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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 14906 Location: Keynsham
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:28 am Post subject:
I have not been participating in this thread as the idea of cobbling round CA by using some other app does not appeal. Indeed, I have been surprised that PGPSW has tolerated it as it seems like some sort of competition, or plagiarisation or piracy of CA.
However, I have to comment that M4 J10 has been going wrong for some time and last time I came back through there on New Year's Eve, I believe I amended 198818 to MID camera because, although it's an actual and therefore END camera, it was cancelling av specs on the main carriageway because it was well within the arc of distance and heading to act on main carriageway running. Of course, normally CA does not display Exitspecs, so I didn't realise it was them which were jiggering up the normal carriageway.
I believe that Exitspecs 191814/815/816 are all wrongly placed and come well within the normal arcs of tolerance to cancel main carrigeway running. When I occasionally ask for an Exitspecs in such circumstances, I always ask for it well outside the reach of main carriageway and some distance along the side exit road. Those three are very wrong for CA and voluntarily cobbling them about in order to juggle an app which is messing with CA seems to me a poor idea. Simply locate them well up/down the 308M/404M - it doesn't matter if they activate a bit late for people leaving at this junction, but it DOES matter for ordinary users going about their journeys along the M4.
I have always been somewhat reluctant to call for exitspecs as in my experience I have found MaFt well able and competent to add them when appropriate.
Sadly, with CA being so bad on iOS, I have been unable to do my previous acts of submitting a standout (160mph) false camera with voice note to explain what I was doing. But I feel everybody would be far better engaged by pressing PGPSW to get CA sorted out, rather than filling dozens of pages of workarounds. _________________ Dennis
Indeed, I have been surprised that PGPSW has tolerated it as it seems like some sort of competition, or plagiarisation or piracy of CA.
Given that the writer of the app actively promotes subscriptions to the PGPSW database, I'm surprised at your comment. I would have thought that new subs are more valuable than the revenue from the sale of the app as its ongoing.
Based on this line of thought, there should only be one word processing system in existence, Wordstar!
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 14906 Location: Keynsham
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:17 am Post subject:
Allan_whoops wrote:
Quote:
Indeed, I have been surprised that PGPSW has tolerated it as it seems like some sort of competition, or plagiarisation or piracy of CA.
Given that the writer of the app actively promotes subscriptions to the PGPSW database, I'm surprised at your comment. I would have thought that new subs are more valuable than the revenue from the sale of the app as its ongoing.
Based on this line of thought, there should only be one word processing system in existence, Wordstar!
From very brief reading of this thread, I do believe the app MUST obtain somebody else's database, can't run without it (and indeed does state pgpsw is best). It doesn't change my opinion. I suspect Apple might have a similar opinion if somebody developed an app that lets you run Android apps on an iPhone.
And by the way, the only word processor should be Ami Pro. _________________ Dennis
Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 7191 Location: Reading
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:42 am Post subject:
Before we started promoting this app, due to CA refusing to work on Samsungs with Android 10, we did get MaFt's permission.
His response was along the lines that as CA is free then there is no competition.
I agree that CA needs attention but it's looking unlikely in the short term, leaving us to look elsewhere, and STA is the best of the bunch and has a responsive developer. _________________ DashCam:
Viofo A119 V3
Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 10118 Location: Bexhill, South Sussex, UK
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:30 am Post subject:
Well said that man. It appears that there has been no developments on CA for a number of years now and no response from the developers either.
On the other hand STA (should change that abbreviation as it sounds too much like STD). On the other hand STA is really good, under fine detail development, and more to the point, Leo listens to what people say and is actively looking to make his program better.
And just to clarify any confusion that participants may have, CA is free. It's the access to the database that the subs are for. So PGPSW will not lose any revenue by users switching to STA and may indeed increase revenue when people realise that it is at least as good as CA and it actually works on the latest Android devices which CA doesn't with no feedback g=from the developers to indicate whether it ever will.
Firstly, thanks for making an excellent app! I've been using it for a couple of weeks now, since Cameralert no longer works with the latest Samsung phones. I liked it enough to pay for the full version
A couple of observations:
1. Please add my vote to the (semi)automatic database update feature request.
2. The app sometimes warns of cameras that are not on the actual road. The same cameras are not warned by Cameralert using its default degree settings. I have installed the map data.
3. The auto start/stop when using Bluetooth seems patchy. I've ticked the boxes in the settings for both my cars, but it's 50/50 as to whether the app launches or not. Remembering to manually launch and close the app is a pain. I'm using Android Auto - the Cameralert option of "launch when car mode detected" worked perfectly.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Last edited by nhalliday on Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 30/12/2002 17:36:20 Posts: 4919 Location: Oxfordshire, England, UK
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:33 pm Post subject:
I'm very interested in the way that STA is developing into THE Android app for running the PGPSW camera database. However, as an iPhone user I can't try STA.
Leo_A wrote:
I've just made a thing that I planned earlier, but did not. To build a route from specs to specs and to guide a car along this route with reliable detection of exiting av zone.
I know that the above refers directly to dealing with SPECS but it appears to show that STA knows which road that it's on, therefore determining whether a nearby camera is on the same road and thus a threat or not to reduce false warnings. Is this correct?
Regards, _________________ Robert.
iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 14.0.1: iOS CamerAlert v2.0.7
TomTom GO Mobile iOS 2.3.1; TomTom (UK & ROI and Europe) iOS apps v1.29
Garmin Camper 770 LMT-D
Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 7191 Location: Reading
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:02 pm Post subject:
After speaking with "M8" he informs me that my issue with Specs end cams may be solved if I download the UK map data, which I hadn't done. I didn't think I needed it as I just display the speedo.
The app can then make an intelligent guess that I've left a Specs road and may turn it off earlier.
= map downloaded and ready to roll for my next trip later this week. _________________ DashCam:
Viofo A119 V3
Joined: 30/12/2002 17:36:20 Posts: 4919 Location: Oxfordshire, England, UK
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:16 pm Post subject:
Say I'm on a motorway travelling at 70mph but there's a nearby road running parallel with a speed camera (either fixed or mobile) set at 30mph in the same direction that I'm travelling. At the moment I get a warning from CamerAlert that I'm exceeding the speed limit. Would STA be intelligent enough to realise this (once the appropriate map has been loaded)?
What map data does STA use?
How large is the UK map data?
Regards, _________________ Robert.
iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 14.0.1: iOS CamerAlert v2.0.7
TomTom GO Mobile iOS 2.3.1; TomTom (UK & ROI and Europe) iOS apps v1.29
Garmin Camper 770 LMT-D
Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 10118 Location: Bexhill, South Sussex, UK
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:15 pm Post subject:
With the map data loaded, you also get speed limit warnings, and some other stuff, but the speed limit warning seems a bit patchy in operation, possibly to do with lack of data in the road database in some instances.
I must do some more investigation. For instance, it doesn't warn me when going from a 30 to 40 zone (although the limit icon is displayed) but does warn when that zone reduces back down to 30MPH.
This specific one is starting at about 50.84551, 0.48698 in a 30 zone and driving west.
There is a 40 zone starting at 50.84638, 0.48298 (icon on STA map) that ends at 50.84582, 0.47126 (icon on STA map). No warning for going into the 40, but warning of impending 30 zone.
Might be settings, but not sure. Will have to check and report back
Hi Leo,
1. Please add my vote to the (semi)automatic database update feature request.
2. The app sometimes warns of cameras that are not on the actual road. The same cameras are not warned by Cameralert using its default degree settings. I have installed the map data.
3. The auto start/stop when using Bluetooth seems patchy. I've ticked the boxes in the settings for both my cars, but it's 50/50 as to whether the app launches or not. Remembering to manually launch and close the app is a pain. I'm using Android Auto - the Cameralert option of "launch when car mode detected" worked perfectly.
1. This not depends on me. URL is necessary for auto-updates, but there is no URL )
2. Ok, I understood. I'll continue about this in next messages.
3. Currently, the app allows only one BT-device for auto start/stop when connected with. Ok about "car mode".
Joined: Aug 31, 2005 Posts: 15356 Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 6:35 pm Post subject:
Kremmen wrote:
Good point, I wonder why 198818 isn't an end camera ?
Because it's heading is too close to the main carriageway so it is marked as a MIDDLE with en EXITSPECS in place. Otherwise people staying on the main carriageway would have their average speed cancelled.
Joined: Aug 31, 2005 Posts: 15356 Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 6:56 pm Post subject:
DennisN wrote:
I have not been participating in this thread as the idea of cobbling round CA by using some other app does not appeal. Indeed, I have been surprised that PGPSW has tolerated it as it seems like some sort of competition, or plagiarisation or piracy of CA.
Tghis isn;t a hack, competition or plagiarism. It is basicaly a 'device' that can use our database. No different to installing the database onto a Garmin, instead it's installed onto a phone. It still requires a subscription and can still be traced if shared.
DennisN wrote:
I believe that Exitspecs 191814/815/816 are all wrongly placed and come well within the normal arcs of tolerance to cancel main carrigeway running.
I've tweaked 191814
191815 has a direction of 270 degrees so will not affect the main carriageway
191816 has a direction of 10 degrees so will not affect the main carriageway
I know that the above refers directly to dealing with SPECS but it appears to show that STA knows which road that it's on, therefore determining whether a nearby camera is on the same road and thus a threat or not to reduce false warnings. Is this correct?
No, currently the app doesn't use map data to reduce false warnings.
However, it is possible to make this improvement with little efforts for some easy cases.
This picture demonstrates easy cases. This is 30 mph cam and 70 mph motorway. The camera partially covers the motorway and false warning is possible there even with 15 seconds time to camera (length of rectangle here is 1/2 mi). Width of rectangle is 164 yds (the app uses this basic width for detection). When a camera stand far from the road we're driving, but 'covers' it due to its orientation and the road's shape, it is easy.
This picture demonstrates the ultimate case when heavy efforts required or impossible at all. Distances between tracks are within GPS accuracy and it is hard to determine reliably where exactly we are moving.
Privateer wrote:
What map data does STA use?
How large is the UK map data?
OpenStreetMaps. Only motorways, trunks, primary, secondary, and tertiary roads. No small roads.
Download size around 80 Mb (zip), then around 170 Mb on storage. [/url]
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