar, crank, heat from wood stove or coffee, and even a yo-yo. Just a matter of finding what works best for your situation.

You must have a better GPS than me as my GPS batteries won't last even close to a week. Maybe next weekend I'll do a comparison of battery life so we can see exactly what the difference is.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

The biggest factor for me switching to the phone only is the excellent battery life of the iPhone 6 plus. I was not satisfied with the batteries in the Iphone 4 and 5.