Alternative worth considering?

andyb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Posts: 32

As a GPS user for many years my dream was always a GPS with full Ordnance Survey 1/25000 mapping.
I tried and abandoned the Satmap Active 10 -as documented in another thread.

For the last two months I have been using an alternative which is very near to fulfilling all my needs.

The system is the Nokia 5800 mobile phone with Viewranger mapping.

I'm surprised that this system is not seen as a credible alternative to other systems such as the Garmin Oregon or the Active 10.

The advantages are:
Light weight
Good battery life - 10 hours minimum
Large 3.2" screen - very viewable in sunlight
Touch screen - you can move around the map by dragging it.
GPS performance is superb - very swift lock from cold, holds onto the signal even in poor conditions.

The combination of the phone and Viewranger software does everything the Satmap does.

I plan maps on my PC using Tracklogs Ordnance survey mapping, load the route onto the phone and away I go.

Crucially for me it has never locked or frozen - and for me reliability and stability are very important.

Disadvantages:
Not waterproof - I keep mine in a waterproof pouch.

Tony_P1 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 30, 2008 Posts: 34

My concern in using GPS on the phone, is that it puts all your eggs in one basket. If the device fails you lose both the navigation tool and a way of communication with those who you may need to get help from. Hence I prefer two separate devices.
Tony

philpugh · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:32 pm Post subject:

It is a credible alternative for some people. Indeed I do use MemoryMap on my mobile phone under some circumstances.

I have a range of units which I have acquired over the years and I prefer some over others depending on what I am doing.

For outdoor work (hill/fell walking and cycling) which ever unit I use needs to be rugged and waterproof. I've tried Aquapacks (I do have my phone in one in my rucksac when walking) and hard cases with phones/PDAs but for navigation use I find them awkward. So I tend to use the Active10 for this. For sailing I use the Garmin Colorado - sea spray doesn't damage it and you can wash the unit in a bowl of clean water afterwards - I wouldn't try this with many other systems I own! If GARMIN had provided whole UK mapping with their Discoverer series I would probably NOT have bought the Active10. But I'm rather glad I did!.

But I echo your opening thoughts! Me and a friend were cycling around Cheshire last night (just to visit a pub in the interest of research Laughing

) and we are both of an age to remember the navigation devices they had in TV shows like Man from Uncle/Avengers (first time around) et al. It is quite amazing to see what has been achieved in the intervening 30+ years. I had my Active 10 on the bike and it proved very useful when making route choices - a simple look at the map showed the terrain/distance involved in the choices. Much simple than getting off bike/opening map/finding position.....
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Phil

philpugh · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:37 pm Post subject:

andyb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Posts: 32

Yes some of those future gadgets in shows such as Thunderbirds are now reality!
I really did'nt expect to watch my real time progress on a moving Ordnance Survey map screen for a long time.

I take the point about all my eggs in one basket:
I had come to the end of my phone contract and if I renewed the contract I got the 5800 free. I specifically got it for gps use. The reason being the screen is so big - about the size of the Oregon and nearly as big as the Satmap Active 10.

I carry another phone for use as a phone!

The total weight of both phones is less than my Garmin GPSMap 60CSi

There are also clear advantages of Viewranger mapping. It appears to be cheaper, you can download exactly the area you want - and you can load in onto 2 phones (so long as you don't use both copies at the same time)

planetnine

dungbeetle · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 15, 2009 Posts: 33

andyb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Posts: 32

Hi Planetnine,

If you search the forum using andyb2 you should find the relevant thread.

I've heard the unit is much improved - it was a year ago that I had it.

Among the problems I encountered at the time were:

Poor satellite aquisition, loosing satellite fix and taking ages to reaquire, unit freezing and locking, poor battery life, and issues with the screen(s) scratching.

I trialed Viewranger at the same time on a Nokia phone and did'nt encounter the same problems. So I abandoned the Satmap and went back to using a Garmin gps and using the Nokia to get an exact Ordnance Survey fix.

Since using the Nokia 5800 with its bigger screen I hav'nt used my Garmin unit.

As I said I've heard the Satmap is much improved - and if you hav'nt found any weaknesses this just proves it.

planetnine · Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:58 pm Post subject:

I agree that the screen doesn't seem very hardy and I get bits and dust collecting under it (I've not got the thing wet yet, either), but I've had no problems so far with aquisition times or signal loss.

Indeed it will happily keep its lock in my office with just a window 1m away to see a limited part of sky. Battery life is good with the Li-ion battery, seems to be ok with NiMH AAs too.

Seems to me with my limited experience of the A10 and user's comments that some bad units have got through or it is particularly susceptible to certain kinds of interference that other makes have learned to deal with.

Only other criticism is the user interface needs a little ironing-out, but presume that will follow with user input and firmware upgrades.
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planet nine
Lincoln, UK.

pcaouolte · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 8:36 pm Post subject:

I am new to off road GPS devices. I like the look of Viewranger on the Nokia 5800 and it is in my price range (the Active 10 is too expensive).

Can anyone recommend a good waterproof pouch for the Nokia 5800?
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Paul

mikealder · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:04 pm Post subject:

Have a look at the OverBoard range of cases, if you want music on the move their waterproof case with waterproof earphones is a great product (I have used one of these for 18 months with no issues at all) - Just make sure the phone has a standard 3,5MM jack for the audio output or the sound feed through won't work correctly. Have a look Here for more details, great products - Mike

pcaouolte · Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:58 pm Post subject:

Thank you Mike, I've had a look and they seem to be ideal.
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Paul

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