GPS: phones vs. dedicated vs. map

[Stephen]

We will be heading out in October. Our cell phone service is with a MVNO Verizon thing. I'm wondering if we would be better off with a dedicated GPS like a Garmin rather than rely on our phones.

Just recently we went to a Renaissance Festival nearby. We got a lovely tour of the country side that took about fifteen minutes longer than it should have if the GPS had worked correctly and not cut out. Last summer we went to visit our son who lives in Tennessee and we lost cell coverage. We saw more hollers than we cared to until we got a weak signal and called for directions.

I know cell coverage is getting better all the time, but I know we are going to be heading into areas that don't have great Verizon coverage. I'd like to get where I want to go without having a tour of that part of the United States.

My wife and I tend to be old school and trust maps, but they don't give you specific coordinates to find that sweet campsite that so and so told us about. They also aren't great at telling you that construction has now made that route impossible.

So what do ya'll use?

 

[LeeRevell]

I have found my cell phone using VZNavigator is often more accurate than my three different dedicated GPS devices. One GPS failed totally on one trip up in Indiana, directing us the opposite direction on a major highway. My cellphone got us back on track and right to the door.
But, the VZNavigator isn't full featured GPS. No waypoints, or saving the track, etc.
For my offroad motorcycle rides, and setting POIs on the hunting lease, a real GPS is necessary.
So, which device I use depends on the location and the situation. I also always have maps and a compass at hand!

 

[skyl4rk]

Osmand provides free mapping and turn by turn routing using the gps in your phone without any cell connection. It is an android app. It is somewhat difficult to figure out but after you learn how to use it, it works well.

 

[highdesertranger]

I use dedicated GPS, paper and digital maps. I don't even have a smart phone. I have seen people use the smart phone for GPS and they seem lacking. the only digital maps that I like are the USGS. every other digital map is USGS based but they leave stuff off. a note on dedicated GPS, under some circumstances they cut out too. one place I have seen this is in dense forests. I also feel that everyone should learn to navigate the back country WITHOUT electronic doo dads, if you can't then don't go. every summer it's non stop about people lost in the back country. the number one excuse these lost souls give is their cell phone either died or sent them the wrong way. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

I use all three. GPS usually works when cell phones don't, but they're designed to give you the "best" route from A to B. They're not much use for exploring. However, you can have an annoying synthetic voice tell you when and where to turn. No need to look away from the road. Maps are good for planning and exploring, but hard to use while driving unless you have a copilot. Google maps can do things maps and GPS can't. For instance, I love satellite view. I can often find boondocking spots by looking for pull outs. I can tell what the terrain is like. I can zoom in to see whether or not a road is paved. I can usually go to Street View to actually see the place. It gives me alternate routes.

 

[Reno]

I use all 3, as well.
Waze on the smartphone (Android) will route you around traffic and warn about road hazards (and police) in real time.
Garmin GPS (on silent) for backup routing, exit services, lane guidance, etc.
Road atlas on board comes in handy when not driving.

~Steve

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I agree with HDR.  Learn to use map and compass.  They don't run out of batteries or signal.  Always know where you are on a map.  Paper maps can give you the big picture and detail at the same time; something that is difficult with those tiny screens.

That said, I do use GPS:

• Phone based mapping function mostly for route finding in an unknown city.  The verbal directions let me keep my eyes on the traffic around me.
• I use a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx for hiking, but also carry USGS maps and reference them often (big picture again).  The Garmin also keeps track of elevation gain/loss and miles walked.
• The Garmin has saved me an uncomfortable night out when thick fog obscured my path back to the truck.  Using the 'bread crumb' and 'retrace route' features I was able to stumble home.  That is probably the one time when a map and compass were useless (couldn't see any features to orient myself to the map).
•  

BTW: some smartphones have a GPS chip and can function without cell signal, but don't have as good an antenna as a dedicated GPS unit so they loose signal easier.

 -- Spiff

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

FWIW, if you have a set of coordinates that you are trying to find, there are inexpensive tools for working with paper maps or Delorme Atlases that let you do just that, whether it's Lat/Lon or UTM.

https://www.maptools.com/

 

[ArtW]

I use my android via google maps
thoughty about getting another dedicated GPS though, when someone mentioned you can set some of them to follow state highways instead of the interstate, that seems like a nice feature

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

BTW, it is possible to cache Google Earth Data so you can use it even when you have no internet connection.  You can do this manually, or there are programs to automate the process. See:

http://freegeographytools.com/2009/manually-caching-google-earth-data

 

[LoupGarou]

I use a Garmin GPS unit and Garmin's Basecamp software for route planning.

You can't beat a device that can show you where your at, where you've been and where you're going, all at the same time.

 

[highdesertranger]

OP I have a bunch of those map tools, they are great. another thing, public land surveys do not use GPS coordinates for legal descriptions of properties. they use township, range, section, and further divide the section. here is what they look like T7N, R2W, sec5, SE1/4, NW1/4, W20 acres. as you can see this has nothing to do with GPS. this would read Township 7 North, Range 2 West, Section 5, then Southeast 1/4 and Northwest 1/4 the west 20 acres. it might look confusing but once you learn it it's not that hard. if you file a mining claim it must be done this way. also if you are buying property the legal description is in this form. GPS coordinates are not a legal description. btw the description I gave is in Nebraska. highdesertranger

 

[Almost There]

I use basically every resource I can when route/trip planning.

Paper maps are invaluable and I stop at every state welcome center and get the fold up for that state. The Rand McNally is good but only in a general way. I also like using freecampsites.net trip planner in conjunction with the paper maps. I can get it to plot my course with camping possibilities and then I use paper maps to figure out how far I'm going to be able to get that day and to see if there is anything that is off the trip planner course that might be of interest. Do a reroute, let it repopulate my camping options, check with my rest area listings and the driver section of Allstays for W/M options and put together a plan!!

After that, I resort to writing out my days plan turn by turn because I can't read a map and drive at the same time, so handwritten notes come in very handy. I can write them big enough that I don't need to use my reading glasses!!!

I do use my cell phone for in town mapping if I'm new to a town and looking for something specific but I wouldn't bother with it for out on the road mapping.

My Garmin 60CsX gets used for geocaching and hiking.

 

[DannyB1954]

Gps and cell tools are like a calculator. You have to have a general idea what the answer should be. If you know your destination should be North East of where you are, you need to question a device that wants to send you in a different direction.

 

[TrainChaser]

And, as the news reports indicate, DO NOT DISENGAGE BRAIN once you turn on the GPS.

 

[ZoNiE]

I agree with HDR.  Learn to use map and compass.  They don't run out of batteries or signal.  Always know where you are on a map.  Paper maps can give you the big picture and detail at the same time; something that is difficult with those tiny screens.
 -- Spiff

X2 on that.
"Always know where you are on a map"

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I am looking for recommendations of a auto GPS unit that is also fairly portable (runs on internal battery). 

Get a tablet with a GPS chipset.  Lots of choices of mapping software and some of them will run for 12+ hours on internal batteries.  Most of them are small enough to carry around with you.  If I was starting over this is what I would do.

 -- Spiff

 

[SoulRaven]

I use GPS on my phone. In fact, it was a significant factor in deciding to go back to a smartphone.

I also use the android app "PDF maps" to download specific maps for DNR land I'm heading to, which has useful info such as which gates are seasonally open and when, and also tracking software. It all works without signal, too, so long as the app was open when you first boot it up.

I have a fair number of electrical backups. My old smartphone is still functional with a shattered screen and broken charger port, it would accept the microchip of my current one if something happened to it. I've got a Verizon hotspot with an antenna if I need signal and it's out of At&T's range.

I understand where the advice about maps is coming from, but honestly, I don't use them. I make an effort to keep a few in the glove compartment that would be relevant, but for me it's like an ultimate last resort thing.

Years ago, I was the reason my family bought a dedicated GPS unit. After I got my driver's license I could not find my way anywhere. It very quickly became unfunny; not only could I not make it to any appointments or to school on time, but I would get so hopelessly lost that I would need someone on the phone helping me back. I would even study a route for weeks, print out point-by-point directions on Mapquest, tried to mentally memorize the map. Make no difference whatsoever. I still made about a dozen wrong turns, was two hours late to meeting my friend and needed my mom to walk me through getting back on route twice over the phone.

Turns out it was due to a neurological condition. My brain doesn't work right. It's unlikely paper maps will ever be of much use to me, unless I'm in a rural area. Reading a map and driving at the same time when there's lots of turns in the city really doesn't work.

Point is: maps are a good backup, if you know how to use them. Yes, it is smart to always know where you are on a map and be able to use them to navigate. But is it a necessity for being on the road? Absolutely not! If it were I'd never leave the driveway.

That dedicated Garmin GPS my family got? I borrowed it when I downgraded to a dumb phone. My dad had just paid a bunch to update the maps. Unfortunately it didn't have signal for all of Seattle, leading me to find my own solution. So, I definitely trust my phone GPS over dedicated ones.