GPS GPS or cell phone GPS ????

[Shovelhead]

Like to hear some opinions and real experience with this matter. As mentioned before, I ain't real gadget savvy.
As I started looking in to buying a GPS for my bike I ran across the subject of using offline maps and using a cell phone.
I kept reading and still am, mainly due to the cost of the high end GPS units.

As some know there are big conversations and support towards using a cell phone on ADVrider.
You can purchase a cell phone with a screen size and quality that is many dollars less than the high end Garmin units, "so they say".
Many bitch about the clumsy Garmin mapping program and claim there are easier and better options with offline maps and a cell phone.

I'm talking strictly offline stuff that requires no cell signal or service, period.

Let's hear your thoughts and experience. ::017::

 

[Ramseybella]

Do you have the ADVrider link?

 

[Checkswrecks]

I use both of my cell phones (iPhone 5S for work and personal Samsung S5) and a Garmin 600.


Up-sides -


I almost always have a phone plugged in just for music or streaming radio. It's usually blue toothed to my old Sena SMH10.


The cell phone apps are a LOT more intuitive and can be a lot easier to use, if you took the time before-hand to download the maps for where you want to go. A great up-side to that is that you can download the maps almost anywhere you get good signal, or even in a McDonalds wifi.



I hate the Garmin user interface. It's like they are just too set in their ways, too profit-motivated, or unable to learn from Google, Apple, or anybody else, how to do something easily intuitive.




The down-sides that I've experienced:


With the power lugs at the bottom of the phones open, I now know that even a light drizzle can short out the phone. It was an expensive lesson. If you don't keep the phone plugged in the battery goes down pretty quick.


The ability of the phones to find and keep a good GPS lock is not as strong as on the Garmin. My guess is that it is the smaller antenna and power in the phones.


Some polarized helmet visors make it really hard to see the screen on the phone. It'll just look nearly black.


And the biggest negative has been that it takes 2 exposed fingers to use the map on the phone. I've tried the gloves with stitching that will work with the screen, but the fingertips are so big that I'm always just taking my left glove off while riding.

 

[Bryce]

Since April, I,ce been using my Galaxy S4 Active (the "ruggedized and waterproof" version) as my GPS.
I use the CoPilot app for my normal street routing. It uses offline maps, but I use data to get the traffic info that they offer. I get voice promt routing to my Sena headset via Bluetooth. The maps have been pretty good about having dirt roads and stuff like that.

I started off using Osmand+ and OSM maps but I found it horrible to find POIs and even worse, addresses (it still only finds my street, not my house). For tracks, I still use Osmand+ For tracks because CoPilot doesn't support tracks.

My phone gets mounted on my '14 Super10 on the bar above the gauges with a Ram ball, Ram short arm and the Ram finger-grip holder. I power it with a usb cord from the charger.

The USB port on my S4 Active is not waterproof when a cord is plugged in, but It's been no issue in light rain. When it's a real downpour I pull the plug and put the waterproof flap on and run off battery.

 

[Shovelhead]

The 2 finger method of pinching / spreading on the phone would be a deal breaker for me. No way I'd want to deal with that going down the road. I've found out there are offline map programs that do have the zoom "+ & - buttons", so that problem is eliminated, I think.

The other concern with the offline / no cell service maps is the POI info, if available. I suspect you'd need to update the maps every so often, unlike just using Google Maps with cell service.
I think I have a work around for that by using my iphone / Sena. Believe I could poke the phone button and ask the fake lady where the grocery store is.
Or I could stop and poke around on the iphone to find what I need, or I could do like I've done the past 30 yrs and ask somebody at a gas station.

Polarized shield is a good point but I don't believe my Neotec drop down shield is polarized.

 

[Shovelhead]

been using my Galaxy S4 Active (the "ruggedized and waterproof" version) as my GPS.
I use the CoPilot app for my normal street routing. It uses offline maps, but I use data to get the traffic info that they offer. I get voice promt routing to my Sena headset via Bluetooth. The maps have been pretty good about having dirt roads and stuff like that.

Bryce, you are using this with cell service / data right?
I'm looking at using a phone with no contract / service.

 

[Shovelhead]

Do you have the ADVrider link?

here's just one, poke around in the GPS Mapping/Navigation forum and you can read up on it all til the World looks level.

http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/phone-as-gps-on-you-motorcycle.1078838/

 

[Bryce]

Bryce, you are using this with cell service / data right?
I'm looking at using a phone with no contract / service.

CoPilot and maps work off line with no data. If you want traffic and that stuff you'd need data.
Osmand works off line also.

 

[Rasher]

I am a cheapskate and use a car sat-nav in a waterproof case.

In the UK I can get a fairly decent Garmin for well under half the price of a bike specific one, throw it in a £20 case and off I go, same for the Mrs bike, find them generally easy to use and they work well. The one time I tried to use a phone with offline maps (a good few years ago) it was OK but the smsall screen was not ideal and it took ages to find satellites.

So for now I am happy to stick with what I know works well, also really easy to plan routes on Tyre and upload them to the sat-navs.

 

[trimannn]

There's not anyway to create a route on your computer at home and send it to your phone or is there?

 

[Bryce]

There's not anyway to create a route on your computer at home and send it to your phone or is there?

Sort of with Osmand. Create a GPX with a track and download it to your phone. Then you can get it to route you along the track.

http://www.flannaghan.com/2014/04/17/android-nav

 

[trimannn]

Sweet... I've never heard of this. I'm going to try it out. Not being able to make my own routes was the main reason I had a Garmin.

Not trying to highjack the OP's post though so, I have a Garmin 2597 that's designed for a car but works fine on the bike. It's not waterproof but it was only $150 so I can by a lot of sandwich bags to cover it up with the $ I saved. Had it mounted to the dash on a Goldwing and as long as you were moving it wouldn't get very wet. Haven't ridden with it in the rain on the S10 yet so we'll see how dry it stays. I use Basecamp to make routes on my laptop and then download to the Garmin. Lot a people hate Basecamp but once you figure it out I think it works pretty good.

I downloaded the co pilot app on my phone which works good and works without data but you can't make your own routes.

I would have said if you want to make your own routes your best bet is a GPS but with the info Bryce just posted I may be wrong.

 

[Shovelhead]

Like to hear some opinions and real experience with this matter.

anybody else? ::017:: ::017::

 

[AVGeek]

anybody else? ::017:: ::017::

I have both on the bike. I went with a Montana 600, as well as my current iPhone 6. When on a trip, I usually load the intended route into the Montana, and use Siri on my phone (via voice activation) to find anything I want to hit along the way (like gas stations and food). Bonus for me is that I have the car mount for use in the truck, as well as a handlebar mount for my ATV. Even though the Montana does not have Bluetooth, I have the Sena SR10 adapter to pipe in any directions to my Sena SMH10. The GPS and SR10 are mounted in/on an RKA tank bag. It wasn't the least expensive option, but it gives me the best of both worlds. Also, since I hold an amateur radio (Ham) license, I plan on adding a radio to the setup (which can also interface via the SR10), and use the APRS system for tracking capability. The Montana has serial outputs to interface to the radio for this.

 

[Shovelhead]

well that explains your "handle" LOL

man, that's quite a Comm System, yer gonna need a UPS System on that bike

 

[HeliMark]

I have tried the phone as a GPS on the bike. For me, I did not really like it. Making sure it was waterproof, unable to really use the gloves on it (Samsung S5 has an option for making it easier for gloves). I was not real fond of mounting it on the bars, and it did not work with the tank bag that well either.

In the end, I bought a remanufactured Garmin 390 with the one year warranty. Waterproof, and dedicated GPS. And I really like the curvy road and dirt option. Boy has that been fun. It can make a one hour trip into a 2-3 hour one with some fun roads that you did not know about. I was looking at the Garmin 665 with the XM and weather, but I already have an XM radio setup on the bike, and just use my phone for the weather for now.

Mark

 

[AVGeek]

well that explains your "handle" LOL

man, that's quite a Comm System, yer gonna need a UPS System on that bike

Yep, I'm a professional Geek ::008::

And the ST alternator has plenty of power, plus everything I use has batteries as well.

 

[r1d1]

::026:: on the car gps unit (eight year old nuvi 770). Plastic bag over it if it rains.